Sonitus Sanctus

Institute of Catholic Culture

2011-11-18T22:18:00.000-05:00

Just a reminder that they're still doing awesome things at the Institute of Catholic Culture, such as the following:

Lecture Title:	Presenter(s):
Original Sin	Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P.
Creation or Evolution: What Does the Church Really Teach?	Fr. William Saunders
Liturgiam Authenticam: The True Story Behind the New Translation of the Roman Missal	Rev. Jerry J. Pokorsky
The Holy Mass: Reform, Ruin & Restoration	Dr. Daniel G. Van Slyke
The Roots of Modernism	Dr. William Marshner

That is all.

Same Sex Marriage Amendment Debate

2011-11-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

Maggie Gallagher, President of The Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and Dale Carpenter, University of Minnesota Professor of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law presented their views on the Same Sex Marriage Amendment at the Murphy Institute's inaugural debate on public policy issues for the 2012 elections.

Video after the jump.

Argument of the Month Club

2011-11-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

How great a name is that?!?

The Argument of the Month is a forum for Catholic Men to hear and discuss various apologetics topics. Well...I say apologetics, but it's not that narrow. Take, for example, these talks on Social Justice by famed Chestertonian Dale Ahlquist:

Catholic Social Teaching: Why both Liberals AND Conservatives Get it Wrong!	Dale Ahlquist	02/12/2008	Talk/Debate	MP3	Download
Catholic Social Teaching: Why both Liberals AND Conservatives Get it Wrong!	Dale Ahlquist	02/12/2008	Q&A	MP3	Download

Or, to change gears, this talk about whether Catholics can be masons (answer: no!):

Can Catholics be Masons?	John Salza, Dustin Dufault	01/11/2011	Talk/Debate	MP3	Download
Can Catholics be Masons?	John Salza, Dustin Dufault	01/11/2011	Q&A	MP3	Download

Naturally, they also have the standard mean-and-potatoes Sola Scriptura debates, Contra Modernism talks, etc. Go check them out for yourself -- well worth it.

William Lane Craig Debate

2011-10-19T22:27:00.000-04:00

Protestant apologist and iterate worker in the vineyard William Lane Craig had a recent debate with Stephen Law at Westminster Hall on the topic: Does God Exist?

Full Debate MP3 Audio here. (2hr 15min.) Video below. Enjoy.

Fr. Richard John Neuhaus Homilies

2011-10-19T22:16:00.000-04:00

Thanks to First Things, I was made aware of this feature at Columbia Catholic Ministry's website:

Father Neuhaus's Homilies

The late Father Richard Neuhaus of First Things had preached at Columbia during springs semesters. His homilies are available below for downloading.

Spring 2008

January 27th
February 3rd
March 20th
April 13th
April 27th
May 4th

Spring 2007

January 21st
January 28th
February 4th
Feburary 11th
February 18th
Feburary 25th
March 4th
March 25th
April 7th
April 14th

Spring 2005

January 23rd
January 30th
February 6th
February 13th
February 20th
February 27th
April 3rd

Dr. Peter Kreeft is like a fine wine...

2011-10-19T22:13:00.000-04:00

...he just gets better with age.

Here is his latest. I can't sum it up better than the title at his website.

If Einstein Had Been a Surfer — NEW Sep 2011 — Rediscovering the right brain

The Biblical Story of the Mass - Tom Nash, Fr. Wade Menezes

2011-08-15T21:47:00.000-04:00

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From EWTN's write-up of the show (with speaker bios):

Prefigured in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New, the biblical story of the Mass spans the breadth of Scripture and beyond. What Jesus began on Calvary culminated in everlasting glory in the heavenly sanctuary, and is made present on earth every time the Church celebrates the Sacrifice of the Mass. Join Father Wade Menezes and EWTN Theology Advisor Tom Nash as they explore The Biblical Story of the Mass.

Teaser below, but get the whole series at EWTN.

Program Name:	On Earth as It Is in Heaven: Rediscovering the Biblical Story of the Mass
		Listen Now
		Download
	Series Name:	The Biblical Story of the Mass Tom Nash, Fr. Wade Menezes
	Host:	Tom Nash, Fr. Wade Menezes
	Date Produced:	7/28/2011
	Description:	The biblical story of the Mass didn’t begin at the Last Supper and Good Friday, nor did it end there. Sacrifices from Abel and Abraham to Melchizedek and Moses set the stage for Jesus Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The Mass sacramentally re-presents or makes present again Christ’s one Sacrifice of Calvary, which began on the Cross and culminated in everlasting glory in the heavenly sanctuary.

HT to Dave

Chesterton - Napoleon of Notting Hill

2011-08-15T21:36:00.002-04:00

Can't say I'm a huge fan of the recording (Ray Clare's style simply isn't mine), but this is what my book club is reading this month. Feel free to join us and give it a listen. You can download in different formats and chapter-by-chapter at the source, Librivox.

The Napoleon of Notting Hill

by G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

While the novel is humorous (one instance has the King sitting on top of an omnibus and speaking to it as to a horse: “Forward, my beauty, my Arab,” he said, patting the omnibus encouragingly, “fleetest of all thy bounding tribe”), it is also an adventure story: Chesterton is not afraid to let blood be drawn in his battles, fought with sword and halberd in the London streets, and Wayne thinks up a few ingenious strategies; and, finally, the novel is philosophical, considering the value of one man’s actions and the virtue of respect for one’s enemies. (Summary from Wikipedia)

View a printable CD booklet.
Download Album Art

Gutenberg e-text
Wikipedia – G. K. Chesterton
Wikipedia – “The Napoleon of Notting Hill”
M4B audiobook of complete book
LibriVox’s The Napoleon of Notting HillInternet Archive page
Zip file of the entire book 171.3 MB
RSS feed · Subscribe in iTunes

God and Modern Physics Podcast

2011-08-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

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God and Modern Physics Podcast by Fr. Robert Spitzer S.J. Ph.d. Afraid that's all I can tell you about it, except that the link was provided by long-time friend of the show, Filipino Catholic. Much thanks.

Eucharistic Mission

2011-06-26T22:49:00.000-04:00

Long time friend of the show, Dave, wrote in with the following tip:

Hi Ryan,

Anticipating the upcoming changes in translation of the Roman Missal, Fr John Riccardo held a 4 day mission with the goal of initiating a journey toward a greater understanding of the spiritual realities that occur during Mass. The focus then centers on the Eucharist.

From Sunday, March 13th, through Wednesday, March 16th, Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish is conducting a parish mission titled Do This in Remembrance of Me. Fr. Riccardo is presenting evening sessions each night beginning at 7 PM. This is Fr. John's presentation from the Sunday evening session. His bibliography for the parish mission is available for download.

The talks:

http://frjohnriccardo.libsyn.com/parish-mission-2011-monday-session

http://frjohnriccardo.libsyn.com/parish-mission-2011-tuesday-session

http://frjohnriccardo.libsyn.com/parish-mission-2011-wednesday-mass-homily

Take care,

Dave

I gave it a listen and it's good -- just make sure you're aware that the talks aren't about the new translation of the missal. They're about the Eucharist. So now that you know...enjoy!

Rosary in Portuguese

2011-06-26T22:38:00.000-04:00

The Rosary in Portuguese. No need to elaborate.

Five Smooth Stones: Overcoming Porn Addiction

2011-06-26T22:35:00.000-04:00

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Matt Fradd from The Porn Effect has a new talk. From his site:

Listen to my new talk: Taking Down Goliath. In the first part I share my story of being exposed to porn at a young age, falling into the habit and how byGod's grace began to find healing and freedom. In the second part I offer 5 practical strategies, or as I like to call them, 5 smooth stones to take down your Goliath. Give it a listen and pass it on!

Part 1
Download the mp3
Part 2
Download the mp3

Tim Staples & Mark Shea

2011-05-05T22:23:00.000-04:00

Several folks, including Tim Staples & Mark Shea, gave some talks at Christendom College a year or two ago. Christendom College put it on iTunes!

Here's THE LINK to iTunes.

Tim Staples' talk is St. Paul and Justification.

Mark Shea's talk is St. Paul, Evangelization, and Apologetics.

The others were alright, but these were definitely the highlights.

Enjoy!

My buddy, Chip...

2011-05-02T23:21:00.000-04:00

...created an app you probably heard about: Confession - A Roman Catholic App. It got mad press, including coverage on Good Morning, America, Instapundit, Fr. Z, Drudge, and even a Vatican statement.

Long story short, he's at it again. This time the apps are called eVotions:

He has apps for the two Saints and the Blessed pictured above. He gave me copies of them to review. Quick run-down:

Eye-popping high-res pics / photos
Prayers
Novenas
Novena alarms that remind you to pray every day
Facts about the persons
Introductions by Dr. Scott Hahn, Archbishop Chaput, and Lisa Hendey (respectively)

The JPII app is free, so go get your fix while coming down from last weekend's beatification. The other two are worth the nominal fee, if for no other reason than you're supporting a fantastic reclamation of the intarwebs.

I've been complaining for a while that we don't have any more great Catholic artists or architects. Albeit in a different medium, this is a significant step in the right direction. Support the arts and get cyber-holy all at once. Go to the iTunes App Store and pick up the eVotions for St. Joseph, St. Gianna, and Bl. John Paul II.

Free Chesterton Audiobooks

2011-04-13T07:41:00.000-04:00

Just in case you were running low on audio, here you can find some G. K. Chesterton audiobooks:

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	Title & Author	Description
	Eugenics and Other Evils Gilbert Keith Chesterton	"Eugenics and Other Evils," by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. I think G.K. Chesterton explains his book rather well in his introduction, but it might help to start with a sense of the time in question. Chesterton started work on Eugenics and Other Evils in about 1910, but it was not completed and published until 1922. In his own introduction he talks about the period before and after "The War." The war he refers to is now called World War One. We now have a distaste for the word Eugenics,...
	Heretics G.K. Chesterton	"Heretics," a series of essays by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. First published in 1905. Read by David "Grizzly" Smith. Chesterton had a sense of humor, had a sense of drama, and had sense. He was a man of strong opinions, and quite willing to argue vehemently for his own opinions, even with his friends -- and they remained his friends -- like George Bernard Shaw and Rudyard Kipling. Seems to me that is hard to find anymore. He wrote prolifically. He wrote humor. He wrote mystery novels,...
	Orthodoxy G.K. Chesterton	"Orthodoxy," a series of essays by Gilbert Keith Chesterton. First published in 1908. Read by David "Grizzly" Smith. "The only possible excuse for this book is that it is an answer to a challenge. Even a bad shot is dignified when he accepts a duel." This is how Chesterton explains "Orthodoxy," the sequel to Heretics. "I have attempted in a vague and personal way, in a set of mental pictures rather than in a series of deductions, to state the philosophy in which I have come to believe. I...

