Cooper Ray and Chris Muglia to Sing on CatholicTV Broadcast of The Commons

During the week starting May 23rd, “The Commons”, a Catholic music show which airs on CatholicTV, will feature musicians Cooper Ray and Chris Muglia.

“The Commons” airs each week at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV at the following times (Eastern): Wednesday 8 a.m.; Thursday 5 p.m. and 3:30 a.m.

Cooper Ray is a dynamic and light-hearted speaker and musician who shares his faith with honesty and passion. Through story, humor, and audience participation, Cooper leads groups of all ages to a greater awareness of who they are as Catholic Christians and how to recognize God’s presence in their lives.

More information about Cooper is available at: http://www.cooperray.com
Chris Muglia is a Catholic singer/songwriter. Through his apostolate, Sound Mission Ministries, Chris and his team of dynamic musicians, speakers, and teachers are making an impact on the church at large through their faithful families parish missions. Sound Mission Ministries is dedicated to helping families navigate through the popular culture while holding on to their Catholic faith.

As a father of 5 and husband of 14 years, Chris is able to connect with audiences of all ages. His message has inspired many to deepen their relationship with Christ and renew their commitment to the Catholic Church. He is an accomplished vocalist, guitarist and pianist, and his music is published with Oregon Catholic Press. Chris served as a full time liturgist and music director in the Diocese of Phoenix for 20 years before he formed Sound Mission Ministries. He and his family reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

http://www.chrismuglia.com/

Third Grade Students From 7 Different New England Schools Will Appear on CatholicTV Game Show

Starting May 5th, CatholicTV will begin annual production of its game show starring third grade students from various Catholic schools. The show is called “WOW: The CatholicTV Challenge” (WOW). Recording of the show should be completed by May 20th and this year will be the first time that WOW is recorded in full high-definition.

Once production begins, approximately 100 students will squeeze into a television studio for each episode. The set for WOW is full of computer-controlled lights, a starlit background, and music playing in the background.

Participating Boston-area schools include:

• St. Bernadette School- Northborough, MA
• St. Theresa School- West Roxbury, MA
• St. Patrick School- Roxbury, MA
• Holy Family School- Rockland, MA
• St. John the Baptist School- Peabody, MA
• St. Jude School- Waltham, MA
• St. Patrick School in Pelham, NH

CatholicTV to Air Ordination Mass of New Boston Priests

On May 21st, CatholicTV will air the Ordination Mass for the Archdiocese of Boston. This year’s ordination will include seven men and will include a former communications industry professional, an M.I.T graduate, and a member of a unique religious order known for living in poverty.

The Ordination Mass will air live at 9 a.m. and again at 8 p.m. ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets. Commentary for the Ordination Mass will be provided by Father Robert Reed, President of The CatholicTV Network.

The names of the men to be ordained are:

Rev. Mr. John Anthony D’Arpino
Rev. Mr. Michael Joseph Farrell
Rev. Mr. Kwang Hyun Lee
Rev. Mr. Mark William Murphy
Rev. Mr. Carlos David Suarez
Brother Sean Patrick Hurley, FPO

More information about the men to be ordained can be found at: http://www.vocationsboston.org/StandardProductCatalogue_ProductList.aspx
Footage of other major events in the American Catholic Church and the Vatican can be viewed at http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-television.aspx.

CatholicTV has over 1400 videos at its website (www.CatholicTV.com). Most of these videos are full-length programs viewable anytime.

There Be Dragons T.V. Special To Air on CatholicTV

During the week of May 4th, CatholicTV will air a made-for-television special program about the upcoming film “There Be Dragons” which was directed by Roland Joffé, the director of the 1986 film “The Mission” which starred Robert DeNiro.

The television special to air on CatholicTV is called “There Be Dragons: The Power of Forgiveness”.

