Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: New Cartoon for Kids

In an effort to help fill the void in quality media for Catholic children, GenOneArt.com launched a campaign to produce a saint inspired, Catholic cartoon utilizing Kickstarter.com to fund the production.

Up to 40% Off the Best Books of 2013

The production will focus on the virtue of courage in the life of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, and her devotion to Jesus on the Cross as her source of strength in times of persecution.

Kickstarter.com is a crowd-funding platform where anyone can help support a project in exchange for incentives also known as “backer rewards.” The rewards for supporting the project include everything from a DVD of the finished cartoon, to original artwork from the development of the project. The goal is to raise at least $60,000 to finish production and to help launch a marketing campaign for the film.

Here is a link to the project page: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/464375548/saint-kateri-tekakwitha-catholic-cartoon?ref=live

Awesome! Pope Francis Named Time's Person of the Year

 

Pope Francis Named Time's Person of the Year

Pope Francis, who has grabbed headlines for befriending a rabbi, sneaking out to help the homeless, and hanging out with kids, is Time's "Person of the Year." Read more.

Born in Buenos Aires as the son of Italian parents, Bergoglio worked briefly as a chemical technician before entering seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1969. From 1973 to 1979 he was Argentina's Provincial superior of the Society of Jesus. He became Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and a cardinal in 2001. Following the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in February 2013, on 13 March 2013 the papal conclave elected Bergoglio, who chose the papal name Francis in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis is the first Jesuit pope, the first pope from the Americas, the first from the Southern Hemisphere and the first non-European Pope since Pope Gregory III, 1272 years earlier. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Francis)

Francis: The Pope From the New World is available at Amazon.com. The hour-long film traces the remarkable rise of our new Holy Father and features interviews from around the world, with close friends, fellow priests, co-workers, his biographer and the poor of Buenos Aires.

 

Pope Francis: The Pole from the New World

Digital Edition of Spirit & Song Released

On the heels of the successful debut of the new Spirit & Song hymnal, OCP (Oregon Catholic Press) launches the All-Inclusive Digital Edition of Spirit & Song.  Giving subscribers any-time access to downloadable sheet music and MP3s, along with the ability to send a customized song list—accompaniments included—to musicians, this online resource is set to revolutionize Catholic music ministry around the world.

“The All-Inclusive Digital Edition of Spirit & Song is what our customers have been looking for and everything that a music minister needs,” says OCP’s Publisher, John Limb. “We created a tool that is a compliment to the hardcover edition of Spirit & Song but also stands alone, serving the ever-growing need for digital worship resources.”

A must-have resource for any parish musician, the All-Inclusive Digital Edition of Spirit & Song features MP3 recordings and unlimited downloads of full-sized accompaniments for guitar, keyboard and solo instrument (coming spring 2014), chords-over-text options and lyric sheets in a variety of formats—a key tenant for those using Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple Keynote to create worship aids or projection.

Even more than a resource for finding and downloading music, the “My Lists” feature allows subscribers to organize songs and create lists based on topic or season or for specific services or rehearsals. Once a song list is created, it can be shared via a unique URL. When the musicians follow the link, they can download all the accompaniments, for each song, customized to fit their part in the ensemble.

An added bonus, permission to use and reprint the music (for projection, worship aids, etc.) is part of the subscription, so there is no need to report song usage to ensure fair compensation for composers—it’s all included.

Robert Feduccia, General Manager of Spirit & Song elaborates, "the music ministers I speak with understand the importance of reporting their song usage, but also find it to be a very difficult task. Now, you get the best of both worlds. You get the flexibility of a license without the hassle of reporting which songs you used and how many times you used them."

The All-Inclusive Digital Edition of Spirit & Song rolls out on November 15, 2013. To experience this groundbreaking resource first-hand, visit LicenSingOnline.org/Spirit-Song. The subscription is free to explore.

A Must-See DVD: Keep Your Kids Catholic

Do you know where your kids are?

Through a series of talks, this 2 DVD set reveals both the challenges that face Catholic families and how families can respond to the call of faith.

 The Family as the Domestic Church 

The Fathers of the Church and the Second Vatican Council teach that the family is the domestic Church. If we understand what the Church really is, the implications are enormous. This talk lays out the vision of what the Catholic family is called to be in a way both challenging and inspiring.

The Art of Catholic Parenting: A Balancing Act

So practically, how do we make it happen? How do we raise kids who are truly Catholic, with a commitment to holiness and mission? This talk abounds with nitty gritty suggestions on how to strike the balance between formal religious education in the home, and teaching by example, between affection and discipline, the role of parents and the help of other adults. You'll walk away with clear strategies that you can implement in your own family life.

Click below to find out more.