Joseph San Jose
Every day I say a prayer where I remind myself of, and step into, the identity that I continually receive from God–that I’m a beloved son of the Father, richly delighted in and deeply provided for; I’m a sinner in need of grace, a Spirit-led missionary disciple, worship leader, songwriter, visionary leader, inspiring speaker, Christ-centred fundraiser, and a runner after God’s own heart.
I’m a beloved husband to Marion, father to Leah and to Theodore, and son to Ed and Tess, brother to Michael, and friend to many.
I encountered Jesus powerfully during a time of Eucharistic Adoration in the summer of 2009, and the years since have been a wild and amazing adventure following God’s call for my life.
I’ve been working full-time in the mission field with Catholic Christian Outreach for over 12 years, having served on campus, leading missionary teams, and managing the Pacific Region for CCO. Recently, I began working to help bring CCO’s approach to evangelism to a bigger audience beyond campus to churches, dioceses, and other movements around the world.
One of the main ways that I feel called to live out the Great Commission is through music. At World Youth Day in Madrid in 2011, a religious sister told me, “Joe, I see God in you - when you sing, people pray.” Ever since then, I’ve been cultivating my craft as a worship leader and songwriter to write and release songs to help people pray–whether it’s something to listen to in your prayer time before going to school or work, or in an epic worship time at Rise Up, or in a crowd of 2 million at the Youth Jubilee in Rome.
As part of that Jubilee last year, I helped form Verso l’alto, a worship band that expresses CCO’s heart for worship and mission, and we had the amazing privilege of worshipping to a song we wrote called “Sweet Name” in front of 2 million pilgrims.
Outside of that, I spend a lot of time as a semi-competitive long-distance runner. I’m a 4-time marathoner, and somehow I’ve managed to run 2 of the seven Abbott World Majors in Berlin and London, and I’m about to run my third one in Chicago this October!