Catechist thanks God (and AI) as catchy songs go viral
Justin West, a digital marketer from Atchison, Kansas, launched “Peter’s Barque,” an AI‑driven catechetical music apostolate that has amassed over 1.7 million views on TikTok. The apostolate produces songs and graphic art that teach Catholic faith and apologetics, with West writing lyrics while AI handles composition and visuals. The project has attracted a diverse audience, from families to religious educators, and has faced criticism for some AI‑generated images that may misrepresent saints or the Blessed Mother. West has addressed concerns by rejecting inappropriate images and emphasizes his responsibility for the final content. He presented his work at a Benedictine College AI symposium, highlighting the potential and challenges of AI in Catholic catechesis.
18 days ago
Justin West, a catechist and digital marketer from Kansas, has built a fast-growing Catholic apostolate by using artificial intelligence to create catchy songs and videos about Christian teaching. His project, Peter’s Barque, has attracted millions of views while also prompting debate about artistic quality, representations of saints, and the responsible use of AI.
Peter’s Barque takes its name from the traditional Catholic image of the Church as the “Barque of Peter.” The project now appears prominently in online searches for the phrase and produces AI-assisted music and graphic-art videos designed to teach Catholic doctrine and apologetics.
West said the idea began while he was creating advertising jingles. He wondered whether the same tools could produce songs that taught the faith, leading to his first AI music video, “Hasn’t Changed a Thing.”
He has written the lyrics for all of the songs, while AI handles much of the musical and visual production. West says he is neither a musician nor an artist, but studied philosophy and history at Benedictine College and has experience as a catechist and OCIA director.
The project has produced 131 videos. Its TikTok content has received more than 1.7 million views, with more than one million additional views across other platforms.
The songs cover a broad range of Catholic subjects and musical styles. Examples include “There Is a Saint for That,” “Mary’s Other Children,” “Lord, Not Luck,” about St. Patrick, and “Martyrdom of Polycarp,” which is presented in a country or folk style.
Viewers have praised the songs as memorable and useful for religious education. One parent said the family played “There Is a Saint for That” daily, while a religious-education director in Chicago Heights said the material could be incorporated into OCIA instruction.
The project has also drawn criticism. Some critics say its AI-generated images portray saints more like action figures than historical figures and that certain depictions of the Blessed Virgin Mary are inappropriately sexualized.
West acknowledged that AI sometimes produces inaccurate, inappropriate, or poor-quality images. He said he rejects many such results and accepts responsibility if problematic material is published, rather than blaming the technology.
He also emphasized that AI does not automatically make content effective. In his view, religious material must contain more than Christian imagery; it must be thoughtfully made and faithful to its purpose.
At an AI symposium at Benedictine College, West addressed concerns about technology replacing musicians and artists. He said the central question was not whether machines could replace artists, but whether he could responsibly use AI to teach the faith to people he might not otherwise reach.
West maintains that AI can generate, imitate, accelerate production, and give him access to media skills he does not possess. It cannot, however, assume responsibility for the message he chooses to communicate.
West links his approach to Pope Leo XIV’s Magnifica Humanitas. He interprets the document as calling neither for unconditional acceptance nor rejection of AI, but for human intelligence, conscience, freedom, and responsibility to guide its use.
For West, that principle defines his role in Peter’s Barque: the technology creates the material, but the human user remains accountable for its theological content, artistic choices, and impact.
Assess AI‑generated catechetical media’s doctrinal fidelity and pedagogical value
AI-generated catechetical media can be pedagogically effective but doctrinally unreliable unless it remains under competent ecclesial and theological supervision. Its value depends not on novelty or reach, but on whether it communicates the whole Catholic faith accurately and leads people toward conversion and Christian living.
The principal danger is that AI can produce fluent, persuasive material while omitting essential teachings, exaggerating selected themes, or presenting a broadly “spiritual” message detached from the Magisterium. John Paul II identified precisely these failures in catechetical materials: ambiguity, omission of essential elements, disproportionate emphasis, and an overly horizontal view of Christianity.
A reliable AI catechetical product should therefore be tested against at least four criteria:
AI-generated content should never be treated as self-authenticating. A polished presentation, viral distribution, or apparently orthodox vocabulary is not evidence of doctrinal fidelity.
The Church has long recognized that audio-visual media and new communication technologies can serve catechesis. Their strengths include accessibility, repetition, multilingual adaptation, visual explanation, and the ability to address contemporary questions in familiar formats. John Paul II noted the considerable possibilities of modern communications media when they combine high quality with fidelity to the Magisterium.
AI may be especially useful for:
These advantages correspond to the Church’s insistence that catechetical materials should speak intelligibly to their audience, engage real questions and struggles, and use appropriate contemporary language.
Yet effective pedagogy is not simply attractive communication. The “pedagogy of faith” has a distinctive purpose: communicating God’s revelation in its entirety, not merely transmitting human information. A technique is valuable only insofar as it serves the faith itself.
AI media can weaken catechesis when:
The Church’s earlier guidance already anticipated the need for interdisciplinary review: audiovisual catechetical programs should involve experts in theology, catechesis, and audiovisual education, and improvised explanations should be avoided.
AI-generated catechetical media has substantial instrumental value but no independent teaching authority. It is best used as a supervised aid: a draft generator, explanatory supplement, accessibility tool, or prompt for discussion. It should not replace approved catechetical texts, parish formation, sacramental preparation, or the living instruction of competent catechists.
The strongest model would combine AI’s technical capacities with human ecclesial oversight: doctrinal review, age-appropriate pedagogy, clear attribution, correction of errors, and integration into prayer, Scripture, liturgy, and communal Christian life. Used in that way, AI can help the Church communicate effectively; used without supervision, it can make doctrinal confusion more attractive, memorable, and widespread.