25-Year-Old Who Biked 2,400 Miles To Document Catholic Stories Will Tell His Story of One Billion Stories During Live CatholicTV Interview

On November 12th, Seth DeMoor will be interviewed on the live CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”.

Seth is a recent college graduate who captured national attention earlier this year after biking about 2,400 miles across the Southern United States interviewing Catholics he met along the way and posting their stories in brief videos online.

Seth’s website, www.onebillionstories.com has hundreds of video-recorded interviews he took during his trip in early 2010. These videos cover a wide range of topics such as conversion, testimonies, faith stories by athletes, and much more.

This is the Day airs at 10:30AM ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets. The show is rebroadcast at 7:30PM and other times during the week.

During his 3-month-long trip across the Southern U.S., Seth did not carry a GPS unit, or even a map. In an interview with the Denver Catholic Register, Seth said, “That’s the beauty of pilgrimage and pedaling by faith,” he said. “You simply have to trust that ‘The Big Man’ will see you through to the end.”

Thanks to the assistance of people he met during his trip, Seth only spent $100. “People just kept feeding me,” he said. “And after Mass, some would hand me $20’s and $50’s to help me get home.”

In January 2011, Seth will travel across the U.S. again (by car) to gather more stories, mostly from young Catholics at Fellowship of Catholic University Students conferences.

CatholicTV.com Video Series Prepares Catholics For Voting

In preparation for upcoming mid-term elections, CatholicTV.com, the CatholicTV iPhone app, and CatholicTV now feature a video series called “Catholic Citizenship”. These videos are based on a letter written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Catholic Citizenship videos follow the format of the Bishops’ letter “Forming Consciences For Faithful Citizenship”.

This document addresses relevant questions such as “Who in the Church Should Participate in Political Life?, What Does the Church Say About Catholic Social Teaching in the Public Square?”, and more. The document also addresses specific issues such as human life and social justice.

The Catholic Citizenship videos can be viewed now by using the following link: http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-faith.

These videos also air currently on CatholicTV cable. Hosted by Fr. David O’Leary, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and Chaplain at Tufts University the Catholic Citizenship videos currently air between various programs on CatholicTV.

In one of the Catholic Citizenship videos, Fr. O’Leary insists that Catholics need to properly understand the meaning of separation of Church and state- namely that “ the separation clause means that religious institutions should not expect favoritism, nor should any church or faith group accept discrimination from the government. The purpose of the separation clause is not to silence the religious voice or to deny a public role for the religious voice. The separation clause guarantees the freedom of the church or any spiritual group to earn its way into the public policy debate by demonstrating the wisdom of its argument.”

More information about the CatholicTV iPhone app can be found at www.carryyourfaith.com

Daughter of Soldier Who Liberated A Nazi Concentration Camp Will Appear on Live CatholicTV Talk Show

On November 9th, Judy McCloskey will be featured on the CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”.

McCloskey comes from a military family. Her father fought in WWII and even helped liberate the Nordhausen Nazi concentration camp in Germany.

In addition to raising six children and being the wife of a Navy officer, McCloskey founded a unique organization called CatholicMil, which serves personnel, chaplains and families of those serving in the US Military. The group produced a music video “In God We Trust” featuring military personnel from all over the world, the video will air during This is the Day.

This is the Day airs at 10:30AM ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets. The show is rebroadcast at 7:30PM and other times during the week.

McCloskey is also a current board member of CatholicMil. CatholicMil distributes free care packages to soldiers, and free materials to military chaplains. CatholicMil also promotes priestly vocations to the military chaplaincy, and promotes work towards the canonization of Servant of God Vincent Capodanno. Fr. Capodanno was an American Navy Chaplain who was killed in Vietnam.

More information about CatholicMil is available at www.CatholicMil.org.

Pope Benedict XVI’s Visit to Spain To Air on CatholicTV

On November 6th and 7th, CatholicTV will air coverage of the Pope’s visit to Spain. During his visit, the Pope will consecrate Sagrada Familia Church, an enormous Church which has been under construction since 1882 and attracts over two million tourists per year.

Coverage will air at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets on November 6th and 7th at noon and rebroadcast at 8PM.

Coverage on November 6th will include the Pope’s welcoming ceremony, the Pope’s visit to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, and Mass in Obradoiro Square. Coverage on November 7th will include the Papal visit to Barcelona, including the Mass to consecrate the church and altar of La Sagrada Familia Church. The Pope is also scheduled to meet Spanish bishops, the king and queen of Spain, and the prince and princess of Asturias during the two-day visit.

Cardinal Martínez Sistach of Barcelona said, "The presence of the Pope in the consecration of this Church of the Holy Family manifests the importance that marriage and the family have for the good of persons, of the Church and of society, and how one must work at the service of the defense and help of families”.

According to the newspaper El Periódico de Catalunya, 2.26 million people visited the partially built church in 2004, making it one of the most popular attractions in Spain.

Typically, Pope Benedict has made three apostolic journeys per year; video archives of these visits may be accessed any time at www.CatholicTV.com/pope-benedict-xvi (including the recent Canonization Mass, visit to the United Kingdom, visit to Portugal, and other papal events).

