When you first see Joanna Bogle cooking on the set of her newest EWTN television series, “Feasts & Seasons,” you might be reminded of Julia Child. It’s not so much a physical resemblance. It’s more that Bogle’s English accent and witty, breezy style are reminiscent of Child’s upper-crust American accent and style. But, unlike Child, Bogle is the first to admit that she isn’t a great cook.
She is, however, a first-rate journalist, who has written for England’s top newspapers; and a politician, who became a local councilor in her native England years ago, despite being the youngest candidate ever to be elected at that time, not to mention a female. She is also a prolific freelance writer and author, whose book, “Feasts & Seasons,” was made into a radio series for the BBC. All of which helps explain the concept behind this unique show.
“I do cook, but I’m not a great cook,” Bogle says. “What I do love are history, traditions, customs, and heritage.”
For example, on one show, viewers learned the origin of the symbol of the crossed keys, which is especially popular on English pubs, many of which are named “The Crossed Keys.” So what is their origin?
“They were originally the keys of St. Peter,” Bogle says. “Today’s public doesn’t know that.”
This example is true. Others may or may not be.
“‘Mary had a little lamb’ is clearly a reference to Our Lady,” Bogle said, with the lamb being the “Lamb of God” or Jesus. But she adds, “I don’t want to be dogmatic about it because I may be wrong.”
What makes Bogle’s series popular with viewers? It’s not just the simple dishes she features, which anyone can prepare. It’s her explanation of the history behind the dishes, her vivid portrayal of the celebrations during which the food is eaten, and her gleeful demonstrations of the crafts, songs, decorations and other customs that make a day like Christmas or a season like Lent special.
Bogle first got interested in this subject as a young Army wife. She had left the glamour of London, where she had been working as a journalist and a politician, to marry Jaime Bogle, whom the Army promptly sent to Germany. Joanna, who had also busied herself writing a series of books on local history in England under her maiden name of “Nash,” suddenly found herself with time on her hands.
“When you get married and are running your own home, you slowly realize what a feast of interesting things this is – so much to learn,” she says. “We also made the decision to be a Catholic couple. How do you do that? I decided to celebrate properly.
“We made German friends and they told us how they celebrated Christmas. I also realized if Easter was going to happen [in my home], it would happen because of me. I picked up German traditions, French traditions, and American traditions. My husband was Australian and had reverse seasons and other traditions. A lot of ideas came from children too.”
Now that she’s completed three of the six planned series for EWTN on “Feasts & Seasons,” ideas also come from viewers, who may email her at auntiejoanna@yahoo.co.uk.
“Every broadcaster loves contact with the audience,” Bogle says. “‘Feasts & Seasons’ is the thing I’m most interested in. It’s a hobby that has become a driving passion.”
Gospel of Mark To Be Explained in New Free Online TV Show
Starting in April, www.CatholicTV.com will stream episodes of the new show “Parables of Mark” each week. The new show stars Monsignor John Zenz, a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, and special guest, Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell.
Monsignor Zenz serves as Pastor of Holy Name Parish in Birmingham, Illinois and has a doctorate in spiritual theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. Monsignor has extensive experience in working with the Catholic Television Network of Detroit, with the writing of the Jublilee 2000 Archdiocesan spiritual renewal program, and has been a frequent presenter in the popular Theology on Tap series since 1999.
Ernie Harwell is a former American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called balls, strikes, and home runs on radio and television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time
Starting in April, the new show will be streamed at www.CatholicTV.com and will also be available on CatholicTV where available at these times (EST):
Monday 3:30 PM,
Wednesday 12 Noon
Friday 5:30 AM
Saturday 11:30PM
Monsignor Zenz serves as Pastor of Holy Name Parish in Birmingham, Illinois and has a doctorate in spiritual theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University. Monsignor has extensive experience in working with the Catholic Television Network of Detroit, with the writing of the Jublilee 2000 Archdiocesan spiritual renewal program, and has been a frequent presenter in the popular Theology on Tap series since 1999.
Ernie Harwell is a former American sportscaster, known for his long career calling play-by-play of Major League Baseball games. For 55 years, 42 of them with the Detroit Tigers, Harwell called balls, strikes, and home runs on radio and television. In January 2009, the American Sportscasters Association ranked Harwell 16th on its list of Top 50 Sportscasters of All Time
Starting in April, the new show will be streamed at www.CatholicTV.com and will also be available on CatholicTV where available at these times (EST):
Monday 3:30 PM,
Wednesday 12 Noon
Friday 5:30 AM
Saturday 11:30PM
iMissal Launches on iTunes – The first Catholic Missal / Missalette for iPhone and iPod Touch
Just in time for Easter! iMissal is the first true Catholic Missal / Missalette application for iPhone and iPod Touch.
Have you ever been sitting in church and wished you could more easily follow along with the Mass Readings without having to lookup the reading and deal with those bulky books. Have you ever been unable to attend a Mass and wished you could easily get access to the Mass Readings to read via your iPhone or iPod Touch? Now you can!
Whether you are a life-long Catholic or new to the faith, this application is for you! iMissal presents the liturgical year's worth of Sacred Scripture, allowing the faithful to follow and delve further into the Church's holy celebration.
The liturgical texts provided in iMissal are used with the permission of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the International Committee on English in the Liturgy. They are the official texts approved for use in the dioceses of the United States by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
iMissal includes the following features:
1) Liturgical Calendar - Full calendar displaying all of the liturgical seasons. The calendar is color coded based on liturgical season and shows Holy Days of Obligation, Solemnities, Major Feasts, etc.
