Taylor Tripodi, a member of the 177 Project, performs during a stop at St. Mary Parish in Iowa City on Sept. 14.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
IOWA CITY — The 177 Project, a national initiative designed to help spark a renewal in parishes across the country, made a stop in Iowa City on Sept. 14.
The group’s goal is to visit all 177 dioceses over a three-month period. A group of about 20 musicians has split into teams of two to achieve this goal.
“St. Mary’s was selected in our diocese, and I am grateful,” said Patti McTaggart, the parish’s youth minister.
Each event begins with eucharistic adoration, followed by testimonies from 177 Project members and a Catholic music concert. “We are firm believers in the power of spending time in front of the Eucharist and want to encourage that through a worshipful evening that fosters community within and across parishes,” the group’s website states.
During the event, attendees had the opportunity to go to confession, pray for others, hear about the importance of vocations, pray the rosary and engage with local and national ministries. In Iowa City, the group prayed for the universal church.
Matt Faley of Peoria, Ill., and Taylor Tripodi of Cleveland spoke and performed at the Iowa City event. “They were excellent,” McTaggart said. “They each gave brief witness talks after adoration and then shared beautiful music that each of them composed.”
She noted that many students from the Newman Catholic Student Center in Iowa City took part in the event and later joined 177 Project members for an ice cream social.
“It was a wonderful evening,” McTaggart said.
