Catholic Roundup

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:45 — 32.9MB)

This episode marks the close of the 2009 Catholic Roundup Advent Calendar.  Thanks to everyone who contributed or followed along with the Advent Calendar.

2009 Catholic Roundup Advent Calendar credits

Deacon Tom and Dee Fox from the  Catholic Vitamins Podcast.
Jeff Young, the Catholic Foodie
Stephanie Weak from Steph’s Random Thoughts

Lisa, Adam and Eric Hendey from CatholicMom.com
Joe McClane from The Catholic Hack podcast
Melody Laila from Glorify God web magazine
RAnn from This, That and the Other Thing
Dan and Kyle from Popple
Steve Runner from the, Phedippidations podcast
John, Heather, Jacob and Madelyn Hack from the, Catholic Family Journal podcast
Michael, Michelle, Annie, Trinity, Charity, & Cecilia Mette Michael James Mette- Musician and Speaker
Sarah Reinhard from Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering
Anne Ishikawa aka Artyi from, We Need the Boo Hoo to Get to the Yoo Hoo
Nick and Pat Padley from In Between Sundays
Father Jim Tucker from Comments from the Koala
Chris, Tanya and Linus from the Life on Fire podcast
Susan Bailey from the How Can I Keep from Singing podcast
Paul Camarata from the Saintcast
Annie Karto
Jim O’Meara from the Catholic Music Express podcast
Maria Johnson from Another Cup of Coffee
Inge Loots from A Journey into the Land of the Spirit
musician, podcaster and blogger: Justin Stroh
Edgar Guzman from the Lecturas del Dia podcast
Catholic Rocker and youth minister Bryan Murdaugh
Owen Swain from Drawn to Catholicism
Daniele Rossi of Superspud.com

Shownotes Catholic Roundup Episode 69

Congratulations to Kyle from Popple and his wife Kate who are expecting their first child in May.

Congratulations to Jeff Geerling from Life is a Prayer.com, LOLSaints.com, Open Source Catholic and Catholic News Live on his engagement to his fiance Natalie.

Music in this Episode:

Lost in Christ, and Glory (©) Bryan Murdaugh

Away in a Manger, by the North Wind (Adam and Eric Hendey)

o-come-o-come-emmanuel by Blaise Alleyne.

Dan Harms- Can You See Him? (© December 14, 2008, Dan Harms).

Kyle Heimann Add Vents

1. Send  your feedback, podcast, blog and website promos ideas etc… on the blog at http://catholicroundup.com by email at (catholicroundup@gmail.com) catholicroundup (at) gmail (dot) com or by calling 206-337-0611.

2. Theme Song: Lost in Christ (©) Bryan Murdaugh

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 8:20 — 7.6MB)

Merry Christmas from our family at the Catholic Roundup to your family.

Deacon Tom Fox has made himself at home all over the Catholic Internet.  His online base is www.deacontomonline.com and he also contributes to the Catholic Moments Podcast and the The Catholic Family Podcast and numerous other websites.  Deacon Tom and his wife Dee host the  Catholic Vitamins Podcast.  Last year, on December 27, Deacon Tom reflected upon a practice at Madonna House of giving Epiphany gifts. I could not imagine hosting the Advent Calendar again without the participation of Tom and Dee, so I asked for their permission to host an abridged version of their Catholic Vitamins Episode N- Nativity. You can find the complete episode and many more like it at CatholicVitamins.com.

Sarah Reinhard lives in Ohio on a small farm with her husband, two children, and various pets and animals. You can read more of her writing at snoringscholar.com. We had the pleasure of spending a wonderful evening with her family last summer.  

Today she brings us the fourth of her special Advent series on CatholicMom.com , entitled,

Mary at the Manger .

A local farm near us does a reenactment of the Christmas Story every year, loading folks up on wagons and driving them to different stations.

One station replays the Annunciation and then the appearance of the angel to Joseph, reassuring him that he should marry Mary. The next shows Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem, complete with a marketplace (goats and horses and little kids included) and an innkeeper who made us laugh. Then we saw the angels appear to the shepherds, out in the middle of a dark field. We were in the inn when the shepherds came running in with their good news.

And then there was the barn.

In that barn, huddled up with my four-year-old, I realized that the barn – or cave – where Mary had her baby must have been cold. Now, as a woman who’s been through labor, I can appreciate that maybe she wasn’t concerned with the cold temperature. Maybe it even felt good.

Bethlehem isn’t as cold as central Ohio in December, and you’re more likely to have rain than snow. Nevertheless, it was an experience that gave me another picture of that young girl at the manger, the girl who was “full of grace” and chosen by God to bear and raise the Messiah.

In the wonder of holding her baby, gazing at His face and marveling at His existence, her hands were probably chilly and her belongings might have been soaked from rain showers. Though the animals must have been sharing their heat, it’s unlikely that the place where Nativity happened was as cozy as the play sets around my house would have me believe.

At the manger, Mary must have felt all the wonder any of us feel when we see a new life. Joseph must have put his arm around her and felt his love for her balloon, his amazement at her blossom, his appreciation for God increase.

