Oklahoma Catholic musical group, Still Morning, debuts first song

Some songs leave listeners wanting to listen to it again and again.

This is the feedback the Oklahoma Catholic music group, Still Morning, is receiving after releasing the song, “Storms,” on YouTube. 

“It fills me with so much joy and yet humbles me at the same time,” said Austin Satrio, one of the key members of the band. “We've had parents tell us how our song helped them grieve the loss of a child, and we’ve gotten e-mails from overseas describing how our music has led to forgiveness and healing.”

Satrio added that Still Morning's motto is "to help the soul know and praise its creator.”

“It's incredibly humbling to know that the Lord is gracious enough to enter into our gifts and passions and use them in ways we never could on our own,” he said. 

Still Morning was officially established in December 2019 and is led by its two key members: Satrio and Julia Lopez, who are both Catholic. Both attended the University of Oklahoma where their paths crossed. 

“It was really in 2018, Austin’s sophomore year, my senior year, that we started doing music together, completely unaware that just a year later, Still Morning would be born,” Lopez explained. “We both had our deeper conversions in college through the investment of FOCUS missionaries at OU, who showed us what it really looked like to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - for that we are forever grateful.”

She explained that as their love for Jesus grew, so did their desire to make him known and to share his love with others. The music became the perfect avenue for them to do that. She said they firmly believe that Still Morning is not only a band, but a ministry.
 
The name Still Morning carries a two-fold meaning, Lopez said. It embodies the truth that is found in scripture, specifically in Lamentations 3:22-23, which reads "The Lord's acts of mercy are not exhausted, his compassion is not spent; they are renewed each morning - great is your faithfulness!" 

“It is here that we grasp the truth that the Lord's mercy is new every morning; that despite our brokenness or how far we may wander from the Lord, we always can return to his mercy. With this, we can see every moment of every day as morning as a time where we can draw close to the heart of God who waits for us with open arms,” she said.

The band had its obstacles to overcome, and both Lopez and Satrio leaned on their Catholic faith to overcome them, especially when it came to fear, and trusting the Lord to make a path for them.

“After we released our first single from a bedroom studio, we didn't really know where to go,” Satrio said. 

“I think we both knew how much we wanted to grow Still Morning as a band and ministry, but when you really want something, you're so scared of what might happen if it doesn't work out. Finally, we just learned to trust the Lord one step at a time. As Catholics, we know that the cost of discipleship is everything; there is no part of ourselves – our dreams, our passions, our desires – that we are not called to hand over to the Lord. One day, we decided that we had to invest all we could into Still Morning and throw away all our visions of success. While we've come a long way from that point, this is a challenge we constantly face. We live in a world of competition that equates success with worldly popularity and big numbers, but we always try to let the Lord define the success of Still Morning and allow him to work through the ministry as he desires.”

Their first song, Storms, was written by Satrio. 

“Austin is definitely the primary songwriter,” Lopez said. “Although I may contribute a thought here or there, the Lord has given him the beautiful gift of writing. Most of the songwriting flows out of spontaneous prayer – ‘Storms’ is no different. We like to view songwriting more as song ‘receiving;’ each one is truly a gift from the Lord.” 
 
Still Morning has led worship for many retreats, conferences and adoration nights around Oklahoma. Whether it’s a high school confirmation class or a college retreat, each one has been a unique experience for the band, and all are opportunities to lead prayer through music.  

Their fan base is growing, and they’ve heard from numerous people – locally, nationally and internationally – who have been touched by their music. 

“While we do hope to reach the ears of as many people as possible, we value deep encounter more than anything, and have been blessed to see that fruit just in Still Morning’s first year,” Lopez said. 
 
The band is raising funds for their first-ever multi-track release. Their vision is to release five songs, all of which will help people know and praise God. They said they believe these songs will be windows into deeper encounter, openings into radical prayer, and catalysts for the joy of the Gospel. 

“God willing, our hope is that the EP would be recorded this spring, and released in the summer. We are convinced that this is not just a hobby, but a calling,” Lopez said. 
 
Their fundraising intention is to raise $12,300, all of which will go toward production costs, paying our musicians and engineers, and everything else that goes into the recording, producing, mixing and mastering of all five songs, and they are almost halfway to their goal.

For more information or to give a gift, go online at stillmorningmusic.com. To contact Still Morning for a worship night, conference or retreat, e-mail [email protected] or find them on Facebook or on Instagram at @stillmorningmusic.

Jolene Schonchin is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.