- Mike Mastromatteo
DiMucci, known throughout his nearly 70-year recording career by his first name, Dion, distinguished himself from many rock and roll peers in the late 1960s by publicly recommitting himself to his Christian faith.
Dion's return to faith came as the singer struggled to overcome drug dependencies that developed shortly after his first commercial and popular success. Dion had recorded several hit songs in the late 1950s, and landed a lucrative recording contract before he was 21.
After a dry period musically and emotionally, Dion returned to the charts in 1968 with the hit recording 'Abraham, Martin and John', a lament about the assassinations and political turmoil in the United States in the wake of the civil rights struggle.
Addiction recovery program
It was at this time that Dion entered an addiction recovery program and took the first steps on the road to sobriety and inner fulfillment. One of the lasting lessons for Dion on the road back was understanding the difference between commercial success and personal fulfillment.
Dion's return to wholeness and spiritual tranquility is a key feature of his new memoir 'The Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher,' a series of conversations about life, recovery, faith and music.
Bishop Barron forewords his new book
In the preface of the new book, the Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, Minnesota, and head of the Catholic Ministries of Word on Fire.reflected on the "breakthrough of divine grace" that helped Dion recover from debilitating addiction.
"Dion placed great emphasis on the four main temptations that spiritual teachers have identified as substitutes for God: wealth, pleasure, power and honor," Bishop Barron said. He added that detachment from material things is key for anyone seeking to follow a Christ-centered path.
Faith commitment: 57 years of sobriety and clean living
In a series of interviews with OSV News, Dion reflected on how recommitment to faith has sustained his 57 years of sobriety and clean living. He also shared his thoughts on the fallen nature of man.
"I'm a trusting person, but I never expect too much from people nowadays," Dion said. "We're born fallen, and when people come up to me and ask me if we're good or bad, I still believe we're basically good. But it's always 'uncertain' because we're fallen. There is something very good in us, but we have to cultivate it and carry it forward. If you don't, things can go awry."
Italian-American Fathers, Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in the Bronx
These are humble but powerful words from the son of working-class Italian-American parents who, despite being registered at Our Lady of Mount Carmel parish in the Bronx, New York, were not particularly fervent in their practice of the Catholic faith.
Dion said growing up in the Bronx was not particularly difficult. But that it was sometimes complicated to avoid the street gang culture, which often required young people to prove their worth through rebellion and rejection of most forms of legitimate authority. He also recounted how a lack of confidence in his own worth led him to constantly seek approval from others.
He continues to record with Springsteen, Clapton, Simon
Although Dion first rose to fame more than 60 years ago with hit recordings such as 'The Wanderer', 'Runaround Sue', 'Ruby Baby' and 'Lovers Who Wander', he refuses to rest on the laurels of the past. He continues to record blues-based albums alongside beloved musical colleagues such as Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton and Paul Simon.
Bible and Christ-based lyrics
Some of Dion's recent albums have a gospel music flavor, but she doesn't pretend to preach with her contemporary music. However, the lyrics of some of Dion's blues-based songs are unmistakable in their messages focused on the Bible and in Christ.
His song 'The Thunderer', for example, is based on the life and work of St. Jerome, the fourth-century saint who first translated the Bible to Latin.
The song juxtaposes Jerome's prickly personality with his passion for making the Scriptures the language of the common man. As the lyrics warn us, "[You] can't go through life just being nice / Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ / Love without truth is just sentimental / Truth without love is barren."
Mike Aquilina: friendship, key to evangelization
More information about Dion's attitude toward faith, music and life in general comes through his mentor and songwriting partner, Mike Aquilina. The co-founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio, and author of several books on the patristic era of the church, Aquilina, cites the positive effect Dion has on his listeners and fellow musicians.
Aquilina said Dion was a 'colossal figure' for Italian-Americans as they still assimilated to the America of the 1950s and 60s.
"A key part of evangelism is friendship, and Dion's career has placed him in the lives of great artists," Aquilina told OSV News.
"Look at the list of people he has worked with on the last few albums. These men and women have been his friends for many decades. That means he's been in their lives and has exerted some influence. Dion has a great sense of humor, but he doesn't have superficial conversations, and these people know that. He remains their friend because they value his spirituality."
Music, also a form of evangelization
Aquilina also said that some of the "explicitly religious" content of Dion's more contemporary music can be seen as a form of evangelization.
"[The song] 'Angel in the Alleyways,' for example, is about guardian angels," he said, "'Can't Go Back to Memphis' is really the story of Adam's expulsion from Eden. But I think everything he does reflects a Christian perspective. Even the songs that reflect the stark realities of addiction, like 'Cryin' Shame,' show how we are punished for our own sins."
When she's not performing or preparing new recordings, Dion devotes several hours each week to helping people recover from addictions and substance abuse problems. "This is a big part of his life, and it's a religiously motivated mission," Aquilina said. "Dion knows he has been saved from death and misery and wants to help others find that salvation."
Humility
Although by no means a theologian, Dion has helped draw attention to a lesser-known element of the church's teaching on sin and punishment. In interviews and in his impromptu remarks to friends and followers, Dion promotes the idea of humility as "the healer of pain."
As Bishop Robert Barron has noted, "[Dion] explains that we are punished for the [sinful] act, not because of it. I don't think the Doctor of the Church St. John of the Cross could have said it better."
Broadway show
Despite turning 86 in July, Dion has no plans to slow down. He divides his time between Boca Raton, Florida, where he is a member of St. Jude Parish, and New York, where he maintains an apartment.
He will soon release an album to accompany the book 'Rock 'N' Roll Philosopher', and is overseeing the production of the Broadway show 'The Wanderer', a musical loosely based on his early days as a rocker and doo-wop pioneer. The show has already played in smaller theaters in New Jersey, but its Broadway premiere will undoubtedly bring Dion's story to a new generation of music fans.
Dion says the show has strong, obvious, transformative and redemptive components. "But she does it in a very beautiful, good and true way, using the language of the heart in the songs and lyrics."
"He has a plan for your life."
Whatever the success of 'The Wanderer' on Broadway, Dion has no intention of rearranging his priorities in life. Nor does he plan to stop producing music. He remains grateful for the discernment long ago that allowed him to understand the difference between success and fulfillment.
"I think without God in my life, all the pressure of life falls on me to figure it all out [and] take a stand on everything," he said. "When you have faith in God, [you know] He has a plan for your life and you have moral clarity. Having His security, serenity, peace and freedom is a beautiful way to go through this life. His friendship is paramount, and I thank God for giving me this energy. He has been good to me.
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Mike Mastromatteo is a Toronto writer, editor and book reviewer.
This story was originally published in OSV News. This item is a translation of the original in English, which you can view at here.
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