2) Mass Readings - All the Mass Readings for every liturgical cycle (A,B,C,I,II) are included! This includes First Reading, Palsm, Second Reading, Alleluia, and Gospel for all Sunday and Weekday Masses. Reading text is always available for every day, no WIFI connection necessary. Uses translations officially approved for Mass in the U.S.
3) Daily Bible Verse - Hundreds of popular bible verses are available. Each time application is accessed a new verse is displayed to reflect upon.
4) Prayers - Over 50 of the most popular Catholic prayers are included.
5) Order of Mass – Follow along in Mass and have all the prayers, and responses available.
Great for all Catholics and RCIA candidates. Thousands of pages of scripture all on your iPhone/iPod Touch.
Have you ever been sitting in church and wished you could more easily follow along with the Mass Readings without having to lookup the reading and deal with those bulky books. Have you ever been unable to attend a Mass and wished you could easily get access to the Mass Readings to read via your iPhone or iPod Touch? Now you can!
Whether you are a life-long Catholic or new to the faith, this application is for you! iMissal presents the liturgical year's worth of Sacred Scripture, allowing the faithful to follow and delve further into the Church's holy celebration.
The liturgical texts provided in iMissal are used with the permission of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine and the International Committee on English in the Liturgy. They are the official texts approved for use in the dioceses of the United States by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
iMissal includes the following features:
1) Liturgical Calendar - Full calendar displaying all of the liturgical seasons. The calendar is color coded based on liturgical season and shows Holy Days of Obligation, Solemnities, Major Feasts, etc.
2) Mass Readings - All the Mass Readings for every liturgical cycle (A,B,C,I,II) are included! This includes First Reading, Palsm, Second Reading, Alleluia, and Gospel for all Sunday and Weekday Masses. Reading text is always available for every day, no WIFI connection necessary. Uses translations officially approved for Mass in the U.S.
3) Daily Bible Verse - Hundreds of popular bible verses are available. Each time application is accessed a new verse is displayed to reflect upon.
4) Prayers - Over 50 of the most popular Catholic prayers are included.
5) Order of Mass – Follow along in Mass and have all the prayers, and responses available.
Great for all Catholics and RCIA candidates. Thousands of pages of scripture all on your iPhone/iPod Touch.
Notre Dame Switchboard Overwhelmed
As of late Friday night, hundreds of callers had overwhelmed the switchboard at Notre Dame as news began to circulate that Obama had been invited to give the commencement address at Notre Dame on May 17th. Sources at Notre Dame as well as the White House late Friday afternoon confirmed the invitation had been extended and accepted.
ND operators said the calls simply became too much to handle. Voice mails of the University President, Vice-President, Provost, assistant-provost and PR director were all full by 10pm EST. Operators were suggesting that callers try again on Monday when university officials would be back in their offices.
All the calls were expressing outrage. None supported the decision.
Two Notre Dame alumni who own and operate the world’s first Catholic internet TV station www.realcatholictv.com both immediately denounced the university’s decision to award Barack Obama honors and give him a stage from which to speak.
Marc Brammer, ND Class of ’74 and MBA’76 and Michael Voris ’83 each called the move a disgrace and a smear on the University’s reputation of being a Catholic school.
Voris discovered the news while live on the air with Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariana while he was being interviewed about the week’s news. “While I was actually on the air with Drew”, Voris said, “I shot off an email to Fr. Jenkins (ND President) expressing my deep anger that the carnage done to the Faith by Notre Dame is continuing.”
Voris shared the text of his email – It is beyond sinful that a University dedicated to the Mother of God, in whose womb the salvation of the world became incarnate, would give a platform to the biggest enemy of life in the womb this country has ever seen.
“This is a direct slap in the face to all who venerate the Mother of God. To be honoring a man who continues to do everything in his power to destroy the fundamental essence of motherhood through abortion,” said Brammer, “shows just how much the University has lost its moral bearings.”
RealCatholicTV.com has pledged its support to encouraging protests and condemnation of the Obama visit.
Courtesy www.catholic.org
ND operators said the calls simply became too much to handle. Voice mails of the University President, Vice-President, Provost, assistant-provost and PR director were all full by 10pm EST. Operators were suggesting that callers try again on Monday when university officials would be back in their offices.
All the calls were expressing outrage. None supported the decision.
Two Notre Dame alumni who own and operate the world’s first Catholic internet TV station www.realcatholictv.com both immediately denounced the university’s decision to award Barack Obama honors and give him a stage from which to speak.
Marc Brammer, ND Class of ’74 and MBA’76 and Michael Voris ’83 each called the move a disgrace and a smear on the University’s reputation of being a Catholic school.
Voris discovered the news while live on the air with Relevant Radio’s Drew Mariana while he was being interviewed about the week’s news. “While I was actually on the air with Drew”, Voris said, “I shot off an email to Fr. Jenkins (ND President) expressing my deep anger that the carnage done to the Faith by Notre Dame is continuing.”
Voris shared the text of his email – It is beyond sinful that a University dedicated to the Mother of God, in whose womb the salvation of the world became incarnate, would give a platform to the biggest enemy of life in the womb this country has ever seen.
“This is a direct slap in the face to all who venerate the Mother of God. To be honoring a man who continues to do everything in his power to destroy the fundamental essence of motherhood through abortion,” said Brammer, “shows just how much the University has lost its moral bearings.”
RealCatholicTV.com has pledged its support to encouraging protests and condemnation of the Obama visit.
Courtesy www.catholic.org
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