Introducing FORMED.org

What all Catholics have been waiting for....

Coming this summer from The Augustine Institute, Lighthouse Catholic Media, and Ignatius Press is a brand new multi-media platform for the Catholic Faith... FORMED.org. 

My brief testimony

I was born in the late 1970s, in rural Delaware.  Went to public school in the 1980s and early 1990s, and attended CCD.  Little did my parents know that CCD was more like a "lab" vs. a fully encompassing course on the Catholic Faith.  Our CCD teachers, like at most parishes, expected our parents to the primary source of our Faith education.  However, like many Catholics of my generation, we learned nothing at home.  

A year or two ago, I spoke to my mother about my formation.  She always assumed that the CCD teachers were teaching us everything we needed to know about being Catholic.  She also assumed that they were taking us to Confession at least once a year.  Looking back, I can honestly say I only learned the Our Father and HALF of the Hail Mary by the time I was confirmed.  Needless to say, my siblings and I were not well FORMED in our Faith.

When I returned to the Faith in my 30s, in addition to a Catechism I received from a seminarian friend back in the mid to late 1990s, the internet was my primary source of adult faith formation.  After a while of surfing the net, I eventually found Catholic.com and the Catholic Answers Live radio show, which helped me learn about the Faith and be pointed into the right direction.  Thanks to Catholic Answers, I soon learned of Ignatius Press & The Augustine Institute. From Ignatius Press, I learned about Lighthouse Catholic Media.  

Looking back on my journey, I strongly feel that a resource like FORMED.org may have kept me in the Faith during/after college and helped me a lot sooner. So many members of my generation are lost.  There are "spiritual but not religious," and all because the majority of them, like me and my siblings, were not FORMED in the faith.  

Help my generation find there faith and learn the answers to the questions they didn't even know they had.  Don't let the next generation grow up with out being FORMED!  Let's make them Catholic 'Rite' Now...

What is FORMED?

FORMED is an online, comprehensive site of inspiring Catholic content.  It will offer beautiful video and audio presentations on adult faith formation and RCIA, teen discipleship, marriage prep/enrichment, sacramental prep, scripture study, personal devotions, and Catholic movies. 

FORMED is brought to us from:

• The Augustine Institute (Symbolon, YDisciple, Lectio, Beloved, Reborn, etc)
• Lighthouse Catholic Media MP3s
• Catholicism video from Bishop-elect Robert Barron
• 33 Days of Morning Glory video by Father Michael Gaitley and Marian Fathers
• The Footsteps of God series with Steve Ray
• There will also be Catholic feature films and e-Books from the Ignatius Press
• plus many more...

FORMED.org will truly empower the New Evangelists in our Church and we can’t do this work without you! Please keep the prayers coming for the success of this pivotal venture. 

If you would like to learn more information about bringing FORMED.org to your parish or school, please contact Phil via:

CatholicRiteNow@gmail.com

or 

1 (267) 485-1GOD

Our Lady of Good Success, Pray for Us!

Saving the language Jesus spoke

Besides the fact that this one guy is wearing a baseball hat while at Church, I find this to be beautiful. We need do what we can to protect our Chaldean Catholic brothers from the evils of ISIS, and keep the liturgy of Christ's native language safe.

God Bless!

A.D. The Bible Continues

Have you been watching this television phenomenon? Do you question whether it's faithful to Catholic teaching, or did they take too many liberties?

Sophia Institute Press (a faithful Catholic publisher) has two books out to help answer your questions when watching this television series, which broadcasts on Sunday evenings on NBC.

A.D. The Bible Continues: Ministers & Martyrs - The Ultimate Catholic

-- and --

A.D. The Bible Continues: The Catholic Viewer's Guide

Both books will help you and your family answer any questions that might be raised while watching this amazing television event.

I Will Follow

If you haven't watched this video yet, I highly recommend it.  

I Will Follow, is a powerful 10 minute film by Ascension Press featuring the testimonies of Fr. Mike Schmitz & Fr. Josh Johnson and their journey to the priesthood. I Will Follow is taken from the study, Altaration: The Mystery of the Mass Revealed.

This video should be considered a "Must Watch" on every single Catholic man's (boy's) list of videos to watch.  If videos were around like this back in the 1990s, who knows ... many more of us may have become priests!

Now, while it's geared towards the priesthood, married men should watch it too.  Who knows... perhaps the diaconate is calling you!

And for all of you faithful mothers, future mothers, nuns, sisters, consecrated virgins, single ladies, and young girls reading this post... this video should be on your list of videos to watch too, as we all know men & boys who The Lord might be calling to be His Priest.

This video is very inspiring and it really does give you a new insight into who are priests are as people.  Too often, we place our priests on a pedestal and fail to realize that they are people too. Sometimes we assume that they were born devout Catholics from devout families and were reared to be priests from the time they were baptized.

