Corpus Christi will participate as a regional media market for the Catholics Come Home.org television outreach, beginning Monday February 23, and airing through the six weeks of Lent, leading up to Easter Sunday.
CatholicsComeHome.org is a successful initiative of Catholics Come Home, Inc. (a 501(C)3 not for profit, independent charity), designed to invite inactive Catholics and others searching for a faith home to the Catholic faith, through television commercials and an informational website. Beginning Feb 23rd, Catholics Come Home, Inc., will air approximately 2,500 television commercials on local and cable networks, in both English and Spanish. These commercials will be seen on all major network affiliates and many cable outlets. The list includes: KIII (ABC), KRIS (NBC), KZTV (CBS), KORO (Univision) and Time Warner Cable Media.
The commercials lead viewers to the interactive CatholicsComeHome.org web sites, found at www.catholicscomehome.org and www.catolicosregresen.org According to Catholics Come Home’s president and founder, Tom Peterson, “The web site provides answers to questions about Church teachings, and why strong faith in God is important in today’s busy and confusing world. The site also offers an overview of the faith, with additional resources and a local parish finder.” When these ads aired in the Diocese of Phoenix, nearly 6,500 inactive Catholics and potential converts found their way home to the Catholic Church. Most returnees say they didn’t have a reason for leaving. About 90% say that they just drifted away due to distractions in life. Those who returned found it easy and comforting, and say that they are glad to be “home.”
CatholicsComeHome.org is partnering with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Corpus Christi on this welcoming initiative. With the assistance of pastors and catechetical leaders, the diocese hopes to leverage existing programs other resources to help parishes respond to those who seek to return to the Catholic faith. The Most Rev. Edmond Carmody, Bishop of Corpus Christi, has fully endorsed the efforts of this new initiative.
“Many people have unfortunately been overwhelmed by a busy culture. We need to let them know that they are missed, welcome them back, and show them that the Catholic Church is their home, their extended family,” noted Peterson. “Catholics Come Home.org (and CatolicosRegresen.org) invite people searching for meaning in their lives, to learn more about their family in faith: a Church filled with beauty, miracles, heroes, history, love, and peace. Catholics Come Home hopes that web visitors will not shy away from a careful examination of the Biblical and historical facts presented, and that people will sincerely consider that there may be much more to the case for Jesus Christ and Catholicism than they may have ever realized.”
Catholics Come Home.org in an independent non-profit charity, started by a number of Catholic families and individuals, and is not directly affiliated with, nor funded by the Diocese of Corpus Christi or the Vatican. Some of its founders and supporters recently returned to the Catholic faith and want to share their positive experiences with others. Many never left the Church, but recently grew to understand and appreciate their Catholic faith more deeply. All feel part of a big Catholic family, who sincerely hope others will also find more peace, real answers, and true happiness through the gift of faith.
The Catholic faith is the largest single Christian family in the United States (and the world), accounting for 25% of the U.S. population, and a growth rate of 11% in the past decade. The Catholic Church continues to be a vibrant and growing family, but misses those members who have not been to Mass lately.
Sixteen other Archdiocese and Diocese across the United States have plans to launch CatholicComeHome.org television and web campaigns in 2009.
5 Minute Daily Lenten Devotions
As part of her prayer chapel blog, Catholic recording artist, author and blogger Susan Bailey has released “Lenten Devotions for Busy People,” a blog containing a daily podcast, a weekly Friday video on the Stations of the Cross, music and reflections. The blog can be found at www.prayerchapel.info.
What makes this blog different? The vast majority of devotions lasts no more than 5-7 minutes, making it a perfect place to pause for busy people. It also explores Lent from the Eastern Catholic perspective.
The idea for the blog came to Susan because of a little-known podcast she heard back in 2006. “I first discovered podcasting during Lent in 2006, and I found this wonderful podcast called “Theosis,” hosted by Fr. Seraphim Beshoner, T.O.R., a history professor at Franciscan University. This little 5 minute per day podcast transformed my Lent.”
“Theosis” is based on the Eastern Church’s tradition of Lent (known to them as Great Lent). The Eastern Catholic Church, which is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, has 14 liturgical traditions (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches for a complete list) including Melkite and Maronite. Susan was initially interested in “Theosis” because her husband is studying to be a deacon in the Melkite Church.
Pope John Paul II was keenly aware of the Eastern Church and its beautiful traditions and repeatedly challenged the Church as a whole to “breathe with both lungs,” bringing together the West and the East. Fr. Beshoner does a wonderful job of explaining Eastern traditions for Western listeners.
“Lenten Devotions for Busy People” also includes a weekly 5 minute video on the Stations of the Cross, posted each Friday.
Music, other reflections and future surprises will be included.
For more information on the blog, visit www.prayerchapel.info. You can listen to Fr. Seraphim Beshoner’s other podcast, “Catholic: Under the Hood” at www.sqpn.com.
What makes this blog different? The vast majority of devotions lasts no more than 5-7 minutes, making it a perfect place to pause for busy people. It also explores Lent from the Eastern Catholic perspective.
The idea for the blog came to Susan because of a little-known podcast she heard back in 2006. “I first discovered podcasting during Lent in 2006, and I found this wonderful podcast called “Theosis,” hosted by Fr. Seraphim Beshoner, T.O.R., a history professor at Franciscan University. This little 5 minute per day podcast transformed my Lent.”
“Theosis” is based on the Eastern Church’s tradition of Lent (known to them as Great Lent). The Eastern Catholic Church, which is in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church, has 14 liturgical traditions (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Catholic_Churches for a complete list) including Melkite and Maronite. Susan was initially interested in “Theosis” because her husband is studying to be a deacon in the Melkite Church.
Pope John Paul II was keenly aware of the Eastern Church and its beautiful traditions and repeatedly challenged the Church as a whole to “breathe with both lungs,” bringing together the West and the East. Fr. Beshoner does a wonderful job of explaining Eastern traditions for Western listeners.
“Lenten Devotions for Busy People” also includes a weekly 5 minute video on the Stations of the Cross, posted each Friday.
Music, other reflections and future surprises will be included.
For more information on the blog, visit www.prayerchapel.info. You can listen to Fr. Seraphim Beshoner’s other podcast, “Catholic: Under the Hood” at www.sqpn.com.
Vocation Discernment DVD to Launch in March
A strong partnership between Catholic Vocations Ministry Australia and Choicez Media – Australia’s largest Catholic media provider, will see the Bishop of Maitland - Newcastle, Bishop Michael Malone, launch a major new vocations DVD initiative in Sydney on March 5.
Entitled, Holding Nothing Back the project is a comprehensive and ultra-modern twodisc package including a documentary style film and seven in-depth interviews with religious and priests from across the nation. Filmed on location during and after World Youth Day, the interviews explore the lives and journeys of some fascinating Australian men and women who have chosen to give all in their radical response to Christ’s invitation to follow Him.
From the stories of a former professional tennis player to builders and hospitality workers the interviews are designed to help young people gain a better understanding of the call to vocation through the stories of those who have wrestled with the very meaning of their existence and the call to serve others in religious life. The short film provides a powerful exploration of the very essence of vocation through narrative and symbolic elements using a top-level production and creative team.
Bishop Malone, commenting on his first review of the program stated, “For the first time I have seen something in the Vocation area which is a balance of wise counsel, best practice and pastoral sensitivity…able to capture the essence of Vocation discernment in provocative and excellent images…well done!”
Choicez Media National Director, Jonathan Doyle states, “Our whole team felt such a sense of privilege to be involved with such an important project with a message we were convinced young people needed to have the chance to hear.”
Entitled, Holding Nothing Back the project is a comprehensive and ultra-modern twodisc package including a documentary style film and seven in-depth interviews with religious and priests from across the nation. Filmed on location during and after World Youth Day, the interviews explore the lives and journeys of some fascinating Australian men and women who have chosen to give all in their radical response to Christ’s invitation to follow Him.
From the stories of a former professional tennis player to builders and hospitality workers the interviews are designed to help young people gain a better understanding of the call to vocation through the stories of those who have wrestled with the very meaning of their existence and the call to serve others in religious life. The short film provides a powerful exploration of the very essence of vocation through narrative and symbolic elements using a top-level production and creative team.
Bishop Malone, commenting on his first review of the program stated, “For the first time I have seen something in the Vocation area which is a balance of wise counsel, best practice and pastoral sensitivity…able to capture the essence of Vocation discernment in provocative and excellent images…well done!”
Choicez Media National Director, Jonathan Doyle states, “Our whole team felt such a sense of privilege to be involved with such an important project with a message we were convinced young people needed to have the chance to hear.”
John Paul II Formulated a "Theology of Communication"
During the launch of a new book from Vatican publisher Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV) today, retired papal theologian Georges Marie Martin Cardinal Cottier, OP, and others asserted that during the course of his 26-year pontificate, John Paul II developed a “theology of communication.”
