The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has produced some terrific Catholic podcasts. Kudos to the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). Below I am giving the titles as they appear on iTunes and the URL for the homepage.
American Catholic Radio, http://www.usccb.org/ccc/catholicradio.shtml -- a light-hearted show produced in conjunction with the Franciscans, providing facts of faith, answers from listeners, stories of Catholics living their faith, and some reflection time. A terrific and easy way to know your faith so you can grow in your faith.
Catholic Radio Weekly, http://www.usccb.org/ccc/catholicradio.shtml
-- Catholic news from around the world, Vatican news, what Catholic Charities USA and Catholic Relief Services are doing, how regular Catholics are living their faith. Very professionally done.
Lenten Radio Retreat, http://usccb.org/lent/audio_video.shtml
-- A relaxing 30 minutes for you to reflect on the Gospel of the week.
Lino at Large, http://www.usccb.org/ccc/catholicradio.shtml
-- For young adults and anyone who wants some energy and fun! Tackles challenging topics like how to live our faith in the 21st century. Upbeat and light.
Personally Speaking with Msgr Jim Lisante, http://www.usccb.org/ccc/catholicradio.shtml
-- Monsignor Lisante interviews famous Christians from sports, film, the arts, politics -- people who are great role models and are living their discipleship. I loved the show with Tony Orlando (the 1970's pop star) -- did you know the Orlando family had a disabled child that brought love and light to the whole family?
Daily Readings from the New American Bible, http://www.usccb.org/nab/nabpodcast.shtml
-- Don't have time to read the Bible? Think again! A variety of voices read the daily Mass readings; the Sunday readings have really great choirs and soloists doing the Psalm of the day. They post an entire month at a time. March should be up by the end of today.
A "podcast" is just like a radio show, but distributed online, you can listen whenever you choose, and you can easily hear previous episodes. You can listen from the web page, download to your portable mp3 device, subscribe via iTunes, or write to an audio CD.
I just found a new podcast on iTunes: "Catholic Stuff You Should Know".
Just a few minutes long, this podcast presents fun facts of faith in a lighthearted, bantering style. If you are familiar with the "Stuff You Should Know" series for technology and history, you know what I mean.
I am a catechist for RCIA and a member of the pastoral council in my parish. I listened to the first four podcasts, and they were faithful to the Roman Catholic Church. One of the podcasters is an ordained deacon, and the other is a lay person -- and they know their theology and history . . . and can present the faith in an entertaining and engaging way!
The website is: http://www.catholicstuffpodcast.com
I just listened to an episode of the relatively new podcast, "Among Women", and found it very informative, enriching and worthwhile.
Here is a description from the Among Women website (http://www.patgohn.com/patgohn/AmongWomenPodcast.com.html):
Goal and Mission: “Among Women” celebrates the beauty and grace that women experience in their Catholic Faith and Life. They hope this “faith-sharing” program will be "faith building" . . . inspiring women in their call to holiness by drawing closer to Christ and the Catholic Church, by living lives of prayer and loving service.
Pat Gohn hosts this program featuring two segments: (1) “Blessed Are They”, a reflection focusing on faithful women who have gone before us . . . those saints and sages who bring inspiration for Christian life. (2) “Among Women,” features conversations with contemporary women from all walks of life.
Catholic Vitamins (http://www.catholicvitamins.com/): Faith life a little down? Wondering where God is? That’s okay -- it happens to the best of us. This podcast is dedicated to helping you find the right nutrients that can add a lift and just the right amount of ‘zest’ to your faith practice.
The Catholic Foodie (http://catholicfoodie.com/): The Catholic Foodie brings much more to the table than merely recipes and reviews. The show highlights how food - good food - can be a sign to us of God’s love and care for each of us and our families. "Where food meets faith".
Among Women (http://www.patgohn.com/patgohn/AmongWomenPodcast.com.html): “Among Women” celebrates the beauty and grace that women experience in their Catholic Faith and Life.
In Between Sundays (http://inbetweensundays.com/): Gives you the essentials to live in the world outside of church. Being people of faith requires more than just one hour on Sunday...
Catholic Online has a great summary of the podcasts from the Star Quest Production Network (SQPN) founded by Fr. Roderick, a Roman Catholic priest: http://www.catholic.org/prwire/headline.php?ID=5346
Food and Fellowship: The video series ‘Grace Before Meals’, hosted by the Catholic priest and chef Fr. Leo Patalinghug won the award in the Food and Drink category.
Christian Music: George Leite won the award in the Music category for his show ‘Catholic Rockers’.
Health in Mind and Body: Dutch priest Fr. Roderick Vonhogen won the Health/Fitness award for his show ‘Healthy Catholic’, a weekly show about physical and spiritual health.
Wake Up Inspired: Fr. Roderick also won the Religion/Inspiration award for his morning show ‘Daily Breakfast’, a mix of catechesis and popular culture. The "Daily Breakfast" is the most popular Catholic podcast on iTunes -- really a lot of fun, and I learn a lot. Catholics can have fun!
You just got music on that iPod? You're missin' out!
The Internet is full of excellent and FREE Catholic podcasts. Here are fantastic Catholic podcasts that you can locate through "iTunes" by searching on the title. The webpage of each podcast is also listed:
"Catholic:Under the Hood" (http://catholicunderthehood.com). Fr. Seraphim Beshoner, a Franciscan priest, podcasts about the Pope, the Bible, Catholic spirituality, theology, history, news and even the latest movies. Faithful as well as entertaining.
"Daily Breakfast with Fr. Roderick" (http://sqpn.com/category/talkshows/daily-breakfast-with-fr-roderick/). The best way to wake up in the morning with comments on news around the Catholic world, theology, a Catholic take on TV, movies and videogames, and just plain inspiration. This is the most popular Catholic podcast on the Internet.
"iPadre Catholic Podcasting >> iPadre Podcast" (http://www.ipadre.net/). Fr. Jay A. Finelli starts out with great Christian music, then dives into a solid Catholic discussion from saints to what are angels to theological challenges like excommunication. Very orthodox and informative.
"Daily Readings from the New American Bible" (http://www.usccb.org/nab) by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Hear the readings from our liturgical cycle every day!
What is a "podcast"? A "podcast" is just like a radio show, but is transmitted over the Internet. It is better, because you can listen whenever you want to, and you can get past episodes. You can start listening today right from your computer -- just click. WIth the investment of some time, you can copy the programs onto audio CDs. Or, download shows to a portable "mp3" player and take them with you! What is an "mp3" player? Ask the nearest teenager or the friendly folks at Radio Shack or go to http://www.apple.com/itunes/whatson/podcasts.
