Catholic Podcasts

So I have been (somewhat) blogging for 16 years now but I don't know if anyone reads blogs anymore.  At one point 'St. Blog's Parish' was the happening place to be.  Now, Podcasts and Vloggers are the new hipsters.  I have been listening to some lately on several of my interests:  Healthy eating / fitness, Money, Genealogy, History and of course Catholicism.  At their best, the podcasts remind me of when I first discovered Catholic blogs - there is plenty of discussion, information, inspiration, and interesting people at all spots on the journey of faith.  The only thing missing is the back and forth argument/discussions that had been found in blogs (which happened to be the best part). Here are some Catholic podcasts I have enjoyed:

The Patrick Coffin Show - he is knowledgeable and has a range of guests which includes some popular people not necessarily known for Catholicism such as Milo Yiannopoulos and Gavin McInnes.

Catholic Creatives- I just discovered this one yesterday and already have found two very interesting interviews:  the episode titled JPII Fought Nazis With Theater:  Cole Matson, and Lessons From a Megachurch:  Jake Brown. 

Taylor Marshall - Lots of current Church topics

Untitled Catholic Podcast - this is a local one featuring Fr. Sean Malgaldi where three guys discuss general stuff in addition to 'Church stuff'

Author’s Night: Sohrab Ahmari

Wednesday, March 13, 2019 @ 7PM

 

 

From Fire, By Water: An Evening with author Sohrab Ahmari

Journalist and former Wall Street Journal columnist, Sohrab Ahmari was a teenager living under the Iranian ayatollahs when he decided that there is no God. Nearly two decades later, he would be received into the Roman Catholic Church.
In From Fire, by Water, he recounts this unlikely passage, from the strident Marxism and atheism of a youth misspent on both sides of the Atlantic to a moral and spiritual awakening. At once a young intellectual’s finely crafted self-portrait and a life story at the intersection of the great ideas and events of our time, the book marks the debut of a compelling new Catholic voice.

Sheen Center for Thought and Culture

There seem to be a number of worthy events in NYC at the Sheen Center.  I don't know where I have been that I am only recently hearing about it, but it sounds great.


Named after the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, best known for his popular radio and TV ministry in the 1950s and 60s, The Sheen Center for Thought & Culture is a project of the Archdiocese of New York, presenting more than 75 events in theatre, film, music, and thought per season. The state-of-the-art complex has a 274-seat proscenium theater equipped with five-camera high-definition livestream capability and a multi-track recording studio with thirty-two onstage inputs; an 80-seat black box theater; four rehearsal studios; and an art gallery. This facility is the newest arts center in Manhattan in 35 years and a significant addition to the growing artistic community in NoHo/East Village.
Mission Statement
The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Thought & Culture is a forum to highlight the true, the good, and the beautiful as they have been expressed throughout the ages. Cognizant of our creation in the image and likeness of God, the Sheen Center aspires to present the heights and depths of human expression in thought and culture, featuring humankind as fully alive. At the Sheen Center, we proclaim that life is worth living, especially when we seek to deepen, explore and challenge ourselves, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, intellectually, artistically, and spiritually.

 

What Can Sts. Perpetua & Felicity Teach Us About Lent?

Today is the Feast Day of these two early Saints and Catholic Exchange has the above article posted.  I like this quote and think it is appropriate for all Catholics today:

"Before she met a martyr’s death St. Perpetua sought to strengthen her brothers by telling them: “Stand fast in the faith, and love one another. Do not let our sufferings be a stumbling block to you.”

Msgr. Daniel S. Hamilton, RIP

When I was an altar boy we called him Father Superman because of his jet black hair that was slicked back, his black frame glasses, and the fact that he was a newspaper editor - The Long Island Catholic was a weekly paper then.  A few times after serving an 8 AM Mass he 'volunteered' me to serve his private 15 minute Mass before he headed out to work and I headed to school.  I once fainted while serving Mass right at the kiss of peace and he had to drag me to the sacristy to lay down until I felt better.  We used to joke that we could not understand his homilies because he used big words, although it was not really a joke because we really did not understand.  Even after giving up the Editor position and becoming a pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Lindenhurst, he continued his writing as described in this article: 


Why this priest has spent 50 years fighting with the New York Times


I remember seeing his letters either in the Long Island Catholic or in Newsday.  He was a very smart guy - He would have made a great blogger! 


Update:  I completely forgot this, but a decade ago I got to see him speak on the topic "Anglicans Looking To Rome: 1570 - Present".  He had once written an article in America Magazine in 1993 in which he called for a "special geographical prelature" for Anglicans although it will probably "draw sharp criticism from those Catholics who want their own church to take the same doctrinal position that official Anglicanism has already taken or is now taking".   Of course, Pope Benedict did exactly that in 2009 and the exact criticism predicted by Msgr. Hamilton came true.

