Kathleen M. Basi

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Kathleen M. Basi

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Kathleen M. Basi, author-composer-speaker

Kathleen M. Basi is a novelist, award-winning liturgical composer, and speaker whose work explores the messy intersection of Christian faith and the real world. Rooted in the fullness of Catholic teaching and grounded in lived experience, Kathleen’s ministry emphasizes concrete action over abstract theory. She invites participants to encounter God in the concrete reality of ordinary life and connect the Catholic faith to the smallest details of their daily lives.

Her song “Come, All You Thirsty” was named 2022 Song of the Year by the Association of Catholic Publishers, and her liturgical songs are available through OCP, GIA/WLP, and Simply Liturgical. In addition to her musical work, she is the author of the novels A Song for the Road and the forthcoming Trust Falls (November 2026). Her essays and devotionals have appeared in OSV, Ligouri Publications, Liturgical Training Publications, and Liguorian Magazine. She also authors the weekly Substack, Intentional Catholic, where she reflects on current events through the lens of the Gospel and Catholic teaching.

Kathleen believes that stories speak to the heart in a way that transcends theory and grounds us in the concrete. Her signature program, “Stories of Our Faith,” integrates narrative, prayer, and music to create space for both personal insight and communal connection. She has presented nationally for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians and other ministry and writing organizations, offering sessions that resonate across contexts—from large conference audiences to small-group parish settings where deeper formation can take root.

Her work grows out of a lifetime in parish ministry. Kathleen served as Life Teen music director and then Director of Liturgy and Music for Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Columbia, Mo., before starting her family; in the twenty-plus years since, she has remained active as volunteer co-director of her parish’s Contemporary Group (with her husband, Christian), while collaborating with parishes and dioceses across the country. Her ongoing involvement in the life of the Church, as well as her experience of motherhood, informs both the content and the tone of her work, grounding it in pastoral reality.

In addition to her speaking and writing, Kathleen maintains an active presence in the local and Catholic arts community. She plays piccolo with MOSY, the Missouri Symphony, and has served on the steering committee of the Liturgical Composers Forum since 2020, spearheading updates to membership procedures, while continuing to compose both liturgical and instrumental works.

Across all of her work, Kathleen brings an authentic, reflective voice that creates space for honest engagement with belief, invites deeper understanding, and supports Christians seeking to live their faith with intention in a complex world.

Selected Presentations and Formation Work

  • Stories of our Faith
  • Women of God: Uniquely Gifted, Uniquely Called (with Katie Wills)
  • National Association of Pastoral Musicians conferences
  • Kansas City NPM Chapter – “Building a Culture of Service in Your Music Ministry”
  • Women’s Fiction Writers Association Conference – “Writing in the Cracks”’ (with authors Erin Bartels and Sharon M. Peterson)
  • Collaborative liturgical and formation presentations including Living Water and Light in Darkness (with colleagues Orin Johnson and Shannon Cerneka)

Selected Publications