William Lane Craig vs. Sam Harris

2011-04-08T08:06:00.000-04:00

William Lane Craig vs. Sam Harris Debate Audio

In this audio from the University of Notre Dame that took place on April 7, 2011, Protestant Apologist William Lane Craig and noted Atheist Sam Harris debate the topic: Is Good From God? In other words, "Are the foundations of moral value natural or supernatural?"

For more info on the debate, see the Notre Dame video page here.

Full Debate MP3 Audio here (120 min)

*HT to Apologetics315.

Dr. Peter Kreeft - Sexual Reconnection

2011-04-05T07:44:00.001-04:00

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I've got another Dr. Peter Kreeft lecture for ya'. This time it's *actually* in mp3 format (not m4a or any other good-luck-figuring-out-how-to-listen format). This talk, Sexual Reconnection: Restoring The Link Between Sex And Love, was given at the Catholic Medical Association on 10/29/10. Here's the skinny:

Section
Time

Size

Sexual Reconnection
46:28

13.6 MB

00:00 Sexual Chaos
05:45 Reconnecting Sex and Love
15:12 Imaging the Mystical Marriage
20:23 Cultural Re-Revolution
24:03 Q&A

For Dr. Kreeft's refelctions on the Song of Songs, see
Three Philosophies of Life

Rationality of Belief in God - Peter Kreeft

2011-03-23T07:50:00.007-04:00

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Here's a talk given by Dr. Peter Kreeft at Iowa State University on February 20, 2010. If you go to the Veritas.org website, create an account and sign in, you can download the audio version.

Summary:

Is there a God? How do we know? And how is it reasonable to believe in God given the evidence that the existence of evil provides. Join Dr. Peter Kreeft in a discussion of some of life's hardest questions, as he explores the rationality of belief in God.

UPDATE: I removed the links to Vimeo -- the site where you need to register and download is at Veritas.org, HERE.

Lentcasts With Fr. Z

2011-03-22T22:35:00.002-04:00

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Fr. Z of WDTPRS has undertaken a fantastic project --> Lentcasts (link launches iTunes).

In these five minute daily Lentcasts (link to Google search) Fr. Z discusses Chuches, history, rituals, Titular Cardinals and more. These are intended to provide a boost to your Lenten discipline and you'll get at least five minutes worth of value out of them.

Product Review - Fr. Robert Barron

2011-03-22T22:01:00.003-04:00

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The Catholic Company sent me a CD and workbook to review - Conversion, by Fr. Robert Barron. Here ya' go:

For those of you who aren't familiar with Fr. Robert Barron of The Word On Fire podcast, you should be. In short, he's a preacher par excellence from the Chicago area. In this two CD set, Fr. Barron ellucidates six conversion stories from the Old and New Testaments: Bartimaeus, the Rich Young man, the Woman at the Well, the Calling of Matthew, Jonas, and the Magi.

If you're familiar with the Word On Fire podcast then the format will feel familiar. These stories are told in ~20 minute segments and, like the podcasts, the vignettes open and close with a musical background. To be frank, a few of the musical backgrounds went on too long and it was a little distracting. Pleasant music, mind you, but I was trying to focus on the words not the music.

As for the content, it's worth the price. I listen to a lot of audio, most only once. This set will easily bear a second listening. Fr. Barron seamlessly interweaves giants like Dante and Carrivagio into a narrative which is surprisingly accessible. and spiritually insightful. Whether you're a bookish academic or a more regular sort, you will find something to enrich your spiritual life in these disks.

There is also a workbook which accompanies this set. The workbook is cross referenced with the Catechism and the questions would be suitable for self-study or group-study. I'm not much of a small groups guy, so I can't say how easy to use it would be in that setting. Nevertheless, if you had any hesitation that Fr. Barron's style would be a bit highbrow, this accompaniment should ease your mind.

In short - it's good Lenten fare. If your Lent isn't progressing as you'd like, you should consider giving yourself a boost with this set.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Conversion CD Bundle (CD/Study Guide Bundle) . They are also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

Audio not your thing? Try video.

2011-03-22T21:52:00.004-04:00

Found out about a new blog on the block, Seeing and Believing. While I scour the interwebs looking for audio, he's walking this series of tubes searching for video.

Here's an example of what he's putting up:

Pope Benedict explains Lent

Give It Up For The Ohana!

2011-03-22T21:42:00.003-04:00

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Got a nice e-mail from the No Ka 'Oi Theologian in the Diocese of Honolulu, Hawa'ii, bruddah -- a fella' named Dallas Carter, Jr. He wanted me to let you folks know that the Islands have things going on, too.

Like most prominent and solid Catholics these days, he went to Steubenville. Here's a little sample of what he's got going on at his site, Native Catholic:

Baptism now Saves! (A Biblical Defense & Lenten Mission)

A sacrament is an outward and visible sign instituted by Christ to impart an inward and invisible grace. Jesus Christ himself is the sacrament, as he gave his life to save mankind and gave us these sacraments to help us lead a A Christian Life.

The sacrament of Baptism makes us part of the mystical body of Christ (CCC 1272), cleanses us from original sin through the regeneration by water (CCC 1213), and is necessary for Salvation (CCC 1257). In this Bible Study we will take a further look at the Catholic understanding of this important sacrament and find the clear teachings of Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture that support this understanding.

John 1:32 ; Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16; John 3:5; 1 Cor 12:13; Col 2:11-12;
1 Pet 3:21; G
en. 17:12, Lev. 12:3, Col 2:11-12; Matt. 18:2-5, Matt 19:14; Acts 16:15

Click Here to Download the Mp3

The presentation on Baptism was given in the context of the Lenten Mission held by the St. Damien's Parish (formerly St. Sophia's church) on Molokai. To listen to the entire day's presentation, which including the biblical basis for Lent, Confession, Baptism, Suffering, Fasting, and Indulgences, listen to the Mp3 below.

Click Here to Download the Mp3

Book Review - Why He Is A Saint

2011-03-08T22:14:00.003-05:00

The following is a book review for the Catholic Company. They didn't ask me to be positive or negative, but they did give me the book. It is an honest opinion. [/disclosure]

Why He is a Saint—The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization.

On May 1, 2011, Pope Benedict will beatify the Venerable Pope John Paul II, conferring on him the title “Blessed,” thus bringing him one step closer to sainthood. (Beatification, which requires a miracle attributed to the blessed’s intercession, allows his local church to venerate him, whereas canonization requires two attested miracles and allows veneration of the saint by the universal Church.) How Pope John Paul II got this far in the process is memorably recounted in Msgr. Slawomir Oder’s new book, “Why He Is A Saint—The Life and Faith of Pope John Paul II and the Case for Canonization.” The Congregation for the Causes of the Saints appointed Msgr. Oder to gather evidence in furtherance of John Paul’s cause for beatification. He wrote Why He Is A Saint after finishing his task. Divided into three chapters—The Man, The Pope, and The Mystic—the 189-page book recounts John Paul’s life, accomplishments, and sanctity through the eyewitness accounts of those who knew him.

We learn, for instance, how as a young seminarian in Nazi-occupied Poland, Karol Wojtyla, as John Paul was known then, worked at a chemical plan to avoid deportation while continuing his studies in secret. During this period, a fellow seminarian was struck, above all, by Wojtyla’s “kindness, his benevolence, and his sense of comradeship.” In 1946, Wojtyla was ordained and celebrated his first Mass in Wawel Cathedral in Crakow. By becoming a priest, he realized God’s calling in his life: “Nothing,” John Paul later said, “means more to me or gives me greater joy than to celebrate Mass each day and to serve God’s people in the Church. That has been true since the day of my ordination as priest. Nothing has ever changed this, not even becoming pope.” As a priest, Wojtyla’s parishioners were deeply impressed by his extraordinary devotion to the Eucharist, as manifested by his long sessions adoring the Most Blessed Sacrament. Msgr. Oder writes that

[i]t was not uncommon for Wojtyla to spend part of the night in prayer before the altar, stretched out on the floor, his arms spread in the sign of the cross. As one eyewitness put it, “The presence of Christ in the tabernacle allowed him to have a very personal relationship with him: not merely to speak to Christ, but actually converse with him.” After observing the behavior of the young chaplain for a time, his housekeeper prophesied: “You will become a bishop.”

Of course, he did. And the author shares an shrewd assessment of Bishop Wojtyla—offered by his enemies. In a secret communiqué opposing Wojtyla’s candidacy for archbishop of Cracow, the Polish Secret Police wrote:

Since he is a particularly gifted person with a great talent for organization, he is the only bishop who would be able not only to consolidate the members of the curia and the diocesan clergy but also to attract a substantial portion of the intelligentsia and the young Catholics, among whom he enjoys considerable respect . . . he is an especially dangerous ideological adversary.

Wojtyla was indeed a “dangerous ideological adversary” of communism. As bishop, archbishop, cardinal, and pope he played a critical role—perhaps the most important role—in the downfall of communism in Europe. But it is John Paul’s deep prayer life that makes the biggest impression in Why He Is A Saint. Recalled a witness,

I am convinced that John Paul was favored by a special grace of prayer, which allowed him to penetrate the mysteries of faith in a way that was not accessible to ordinary people. So many times I saw his face, after contemplation and adoration, visibly changed and happy. During prayer he seemed to be in continual conversation with God, like Moses who spoke with God face to face. During prayer, Wojtyla did not notice anything that happened around him. He seemed to lose all sense of time, to the extent that his secretary at a certain point would have to shake him out of this extraordinary state of concentration because other commitments awaited him.

Msgr. Oder movingly describes this mystic’s last days, when, afflicted with the painful and humiliating effects of Parkinson’s disease, John Paul suffered publicly and bore the cross Christ had given him. “During his last Holy Week, to a cardinal who was urging him not to strain himself excessively, he said, ‘Jesus did not descend from the cross, why should I?’” And as is fitting, it was through John Paul’s intercession that a French nun was miraculously cured of Parkinson’s disease, thus providing the miracle needed for his beatification.