There Be Dragons tells the story of two childhood friends who find themselves on opposite sides of the war. One chooses the path of peace and becomes a priest while the other chooses a life of jealousy and revenge. Each struggles to find the faith and forgiveness to overcome the forces tearing them apart. The priest depicted in the film is St. Josemaria Escriva.

“There Be Dragons: The Power of Forgiveness” features footage of the upcoming film which has already been shown at special screenings across the country and opens in theatres on May 6th.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston called the film “excellent”.

The 30-minute special program “There Be Dragons: The Power of Forgiveness” will stream at CatholicTV.com and air on CatholicTV cable outlets during the week of May 4th at the following times: Wednesday 10:30 AM & 8:00 PM; Friday 5:00 AM & 6:00 PM; Saturday 2:30 PM

CatholicTV Series Explores Religious Order Recently Assigned To Minister To 60,000 Students in Boston’s Fenway Area

On April 19th, Cardinal Seán O’Malley, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Boston, announced a major expansion of campus ministry in the Fenway area of Boston.

With the support of Archdiocese, the Brotherhood of Hope (BOH) will launch a new initiative which would expand the BOH’s outreach from two universities to about ten in the Fenway area of Boston.

The BOH is a relatively young religious order (founded 1980) which specializes in campus ministry at secular colleges and universities.

CatholicTV recently launched a television series exploring the work of the BOH called “Hope on Campus”. The series includes interviews of BOH members as well as student-produced footage of the BOH’s activities and work on campus. The series has episodes titled “Mission to Tanzania”, “Sex and Life on Campus”, “Opening Week Evangelization”, and much more. Hope on Campus airs each week at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets.

“As their name implies, they bring hope to students in a very personal, individual, and joyful manner”, said Laura Moreno, a medical student at Boston University.

“The brothers were an integral part of my early faith formation, making themselves available to field my faith-related questions, but also showing me that pious men can still talk sports and enjoy a good beer every now and then”, said Alex Johnson, an alumnus of Northeastern University in Boston.

Cardinal Seán O’Malley said of the BOH, “Their twenty-five years of experience in campus ministry will provide us the opportunity to develop a community of college and university students centered in the Eucharist.”

Hope on Campus airs each Tuesday on CatholicTV at 8:30 p.m. Archived episodes can be seen now at http://www.CatholicTV.com/campus-ministry

A Note From Fr. Reed

Great things sometimes come in big packages, but also in small ones as well. Recently, a southwest Florida university unveiled a 54-ton sculpture of the Virgin Mary. Back in the beginning of the spring hundreds gathered at Ave Maria University for the unveiling. It took the sculptor two years to carve the 35-foot-tall, 31-foot-wide sculpture.

He actually started with an 80-ton block of marble that came from the same quarry Michelangelo used for the Pieta and David sculptures. The sculpture was blessed by Bishop Frank Dewane of the diocese of Venice.

This would not be what I would call a blink or a blip on the screen, but a tremendous testimony to the Faith of an artist to the powerful intercession and maternal care of the Blessed Mother of God. This May, we honor Mary who is also our mother, the Mother of the Church.

Our Catholic Faith is so rich and multifaceted. Some years ago we decided that there were many missed opportunities to communicate the message of the Gospel if we were to only produce programs that fit into the typical television schedule. As you know, a typical TV show is usually thirty or sixty minutes with commercials or public service announcements interspersed throughout. So we decided to introduce a new and simple innovation called "Blink." Essentially a Blink is a short program of three to
five minutes which can then be strung together to form a half hour block or run by itself to fill time until the next scheduled program.

These mini-programs, which are sometimes over "in the blink of an eye," have afforded us so many opportunities to highlight one aspect or another of the rich tapestry of our Faith and bring into your home, or onto a smaller screen, a particular individual who might not have otherwise become part of the CatholicTV family.

Under the watchful eye of the Mother of the Church, whom we honor with our particular affection this May, we offer you all that we do, big and small. As always, it's all for you!

