Travel to Portugal!

Thanks to our good friend Fr. Roderick, you and I can travel virtually to Portugal for a little pilgrimage. Father recently returned from his Portuguese sojourn and has begun posting his travel videos. I'm hoping to share them with you here as he puts them online.

I love Fr. Roderick's sense of humor, his eye for detail, the way he compliments his videos with music, and the "real world" feel that you get when you watch his films.

So today, come with me to Portugal for a little while and enjoy!

Best Saint Song Ever!

Congrats to Dr. Paul Camarata of the Saint Cast on the occasion of his 100th Podcast! Paul - thank you for 100 chances to learn about and fall more in love with our wonderful Catholic saints!

YouTube - The Saint Song

Lisa Heard on Grapevine

Just in case you haven't heard me talking about the CNMC enough, you can listen to this week's episode of GrapeVine News Minute, where my great cyber-buddy Susan Bailey interviews me about the celebration. We greatly enjoyed our conversation and I thought you might like to hear it as well! While you're at it, check out the newly redesigned Grapevine Website and leave Susan a little bit of encouraging feedback. She's doing a great job!

GrapeVine - Audio Broadcasts: The GrapeVine News Minute for June 29, 2008

Catholic Moments #57 - Catholic New Media Celebration

Enjoy a morning at the Catholic New Media Celebration as Lisa interviews CNMC participants in anticipation of the big event. Our Parish Media Liaison Kerry highlights some great books and our friend Chris Cash tells us about some great happenings at the Catholic Company. Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this episode:
Catholic New Media Celebration
The Catholic Company
Parish Media Liaison Kerry Madden's Pick - Great Summer Reading
Lisa's Facebook Profile
Catholic Mom Logo Store

Click here to listen to Catholic Moments #57

Catholic Moments #56 - Diocese of Atlanta Eucharistic Congress

Come along with Lisa to the Diocese of Atlanta's Eucharistic Congress. We speak with many of the representatives of various apostolates at the Congress to learn more about how we can support our families and foster vocations. My next podcast will feature audio from the Catholic New Media Celebration. Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this episode:
Diocese of Atlanta's Eucharistic Congress
Lisa's Facebook Profile
Catholic Mom Logo Store

Click here to listen to Catholic Moments #56

Highlights from the CNMC

I'm sitting at the airport in Atlanta, waiting for my flights (via Salt Lake City) home to Fresno and am filled with a rush of emotions. This first is a sense of intense happiness - I'm truly blessed in my life. This weekend was an incredible experience! The culmination came yesterday around noon, when seven podcasting priests concelebrated a Mass for all of us present at the Catholic New Media Celebration. Watching my friends and fellow attendees process forward to receive the Eucharist brought tears of joy to my eyes. What a gift to be a part of this faith filled movement that is using technology and new media to share our excitement about our Catholic faith.

I can't say enough about how much I appreciate all of the hard work that went into making this weekend event possible. I wish I had enough money to send Greg and Jennifer Willits on a Caribbean Cruise for a week - their tireless preparations for the CNMC resulted in a flawless event that will be long remembered. If you missed it this year, start planning now to be there next year!

A few more highlights from the day:

• Arriving early to assist with setup and finding a tribe of hardworking souls already at work to make the day great. Most of these were the same crazy group with whom I gathered the night before to shut down the Marriott Lobby Bar - who needs sleep?
  
• Walking into the Georgia International Convention Center and realizing how far SQPN has come in the past year - what a thrill to be a part of this tremendous organization!
• Seeing the new and TOTALLY cute Catholic Mom t shirts designed by the fabulous Capt. Jeff - you simply MUST get one!
• Enjoying Fr. Leo's keynote speech, which was unforgettable and a real call to arms to "Be Not Afraid" to use our skills and to use our lives as "bait" to draw others into a faith-filled life and a relationship with Christ
  
• Listening to the panels moderated by Lino Rulli - he's an amazingly hilarious guy!
  