Why He Is A Saint, vividly portrays the life of a saintly man whom we should all strive to imitate—a man who lived his entire life and bore his appointed crosses for Christ. For this reason the book would serve as an excellent Lenten companion and primer on the life of John Paul II—on the eve of his beatification.

So there you have it. Now go get your copy. :0)

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Why He is a Saint. They are also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

Ave Maria Talks

2011-02-27T23:00:00.003-05:00

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Ave Maria University has a number of talks online from past years -- 2004 and on, to be exact. There aren't a ton, but the ones that are there are what you would expect from Ave Maria. Here are some early ones:

Father Mitch Pacwa The Relationship Between Islam and Christianity March 11, 2005
Streaming Windows Media (22.1MB) Download mp3 (22MB)

Rosalind Moss Mary, Our Jewish Mother September 7, 2005
Streaming Windows Media (43.1MB) Download mp3 (42.9MB)

Francis Cardinal Arinze The Centrality of the Holy Eucharist in the Christian Life February 7, 2005
Streaming Windows Media (47.8MB) Download mp3 (35.5MB)

Joseph Pearce C.S. Lewis and Catholicism February 27, 2004
Streaming Windows Media (24.2MB) Download mp3 (24.1MB) Part 1
Streaming Windows Media (23.2MB) Download mp3 (23.1MB) Part 2

Rosalind Moss is simply fantastic, I'm putting the C.S. Lewis one in my queue and Fr. Mitch Pacwa's Islam is gonna' get played real soon. You should give 'em a go as well.

Atheism in this day and age?!?

2011-02-27T22:46:00.005-05:00

I mean...really -- how anyone could be an atheist with the solid natural theology that's out there is just baffling to me.

In case you're not familiar with any of it, here are a few talks brought to you by AlabamaCatholicResources.com:

Where is the Evidence of God by Dr. Don Bierle
Does God Exist? by Dr. Peter Kreeft
The Religion of Secular Humanism (Atheism) by Dr. William Marra

American Chesterton Society Podcast

2011-02-27T22:29:00.003-05:00

Unbeknownst to me, the folks over at Chesterton.org have a podcast! (Sidenote: IMHO, Chesterton would be horrified at the isolationism that the Earbud Culture breeds, but, redeemingly, would likely enjoy Podcasts as smalltalk writ large.)

The Podcast is called Uncommon Sense (libsyn here) and starts with a few of the usual suspects: Dale Ahlquist, Mark Shea, etc. They have over 40 episodes now -- check 'em out.

Here are a few just to whet your appetite:

Dale Ahlquist and Local Chesterton Socities

Interview with Victoria Darkey

Interview with Mark Shea

If you've written in....

2011-02-27T22:26:00.003-05:00

....please don't be upset if I haven't posted your submission / comment / etc. I've got four kids age 5 and under and a job that can be rather time-intensive. I try to put up the audio that folks send in but sometimes things slip through. If I dropped something of yours, it's nothing personal -- if it's really good, don't feel bad sending it to me twice. Thanks in advance for your patience and understanding.

For St. V's Day - Fr. Riccardo on "The Ephesians Passage"...

2011-02-13T21:15:00.005-05:00

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...yeah, you know the one. Eph 5.

Long time Friend of the Show and frequent submissions contributor, Dave S., writes in with the following:

Here is a link to an excellent commentary on Ephesians 5:21-33 by Fr. John Riccardo as part of his Theology Of The Body series. With Valentine's day coming up, it seems like a perfect opportunity to look at what scripture is telling us about Christian marriage.

Just in case you don't know "that passage" from Ephesians, here it is:

21	Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22	Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord.
23	For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24	As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.
25	Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
26	that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
27	that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
28	Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29	For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church,
30	because we are members of his body.
31	"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."
32	This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;
33	however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Video of a talk by a seminarian with an inoperable brain tumor

2011-02-13T21:10:00.001-05:00

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Thanks to Fr. Z for the following:

In the past I have asked for prayers for, Philip Johnson, a seminarian with an inoperable brain tumor.
A reader alerted me to a video of a talk that he gave at Catholic High School called St. Thomas More Academy, in Raleigh, NC.
He covers four major points:
1. His conversion story. Not being a great Catholic in High School. Looked forward to fraternities and parties in college. Ultimately went to the Naval Academy. It was there that he went to Mass again and began feeling called to the priesthood. He explains this call and talks about time he spent in France, especially at Lourdes.
2. His vocation story which is ultimately intertwined with his cancer diagnosis and being released from the Navy.
3. Being diagnosed with a terminal and inoperable brain tumor and reacting to this news.
4. Embracing this cross and talking about the value of redemptive suffering.

Seminarian Philip Johnson from Deacon Watkins on Vimeo.

A Homily Submission

2011-02-02T21:51:00.003-05:00

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Carson Weber, the guy who did The Bible Study I Can't Recommend Strongly Enough, wrote in with the following e-mail:

You may be interested in posting my pastor's homilies on Sonitus Sanctus. He's a dynamic, young priest who pulls no punches in his preaching and is on fire!

Here's the link.

God bless,
Carson

If it's got Carson's recommendation, I'd buy stock in it. Thanks, Carson!

From the Combox

2011-02-02T21:46:00.003-05:00

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A Combox Anon-a-mouse had the following to say:

To Blog Master: I don't know how to email you, so I thought I'd leave a comment suggesting another link -- David Burke from Duluth, GA has written a beautiful, meditative setting to the Hail Mary. The link provides a downloadable mp3 and sheet music. Thank you for sharing such wonderful resources. Peace be with you!

Thanks, Anon!

If anyone else wants to e-mail me, click the button at the top right of the blog or shoot me an e-mail at catholicaudio (a t) gmail.com

Musica en la Catedral - Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam

2011-02-02T21:35:00.006-05:00

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Got an e-mail from Pilar y Michael (wife and husband) about a post I did a while back. They liked it. They also wanted to say this:

Did you see these pages related with our organ recordings:
www.catedral-valladolid.com/cd/progama.htm
www.catedral-valladolid.com/cd
www.catedral-valladolid.com/cd/baul
Candle Light Christmas Concert at our Cathedral:
www.catedral-valladolid.com/conciertos2010/29diciembre.htm

Do your ears a favor and give 'em a click. For your convenience, here's a translated version of what was at the first link. Enjoy!

Audio snippets of the 12 works that contains the CD
5 Years "Music in the Cathedral "
12 works that please the public more than 18 concerts
concluded between 2006 and 2010 in the Metropolitan SICatedral Valladolid :

	(1)
	(2)
	(3)
	(4)
	(5)
	(6)

	(7)
	(8)
	(9)
	(10)
	(11)
	(12)

Confession: A Roman Catholic App

2011-01-30T22:36:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine was recently involved in the development and distribution of the first iTunes app that we know of with a Imprimatur (from Bishop Kevin C. Rhodes of the Diocese of Ft. Wayne / South Bend -- GO IRISH!).

He gave me a code to get it for free but I couldn't figure it out...so like a high roller I spent the $1.99 and bought the app. [/disclosure statement].

Let me tell ya', it was money well spent.

The App is called "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" and it is suitable for an iPod, iPhone or iPad.

The whole purpose of the App is to help you make the most of this sacrament. Depending on the details you put into your password-protected account (age, sex, vocation and station in life), it will alter your examination of conscience accordingly. There are examinations for kids, singles, married folks, priests and religious, and even one for the elderly. You can even customize it and add any questions to your examination you find helpful. It will keep track of your last confession as well as any sins you tell it you've committed. It has several acts of contrition, including the older form I use and an even older one in Latin.

Finally, there's a spiritual quote that appears when you hit "finish" from a Saint or Doctor of the Church. It's a nice touch.

The interface is simple:

All in all, if this is the kind of thing that will be helpful to you in your spiritual life, I recommend it. It's simple, it's orthodox, it's easy to use, it allows for multiple accounts on the same device (each with their own numerical password), it has a few basic prayers, and - in short - it's exactly the kind of extension into the cybersphere that Catholics need. If you decide to buy the app, leave them a review on iTunes -- it will bump them up so they get noticed by more folks.

Good job, Chip! Keep 'em coming!

Roe v. Wade Anniversary Homily

2011-01-23T23:13:00.004-05:00

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Fr. John Riccardo, a favorite here at the show, provides the following homily. Would that all Catholic parishes heard the same.

While addressing a congregation including Confirmandi and their sponsors, Fr. Riccardo asks, "What does it mean to live as a disciple of Jesus?" On this anniversary of the U.S Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, Fr. John reminds the congregation of the dignity, value, and innate worth of every human life

Direct download: Homily012211.m4a

From the Orthodox...

2011-01-16T21:26:00.005-05:00

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Here's something I stumbled upon whilst scouring the interwebs on your behalf (source here). It's by an Orthodox metropolitan (who was apparently speaking at a Lutheran community -- how's that for ecumenical?!?). The meat-and-potatoes:

On November 5, 2010, His beatitude Metropolitan Jonah traveled to Grace Lutheran Church, in Tulsa Oklahoma, where he had been invited to speak on Orthodox Christian Spirituality. His talk, entitled "Do not react, do not resent, keep inner stillness" is now available for online distribution. Please enjoy both the video and audio only versions on his wonderful speech.
Do not react, do not resent, keep inner stillness from Andrew Johnson on Vimeo.
Audio Only -->

Click here to download "Do not react, do not resent, keep inner stillness".

The One True Faith - Season Seven!!

2011-01-02T22:14:00.005-05:00

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HT: Dave - thanks, amigo.

These are always a treat. I don't recommend listening to them if you're of a...how does one say?..."delicate" sensibility...regarding a blunt approach.

The One True Faith show is put on by (fellow Domer) Michael Voris, who also runs the RealCatholicTV YouTube channel. If you can handle it, it's well worth your time.

