UPDATE: May 2.  It turns out it was an overzealous indexing bot but there was no significant impact to the site.  I’ve turned all the podcast episodes back on and everything should be working properly.  Sorry for the one day break in the availability of my podcasts.

Even if I could be in Atlanta on June 22, I am registered for Podcasters Across Borders in Kingston, Ontario that weekend. PAB is the premier gathering for the Canadian and American Podcasting communities to meet and mingle. Last year it was a highlight of my year and I’m sure it will be again this year.

But, there’s still part of me that wants to be both places and be with all my podcasting acquaintances. Alas, it’s not possible. If you are within travel distance of either conference, I highly recommend that you try to attend one of them.

One may have many reasons not to join the Knights, but the Knights of Columbus is a fraternal group of men who grow and share in their faith, are deeply devoted to Mary and the Eucharist, and who are dedicated to doing charitable works, particularly within one’s own community.

When put in those terms, I can’t see a down side.   Today I attended my 1st degree initiation meeting into the Knights of Columbus.  I’m not alone.  Along with Scott, as mentioned above, I know of 3 or 4 other men in the Catholic community on the web who have joined the Knights of Columbus this year.

When I started to get involved in podcasting I thought it was all about listening and producing  our own shows.   I came to realize that in fact podcasting (and blogging, and social media) were an invitation into a world-wide community.  My family has also experienced a deepening of our faith as we participate in the online Catholic community.  The fruit of this online Catholic community is that myself and many others are now feeling called to participate more deeply in older community building activities in their local parish (such as the knights)?

How is your experience of Social Media helping you to build real community within your home town, among your friends, and in your church?   Let me know in the comments.

A few weeks ago I drove down to a podcaster meetup in Toronto.  During one of the lively discussions someone remarked that it was quite refreshing to be at a podcaster gathering now that most of the get rich quick, “How do I monetize podcasting?” crowd has drifted away.  Katherine Matthews of the Purl Diving podcast commented that we should not be concerned with how we monetize our podcasts but how we communitize them.   As an independent, DIY kind of guy and a proud hobbyist, this rang true for me.

As a participant in the Catholic blogging and podcasting communities I feel that we are in the early days of a new way to share and grow faith communities using modern social media tools.  Over the next while on this blog I’m going to continue to link to wonderful Catholic media and explore other ways to communitize what we are doing here.

You can hear some of the discussion from the Toronto Podcaster meetup  on the   Canadian Podcast Buffet Episode 99 and on Hot Fossils and Rebel Matters 137.

Thanks Bryan.

Here is Gonna Struggle, which he posted as a tribute to his late father at the end of the carnival.

Yes folks, this is another of my posts riddled with p’s, and I’m not even mentioning Popple this time (oops– too late).

What I do have is pictures and a podcast from Easter Sunday when my daughter and I joined the Portageurs who are making a pilgrimage with the Ark of the New Covenant from Midland to Quebec City for the International Eucharistic Congress in June.

The music throughout the podcast is the Theme Song of the International Eucharistic Congress, God’s Gift.

You can follow the progress of the portageurs on their blog.

You can see media coverage of the pilgrimage in midland from AChannel Barrie, and on Salt and Light TV.

My daughter and I took lots of pictures. Here is an overview of the afternoon.

I am blogging and podcasting this carnival simultaneously in the hope that it will foster some crossover between the Catholic blogging and podcasting communities I have become a part of. The blog carnival entries are all listed in this post and I have added some comments within the podcast. I apologize for the untidiness of the links below but I worked on a fabulous blog post all weekend which vanished into the internet in a tragic cut and paste mishap.

Anyways, here we go for Take 2 of the Easter edition of the Catholic Blog Carnival.

Bah-da bah-da-da-da
Bah-da bah-da-da-da
Bah-da bah-da-da-da

Maundy, Maundy, so good to me
Maundy mornin’, it was all I hoped it would be
Oh Maundy mornin’, Maundy mornin’ couldn’t guarantee
That Maundy evenin’ you would still be here with me

Over at Play the Dad? No, be the Dad!,Matthew S presents Maundy, Maundy, a reflection on Holy Thursday which includes a rewrite of the Mamas and the Papa’s classic song.

Shamelle presents It Doesn’t Cost Much To Consult With God posted at Enhance Life.

Denise Hunnell presents A New License For Teens–And It Is Not For Driving! posted at Catholic Matriarch in my Domestic Church aka Catholic Mom.