Catholic Harvard Student Produces Hilarious Andy-Rooney-Style Videos For CatholicTV

27-year old Matt Weber hosts the most downloaded podcast at Harvard University’s iTunes channel. When he’s not interviewing celebrities like Harvard president Drew Faust and Academy-Award-Winning director Davis Guggenheim, or when he’s not working towards his Master’s degree in education, Matt produces short videos for CatholicTV.

His weekly “labor of love” is producing these one to two-minute videos. Viewers find his videos hysterical while at the same time relevant because they deal with real issues of faith such as confession and family life.

Weber started producing videos for CatholicTV after a chance encounter with CatholicTV President Fr. Robert Reed in a restaurant. Since Weber was a CatholicTV viewer, he took advantage of what he called “a celebrity sighting” by greeting and talking with Fr. Reed. Soon thereafter, Weber began producing videos for CatholicTV.

“I hope to reach out to young adults. I hope to inspire people and make them laugh. When I’m producing these short videos, it’s almost like a form of prayer. I want to show that there are young people who still care about God, religion, and the Catholic faith” said Weber during a phone interview with CatholicTV.

Perhaps the most unique characteristic of Weber’s videos on CatholicTV is their use of humor throughout. One video shows Weber praying in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary. His own voice describes his fears that people who see him praying outside might think that he suffers from schizophrenia.

Another of his videos begins with him saying “I have a confession to make, I don’t like going to confession.” Later in the video, he says “I do like COMING from confession, it’s probably one of the best feelings in the world”.

“I hope to be the Andy Rooney of CatholicTV” said Weber. Matt Weber’s videos appear frequently on the live CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”. They also air throughout the week on CatholicTV between various shows or on CatholicTV’s “Blinks” show.

Matt Weber’s latest video is entitled “Family Vacation”. This video features Matt and his family on a vacation in Washington, D.C. This video will also be added to CatholicTV’s website.

The live talk show This is the Day airs each Tuesday and Friday at 10:30AM and is rebroadcast throughout the week.

More information about This is the Day is available at http://www.CatholicTV.com/this-is-the-day

Matt Weber’s videos can be found at http://www.CatholicTV.com/catholic-faith

3-Part Television Series Gives Unique Look at New Cardinal-Designate Donald Wuerl- Available at CatholicTV.com

A three-part series hosted by Cardinal-designate Donald Wuerl is now viewable at CatholicTV.com

The series, called “Gospel in Mosaic”, gives viewers a unique look into the spirituality of one of the two American Archbishops named Cardinal-delegates by Pope Benedict XVI on October 20th.

Gospel in Mosaic can be viewed now by visiting: www.CatholicTV.com/Catholic-Television

Gospel in Mosaic explores the mysteries of the Rosary using the elaborate mosaics in America’s largest church, The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

During the show, Cardinal-designate Wuerl, who has a doctorate in theology, explains in detail all four sets of the mysteries of the Rosary.

This series, produced by CatholicTV, offers a unique look at Cardinal-designate Donald Wuerl. This unique Archbishop of Washington, D.C. was one of only 3 non-Cardinal’s permitted inside the conclave which selected Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II.

Wuerl was ordained bishop on January 6, 1986 at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Italy by Pope John Paul II. Wuerl is no stranger to television. He hosted a television program, The Teaching of Christ, in 1990 and wrote an adult catechism with the same name.

Gospel in Mosaic also offers viewers a detailed look at the interior of the Basilica which houses an incredible 70 chapels honoring Mary.

The main seating area of the Basilica is surrounded by chapels which have images of well-known Marian apparitions such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, and many others. These chapels in the main seating area all contain beautiful mosaics which are rarely seen in the modern churches in the United States.

Catholic Social Media Expert to Be Interviewed Live on CatholicTV

“50% of the world’s population is under the age of 30. If Facebook were a country, it would now be the 3rd largest. It’s a mission field like no other.” These are just a couple of insights that Matt Warner pointed out in a recent blog post.

On November 5th, social media expert and blogger Matt Warner will be interviewed live on the CatholicTV Talk Show “This is the Day”. As always, the interview will be viewable live online at CatholicTV.com (and on cable television where available).

In 2008, Matt left his engineering career to focus full time on new media and the Catholic faith. He is the founder of flockNote.com, TweetCatholic.com, QuoteCatholic.com, and his popular blog, FallibleBlogma.com. Matt is a featured blogger on the National Catholic Register’s website.

This is the Day airs at 10:30AM ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets. The show is rebroadcast at 7:30PM and other times during the week.

Matt Warner will discuss flockNote on This is the Day. In a recent interview with ZENIT, Matt called flockNote “a communication tool for Catholic parishes. It basically allows parish/ministry leaders to manage their communication channels. And it allows them to post information in one place and have it reach people via e-mail, text message, Facebook, Twitter, RSS and more.”