Season Seven

Episode One : Black & White Magick
Episode Two : Witchcraft
Episode Three : Psychics
Episode Four : Spiritualism
Episode Five : Ghosts & Hauntings
Episode Six : Youth & the Occult
Episode Seven : Casting Spells
Episode Eight : Astrology
Episode Nine : Ouija Boards
Episode Ten : Fortune Telling
Episode Eleven : Satanists & Demons
Episode Twelve : Crystals & Charms
Episode Thirteen : False Gods

Christmas Song -- Better Late Than Never

2011-01-02T22:01:00.003-05:00

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Michael from Public Vigil wrote in and informed me of the following. Me, in my delinquence, failed to post this before Christmas began. The good thing about Catholic Christmas? I'm still in the octave! It counts! ;0)

I have a pro-Life song with a Christmas theme that I would appreciate if you could share with your readers. You can find HERE it at my blog.

Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Michael

Encountering the Trinity

2011-01-02T21:50:00.002-05:00

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Phil Krill, bio here and image right, has given a series of talks and has put them online for your spiritual growth. Here's a link to the full catalog. In the following post, however, he offers studied reflections on how to approach the Trinity.

Personhood, Relationship, Trinity - Divinely Human Love

Central to our understanding of love, personhood and relationship, the Trinity is not only the model but the source, the wellspring which creates and enables divinely human love.

Click here to download.

St. Joseph - Father of Our Lord

2011-01-02T21:47:00.003-05:00

Here are two talks on St. Joseph.

1. The Holiness of Saint Joseph, much of this talk was taken from the book The Life and Glories of Saint Joseph.

2. St. Joseph, the Man Chosen by God.

St. Joseph, Patron of Fathers, pray for us!

Free Music for Advent and Christmas

2010-12-12T20:58:00.004-05:00

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The wonderful kids who make up L'Angelus are offering some FREE Advent and Christmas music. I've listened to every track, and, brother, this is some good listenin'. You'll be surprised and impressed and you'll give glory to God!

Click the link to get to their download page and laissez les bon temps roulet!

If you like what you hear, you'll want to check out their store (where you can listen to free previews before you buy).

P.S. - They have more free music at their Facebook Page.

2010 CINO Awards!

2010-12-07T23:22:00.002-05:00

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If Fr. Z requests...

Voting for the 2010 CINO Awards is underway here.

Serviam made the choice pretty hard.

Nancy Pelosi
Doug Kmeic
Joe Biden
National Catholic Reporter
America Magazine

For those unaware, CINO = Catholic In Name Only.

As Peter Kreeft says, "There are lots of Kennedy Catholics and not many Catholic Kennedys."

Freebies!

2010-12-04T10:12:00.002-05:00

From the Protestants at Christian Audio - but be warned, it's only good through December:

Free Audiobook Download of the Month

christianaudio, William B. Eerdmans, and Naxos Music have partnered together for December 2010 to bring you the audiobook download of Handel's Messiah for FREE!

Handel's Messiah

Author Calvin R. Stapert

Narrator James Adams

FREE

Instructions: Click the book image to the left, click the Add to Cart on the book's page, login to your christianaudio.com account, and complete the order. If you don't have a free christianaudio.com account, you'll be prompted to open one during the checkout process. A coupon code is no longer required to receive the free download!

Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

2010-12-04T09:58:00.005-05:00

Written by the founder of the Society of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius is a powerful book. Derived

mostly from St. Ignatius' conversion experiences in 1521-3, Spiritual Exercises has provided guidance and encouragement to its readers for several hundred years. The aim of Spiritual Exercises is to assist people in finding God's will for their life, and to give them the motivation and courage to follow that will. It is not a continuous piece of writing, but more like a program of sorts, containing a collection of thoughts, rules, encouragements, readings, meditations, prayers, warnings, and notes. Nevertheless the condensed writing is organized into four "weeks," or periods of time, with each week focusing upon a different theme--the first, human sin; the second, Christ's life on earth; the third, Christ's death on the cross; the fourth, Christ's risen life. A key theme throughout the Spiritual Exercises is discernment--the need to discern between good desires and evil desires in one's life. It is by following the four weeks, and by utilizing such discernment, that a person can better realize God's will for his or her own life. Although more profitably worked through with another person or spiritual director, Spiritual Exercises can be extremely beneficial for private personal study.

Name	Size (MB)	Play Time (min)	Bit rate

01_Spiritual Exercises_Preface and Prayer-CCEL.mp3	3.2M	07:39	56kbps
02_Spiritual Exercises_Annotations-CCEL.mp3	8.1M	19:15	56kbps
03_Spiritual Exercises_First Week-CCEL.mp3	16.2M	38:31	56kbps
04_Spiritual Exercises_Second Week-CCEL.mp3	19.9M	47:21	56kbps
05_Spiritual Exercises_Third Week-CCEL.mp3	6.7M	15:59	56kbps
06_Spiritual Exercises_Fourth Week-CCEL.mp3	2.4M	05:42	56kbps
07_Spiritual Exercises_Contemplations-CCEL.mp3	1.9M	04:32	56kbps
08_Spiritual Exercises_Three Methods of Prayer-CCEL.mp3	4.1M	09:45	56kbps
09_Spiritual Exercises_Mysteries-CCEL.mp3	16.2M	38:40	56kbps
10_Spiritual Exercises_Rules-CCEL.mp3	13.3M	31:43	56kbps

UPDATE: I'm having trouble fixing the links. The original page can be found here.

Best New Podcast of 2010

2010-12-02T22:26:00.003-05:00

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There are a few weeks left in the year, true, but I'm still calling it. The Best New Podcast of 2010 for Catholic types is....

*drum roll*

...Catholic Stuff You Should Know.

Run by a couple of Colorado seminarians, this podcast is funny, humble, pius and informative. Plus, the last one had a surprise e-mail by Archbishop Chaput!

So go, listen and enjoy learning Catholic stuff you should know.

P.S. - I recommend starting with the one about Stylites. Crazy, man. Crazy.

Free Track - Owl City

2010-11-30T21:57:00.005-05:00

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So I've recently become a fan of Owl City. It's a newer sound and it's not standard Catholic fare, so you may or may not be a fan. In any case, Adam, the man behind Owl City, recently said the following on his blog:

I was up late last night and decided to record a “cover song” of sorts.

Not for anything special, just for fun.

I’m twenty four years old, yet something about this song makes me bawl like a baby. The way the melodies and lyrics swirl together is so poignant and beautiful. If I were to count on one hand, the number of songs that have ever deeply moved me, this one would take the cake. Last night I probably spent more time actually crying at the piano than I did recording it. Such are the secret confessions of a shy boy from Minnesota.

I dig it. Figured you might, too. You can listen to it at this source. At the very least, it's nice to see someone who's Facebook posts get 2k+ "likes" in 20 minutes make something like this.

You can download the track here.

Book Review - Charismatic Renewal

2010-11-14T19:51:00.006-05:00

As should be no surprise if you read my sidebar, sometimes I get stuff from the Catholic Company to review. I get to keep the stuff and in return I post a review. Below us just such an event. :0)

Review of Rebuild My Church: God’s Plan for Authentic Catholic Renewal—by Alan Schreck.

Dr. Schreck—a Franciscan University theology professor—has written a book on Church renewal as a way of “telling the ‘story’ of Catholicism.” In Rebuild My Church, Schreck explains what renewal is and serves up a fascinating account of renewal figures and movements in Church history. He also gives a prescription for what he believes will bring about the authentic renewal of today’s Church.

The Church, Schreck writes, is in a constant state of renewal as she responds to the Holy Spirit in each age and situation. But what is “renewal?” It’s the “revitalization of the church, making her ‘new again’ or ‘like new’ in her practice, spirit, or ideals.” Authentic renewal, he says, involves the rediscovery and reappropriation of elements that truly belong to the church as it has been instituted by Jesus Christ and that therefore strengthen her and enrich her.” It emphasizes the rediscovery and stirring up of authentic aspects of the Church’s nature that have been neglected or forgotten. And it involves revitalizing the Church’s fervor in living her life and carrying out the mission Christ gave her. Authentic renewal, Schreck explains, has unfolded in history through the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, which is “the church’s fountain of youth.”

How is the Church renewed? Schreck says the foundation of renewal is repentance and prayer. He explains that “[t]here is no authentic renewal without the pursuit of and growth in holiness of the church’s members, and there is no growth in holiness without repentance from sin and heartfelt commitment to break from sin by God’s grace.” And prayer, “which ushered in the first sending of the Holy Spirit upon the church . . . will precede the renewal of the church in the future.”

The most interesting part of Schreck’s book is his section of vignettes of individuals, communities, and Catholic movements in Church history that served, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, as agents of authentic renewal. For instance, he explains how monasticism was the most important agent of renewal of the early Church. As the monastic movement developed, Benedictine monasteries became centers of Christian life and “of the preservation and transmission of culture for decades and even centuries.” Schreck also gives fascinating accounts of the accomplishments of Catholic spiritual giants such as St Dominic, St Francis, St Catherine of Siena, St Teresa of Avila, St Philip Neri, and St John Bosco. Their lives, he maintains, are proof that throughout history, “[w]henever the church experiences difficulty, the faithfulness of God is revealed in those who respond to his grace and become agents of renewal.”

But God’s grace at work in particular individuals isn’t enough to bring about renewal. “In order for a grace or charism to renew the church, it must be recognized, accepted, and approved by the proper ecclesial authorities, the church’s pastors.” Otherwise, bearers of charisms can divide or weaken the Church, Schreck explains, citing Montanus (the founder of the Montanist heresy) and Luther as examples. Schreck also cites ecclesial reforms instituted during the reigns of Pope Gregory VII, Pope Innocent III, Pope Paul III, and Pope Leo XIII as instances of Church leadership fostering renewal.

Schreck ends with advice for the authentic renewal of today’s Church. For one thing, he favors the ordinary form of the liturgy established by Vatican II. But, for Schreck, whether it’s Latin Mass or “a vernacular Mass with guitars or keyboard accompanying contemporary music . . . all magisterially approved forms of liturgical worship ought to be accepted, with room for the Holy Spirit to act and guide the church, enabling us to ‘worship in spirit and truth’ (John 4:24).” Schreck also writes that “one characteristic of church renewal today is that God is acting to renew the whole church, across denominational lines and boundaries.” Thus, he concludes, ecumenism has an important part to play.
“This means that Catholics can share perspectives and wisdom concerning renewal with other Christians, as well as learn from other Christians approaches that may help us in our quest for renewal.” The Vatican II liturgical reforms and ecumenical emphasis, Schreck writes, are forms of renewal endorsed by Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Most importantly, for authentic renewal, “[a]ll members of the church must strive tirelessly for holiness and not settle for anything less.” Such holiness is achieved through both personal and liturgical prayer. (Here, Schreck perhaps should have emphasized the important role that frequent and reverent reception of the Eucharist—the source and summit of the Christian life—plays in the pursuit of holiness.) Schreck also argues that the Church needs to embrace personal charisms, which include prophesy and glossolalia (speaking in tongues), that the Holy Spirit gives individuals for the purpose of renewal. And Schreck calls for an increase in lay involvement and leadership. Finally, Schreck explains that the effective renewal of the church will ultimately be measured by charity, which Pope Benedict calls “the synthesis of the entire law.” Schreck says that any renewal that doesn't result in greater love of God is of dubious value.