However, the truth is that some of our best priests experienced conversion experiences later, whether while in high school or while in / after college.  Some even after a becoming widowed or even abandoned by "ex-wives."

The point is, every priest has his own personal story regarding how God called him to be His Priest, but they all share one thing in common... they all answered God with "yes, I will follow.  I will be Your Priest."

How will you answer?  Will you follow?

www.willyoufollow.com

THE BIBLE IN CREOLE TEASER - Bishop Guy Sansaricq is Amazing!

Bishop Guy Sansaricq is Amazing! 

(and I don't speak Creole!)

His Excellency, Bishop Guy Sansaricq is Titular Bishop of Glenndálocha and retired Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn, NY sent me a private Tweet today, asking me to take a look at his trailer.  It's not every day that a Catholic Bishop asks for my help, so I jumped at the chance to assist.  The teaser is short and is exactly what you would expect... a teaser.  However, this lead me to learn a little more about this project and to learn a little bit more about this wonderful Bishop.  

So the first place I checked out was the webpage for the Diocese of Brooklyn

BISHOP GUY A. SANSARICQ, RETIRED AUXILIARYBorn in Jeremie, Haiti, Oct. 6, 1934, into a devout Catholic family, Auxiliary Bishop Guy A. Sansaricq decided at age 13 that he wanted to become a priest. He attended the seminary of the Jeremie Diocese for five years, after which he received a scholarship to St. Paul’s Pontifical Seminary in Ottawa, Canada, where he studied philosophy and theology for seven years. In 1960 he was ordained a priest in the cathedral in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
After ordination he was assigned to the cathedral is Les Cayes, but after a year he was assigned by his bishop to serve as chaplain for Haitian immigrants in the Bahamas, ministering from the Benedictine Priory of St. Francis in Nassau. In seven years in that work, he became aware of the plight of immigrants, and especially undocumented immigrants.
When he completed his work in the Bahamas, he was given a scholarship to study social sciences at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he received a master’s degree in 1971.
In that same year, he was accepted to serve in the Diocese of Brooklyn and was assigned to Sacred Heart parish in Cambria Heights, where he served for 22 years. During that time, he was appointed diocesan coordinator of the Haitian Apostolate. In 1987 he was selected by the U.S. bishops to head the National Haitian Apostolate.
In 1993, he was named pastor of St. Jerome’s Church in Flatbush, where he has continued to minister. He was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II in 1999.
Bishop Sansaricq’s involvements include publishing a quarterly newsletter on Haitian matters concerning the Church, conducting a pastoral institute in Creole that attracts 90 students annually and organizing an annual convention of the Haitian Apostolate, and coordinating an annual retreat for priests and a yearly youth congress. He is also a co-founder of Haitian-Americans United for Progress, a service agency.

http://dioceseofbrooklyn.org/auxiliary-bishop-guy-a-sansaricq/

Surprisingly, the website did not show when he was ordained a Bishop, but GCatholic.org never lets me down.

Bishop Guy Sansaricq (80)

Titular Bishop of Glenndálocha
Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Brooklyn (USA)

Born: 1934.10.06 (Haiti) Ordained Priest: 1960.06.29 Consecrated Bishop: 2006.08.22

Auxiliary Bishop of Brooklyn (USA) (2006.06.06 – 2010.10.06) Titular Bishop of Glenndálocha (2006.06.06 – ...)

 

He has been filming a YouTube talks as well, today (Palm Sunday) he actually released one where he talks about Palm Sunday.  https://youtu.be/93tPWQooQFo?t=21

I've been checking out his YouTube videos and I have been rather enjoying them.  He has a wonderful way of speaking and isn't afraid to tell people to attend Confession.  However, I was sad to see that very few people had been watching his videos.  So while I don't speak Creole, I really appreciate that this retired Bishop is still very active.  He's filming YouTube videos at 80 years old, creating an Audio Bible in Creole, and still leading a Haitian Apostolate.  

So, if your parish or diocese has a Creole Mass, a Haitian Apostolate, and/or a Ministry for Black Catholics, please point them in the direction of the good Bishop's Bible in Creole Teaser and his YouTube page.  

God Bless you for reading this Blog and may The Lord continue to bless this wonderful priest & bishop who is 80 years young and still trying to spread the Gospel!  Amen.

33 Days to Morning Glory - "the easiest way to become a saint!"

33 Days to Morning Glory

From Fr. Michael E. Gaitley, MIC, author of the popular book "Consoling the Heart of Jesus," comes an extraordinary 33-day journey to Marian consecration with four giants of Marian spirituality: St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Father Gaitley masterfully summarizes their teaching, making it easy to grasp, and simple enough to put into practice. More specifically, he weaves their thought into a user-friendly, do-it-yourself retreat that will bless even the busiest of people. 

So, if you've been thinking about entrusting yourself to Mary for the first time or if you're simply looking to deepen and renew your devotion to her, "33 Days to Morning Glory" is the right book to read and the perfect retreat to make.

