Found Together: Catholic musical couple weaves ministry into art

Catholic singers Jesse and Kathleen LeBlanc made a musical name for themselves in B.C. as the duo A Guy and a Girl but were not well know in the rest of the country. So when they moved from Langley to Brantford, Ont., shortly after getting married in 2016, they knew they were going to have to start afresh.

Five years later, they have created a new band with a new, more-meaningful name, channelled their experience into recording a new collection of songs, and launched a new ministry for Catholic couples. And, oh yes, they’ve also started raising a family.

“We had first planted our musical roots together in Langley,” Kathleen told The B.C. Catholic in an email. But neither of them was a Lower Mainland native and, after marrying, they wanted to live closer to Kathleen’s family. 

That meant leaving behind a loyal following in Langley, as well as ties with fellow performers, the ministries they supported, and all the connections that had made the band successful.

“It was a little bit like starting fresh in Ontario,” Kathleen said. “[The move] allowed us to really lean into each other and discern the real ‘why?’ behind our music.”

They thought about changing their name to simply “Kathleen & Jesse,” but after prayer and discussion they decided they wanted their new name to reflect what God wanted for their new ministry. In October 2020, they settled on the name Found Together to reflect the central themes of their music: love, marriage, and God.  

“We felt it represented us and our ministry,” Kathleen said, emphasizing the “freedom and wholeness” in allowing God and others to find you and be a part of your life. ”This is ultimately where we wanted to lead people,” she said.

To mark the new beginning, Found Together released a four-track extended-play (EP) album of original songs last September. The EP is a musical departure from the praise-and-worship music for which they were known in B.C., but many of its songs got their start as part of their repertoire in B.C.

Each song offers a thought-provoking, joy-filled meditation on an aspect of love and marriage—themes that arose from their experiences as a married couple, tempered by the struggles of moving across the country. 

Much like the Song of Solomon, their music can be ambiguous. “The songs we have written intentionally lend themselves to be felt either as a love song for a person or for God,” said Kathleen. 

This emphasis reflects a large part of what the two want to promote in their musical ministry—the sacramental, life-giving beauty of marriage. “I think it’s clear that we have found such joy and freedom in our relationship with each other and with the Lord, that we can’t help but write about it,” she said. “Marriage is the best adventure. We highly recommend it.”

Jesse and Kathleen celebrated their sixth anniversary in January. They have two children with a third due in July.

The common strain in all of this is their intentional identification as creators of Catholic art, something they say the world is in desperate need of.  To Jesse and Kathleen, art is something that is more than the sum of its parts, it is something that is beautiful and that draws people to the ultimate source of beauty.

They think this is the value of Catholic art, especially when it relates to one’s  personal Christian experience. Kathleen said such art allows one to enter not only into God’s suffering, but also “into His beautiful life.” 

The call of the Catholic artist is to draw community together, to connect people to each other and thus to God. “Each of us needs each other on the journey,” said Kathleen, “to help us to become who God has created us to be.” 

To further this goal, they have launched a new on-line ministry, centred on Catholic marriage, called The Catholic Date Night. “It’s a monthly event for married or engaged couples who are looking for a chance to really dive into their marriage vocation, connect deeply with their spouse, and journey with other like-minded Catholic couples,” Kathleen said.

The program will include monthly meetings, discussion groups, and fun date-night activities, all geared towards helping couples better engage with each other and with their vocations. 

For more information visit wearefoundtogether.com.