Throughout his book, Schreck chooses to not capitalize the “C” in “Church.” He frequently quotes papal encyclicals, Church councils, and official Church documents, which uniformly capitalize “Church” when speaking of the Catholic Church; when he does, he uses a capital “C.” But Schreck uses a lowercase “c” when he himself refers to the Catholic Church. Perhaps he does this based on a well-meaning ecumenical sensitivity, but it is nevertheless distractingly ambiguous. G. K. Chesterton said it best in The Catholic Church and Conversion:

[T]he first fallacy about the Catholic Church is the idea that it is a church . . . it is simply a historical fact that the Roman Church is the Church and is not a sect. Nor is there anything narrow or unreasonable in saying that the Church is the Church. . . . As a matter of fact, in the case of things so large, so unique and so creative of the culture about them as were the Roman Empire and the Roman Church, it is not controversial but simply correct to confine the one word to the one example. Everybody who originally used the word “Empire” used it of that Empire; everybody who used the word “Ecclesia” used it of that Ecclesia. . . . the Catholic Church stands alone. It does not merely belong to a class of Christian churches. It does not merely belong to a class of human religions. Considered quite coldly and impartially, as by a man from the moon, it is much more sui generis than that.

But this is minor and doesn’t outweigh the obvious value of Schreck’s book. His historical narrative is very helpful, and his essential prescription for renewal—repentance, prayer, and growth in personal holiness—is sound. While Schreck is perhaps less convincing in his endorsement of certain aspects of charismatic Catholicism, such as glossolalia and charismatic worship, Rebuild My Church is recommended to all Catholics who want to learn more about how the Holy Spirit raises up ordinary individuals to renew the Church when she needs it most.

So there you have it. Hope you enjoy.

Also be sure to check out their great selection of baptism gifts.

Belief Under Assault: Scientific Atheism and the Assault on Reason and Faith

2010-11-09T21:13:00.001-05:00

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Mary's Aggies posted the following:

St. Mary's Institute of Catholic Studies - Distinguished Speaker Series hosted Dr. Christopher T. Baglow on the evening of October 15, 2010. Dr. Baglow spoke to about 400 students about "Belief Under Assault: Scientific Atheism and the Assault on Reason and Faith."

Dr. Baglow is the author of Faith, Science, and Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge. Christopher T. Baglow is from New Orleans, LA. He has a B.A. in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, an M.A. in Theology from the University of Dallas and a Ph.D. in Theology from Duquesne University. He currently works at Notre Dame Seminary, where he serves as Professor of Theology and Director of the Master of Arts Program in Theological Studies for lay students.

You can now listen to the podcast of the presentation at the links below:

Same Sex Marriage: Why Not?

2010-11-09T21:02:00.002-05:00

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The hyper-loquacious and ever-ubiquitous Mark Shea writes the following:

Jennifer Roback Morse, one of the most reviled advocates of common sense in America, shouts into the gale force winds of "What could it possibly hurt?" attempting prevent us from reaching the "How were we supposed to know?" phase of history.

For more, check out the Dept. of Evangelization and Catechesis for the Diocese of Sacramento.

Will do! Episode 1 below, episodes 2-4 on YouTube.

Peter Kreeft on Islam

2010-11-09T20:56:00.003-05:00

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Is the only good Muslim a bad Muslim? Let's hear from one of my Catholic intellectual heroes Dr. Peter Kreeft!

Steve Ray Talks

2010-10-17T21:06:00.003-04:00

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Steve Ray is a popular Catholic author, speaker and Holy Land tour guide extraordinaire. Here's a quick bio from his author's page at Ignatius Insight:

Stephen K. Ray was raised in a devout, loving Baptist family. His father was a deacon and Bible teacher and Stephen was very involved in the Baptist Church as a teacher of Biblical studies and lectured on a wide range of topics. Steve and his wife Janet entered the Catholic Church in 1994.

In addition to running a family business, Steve spends time researching, writing, and teaching about the Catholic Faith. He is the author of Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church, Upon This Rock: St. Peter and the Primacy of Rome in Scripture and the Early Church, and St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study and Commentary.

Here are a few of his talks:

Defending the Eucharist

The Rock, The Keys and The Chair

If you like what you hear, there's still room on his Holy Land trip.

Tim Staples - The Bible and Baptism

2010-10-17T20:55:00.003-04:00

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If you think Catholics don't know the Bible, give a listen to Tim Staples. Tim Staples is a former southern Baptist, an Assemblies of God Minister and a tough-talking US Marine. Before that, he was one of those aggressive atheists you meet at parties. Growing up, he and his brothers were on a first-name basis with the local police. Now he’s a Catholic apologist with a growing reputation as an inspiring speaker.

In January of 2009 he gave a talk in Michigan about Baptism. You can download it here.

Oh, and if Tim were here he'd ask you to check out his tape sets. Lol.

So this priest friend of mine...

2010-10-12T16:24:00.004-04:00

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...wants to go to the February 2011 Holy Land Pilgrimage led by famed author, apologist and sometimes tour guide Steve Ray. Unfortunately, not enough folks have signed up yet to make it happen.

This is where you come in! :0)

The trip lasts 11 days and costs $3,799, a cost which includes hotel, meals and the plane trip (not including air fare to/from New York).

If you're interested -- as you should be -- you can get the details here.

History of the Vatican Observatory

2010-10-05T22:32:00.004-04:00

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And in news related to the last post...from America Magazine:

George V. Coyne, S.J., president of the Vatican Observatory Foundation, recounts the history of this institution, and explains how the Vatican became involved in the study of the planets and stars. Father Coyne also weighs in on the contemporary debate about the compatibility of science and religion, and makes the case that Stephen Hawking is wrong about the origins of the universe.

Download

Debate: Intelligent Design as Science

2010-10-05T22:00:00.003-04:00

I'm not exactly sold on the idea - in large part because it relies so heavily on the Fine Tuning argument (good article defending it here) and other such teleos based assertions. Personally, I think the Angelic Doctor did it better with his Five Ways - See ST I, Q2 Art. 3 or the Catholic Answers summary here.

In any case...Via First Things:

Should Intelligent Design be taught as science? Stephen Barr, professor of physics at the University of Delaware (and First Things contributor), debates that question with Michael Behe, a professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University and senior fellow at the Discovery Institute.

You can listen to the audio or watch the video at the website of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.

Perrenial Scott Hahn Post

2010-09-30T21:20:00.004-04:00

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I'm putting a link to a page at Lighthouse Media. If you aren't familiar with them, spend a few minutes checking out their program. Basically, you put up a "free CD" rack at your parish (requesting donations, of course) and let people get free CDs with talks by folks like Scott Hahn, Tim Staples, Pat Madrid -- all the good ones. The up-front cost is kinda' steep but their experience is that donations cover costs quickly and your fellow parishioners get sold-out for Jesus in a hurry.

Another option is to just join their CD club and they'll send you a disk for you to listen to and hand on. Pretty easy way to evangelize, frankly. I've heard about 15 of the CDs and they've all been solid.

In any case, they're giving away free MP3 talk by Dr. Scott Hahn on confession. Check it thou out.

Fr. John Riccardo - Male Friendship

2010-09-25T23:40:00.005-04:00

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Here's a fantastic talk about the importance of male friendship by Fr. John Riccardo:

01_Male_Friendship64K.mp3

Also, because I enjoyed it when I heard it and I like to share, here's another talk of Fr. John Riccardo's on Lectio Divina:

Lectio_Divina32K.mp3

Sungenis vs. White - Catholic vs. Protestant Debates

2010-09-14T22:27:00.011-04:00

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Here's a real treat! Catholic apologist (and devoted geocentrist - lolwut?!?) Robert Sungenis debating "Dr." (lolwut again?!?) James White, elder at Phoenix Reformed Baptist Church.

I remember when I was first learning about Catholic doctrine. I got my hands on all of the James White debates I could because I wanted to find the truth and he seemed so...persuasive, I suppose. I've heard him debate a number of Catholics, a few Protestants and even some Muslims. I even exchanged a few e-mails with him (which he posted, in heavily edited, straw-man created form on his blog -- which still doesn't allow comments where one might challenge his mildly deceptive tactics).

The thing is, the more I learned about Catholic doctrine the less persuasive he became. I started to see where he was manipulating the debate by using ambiguous terms to distort or misrepresent Catholic teaching. I noticed his failure to answer direct questions. I even went so far as to document several of his errors and misrepresentations at the Catholic Answers forum. In my defense, it was Mr. White's idea -- he wanted people to substantiate their allegations. So I did.

ANYWHO...here are two debates, HT to Filipino Catholic. The first is on Calvinistic double predestination. The second is on the Bodily Assumption of Our Lady. Even though I find many of his comments frustrating now (he really should know better by this point), I still like listening to his debates. Hope you do, too. Enjoy!

Predestination

The Bodily Assumption of Mary

Gregorian Chant from Miles Christi

2010-08-17T22:46:00.004-04:00

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If you find some change in the cracks of your couch, please send it to the Miles Christi religious order. In return, they bring you this:

Sacerdótes Dei (Introito) Download
Kyrie (De Angelis) Download
Allelúia (Hic est sacerdos) Download
Ecce quam bonum (Gradual) Download
Sanctus (De Angelis) Download
Agnus Dei (De Angelis) Download
Sacris Solémnis (Himno) Download
Regina Caeli Download
Crux Fidélis (Himno) Download
The Passion according to St. John Download
Bells Download

The Porn Effect

2010-08-17T22:24:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to put out a reminder that porn is very real and very evil. Give this talk by famed Catholic author and speaker Jeff Cavins a listen, then go spend about an hour at The Porn Effect (register - Matt Fradd won't spam you). They have videocasts and additional free audio available for download that will either (a) help you personally or (b) will help you evangelize the culture, because believe me, if your life isn't touched by the evils of porn I guarantee it's in the life of someone you know.