And then the visitors came. Shepherds and probably some townspeople, all wanting a glance at the newborn Messiah, probably wondering, as they walked away, how that baby could change the world. Mary must have sensed some of these doubts, even as she saw their amazement and heard about the angel choruses.

Mary at the manger: a young girl with the world in her arms. Mary at the manger: proof that God can overcome odds that men wouldn’t even make. Mary at the manger: hope for each of us as we struggle through our daily life.

Last year, Sarah Reinhard contributed four wonderful articles to the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar: on  December 2, December 8, December 15, and January 1 .

Join us tomorrow and every day until December 26 for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities.

1. Send me your feedback on the blog at http://cc.ductapeguy.net by email at (catholicroundup@gmail.com) catholicroundup (at) gmail (dot) com or by calling 206-337-0611.

2. Go to the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:23 — 3.1MB)

Merry Chrismas. Our family has attended two Christmas masses today.  We are now home and preparing for the arrival of Santa Claus later this evening. It has been quite some time since I recorded anything for Librivox.org .  This week they are calling as many people who wish to record, A Visit from St. Nicholas by C.C. Moore.  I could not resist such a classic.  So here is my version.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap—

When out on the lawn there rose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter,
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon, on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of mid-day to objects below;
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny rein-deer,
With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Dunder and Blitzen—
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall!
Now, dash away, dash away, dash away all!”
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So, up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys—and St. Nicholas too.
And then in a twinkling I heard on the roof,
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack;
His eyes how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face, and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was chubby and plump—a right jolly old elf;
And I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself.
A wink of his eye, and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose.
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle;
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 19:25 — 17.8MB)

Last year, Jeff Young from the  Catholic Foodie podcast, offered two contributions to the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar, on December 17 and January 5. Today, Jeff brings us Catholic Foodie Episode 53- Silent Night.

On the menu today: a special Catholic Roundup Advent Calendar episode.

• God becomes Man… in silence. And silence becomes a hallmark of Jesus’ life.
• What’s in a manger?
• And a delicious New Orleans treat: muffalettas.

Check out the new Christmas album by one of my favorite bands: L’Angelus. It is also available on iTunes.

To leave feedback for the Catholic Foodie, call 985-635-4974 and leave a message. You can also leave feedback for Jeff at (catholicfoodie@gmail.com) catholicfoodie (at) gmail (dot) com.

Join us tomorrow and every day until December 26 for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities.

1. Send me your feedback on the blog at http://cc.ductapeguy.net by email at (catholicroundup@gmail.com) catholicroundup (at) gmail (dot) com or by calling 206-337-0611.

2. Go to the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar

Subscribe to CatholicRoundup (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Stephanie week is a stalywart of the SQPN online community and can frequently be found in the chats on SQPNconnect or on plurk.   She blogs at Steph’s Random Thoughts about…  Well I’ll let her explain,

“I’m Catholic, a Catholic school music teacher, a Catholic church music director, and am in graduate school at Catholic Theological Union.  I am a Mac, although I can’t afford to have one, and absolutely love everything in new media. I am an SQPN and GSPN groupie and love to listen to way too many podcasts and read way too many blogs. This is a blog of my random thoughts about life…”

With introductions dispensed, here is Stephanie with an Advent reflection for December 23.

The seventh O Antiphon which is celebrated today is “O Emmanuel,” God with Us. It is based on the reading Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”

Latin:

O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster,

exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum:

veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

English:

O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver,

the hope of the nations and their Saviour:

Come and save us, O Lord our God.

Your browser may not support display of this image. Today is also the feast day of the patron saint of Saint John of Kanty. John was born in Kanty, Poland on June 23, 1390. At the age of 23, he enrolled at Jagellonian University in Cracow. He impressed his professors with his academic skills and pleasant personality. He received his doctorate in philosophy in 1418 and spent the next three years preparing for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1421 and appointed lecturer at Jagellonian University.

In 1431, at the age of 41, he was forced out of his position and assigned as a parish priest at Olkusz, Bohemia. This assignment was very difficult – he was not used to parish work and had to serve many. In 1438, after seven years in the parish, he returned to Jagellonian University to serve as a professor of scripture.

He was a distinguished professor and benefactor of the poor. He was modest, devout and truthful and had a great sense of charity. He gave his money and possessions to those in need and only kept what he needed to survive.

Your browser may not support display of this image. St. John Kanty church in Milwaukee was originally built to fill a need in the growing Polish population of Milwaukee’s south side. St. John Kanty as a parish and school were established in September of 1906 and construction began in 1907. It began with 125 parish members and 170 students when the church was dedicated in December. Over the years, enrollment grew causing necessary expansions and improvements and a new church to be built. As John Kanty entered the 21st century, they began to collaborate with two area parishes to address the changing needs of the neighborhood and the shortage of priests. Today, these three churches are one Tri-Parish community with one pastor and one associate pastor. The community has members of Polish descent mixed in with an ever-growing Hispanic population.

Join us tomorrow and every day until December 26 for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities.