Joined by renowned journalist Joanna Bogle, educator Sr. Marie Gannon, FMA, and author Dr. Christine A. Mugridge at the official release of Dr. Mugridge and Prof. Gannon’s John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communications, Cardinal Cottier and the others discussed how this pedagogy had the potential to impact not only ecclesial communications but communications in the media and beyond. The participants agreed that while the seeds of such a theology have always existed throughout Church history, its development only began to bear fruit during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate.
All also concurred that as the world becomes ever more secularized, expanding this development will be crucial if the Church is to succeed in its mission of evangelization.
Cardinal Cottier noted that when it came to communication in any form, the late Holy Father was always very concerned to acknowledge the role of Jesus Christ, Who was not only the creator of words but was Himself the Word.
In her presentation, Mrs. Bogle noted how communication is “a gift from God” in that it is words that “somehow get us to God.”
“For Catholics, word and action, Scripture and sacrament, go together,” she said, “and in a sense one flows from the other.” While she lamented the decline in all forms of communication, and admitted that even the Church has not been immune from its effects, “the Church still holds out to us the exciting recognition that we haven’t yet fulfilled – or even begun to fulfill – all of mankind’s great potential for creativity, wisdom, and beauty” in this regard. And this is precisely because that potential is ultimately born out of Christ, Who “is brought to the world again and again” as the Word made flesh.
“There is indeed a theology of communication,” she concluded, and “I am not sure we have really grasped its fullness yet.”
Dr. Mugridge concurred and noted that the late Pontiff was very keen to emphasize that there was a difference between a study of theology and communications versus a theology of communications. She also explained how, while the Pope never called it such, a theology of communications clearly did develop over the course of his pontificate.
Prof. Gannon observed how she particularly appreciated Pope Wojty³a’s work in this area because it drew on both secular communications as well as the Church’s Magisterium before, during, and after the Second Vatican Council. “This was possible,” she said, “because parallel criteria for principles and methodology in both the ecclesial and the secular field were used for the analysis of material from both fields that are apropos for speaking of a theology of communication.”
The round table was moderated by Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV) Director Don Giuseppe Costa, SDB, and took place at the offices of Vatican Radio.
It was announced at the event that Catholic Word, an American consortium of over a dozen publishers such as Ignatius Press and Ascension Press, will distribute John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communications in the English-speaking world. This is the first work distributed by Catholic Word on behalf of LEV.
Catholic Word President Carolyn Klika expressed the great hope this new teaching holds for the entire Church. “The Theology of Communication can assist every bishop and parish priest in more effectively reaching his faithful, every teacher in connecting with students, every media outlet in conveying their message, and even impact every human relationship. We are grateful for the opportunity to make this timely and critical title available to the English-speaking world.”
Joined by renowned journalist Joanna Bogle, educator Sr. Marie Gannon, FMA, and author Dr. Christine A. Mugridge at the official release of Dr. Mugridge and Prof. Gannon’s John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communications, Cardinal Cottier and the others discussed how this pedagogy had the potential to impact not only ecclesial communications but communications in the media and beyond. The participants agreed that while the seeds of such a theology have always existed throughout Church history, its development only began to bear fruit during Pope John Paul II’s pontificate.
All also concurred that as the world becomes ever more secularized, expanding this development will be crucial if the Church is to succeed in its mission of evangelization.
Cardinal Cottier noted that when it came to communication in any form, the late Holy Father was always very concerned to acknowledge the role of Jesus Christ, Who was not only the creator of words but was Himself the Word.
In her presentation, Mrs. Bogle noted how communication is “a gift from God” in that it is words that “somehow get us to God.”
“For Catholics, word and action, Scripture and sacrament, go together,” she said, “and in a sense one flows from the other.” While she lamented the decline in all forms of communication, and admitted that even the Church has not been immune from its effects, “the Church still holds out to us the exciting recognition that we haven’t yet fulfilled – or even begun to fulfill – all of mankind’s great potential for creativity, wisdom, and beauty” in this regard. And this is precisely because that potential is ultimately born out of Christ, Who “is brought to the world again and again” as the Word made flesh.
“There is indeed a theology of communication,” she concluded, and “I am not sure we have really grasped its fullness yet.”
Dr. Mugridge concurred and noted that the late Pontiff was very keen to emphasize that there was a difference between a study of theology and communications versus a theology of communications. She also explained how, while the Pope never called it such, a theology of communications clearly did develop over the course of his pontificate.
Prof. Gannon observed how she particularly appreciated Pope Wojty³a’s work in this area because it drew on both secular communications as well as the Church’s Magisterium before, during, and after the Second Vatican Council. “This was possible,” she said, “because parallel criteria for principles and methodology in both the ecclesial and the secular field were used for the analysis of material from both fields that are apropos for speaking of a theology of communication.”
The round table was moderated by Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV) Director Don Giuseppe Costa, SDB, and took place at the offices of Vatican Radio.
It was announced at the event that Catholic Word, an American consortium of over a dozen publishers such as Ignatius Press and Ascension Press, will distribute John Paul II: Development of a Theology of Communications in the English-speaking world. This is the first work distributed by Catholic Word on behalf of LEV.
Catholic Word President Carolyn Klika expressed the great hope this new teaching holds for the entire Church. “The Theology of Communication can assist every bishop and parish priest in more effectively reaching his faithful, every teacher in connecting with students, every media outlet in conveying their message, and even impact every human relationship. We are grateful for the opportunity to make this timely and critical title available to the English-speaking world.”
Bishops’ For Your Marriage Website Offers Ideas for ‘Cheap’ Dates
With tough economic conditions impacting families, The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) "For Your Marriage" Web site offers ten suggestions for romantic, low-cost dates. From planning an indoor "picnic" to "midnight bowling," the ideas can inspire couples to be creative date planners.
"We came up with these low-cost ideas for time together as well as some articles that focus on family finances, which is a leading cause of marital stress," said Sheila Garcia, associate director of the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and lead staff for the project.
The "For Your Marriage" Website, located at www.foryourmarriage.org, stands as a key component of the USCCB's multi-year effort to promote the value of married life. The site was launched in June 2007 and now sports a new look and content. The page also is available on the social networking sites Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and the bookmark site, Delicious.
"The new home page has a clean, uncluttered look with photos and headlines that point to the newest content," Garcia said. "We're also using some of the new social media Web sites that are popular ways that people connect."
The updated Website also includes a "toolkit" for Webmasters and others who want to spread the word about resources on www.foryourmarriage.org. The toolkit contains animated banner ads using Adobe Flash programming that automatically updates the ads with new content from the Web site. There are also static ads for other applications.
Another new campaign element are billboards now seen across the country in space donated by outdoor ad companies.
"They're in several major markets including Baltimore, Charleston, Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and San Antonio," said Patricia Ryan Garcia, assistant director of the USCCB's Digital Media Office.
Radio and television public service ads also are part of the marriage campaign. The third and newest set of messages was released in December and invites viewers and listeners to visit the Web site.
To date, Nielsen Media Research reports that six "For Your Marriage" TV messages have been broadcast a total of 38,300 times. Mediaguide reports that the seven radio messages aired a total of 155,000 times.
The entire "For Your Marriage" project was made possible through a grant from the Catholic Communication Campaign.
"We came up with these low-cost ideas for time together as well as some articles that focus on family finances, which is a leading cause of marital stress," said Sheila Garcia, associate director of the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, and lead staff for the project.
The "For Your Marriage" Website, located at www.foryourmarriage.org, stands as a key component of the USCCB's multi-year effort to promote the value of married life. The site was launched in June 2007 and now sports a new look and content. The page also is available on the social networking sites Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and the bookmark site, Delicious.
"The new home page has a clean, uncluttered look with photos and headlines that point to the newest content," Garcia said. "We're also using some of the new social media Web sites that are popular ways that people connect."
The updated Website also includes a "toolkit" for Webmasters and others who want to spread the word about resources on www.foryourmarriage.org. The toolkit contains animated banner ads using Adobe Flash programming that automatically updates the ads with new content from the Web site. There are also static ads for other applications.
Another new campaign element are billboards now seen across the country in space donated by outdoor ad companies.
"They're in several major markets including Baltimore, Charleston, Chicago, Miami, Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and San Antonio," said Patricia Ryan Garcia, assistant director of the USCCB's Digital Media Office.
Radio and television public service ads also are part of the marriage campaign. The third and newest set of messages was released in December and invites viewers and listeners to visit the Web site.
To date, Nielsen Media Research reports that six "For Your Marriage" TV messages have been broadcast a total of 38,300 times. Mediaguide reports that the seven radio messages aired a total of 155,000 times.
The entire "For Your Marriage" project was made possible through a grant from the Catholic Communication Campaign.
