I don’t text while driving, but am guilty of checking my iPhone at red lights – this campaign reminds me that I am setting a bad example for my kids that could lead to life and death circumstances.  Email and phone calls can wait too!

Video Link

In other news, the Catholic News Service takes a fascinating look at “Who’s Tweeting for the Vatican?” in this post.

Raise your hand if you’d follow the REAL Vatican on Twitter! I’ll bet an official Vatican Twitter account could give Ashton Kutcher a run for his money…

Video Link

The long and short of the story is that the following message (or a version of it) floated around Facebook for a few days:

Hi everyone,  Some fun is going on…. just write the color of your bra in your status. Just the color, nothing else. And send this on to ONLY girls no men …. It will be neat to see if this will spread the wings of cancer awareness. It will be fun to see how long it takes before the men will wonder why all the girls have a color in their status… Haha

Being rather quick with the delete finger, I got rid of at least twenty copies of this message quickly before really tuning in to what was going on.  Let me say up front that I’m a pretty tidy Facebook user – I post status updates about my work and family, share photos, and keep up with friends and contacts.  I’m not a big group signer-upper, I don’t care for farm animals, and I’m not a gamer.  So when things like this come around, I usually delete and move on.

I honestly didn’t even give this issue much thought until Friday morning, when I tuned into my favorite Catholic radio show, The Catholics Next Door with Greg and Jennifer Willits.  On the show, Greg was sharing with callers his reaction to the phenomenon of women posting their undergarment colors for all to see.  He had commented upon this on his own Facebook page with the simple remark, “There’s a little too much info on Facebook today.” What ensued was a two daylong debate in the comments of Greg’s page (and likely on countless other sites too) with a thoughtful discussion of the facts at hand.  Greg’s position was that for some men, knowing this type of intimate information about women could be problematic.  Greg thoughtfully referenced teaching points from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to support his efforts to defend modesty.

Listening to the radio show and reading the comments on Facebook led me to ponder my own reaction to the Facebook trend.  In my mind, modesty issues aside, there is some minimal value in “raising awareness” about healthcare issues.  But let’s do so in a way that can be taken seriously by both genders, with factual information and a respectful tone.  Breast cancer has affected both men and women, and cancers of all types continue to be a universal health care issue.

What I’d truly prefer to see rather than awareness raising measures are real actions of support and compassion.  My fear is that we tend to take the easy way out with trends like these, thinking that we “gave at the office” because we tied a pink ribbon on our shirts or engaged in a trend on our favorite social networking site.  How about, if we truly want to make a change, contributing $5 to cancer research, driving a bedridden patient to her radiation appointment, or making dinner for a family whose mom is undergoing chemotherapy?

Raising awareness is fine, but next time I’d prefer that we raise compassion.  A caring attitude and a helping hand look good in any color.

Deacon Tom reminisces over a visit with old friends in Colorado and about Colorado author and youth ministry expert Jim Beckman. The theme of this Deacon Moment is submission to the Christ Child.

Sarah Reinhard asks us to look at our Advent wreath and think of Mary, inspired by a recent Mary Vitamin.

Please consider joining us in support of the SQPN.com Giving Campaign.  Your donations will help us to continue in this important evangelization work.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this Episode:

• Live WTL
• Jim Beckman
• God, Help Me: How to Grow in Prayer by Jim Beckman
• Catholic Foodie You Tube Book Review
• SQPN Giving Campaign
• Yoursphere
• Current CatholicMom.com Contests
• CatholicMom.com Book Club
• The Catholic Company
• Lisa’s Facebook Profile, SQPN Connect Page, Plurk, Twitter
• Catholic Mom Logo Store

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A proud wife and mother of five children (both biological and adopted, ranging in age from 4-17 years old), Mary Kay Hoal faces the same challenges every parent does: keeping her kids safe; raising them to be good, happy and well-balanced people; and providing them with the tools and support to create their own future.  While Mary Kay readily admits that she didn’t “get” the whole online social networking phenomenon at first, she quickly recognized its importance in her kids’ lives. After researching the disturbing landscape of social networking sites—including endless inappropriate content and thousands of predators targeting youth—Mary Kay’s mission became clear: raise the bar.  Yoursphere is a terrific online community where kids and teens connect, share and inspire — all in a place the puts Internet safety first. Parents can relax while kids and teens have fun.

A visit to a U. S. military cemetery near Florence Italy is the fodder for this week’s Deacon Moment with Deacon Tom Fox. Tom suggests we applaud all our veterans and to pray for them on this, their special day.

Sarah Reinhard’s struggling with prayer, and her Mary Moment reflection this week includes a quote from Mother Teresa’s Secret Fire: The Encounter That Changed Her Life and How It Can Transform Your Own, by Joseph Langford, and thoughts on tapping into Mary’s desire to help us succeed.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this Episode:

• Yoursphere
• Mary Kay Hoal’s Blog
• Current CatholicMom.com Contests – Pregnancy Product Giveaway
• CatholicMom.com Book Club
• The Catholic Company
• Lisa’s Facebook Profile, SQPN Connect Page, Plurk, Twitter
• Catholic Mom Logo Store

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I know that you are concerned about the media’s negative influences on our nation’s children. As former Senator of Pennsylvania, I remain passionately involved in issues that concern American families. And as a Dad, I know firsthand the challenge of trying to raise good kids in a culture saturated with offensive media that undermines the values Karen and I want to instill in our kids.

