Jazz Pianist’s Long, Winding Road Brought Her to the Faith

During a trip to Europe in 1953, accomplished 20th-century jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams was exhausted,
emotionally drained, and facing financial peril when a friend took her to a small church in France where she began to pray.

As Deanna Witkowski explains in her 2021 biography of Williams, titled “Music for the Soul,” that’s where the musician’s spiritual journey and conversion to Catholicism began.

Pandemic is Prime Time for Conversion, Pope Says

The COVID-19 quarantines, lockdowns and stay-at-home orders are the perfect opportunity for conversion: for individuals, for the church and for governments, Pope Francis said in an interview.