Catholic Roundup

Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, our annual six weeks of prayer and pennance in preparation for Easter.   At Wednesday Mass, the priest makes a cross of ashes on each person’s forehead and remarks,  ”Remember, O man, that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return.”   The recipient of the ashes is supposed to wear them for the rest of the day as an outward sign of their repentence.

For years, I was not very comfortable with showing outward signs of my faith.  Not that I was embarassed by it, but my faith was ‘private‘ and ‘personal‘.  Indeed, my faith is very personal, but it should not be private.  As attributed to St. Francis, one should “Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

Back to ashes.  For years, my modus operandi was to ‘rub them in‘ immediately after Ash Wednesday mass.  After all, they are a sacramental and we should dispose of them with reverence.  I think this was more about ‘rubbing them off’ for me than rubbing them in.   This year I am making a firm resolution to wear my ashes proudly and reflect on what they represent for the rest of the day  (It doesn’t hurt that I’m going to a late afternoon mass then home and I won’t likely be out with them in public, but hey-- It’s the thought that counts).

So here’s your assignment for the first day of 40 Days of Catholic Media.   Take a picture of yourself adorned with your ashes.  Then head over to the Catholic Roundup Facebook Page and post it on the wall along with a brief introduction of yourself and your Catholic Media interests.

I’ll start.  I’m Sean McGaughey from catholicroundup.com .  I initially got involved in Catholic podcasting as an avid listener and serial sender of silly feedback.  I initially started my blog “A Catholic Canadian”--  (hence cc.ductapeguy.net)  just as a way to participate in the online Catholic community.  I did not at that time feel a vocational “call” to do a Catholic podcast.  But over many months, as I was doing more and more short audio and video podcasts shining a spotlight on great Catholic resources online, I began to discern a call to help support and promote others who were spreading the Good News online.   For me, “The Call” to evangelize was not an event, but an ongoing and gradual process of discernment and awakening which led 2 years later to my wife assisting me in drafting our formal vision statement for the Catholic Roundup, “To support and encourage those using new media to spread the Good News”.

How did you begin your journey to share your faith online?  How has that developed over time? Let us know over on the Catholic Roundup Facebook Page.

One more request. I have done only the bare minimum of promotion for this project. If you know other online Catholics who would like to join us on this journey, please invite them. And feel free to blog, podcast, tweet, plurk or facebook it as well.

Update:

And one of the first to dive into the conversation is Owen Swain from drawntocatholicism and luminousmiseries with a VLOG acceptance to join in this 40 day journey.  Thanks Owen.

Today is Ash Wednesday. We begin our 40 days in the desert leading up to the death and resurrection of our Lord. As part of my Lenten reflections, I’m going to try to prepare 40 short posts or media clips highlighting Catholic media and find some ways to enrich my spiritual life during Lent.

Here’s the first one. In my Christmas Special of my For the Sake of the Song Podcast, I featured an interview with Karl Kohlhase. Karl Kohlhase is a Contemporary Christian, Catholic songwriter from Minnesota who has released 6 CDs of his original music for free download at his website k4communications.com. He Just released a new Lenten themed CD, entitled For Me on his website. He is giving this CD away, and 5 others, as free downloadable Mp3 files. He views it as a ministry, as his way to spread the Good news. Here is what he says about sharing his music.

Listen to

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (32.9MB)

“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…“

Thanks Karl for the wonderful gift of your music.

Listen Here to Episode 36 of For the Sake of the Song with Karl Kohlhase [35:55m].