America’s children spend an average of 4 hours a day watching TV and on the Internet. Contrast that with the typical 15 minutes a day kids spend talking to parents or the weekly hour in Church. The media’s power to shape our children’s hearts and minds is staggering.

As I travel across the country, parents ask me, “Isn’t there something that can be done so we can watch the shows we want to watch without exposing our children to scenes and commercials we don’t want them to see?” The answer is “yes.”

There is a solution that I’d like to share with your readers. More importantly, I’d like their feedback and their input.

After I left the Senate, I joined Mpower Media, an independent company founded by Steve McEveety (producer of The Passion of the Christ) and Ken Ferguson (former Chief Operating Officer for National Geographic Television). Mpower’s unique vision is to give parents the control over TV and Internet content according to their own standards, so that families can enjoy popular shows–without the offensive scenes or commercials.

Imagine. No more erectile dysfunction commercials during football games.  No more surprise sex scenes or graphic violence. No more offensive scenes or websites.  Children can watch the popular shows they want, and parents get peace of mind, confident that their children are protected – even when they are not there.

Our market surveys tell us that millions of families want to learn more about the Mpower Box. I am turning to you, because we want to know what your readers think.  We would love to hear how real families who share our values react to the Mpower technology.

This 2 minute video shows the difference Mpower can make for families and our culture.  Please feel free to post this video on your website and get the word out to your readers that we are very interested in hearing from them – they can contact us through our website.

I hope you’ll take a few moments to view the video and explore the Mpower website.  I have obviously not been able to preview this product aside from exploring their website, so I have no idea about the costs associated with the product.  But as a mother of teenage young men, I see the value in creating a safer viewing environment for my family.  I’m curious about your reaction to Mpower – feel free to chime in here in the comments.  Would you purchase a product like this for your home?

MeFertil Tutorial from SignalFive on Vimeo.

Ever hear of SERRA International? Deacon Tom issues an invitation for activities you might consider during this Year of the Priest which is being celebrated by the worldwide Catholic Church.

Do you find yourself, at the end of this Month of the Rosary, feeling like you’ve failed?  Sarah Reinhard encourages all of us to keep trying in this week’s Mary Moment.

Sean McGaughey, host of the Catholic Roundup, gives us a great digest of news and activities in the Catholic New Media.

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with CatholicMatch.com as they begin sponsoring this podcast.  Please support CatholicMatch.com and be sure to enter our current CatholicMatch.com for your opportunity to win a three month membership to the Leading Catholic Singles Community.

This episode of Catholic Moments is sponsored by CatholicMatch.com, the Leading Catholic Singles Community.  Share your feedback at 206-339-9272, comment here on the blog or email lisa@catholicmom.com.

Links for this Episode:

• Mike St. Pierre – The Daily Saint, Morris Catholic High School
• Sarah Bauer – Livin’ for Jesus, Radiance
• On This Day Designs
• Current CatholicMom.com Contests – Rosary Workout Book Contest, CatholicMatch.com Membership Contest
• CatholicMom.com Book Club
• The Catholic Company
• Lisa’s Facebook Profile, SQPN Connect Page, Plurk, Twitter
• Catholic Mom Logo Store

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Thanks again to Pat for having me on her show and for all of the terrific work she is doing Among Women!  Click here to listen to our conversation.

Sunday, September 27, 2009: Liturgy Reflection from JP Catholic University on Vimeo.

Best wishes to CatholicTV for their upcoming annual telethon – if you love Catholic music, this sounds like a perfect opportunity to tune in and catch some of your favorites, or discover new talent you’ve never known before.  Thanks to my friend Chris from CatholicTV for sharing this information:

Numerous Catholic artists will donate their time and talents in support of their faith at the annual CatholicTV telethon. These musicians include Vince Ambrosetti, who was invited to perform at Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s funeral Mass. Also to perform will be Michael John Poirier, who has produced 10 CD’s. All musicians will perform on a volunteer basis. CatholicTV is a non-profit corporation.

CatholicTV is a nationally-broadcasted television network headquartered near Boston. CatholicTV streams its broadcast simultaneously, 24 hours a day at www.CatholicTV.com

The CatholicTV telethon is one of the most unique live television broadcasts in the nation. It is unique because it involves an almost unheard-of 12 hours of live television made possible through large amounts of coffee and dedication to the faith. The telethon will air on September 25th and 26th from 9AM to 9PM each day. Some musicians perform live while other performances are previously recorded.