If you are interested in the book, you can buy it here.

There is also a Spanish Version available too for the Spanish speakers you know.

**Parish bulk pricing available via your Lighthouse Catholic Media account manager or by contacting CatholicRiteNow@gmail.com.

Recommend Lighthouse CDs for Men and Men's Groups

Just some recommended Catholic CDs for Men and Fathers

1. "Count Your Blessings" by Dr. Scott Hahn                                  http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/counting-your-blessings
2. "The Healing Power of Confession" by Dr. Scott Hahn                               http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-healing-power-of-confession
3. "God's Family & Ours - The Church and the Trinity" by Dr. Scott Hahn   http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/god-s-family-and-ours-the-church-and-the-trinity
4. "Marriage and Family - Love Unveiled" by Dr. Scott Hahn               http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/marriage-and-family-love-unveiled
5. "Understanding the Eucharist" by Dr. Scott Hahn                                http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/understanding-the-eucharist
6. "Seven Last Sayings of Christ" by Dr. Scott Hahn                              http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/seven-last-sayings-of-christ
7. "Keep Holy the Sabbath" by Dr. Tim Gray                                             http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/keep-holy-the-sabbath
8. "How to Apply our Faith to our Families" by Kimberly Hahn            http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/how-to-apply-our-faith-to-our-families
9. "How to Keep your Kids Catholic" by Ken Hensley                            http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/how-to-keep-your-kids-catholic
10. "Pure Fatherhood" by Devin Schadt                                                   http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/pure-fatherhood
11. "Raising Amazing Children" by Matt Kelly                                           http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/raising-amazing-children
12. "Defeating Satan's Deadly Weapon Against Men" by Jeff Cavins   http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/defeating-satan-s-deadly-weapon-against-men
13. "The Hidden Battle" by Matt Fradd                                                        http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-hidden-battle
14. "Four Pillars of Marian Spirituality" by Mike Sweeney (played for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland A's, Seattle Mariners & Philadelphia Phillies)                                      http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/four-pillars-of-marian-spirituality
15. " 5-Time Major League All-Star on Winning the Game for Christ" by Mike Sweeney             http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/5-time-major-league-all-star-on-winning-the-game-for-christ
16. "Stealing Home" by Mike Sweeney                                                            http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/stealing-home
17. "Being All In" by Eric Mahl (former NFL player)                                       http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/being-all-in
18. "Faith at Work & The Holy Momen" by Matt Kelly                                     http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/faith-at-work-the-holy-moment
19. "Gangland to Promised Land" by John Pridmore (inner city boys)    http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/gangland-to-promised-land
20. "Light in the Darkness" by Patrick Lencioni                                               http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/light-in-the-darkness
21. " Parenting for Purity" by Jason Evert                                                         http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/parenting-for-purity

Plus:

• the Beloved DVD sample                                                                         http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/beloved-sample-dvd
• Symbolon: Mary and the Saints DVD sample                                        http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/symbolon-mary-and-the-saints-dvd
• YDisciple:  True Strength & True Beauty DVD sample                           http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/ydisciple-true-strength-true-beauty-dvd

33 Days to Morning Glory - Prepare for the World Meeting of Families

Evangelization News, Tips and Ideas

Prepare Spiritually for the World Meeting of Families! Lighthouse Catholic Media invites you, your parish, and your family to join with fellow Catholics throughout the World in a 6-week program of preparation for total consecration "to Jesus through Mary" using Father Michael Gaitley's retreat program 33 Days to Morning Glory. You can use the program as a self-guided retreat or join with a group in a local parish. The preparation for consecration begins approx 33 days prior to a Marian Feast Day. Click here to see the next start and consecration dates. Please click here to purchase self study materials. For more information regarding how to bring this program to your parish, mission, school, study group, etc.; please click here to contact us.

Prepare for the Year of Mercy by reading The Second Greatest Story Ever Told, by Father Michael Gaitley, MIC

Prepare for the Year of Mercy by reading The Second Greatest Story Ever Told, by Father Michael Gaitley, MIC.     

Father Michael Gaitley, MIC has a very easy to follow writing style that is very friendly for people just beginning to learn about Faith and even the seasoned theologian.  

In this book, Fr. Gaitley tells the story of Divine Mercy and how it lead to St. John Paul II establishing Divine Mercy Sunday.

With the Year of Mercy coming up, this book is the perfect read for all Catholics.

http://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/title/the-second-greatest-story-ever-told-book?promoCode=104130

Steve Ray "Are You Born Again? A Catholic Response"

If you have "Born Again" Protestants friends or family, this video is a great one to watch.

I also highly recommend the following from Steve Ray


Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church





Abraham Revealing the Historical Roots of our Faith




Born Again? Faith Alone?



Finding the Fullness of Faith



Footprints of God: Over Holy Ground



Searching the Scriptures: The Gospel of John