Internet pornography workshop helps seminarians become better ministers
The statistics are staggering: U.S. adults spend more than $3,000 per second on Internet pornography; 25 million U.S. adults spend 1-10 hours per week engaged with Internet pornography; 10 percent of U.S. adults admit to an Internet sex addiction.
Addiction to Internet pornography is so pervasive that seminaries are searching for ways to provide future priests with the tools to aid those struggling with the addiction.
Achieving this goal was brought one step closer as almost 100 formation directors and seminarians gathered at St. Paul’s College in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18 for a workshop titled, “Caught in the Web: Internet Pornography Addiction and Resources for Healing.”
“The more we know, the more compassionate we can be when people come to us with these issues,” said seminar leader Kathleen Gallaher, Ph.D. “There are moral and religious issues regarding the use of money that goes into Internet pornography and the amount of time spent on it. … It can stack up to years of a person’s life and destroy relationships.”
Internet pornography goes far beyond the inquisitive adolescent male getting his first glimpse of a racy magazine, Ms. Gallaher said.
“The level of hard core exposure at such a young age without someone to process it with can really affect that person into adulthood,” she said.
Internet pornography is so compelling, said Ms. Gallaher, because of the anonymity (you don’t have to show yourself at a public place to obtain it), the accessibility (the Internet does not close), and the affordability (some sites are even free), and the instant gratification.
“You never get to the end of the Internet like you do a magazine,” she said. “There is no natural stopping point.”
Some of the tools Ms. Gallaher suggested to help those struggling with Internet sex addiction include:
• Using e-mail accounts with effective spam blockers (such as Yahoo)
• Installing filtering and tracking software
• Placing the computer in a public are in the home
• Placing a photo of a loved one near the computer
• Try an Internet fast: only log on when there is a specific goal to achieve
• Create a “first aid kit” for when you are struggling with your addiction: people to call who know your struggle; a list of 10 things you hate about being addicted to Internet porn; a favorite poem
• Keep a list of online and other resources for recovery to sex addiction, such as Sex Addicts Anonymous (sexaa.org).
Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., brought 10 seminarians to the workshop because “they are going to be in ministry where people are struggling” with Internet sex addiction.
“The exposure to the issue and the tools to help others will help them be more effective ministers,” he said. “The issue is all pervasive. Someone they encounter will be affected by it.”
* Statistics gathered from MSNBC.com, toptenreview.com and alexa.com.
Addiction to Internet pornography is so pervasive that seminaries are searching for ways to provide future priests with the tools to aid those struggling with the addiction.
Achieving this goal was brought one step closer as almost 100 formation directors and seminarians gathered at St. Paul’s College in Washington, D.C., Jan. 18 for a workshop titled, “Caught in the Web: Internet Pornography Addiction and Resources for Healing.”
“The more we know, the more compassionate we can be when people come to us with these issues,” said seminar leader Kathleen Gallaher, Ph.D. “There are moral and religious issues regarding the use of money that goes into Internet pornography and the amount of time spent on it. … It can stack up to years of a person’s life and destroy relationships.”
Internet pornography goes far beyond the inquisitive adolescent male getting his first glimpse of a racy magazine, Ms. Gallaher said.
“The level of hard core exposure at such a young age without someone to process it with can really affect that person into adulthood,” she said.
Internet pornography is so compelling, said Ms. Gallaher, because of the anonymity (you don’t have to show yourself at a public place to obtain it), the accessibility (the Internet does not close), and the affordability (some sites are even free), and the instant gratification.
“You never get to the end of the Internet like you do a magazine,” she said. “There is no natural stopping point.”
Some of the tools Ms. Gallaher suggested to help those struggling with Internet sex addiction include:
• Using e-mail accounts with effective spam blockers (such as Yahoo)
• Installing filtering and tracking software
• Placing the computer in a public are in the home
• Placing a photo of a loved one near the computer
• Try an Internet fast: only log on when there is a specific goal to achieve
• Create a “first aid kit” for when you are struggling with your addiction: people to call who know your struggle; a list of 10 things you hate about being addicted to Internet porn; a favorite poem
• Keep a list of online and other resources for recovery to sex addiction, such as Sex Addicts Anonymous (sexaa.org).
Father Dave Pivonka, T.O.R., brought 10 seminarians to the workshop because “they are going to be in ministry where people are struggling” with Internet sex addiction.
“The exposure to the issue and the tools to help others will help them be more effective ministers,” he said. “The issue is all pervasive. Someone they encounter will be affected by it.”
* Statistics gathered from MSNBC.com, toptenreview.com and alexa.com.
New CatholicTV Show: Dynamics of the Local Parish
Starting in March, CatholicTV will air a new television series called “parishFamily” which looks at the local parish. Father Robert Reed, who co-hosts the show says that, “On a very basic level, a parish is a family. It’s a family of families. If you are Catholic, then you belong to a parish, either by active participation or by geography.”
CatholicTV, is a nationally-broadcasted television station headquartered near Boston.
“parishFamily” is about the culture that exists in a parish and how Catholics must work to build a bright Catholic future. Dr. Melanie Morey and Father Reed spend some time sitting in the pews and discussing the parish as the place where Catholic culture is nurtured, sustained and transmitted.
“parishFamily” is hosted by Dr. Melanie Morey and Fr. Robert Reed. Dr. Morey has worked for thirty-five years in the areas of education and administration. Her main areas of expertise are Catholic culture, leadership, institutional identity, and governance. Dr. Morey is the co-founder of Substantially Catholic Summer Seminars Integrating the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and co-author of the book, Renewing Parish Culture: Building for a Catholic Future. Fr. Robert Reed was once a Pastor of a parish and understands very well the challenges of managing a parish.
Topics discussed on the show include: Mass attendance, reconciliation, religious education of children, the priest shortage and pastors, lay leadership, finances, and politics.
“parishFamily” will begin airing in March at the following times (EST). Monday-8PM; Tuesday- 11AM; Wednesday- 4AM; Thursday- 12:30PM & 9PM; Saturday- 3:30PM; Sunday 4:00AM.
The show is viewable on CatholicTV where available and is also streamed live (simultaneously) at www.CatholicTV.com. The show will also be offered in the archives and will be viewable full-screen now for free. CatholicTV is a non-profit corporation.
CatholicTV, is a nationally-broadcasted television station headquartered near Boston.
“parishFamily” is about the culture that exists in a parish and how Catholics must work to build a bright Catholic future. Dr. Melanie Morey and Father Reed spend some time sitting in the pews and discussing the parish as the place where Catholic culture is nurtured, sustained and transmitted.
“parishFamily” is hosted by Dr. Melanie Morey and Fr. Robert Reed. Dr. Morey has worked for thirty-five years in the areas of education and administration. Her main areas of expertise are Catholic culture, leadership, institutional identity, and governance. Dr. Morey is the co-founder of Substantially Catholic Summer Seminars Integrating the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and co-author of the book, Renewing Parish Culture: Building for a Catholic Future. Fr. Robert Reed was once a Pastor of a parish and understands very well the challenges of managing a parish.
Topics discussed on the show include: Mass attendance, reconciliation, religious education of children, the priest shortage and pastors, lay leadership, finances, and politics.
“parishFamily” will begin airing in March at the following times (EST). Monday-8PM; Tuesday- 11AM; Wednesday- 4AM; Thursday- 12:30PM & 9PM; Saturday- 3:30PM; Sunday 4:00AM.
The show is viewable on CatholicTV where available and is also streamed live (simultaneously) at www.CatholicTV.com. The show will also be offered in the archives and will be viewable full-screen now for free. CatholicTV is a non-profit corporation.
Aaron Thompson CD released: "10,000 Angels"
Musical artist, husband, and father Aaron Thompson has released his newest recording “10,000 Angels” with World Library Publications (www.wlpmusic.com). This project has been long in the making as Aaron has reflected over the years as a church music director, composer, and family man, mixing the complexities of ministry and family life.
As a music minister, Thompson has personally witnessed the power of music in the lives of spiritual seekers working through concepts of redemption and mercy, humility and courage. He hopes that this new CD will reach out especially to all those who have wandered away from the Church and wish to find a way home. His heartfelt themes and upbeat praise tunes all point to the glory of God and the warmth of forgiveness, healing, and redemption that God offers.
As an African-American father of four, ages 15, 9, 4, and 3, Aaron has been inspired by his experiences of raising children with his wife Marian in this age of media, fast-paced lifestyles, soccer, and Barbie dolls. “Juggling work in the Church and family responsibilities is a challenge,” says Aaron “…and I can really relate to what families are dealing with in their lives.” He wrote a special song for his daughter titled “Wings” that will bring a tear to the eye of every daddy who has experienced the joy of his little girl. He hopes that his music will bring families together to celebrate the goodness of God in their lives.
