The Social Spirit
Lisa Hendey
This video from Fr. Roderick Vonhogen of SQPN is seriously MUST WATCH (click here to view). Along with being a great capture of the actual moment of the white smoke from the ground in St. Peter’s Square, you’ll experience the sense of awe of Pope Francis’ first few moments, and the incredible joy of a terrific crowd of young men and women who were present for the big moment. I can’t watch this without tearing up – the emotions relate both to the sense of peace I feel with our new Holy Father, but also with the infectious enthusiasm of these young people and of Father Roderick himself. PLEASE watch this, and then please turn around and share it — these are the images of Catholics that we want swirling around social media!
It’s 6:51 am in Fresno, California, dawn barely cresting and I’ve already had what feels like a full day of productive social networking. To bring you up to date on a few trending items:
#TweetingBishops – They seemed to really pick up the pace this week in Baltimore, adding several new actively tweeting spiritual shepherds to the ranks! Find my Twitter List of “Bishops Who Tweet” here. And if I’ve missed someone, by all means, please let me know!
#FundingFriday – TGIF, the day when we rally to each give $5 to an awesome cause that’s gathering micro-donations to make our world a better place! Learn about this week’s recipient, the Olszynka Art Therapy Center for Disabled Adults. If each of us were to give $5 we could have their project funded by lunchtime! I’m in – are you?
#MeatlessFriday – This was a topic of discussion at this week’s USCCB General Assembly and Bishop Jenky’s already on board:
Are you on Twitter? Drop your handle in the comments so I can be sure I’m following you, and find me @LisaHendey. …
As we prepare for the critical November elections, I find myself increasingly frustrated whenever I enter my social networking venues online. A trip to Facebook or Twitter these days often feels like a running of the gauntlet as I dodge nasty comments, unkind graphics, and attack oriented posts on both ends of the political spectrum.
I don’t think I’m alone in my frustration. A recent poll conducted by The Marist College Institute for Public Opinion and the Knights of Columbus found that the majority of survey respondents agree with me on the negative tenor of the discourse:
74% think the tone of political campaigns has grown more negative than past election years
About two-thirds believe the candidates are spending more time attacking one another than addressing the issues
56%, believe political campaigns in our country lack civility and respect
I do consider it a tremendous blessing that our social networking venues have given the average citizen a platform to address what matters most in our lives, and to discuss passionately our beliefs with our friends and connections. But I fear many of us have slipped into the trap of following the examples of the candidates themselves, by spending more time in attack mode that in meaningful conversations about the issues at hand.
Why does this matter? Isn’t it our right as Americans to employ our rights to freedom of speech to say what we feel? Yes, certainly. And yet, I’m also cognizant that my presence — and yours — in venues like Facebook and Twitter is a component of the New Evangelization.…
As we celebrate September, a month dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, we observe three feasts this month that call us into a more devoted relationship with the Blessed Virgin Mary. This month, we celebrate:
September 8 – The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
September 12 – The Most Holy Name of Mary
September 15 – Our Lady of Sorrows
You know our team at CatholicMom.com loves Our Lady, and we also love our technology. We thought we’d share a few “tech tools” — but also some “old fashioned” ones — for you to know, love and share Mary. Enjoy!
Smartphone Apps:
Total Consecration (iOS) – PetrosMedia.com – Easy way to follow St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to ensure consecration falls on Marian Feast Day
My Consecration (iOS) – Daily Preparation for total consecration – start 10/19 to end on Presentation of Mary (11/21)
Catholic Meditations on the Life of Mary – Tool to help meditate upon the life of Mary, especially for October and May – chief incidents in Mary’s life
Mary App – designed by the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception in Stockbridge, Mass. Includes: Timeline of Mary’s life in the Bible & through the years of Church history, Marian Dogmas, FAQs about Mary, Titles of Mary, Resources
Websites:
The Mary Page, University of Dayton
AmericanCatholic.org Learning About Mary
Marian.org – Marians of the Immaculate Conception
Rosary Army
Books:
33 Days to Morning Glory …- Fr.
If you’ve been tuned into social media today, you’ve likely heard about the photos that have surfaced of Prince Harry in Las Vegas. If you haven’t, I’m not recommending that you look at news reports featuring the 27 year old prince — the third person in line to the British throne — playing a game of “strip pool” in a Las Vegas luxury hotel suite. You don’t have to look too carefully to find blurry shots of the prince making their way around cyberspace, but seeing the photos will not edify you in any way about what we should take away from this unfortunate incident.
As someone who spends a good deal (indeed, perhaps too much) time on the Internet working in the New Evangelization’s craziest mission field, I try to remain “tuned in” to what we can learn spiritually and practically from stories such as this one. I’m also not ashamed to tell you that I keep the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel posted in my workspace, and that I pray it multiple times per day as I work. On some days, the “wickedness and snares of the devil” seem to be surrounding us.
When a story such as this one hits the wires, I tend to look at it from two perspectives: first, from that of a blogger, but second — and more importantly, from that of a mom. In the case of Prince Harry, it’s that motherly “red alert” that prompted me to have immediate and extended conversations with both of my sons early this morning.…
Venerable Fulton and Our Families
On Thursday, June 28th Pope Benedict XVI promulgated the decree recognizing the heroic virtue of Archbishop Fulton John J. Sheen, who is now titled “the Venerable Servant of God.” In terms you and I can understand, this means that the beloved Archbishop Sheen is one step closer to sainthood. The day after this auspicious announcement, I had the opportunity to participate in a wonderful conference call with several notable priests who have played a role in the process of advancing Venerable Fulton’s cause to sainthood. They included:
Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria, Illinois
Monsignor Stanley Deptula, Executive Director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation in Peoria, Illinois
Father Andrew Apostoli, Vice-postulator leader for the cause for the canonization of Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
Monsignor Richard Soseman, Coordinator of International Outreach for the Archbishop Fulton John Sheen Foundation
Father Andrew Small, Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate, and National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies
Honestly, to have the opportunity to listen to these wonderful priests describe the process toward canonization and recall their personal interactions with and inspiration received from Venerable Fulton was truly amazing. So many of us have rediscovered the body of work left behind by this holy man in recent years. While our telephone conversation was wide ranging and quite informative, I thought it would be helpful to share with our readers the specific recommendations given by each of the call participants relating to terrific resources for our families to better know, love and pray through the intercession of Venerable Fulton.…
