Bring Your Antibacterial Lotion

This article cracked me up, because I know a lot of germ-phobic, un-touchy-feely Catholics. Even the Sign of Peace is sometimes a stretch for folks.

As for me, I either raise my hands (since the Our Father is a prayer of the people) or hold hands with the person next to me (but then, I also take the common cup without qualm). I do sometimes leave my coat on.

Hands Across Catholic America. Should churchgoers hold hands during Mass? By Andrew Santella. [Slate Magazine]

Where's The Catholic Garrison Keillor?

What's Missing from Catholic Radio Disciple with Microphone's 'God-Father' Carlos Briceno wrote an article late in 2004 where he discussed his thoughts and dreams for Catholic radio. [Disciples with Microphones News]

Reading the article again (and the Blog post) reminded me of how much I miss Jayson Franklin's Catholic Cast. Jayson's show was the very first Catholic Podcast on the face of the planet, beginning in late January or early February. This was a week or so before our first Verbum Domini (which was published on February 7th, 2005). Many of my ideas of what Podcasting is, can be, and should be, were shaped by Jayson's shows.

We want you back.

From Father Kevin

Following are notes on the talk on the Eucharist which Father gave on Wednesday, October 12.

Notes on Eucharist

Hear the talk via MP3 Podcast.

http://exsult1.libsyn.com

[Father Kevin Laughery's Weblog]

Version Pondering Revisited

I just recorded the Podcast for the week of Saturday 29 October through Friday 4 November using the Revised Standard Version. The kind folks at the National Council of Churches (who hold the copyright to both the RSV and the NRSV) had responded quite some time ago that they would consider reading of their material in the Podcast as fair use. Although I've warmed quite a bit to the Douay-Rheims Version we've been using, I still get a lot of email from folks who are really having difficulty with the Jacobean English. From the beginning, I hoped that Verbum Domini would make the Daily Readings more easily accessible to people, in all senses of that phrase.

So, we'll try the RSV for a week and see how it goes. It is, in the view of most scholars, a very faithful and accurate translation.

Please email with your comments after listening to the coming week (Douay-Rheims) and the week after (RSV). I'll take your opinion into account while continuing to give the matter prayerful consideration.

Where Does A 4000 Pound Gorilla Sleep?

A friend of mine, who is a priest, recently received a response from the USCCB that he could use short phrases from the NAB Scriptures in the Podcast of his homiles, but could not include the Gospel Reading. The staffer also indicated that their office was still deciding what to do about Podcasts.

I'm glad that I moved quickly to dump the NAB Lectionary at this point, as I'm slowly growing fond of the Douay-Rheims (and the NAB is regarded by many as an inferior translation anyway). On the other hand, I find it offensive and absolutely surreal that the Permissions Office is telling a Catholic Priest that he can't Podcast his proclamation of the Gospel.

I don't intend to contact the Permissions Office about this news either, but I wonder if they're aware that EWTN is Podcasting the Daily Readings (NAB Version) along with their homilies each day. It'll be interesting to see if they're hassled about it like everybody else.

Or will it be a case of "Where does a 4000 pound gorilla sleep? Anywhere he wants."

I'm hopeful that EWTN is granted permission, and that maybe this will open the door for some of the smaller monkeys.