Catholic Roundup

At mass on Sunday for the Feast of Epiphany, Father Jeff asked us to remain standing after the gospel reading for the ancient Proclamation of the Date of Easter

The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany dates from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter. Although calendars now give the date of Easter and the other feasts in the liturgical year for many years in advance, the Epiphany proclamation still has value. It is a reminder of the centrality of the resurrection of the Lord in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year. (From Sacramentary Supplement.)

On the solemnity of the Epiphany, the proclamation takes place after the Gospel, the homily or after the Prayer after Communion. The proclamation should be sung from the ambo by a deacon, cantor or a reader. In their absence, the celebrant or concelebrant or another priest  may sing or proclaim it according to the following text:

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return. Through the rhythms of times and seasons  let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation. Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord:  his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial, and his rising celebrated  between the evening of the 9th of April and the evening of the 12th of April. Each Easter – as on each Sunday –  the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death. From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy./ Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the 25th of February.  The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the 21st [or 24th] of May.  Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the 31st of May.  And this year the First Sunday of Advent will be on the 29th of November.   Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ  in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,  and in the commemoration of the faithful departed. To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, for ever and ever.  Amen.

I had not heard of the Epiphany proclamation before but it was for me the perfect capstone to the lessons I have been pondering this Advent and Christmas season.  In trying as a family to put Advent and Christmas in their proper sequence we are becoming more attuned to the Pilgrim Church.  Each year, as we journey around the sun we also repeat the journey of the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world.  It is my hope that each time I follow this journey with just a little deeper understanding and faith.

Through the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar I have also grown a deeper understanding of what it means to be a part of a universal church and a participant of a world-wide faith community.  Over the past 37 days, we have brought you 44 posts contributed by over 50 people from 3 different continents.  Our  thanks go out to our contributors, the webmasters who posted our badge or advent calendar, and everyone who has dropped in to enjoy the great Advent content.    You can see the blogs, podcasts, or music of our contributors at their own websites listed below.

• Paul Camarata from The Saintcast
• Father Michel Nault
• Sarah Reinhard at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering
• Deacon Tom Fox
• Susan Bailey:  musician, blogger and online magazine publisher, and podcaster Sung Rosary Project.
• RAnn from at This That and the Other Thing.
• Bob Kenward writes the Prepare for Mass blog
• Anne, known as Artyi from,  we need boo hoo to get to the woo hoo.
• The Hendey Brothers (Eric and Adam)  and Lisa Hendey from CatholicMom.com and the Catholic Moments Podcast
• The Lefaive Family
• The Sweeney Family  from The Catholic Family Podcast
• The Catholic Family Kids,  Catherine, Austin, Hanna, Luke and their friend Breanna
• Popple Kyle Heimann and Daniel Harms www.virb.com/theharms.
• Blaise Alleyne
• Bryan Murdaugh
• Russ Clayton
• Justin Stroh
• Lionel Valdellon aka Acid42
• Karl Kohlhase
• Father Leo  Patalinghug from Grace Before Meals
• The Mazzuchi family from the Our Catholic Life Podcast
• Mac and Katherine Barron from the Catholic in a Small Town podcast
• Greg Willits from The Catholics Next Door
• Daniele Rossi  superspud.com.  Angel Dude, stutteringiscool.com.
• Steve Runner from the Phedippidations podcast
• Jeff Young from the  Catholic Foodie podcast
• The Orsborn Family: Dave, Karol, Katy, Ellie, and Abbie. Together they produce the  Celebrating Saints Podcast.
• Joe McClane of the Catholic Hack
• Mercedes and Edgar from the Spanish podcast: Lecturas Del Dia (daily readings)
• Father Chris, Father Ryan, Joshua and Daniel from The Catholic Underground podcast
• Michel Payment
• Inge Loots: taquoriaan.com,  A Journey into the Land of the Spirit.
• Father Bill Holtzinger: Father Geek, St. Anthony’s Podcast, Mysteries of the Mass, and the Pilgrim Cast, Father Bill’s Blog
• Adam the Catholic: Theotokos Podcast
• Thanks to Drew Beatty and John Meadows who helped me out when the site went down midway through the Advent Calendar project.
  