Kate Wicker presents Why I Nurse at the Mall and at Mass posted at Kate Wicker.

Catholic musician and lay minister, Bryan Murdaugh presents Why is the Cross So Important?, a theme he explored earlier on his song, We Need the Cross, which is on his album, ‘with everything i know its a long way home’.

Jay at Deo Omnis Gloria offers some thoughts on Reinventing Christianity in Your Own Image, just a post pondering those who use Christianity to push a theologythat looks nothing like Christian Truth.

Mary DeTurris Poust presents So Much for Free Thought posted at Not Strictly Spiritual.

Jason presents 1796: Mastro Titta’s first execution of many posted at Executed Today. I had trouble finding where to fit this post in the Catholic carnival because it is a historical biography of the executioner for the Papal States in the 19th century. We must not forget the historical failings of even people high up in the church. This is a reminder that individuals and the church as a whole must always strive to live out the whole of the gospel and respect human life at all its stages.

Mary’s Aggies have a timely post called Attacks on Human Life Getting Bolder in which they discuss the Incarnation, Easter, The Dignity of the Human Person and the fight for human life in all of its forms.

On Easter Sunday, at from the field of blue children Cathy Adamkiewicz wrote and posted a lovely poem entitled, In Your Shadow.

Fred presents sola fides sufficit posted at Deep Furrows.

Ian presents Top Ten Favorite Quotes from John Milton?s Paradise Lost posted at Musings from a Catholic Bookstore.

E.L. Core at The Blog from the Core continues an Easter custom by presenting Newman for Easter: a list of Ven. John Henry Newman’s Easter-related sermons.

Fellow Canadian, Steven R. McEvoy at Book Reviews and More has an essay about Cursillo 50 Years of Challenge In North America.

HMS Blog presents LET THERE BE LIGHT: A reflection on the readings for the Easter Vigil Mass, focusing on Christ’s resurrection as the light of the new creation.

A Catholic Mom climbing the Pillars presents A Word about being a Good Catholic Parent in which she offers some thoughts on how to be a good example for our children to carry on the traditions of our faith and keep them Catholic.

In Journey to Jesus, Part 3 at Just another day of Catholic pondering, guest blogger Heather shares how Mary is a very real part of her conversion through an experience with her daughter.

Suzanne presents Friday Poetry: Goodly Fere on Good Friday posted at Adventures in Daily Living . This is part of a weekly Poetry Friday project which is a great way to build up the blogging community.

Over at Catholic Fire Jean is talking about The Feast of Divine Mercy and Its Extraordinary Graces. She presents a brief but detailed description of this grace - filled feast day and God’s promises to us

On Saturday after the Easter vigil, I joined Rob from the Tupelo Catholic Blog and Podcast on Ustream along with a bunch of his other virtual friends as he ended his Lenten fast. In his post he looks at the Week Ahead where he points out that this Wednesday is a starting date for Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary and Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday.

A Catholic Mom in Hawaii brings us Sacramentals in the Home: A Catholic Tradition, in which she discusses different kinds of sacramentals to enrich a Catholic home.

I’m going to close my 40 Days of Catholic Media project exactly as I started it, by playing Race You to the Tomb by Karl Kohlhase. Karl Kohlhase is a Contemporary Christian, Catholic songwriter from Minnesota who has released 7 CDs of his original music for free download at his website k4communications.com. He writes:

“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…“

Update:

I made a newbie Catholic Carnival mistake. I forgot to check my spam folder to check if any submissions got there by mistake and there were five. I’m sorry for the omissions.
Teresa’s Two Cents shares about going to The Easter Vigil with a boy who can’t sit still. I can understand the sentiment. We took our daughter to all of the Triduum services except the vigil. We got a babysitter for that one.

Julie at Adoro te Devote reminds us that we are Pilgrims on a Journey. We are citizens of Heaven, here on a journey. The world is not our home and there is a reason our hearts are restless.

Chris at Catholic Converts reminds us that April 13 is a 24 Hour Rosary: World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In his World Day of Prayer for Vocations message Pope Benedict XVI’s said, “The Church prays everyday to the Holy Spirit for the gift of vocations. Gathered around the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, as in the beginning, the ecclesial community learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new apostles, alive with the faith and love that are necessary for the mission.” Catholic Converts invites everyone to join in 24 Hours of the Rosary for Vocations on April 13, 2008. We are asking people to sign up for as little as 30 minutes of continuously praying the Rosary for Vocations.