1. Send me your feedback on the blog at http://cc.ductapeguy.net by email at (catholicroundup@gmail.com) catholicroundup (at) gmail (dot) com or by calling 206-337-0611.

2. Go to the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar

Subscribe to CatholicRoundup (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Last year, Adam and Eric Hendey offered a Celtic version We 3 Kings for the Advent Calendar.  Today they are back with more tunes and a new band name, North Wind. Lisa Hendey from CatholicMom.com and the Catholic Moments Podcast is their proud mother and videographer.  She is working on finishing touches for her new book, The Handbook for Catholic Moms, due to be released in February.

Away in a Manger

Join us tomorrow and every day until December 26 for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities.

1. Send me your feedback on the blog at http://cc.ductapeguy.net by email at (catholicroundup@gmail.com) catholicroundup (at) gmail (dot) com or by calling 206-337-0611.

2. Go to the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar

Subscribe to CatholicRoundup (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Tis the season to be jolly.  Every good Christmas celebration needs music and there is a ton of great Christmas music available for free on the Internet.   When I began compiling this post it was to showcase free Christmas music specifically by Catholic musicians, but I kept finding more great Christmas music all over the net.  As I was finding more and more sources for ‘free Chrismas music’. I was also struck my the many motivations that artists have for releasing some (or all) of their music for free.   For some it is a promotional tool, for others a gift to the world, for others a philosphical and political act.   As I list the free music, I will also try to explain what the artist means when they say it is ‘free’.

For my Christmas soundtrack, I often turn to Uwe Herman’s list of 10 + 100 Creative Commons Christmas Songs and Feels like Christmas.

The other day, I was thrilled to discover that True North Records, Borealis Records and Linus Entertainment, have teamed up to offer free music to help promote some legendary Canadian musicians.  They offer selected free tracks from artists such as Bruce Cockburn, Ashley McIsaac, Downchild, Colin Linden and Stephen Fearing.  I was thrilled to find Bruce Cockburn’s version of   Silent Night from his wonderful Christmas album. Their terms for these tracks are: “All the Mp3s on this page contain no DRM and can be dowloaded for free and can be shared via p2p, blogs and social networks and used for any non commercial purpose on a royalty-free basis, including podcasting. Please share with your friends. Add to your ipod, website, blogs, social networks & playlists.  Thank you for helping us spread the noise about these artists”.   It is incredibly refreshing to see indie record companies who are using the internet and new media to find new promotional and business opportunities for musicians rather than railing against the new technologies.

Now on to the Catholic musicians…

Toronto blogger, musician, software developer and copyfighter Blaise Alleyne has released his arrangements and recordings of public domain Christmas Music back into the public domain under a CC0 dedication, waiving all his copyright claims to both the recordings and arrangements.

• o-come-o-come-emmanuel-0.1-acoustic
• silent-night-0.1
• o-holy-night-0.1-folk

I have a couple of Christmas themed songs on my own CD, Sean McGaughey, For the Sake of the Song

I have released them under a

Creative Commons- attribution- no derivatives – non-commercial license.

• Words of Wisdom
• Homeless Babe

Karl Kohlhase offers several albums for free download on his website, including the Christmas album, He is Born.  Here are Karl’s license restrictions from his website: “You may burn as many copies of the CDs as you like for family and friends. I only ask that you give them away free of charge. Freely you have received, so freely give…”

“He Is Born”
© 2006 Karl Kohlhase

Song Title MP3

He Is Born 4 MB

Song Of Mary 4.4 MB

Lo, How A Rose E’er Blooming 3.9 MB

Another Cold December Night 4.3 MB

Silent Night 6.4 MB

God With Us 4.3 MB

Go Tell It 5 MB



Bob Rice offers a number of free downloads on his website.  Bob writes, ” Sometimes a 30 second sample doesn’t cut it.  Here’s the full version of some of Bob’s most popular and favorite songs.  If you want to save it, right click on the name of the song and choose “Save As”.  And if you’d like to buy it, you can get it off iTunes or purchase the CD here.” The closest one to a Christmas song is HERALD OF THE GREAT KING from “Behold the Lamb” (web exclusive)

Popple is pretty cool with people sharing their music with their friends if they have bought the CD.  They also have some swell package deals on their website for people wishing to buy Popple CDs for their friends and family.  Over the past two years, both Dan and Kyle from Popple have recorded original songs for the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar.

Dan Harms- Can You See Him? (© December 14, 2008, Dan Harms).  I Saw Three Ships

Kyle Heimann Add Vents

The following are posted as free downloads by the artists– I’m unsure of the licensing. It would be safe to assume that they are free for personal use and all other rights are reserved.

Deacon Chuck Stevens

Praise the Lord From the CD, ‘Bethlehem Morn’ voted one of the Top Ten Christmas Albums in 2008 by Top Catholic Songs . com.  You can purchase the album, or download more of Deacon Chuck’s music at SmallTalentMusic.com.

L’Angelus, an amazing Cajun family band from Louisiana is offering a free download of your choice from their Christmas album if you sign up for their mailing list.

If you know of other Catholic musicians offering free downloadable Christmas music, let me know and I will add them to the list.