Below are notable singers along with the times of their performances on the CatholicTV telethon (all time are Eastern). Musicians include but are not limited to: Michael John Poirier, Tom Snow, Kitty Cleveland, Gabriel Rivera, STANN, Paul Melley, Anne DiSanto, Vince Ambrosetti, Susan Glancy, Susan Bailey, Terry Donilon, Diana Doyle, Fr. Chris Hickey, Fr. Paul Rouse, Heather Waxman, and Anne Marie David. Not all performances are listed below:

Friday, September 25th

11:30am- Michael John Poirier- Singer from Oklahoma, has released 10 music CD’s, a storytelling CD, an advent CD and a special interview CD just for men. He uses his music and storytelling as he travels around the country conducting evenings of prayer-songs and Eucharistic adoration. www.holyfamilynow.com

12:20pm Tom Snow- Tom is a jazz pianist, performer, and arranger. He has performed in the US, Canada, the Caribbean and Australia. A native of Maine, Tom has produced three CD’s. www.tomsnow.com

1:10pm Kitty Cleveland-Award-winning singer, songwriter and speaker has been performing for over 25 years around the country and at the Vatican. www.kittycleveland.com

2:00pm Gabriel Rivera- actor and singer who has toured the country performing songs from his debut CD. www.gabrielriveramusic.com

2:50pm STANN- band of former members of St. Ann University parish performing a wide variety of musical stylings with a variety of guest soloists.

5:50 Paul Melley- Paul has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe including two World Youth Days.www.paulmelley.com

7:05 Anne DiSanto- credits include “Year Of Hope” selected by Pope John Paul II as a Papal anthem, “Flame Of Liberty”, a 9-11 tribute used for Veteran’s fundraising efforts.

7:50 Vince Anbrosetti- singer and mission leader. Vince has recorded numerous CD’s. www.vinceambrosetti.org

Saturday September 26th

10:50 am  Susan Glancy- singer, flutist and vocal coach. She has been trained at the Boston conservatory.

11:45 am Susan Bailey- writer, blogger, speaker, singer and songwriter. www.susanbailey.net

12:30pm Terry Donilon- currently sings in a choral group in Rhode Island. He brings his powerful and beautiful voice to the Telethon stage once again.

1:10pm Diana Doyle- a cantor at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross.

3pm Fr. Hickey and Fr. Rouse- Host and co-host of the very popular series Going my Way with Fr. Chris Hickey.

4:40pm Heather Waxman- will be singing with a children’s choir as well as performing some popular selections.

5:50pm Anne Marie David- one of the talented organists from the daily Mass. www.annemariedavid.com

About CatholicTV:
CatholicTV provides family-friendly, religious, news, and educational programming 24 hours daily. Founded over 50 years ago, CatholicTV is available in selected areas on cable in the United States and Canada, via Sky Angel and online via a live stream anytime, everywhere at the station’s web site www.CatholicTV.com. Father Robert Reed, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston, is the Director of CatholicTV. Click here to paste this into your browser to find out how to watch CatholicTV where you live: http://www.CatholicTV.org/schedule/where-to-watch.aspx

Congratulations to Maria Marsella, founder of the new service SacredVerse.com, on her creative use of new media technology in evangelization.  Maria has shared the following press release to introduce our CatholicMom.com readers to SacredVerse.com:

Wishing to stay in touch with her daughter away at college and taking her cue from Pope Benedict XVI’s call to use modern technologies to spread the Gospel, Maria Marsella founded SacredVerse.com, a communications tool now available on the Internet.

“I wanted to stay connected to my daughter without being a nag,” Marsella explains. “I also wanted to encourage her to keep God in the center of her life, a challenge for any parent.”

On a subscription basis, SacredVerse.com automatically sends to a cell number a weekly verse taken from Sacred Scripture and the writings of saints and recent popes.  For example, the papal message last week quoted Pope John Paul II: “The truth is not always the same as the majority decision.” The Scripture verse was James 1:2: “Count it all joy when you meet trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” The messages are selected based on their pertinence to the times we live in, Marsella explains.

The inspiration for SacredVerse.com came to Marsella when she noticed that text messaging was the best way to communicate with her daughter.  “She seldom answered her phone and e-mails,” Marsella says, describing an experience shared by many parents, “so I decided to text message and discovered that she would more readily respond.”

Marsella sometimes squeezed into a text more than a reminder to take vitamins. “People use text messaging to send jokes and vote on American Idol,” Marsella says, “so I decided to send something uplifting.” To her surprise, her daughter appreciated the encouragement.

Pope Benedict XVI has also noted the widespread use of cell phones among youth.  “Young people, in particular, have grasped the enormous capacity of the new media to foster connectedness, communication and understanding,” he said in a May 2009 speech, noting that “many benefits flow from this new culture of communication.”

One of these benefits is that families can remain in touch with each other over long distances, the Pope added, but he urged that attention be paid not only to the speed and efficiency of modern communications but also to the quality of its content, a call that Marsella has taken to heart. “Text messages can be a tool of evangelization,” she says.

SacredVerse.com can be used by parents to evangelize their children, but also by anyone who would like to send inspiring messages to the people they love. “Our children are not the only ones who need this kind of encouragement,” Marsella says. “The other beauty of text messaging is that you can forward it anywhere, anytime to as many friends as you want. In modern lingo this is called viral marketing,” Marsella continues. “Why not tap into that to lead others to Christ.”

For additional information, visit SacredVerse.com or call Riz Marsella, 415-260-8809.