Over 10,000 Sign Petition to Spread CatholicTV as Pope Calls on Church Leaders to Speak ‘New Language’ of Mass Media

Over 10,000 people have signed a petition used to encourage cable and satellite television providers to add CatholicTV to their channel line ups.

CatholicTV employees have travelled to conferences, retreats, and trade shows in many different states collecting names for its petition.

CatholicTV supporters recently made an impact in Worcester, Massachusetts, where dozens of attendees at a Catholic Men’s Conference signed letters requesting that CatholicTV be added to Charter Cable’s lineup. A few months later, CatholicTV was added to Charter Cable’s lineup.

Interestingly, the number of petition signers crossed 10,000 around the same time (March 1st) as Pope Benedict addressed participants of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications.

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 originated as the world’s first diocesan television station in 1955. CatholicTV currently broadcasts on cable throughout New England, Detroit, Baton Rouge, and on Fi-TV in Chattanooga. CatholicTV also airs nationally on Sky Angel, and streams its broadcast online 24 hours per day at CatholicTV.com. Viewers may watch the online broadcast completely free of charge or obligation.

CatholicTV’s petition to help spread its broadcast reach can be signed online at http://www.CatholicTV.com/helpus

CatholicTV is also giving away Flip (portable camcorder) cameras to some petition signers in order to encourage more supporters to sign the petition. The most recent winner of a Flip camera was Karen M of Colorado.

Did You Miss the 2011 March For Life? Watch Video of Youth Rally and Mass For Life in Washington at CatholicTV.com

Photo by A. Wessling, Executive Director - Office of Evangelization, Outreach & Information Archdiocese of Washington

Footage of the Youth Rally For Life and Mass For Life From Washington, D.C. is now available at http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-television.

The Youth Rally For Life included musical performances by Steve Angrisano, Ike Ndolo, Maddie Curtis and an audience of thousands of young Catholics from around the country.

During his homily, which is viewable now at CatholicTV.com, Fr. Mark Ivan said, “The biggest difference between other civil rights movements and the right to life movement is that the people whose rights are being taken away by Roe vs. Wade are not here to stand up for themselves. They can’t show the people in power that they are just as human as everyone else, they can’t march around Washington like the women who were denied the right to vote, they can’t give powerful speeches like Fredrick Douglass or Martin Luther King. The millions of unborn babies that have been affected by abortion aren’t here to stand up for themselves.”

Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington presided over the Mass For Life at the Verizon Center. Due to overwhelming attendance at this event in the past years, a second Youth Rally and Mass for Life also took place at the DC Armory and allowed an additional 10,000 youth to attend.

CatholicTV Network coverage of major events in the American Catholic Church can be viewed at www.CatholicTV.com/Catholic-Television. There are over 1,800 videos at the network's website for free, on-demand viewing.