I came up with the idea for it after many years of volunteering in my own parish -- especially youth ministry. There just wasn't a simple, universal tool to let us all communicate effectively. Some people liked e-mail. Others the phone. Others Facebook. Etc. So it was difficult to keep up with it all. And it was hard for everyone to have a common interface. FlockNote tries to bring all of those communication mediums together into one tool. “

November and Upcoming All Souls Day- Note From Fr. Reed

The upcoming month of November begins with a glorious but somber reminder. We celebrate the life and witness of the many men and women, boys and girls who were faith-filled in their life journey and now experience God in the fullness of life in heaven. And, of course, on All Souls Day we remember all those who have died and pray in particular for those who are waiting in hope for the vision of God’s face.

It is our privilege at the CatholicTV® Network to pray each day for all of your loved ones who have died. Many have sent in the names of deceased family and friends, and those names are located near the altar in our beautiful CatholicTV chapel. Each and every day the priest who celebrates the television Mass remembers in a particular way your loved ones and friends who have gone home to God.

Although the month of November is focused in a sense on death, CatholicTV is very much alive in Christ. The upcoming November CatholicTV Monthly Magazine will make you more aware of a couple of innovations we have prepared for you. You will find out more about the new on-line Catholic community at iCatholic.com as well as a more extensive and national edition of the magazine available on-line and on multiple handheld and personal devices. Our goal, of course, is to extend the CatholicTV Network to as many people as possible – the homebound, the sick, families, young people and those whose livelihood requires them to travel a great deal. The goal, of course, is to encourage a deeper commitment among all of our viewers to Jesus Christ and to connect as many people as possible to the life-giving gift of His universal church.

May God bless you all for your continued attention and support of the CatholicTV Network, and may the living God grant to all our departed brothers and sisters eternal rest and peace.

CatholicTV Widget Now on 154 Different Websites Including Websites of 33 U.S. Dioceses

In November 2009, CatholicTV launched its widget “CatholicTVjr”. Currently 154 different website owners have reported adding the widget to their websites. It’s so easy to add that many agencies and parishes add the standard player to their websites.

The widget is a video player which can be embedded onto any website and allows website visitors to instantly watch over 30 different television programs by CatholicTV without charge. CatholicTV is a non-profit corporation.

Of the 154 websites which have added the widget, 33 are the websites of various dioceses across the United States including the Dioceses/Archdioceses of Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, Salt Lake City, Boston, Omaha, Gallup (TX), and many others.

CatholicTVjr has also been added to the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the websites of several chapters of the Knights of Columbus.

The offering of so much free television programming on the widget is unprecedented. All 4 major national television networks offer widgets, but only CatholicTV offers full-length programs for free. The President of the CatholicTV Network, Fr. Robert Reed came up with the idea because he had “the desire to share CatholicTV’s content with dioceses, parishes, schools, and anyone who has a website. It’s the world’s first Catholic television widget”, said Reed.

CatholicTVjr can be added to any website by visiting www.CatholicTVjr.com. This URL offers the code that can be easily pasted into any website in about as much time as it takes to say a “Hail Mary”. In addition, CatholicTV invites interested parties to request a customized version of CatholicTVjr which will only include the shows requested. CatholicTVjr is also available in 3 different sizes.

Most available programs are original CatholicTV programs and these include the Catholic movie review show “Spotlight”, the Catholic reality-television series “House+Home”, Vatican programming, the Catholic game show “WOW: The CatholicTV Challenge”, Catholic news, Catholic Spanish programming and more.

CatholicTV also invites anyone who has professional quality video that exhibits the life of the Church in their local area to send it to CatholicTV where it just might be featured on CatholicTVjr around the globe.

Canonization Cause For Priest Who Prayed With Hollywood Stars To Be Discussed on CatholicTV Talk Show

On Friday, October 29th, the canonization cause for Servant of God Patrick Peyton, CSC will be discussed on the CatholicTV talk show “This is the Day”.
Fr. Peyton was internationally known as the “Rosary Priest”. Fr. David Marcham, CSC, Vice-Postulator for the cause for the canonization of Fr. Peyton, will appear on This is the Day to talk about Fr. Peyton’s cause.

A recent article in the Catholic Herald (Arlington, VA) wrote that “Father Marcham said Father Peyton is one who has “given countless people around the world a reason for hope.” Including Father Marcham himself.

After suffering a head injury a few years ago, he [Fr. Marcham] was restored physically and recharged spiritually after hearing Father Peyton’s story.”
This is the Day airs at 10:30AM ET at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets. The show is rebroadcast at 7:30PM and other times during the week.

Fr. Peyton was well known for his Rosary rallies, during which he promoted family prayer, especially the rosary. Fr. Peyton’s rosary rallies were attended by millions of people through the years. It was through these rallies that Fr. Peyton became widely known.

Fr. Peyton also used radio, film, and television to promote family prayer. Fr. Peyton also starred in television productions in which he prayed and reflected on the mysteries of the Rosary with celebrities such as Frankie Avalon, Jane Wyatt, and many others.

CatholicTV has aired documentaries about Fr. Peyton including “A Dedicated Man” and “A Most Unusual Man”. CatholicTV has also aired Fr. Peyton’s show Matter of Faith, whose guests have included Archbishop Fulton Sheen and many others.