Aaron grew up in Glencoe,Illinois, as a member of the few black families living in the area. His father was a lawyer and his mother a teacher. His early Catholic formation was at Sacred Heart Church where his mom also sang in the choir. He excelled in music as a trumpet player and was granted a full performance scholarship at Northern Arizona University. He lived in Phoenix directing parish music ministry for several years and recently moved to Madison,WI, to work as the Director of Music at St.Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
Aaron’s music is published by World Library Publications and is found in hymnals across the country. This new CD also includes some of his top pieces including, “Rise Up in Splendor,” “Blessed One,” and “Tree of Life.” Aaron also does a stupendous cover of “Indescribable” written by Chris Tomlin.
10,000 Angels,WLP product #008163, ISBN #978-158459-4246 is now available through World Library Publications (www.wlpmusic.com) or call toll-free at 1.800.566.6150. Soundclips are available on the product page. In digital format, it can be downloaded from iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, and several other digital stores. The CD is also available to the trade through Ingram/Spring Arbor Distributors.
As a music minister, Thompson has personally witnessed the power of music in the lives of spiritual seekers working through concepts of redemption and mercy, humility and courage. He hopes that this new CD will reach out especially to all those who have wandered away from the Church and wish to find a way home. His heartfelt themes and upbeat praise tunes all point to the glory of God and the warmth of forgiveness, healing, and redemption that God offers.
As an African-American father of four, ages 15, 9, 4, and 3, Aaron has been inspired by his experiences of raising children with his wife Marian in this age of media, fast-paced lifestyles, soccer, and Barbie dolls. “Juggling work in the Church and family responsibilities is a challenge,” says Aaron “…and I can really relate to what families are dealing with in their lives.” He wrote a special song for his daughter titled “Wings” that will bring a tear to the eye of every daddy who has experienced the joy of his little girl. He hopes that his music will bring families together to celebrate the goodness of God in their lives.
Aaron grew up in Glencoe,Illinois, as a member of the few black families living in the area. His father was a lawyer and his mother a teacher. His early Catholic formation was at Sacred Heart Church where his mom also sang in the choir. He excelled in music as a trumpet player and was granted a full performance scholarship at Northern Arizona University. He lived in Phoenix directing parish music ministry for several years and recently moved to Madison,WI, to work as the Director of Music at St.Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
Aaron’s music is published by World Library Publications and is found in hymnals across the country. This new CD also includes some of his top pieces including, “Rise Up in Splendor,” “Blessed One,” and “Tree of Life.” Aaron also does a stupendous cover of “Indescribable” written by Chris Tomlin.
10,000 Angels,WLP product #008163, ISBN #978-158459-4246 is now available through World Library Publications (www.wlpmusic.com) or call toll-free at 1.800.566.6150. Soundclips are available on the product page. In digital format, it can be downloaded from iTunes, Amazon, eMusic, and several other digital stores. The CD is also available to the trade through Ingram/Spring Arbor Distributors.
Boston College Places Crucifixes and Icons in Classrooms
Students and faculty returned to Boston College (BC), a Jesuit Catholic institution, for the Spring 2009 semester to find that crucifixes and icons had been placed in many classrooms that had been long bereft of sacred art. This move, which helps strengthen the university’s Catholic identity, came by direct request of President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., according to a campus newspaper editor.
“Bravo for Boston College!” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “For Catholics, outward signs, symbols and practices of our faith are an important part of relating to God in a material world.”
Over Christmas break, Father Leahy had employees hang the images in classrooms around campus, according to Donato Infante, executive editor of The Observer at Boston College. He told The Cardinal Newman Society that during a “State of the Heights” address two weeks ago, Father Leahy, responding to faculty and student complaints about the move, asserted that the administration did not need to consult professors about this decision and that the crucifixes and icons will not be taken back down.
Crucifixes and sacred art have had a scattered presence on campus since the 1970s. Two years ago, a new statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), was erected on campus.
Now with the addition of several crucifixes and icons, many are reacting strongly. The Observer reports that some professors and students were upset by the administration’s action, with at least one professor “refusing to teach in classrooms adorned by a crucifix even if he should have to move his class to a different room at his own expense.”
Professors have cited examples of even Christian students taking offense to the crucifixes and icons.
The Observer quotes the BC chemistry chairperson on the placing of the crucifixes, “I can hardly imagine a more effective way to denigrate the faculty of an educational institution. If that has been the purpose of the administration of Boston College, I congratulate them, as they have succeeded brilliantly.”
Reilly said that Father Leahy should ignore naysayers. “By what logic would someone expect a Catholic college or university to be non-Catholic?” Reilly asked. “The complaints are a sad consequence of the mixed signals from Boston College over several years. At times Catholic teaching and tradition are celebrated, other times they are scorned and undermined. But the crucifixes are a very happy movement forward!”
Others are pleased with the new classroom additions. “Some classrooms always had crucifixes in them,” Infante said. “I always found it nice to be able to look up at our Lord during class and to take moments during the day to call to mind God's presence. Now, at the request of our president, Father Leahy, we have such reminders in every room…. Father Leahy, please keep the beauty coming.”
“As for the… professors who are opposed, I ask them to understand what these symbols mean to us,” continued Infante. “The hanging of the sacred art had nothing to do with asserting power. It had everything to do with honoring our God and being constantly reminded of His love.”
The Observer quotes sophomore student Billy Cody arguing that having a crucifix or icon in the classroom “fits perfectly with the Jesuit motto ‘Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam’ (For the Greater Glory of God) because its presence reminds us that even in the classroom, we act for His greater glory.”
Junior student Michael Williams said, “Although seemingly a small gesture, rest assured that these symbols give great joy and confidence to me and many of my friends for the direction the school is taking as becoming, as Father Leahy has put it, the nation's leading Catholic university.”
“Bravo for Boston College!” said Patrick J. Reilly, President of The Cardinal Newman Society. “For Catholics, outward signs, symbols and practices of our faith are an important part of relating to God in a material world.”
Over Christmas break, Father Leahy had employees hang the images in classrooms around campus, according to Donato Infante, executive editor of The Observer at Boston College. He told The Cardinal Newman Society that during a “State of the Heights” address two weeks ago, Father Leahy, responding to faculty and student complaints about the move, asserted that the administration did not need to consult professors about this decision and that the crucifixes and icons will not be taken back down.
Crucifixes and sacred art have had a scattered presence on campus since the 1970s. Two years ago, a new statue of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), was erected on campus.
Now with the addition of several crucifixes and icons, many are reacting strongly. The Observer reports that some professors and students were upset by the administration’s action, with at least one professor “refusing to teach in classrooms adorned by a crucifix even if he should have to move his class to a different room at his own expense.”
Professors have cited examples of even Christian students taking offense to the crucifixes and icons.
The Observer quotes the BC chemistry chairperson on the placing of the crucifixes, “I can hardly imagine a more effective way to denigrate the faculty of an educational institution. If that has been the purpose of the administration of Boston College, I congratulate them, as they have succeeded brilliantly.”
Reilly said that Father Leahy should ignore naysayers. “By what logic would someone expect a Catholic college or university to be non-Catholic?” Reilly asked. “The complaints are a sad consequence of the mixed signals from Boston College over several years. At times Catholic teaching and tradition are celebrated, other times they are scorned and undermined. But the crucifixes are a very happy movement forward!”
Others are pleased with the new classroom additions. “Some classrooms always had crucifixes in them,” Infante said. “I always found it nice to be able to look up at our Lord during class and to take moments during the day to call to mind God's presence. Now, at the request of our president, Father Leahy, we have such reminders in every room…. Father Leahy, please keep the beauty coming.”
“As for the… professors who are opposed, I ask them to understand what these symbols mean to us,” continued Infante. “The hanging of the sacred art had nothing to do with asserting power. It had everything to do with honoring our God and being constantly reminded of His love.”
The Observer quotes sophomore student Billy Cody arguing that having a crucifix or icon in the classroom “fits perfectly with the Jesuit motto ‘Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam’ (For the Greater Glory of God) because its presence reminds us that even in the classroom, we act for His greater glory.”
Junior student Michael Williams said, “Although seemingly a small gesture, rest assured that these symbols give great joy and confidence to me and many of my friends for the direction the school is taking as becoming, as Father Leahy has put it, the nation's leading Catholic university.”
Promoting Catholic Education on Capitol Hill
Leaders from the National Catholic Educational Association join the principal, assistant principal and students from Corpus Christi School, Falls Church, Va., on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. The group posed prior to the students heading out to deliver background information on Catholic schools to the 60 members of the Senate and House education committees.
Leaders from Corpus Christi School in the diocese of Arlington included George Chiplock, principal and Kurt Kaufmann, assistant principal. The eight students are all members of the 8th grade class.