CatholicTV to Air Ordination of Three New Bishops Including America’s Youngest Bishop

On May 5th, CatholicTV will air (live) the episcopal ordination Mass for three new bishops of the Archdiocese of Detroit including: Bishop-designate Donald Hanchon, Bishop-designate Michael Byrnes, and Bishop-designate Arturo Cepeda, who will become the youngest Bishop in the U.S. at age 41.

The Mass will air live at 2 p.m. (Eastern) at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets.

After the live broadcast, the Mass will be added to the CatholicTV.com archives, where it will be viewable (free of charge) anytime at http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-television

More information about the Archdiocese of Detroit and the three new bishops is available at http://www.aodonline.org/

CatholicTV to Exhibit at 60th Annual Cable Show

From June 14-16, CatholicTV will exhibit at The Cable Show in Chicago.

This is the fourth year that CatholicTV has exhibited at this industry gathering. The Cable Show 2011, is hosted by the National Cable & Telecommunication Association (NCTA). This year’s event is the 60th Annual Cable Show and is Co-Chaired by Discovery’s David Zaslav and Suddenlink’s Jerry Kent.
The Cable Show will include attendees from over 52 foreign countries and will also be attended by cable operators such as Time Warner, Comcast, Cox Communications, and many more.

Mr. Patrick McCaskey of the Chicago Bears will be a featured guest at the CatholicTV exhibit booth on the afternoon of June 16th. CatholicTV’s exhibit will offer samples of CatholicTV programming and social media; it is hosted by CatholicTV Network President Father Robert Reed, Executive Vice President Jay Fadden, and Marketing Programming Manager Bonnie Rodgers.

CatholicTV works to grow its presence on television around the nation in order to bring more religious, educational, and entertaining programming to Catholics around the U.S.

Viewers who wish to support CatholicTV in spreading its programming across the country by contacting cable and satellite providers can help by visiting: http://www.CatholicTV.com/helpus
The number of people who signed the petition mentioned above recently reached over 10,000.

To learn more about The Cable Show visit: http://2011.thecableshow.com/

CatholicTV’s Mother’s Day Programming Will Include Documentary of Married Mother and Canonized Saint Gianna Molla

In celebration of Mother’s Day, CatholicTV will air a documentary about St. Gianna Beretta Molla on May 8th.

St. Gianna is known for refusing an abortion and a hysterectomy when she was pregnant with her fourth child and doctors discovered a tumor in her uterus. She opted for a risky operation to remove the tumor that preserved the life of her child rather than undergo a hysterectomy. Six days after giving birth to her baby she died from complications. St. Gianna was the last saint to be canonized by Pope John Paul II.

CatholicTV will air the documentary about St. Gianna at 8:30 a.m. and again at 8:30 p.m. on May 8th. This will air at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets. The documentary previously aired on St. Gianna’s feast day which is April 28th.

The documentary is entitled “St. Gianna Beretta Molla - A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love”.

CatholicTV to Air Beatification Mass of Pope John Paul II and Vigil Mass From Vatican

On Sunday, May 1st, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, CatholicTV will air the beatification Mass for Pope John Paul II.

Pope Benedict XVI will preside at the Mass. CatholicTV will also air the vigil for the beatification the night before (April 30th) at 8 p.m.

This programming will air at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets.

Below is the schedule for May 1st including related programming (all times Eastern):

• Interview with Pope John Paul II's biographer George Weigel (9 a.m.)
• Pope John Paul II’s 1979 visit to the U.S. (11 a.m. and 6 p.m.)
• Be Not Afraid- special program on the passing of Pope John Paul II (11:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.)
• Beatification of Pope John Paul II (noon and 8 p.m.)
• Chaplet of Divine Mercy (3 p.m. every day)
• Songs about Divine Mercy by Angelina (3:20 p.m.)
• The Message of Divine Mercy (3:30 p.m.)

Archived Papal Programming can be accessed any time at http://www.CatholicTV.com/Pope-Benedict-xvi (including Papal Visit to Spain, England and more).