Gen X Revert = Old

I missed it but my 16th blogiversary was 1/18/19.   January 18, 2003 was my first blog post.

Ignatius Press at Forty

Congrats to Ignatius Press which played a huge role in my reversion.  I still have hundreds of IP books some of which I have yet to finish reading (or start reading).  I keep thinking I will donate them to a Catholic parish library someday but hopefully one that is not far away in case I want to keep reading some of them.  Fr. Fessio has surely accomplished a huge thing for the Church.  If you are not familiar with Ignatius Press check it out.


"Ignatius Press books are invariably well-presented, of a similar size and texture. They are physically good to hold. Their print is easy to read. The editing is always careful. The reader can be sure that there is an argument to be made, a point to be considered that gets to the heart of some basic issue. I recall Father Fessio saying to me years ago that we never know who will read a book. A book is thrown out there into the world, searching, as it were, for a reader. We never know who, if anyone, will ever read it or when or where, or in what language. Book publishing is both an act of faith and a throwing of the dice."

The Spiritual Witness of Flannery O'Connor

This article by Amy Welborn at Catholic World Report is a couple of years old but is a good starting place if you want to get to learn about O'Connor.  I was introduced to her in my Catholic High School and think she is one of the greatest American writers.  The article mentions a documentary about Flannery called Uncommon Grace.

Here is a snip from the article, click on the title of the post to read the whole thing:


"How is it that stories about shyster Bible salesmen, unbelieving preachers, murderers, farmers, racists, and arrogant pseudo-intellectuals—most of whom find themselves at the wrong end of a gun or bull or weaponized textbook at one time or another—can be “spiritual”? Where’s my gauzy cover art and happy ending?
Well, if that’s our notion of “spiritual reading”—either fictional or non-fictional—no, we’re not going to “get” Flannery O’Connor. O’Connor looked at the world and saw a hard place—not because God wanted it so, but because we made it so. Moreover, she saw a loud place, deaf and blind and deeply resistant to grace—grace that she knew and trusted was still being offered.
How do you get the shysters, the unbelievers, the intolerant, and the prideful—namely, all of us—to see? You must, as she said of her own writing, shout. You must exaggerate."

I have been a lazy blogger or perhaps just did not have the desire to keep up with Church happenings.  Some of the things I never blogged about:

Telecare is now called Catholic Faith Network

Bishop Brennan was appointed to lead the Diocese of Columbus.  With this appointment, it appears there are 5 Long Island Bishops who have been sent elsewhere:

Peter Anthony Libasci appointed Bishop of Manchester

Nelson J. Perez  appointed Bishop of Cleveland

Robert J. Brennan appointed Bishop of Columbus

Robert J. Coyle, appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Military Services, USA

Robert E. Guglielmone, appointed Bishop of Charleston

Update:  The site where I took this info neglected another Long Islander who is a Bishop elsewhere:  Bishop Christopher Cardone, Archbishop of Honiara, Solomon Islands

Long Island Catholic Youth Day

The Link with all the information is here.

March 30,2019 at St. Anthony's High School, for students in grade 8-12

I found this video today and heard some pretty good ideas in it from Fr. Ralph Sommer, pastor of St. Bernard's in Levittown.

Link for Video:  The Evangelizing Pastor Webinar

(the part where it is supposed to show a video does not work so it is minutes of a blank screen)  I especially like the poll they had after all their Masses one Sunday asking what areas the parish should put their energy into.   The most popular choice was 'Pass the faith onto the next generation' which did not surprise me.

The more we hear and see scandals in the clergy, and confusion among the laity, the more helpful it is to have good ideas for passing on the faith at the parish level.  This is where most Catholics connect with the Church, not online or in the publications that many of us have followed for so many years.  That is why it has been great to see some younger priests become pastors recently, as long as they live truly holy lives they can help to influence Catholics in the right direction. 


UPDATE:  In checking out the website of this parish, I see they are raising money to add a larger lobby for the Church, consolidate some buildings, improve the parking lot and best of all - add a steeple and get rid of the tower pictured below!  The tower is located right on a very busy road - Hempstead Turnpike and I always thought this tower was pretty hideous.  It sounds like this renovation is going to make this a much nicer parish complex.

The Biggest Lie In The History of Christianity, How Modern Culture is Robbing Billions of People of Happiness by Matthew Kelly

My parish had free copies of this book for all at Mass this past Sunday. This is a simple quick read by the man who is a sort of Catholic self help, motivational TED talk type of guy.  Perhaps this is what we need right now in the Church.  If you are looking for deep theology or detailed explanation of Church teaching you will not find it here.  It is a general, positive look at how Catholics can be saintly, make 'Holy Moments' and change the culture.  I would recommend this book if you need a 'pep talk' which I think most Catholics could use.