The Pornography Plague
Written by Jeff Cavins

Jeff was excited to see the great work of The Porn Effect and so along with Ascension Press decided to donate this talk which usually costs $10 for free.

UPDATE: The folks at The Porn Effect would be glad to give it to you for free, but you've got to register first. No worries, though -- once you do you'll have access to a dozen or so additional talks. Now go be holy!

Understanding the Scriptures

2010-08-17T22:05:00.003-04:00

I've posted about it before, but this Bible study is so good I think it deserves a second go. You'll hear things here that you won't hear in any of the other talks on my site -- believe me, I've listened! In any case, Carson Weber, the Catholic layman who gave these talks (and freelance web designer - you know your parish website needs it give him a call!) wrote in and gave me some updated links. If you've been pining for a Catholic Bible study, here's your chance!

Tengo Podcasts Para Tí!

2010-08-17T21:26:00.004-04:00

He encontrado un podcast español sobre el Santos. Dale un vistazo!

Catholicos Hoy

Pious Music

2010-08-05T23:44:00.003-04:00

Here are some songs I grabbed from my "competition" over at CatholiciCast:

[A] beautiful song sung by Angelina, “The Deer’s Cry,” an arrangement of St. Patrick’s Breastplate. Also from Catholic Planet, from Angelina’s album Wake Up Call. (Click to Listen, Right Click to Download)
The Deers Cry

Ave Maria

Whisper In The Other Ear
How Great Thou Art

Christopher Hitchens vs. Bill Donohue

2010-08-05T23:21:00.003-04:00

Christopher Hitchens, famed atheist and one of my favorite debaters (for style, not substance), has cancer. You may have heard. If you would, please say a prayer or two for his conversion.

A friend of mine recently asked me to track down a "debate" he did with Bill Donohue, head of the Catholic League. Well...here's what I've got:

The Seven Deadly Sins

2010-08-05T22:58:00.005-04:00

Fr. Paul Scalia, son of Justice Antonin Scalia, has given a series of talks on the Seven Deadly Sins. They're good. Really good. The hook? There aren't seven, they're not deadly and they're not sins. Don't believe me? Give him a listen.

Oh...but first, he'd like for you to listen to his Natural Law talk as an intro.

Time for the good stuff:

Natural Law - the Intro:

Talk 1:

Talk 2:

Talk 3:

Talk 4:

A Reader's Suggestions

2010-07-19T23:30:00.007-04:00

Got the following in the old e-mail bag:

I've been listening to these podcasts and love them. I searched for them on your site but no query match. Perhaps they are new to you?

Fr Daniel Jones - excellent

And homilies by Fr Daniel Jones

Fr Edwin Palka - catechism classes - excellent

And some Traditionalist Sermons

It is so hard to tell whether some people who are "traditionalist" or whatever are still in line with the Vatican. I love these sermons but the one on the "New Mass" seemed suspect. See what you think. I'm simply not educated enough in the nuances to know if it orthodox to speak so badly of the New Mass

You were right to be concerned. The Traditionalist Sermons are from Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) folks. While we are making some progress towards a restoration of unity, and while there's much good in what they say, we are not yet fully one. I would recommend not listening to the Traditionalist Sermons unless you are well aware of the issues surrounding the SSPX.

In an case, enjoy the rest! Thanks for the tip, Bonne!

UPDATE: According to the combox, "It is Bp. Daniel Dolan's church, he is a straight-up Thuc-line sedevacanist." In other words, DANGER, Will Robinson! DANGER!

OSV Survey

2010-07-16T22:06:00.002-04:00

Our Sunday Visitor is listing the top Catholic websites and is seeking input. If you feel so inclined, I would appreciate if you mentioned this site in the News & Resources category. Here's what they say:

The number of Catholic-oriented websites out there has exploded, and keeping track of the ones that are truly useful gets harder as they proliferate.

OSV Newsweekly is pulling together a "best of the (Catholic) web" for its annual Catholic Internet Guide.

Tell us your favorites in four main categories we've chosen (spirituality, news and resources, opinion and community building) and if your pick makes the cut we'll give you credit (either by full name or initials; your choice) and a free copy of the guide. If the sites you submit are hidden treasures (until now!), even better.

For fun, you'll also have an opportunity to submit your favorite Catholic YouTube videos and mobile device apps.

Here's the link to the survey. Don't miss your chance for fame! And to help out your fellow Catholic web-pilgrims!

Blog Facelift

2010-07-15T21:48:00.003-04:00

You may notice that the blog looks a little different than the last time you visited. Above you'll see links for RSS feeds for posts and comments, as well as a button you can click to e-mail me. There's also a search bar. To use the search bar, simply enter in the term(s) you want to search and hit the 'enter' button on your keyboard.

Hopes this makes things more convenient. I'll keep working out the kinks as I go.

God Bless,
Ryan

Michael Voris - The One True Faith

2010-07-06T23:01:00.003-04:00

Double-barreled Catholic Michael Voris continues to shoot straight with his One True Faith show, but beware: they're On The Road:

On The Road

Episode One : Love in Truth
Episode Two : How to Change the World
Episode Three : Being Catholic
Episode Four : The Church and Modern World
Episode Five : Western Civilization

Everyone's hurting these days, but 501(c)3s are taking it on the chin. If you're willing, skip your Starbucks (offer it up) once this week and send the $6.23 to Michael Voris. Here's his donation page.

Institute of Catholic Culture

2010-07-06T22:49:00.003-04:00

I've found me some good listening! Thanks to readers Lukas and Martin for sending in the Institute of Catholic Culture, a well-designed site with LOTS of free audio. Here's a talk by Fr. Paul Scalia (son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia) called Technology and the Tree that I enjoyed today:

Presenter:	Fr. Paul Scalia
Date	Play with Quicktime	Play with Windows Media Player	Download
June 19, 2010

If you enjoy this as much as I did, you might consider dropping a five-spot on 'em to keep them going!

J-10 Blogs

2010-07-06T22:42:00.002-04:00

You may notice that I added a blog bar titled "J-10 Blogs". These are blogs by priests or seminarians who are living out the Holy Father's January 2010 call for them to evangelize via new media. If you are or know of a priest or seminarian with an orthodox blog, shoot me a link and I'll add 'em.

Catholic Product Review

2010-06-25T23:29:00.009-04:00

Got a free book from the Catholic Company to review. The only condition they had for me was that I provide you kindly folks an assessment of the thing. So. Yeah. Here's the assessment.

Playing on the old saying about love, Time Magazine recently entitled its cover story, “Why Being Pope Means Never Having to Say You’re Sorry.” Taking the Pope to task for his response to the priest sex abuse crisis, Time indignantly demanded more than “mealymouthed declarations buttressed by arcane religious philosophy.” According to Time, the Pope and the Church won’t take full responsibility for their sins for fear of undermining the doctrine of papal infallibility, which, Time says, is, “in rough terms, the church’s ability to open the gates of heaven to you or damn you to hell because it will always be holier than thou.” This doctrine is the legacy of “Pope Pius IX, who stage-managed the First Vatican Council into approving infallibility in 1869 with a suspect majority of bishops.” Consequently, “[i]n obedience to its divinely absolute monarch, the Vatican bureaucracy, the Roman curia, became even more centralized and domineering.” You get the gist of Time’s take on the papacy.

In addition to getting facts about the papacy and infallibility wrong, Time simply takes for granted the falsity of the Church’s claim that the papacy was instituted by the second person of the trinity and protected and perpetuated by the third. Alas, this is par for the course when it comes to the secular media’s treatment of Catholicism. Yet it’s not just the media that misunderstands the papacy—many Mass-going Catholics couldn’t articulate a defense of the papacy against hatchet jobs like Time’s.

This is where Catholic Answers’ We Have a Pope comes in. Written by Stephen Ray (hear him speak) and Dennis Walters, this pithy, 31-page booklet effectively explains the papacy and corrects the most common misconceptions about it. First, pointing to the (at least) 33,000 Protestant denominations, the authors explain why we need the papacy. Then they establish its Biblical basis: St Matthew’s account of Christ singling out Peter to receive the keys of the kingdom of heaven and the power to bind and loose. Ray and Walters draw upon the Old Testament to illuminate the significance of the “keys of the kingdom” and Christ’s act of changing Simon’s name to Peter. The booklet explains what St Peter’s new authority entailed and how he—not a apostolic democracy—led the early Church. And we learn that the authority to wield the keys of the kingdom didn’t die with the original grantee; rather, as the book of Isaiah foreshadows, it is passed on to his successors. Ray and Walters then proceed to explain how St Peter’s authority has indeed been passed—unbroken—through the ages up to the present day. We Have a Pope also sheds light on little known subjects such as how Popes were elected in the past and how they’re elected now. And it quotes the Church fathers to prove that the idea of papal primacy is not a recent invention but rather a given from the outset.

Perhaps most importantly, We Have a Pope explains what papal infallibility is and what it isn’t. Rather than a ecclesiastic club used to bludgeon opposition, as suggested by Time, the doctrine of papal infallibility is surprisingly discrete and subtle. Indeed, as Ray and Walters explain, “[m]ost papal teaching (in audiences, homilies, and written documents) does not claim to be infallible (guaranteed from error).” But from time to time the pope speaks infallibly regarding faith and morals—and when he does, he does so without error. And the booklet proves that the doctrine of papal infallibility wasn’t a product of Pope Pius IX’s political maneuverings:

Long before infallibility was formally defined in 1870, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church understood that what popes taught about faith and morals was final. In the thirteenth century, Thomas Aquinas held that the pope ‘is empowered to decide matters of faith finally, so that they may be held by all with unshaken faith’ (Summa Theologiae II-II:1:10). So when the First Vatican Council (1870) defined papal infallibility, it was already the faith of the Church and had been down through history. In fact, the doctrine that the pope could speak infallibly was not under discussion at the Council. It was recognized by all. The Council dealt with the manner in which the pope speaks infallibly.