• Moderating the blogging panel starring Amy Welborn, Mark Shea and Jeff Miller - although I wasn't worthy of the honor of being on the stage with these blogging stars, I appreciate Greg Willits' confidence in me and will always treasure the opportunity!
• Watching the debut of the newest episode of That Catholic Show! and learning of Greg and Jennifer's wonderful news that they are expecting a new member of their family - Greg did promise us their would be surprises!
• Playing chauffeur for Mark Shea - totally cool!
• Hanging with the On the U boys - I love those guys!
• Pizza and beer with a gang of the most incredible, talented, and absolutely fun people in Catholic "new media"

I should be home in about ten hours and back to a "regular" schedule for a few days until my next trip on Friday. In the mean time, I'd love to hear from you - drop me a comment or email if you attended CNMC or if you have any specific questions about the event.

Highlights from the Eucharistic Congress

The tremendous points of yesterday are too numerous to mention, but here are just a few:

• Pulling into the parking lot of the massive Georgia International Convention Center bright and early (on California time) and finding one of the last few parking spots - thanks St. Anthony
• Entering a building packed to the gills with enthusiastic, compassionate and reverent Catholic thrilled about being together to share their faith
• Selling That Catholic Show DVDs at the TCS booth with the SQPN crew. Being trained on how to use PayPal by none other than THE TECHNOPRIEST and sharing the good news about TCS and the CNMC with so many people
• Enjoying conversations with some of the world's best priests - all of whom are podcasting geeks!
  
• Wandering the expo and speaking with vendors about their services - listen for a complete overview on this week's podcast
• Listening to Matthew Kelly, who's just always great
• Visiting with all of the SQPNers - the podcasters, the listeners and those who support what we do behind the scenes
• Chatting with Popple - I tried not to gush too much, but these guys are totally cool!
• Having dinner with the Catholic Exchange/Canticle/CatholicMom crowd and their adorable daughters
• Attending a lobby social hour last night - sharing a beer with my fellow podcasters, getting writing wisdom from Amy Welborn and Mark Shea, and making my uStream debut
• Spending time in Eucharistic Adoration with a few hundred other very faithfilled souls and counting my many blessings - thank you Jesus for my life, for your love and for this day!
  

CNMC Weekend off to a Wonderful Start

The fun has begun.  I arrived in Atlanta tonight around 8:30 and just got in from spending the evening in the company of some of my favorite podcasting buddies.  In typical geek fashion, after I checked into my room, I posted a note on Twitter looking for someone to hang out with for a little while.  I'm still on California time, and was too excited to do the practical thing - get some rest!  So Scott of Boogie Lights and Sweat Cast fame was kind enough to meet up with me.  Sadly, Scott's wife Christine wasn't able to join us, but I'm looking forward to meeting her tomorrow. Before long, Rob and Kristen of Tupelo Catholic joined us.  It's so great to finally meet Kristen, who is a total sweetie.   Next to join us were Steve and Pat of On the U, along with Pat's brother.  It's so amazing to meet people you've listened to for such a long time - I have such a great deal of respect for the work Steve has done with his students - truly a special ministry.

Now it's late - the clock on the bedside stand in my room is trying to tell me that it's 1:00 am, but my body and mind are exhilarated and still operating on California time!  I'm so excited to be able to be here this weekend with so many special people, all of whom are working to share and spread our faith through exciting new media techniques.  The opportunity to gather, to share, to learn and to grow as a faith community is truly a gift.  

Tomorrow morning (although not too early!), I will head to the convention center for the Diocese of Atlanta's Eucharistic Congress.  It promises to be a wonderful event.  I will try to take lots of photos and fit in a few podcast interviews as well.

CNMC - Are You Going to Be There?

I just clicked over to the CNMC website and the site of the countdown clock with less than six days remaining gave me chills. I can't imagine how Greg Willits, the true heart behind the Catholic New Media Celebration, must be feeling!

I will be flying to Atlanta on Friday night and look forward to participating in the Diocese of Atlanta's Eucharistic Congress on Saturday. The CNMC will take place Sunday, and is free of charge. If you live in the region (or even if you don't but just want to take a really great road trip), it's not too late to register. I am looking forward to meeting in person with several of my "friends" from across the country. It's going to be very surreal to be with some of the people I've read and admired for years. I hope to share a few pictures, some audio and some recollections of the event. Please pray for the Willits family and for all of those who will be traveling to attend this important occasion as we look at ways to share our faith using New Media. If you're coming, please drop me an email or a comment below so I can watch out for you!

