Ave Maria!

An ingenious video contest organized by the dioceses of NYC, Brooklyn and Rockville Center to promote confession among youth is offering a first prize of a $25,000 scholarship plus another $25,000 to the Catholic School or Parish of the winner’s choice. The author of the above very well done video has offered to send a portion of the award to the friars. Very generous indeed. But, he is up against some stiff competition at the iConfess YouTube Channel with over 90 submissions! So much very good work. Truly a smash success for the entire program. But please do give this video a view and go to Youtube and vote for him. You never know.

None of the broadcast news programs from Monday evening and Tuesday morning covered the 2011 “March for Life” in Washington, DC, a pro-life rally that reportedly drew at least tens of thousands of attendees.

Neither NBC, ABC, nor CBS gave any coverage Monday to the March for Life on their respective evening news programs; none of the networks covered the story Tuesday morning. The New York Times did not cover the story, as the MRC’s blog “Times Watch” documented. The Washington Post, however, did provide a fair account of the rally in its Metro section.

via ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times All Ignore March for Life | LifeNews.com.

Pro-life supporters prayed in front of the Planned Parenthood center on South College Avenue Monday, two days after the 38th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision regarding abortion.

The group — made up of area lay and ordained Catholics — started in St. Charles Catholic Church on the east side of the IU campus at about 11 a.m. and marched down Third Street.

Marchers protest abortion rights | City & State | Indiana Daily Student.

In her book “The Miracles of Mary,” Curran depicts encounters with Mary by Christians and non-Christians in the form of apparitions, weeping statues, and other miracles that she notes in detail.

via “Miracles of Mary,” book documents miracles of the Virgin Mary.

In addition to appeals to political leaders to take concrete steps to end religious discrimination, the Holy Father issued an invitation to leaders of all the world’s religions to meet with him in Assisi this coming October to mark the 25th anniversary of the 1st World Day of Prayer for Peace.

via Pope invites leaders of the world’s religions to Assisi, to pray for peace.

His writings on meditations and reflections on the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus will be hitting the bookshelves on March 13. And in November the third and last part will be released, focusing on the childhood of Jesus.

via Pope’s Agenda for 2011: Four international trips and two books.

by friar John Mary

We are pleased to show the looks of the new studio built for Radio CorMariae. After months of day after day work, corresponding to upwards of a thousand man hours, the studio is just about ready for use.

We are continuing to wire the final components in the two rooms: one main studio for the board operator along with interview personnel and another room for the production work on the audio files.

Most of the equipment is new, although the console, one of the most important pieces of equipment, is nearly a couple generations old.We are able to use this older console for now as we are learning to crawl in our radio station adventure. For now we are happy to use this one, not to mention the price is right ($0), but later, when we get into some heavy production work, we will need to buy a more state-of-the-art piece of equipment. Without even looking at digital ones, the still-in-use analog consoles start in the range of $5,000 to $13,000.

via Studio Nearly Complete.

Benedict XVI

“The Virgin Mary came down from heaven to remind us of the Gospel’s truths that are a source of hope for a human race, void of love and without hope of salvation.”

via May 2010: Pope visits Shrine of Fatima in Portugal.

St. Francis of Assisi has always been numbered amongst my favourite saints and continues to be so as a man of the Church who was inspired by the gospels, by the apostolate, by the wonder of God’s creation and by a most literal and heroic poverty, also maintaining his fidelity to the Church of Rome and further understanding the importance of divine worship and that the worship and temple of God should itself not be impoverished.

St. Francis, as with other saints, has much to teach us today. The Holy Father reminded us in an audience earlier this year about St. Francis and his own context:

“Three times the crucified Christ came to life and said to him: “Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins.” This simple event of the Word of the Lord heard in the church of San Damiano hides a profound symbolism. Immediately, St. Francis is called to repair this little church, but the ruinous state of this building is a symbol of the tragic and disturbing situation of the Church itself… More at New Liturgical Movement.

Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi, Assisi

What CHILD is this? What’s Christmas?

via Gloria.tv: What CHILD is this? What’s Christmas?.