The Rosary Tapes and Modernizing Worship

The Mysteries of Light Are Not Just for Catholics

Former rock station disc jockey Bill Gildenstern and composer John Giaier, both of Michigan and successful jingle collaborators of such notables as "Have You Driven A Ford -- Lately?", released The Rosary Tapes: The Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries in 1993. With the project blessed by Pope John Paul II, The Rosary Tapes was a collection of the Catholic Rosary, prayers of worhip, set to traditional music and originally released on casette. Back in December 2007, the two men released The Mysteries of Light on CD. According to an interview in the Catholic Exchange, whereas the making of the three tapes for The Rosary Tapes took Gildenstern and Giaier several weeks to complete, The Mysteries of Light took five years.

The Mysteries of Light were five new mysteries for the Rosary suggested by Pope John Paul II in 2002 that celebrated the teachings of Jesus. And where The Rosary Tapes followed a more traditional path, Gildenstern and Giaier wanted a more contemporary sound for the Mysteries of Light. They wanted a more universal Christian sound. Giaier states in the Catholic Exchange: "Bill and I sought the advice of a number of people outside the Catholic tradition before taking on this project," Giaier said. "I very much wanted to build this CD for everyone. That's why we made it to be something very embraceable by all Christian traditions. And we're not competing with the church organ player here - we're competing with all the other music on your MP3 player."

According to the Associated Press, The Joyful Mysteries, the first part of The Rosary Tapes, was made available for free downloading from the internet in 2001 and has seen over one million downloads. The Rosary Tapes have sold more than 40,000 units.