The group was filling in for the almost 100 students and teachers who had been scheduled to meet with congressional leaders on January 28, the official National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools. That event was cancelled for the first time in its history due to a snow and ice storm that shuttered Washington area schools for two days. “While we were unable to reschedule the event due to congressional schedules, it was vital that congressional leaders on the Senate and House education committees hear from Catholic educators about key issues facing our schools,” said Karen Ristau, NCEA president.
Dr. Ristau and Marie Powell, executive director, Secretariat of Catholic Education, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB), joint sponsors of the event, were pleased that Corpus Christi students were willing to make personal deliveries of the materials.
“Our young ambassadors were able to turn the tables and educate adults today about the challenges as well as the opportunities our schools are facing,” said Mrs. Powell.
Catholic Schools Week was established by NCEA and USCCB to put the spotlight on the contributions made and community service given by Catholic schools to the church and to the country. Catholic Schools Week was held January 25-31, with the theme "Catholic Schools Celebrate Service." It always begins on the last Sunday in January.
National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools is a day of outreach to community and government leaders, and is usually held on Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. On January 28, at the state and city levels, dozens of Catholic educators from around the country met with local civic representatives to present information about area the Catholic school network.
NCEA is the largest private, professional education association in the world. Founded in 1904, the Association's membership represents more than 200,000 educators serving 7.6 million students at all levels of Catholic education. USCCB is the national public policy organization of the bishops in the United States.
Leaders from Corpus Christi School in the diocese of Arlington included George Chiplock, principal and Kurt Kaufmann, assistant principal. The eight students are all members of the 8th grade class.
The group was filling in for the almost 100 students and teachers who had been scheduled to meet with congressional leaders on January 28, the official National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools. That event was cancelled for the first time in its history due to a snow and ice storm that shuttered Washington area schools for two days. “While we were unable to reschedule the event due to congressional schedules, it was vital that congressional leaders on the Senate and House education committees hear from Catholic educators about key issues facing our schools,” said Karen Ristau, NCEA president.
Dr. Ristau and Marie Powell, executive director, Secretariat of Catholic Education, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB), joint sponsors of the event, were pleased that Corpus Christi students were willing to make personal deliveries of the materials.
“Our young ambassadors were able to turn the tables and educate adults today about the challenges as well as the opportunities our schools are facing,” said Mrs. Powell.
Catholic Schools Week was established by NCEA and USCCB to put the spotlight on the contributions made and community service given by Catholic schools to the church and to the country. Catholic Schools Week was held January 25-31, with the theme "Catholic Schools Celebrate Service." It always begins on the last Sunday in January.
National Appreciation Day For Catholic Schools is a day of outreach to community and government leaders, and is usually held on Wednesday of Catholic Schools Week. On January 28, at the state and city levels, dozens of Catholic educators from around the country met with local civic representatives to present information about area the Catholic school network.
NCEA is the largest private, professional education association in the world. Founded in 1904, the Association's membership represents more than 200,000 educators serving 7.6 million students at all levels of Catholic education. USCCB is the national public policy organization of the bishops in the United States.
Come What May on DVD March 17
Hollywood, brace yourself again.
The burgeoning trend of small Christian films making large impact continues with COME WHAT MAY www.comewhatmaythemovie.com, a smart new story from Advent Film Group, made with the help of some 40 home schoolers and Patrick Henry College (PHC) in Virginia. COME WHAT MAY releases nationally on DVD on March 17 distributed by Provident Integrity Distribution.
While training a new generation of filmmakers, Advent has also broken marketing ground with its “virtual theatrical release” on GodTube, drawing 3.5 million viewers during the recent presidential election. Advent produces on the “Sherwood” model of extensive volunteer help, donated locations, learn-as-you-go filmmaking, high standards, and considerable “prayer coverage.” Sherwood Pictures is the Georgia-based church whose 2008 Fireproof, produced for $500,000, earned $33 million at the box office, and was the year’s top-grossing independent film.
Close to the 36th anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, COME WHAT MAY is Paperchase meets Facing the Giants; a love story and courtroom thriller turning on a counterargument the filmmakers believe may one day overturn the Court’s decision.
PHC students and faculty helped develop the story and polish the script. Manny Edwards wrote the first draft and worked on all subsequent drafts—as did David Hallbrook, Pulitzer Prize nominee and PHC director of communications. Dr. Michael Farris, a constitutional attorney, founder and chancellor of PHC, wrote the legal brief for overturning Roe.
Matthew Staver, dean of Liberty University Law School and a close friend of Dr. Farris, gave permission to film COME WHAT MAY at Liberty’s new replica of the U.S. Supreme Court.
A core team of 40 home-schooled students from 16 states worked on the movie, tapping into speech and debate clubs for home schoolers, in particular the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics & Communications Association) league (www.ncfca.org). “That’s our ‘secret sauce,’” Escobar said. “The NCFCA is the third-largest speech and debate league in the country, created exclusively by and for high school home schoolers. Graduates from NCFCA dominate college debate tournaments.”
COME WHAT MAY won the Redemptive Storyteller Award, at an international festival. Several COME WHAT MAY crew members have won prestigious awards for their own films following their AFG internship. And new opportunities abound: “We’re already considering new projects,” Escobar said.
Nashville-based Provident Films, specializing in grassroots marketing, is a division of Provident Music Group and designed to produce and distribute faith-based films. Provident Music Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, is one of the world’s leading Christian entertainment companies. Provident Music Group operates under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville and comprises Provident Label Group, Provident Films (designed to produce and distribute faith-based films), Essential Music Publishing and Provident-Integrity Distribution.
The burgeoning trend of small Christian films making large impact continues with COME WHAT MAY www.comewhatmaythemovie.com, a smart new story from Advent Film Group, made with the help of some 40 home schoolers and Patrick Henry College (PHC) in Virginia. COME WHAT MAY releases nationally on DVD on March 17 distributed by Provident Integrity Distribution.
While training a new generation of filmmakers, Advent has also broken marketing ground with its “virtual theatrical release” on GodTube, drawing 3.5 million viewers during the recent presidential election. Advent produces on the “Sherwood” model of extensive volunteer help, donated locations, learn-as-you-go filmmaking, high standards, and considerable “prayer coverage.” Sherwood Pictures is the Georgia-based church whose 2008 Fireproof, produced for $500,000, earned $33 million at the box office, and was the year’s top-grossing independent film.
Close to the 36th anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, COME WHAT MAY is Paperchase meets Facing the Giants; a love story and courtroom thriller turning on a counterargument the filmmakers believe may one day overturn the Court’s decision.
PHC students and faculty helped develop the story and polish the script. Manny Edwards wrote the first draft and worked on all subsequent drafts—as did David Hallbrook, Pulitzer Prize nominee and PHC director of communications. Dr. Michael Farris, a constitutional attorney, founder and chancellor of PHC, wrote the legal brief for overturning Roe.
Matthew Staver, dean of Liberty University Law School and a close friend of Dr. Farris, gave permission to film COME WHAT MAY at Liberty’s new replica of the U.S. Supreme Court.
A core team of 40 home-schooled students from 16 states worked on the movie, tapping into speech and debate clubs for home schoolers, in particular the NCFCA (National Christian Forensics & Communications Association) league (www.ncfca.org). “That’s our ‘secret sauce,’” Escobar said. “The NCFCA is the third-largest speech and debate league in the country, created exclusively by and for high school home schoolers. Graduates from NCFCA dominate college debate tournaments.”
COME WHAT MAY won the Redemptive Storyteller Award, at an international festival. Several COME WHAT MAY crew members have won prestigious awards for their own films following their AFG internship. And new opportunities abound: “We’re already considering new projects,” Escobar said.
Nashville-based Provident Films, specializing in grassroots marketing, is a division of Provident Music Group and designed to produce and distribute faith-based films. Provident Music Group, a division of Sony Music Entertainment, is one of the world’s leading Christian entertainment companies. Provident Music Group operates under the umbrella of Sony Music Nashville and comprises Provident Label Group, Provident Films (designed to produce and distribute faith-based films), Essential Music Publishing and Provident-Integrity Distribution.
Divine Mercy Prayer Book
source: www.discerninghearts.com
In response to the increasing devotion to Divine Mercy, the Apostolate for Family Consecration presents their new book, "Drawing Down Divine Mercy."
Designed as both a consecration prayer book and an in-depth meditation book, families can be guided in the richness of God's Mercy during these difficult times through 40 days of meditations on Pope John Paul II's encyclical, "Rich in Mercy." Pope John Paul II spoke often of the strength of Divine Mercy. He established the Feast of Mercy on the Sunday after Easter, now known as Divine Mercy Sunday in the liturgical calendar, to show the trust he placed in this devotion.