And a heartfelt thanks to my loving wife, Nancy and our daughter Sarah who have been my compatriots in life and in this project. I am overwhelmed by the number of people who were involved in making the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar a success.  If I neglected to list your name, please accept my apology for the oversight and let me know so that I can add you to the list. It is my sincere hope that through our blog and podcast we can help our own family and others grow closer to Christ through Mary. That’s a wrap for the Catholic New Media Advent Calendar, but please continue to join us at the Catholic New Media Roundup as we shine a spotlight on the great ways Catholics are spreading the Good News using new media.

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.

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When I was first explaining my idea of a Catholic New Media Advent Calendar to my family I said that it could contain any kind of media that helped us to focus upon the season of advent– whether it was the written word, visual art, podcast, music or even funny cat videos. My daughter thought that the idea of showing cat videos was hilarious so she immediately grabbed her camera and started chasing the cat.  Here are a couple of her cat videos.

When I started this post, I went looking for Christmas Lolcat pictures. I stumbled upon the LOL Cat Bible: Lectionary Readings for Epiphany Sunday.  That’s right folks.  A bunch of people have been busy translating the LOLCat Bible.    And you can find the Sunday lolcat readings on the Meeauw blog.

Here is the Lolcat translation of the visit of the Magi from Matthew 2.1-12.

da visit to da maji, liek srsly
1 Nao, when Jebus was borned in teh dayz when Herod teh king wuz rockin the casbah, hai look, dere sum waiz doodz comin frm teh Eats into Jerusalem
2 n dey wuz all leik “rawr! we iz waiz d00ds from teh Eats! Lol but srsly wear iz teh new leet king j00 dat got borned? In teh eats we wuz in nait timez and omg der wuz dis star in a invisibel plaen n it saied to us ‘go to Jerusalem n find leet king j00 dat got borned, but do not eated him jus be liek hey leet king j00 yu pwn srsly. k?’ so ya wer is he?”
3 king herod (teh n00b king) was campin liek a ub3r n00b near der, n wen he heared dis he wuz liek “omfg hez in mah empaire, steelin ma gloriez (an mai cookiez wtf)?!??! n all d pplz in Jerusalem wuz leik “hey yea wtf?!”
4 So he got all d pplz who are has teh smartz, ne he sayed “sry im n00b but lol srsly wer doez king j00 spawn?”
5 N dey sed to him “lol.. d00d, obviusly king j00 spawns in beetleham, ceiling cat saied to sum gai wun time “oi rait dis down n stuff” n he rited:
6 “dw beetleham, u r not teh fail, cuz from u iz gunna come dis leet d00d who cn pwn evry1 n is haz cookiez. Hez gunna saev teh ppl of Israel n whatnot.”

wtf… star said to come here….
7 Den king herod was liek kk, n he aksed teh waiz d00ds “u know wen it wuz nait timez n dat star saied stuff 2 yuz, wen waz dat happen?” n teh waiz d00ds wuz like “lol wut?”
8 So king herod sed “omg dw, juz go too beetleham n look for teh new king j00 n wen u find him IM me coz I wanna sai to him how much he pwnz. (har har har I are smartz…)”
9 After dat dey wuz on der way n teh star in a invisibel plaen waz fast. Srsly. n it wuz liek “hai2u! good job d00ds! btw teh king j00 is ova here my plaen is pointing 2 wer he iz, k?”
10 Teh wiez d00ds wuz leik “kthx we cn see wer he iz now!” n wuz happi n stuff.
11 Dey goed dere n seed ickle kid Jebus n mary who wuz are who bornded him. n dey were liek “d00d u r teh new king u pwn srsly! lol u are so leet! omfg < ltrly! Btw we bringd u sum cheezburgrs n munniez n faierwerks n stuff u can has dem if u want.”
12 Aftr dat dey waz about to IM king herod den wun of dem sayd “o, actuly, I hasd a dream at nait timez n ceiling cat wuz like “hey sup d00d.” n I wuz liek “nm, u?” n he wuz liek “nm but d00d get dis, king herod r liez tbh. He iz lookin for Jebus so he cn pwn him wtf!!!?” Den I woke up bt srsly ceiling cat sed dat.” So teh udder waiz d00ds sayed “o wtf, I haet dat n00b king herod wtf is hiz problem” n dey all goed bak to der hoem in d eats bi differnt way.

