By Mark Dawes, Staff ReporterAS A professional musician, Leslie Mowatt took many persons to musical ecstasy. But today, his life is in a different cadence, and being played in a higher key because he has answered the call of God on his life to pursue the Anglican priesthood.
From as early as 13 years old growing up in Christ Church (Anglican) in Port Antonio, Leslie Mowatt sensed the call of God to pursue the priesthood. But he was rebellious. At one discordant phase of his teens, he rebelled against the church and left it for years, before he returned in young adulthood. "At 20 my call came back. I made a bargain with the Lord. I said, I would like to see the world first. I will come back at 40."
As keyboard player he worked with a few bands including Apostles, the Mighty Avengers and then for 12 years he was a member of Byron Lee and the Dragonaires. When he ended his stay with Byron Lee and the Dragonaires (BL&D), he became part of a cruise ship's resident band a duo. It is largely through BL&D, and his stint with the cruise shipping company Royal Caribbean Lines that he has seen the world at least much of the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. But in March 1999, he did his last gig. And in August of that year at age 42, the six-foot two-inch musician honoured his long-time pledge to God when he stepped into the United Theological College of the West Indies. He is scheduled to graduate this May.
Mr. Mowatt, whose professional name was 'Steam Pigeon', a nickname that has followed him from his early years at Titchfield High School, explained that for all his life as a professional musician he never really left the church. The church was always with him. He constantly sensed the Holy Spirit's presence as he went about life as a musician and the sense of call would constantly break in.
"You can imagine, you are on a ship, people come for their two- or three-week cruise, they don't know you from Adam, I would put on my tuxedo and invariably on every cruise somebody would say 'You look like a priest'. The minute I put the jacket on, I hear 'You look like a priest'."
When he started out as a professional musician he would usually work late on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Then when the gig was over, he would drive to Christ Church in Port Antonio where he fulfilled his role as choir master and organist. As one usually tired from the show the night before, it was not strange for Mr. Mowatt to literally sleep through the sermon. It got so bad that someone was appointed to wake him.
When he worked with the cruise lines, on those occasions when he was back from sea, he would usually find his way to church and give his time again as organist and choirmaster - until it was time again to set sail.
"My sojourn in the world has prepared me for what my particular calling is. My experience is that things happen in God's own time. And He was there with me when I was in the world living ungodly. I have found that I depend now on my experiences of things in the world," he said.
As part of his training for the priesthood he has been assigned each year to work with a different Anglican church. At present, he is serving alongside the Rev. Canon Ralston Smith, Dean of Anglican students, who is chaplain at the University Chapel. He previously served at St. Jude's Church in Stony Hill and Christ Church in Vineyard Town.
So far, he said, there has hardly been any culture shocks for him. He explained: "You have to understand that after 25 years on the road as a musician, you have already seen the best and worst of people. You have seen the best of people in the generosity to you when you touch their hearts and take them to places they never dreamed of in the music and then they just open themselves up to you. But you also see the worst too. You see how selfish people can be. Music burns you out. You see the drugs and the under belly. I come here (to UTC) and I realise that my life in the industry has prepared me."
But does he miss his career as a secular musician? "No not really. I look back at it with fondness. I have my transcendental moments in church too. I have had other moments where when playing the organ I am taken up with the music in church where people have to remind him to go for communion I am already so blessed and at peace. In those moments communion comes to him.
This career keyboard player is today doing music in a different key, and he has not skipped a beat. His gifting in music has not escaped the notice of church folk. He is sought out to put music to Christian lyrics. In addition, he is involved in projects to indigenise much of the hymns and other songs commonly played in churches. He has written a reggae mass, and before too long he expects to produce a dancehall mass.
As one with a long career in secular music and his theological understanding, he brings an acute insight into prophetic influences of modern-day deejays. He is by no means dismissive of them and can point out with some ease, the moral message that is embedded in their songs. He hopes to use music to help church folk better understand cultural realities.
When he is ordained to the priesthood, he hopes to focus particularly on a ministry of presence.
"Most of ministry, as I understand it, has to be presence, i.e., principally pastoral care What if anything I would like to do, is to bring with me, because I walk with the Lord, the presence of the Lord in the midst of life If the presence of the Spirit is palpable where I am, people are not going to if and but about whether there is a God or not."
A knowledge-hound, Mr. Mowatt waxes eloquent at just about any question that one directs to him. And it is not hard to believe that this man is a mystic. At times he is teary-eyed, his voice is a little short of cracking as he speaks of the grace and providence of God in his life. He cites how he came to UTC without much savings, and he had his wife and three children to support. Yet God has provided a bounty for each day so much so that his family has never gone to bed hungry and he has usually had enough to share.
"My contract with the Lord is bound up in Matthew chapter 6:33 'Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you.' When I said yes to the Lord, I never knew that when He said 'all these things', He was going to dot every 'i' and cross every 't'. I at this time, I don't have a choice but to serve Him once you come to know life in the Spirit, you can't go back, because to not be in that presence is to know death. The life that opens up to you is the abundant life the life of possibilities, the life of acceptance and trusting. I can talk forever about the goodness of God."