Holy Week and Jesus' Passion- A Note From Fr. Reed

Betrayed by a kiss, denied by friends, abandoned, alone, abused, falsely accused, judged, condemned, stripped, whipped, spat upon, crowned with thorns, burdened by the cross, mocked and insulted, thirsty, dying…perhaps it all had to come to pass just like this so that no one on the face of the earth would ever be able to say that Jesus doesn't understand my suffering, that Jesus doesn't know my pain, that Jesus just doesn't get it.

Jesus gets it alright - He understands all of our suffering and then some. Jesus has "been there and done that" in larger measure than most of us can begin to imagine. He took all of this upon Himself out of love for us, and He took all of this upon Himself because sometimes we are the ones who betray Him; we are the ones whose spirit is willing but whose flesh is weak. Sometimes we are the ones who give false testimony, who are poor in the judgments we make. Sometimes we are the ones at whose hands others suffer. Sometimes we are the ones who mock and insult others. Sometimes we are the ones who deny Him and abuse and abandon Him as He is found in those around us.

And in spite of all of this, God’s love for us has no end, and His mercy is forever. The story of the suffering of Jesus is a violent one, but at its heart is a love story: a story of God's love for His people and His willingness to give everything to show us the depths of that love.

As we enter the week called "holy," may the love and mercy of the Lord Jesus make us holy and bring us to the joy of His resurrection.

CatholicTV to Air Coverage of NYC Premier of Faith-Based Film ‘Soul Surfer’ Including Interviews with Bethany Hamilton, Actors/Actresses and More

On April 14th and 15th, CatholicTV will air coverage of Soul Surfer’s NYC premiere and interviews produced by CatholicTV.

Soul Surfer is a faith-based film starring Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Kevin Sorbo, Carrie Underwood, AnnaSophia Robb and others.

Soul Surfer is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a gifted, award-winning surfer who after losing her arm in a shark attack, still remained determined to succeed with the help of her faith and her family.

On April 14th, CatholicTV’s news magazine show “ClearVoice” will include an interview with Bethany Hamilton.

On April 15th, CatholicTV’s live talk show “This is the Day” will include coverage of the red carpet-style NYC premiere of the film. This coverage will also include excerpts of interviews produced by CatholicTV at the film premiere.

Some of the interviews produced by CatholicTV which air in the coming weeks include:

AnnaSophia Robb: Lead actress who plays the part of Bethany Hamilton

Kevin Sorbo: Actor best known for this role as Hercules in the television series. He plays the part of Holt Blanchard, who helped to save Bethany Hamilton’s life following the shark attack.

Sean McNamara: Writer and Director of Soul Surfer

Sarah Hill- Youth minister friend of Bethany Hamilton who is played by Carrie Underwood

Cheri and Tom Hamilton- Parents of Bethany Hamilton who are played by Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid.

CatholicTV Uses Advanced Software to Increase Productivity

CatholicTV is now using an advanced software to increase productivity and assist in its transition to high definition broadcasting.

The new software, made by Dalet, is also used by ABC, FOX, NPR, and many other innovative international media companies.

The new software allows CatholicTV to transition its old programming from tape format to file format. This means, among other things, that members of the production staff will be able to bring up all of CatholicTV’s older programs instantly at their computers rather than have to search through a room full of tapes.

The new software (a.k.a. media asset management system) will also allow CatholicTV to more easily distribute its content to new outlets such as the iPhone. In other words, the new software will make it easier for CatholicTV to reach more viewers.
“I like the way it makes the workflow more efficient and simpler. It streamlines the whole process of production” said Tim Stonesifer, a member of the CatholicTV production staff.

“It’s a huge step forward in productivity” said Mark Quella, CatholicTV’s Chief Engineer.

CatholicTV created its own social networking site, iCatholic.com in 2010. Since then, members have formed an online prayer community where they discuss their Catholic faith, and share pictures, stories, and videos.

CatholicTV also has its own iPhone application. More information is available at carryyourfaith.com