And while we’re celebrating the 11th day of catmas, I highly recommend you check out Fransiscan Focus a great blog by Lisa whose online nickname is Franciscat.

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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 CNMR (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (8.2MB)

Today, Paul Camarata explains the origins of Christmas midnight mass and the mass at dawn. He takes us back to the early celebrations of the Birth of Christ on the Feast of Epiphany in Bethlehem and Jerusalem in the 4th century through the writings of a spanish nun named Egeria.

To learn more about the saints and hear saint news, please check out Paul’s wonderful podcast, The Saintcast. Thanks Paul. Music in this episode: O little town of Bethlehem by Kathy Fisher at fishertheband.com.

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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 CNMR (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (8.5MB)

Time to register for Cana Colony at Madonna House this Summer.

I was thrilled when Deacon Tom Fox mentioned  Madonna House in his 12 Days of Christmas contribution the other Day.  Madonna House is a very special place for our family.  Every other summer we go to Cana Colony, a kind of summer camp/ family retreat for Catholic Families.  At Cana Colony, families stay in simple wooden cabins and cook their meals in a communal cookhouse.  Every day there is Mass, family rosary and one formal retreat session for the parents run by a Madonna House Priest.  For the kids there are many other kids to play with, a lake for swimming, canoes, campfires and great family times.  Cana Colony is in Combermere in Eastern Ontario.  We encourage any Catholic families who live close enough (Ontario, Quebec or the northeastern United States) to try to get to Cana Colony.  It has been an incredible way for us to grow in our faith as a family.

It is important to register early as they only run for 6 weeks in the summertime.  You can find out more information on how to register at http://madonnahouse.org/programs/cana.html.

For an application to Cana Colony, please write to:

Cana Colony
Madonna House Apostolate
2888 Dafoe Rd
Combermere ON   K0J 1L0
Canada

Phone: 613-756-3713

E-mail: combermere@madonnahouse.org

Note: If you send an e-mail to Madonna House, please remember to include your full name and complete postal mailing address.

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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 CNMR (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.6MB)

Susan Bailey, is a  musician, blogger and online magazine publisher, and podcaster.   Her newest project is the Sung Rosary Project.   Today she sends her song:

The Promised Son ©Susan Bailey

A cold, dark night, a glistening star

Shining bright from afar

Upon the man whose wife would soon

Bear a child from her womb

In poverty, in a manger stall

No one came to help at all

The cold, dark night felt colder still

From hearts so hard, and lack of good will

And here was born the promised Son

Jesus Christ, the Holy One

The pain was great, her labor long

She wondered how she could be strong

Yet in her heart she felt no fear

For the child would soon appear

Onto the straw which made his bed

His mother laid His precious head

The fragile babe was heard to cry

She held Him closely to her side

7And here was born the promised Son

Jesus Christ, the Holy One

Glory to our God

For His Son has come down

Made the least of all

That the poor and just be found

The shepherds came there to adore

The tiny baby which she had bore

And three great kings did humbly kneel

Their wonder, they could not conceal

This tender child, the promised Son

Jesus Christ, the Holy One

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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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Today we welcome back RAnn from at This That and the Other Thing.  At the beginning of advent RAnn brought us Advent Links for Children.  Today she follows that very popular post with: Christmas Activities for Catholic (and other Christian) Kids.

My post of Advent Activities for kids has proven to be the most popular one I’ve ever written, so I thought I’d try one giving Christmas activities for kids–and focus on the Christmas that features the baby Jesus, the stable, and the star rather than the one that features Santa, the reindeer and Frosty.

Apples4theteacher appears to be a site designed for teachers and has coloring sheets, poems, songs and more. It looks like there is quite a bit here, but you have to hunt a little.

Coloring Book Fun has coloring pages for a lot of things, including religious Christmas pages.

Resources for Catholic Educators links to coloring pages too.

A Google search for Christmas coloring sheets will give you lots of options, but check them out before turning the kids loose–some are anti-Catholic.

CatholicMom has lots of ideas to keep the little ones busy.