In 2001, John Paul II said in his Divine Mercy Sunday homily, "a simple act of abandonment is enough to overcome the barriers of darkness and sorrow, of doubt and desperation. The rays of Your Divine Mercy restore hope, in a special way, to those who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin." Following the 40-day meditations, readers will benefit from excerpts from St. Faustina's writings, and spiritual classics by Cardinal Francis Arinze such as "Alone with God" and "Divine Providence", Bishop Alvaro del Portillo's work, "Light, Salt, and Leaven," along with St. Louis de Montfort's "Friends of the Cross".
All five dimensions of the Divine Mercy devotion are explained: the image, the Chaplet, the Novena, the Feast Day, and the spreading of the message. The prayer book also includes more than 250 pictures. For even deeper spiritual growth, accompanying video and audio commentaries by Fr. George Kosicki, CSB are also available through the Family Apostolate.
"Drawing Down Divine Mercy" is an excellent way to prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday. Meditations start March 11 (two week after Ash Wednesday) and will end on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 19. Books will be available for shipment starting March 2, but advance orders are now being accepted. To help celebrate on the actual feast day, check out the additional resources at familyland.org.
Founded in 1975 by Jerry Coniker and late wife Gwen, the Apostolate for Family Consecration is a pontifically approved association striving to consecrate families to the Holy Family and in the truths of our faith in the spirit of Pope John Paul II. The Family Apostolate reaches families in Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America through its Consecration in Truth Catechetical Series (familycatechism.com), its Internet Media Library, its 24-hour Familyland Television Network and its programs at Catholic Familyland.
Audio Bible Ministry Expands Missions Outreach
Faith Comes By Hearing, the world’s foremost Audio Bible ministry, recently released nine more Audio Drama New Testament recordings.
The following Audio Drama New Testaments are the first of many that will be recorded and released during 2009:
• Lokpa (Lukpa) – Benin
• Tampulma – Ghana
• Idoma – Nigeria
• Marghi – Nigeria
• Nahuatl Huasteca Central – Mexico
• Nahuatl Huasteca Western – Mexico
• Quechua Northern Conchucos – Peru
• Khmer Central - Cambodia
• Arabic Standard – Worldwide
These new Audio Bibles are recorded in the heart languages, or primary languages, of 216 million people. Altogether, Faith Comes By Hearing now has 403 Audio Scripture recordings available in 341 languages.
Indigenous missionaries, local church leaders and ministry workers will take these Audio Drama New Testaments into villages and communities around the world and begin listening groups. Villagers in groups from 10 to 300 will gather to listen to the Word and then discuss what they've heard.
Faith Comes By Hearing is diligently working to fulfill the Great Commission by bringing the Word of God to every nation, tribe and tongue. Research shows that there are 6,809 distinct people groups who make up more than 6.5 billion people.
“For the first time in history, every language group has been identified,” said Morgan Jackson, international director for Faith Comes By Hearing.
“Many of these groups transmit their beliefs, history and values through stories, proverbs, poetry, chants, songs and ceremonies,” said Jackson. “Cultures that primarily communicate their information using these forms are called ‘oral cultures.’”
About 70% of people live and learn in oral cultures.
“People from oral cultures learn differently than you and I do,” he said. “It is not enough to simply take materials created for literate people and read them onto a recorded format. It’s the power of stories that unlocks the Bible for them.”
Many people do not realize that about 70% of the Bible is in a narrative format. Jackson said he’s seen how Audio Bibles impact people firsthand.
“When you go into these villages you see people packed inside these one-room huts and people gathered all around the windows outside. They say, ‘No one wants to miss the stories,’ and they walk for miles to get here,” Jackson said. “When they listen to the Word, they enter into the story; like they are there actually experiencing what’s happening.”
“When Jesus speaks, they feel like He is speaking directly to them. And when they interact with the Word of God this way, people come to know and follow the God of the Bible,” he said.
“There are still language groups that need an Audio Bible in their heart language. There are people who wait to hear God's Word because they cannot read it,” Jackson said.
Faith Comes By Hearing’s goal is to record Audio Bibles in 2,000 languages by 2016, reaching 97% of the world’s population.
In 2008, Faith Comes By Hearing completed and released 86 new Audio Bible recordings, providing nearly one million Audio Bibles throughout the world.
The following Audio Drama New Testaments are the first of many that will be recorded and released during 2009:
• Lokpa (Lukpa) – Benin
• Tampulma – Ghana
• Idoma – Nigeria
• Marghi – Nigeria
• Nahuatl Huasteca Central – Mexico
• Nahuatl Huasteca Western – Mexico
• Quechua Northern Conchucos – Peru
• Khmer Central - Cambodia
• Arabic Standard – Worldwide
These new Audio Bibles are recorded in the heart languages, or primary languages, of 216 million people. Altogether, Faith Comes By Hearing now has 403 Audio Scripture recordings available in 341 languages.
Indigenous missionaries, local church leaders and ministry workers will take these Audio Drama New Testaments into villages and communities around the world and begin listening groups. Villagers in groups from 10 to 300 will gather to listen to the Word and then discuss what they've heard.
Faith Comes By Hearing is diligently working to fulfill the Great Commission by bringing the Word of God to every nation, tribe and tongue. Research shows that there are 6,809 distinct people groups who make up more than 6.5 billion people.
“For the first time in history, every language group has been identified,” said Morgan Jackson, international director for Faith Comes By Hearing.
“Many of these groups transmit their beliefs, history and values through stories, proverbs, poetry, chants, songs and ceremonies,” said Jackson. “Cultures that primarily communicate their information using these forms are called ‘oral cultures.’”
About 70% of people live and learn in oral cultures.
“People from oral cultures learn differently than you and I do,” he said. “It is not enough to simply take materials created for literate people and read them onto a recorded format. It’s the power of stories that unlocks the Bible for them.”
Many people do not realize that about 70% of the Bible is in a narrative format. Jackson said he’s seen how Audio Bibles impact people firsthand.
“When you go into these villages you see people packed inside these one-room huts and people gathered all around the windows outside. They say, ‘No one wants to miss the stories,’ and they walk for miles to get here,” Jackson said. “When they listen to the Word, they enter into the story; like they are there actually experiencing what’s happening.”
“When Jesus speaks, they feel like He is speaking directly to them. And when they interact with the Word of God this way, people come to know and follow the God of the Bible,” he said.
“There are still language groups that need an Audio Bible in their heart language. There are people who wait to hear God's Word because they cannot read it,” Jackson said.
Faith Comes By Hearing’s goal is to record Audio Bibles in 2,000 languages by 2016, reaching 97% of the world’s population.
In 2008, Faith Comes By Hearing completed and released 86 new Audio Bible recordings, providing nearly one million Audio Bibles throughout the world.
catholicstorefinder.com: Find Local Catholic Stores
It can be frustrating and difficult to find a local Catholic store – sometimes an online search does not come up with desired results. So, in an effort to help alleviate the aggravation this can cause, Aquinas and More has launched the Catholic Store Finder, making it easy and possible to search for Catholic stores near you.
The new site, located at catholicstorefinder.com, contains information for many Catholic stores located in the United States. There is a map to click on so you can find stores in a specific state, or you can search by zip code or store name. This site is still a work in progress, and needs user input to get more accurate and detailed information, so if there is a Catholic store near you that you do not see listed at Catholic Store Finder, please leave a comment at the site so that it can be added.
There are also several countries listed with Catholic stores, but Aquinas and More is hoping that people will help add to the list with other non-US Catholic stores that they know of.
Currently, the profile for any store in the database includes store contact information, a map, and any trade group affiliations, and also notes if the store guarantees the faithfulness of is products to the Magisterium and mentions if the store does not carry Chinese-made products. Eventually, store owners will be able to keep their own information current; at the moment, however, updates should be made through the contact field on the site.
Aquinas and More often gets calls from people wondering if there are any Catholic stores near them. Now there is a quick and easy way for anyone looking for this information to find out where the closest Catholic store can be found. Catholic Store Finder – Your Faith. Locally.
The new site, located at catholicstorefinder.com, contains information for many Catholic stores located in the United States. There is a map to click on so you can find stores in a specific state, or you can search by zip code or store name. This site is still a work in progress, and needs user input to get more accurate and detailed information, so if there is a Catholic store near you that you do not see listed at Catholic Store Finder, please leave a comment at the site so that it can be added.
There are also several countries listed with Catholic stores, but Aquinas and More is hoping that people will help add to the list with other non-US Catholic stores that they know of.
Currently, the profile for any store in the database includes store contact information, a map, and any trade group affiliations, and also notes if the store guarantees the faithfulness of is products to the Magisterium and mentions if the store does not carry Chinese-made products. Eventually, store owners will be able to keep their own information current; at the moment, however, updates should be made through the contact field on the site.
Aquinas and More often gets calls from people wondering if there are any Catholic stores near them. Now there is a quick and easy way for anyone looking for this information to find out where the closest Catholic store can be found. Catholic Store Finder – Your Faith. Locally.
