Sister Rose’s blog reaches 500,000 hits today

Since I moved my blog to WordPress on October 5, 2008 I never dreamed of 500.000 hits or page views. In this day of YouTube videos getting a million hits in a day or an hour, this half million in three years eight months, an average of 300 hits a day with 2,900 in one day in 2010, does not seem like much in the virtual scheme of things. Yet it provides me with a motive of thanksgiving for the Internet and the gift of communication between God’s people the world over and who knows? Maybe the universe. (We don’t know who might be listening, do we?)

WordPress sent me an analysis of that best day: March 9, 2010

Thank you for your visit, your time, your interest. Be assured of my prayers.

 

Along the Way & The Golden Voice book reviews – on time for Fathers Day

By Sr. Rose Pacatte

A Golden Voice: How Faith, Hard Work, and Humility Brought Me from the Streets to Salvation
By Ted Williams (with Brett Witter)
Penguin, New York
$26 hard cover

Along the Way: The Journey of a Father and a Son
By Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez (with Hope Edelman)
Free Press, New York
$27 hard cover

Two books were released in May about what it means to be a man: a father, a son and a grandfather, too. Both are apologias more than memoirs and both have a strong faith dimension and links to Catholicism and Ohio — and addiction. The men in both books became fathers at a very young age. Their stories are extremely honest and reveal details that will surprise and inspire you, and some that may shock you as well. Both books have dual voices and are easy, swift reads that ask us to admit our humanity. They invite us to walk with these fellow travelers to discover humility and the action of grace in people’s lives that will astonish you

I read Ted William’s story first, the “theater of the mind” man with a voice born for radio. Ted was born in New York in 1957 and adopted by a woman, Julia, who always wanted a child, and her husband, Al, who worked his entire career in the same job for an airline at JFK International Airport. His parents were steady, but Ted was a “pleaser” who wanted to be liked and accepted. He was raised Protestant but began going to the Jehovah Witness Kingdom hall in his teens. He went to Catholic school in Brooklyn for a while, too. From the age of 14, he wanted to become a radio announcer. He and his father never saw eye to eye.

 Continue reading at the National Catholic Reporter  

New movie review site at RCL Benziger for Catechesis & Religious Education

 

Click here to access site http://sisterrosemovies.com

Our Media World book signing Saturday, Jan 30th Paulist Book Store, Costa Mesa, CA 1-4 pm

Please join Sr Gretchen and I, the authors, for this book signing and enjoy the gracious hospitality of the Paulist Book Center in Costa Mesa:

OUR MEDIA WORLD: Educating Kids K-8 about Faith & Media book signing this Saturday, January 30, at the

PAULIST BOOK CENTER

801 Baker Street (just off the 405 after Fountain Valley if going south)

Costa Mesa, CA 92626-4347(714) 545-8021

from 1-4pm.

Sr. Gretchen and I will be on hand to sign copies of our new book!

Our Media World: Teaching Kids K-8 about Faith and Media heads to the printer!

 

Here is the cover, front and back! OUR MEDIA WORLD by Sr. Gretchen Hailer, RSHM and I, will be published by Pauline Books & Media www.pauline.org in January, 2010 (God-willing and nothing unforeseen arises). More information to follow!

Along with our 2007 book MEDIA MINDFULNESS: EDUCATING TEENS ABOUT FAITH & MEDIA (St. Mary’s Press, www.smp.org), with the publication of OUR MEDIA WORLD, teachers, catechists, parents, youth ministers, those engaged in pastoral ministry for parents, clergy, will have a consistent strategy K- 12 for engaging critically and mindfully through the lens of faith in popular culture and the media world. 

Media Literacy Certificate course UPDATE

For those of you who are already registered for the Certificate in Media Literacy Program July 19 -25, be sure to visit Latest News! Media Literacy Certificate Program. Just posted a couple of exciting new additions to the faculty and curriculum!

If  you haven’t yet registered, click here Media Literacy Certificate Program REGISTRATION FORM, scroll down, and copy and then paste the form into a Word document, print out and send today with the registration fee ($195.00) to the address on the form.

Act now. Only five places left!

Media Literacy Online Certificate Announced (University of Dayton)

 

 

Visit the  University of Dayton\’s Online Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation for information about the Media Literacy Education certificate course and the courses that are available now (including the prerequisites). You can sign up for the next session of online courses now. You can sign up for the certificate program in late 2009.

Going to the NCCL in Detroit? See you there (maybe!)

I will be presenting a workshop on Wednesday morning, April 29th entitled: Household Saints or Desperate Housewives: is there anything holy or redeeming about the women of Wisteria Lane?

The Secret Life of the American Teenager and Hannah Montana may be among Disney’s most popular ‘tween and teen girl shows, but what else are our girls watching? The women of Wisteria Lane consistently wins the 18-49 year-old demographic (along with Grey’s Anatomy) and have a significant teen audience as well. Is there anything redeeming or holy about Desperate Housewives? This presentation will look at sequences from the show and offer a strategy for talking about it through the lens of faith, community, social justice, and family.

(There are some interesting comparisons and contrasts with Nancy Savoca’s 1993 film Household Saints…)

For more information visit www.nccl.org = The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership

What color are Jesus’ eyes?

I jsut came back from visiting the Diocese of Shreveport, LA where I presented two seminars: one on media mindfulness to parents and teachers at St. John Berchman’s cathedral and another on the influence of digital culture on faith formation on the diocesan level. What a lovely diocese. it was an inspiration to meet, as I so often experience, people who are truly invested in their faith and ministries. It was an inspiration! And not without its funny moments!

Here are two stories that seminar participants shared with us:

A first grade teacher told us that she that she had assigned her students the task of drawing a picture of Jesus. One little guy raised his hand and asked: “What color were Jesus’ eyes?” Rather than get into a discussion, she responded, “Well, no one is really certain….” And her student replied, “Well, could you please google it because I would like to be sure.”

Then another teacher told about showing her class a picture of someone typing on a typewriter and she asked the student “What is the man doing?” The girl replied after a moment. “Oh, he is texting on paper.”

Media Literacy Course for Nuns this week!

This is a video with interviews of several of our sisters (Daughters of St Paul) talking about the media literacy training course they are taking here at the PCMS this week. Enjoy!