Finally, Ray and Walters disabuse Time and other would-be papal experts of the idea that the doctrine of papal infallibility equates to papal impeccability (i.e., inability to sin): “The charism of infallibility doesn’t protect the pope from sin, only from officially teaching error. Sinlessness is not required.” So popes can personally sin and then apologize for it—all without necessarily implicating the doctrine of papal infallibility.

We Have a Pope provides a concise and effective defense of the papacy and its attendant doctrines. At $1.95 a copy, I recommend Catholics buy the booklet in bulk to give to their friends—Catholic and non-Catholic alike. Your money will be well spent.

Listen to the Catholic Answers Live! radio program these two authors did in 2003:
An Introduction to the Papacy.

Catholic Chant Done...Anglican Style?

2010-06-13T22:01:00.005-04:00

So this is a bit embarrassing. Some of the finest free Catholic chant on MP3 I've found is here, on an Anglican website. Awkward!
Here's a sample, but hit the jump for the rest:

Kyrie eleison, Mass in G - Franz Schubert: Download
Gloria in excelsis, Mass in G - Franz Schubert: Download
Credo, Mass in G - Franz Schubert: Download
Sanctus, Mass in G - Franz Schubert: Download
Benedictus, Mass in G - Franz Schubert: Download
Agnus Dei, Mass in G - Franz Schubert: Download
Motet, Panis angelicus - César Franck: Download
Motet, O Salutaris Hostia - César Franck: Download
Motet, Tantum ergo Sacramentum - Maurice Duruflé: Download
Motet, Laudate Dominum - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Download

Very nice. Enjoy!

Scott Hahn and Fr. Baron!

2010-06-09T23:10:00.008-04:00

Via the the closest person the Catholic Blogosphere has to G.K. Chesterton, both in wit, insight and beloved girth, the Great and Powerful Mastermind Mark Shea:

Scott Hahn and Fr. Robert Barron on, well, a Bunch of Stuff

I think the world of both of these guys, so it's wonderful that they have made these conversations available. Good stuff! And there's a bunch more at the YouTube site!

Agreed, Mark. Keep up the good work and how 'bout some more pics of Her Imperial Cuteness.

Lectures on the Pope's Book

2010-06-09T22:58:00.004-04:00

Long time friend of the show, Filipino Catholic, wrote in with the following:

Father Peter Damian M. Fehlner, F.I., gives a lecture on each of the chapters in our Holy Father's book, Jesus of Nazareth.

Here's the home page, and here are the talks:
Foreword
Introduction
Chapter One: The Baptism of Jesus (1:35)
Chapter Two: The Temptations of Jesus (Part One 1:35)
Chapter Two: The Temptations of Jesus (Part Two)
Chapter Three: The Gospel of the Kingdom of God
Chapter Four: The Sermon on the Mount (Part One)
Chapter Four: The Sermon on the Mount (Part Two)
Chapter Five: The Lord's Prayer (1:30)
Chapter Six: The Disciples, includes beginning of Chapter Seven (1:25)
Chapter Seven: The Message of the Parables, includes summary of past chapters (1:26)
Chapter Eight: The Principal Images of John's Gospel
Chapter Nine: Two Milestones on Jesus' Way: Peter's Confession and the Transfiguration
Chapter Ten: Jesus Declares His Identity
More mp3 talks here from MARIAN CATECHIST APOSTOLATE at their MULTIMEDIA PAGE.

Thanks, FC! You can buy the Pope's book, Jesus of Nazareth, in print or in audio format at this page from The Catholic Company.

Holy Orders

2010-06-08T22:26:00.003-04:00

Tim Troutman, from the wonderfully designed site Called to Communion, strikes again!

Hey, hope you're doing well. I just wanted to let you know that we have a new podcast up on the topic of Holy Orders

Want to know more about Called to Communion? Well they'll tell ya'.

A Much Needed Voice

2010-06-08T22:18:00.004-04:00

There are few problems as insidious as porn in today's culture. It's available on every smart phone and piped into every TV. Click here to see the stats. Folks like Matt Fradd are fighting the good fight and deserve your support. He writes:

My name is Matt Fradd, I'm the founder of a Catholic website called www.theporneffect.com which is the most comprehensive anti-porn site for Catholics. I wanted to point you to two of my talks which you are welcome to use.

http://theporneffect.com/who-does-it-hurt/about-us

I have a talk on porn giving my own testimony, a talk on Mary called "my mother is a virgin" and an interview on porn I did with Catholic Answers Live.

Let me know what you think.

--
Matt Fradd
www.netministries.ie
www.theporneffect.com

Check it thou out!

Peter Kreeft's Site Needs Your Help

2010-06-08T22:03:00.002-04:00

Long time readers know the affinity I have for the inestimable Dr. Peter Kreef t. The website that hosts his talks, www.peterkreeft.com, is in need of volunteers to listen and create time codes / tables of contents for the talks. See here for details.

Bible Church Apologetics

2010-05-24T22:14:00.002-04:00

Stumbled upon a couple of audio podcasts involving self-styled 'Bible Christians'. I haven't listened yet, so no guarantees about the quality or content. If you get a chance to listen, please be so kind as to post a review!

ONE: Discussion with a Hill Country Bible Christian

TWO: Protestantism and the Canon of Scripture

Aldous Huxley Reads A Brave New World

2010-05-24T22:02:00.003-04:00

I know, it's not Catholic. It is, however, oddly prophetic. I think that counts well enough to link.

Download brave_new_world_side_1.mp3

Download brave_new_world_side_2.mp3

(Source 1 and 2).

J.R.R. Tolkien Reading The Lord of the Rings

2010-05-24T21:46:00.005-04:00

Here's a link to Volume One of a Three Volume Set of J.R.R. Tolkien reading (and singing!) the Lord of the Rings that has finally made its way into the public domain. The distributor has asked that I not hard-link to the files, so you'll just have to go there and get them.

Also, here's a bonus! The Hobbit audiobook! Here's the source commentary:

Out-of-print audiobook whose adaptation was authorized by professor Tolkien himself, this was originally put out in 1974 as a boxed set of LPs. In my view, this is pretty much the best adaptation of The Hobbit ever, rivaling even the terrific animated film adaptation. It owes its greatness to the wonderful music and simply amazing voice work of Nicol Williamson, who may be better known to some as Merlin from the film Excalibur. If there were a Criterion Collection for audiobooks, this would surely be be one of the first titles.

part I
part II

Adversus Haereses - St. Irenaeus

2010-05-24T21:37:00.003-04:00

(HT to Mark Shea) - Librivox has produced a recording of Against Heresies by St. Irenaeus. Here's the summary from Librivox:

St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, describes several schools of Gnosticism which were prevalent among pre-Nicene Christianity. He then refutes these beliefs as heresies by contrasting them with what he describes as catholic, orthodox Christianity. Against Heresies demonstrates that earliest Christianity was a fascinating and diverse plethora of beliefs, debates, and schisms. (Summary by JoeD)

There's too much audio for me to hard link, so go there and get it yourself.

Multi-Blog Shout-Out

2010-05-11T23:32:00.004-04:00

Because folks asked nicely and I'm in a linking mood:

Neverland Mommy

Love Undefiled

Cellar Door

Called to Communion

Caritas et Veritas

St. Louis Review -> Stations of the Cross

Dr. Hick, Professor of Philosophy, YouTube Channel of (maybe Catholic?) Arguments

Should any of you want to link here on your blogs, do feel free!

Catholic Social Justice Talks. No, seriously.

2010-05-11T23:10:00.003-04:00

Got the following e-mail in the ol' inbox:

I just wanted to alert you to a teaching series I have recently finished at my parish (St. Mary Magdalen in Altamonte Springs, FL) on Catholic Social Teaching.

We've put together a website which contains the audio recordings of each of the four talks we gave. The website also contains each of the PowerPoint presentations, links to other Catholic Social Teaching information around the internet, and--maybe of the most worth--a collection of book recommendations to explore these themes more fully.

There are few solid websites dealing with Catholic Social Teaching and social justice, specifically from a Catholic perspective. By putting up this website, we're seeking to contribute to Pope John Paul II's "new evangelization" and Pope Benedict XVI's call to harness the capabilities of the internet in order to evangelize the "digital continent". We hope the site will introduce these "best kept secrets" of Catholic spirituality to many people beyond even our own parish.

The four sessions were as follows:
Session #1 - "Introduction" and "The Life and Dignity of the Human Person"
Session #2 - "Call to Family, Community, and Participation" and "Rights and Responsibilities"
Session #3 - "Option for the Poor and Vulnerable" and "The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers"
Session #4 - "Solidarity" and "Care for God's Creation"
I co-taught the sessions with Monsignor Ed Thompson and popular Catholic author and Saint-expert Bert Ghezzi. For each session, Fr. Ed spoke on the Biblical basis for that night's themes, Bert detailed the lives of some lesser-known Saints that personified those themes, and I explored the themes further in light of Tradition and history, finally offering ways that we--'average' Christians in the 'average' pews--can live them out today.

The whole series of talks was framed not only by the Seven Major Themes of Catholic Social Teaching (as defined by the U.S. Bishops in 1998), but also by the elements of "story". We talked about the reality that we are all in this great Story, each with a crucial role to play. What is that role? Catholic Social Teaching says that our role, our mission, is to participate in the "putting together again of the world". Jesus ignited a rescue mission for the world, and we are joining along, sailing towards the Story's grand conclusion: the uniting of all of the world back to God. So how do we fit into this Story? And what is our Role? These sessions dived into those questions.

The website, with the audio and all of the resources, can be found at: www.StMaryMagdalen.org/CST

Feel free to share on Sonitus Sanctus or with anyone you know! Thanks!

Your brother,
Brandon Vogt

This looks like the real deal, folks -- none of that polyester pant-suit "social justice" schtick; real Catholic Social Justice teachings! Here are the links to the audio, but click this link to get the PowerPoint presentations and Prayer Notes.

Session 1: Audio (55 min.)
Session 2: Audio (57 min.)
Session 3: Audio (60 min.)
Session 4: Audio (59 min.)

Christopher West - TOB

2010-05-10T22:13:00.004-04:00

Christopher West is a well known speaker and author on the Theology of the Body. Recently he's received some criticisms about his teachings from some rather notable folks and he's taken some time off to reflect. Nonetheless, he's a guy trying to faithfully teach what the Church teaches.