CatholicTV: Daily Mass and Rosary Broadcast
CatholicTV is now broadcasting 55 different episodes of the Rosary from 18 different places across the globe including rosaries filmed in Turkey, Russia, Sacred Heart Basilica on Notre Dame Campus, Los Angeles, and even Rosaries prayed in the snow. They can be viewed at the company’s website full-screen without charge.
CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television station headquartered near Boston.
Every day, CatholicTV broadcasts the Rosary. The Rosary is prayed by Father Robert Reed. Father Reed offers brief meditations on the Rosary before he begins with the Sign of the Cross. During the prayers, there are picturesque camera shots of Cathedrals, rivers, and even New England snow.
In addition to the numerous Rosaries, CatholicTV also broadcasts the celebration of the Mass each day. The Daily Mass is offered by a different priest virtually every day. The priest might be a Jesuit, a Franciscan, a Cardinal (such as Sean O’Malley), or even a Bishop (such as Richard Malone from Maine), or any number of other religious or diocesan priests. Each day, different priests offer unique perspectives given their different educational and spiritual backgrounds.
On Sundays, CatholicTV also broadcasts the Mass from the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame.
All of these Masses and Rosaries are available on CatholicTV. The broadcast is also streamed live on the internet at www.CatholicTV.com. This means that Catholics can enjoy the Mass at airports, coffee shops, libraries, and anywhere else they can bring their laptops and mobile devices.
The Daily Mass is broadcasted Monday through Saturday at 9:30AM (live) and 7:30PM. All times are Eastern Standard. Click here to view now:
Sunday Mass airs at 9:30AM and 7:30PM. Click here to view:
The Mass from Notre Dame Campus airs at 10:00AM (live) each Sunday. Click here to view:
The Rosary airs each day at 10AM, 7PM, and 3AM. Click here to view:
Mother Angelica: The Remarkable Story of a Nun
by William Donohue
Like most Catholics, I know Mother Angelica through EWTN (Eternal World Television Network). Now, thanks to Ray Arroyo's inspiring portrait of her, I know her much better. The subtitle of Mother Angelica accurately reads, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles. Yes, it is all that and more—it is a gripping tale of a woman who suffered greatly yet always managed to beat the odds.
Born Rita Rizzo, and reared in Canton, Ohio, Mother Angelica experienced poverty, a broken home, maltreatment, multiple physical ailments, jealously, back stabbing, betrayal—she was even shot at—but nothing could stop her determination. It does not exaggerate to say that the object of her determination never had anything to do with her—it always had to do with God.
In her lifetime, Mother established the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration and gave birth to the Franciscan Friars of the Eternal Word and the Sisters of the Eternal Word. She built the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as the largest shortwave network in the world and the world's first Catholic satellite network. Not bad for a high school graduate who had everything going against her.
Her father was abusive, both physically and verbally, and eventually abandoned her (he tried to reconcile with her later in life). It took such a toll on her that she wondered why God would ever subject a little girl to such a miserable family. It also meant that she missed out on what other kids were used to, so much so that one of her cousins would later say of her, "She was an adult all her life. She never had a childhood."
The nuns she met in school were anything but kind. Their opposition to divorce unfortunately led them to oppose the children of divorce, and this was something the young Rita couldn't bear (the priests her mother encountered were just as condemning). Some family members were just as cruel, including an uncle who verbally beat up on her mother so badly that Rita literally threw a knife at him.
Yet there were miracles. There was the time when, at age eleven, she was crossing a street only to see two headlights staring her right in the face. She thought she was dead. Incredibly, she was able to jump high enough that she avoided being hit. The driver called it "a miracle," while Rita and her mother dubbed it a graceful "lifting."
Her stomach ailments were so bad that she was forced to wear a corset. The doctors tried to help, but to little avail. Then she met a stigmatic, Rhoda Wise, and that's when things began to change. One day, when she was 20, a voice told her to get up and walk without the corset, and she did just that. Immediately, her suffering was relieved. Her doctor, of course, insisted it had to with his treatments, but Rita knew better.
Her mother wasn't too happy when she learned that Rita had decided to enter a Cleveland monastery. After all, she had first been abandoned by her husband, and now her daughter was leaving her as well. But in time she would come to accept it. As for Rita, her failing knees (and the five stories of steps she had to traverse at the monastery), led to her being dispatched back home to Canton.
After nine years in the cloister, Sister Angelica took her solemn vows. Her legs and her back were so twisted she could hardly walk (she wore a body cast), leading her to beg God to allow her to walk again in exchange for a promise: she would build a monastery in the South. What she wanted was a "Negro apostolate," a cloistered community in service to poor blacks. After undergoing spinal surgery, and after being rebuffed initially by her bishop, she got her way; approval was given to build a monastery in Birmingham. Then came to the hard part—coming up with the bucks to pay for it.
In 1959, the year before she became Mother Angelica, she spotted an ad in a magazine for fishing lure parts. She decided that the nuns would go into the fishing-lure business, thus was St. Peter's Fishing Lures born. In 1961, Sports Illustrated honored her with a plaque for her "special contribution to a sport." Remarkably, this half-crippled nun with no business experience was able to garner national attention for her entrepreneurial acumen. It was just the beginning.
Building a monastery in the South in the early 1960s, especially one that would service African Americans, was not exactly a popular enterprise. It didn't take long before local opposition mounted, even to the point of violence: Mother Angelica was shot at one night by one of the protesters (he barely missed).
Amidst what seemed like eternal struggles to keep the revenue coming, Mother started the Li'l Ole Peanut Company. Score another hit: By the end of 1968, she paid off all the monastery debt. Over the next decade, she would write books and give talks, managing to walk with an artificial hip.
In 1978, her life was forever altered when she was introduced to a TV studio in Chicago. Instantly, she got the bug: she had to have one of her own. Then came the first of many disappointments dealing with the bishops. When she contacted them about a Catholic TV show, none replied. Undeterred, she secured funding from New York philanthropist Peter Grace, and in 1981 got a young lawyer and Catholic deacon, Bill Steltemeier, to craft a civil corporation called the Eternal Word Television Network. Bill would remain a loyal and talented ally throughout the tumultuous times to come.
When word reached Rome that a cloistered abbess was traveling the country in pursuit of her broadcasting dream, she ran into trouble with both American bishops and Vatican officials. But thanks to Cardinal Silvio Oddi, head of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, she prevailed.
It was never easy. Every time Mother Angelica thought she was in the clear, another bishop would raise objections to her venture. Indeed, the bishops tried to outdo her by launching their own effort, the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America (CTNA). It was clear from the beginning that Mother Angelica was seen as a threat: EWTN had a traditional orientation and CTNA took a modernist stance. EWTN won. CTNA collapsed.
It was not easy for the bishops to watch their own creation flounder while EWTN won the admiration of Pope John Paul II. Adding to their chagrin was their inability to get Mother Angelica to switch to a new interfaith satellite network. As to her own operations, Mother Angelica did not take kindly to those clerics who questioned her authority to showcase some bishops, but not others. "I happen to own the network," she instructed. When told that this would not be forever, she let loose: "I'll blow the damn thing up before you get your hands on it."
In 1989, a report by the bishops complained that EWTN rejected "one out of every three programs submitted by the bishops conference." The bishops and Mother Angelica were clearly on a collision course: she had no tolerance for the theological dissidence that was tolerated by many bishops and their staff. The last straw came when the bishops conference sent a show to be aired featuring a cleric promising female ordination under the next pope.
The dissent, whether voiced by the Catholic Theological Society of America, or by feminist nuns who favored gender-neutral language in the Catholic Catechism, distressed Mother badly. She even had to endure being lobbied to push for "inclusive" language in the Catechism by the likes of "conservatives" such as Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston. That he failed should surprise no one.
Mother was more than distressed—she was angered beyond belief—when a woman portrayed Jesus doing the Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day in Denver, 1993. "Try it with Martin Luther King," she said on the air. "Put a white woman in his place and see what happens."
She was not prepared for what happened next. The reaction of leading bishops to her outburst was swift and vocal. Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who like Law would later be forced to resign in disgrace, blasted her for what he labeled "one of the most disgraceful, un-Christian, offensive, and divisive diatribes I have ever heard." He had nothing to say about the incident that provoked her.
The bishops weren't finished with her. In retaliation, they recalled priests who had been assigned to work at EWTN, and attempts were made to get EWTN thrown off diocesan TV channels around the country.
Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, Mother Angelica and Roger Cardinal Mahony locked horns. In 1997, she accused the Los Angeles archbishop of questioning the Real Presence: "In fact," she said, "the cardinal of California is teaching that it's bread and wine before the Eucharist and after the Eucharist." She added that she would not obey an Ordinary like him if she lived there, and hoped that those who did would no longer provide him with their assent.
