The Neum June 2025
- Graham Crawley
- Jun 30
- 7 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
From Prison To Poland
Greetings, Floriani faithful!
From the West Coast to Eastern Europe, our springtime slate included two truly memorable trips. First up—our trip to the oldest prison in California: San Quentin.
FLORIANI AT SAN QUENTIN
“This was the most profound thing that I’ve ever experienced
since coming to San Quentin.” - Anonymous inmate
It was a last minute addition to our trip. We had been invited to sing for the annual ‘Beloved Dinner’ in San Francisco, which will be described below, but around this foothold we cobbled together a weekend full of mission work, including a slate of Masses in Marin County, a concert at St. Dominic’s downtown, and finally, our first opportunity for prison ministry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Housing high profile inmates such as Charles Manson and Scott Peterson, San Quentin is easily the most notorious prison in California, and perhaps, one of the most famous prisons in the country. Our connection to the prison chaplain helped us schedule a Gregorian chant workshop and a concert. It was official: Floriani was to perform at the same prison Johnny Cash famously performed at in 1969. Not having much information on the format, our rough plan included a choral workshop with the resident schola, consisting of inmates (or ‘residents’, according to the latest politically-correct directives) who sang every week for the Catholic Mass held in the campus chapel, to be followed by a concert held in the chapel, open to all who wished to come.
Upon arrival to the prison parking lot, we were met by Father George Williams, the Jesuit prison chaplain responsible for guiding us through the several tiers of security. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the barbwire-crusted compound stood in almost comical contrast to the glistening waters of the San Francisco Bay. Outside the final entrance, a stone memorial payed remembrance to the dozens of prison employees who had been killed in the line of duty. No phones, wallets, tablets, or anything were allowed to come with us.
Once inside, we were welcomed by beautiful rose gardens in the prison courtyard, and then, once we made our way across to the chapel, by cheery inmates from the schola, ready to participate in the workshop. Turnout was good; we had about 12 inmates join us for the three hour chant workshop. The participants were perfectly charming, and genuinely so grateful for our time and efforts. We had time to get to know each of them, and they seemed happy to share about themselves and eager to learn more about chant. Floriani even brought them a little surprise—an original Mass for San Quentin, composed by Giorgio, which was one of the special pieces we worked on with the group.
The following concert was open to any and all who were interested, and we sang for a program of about an hour before a group of around 50 inmates. We even got the schola, eager to share what they had learned, to chant Ave Maris Stella with us.
To say it was one of the most memorable things we have done as a group would be an understatement. To be able to share the Gospel through our music to men who had been behind bars for years, some for several decades, left us all with a tangible reminder that this music provides people of all backgrounds with an unavoidable encounter with Christ. One inmate even commented, “This was the most profound thing that I’ve ever experienced since coming to San Quentin.”
As we said our goodbyes, especially to the men who joined their voices to ours all afternoon, I was struck by how similar this farewell felt to other workshops, and how, despite where we were, the words of our Lord rang true: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” We hope to continue this aspect of our ministry, by visiting more prisons in the coming year, bringing the light of Christ through music.
PILGRIMAGE TO POLAND
Our long awaited pilgrimage to Poland finally came to fruition, and what a blessed trip it was! First, if you are interested in our 2026 pilgrimage (most likely to Italy), make sure you stay in the loop, as several of the Poland pilgrims have already confirmed their participation after having an unforgettable experience of fellowship, liturgy, and Polish culture this past month. Not only did we visit and sing in some of the world’s most important pilgrimage sites, but we got to spend meals, car rides, and liturgies with our fellow pilgrims. Though the memorable moments were several, I’d like to mention two that we will cherish our entire lives: Our day trip to Jasna Góra, and our concert at St. Mary’s Basilica in Krakow.
The monastery at Jasna Góra famously holds the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the primary reason for our visit. It was a Sunday and the place was literally writhing with people, but we had scheduled to sing for a Mass and perform a brief concert. The Mass was intense. Due to the high volume of liturgies taking place throughout the day, the sacristan had to be a real drill sergeant. There was no wiggle room, and if your Mass was to be finished at 12:55pm, then it did not matter if you were still distributing communion, you had to pack up and get off the altar. We had to cut our final communion piece in half to avoid being cut in half by the sacristan.
Following the Mass, we waited in the sacristy to sing our concert, which, we were informed, was to take place in the sanctuary of the image of Our Lady of Częstochowa. As we waited, the sacristan said to our tour guide, “I do not know why they are to sing in the sanctuary, this is not a thing, it hasn’t happened before.” By some miracle, it had been arranged for us to sing not only in the sanctuary, but directly next to the image of Our Lady! We decided it would be fitting to sing facing the image, the famous Black Madonna, from which we were positioned not more than 7 or 8 feet. Though we did not have much time, we sang some of our favorite Marian songs, including Giorgio’s Tota Pulchra and the Eastern Salve Regina. The presence of the Blessed Mother was palpable! Such an honor it was, to be so close to her and to sing fitting songs of praise in her name.
The crowning event to our trip was the performance of a concert in the glorious Basilica of St. Mary’s in Krakow. The pictures will not do it justice—this is one of the most stunningly beautiful churches, and it simply cannot be captured in frame. We performed to a completely full church, debuting our new anthem to St. Florian, the patron of Krakow. Following the concert, we rehearsed and sang for Mass with the Basilica’s choir, meeting some wonderful musicians and learning some gorgeous new songs.
We want to thank all of our friends who joined us for this inaugural pilgrimage—we had such an amazing time with you all, and we will not forget it! A special thank you to our favorite cleric, Bishop Waltersheid, whose wisdom and infectious joy suffused the trip with spirituality, levity, and many, many laughs.
Enjoy the pictures and footage below!
Like what you see? Stay tuned for Floriani Pilgrimage 2026. Any guesses on where we'll be going?
Hint Hint: They speak sign language here!
THE BELOVED DINNER
CHIVALRY REBORN | AN EVENT HONORING WOMEN
During our trip to San Francisco (and the initial reason for our trip to the bay), we sang for a Mass celebrated in the Cathedral by the Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone. The occasion: an annual event known as the Beloved Dinner: Chilvary Reborn. Giorgio, being friends with one of the main directors of the Beloved Dinner, it naturally made sense that the "young men" of Floriani joined in the efforts in being a part of this event.
For the third year running, young men from the diocese prepare an elaborate meal and gala for the ladies. According to the Diocese of San Francisco website, the dinner was “aimed at honoring and celebrating the dignity of women, the dinner included talks reinforcing the unique and valuable role women hold in the Church and the world. The event also sought to re-establish timeless social etiquette and entertainment.” Volunteers provided everything, from the food to the set up and cleanup.
Not only did Floriani sing for the Mass, but we performed one of our select pieces for the women during dessert. Cheers to the young men who put this together! We were honored to participate, and would love to see these kinds of things pop up all over the country.
"Sacred beauty has the power to lift hearts and minds and draw them into contemplation of Divine beauty. I have personally witnessed this effect at Masses sung by Floriani. They know how to use their God-given talents to magnify the sacred in worship by drawing attention not to their own skill, but to the transcendent majesty of Christ and His Kingdom beyond this world." - Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone
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TESTIMONIALS
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We hope you enjoy these beautiful testaments to the healing power of sacred music—and this is only a fraction of the grateful comments we have received. Remember, your support is directly responsible for our ability to continue this work! You only have yourself to thank (and God's love, of course), for the impact our ministry is having.
Questions? Feel free to email us anytime at florianisacredmusic@gmail.com.
We are so grateful for your support! Please keep us in your prayers!
- Giorgio, Graham, Joe, Thomas
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