Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thankful!

What a crazy week and a half it's been! AS you can see from our earlier post, Julie and I and about 30 other people from the Diocese of Baton Rouge attended the National Catholic Youth Conference last weekend. How awesome it was to see the strength of the young church alive!

Also last week, 1380WPYR had a very successful radiothon! Thanks to everyone who called in your support for the station. Catholic Community Radio has been such a blessing in my life and I am so thankful that I get to come through the airwaves every Tuesday afternoon! I wouldn't trade it for the world! 

So, this week I've been reflecting, as many of us have, on what I am thankful for in my life. I am thankful for my health and my job. I am thankful for my family and friends. I am thankful especially for my faith and the ability to freely practice what I believe in.

Tell us what you're thankful for and we'll talk about it this week on the show!

Peace,
Kathleen

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Region 5 Gathering at NCYC

After a crazy long bus ride from Baton Rouge, we finally arrived in Indianapolis today for the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC)! The fun began with a gathering of Region 5, which includes dioceses in the states of LA, AL, MS, TN, and KY. Cooper Ray led music and we had some excellent emcees, Greg Thompson and Baton Rouge's very own Stephanie Clouatre-Davis. Greg called for us to be open and Stephanie challenged us to be the hands and feet of Christ this weekend.Prayer and community with our region were a great way to ease into a whole new experience of song, dance, prayer, and of course, Catholic community with 21,000 other young Catholics! More updates to come!

Watch us live:
www.ncyc.nfcym.com

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Two things I love about being Catholic: service organizations and making pilgrimages!

Kathleen and I had a blast today hanging out on location at Matherne's Supermarket for the St. Vincent de Paul Thanksgiving food drive! We witnessed people generously donating food that they would want at their own Thanksgiving dinner table, from bread to canned goods. Someone even donated a 1995 Toyota Avalon!  We also chatted with the Baton Rouge St. Vincent de Paul President, Michael Acaldo. He challenged listeners to volunteer on the days before and after holidays. He said many volunteers show up for the holidays, but do not necessarily realize how few volunteers come on the days surrounding holidays. Will you volunteer or donate this holiday season? Learn more about St. Vincent de Paul by clicking on their logo! 


                    Thanksgiving Donations!                               St. Vincent de Paul President Michael Acaldo 
                                                                                             places donations in the food truck.          

           More Thanksgiving donations!                              Way Home Show hosts Kathleen & Julie

                                                                                                                        
National Catholic Youth Conference 

Tomorrow night 35 young people (including Kathleen and I) begin our pilgrimage to the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) in Indianapolis, Indiana! NCYC brings together nearly 21,000 young Catholics to celebrate as one universal Church. We are so excited to begin this journey. Kathleen and I will be live broadcasting from the NCYC exhibit hall. Tune in at 2pm on Friday, November 18th as we chat with Catholic teens from across the country.

Want in on the NCYC action? 
Click on the pic below to see 
NCYC LIVE VIDEO STREAMING 
of Keynotes and Group sessions!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Solidarity in Prayer: Penn State and Nebraska


It has been an emotional week for the Penn State community. The Sandusky scandal was brought to light, followed by the firing of  multiple school administrators and coaches, including the beloved head football coach, Joe Paterno. These events brought out mixed reactions from students and fans, from anger to grief. Students expressed their emotions strongly, from a riot in anger over JoePa's firing, to a sorrowful candlelight vigil for the victims of the scandal. Sadly the topic that most people have been discussing was how much did Paterno really know and should he have been fired. Yet the victims of Sandusky's horrific crimes have not been forgotten. They are remembered with remorse and sadness, especially by students. 

In the midst of feeling betrayed by some of their own coaching staff, past and present Penn State football players came together on the field to show solidarity in their program at the Penn State-Nebraska game this past Saturday. The former players lined up and welcomed current players onto the field. 

When the current Penn State team went on the field to pray, something remarkable happened. From across the field, the Nebraska team made their way over to pray with Penn State. The stadium erupted with applause and a Nebraska assistant coach led the players in prayer. Now I have never witnessed two college teams pray together before a game, so what happened next I certainly had never seen. The stadium was silent...God moved in the SILENCE. What a great moment for this community after such a week of struggle. Although it is only a moment, sometimes that is all our God needs to bring healing. I know there will still be grief and anger, and this uphill journey is just beginning for those involved. Yet silence is such a powerful reminder that God is indeed present and with us.

I invite you to keep the victims and the Penn State community in your prayers. Pray that they may be moved to find God in both the chaos, and the silence.


Click on the Picture to watch Penn State-Nebraska
Prayer from a fan's view:
 

Click on the picture to watch the prayer on the field:

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Seeing through new lenses

Sad because you missed the show today?  
Fear not! We have lots of great links, stories and info!

Kathleen and I got to visit with Fr. Bob Konopa today. Fr. Bob told us about how he received his calling to be a Franciscan Friar later in life at age 30, after he had been an accountant for 10 years. A native of Wisconsin, Fr. Bob shared some memories of growing up in a small town, including going to school in a one-room schoolhouse! 

Fr. Bob's concept for his book developed from his understanding of how God sees us is oftentimes different from how we see ourselves. He shared with us a story of when he was a small child at school in that one-room schoolhouse and he was asked to read an eye chart. Fr. Bob learned he needed eyeglasses. He said that when he put on his glasses, it was like seeing things for the first time.

God You Must Have Me Confused with Someone Else is full of stories and life lessons from Fr. Bob. We were honored to have him on the Way Home Show.
Book announcement
Book sales and signing locations
Buy the book online


News & Media:
  • The Diocese of Baton Rouge celebrated it's 50th Anniversary with mass at the River Center. 
  •  Lafayette Habitat for Humanity dedicates its first "Green Home"
  • St. Vincent de Paul's Pharmacy for those in need.
  • Kat and I were joined by high school student Austin Wendt on the show today to discuss upcoming movies including Paranormal Activity 3, Puss in Boots, In Time, and the Mighty Macs. For more info, check out the Catholic Commentator movie reviews here.

All Hallow's Eve, All Saints, and All Souls Days

Better late than never- our post for last week's All Saint's Day Show:

My my what a busy week it has been already!
If you missed the show last week, we discussed All Hallow's Eve, All Saints, and All Souls Days!

One hot topic was the fun and popular costumes we saw this weekend. Although Angry Birds didn't make the top 5 costumes that most consumers wore, it was still certainly a popular choice, along with Lady Gaga, the Green Lantern, and Nikki Minaj.

Angry Birds among top costumes for Halloween
  
And just for fun, as promised, the All Saints Day Word Search!

We also chatted with Sr. Keri Burke who recently just took final vows to become a sister of the Marinates of the Holy Cross. If you are interested in learning more about vocations, check out our very own Baton Rouge Vocations website or facebook page!
 
News/Media:
Christian Relic found by Israeli Archeologists.
YouTube will be launching 100 TV channels online.