That was it. Mahony exploded. But while demanding that Rome punish Mother Angelica—and this went on for years—Mahony's archdiocese was home to "a cavalcade of dissenters and anti-Vatican agitators." This is the stuff that drives orthodox Catholics mad.
While she survived in the end, Mother Angelica had to ward off attempts by the bishops to take control of EWTN (one archbishop allegedly told her that certain bishops "want to destroy you"). To make sure this would never happen, Mother Angelica resigned from the network in order to save it: the bishops would have no lien on a purely autonomous, lay-run, civil entity.
Twenty years ago, Ben Armstrong of the National Religious Broadcasters aptly dubbed her, "the Bishop Fulton Sheen of this generation." Cardinal J. Francis Stafford was also right when he observed that "Mother Angelica represented the plain Catholic, who is 90 percent of the Church." Let it also be said that she overcame all kinds of adversity, and she did it all—and continues to do it all—for Jesus.
from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
Like most Catholics, I know Mother Angelica through EWTN (Eternal World Television Network). Now, thanks to Ray Arroyo's inspiring portrait of her, I know her much better. The subtitle of Mother Angelica accurately reads, The Remarkable Story of a Nun, Her Nerve, and a Network of Miracles. Yes, it is all that and more—it is a gripping tale of a woman who suffered greatly yet always managed to beat the odds.
Born Rita Rizzo, and reared in Canton, Ohio, Mother Angelica experienced poverty, a broken home, maltreatment, multiple physical ailments, jealously, back stabbing, betrayal—she was even shot at—but nothing could stop her determination. It does not exaggerate to say that the object of her determination never had anything to do with her—it always had to do with God.
In her lifetime, Mother established the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration and gave birth to the Franciscan Friars of the Eternal Word and the Sisters of the Eternal Word. She built the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament, as well as the largest shortwave network in the world and the world's first Catholic satellite network. Not bad for a high school graduate who had everything going against her.
Her father was abusive, both physically and verbally, and eventually abandoned her (he tried to reconcile with her later in life). It took such a toll on her that she wondered why God would ever subject a little girl to such a miserable family. It also meant that she missed out on what other kids were used to, so much so that one of her cousins would later say of her, "She was an adult all her life. She never had a childhood."
The nuns she met in school were anything but kind. Their opposition to divorce unfortunately led them to oppose the children of divorce, and this was something the young Rita couldn't bear (the priests her mother encountered were just as condemning). Some family members were just as cruel, including an uncle who verbally beat up on her mother so badly that Rita literally threw a knife at him.
Yet there were miracles. There was the time when, at age eleven, she was crossing a street only to see two headlights staring her right in the face. She thought she was dead. Incredibly, she was able to jump high enough that she avoided being hit. The driver called it "a miracle," while Rita and her mother dubbed it a graceful "lifting."
Her stomach ailments were so bad that she was forced to wear a corset. The doctors tried to help, but to little avail. Then she met a stigmatic, Rhoda Wise, and that's when things began to change. One day, when she was 20, a voice told her to get up and walk without the corset, and she did just that. Immediately, her suffering was relieved. Her doctor, of course, insisted it had to with his treatments, but Rita knew better.
Her mother wasn't too happy when she learned that Rita had decided to enter a Cleveland monastery. After all, she had first been abandoned by her husband, and now her daughter was leaving her as well. But in time she would come to accept it. As for Rita, her failing knees (and the five stories of steps she had to traverse at the monastery), led to her being dispatched back home to Canton.
After nine years in the cloister, Sister Angelica took her solemn vows. Her legs and her back were so twisted she could hardly walk (she wore a body cast), leading her to beg God to allow her to walk again in exchange for a promise: she would build a monastery in the South. What she wanted was a "Negro apostolate," a cloistered community in service to poor blacks. After undergoing spinal surgery, and after being rebuffed initially by her bishop, she got her way; approval was given to build a monastery in Birmingham. Then came to the hard part—coming up with the bucks to pay for it.
In 1959, the year before she became Mother Angelica, she spotted an ad in a magazine for fishing lure parts. She decided that the nuns would go into the fishing-lure business, thus was St. Peter's Fishing Lures born. In 1961, Sports Illustrated honored her with a plaque for her "special contribution to a sport." Remarkably, this half-crippled nun with no business experience was able to garner national attention for her entrepreneurial acumen. It was just the beginning.
Building a monastery in the South in the early 1960s, especially one that would service African Americans, was not exactly a popular enterprise. It didn't take long before local opposition mounted, even to the point of violence: Mother Angelica was shot at one night by one of the protesters (he barely missed).
Amidst what seemed like eternal struggles to keep the revenue coming, Mother started the Li'l Ole Peanut Company. Score another hit: By the end of 1968, she paid off all the monastery debt. Over the next decade, she would write books and give talks, managing to walk with an artificial hip.
In 1978, her life was forever altered when she was introduced to a TV studio in Chicago. Instantly, she got the bug: she had to have one of her own. Then came the first of many disappointments dealing with the bishops. When she contacted them about a Catholic TV show, none replied. Undeterred, she secured funding from New York philanthropist Peter Grace, and in 1981 got a young lawyer and Catholic deacon, Bill Steltemeier, to craft a civil corporation called the Eternal Word Television Network. Bill would remain a loyal and talented ally throughout the tumultuous times to come.
When word reached Rome that a cloistered abbess was traveling the country in pursuit of her broadcasting dream, she ran into trouble with both American bishops and Vatican officials. But thanks to Cardinal Silvio Oddi, head of the Sacred Congregation for the Clergy, she prevailed.
It was never easy. Every time Mother Angelica thought she was in the clear, another bishop would raise objections to her venture. Indeed, the bishops tried to outdo her by launching their own effort, the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America (CTNA). It was clear from the beginning that Mother Angelica was seen as a threat: EWTN had a traditional orientation and CTNA took a modernist stance. EWTN won. CTNA collapsed.
It was not easy for the bishops to watch their own creation flounder while EWTN won the admiration of Pope John Paul II. Adding to their chagrin was their inability to get Mother Angelica to switch to a new interfaith satellite network. As to her own operations, Mother Angelica did not take kindly to those clerics who questioned her authority to showcase some bishops, but not others. "I happen to own the network," she instructed. When told that this would not be forever, she let loose: "I'll blow the damn thing up before you get your hands on it."
In 1989, a report by the bishops complained that EWTN rejected "one out of every three programs submitted by the bishops conference." The bishops and Mother Angelica were clearly on a collision course: she had no tolerance for the theological dissidence that was tolerated by many bishops and their staff. The last straw came when the bishops conference sent a show to be aired featuring a cleric promising female ordination under the next pope.
The dissent, whether voiced by the Catholic Theological Society of America, or by feminist nuns who favored gender-neutral language in the Catholic Catechism, distressed Mother badly. She even had to endure being lobbied to push for "inclusive" language in the Catechism by the likes of "conservatives" such as Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston. That he failed should surprise no one.
Mother was more than distressed—she was angered beyond belief—when a woman portrayed Jesus doing the Stations of the Cross at World Youth Day in Denver, 1993. "Try it with Martin Luther King," she said on the air. "Put a white woman in his place and see what happens."
She was not prepared for what happened next. The reaction of leading bishops to her outburst was swift and vocal. Archbishop Rembert Weakland, who like Law would later be forced to resign in disgrace, blasted her for what he labeled "one of the most disgraceful, un-Christian, offensive, and divisive diatribes I have ever heard." He had nothing to say about the incident that provoked her.
The bishops weren't finished with her. In retaliation, they recalled priests who had been assigned to work at EWTN, and attempts were made to get EWTN thrown off diocesan TV channels around the country.
Just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, Mother Angelica and Roger Cardinal Mahony locked horns. In 1997, she accused the Los Angeles archbishop of questioning the Real Presence: "In fact," she said, "the cardinal of California is teaching that it's bread and wine before the Eucharist and after the Eucharist." She added that she would not obey an Ordinary like him if she lived there, and hoped that those who did would no longer provide him with their assent.
That was it. Mahony exploded. But while demanding that Rome punish Mother Angelica—and this went on for years—Mahony's archdiocese was home to "a cavalcade of dissenters and anti-Vatican agitators." This is the stuff that drives orthodox Catholics mad.
While she survived in the end, Mother Angelica had to ward off attempts by the bishops to take control of EWTN (one archbishop allegedly told her that certain bishops "want to destroy you"). To make sure this would never happen, Mother Angelica resigned from the network in order to save it: the bishops would have no lien on a purely autonomous, lay-run, civil entity.
Twenty years ago, Ben Armstrong of the National Religious Broadcasters aptly dubbed her, "the Bishop Fulton Sheen of this generation." Cardinal J. Francis Stafford was also right when he observed that "Mother Angelica represented the plain Catholic, who is 90 percent of the Church." Let it also be said that she overcame all kinds of adversity, and she did it all—and continues to do it all—for Jesus.
from the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)