by Gordon Nary
Gordon: When did you join the Cathedral of the Incarnation https://cathedralnashville.org and how has the parish contributed to your spirituality?
Dr. Jarvis: I joined the Cathedral of the Incarnation of Nashville, TN in 1992. I moved my membership due to my work as a Cantor and music service in other parishes in the Diocese of Nashville.
Later I returned to the Cathedral, my son Timothy was born and I began raising him there. Although I moved across the city of Nashville to different locations for job opportunities and my son and I were parishioners at other parishes our favorite place to attend Mass has been the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
My son Tim is now 24 and lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
I'm planning a move to East Tennessee and will attend a new parish there. The Cathedral still is our favorite place to meet and go to Mass. It has great memories for Timothy such as his 1st Holy Communion being there, etc. Liturgy and music are always very nice and there is a conservative atmosphere with things done quite reverently.
Gordon: When and why did you create the Jerusalem Apostolate
Dr. Jarvis: I created Jerusalem Apostolate in early 2015, circa March. It was soon dedicated to Our Lady of Fátima on her great Feast Day: May 13, 2015, I created Jerusalem Apostolate to be a lay ministry which would allow my abilities and life experiences to serve God more fully and promote the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a worldwide thrust of evangelism; utilizing the Internet & multimedia.
My goal was and still is, to prayerfully meet those who share my spiritual values & initiatives and join with me in fellowship and service to Our Lord Jesus Christ and others.
Gordon: How many members do you have and what are the countries in which your members reside?
Dr. Jarvis: My membership is small and humble at this stage of the lay ministry. My objective is not about impressing readers with numbers of people and their signed-up memberships but rather spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, interfaith dialog, Christian apologetics, and true ecumenism.
I've received nice compliments about Jerusalem Apostolate over the last 3.5 years from people on social media and business networks such as LinkedIn.
Several friends, family, and associates have been quite supportive and prayerful to me, my small team and Jerusalem Apostolate.
My JHC Institute Newsletters and Jerusalem Apostolate Messages go out to many people on my email contact list. They are friends, family, and associates. I constantly offer my availability to freely serve those who need counseling and help from me as the Spiritual Director of Jerusalem Apostolate.
Jerusalem Apostolate Team & Prayer Warriors are:
Dr. William Jarvis (Spiritual Director & Founder)
Fr. Sudhakar Thalia (Roman Catholic priest & spiritual brother)
Ms. Erin Damron (devoted friend of 14 years & adopted sister)
Mr. Tim Jarvis (my beloved & talented son)
Mr. Chris Spradling (devoted friend of 7 years)
Associated friends & other Prayer Warriors:
Ms. Echo Lewis (Madonna House lay ministry)
Mrs. Bobbie Jean Moore (my Aunt)
Joey Avilés (devoted friend & cousin)
Mrs. Lisa Barber (Erin Damron's daughter)
Lizzette Avilés (Cousin)
Pastor Ricky Anderson www.HolyLandTreasuresOnline.com
Countries in which my Jerusalem Apostolate Team, Associates and 'unofficial members' reside are primarily in the U.S.A., Puerto Rico, India, Ukraine & Russia, The Philippines and perhaps some small numbers in both Canada and South America.
I have a stronger following online with my JHC Institute due to my articles and research related to the Jarvis Holistic Center & Institute (JHC Institute) and due to the fact that the JHC Institute and its flagship Tiger Phoenix Kung-fu & Tai-chi have been in existence for 7.7 years whereas Jerusalem Apostolate was founded merely 3.5 years ago.
Gordon: What are some of the initiatives of the Apostolate-of-Jerusalem?
Dr. Jarvis: Some of the initiatives of Jerusalem Apostolate are:
Jerusalem Apostolate’ is a Christian lay ministry. It is ecumenical and embracing of all Rites within the validly Apostolic Churches of East and West which are part of the Universal Church.
The primary mission of Jerusalem Apostolate is spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Another very important focus is on promoting solidarity between Christians, Jews and all God’s children who are seeking a relationship with the LORD God (Adonai); the Creator of all.
Christians find that relationship with God through Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Another important initiative and mission within Jerusalem Apostolate are praying for and spiritually supporting the Restoration and Reunification of the One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which came into sad division during the Great Schism of 1054 A.D.
Gordon: What initially interested you in environmental challenges and what are our moral responsibilities to protect the environment?