SO! All those disclaimers in place, here are some free talks of his hosted by The Gift Foundation. From the site:

FREE Download
Naked Without Shame
A Crash Course in the Theology of the Body with Christopher West
8 talks totaling almost 12 hours, plus a 9th Bonus Talk

To download the entire Naked Without Shame Crash Course in MP3 format for use on your iPod or MP3 player click on either link below.

Click here to download Naked Without Shame High Quality Recording MP3, Size: 712 MB

or

Click here to download Naked Without Shame Lower Quality Recording MP3 Size: 188 MB

Fantastic Bible Study

2010-05-09T22:37:00.004-04:00

I've been listening to a Catholic Bible study lately and, let me tell you, it's fantastic. They're put on by a fella' named Carson Weber. Here's what his website says about him:

Carson Weber is the author of CatholicBoard and the Understanding the Scriptures Podcast. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration with a specialization in Information Technology from Texas A&M University (2001) and his Master of Arts in Theology & Christian Ministry with an emphasis in Catechetics from Franciscan University of Steubenville (2004). In the past, Carson served St. Mary Parish in Brenham, Texas as the Director of Adult Faith Formation & Evangelization. He also worked for the Saint Paul Center for Biblical Theology under the direction of Dr. Scott Hahn in Steubenville, Ohio. Currently, he works in the area of New Media Evangelization and Catechesis for the Catholic Church in Sacramento, CA. Carson is married and devoted to his beautiful wife, Rebecca Mary and their little girl, Thérèse Mary Grace.

Carson is available for speaking engagements as well as website design.

You may reach Carson by email at carson@catholicboard.com and you may visit his personal website at CarsonWeber.org

Good to know!

You can find the original posts here, but if you're just in it for the free Catholic mp3s, here are the links:

UPDATE: Old links removed because he switched servers. Find the new links HERE.

A Cajun Ave Maria?!?

2010-05-08T09:38:00.004-04:00

Yup. A Cajun version of the Ave Maria. It's pretty darn good, too! Give it (and several other tracks) a listen and, if that's the one you choose, get the MP3 for free -- all you need is an e-mail address for them to send it to.

Get the goods!

Via Faith & Family.

Bible Song

2010-05-08T08:55:00.001-04:00

If anyone knows of (or can make) a Catholic version of this song listing all the books in the Protestant Bible, please let me know!

Books of the Protestant Bible (mp3).

Hitchens D'Souza Debate at Notre Dame

2010-04-23T07:51:00.006-04:00

Atheist Christopher Hitchens and Catholic Dinesh D'Souza recently debated at the University oEf Notre Dame (GO IRISH!) and ND has kindly decided to stream the video online.

Here are the goods:

The God Debate: Is Religion the Problem?

Pewsitter Hit Drive

2010-04-21T23:07:00.001-04:00

Pewsitter, a Catholic news aggregation site, needs more hits!

What do you say...could you spare a moment for a click?

Light of the East

2010-04-11T21:00:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine from Our Lady's University (GO IRISH!!) who has always been far more mystical than me recently sent me an e-mail about the Eastern Rite folks (who get far too little press, if you ask me). Here's the skinny:

I have just been listening to Light of the East Radio after I met a monk that contributes to the show, Father Maximos. They do shows about Eastern Catholicism. It reminded me of your site, and I am going to start listening again.

By the way, there is an excellent series on that site that Fr. Maximos did a few years back. It starts with Broadcast 200 ("Recovering a Sacramental World View - Part I of IV: Is a Sacrament a Thing or an Event?". Guest Host: Father Maximos) and goes through 203. You should listen to it and perhaps link it.

Good idea, Patrick -- I think I will. Get 'em while they're hot!

UPDATE: Go here to download the MP3s of the shows.

On the Canon of Scripture

2010-04-11T09:49:00.003-04:00

Long time friend of the show Tim Troutman sent in the following:

We have a new podcast up at Called to Communion that I think your subscribers will enjoy. Tom Riello, interviews Tom Brown on his recent article entitled, "The Canon Question." The question is how can we know which books belong in the bible.

Check it thou out!

My Vote for Best New Podcast

2010-04-11T09:42:00.004-04:00

...has to go to the guys at Catholic Stuff You Should Know. The podcasts are about 10-15 minutes long, fast paced and (above all) interesting! Find them at the link or on iTunes, and if you enjoy them be sure to leave a review on iTunes.

Also on the list is Mike and Eve Are Catholic, a podcast by a nice convert couple. If you like them, be sure to let them know on their Facebook page.

Italian Bleg

2010-04-11T09:36:00.003-04:00

Reader Kathy sent me the following request:

I would like to download as many Italian prayers, psalms, etc that I can find; Religious songs in Italian also.

If you have more or links to these would you please let me know?

I've got these. Anyone got the skinny on where Kathy can find more?

Sermons from a Tridentine Mass

2010-04-11T09:29:00.003-04:00

The folks at LatinMassSchedule.com have put their sermons online. I haven't had a chance to check them out yet, so if you give them a listen would you please let the rest of us know what you think?

Oh, and they also have some video, like this one of the rubrics of the traditional low mass:

Exultet

2010-04-03T23:47:00.002-04:00

Resurrexit, sicut dixit!

If you've never heard the Exultet, do give it a listen.

Fr. Tim Hepburn's MP3 Recording in English

Exultet.mp3 (moleski.net)
Exultet.mp3 (canisius.edu)

In Latin:

Benedyktyńskie Śpiewy Chorałowe

Fr. Manning

2010-03-09T20:47:00.004-05:00

Got this in the ol' e-mail box:

Hi.

Love your website--incredibly great resources! Just not enough hours in the day for all those wonderful speakers.

Here's a site you may want to check out: www.wordnet.tv. It's run by some Society of the Divine Word priests in San Bernardino, CA, headed by Fr. Michael Manning.

Here's a link to their audio podcast page

I came across them quite by accident; one day I was surfing The Church Channel (a side channel of the Trinity Broadcast Network, of all things), and saw...a Catholic Mass! I couldn't believe it. A half-hour Mass, on an evangelist network? Still, there it was, from Wordnet Productions.

The Mass is also online.

Then I found out they also do a weekly interview show, The Power of Love.

Check 'em out!

Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Scott R.

Thanks, Scott.

You heart the man -- check 'em out!

Shout out...

2010-03-06T21:36:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to give a shout out to a good friend of mine who has (finally) decided to start blogging. Would you kind folks please drive some traffic that way?

Escaping Neverland.

Tell your wives, sisters and girlfriends.

Oh, and please leave her a comment. You can tell her I sent ya'.

Thanks, and God Bless!

How did Mary Prepare for Lent?

2010-03-02T21:57:00.003-05:00

Longtime reader Dave S. wrote in with an e-mail offer from Catholic author/speaker Steve Kellmeyer:

Prepare for Lent
Would you like to know how Mary prepared for her Lent?
Listen to this free

MP3 given February 2010 in Dallas and learn how to imitate Mary's example of obedience and humility this Lenten season.

http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103055342037&s=370&e=001NmBeo8pHBfyMZc0-hLo6fgcxDW62yV8fAs-ehBWk8tjPOUlcFGOzKtTv9IDQ5cD-Ef0c-dtHpnm5n4lt4KBcY1GQ2hAxsSY4fpvqF4O7ravdyd-P_lkrUjl2xz1BPXN10mmm___DVrhu9silIuKTmcU142b9YpMOP-yXOZVRkQCw4U8obShA9hWCpy5PXBrugnVDMIGi82jMCnv2DcNCIasA2jbgt2gj

This MP3 is free.
There is no obligation to buy anything else.
But, if you would like to look around our site, we surely would appreciate it.
Donations to help us in our work are, of course, also deeply appreciated.

God bless you all, and may you grow in holiness and wisdom before God and man this Lenten season.

Steve Kellmeyer
Bridegroom Press

Archbishop Chaput's Houston Speech

2010-03-02T21:36:00.002-05:00

Fr. Z reports:

On Monday evening, 1 March 2010, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver gave a speech at Houston Baptist University called “The Vocation of Christians in American Public Life”.

The lecture was presented in coordination with the Pope John Paul II Forum for the Church in the Modern World at the University of St. Thomas.

He criticized President John F. Kennedy’s historic campaign speech on his faith impacting his possible presidency as “sincere, compelling, articulate – and wrong.”

I think this was a very important address. As such, I decided to make a PODCAzT by reading the text of the Archbishop’s speech (yes, it is available also on Youtube) with by comments before and after. I received the link to the Youtube page while I was making this, but decided to post anyway. And my rendering of the talk section is a bit short that the original. Check the page of the Archdiocese of Denver.

10-03-02 Archbp. Chaput on The Vocation of Christians in American Public Life [49:55m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Stations of the Cross

2010-03-02T21:31:00.003-05:00

The Stations of the Cross from the Rosary Army.
(Click to Listen, Right Click to Download)
STATIONS OF THE CROSS

From the USCCB Lenten Resources
(Click to Listen, Right Click to Download)
Stations of the Cross

From EWTN – Click to Listen
Stations of the Cross

From Fr. Z:

Here is a reading of the Via Crucis, the Way of the Cross, composed by Joseph Card. Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, for the 2005 Good Friday observance at the Colosseum in Rome.

Also, for your Lenten spiritual warfare, here are two versions the popular Via Crucis by St. Alphonsus Liguori. One version is plain, just my voice. The other is the same voice recording, but with the Gregorian chant Sequence Stabat Mater interlaced between the stations.

Stations of the Cross - Joseph Ratzinger (Good Friday 2005) [65:41m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori [35:43m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Stations of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori (with chant) [34:16m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

Section	Time	Size
Sexual Reconnection	46:28	13.6 MB
00:00 Sexual Chaos 05:45 Reconnecting Sex and Love 15:12 Imaging the Mystical Marriage 20:23 Cultural Re-Revolution 24:03 Q&A

Sacerdótes Dei (Introito)	Download
Kyrie (De Angelis)	Download
Allelúia (Hic est sacerdos)	Download
Ecce quam bonum (Gradual)	Download
Sanctus (De Angelis)	Download
Agnus Dei (De Angelis)	Download
Sacris Solémnis (Himno)	Download
Regina Caeli	Download
Crux Fidélis (Himno)	Download
The Passion according to St. John	Download
Bells	Download