Catholic Culture gives us Christmas morning prayers and evening prayers.

Catechetical Resources, from the publishers of the Faith and Life religion books give us Christmas activities for the brain as well as fun things to do.

Check your child’s grade on Sadlier’s website and find a Christmas activity for his/her age group.

Preschool kids will like this site.

Domestic Church has several Christmas activities.

The ladies over at Catholic Cuisine are bound to have something good to cook for Christmas.

The Daughters of St. Paul have some online activities for kids.

Of course the most necessary part of celebrating Christmas is celebrating Sunday mass with the community. The web gives us lots of resources to help children understand the weekly readings. The publishers of the Faith First religion texts have weekly summaries, discussion topics and activities based on the readings. Sadlier has a similar site. Catholic Mom.com has coloring pages, worksheets, lesson plans, and more for each week. Open Wednesday has a variety of activities as well.

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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 CNMR (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Bob Kenward writes the Prepare for Mass blog which contains reflections and resources to help Catholics reflect and pray on the Sunday mass readings for each week.  Today he brings us a post on Why Christmas Cannot Fit Into One Day.

Merry Christmas. Praise be to Jesus Christ now and forever.

The miracle of Christmas is far too important to celebrate for just a single day. The Christmas story needs to be experienced and reflected on for entire seasons. To fully experience Christmas takes an entire lifetime on this earth and into eternity.

The Church begins to prepare for Christmas during Advent. This is a time when we set aside a few weeks to prepare the way for Jesus birth. After Christmas day the Church continues to celebrate for a few weeks allowing what we just experienced to take root.

While we are still living, it is a time to prepare for our ultimate destination, heaven. Our life of faith is a journey. This journey is full of unexpected events, pitfalls, hardships, and disappointments. Fortunately, along the way we experience dull reflections of the happiness in store for those of us willing to stay the course.

The birth of Christ at the first Christmas was not the beginning of the second person of God. The word was with God. God has no beginning and no end. At Christmas the word became flesh and came to meet us. Thanks to the coming of Jesus at Christmas, the law of God that once was written on stone tablets is now written on our hearts. Dwelling among us, God is so close to us and has a relationship with us.

It is amazing to think about the dimensions of God. In himself God is a society. He is one, but, at the same time three distinct persons who are not complete without each other. The works of creation can remind us of the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It has been observed that a family with the husband, wife, and children are but a faint reflection of the properties of God. Our capacity to love is dependent upon our entering into the source of love that is God. If there is to be order of the universe, each part of God’s creation must align to the purposes of its creation.

The word becoming flesh and dwelling among us is in itself an incredible sign of contradiction. To enter into the love of God presents such challenges for us. This Jesus born in such humble circumstances for the single purpose of dying to expiate sins of all humanity calls us to enter into his sacrifice. The Sacraments that we as Catholics receive by our own choice, or that of our parents, require a sacrifice that changes us in a radical way. The changes we experience are truly causes of division. When the Son of God was on earth, he was killed and his followers suffered, many being killed themselves. The word of God is still with us and many Christians to this day are still persecuted.

Each year, when the season comes, we are asked by God to experience the incarnation anew and to allow the baby Jesus to grow in our souls from ‘cradle to cross’ and from ‘cross to grave’. The journey takes us to many places we don’t want to go and sometimes while on our own we regret going there. But, knowing that God brings order to the disorder that life can be if left on our own, makes life a little more worth living. Knowing that God is closer to us than we can ever imagine, can make the difficult journey a little easier to bear.

Yes, God is here with us and throughout our lives he is ever so gently nudging us to enter into his love. He wants us to know and do his will. The journey we are on is the quest to know and do his will. This is the journey of a lifetime and is precisely why Christmas is far too big to fit into one day.
Click to watch Cradle and the Cross Music Video on Youtube

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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 CNMR (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (3.4MB)

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 numberous other websites.  Today Deacon Tom reflects on a practice at Madonna House of giving Epiphany gifts.  I will let Deacon Tom explain in his audio reflection.

Join us tomorrow for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities as we journey through the 12 Days of Christmas.

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 CNMR (RSS).

Subscribe on the Itunes Music Store