Over at Apostolate of the Laity David discusses, Judgement, It’s a good thing.

Ho Kai Paulos gives us A light from the shadows shall spring. How is it that last Friday was called “Good”? It seems wrong, somehow, to celebrate that day, when so many evil beings were celebrating - the pharisees, the Romans, the Devil. He discusses briefly, using some poetry from Tolkein, what makes it a good day.

I have always been reticent about making a public witness to my faith, preferring to let my actions and my character be a witness to my faith. (I still think this is the best witness).

Over the past couple years, by participating in the online community around Rosary Army and Catholic podcasting, and with this blog and podcast, I’m becoming more comfortable sharing my faith in public.

Yesterday, we had 2 bishops preside over Easter Mass at our parish as part of the opening ceremonies for the pilgrimage of the Ark of the New covenant (see yesterday’s post for more information on that). A reporter from AChannel, the local TV station out of Barrie was there to report on the service and the pilgrimage.  After mass, she asked me to explain the significance of Easter. I gave it my best shot. You can see the video on the AChannel site.

I hope to post pictures, and maybe interviews of the event over the next few days.

From http://www.cei2008.ca/en/32

1000 km on foot to Quebec City for the International Eucharistic Congress

The 2008 International Eucharistic Congress invites all media, as well as the public, to join in launching the final pilgrimage of the Ark of the New Covenant. A dozen “portageurs” will begin the 1000 km pilgrimage on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008 in Midland, Ontario. The pilgrimage will take them to Quebec City in preparation for the most important religious celebration during the city’s 400th anniversary, the 49^th International Eucharistic Congress.

All those interested are cordially invited to join the “portageurs” (those following the Ark) on Easter day. A Eucharistic celebration will take place at St. Margaret Church in Midland, ON, where the Ark’s pilgrimage will start towards the Canadian Martyrs’ Shrine. Once this 5.5 km distance will be covered, there will be a blessing with the relics of the Martyrs in memory of the first Jesuits.

Following is the detailed schedule of activities for Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008 in Midland, Ontario:

• 10:30 a.m. – Arrival of the portageurs and the Ark of the New Covenant at St. Margaret Church, Midland, ON.
• 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon – Easter Eucharistic celebration with Bishop Peter Hundt, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Toronto & Bishop Pierre-André Fournier, Auxiliary Bishop, Archdiocese of Quebec at St. Margaret Church.
• 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. – Lunch. All are invited to join the portageurs for their meal; however, lunch is not provided.
• 1:00 p.m. – Departure on foot from St. Margaret Church.
• 3:00 p.m. – Arrival at the Martyrs’ Shrine, Blessing and Departure Ceremony.

This historic pilgrimage enhances the liturgical Easter season and the foundation of the Church in Canada. The International Eucharistic Congress website at www.cei2008.ca will allow for people to follow the pilgrimage step by step. After a 64-day journey, the Ark will arrive in Quebec City May 25, 2008 for the Feast of Corpus Christi.

Follow the portageurs online

Many years ago, I was able to spend Easter at Madonna House. Several of us stayed up all night after the Easter Vigil, then made a pre-dawn hike up a mountainous hill to get to Ascension Rock– a large outcropping overlooking the Madawaska River Valley for sunrise. We made a slight miscalculation. The cliff faces west, so we saw the sun rise over the trees we had just hiked through. Nonetheless, at dawn one of our group proclaimed, “Christ has Risen”, and we responded boisterously with the ancient response, “Truly He has risen!”

Sunrise. Such an ordinary event. It happens every day. But any time I’ve taken time to notice and take in a sunrise I’ve always been overcome with awe at the peace and beauty of the moment. It is commonplace and ordinary but always miraculous.

So too is this miracle we celebrate today. Jesus Christ has died and he is risen. He has died for us all, and overcome death to give us the same gift. Miraculous indeed. The Greatest of Miracles. But we commemorate this miracle every Easter, every Sunday. We must be every mindful that we never take this miracle for granted, and treat it as commonplace.

But you have all waited enough for me. The podcast file today is an early listen to my For the Sake of the Song episode with Kyle Heimann from Popple. I will not be releasing it on For the Sake of the Song until April 20.

