Noelle Garcia grew up in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and now resides in Michigan. She is the Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. Gerard in Lansing, Michigan.

When Noelle was younger, she was constantly challenged in her faith by friends and classmates who were not Catholic. Those challenges, and her own stubborn determination, led her to learn more about the Catholic Church. She grew to not simply understand what she professed to believe, but literally fell in love with it. Noelle’s faith now is not just a part of her life, but her passion.

Noelle started taking piano lessons when she was in third grade. When she was 15, a friend invited her to play in a praise and worship band that eventually was part of the first Youth 2000 conference in Memphis. That event, as well as the subsequent Franciscan University of Steubenville conferences she attended, changed Noelle’s outlook on life in a profound way and she realized her call to ministry.

Noelle began writing songs and shared them with John Angotti, the music director at her home parish in Memphis, Tennessee. John mentored Noelle and gave her the opportunity to share her original compositions, play, sing, and direct at the parish.

Noelle attended Christian Brothers University and majored in Human Development. At the same time, she performed and shared her faith at various ministry events and established the youth band called “Savio” ? after Saint Dominic Savio. After completing her student teaching, Noelle realized that teaching in a classroom setting was not the only way to reach young people and she began to pursue liturgical and musical ministry as a fulltime career.  She loves sharing her passion for the Church and her music, bringing peace and setting people on fire with the love of God as people pray with her in song.

For further information, please go to Noelle's own website at http://www.noellegarciamusic.com/.