DETROIT — Keir Ward is a “heart and soul” kind of guy. The father and music minister at Detroit’s Sacred Heart Parish has long believed music can lift one’s spirit to God in powerful ways. 

Ward is a talented and prayerful musician, but he’s not the only one in the family who can carry a tune. 

Between his sons, Coleman, the music minister at Nativity of Our Lord Parish, and Timothy, his daughter Arym and his wife, Charlene, the Ward family has a proud tradition of enlivening Detroit’s Black Catholic worship scene with stirring melodies and spirit-filled crescendos. 

“Music and church have always been a part of my life, and I have endeavored to pass that on to my family,” Ward told Detroit Catholic in a video documentary. “The extra blessing is that they were musically inclined and wanted to be a part of it, so that made it even better.”