By Moe Wosepka

Six-thousand Catholic youth gathered in the Universal Amphitheater in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 1987, to celebrate and dialogue with Pope John Paul II. In addition, over 1,200 youth from Portland, Ore., Denver and St. Louis watched on closedcircuit TV. The event was part of a papal tour covering eight cities in 12 days. It was advertised as including music and dialogue.

One of the presentations was a guitar and vocal solo by a young man born in Nicaragua and living in the United States. He was introduced as a special gift representing courage, motivation and family support. At that moment, Pope John Paul II and the entire audience turned their attention to a small, red platform near where the pope was seated.

The young man seated there wore a short-sleeve shirt, but the sleeves were empty from the shoulders. His guitar was placed on the floor before him, and he deftly reached out to it with his bare feet. As he played the guitar, his powerful voice filled the auditorium. The song, “Never Be the Same,” stilled the crowd when he sang the words “today is like no other day before, and you and I will never be the same.” When he finished the song, Pope John Paul II rose and applauded in appreciation, as did the entire audience. Then the pope stepped down from the stage, walked to the singer, embraced him and kissed his cheek. He returned to the stage and after the crowd began to quiet he said, “Tony, you are truly a courageous man. You are giving hope to all of us. My wish to you is to continue giving this hope to all the people.”

From that day, the life of Tony Melendez was never the same. He says he was inspired to spread his message of hope to youth throughout the country.

Tony was born without arms because the drug thalidomide was given to his mother for what she thought was the flu. She was pregnant with Tony and was not aware of the harmful side effects the drug would have on her unborn son. He was born without arms and with a club foot. At a young age he learned to play, to color and to do many other things with his feet. Today, Tony writes, drives, plays a guitar and does things that most people do with their arms and hands. And he travels the country, inspiring audiences with his faith and his love of God. He explains that God knows what is missing in our lives and if we let him, God will take care of it.

Tony has traveled throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as numerous other countries as he carries his message of hope. He has appeared on a number of TV shows, and authored his autobiography “A Gift of Hope.” He is a gifted song writer and musician, and has recorded several albums. He was invited to sing the national anthem for the fifth game of the 1989 World Series. He has received several awards, including a special commendation from President Reagan. Tony also was the first recipient of the Inspirational Hero Award conferred by the NFL Alumni Association and presented in 1989 at Super Bowl XXIII in Miami.

Tony will join us at the Montana bishops’ Affirming the Culture of Life Conference, Sept. 28-29 in Great Falls. I am told that those who hear Tony share his music and inspirational message will never be the same.

In the near future, you will hear more about other speakers who will be at the conference. For now, make sure you save these dates, and plan to join us in the fall for an amazing event.


Moe Wosepka is executive director of the Montana Catholic Conference. He may be reached by phone at 406-442-5761 or by email to director@montanacc.org.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 28, No. 1, January 20, 2012.