Catholic New Media Celebration: Come for the Eucharistic Congress. Stay for the Catholic New Media Celebration.

Yet Another Reason to Come to CNMC

This video is absolutely hilarious if you're an SQPNer - you have to take a few minutes to check it out. Great work Sean!

New SQPN Video Series - Grace before Meals!

I absolutely LOVE the latest video series from SQPN.com. Grace Before Meals features Fr. Leo Patalinghug and the first four episodes of the series will feature "liturgically colored sauces". I'm not a cook, so I wasn't expecting to be as excited about this series as I am, but Fr. Leo makes cooking look fun. Enjoy episode one as Fr. Leo takes us grocery shopping for all of the key ingredients. I can't wait to see the next episode and am actually going to try Fr. Leo's recipes with my family. Check it out and help us spread the word about this next best thing from SQPN.

Catholic Moments #47 - Fr. Tom Elliott, Catholic Priest and Rocker

Lisa speaks with Fr. Tom Elliott, Pastor of Christ the King Catholic Church, about his love of music, his CD Rock of Souls and his work in the Church. Deacon Tom Fox shares another moment entitled "All My Words for the Word". We're getting excited about the Catholic New Media Celebration, June 22 in Atlanta - help us spread the word and join in the fun! Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this episode:
Fr. Tom Elliott
Kerry Madden, Catholic Parish Media Liason
Catholic New Media Celebration
Catholic City with Zina
Lisa's Facebook Profile
Catholic Mom Logo Store

Click here to listen to Catholic Moments Podcast #47

CNMC Fever - Catch It!!

Have you registered yet for the Catholic New Media Celebration? It's free, fun and faith-filled! Click here for more information and check out this great video by Zina - hope to see you there.

Catholic New Media Celebration - Help Us Spread the Word

It's almost the weekend, so I know you're daydreaming about fun things to do. I wanted to remind you that registration is now open for the first ever Catholic New Media Celebration. I'll be heading to Atlanta on June 20 to join a cavalcade of talented bloggers, podcasters and others interested in using Catholic New Media to help spread our faith. Registration is free and while you're in Atlanta you will also want to attend the Diocese of Atlanta's Eucharistic Congress being held the day prior to the CNMC.

Register here.

If you have a blog or web site, would you please help spread the word about this great event by posting this YouTube Video on your blog? A lot of hard work is going into making this event a great success, and we need your help to spread the word. If you have any questions about the event, feel free to email me or drop a comment below. Also, I want you to remember that this event is not JUST for people who create content, but also for people like you who use the web to learn about and to share your faith. The guests include keynote speaker Father Leo Patalinghug (Grace Before Meals), the fabulous group Popple, a special Sunday Mass and much more. I hope you'll consider joining in what is surely set to be the Catholic event of the year!

Catholic Moments #46 - Rebecca Christian, Catholic Film Student

Lisa shares about Pope Benedict XVI's trip to the US and the audio from her interview on CNN and interviews Rebecca Christian of the Catholic in Film School blog on the topics of Christian film making and World Youth Day. Deacon Tom shares a reflection "Thoughts on Two Popes". Share your feedback at 206-339-9272 or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this episode:

Rebecca Christian - Catholic in Film School
Catholic New Media Celebration
Lisa's Facebook Profile
Catholic Mom Logo Store

Click here to listen to Catholic Moments Podcast #46

I'll Be There!

You should come too!! Check out all the details here.

Catholic Moments #44 - Jenny Klement

This week I share my interview with Catholic Mom and musician Jenny Klement and preview her CD "Grace is Falling". We share another wonderful Catholic Deacon Moment and announce the Catholic New Media Celebration on June 22 in Atlanta. I'll be there - will you? Be sure to enter this month's contests and share your feedback at 206-339-9272 or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this episode:
Jenny Klement
Catholic New Media Celebration
Diocesan Promotional Catalog - bezalelbooks@gmail.com
St. Augustine Hunger Center Benefit
Matt Maher, Empty and Beautiful
Lisa's Facebook Profile
Catholic Mom Logo Store

Click here to listen to Catholic Moments Podcast #44