Dr. Jarvis: Environmental Challenges & Sustainable Energy:
Environmental challenges are only one of many aspects and avenues which pertain to my initiatives with my work as a research scientist, author, writer researcher, teacher, and inventor. When individuals read my published articles and the documents I can always provide, as well as my LinkedIn & Twitter profile pages, they find that my initiatives range from Sustainable Energy (Green Energy) Technologies, advanced and innovative sciences in construction (homes, schools & businesses), Electric Vehicles (EVs), Maglev Trains, practical and healthy inventions and holistic science, health & nutrition, Holistic & Integrated Medical research, holistic and natural therapies...and of course environmentally sound and Eco-friendly structures, vehicles and living conditions.
I constantly promulgate via my JHC Institute and Jerusalem Apostolate that it is our moral imperative and spiritual responsibility to protect the environment of our planet and each other.
The Word of God clearly states throughout the Holy Bible that Mankind has been given the mandate to be good stewards of our Planet Earth and live by the precepts and commandments of Almighty God. This, of course, means living under the Natural Law, Divine Law, and harmony with our Planet as well as the Cosmos as mankind ventures out into Space with exploration and colonization of other Worlds.
Gordon: Please share with our readers the Jerusalem Apostolate’s ‘Meditation on the Holy Land’ proposal.
Dr. Jarvis: (This is a Virtual Tour of the Holy Land’s most sacred sites!) Jerusalem Apostolate’s ‘Meditation on the Holy Land’ will be a set of Life-size Exhibits of 3 main sacred sites in the Holy Land:
The Holy House’ at Nazareth where Mary lived at the time she conceived of the Holy Spirit and became pregnant with Jesus Christ. Also, there will be a smaller artistic rendition of the Home of the Holy Family where Jesus, Mary & Joseph lived.
The Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem where Jesus was born Jesus’ Tomb & the Garden in Jerusalem.
The plan is to reproduce as realistically as possible these three main holy sites to become replicas and in some cases artistic representations for the public and the Christian Faithful to visit. We want the Christian Faithful and others feel welcomed to enjoy and contemplate these very important episodes in the Gospel Story and meditate on these Holy Sites located in the Holy Land.
Meditation on the Holy Land is not only an exhibit with beautiful replicas of the three most Holy Sites of Christendom but it is a part of the Jerusalem Apostolate Ministries. Its objective is to inspire, bless, evangelize, delight, educate, entertain and minister to all who visit it either in person or visit it online and via our multimedia outreach ministry.
I trust in God and have confidence the He will open the financial doors via the right person(s) or organization(s) to see to fruition my plans to build and soon open Meditation on the Holy Land at my upcoming Holy Mountain Park beside the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee.
Gordon: In addition to your advocacy and writing talents, you are also a guitarist, violinist, vocalist bass guitarist, percussionist, flutist, and composer ‘ Please share with our readers one of your compositions
Dr. Jarvis: Music was my first great love, along with a fascination and interest in astronomy. This coming October 13, 2018, will mark 45 years since I started playing the guitar. I received my first guitar from my father on my 12th birthday.
I acquired my first violin a year after I started on the guitar. I also began singing at that time. Those are my 3 primary musical instruments:
I fell in love with Percussion Instruments from my early childhood. After many years of study and work, I became a Multi-instrumentalist and Composer. I'm also adept at Bass Guitar, many Percussion Instruments and the flutes which are described as Native American & Oriental style flutes.
I have 2 degrees in music. My M.A. is in Music Composition. I love to teach, perform, record, sing, compose & arrange music in may different styles & genres.
I've served for many years as a church musician, cantor, singer, instrumentalist, and sometimes composer. I've been a Music Director, Song Leader and Catechist too.
Although I have many compositions, songs and arrangements I'll share one composition as you asked. It's my Musical Magnum Opus: Canticles of Love
This is a song cycle in 4 movements set to 4 of my poems taken from my book of poetry entitled:
Songs from the Hillside This composition is scored for Soprano, Tenor, Classical Guitar and Oboe. It has never been performed publicly so I hope to see that done someday. It's an art piece for the chamber music hall.
I spend more time these days on lighter and perhaps more commercially accessible works with eclectic and diverse genres such as Jazz-Rock, World Music, Ambient-Space Music, Folk, Relaxation & Meditative Music, Children's Music, Sacred Music, Church Chant, Holiday-Seasonal & Holy Day Music, and some Pop Music genres.
Gordon: You are also a Martial Arts Specialist.
Dr. Jarvis: I have a Grand Ph.D. in Martial Science. It's a Doctoral Degree in the field of Martial Arts & Sciences. I teach Kung-fu, Tai-Chi Chuan, Qigong and self-protection (Self-Defense), help people with PTSD Recovery, holistic health and wellness.
Gordon: Thank you for a fascinating interview.