WINNETKA : Rock Singer Will Perform at Church

Michael O’Brien, a nationally known rock artist and Christian music performer, will make a stop on his “100 City Tour ‘95” Saturday for a concert at St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Winnetka.

The Oceana/BMG Records singer-songwriter will perform hits from his music video “It’s Cool to Convert” in a concert hosted by the church’s Marian Youth group, said organizer MarielaineCrawford.

Other stops on his sold-out tour include San Francisco, Miami Beach, New Orleans, Chicago, Honolulu, Denver and Seattle.

O’Brien said his life as a fast-paced rocker changed after he took a trip with his family to Medjugorje, a small city in Bosnia-Herzegovina where six young people claim to receive daily messages from the Virgin Mary.

Although O’Brien still looks the part of a musician, with a wild mane of hair, an earring in one ear and a muscular build that is usually clad in leather and jeans, he is a performer who carries the messages of love, hope and faith to a younger audience, Crawford said.

His tape, “Sounds of Medjugorje” sold an estimated 300,000 copies and is popular on Christian radio programs. His religious music is distributed by MIR Productions.

O’Brien also writes a column for the Medjugorie Magazine and speaks around the country at Marian Peace Conferences.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $7 at the door or $5 in advance. St. Joseph the Worker is at the corner of Sherman Way and Oakdale Avenue. For more information and ticket orders call (818) 340-9130.