Enjoy

The Crucifixtion: Andrea Mantegna (c. 1431 – September 13, 1506). Andrea Mantegna - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

• In Day 1 of 40 Days of Catholic Media, I featured For Me, a free downloadable CD for Lent called by Karl Kohlhase. He has released a second CD this Lent called, Bread Of Life: Eucharistic Reflections. I open the podcast with Create In Me (Psalm 51).
• Reflection on K7 Days.

I am declaring the 7th, 17th and 27th of each month as K7 days. On a K7 day take 7 minutes to leave voice feedback for some of your favorite podcasts. You can also join the K7 Days group on facebook.

• Audio Feedback from Doug Mumphrey of The ManlyCatholic Podcast

• This week’s Catholic Carnival is up at Mary’s Aggies. I’m looking forward to hosting the Easter blog carnival next week here on A Catholic Canadian.

• Reflections on 40 Days of Catholic media and ideas for continuing this concept.

• Popple God is Love (Prayer of St. Francis).

Remember, I can still be persuaded to release my interview with Kyle from Popple early. Just leave me comments on the blog, send email to ductapeguy at hotmail dot com or call my K7 voicemail number at 206-337-0611. Remember that K7 numbers are in the Seattle area code so normal long distance charges may apply.

I almost forgot to mention that both a Catholic Canadian and For the Sake of the Song are now available on Itunes.

A Catholic Canadian on the Itunes music Store

For the Sake of the Song on the Itunes music Store

In keeping with the truism that no podcaster produces just one show, here is a listing of Father Bill’s seven podcasts. You can find them all at frbill.org .

• St. Anthony’s Podcast
• Fr. Geek
• Mysteries of the Mass
• Pilgrim Cast
• DaVinci Cast
• Children’s G.I.F.T.
• Camp On Dude

I had a bit of a brainwave. Alot of podcasters use the free K7 voicemail service to receive voice comments. A drawback of the service is that like many free internet services, if you don’t use it for 30 days, you lose your K7 number. I also know that podcasters love to receive voice feedback, so I have a simple proposal:

I am declaring the 7th, 17th and 27th of each month as K7 days. On a K7 day take 7 minutes to leave voice feedback for some of your favorite podcasts.

In my feedback I may mention that it’s K7 day and ask the recipients to pass it on. It can be a kind of chain of good will, … and it will reset the counter for the recipient’s voicemail number.

If your like me, you’ve been meaning to respond to a few shows at any given time. On the K17th of March, try to reach out to other podcasters.

P.S. my K7 feedback number is 206-337-0611.

Remember that K7 numbers are in the Seattle area code so normal long distance charges may apply. I use SkypeOut, so I have almost unlimited North American calling.

Update:  I set up a K7 Day group on facebook.  Join the group and remember to add to the conversation by leaving a message for a podcaster on the K17th.

Well, they say there are 3 kinds of people in the world: people who can do math and people who can’t. I’ve also heard that there are in fact 10 kinds of people: People who get binary, and people who don’t.

Back to Lent: We started on Ash Wednesday and on Day 40, we still have 6 days left. What’s up with that? In fact there is a simple explanation– The six Sundays in Lent don’t count. Sunday is always considered a day of commemoration of the resurrection (like a mini Easter all year long). I knew that going into this blog project, but decided that I would still blog daily during all of Lent, so you can look forward to Day 41 of 40 Days of Catholic Media tomorrow.

Heres a longer explanation about Lent from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter.^[1]Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan.^[2] Different churches calculate the forty days differently. The forty days represent the time

The purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer—through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial—for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In Western Christianity, but with the exception of the Archdiocese of Milan which follows the Ambrosian Rite, Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday through to Holy Saturday.^{[3] [1]} The six Sundays in Lent are not counted among the forty days because each Sunday represents a “mini-Easter“, a celebration of Jesus’ victory over sin and death.^[2]

In those churches which follow the Byzantine tradition (e.g. Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics), the forty days of Lent are calculated differently: the fast begins on Clean Monday, Sundays are included in the count, and it ends on the Friday before Palm Sunday. The days of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday and Holy Week are considered a distinct period of fasting. For more detailed information about the Eastern Christian practice of Lent, see the article Great Lent.

In the interview, we talk about Lent, the importance of finding a quiet place to reflect and meditate (like the bathtub). We close the episode with Created and Living, a song Russ co-wrote and produced last year for Catholic Education Week.