Whether this is a refresher or an introduction, this film creatively walks through the Sacrament of Reconciliation in a way that will stick with you.
Purchase this video for $10 along with a discussion guide here: https://outsidedabox.com/film/contrition-confession-satisfaction/
This short film was produced by Outside da Box https://www.outsidedabox.com in collaboration with the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. It is the 19th installment of the 48-film VCAT (video catechism) http://www.vcat.org series for teens. Films are being released monthly from October 2012 - September 2016.
Friday, August 8, 2014
20 Thoughts of a Nun-To-Be
1. Will my extensive knowledge of movie quotes come in handy in the convent?
2. If I get a pedicure the day before I enter, how long will it take for the polish to wear off?
3. Will my siblings be able to take care of mom and dad? I have three adult and completely competent brothers who are successful in life — ranging from an army officer, to a sales manager, to a writer… but once they all used the same tooth brush for over a month. They only realized it when one of them dropped it in the toilet. These are who will be around to take care of my family. Should I be worried?
4. Only six pairs of “nunderwear” are allowed. Why not seven?
5. I’m not a radical person! Can I really turn my life over and upside down? The turning point in my vocation story was hearing a homily about how radical the vocation of marriage is and realizing that whatever the Lord calls us to is radical and life changing. JPII said, “Do not be afraid of the radicalness of His demands. If he asks much of you it is because he knows you can give much.”
6. Will I still get to bake cookies?
7. I think having a Netflix subscription or a shooting range could be good for the community.
Click here to continue reading.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
St. John Paul the Great
A French novelist once wrote, “Tell me what you love, and I will tell you who you are.” Although there are countless ways to study Saint John Paul the Great, the most direct route is by entering the man’s heart.
Discover the five greatest loves of Saint John Paul II, through remarkable unpublished stories about him from bishops, priests who organized his papal pilgrimages, his students in Poland, Swiss Guards, and others. Mining through a mountain of papal resources, Jason Evert has uncovered the gems and now presents the Church a treasure chest brimming with the jewels of the saint’s life. Rekindle your own faith by learning what (and who) captivated the heart of this great saint.
This brand new biography features never-before published stories of our beloved Pope John Paul II!
Buy the book from Lighthouse Catholic Media for only $9.99.
Discover the five greatest loves of Saint John Paul II, through remarkable unpublished stories about him from bishops, priests who organized his papal pilgrimages, his students in Poland, Swiss Guards, and others. Mining through a mountain of papal resources, Jason Evert has uncovered the gems and now presents the Church a treasure chest brimming with the jewels of the saint’s life. Rekindle your own faith by learning what (and who) captivated the heart of this great saint.
This brand new biography features never-before published stories of our beloved Pope John Paul II!
Buy the book from Lighthouse Catholic Media for only $9.99.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
A Father Who Keeps His Promises
Everybody felt it: a moment of eerie silence, a low rumble and then the ground began to shake. Buildings swayed and buckled, then collapsed like houses of cards. Less than four minutes later, over thirty thousand were dead from a magnitude 8.2 earthquake that rocked and nearly flattened Armenia in 1989.
In the muddled chaos, a distress father bolted through the winding streets leading to the school where his son had gone earlier that morning. The man couldn’t stop thinking about the promise he’d given his son many times: “No matter what happens, Armand, I’ll always be there.”
He reached the site where the school had been, but saw only a pile of rubble. He just stood there at first, fighting back tears, and then took off, stumbling over debris, toward the east corner where he knew his son’s classroom had been.
With nothing but his bare hands, he started to dig. He was desperately pulling up bricks and pieces of wall-plaster, while others stood by watching in forlorn disbelief. He heard someone growl, “Forget it, mister. They’re all dead.”
He looked up, flustered, and replied, “You can grumble, or you can help me lift these bricks.” Only a few pitched in, and most of them gave up once their muscles began to ache. But the man couldn’t stop thinking about his son.
He kept digging and digging – for hours … twelve hours … eighteen hours … twenty-four hours … thirty-six hours … Finally, into the thirty-eight hour, he heard a muffled groan from under a piece of wallboard.
He seized the board, pulled it back, and cried, “ARMAND!” From the darkness came a slight shaking voice, “Papa…!?”
Other weak voices began calling out, as the young survivors stirred beneath the still uncleared rubble. Gasps and shouts of bewildered relief came from the few onlookers and parents who remained. They found fourteen of the thirty-tree students still alive.
When Armand finally emerged, he tried to help dig, until all his surviving classmates were out. Everybody standing there heard him as he turned to his friends and said, “See, I told you my father wouldn’t forget us.”
That’s the kind of faith we need, because that’s the kind of Father we have.
Hahn, Scott (1998). A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God's Covenant Love in Scripture. Servant Books.
In the muddled chaos, a distress father bolted through the winding streets leading to the school where his son had gone earlier that morning. The man couldn’t stop thinking about the promise he’d given his son many times: “No matter what happens, Armand, I’ll always be there.”
He reached the site where the school had been, but saw only a pile of rubble. He just stood there at first, fighting back tears, and then took off, stumbling over debris, toward the east corner where he knew his son’s classroom had been.
With nothing but his bare hands, he started to dig. He was desperately pulling up bricks and pieces of wall-plaster, while others stood by watching in forlorn disbelief. He heard someone growl, “Forget it, mister. They’re all dead.”
He looked up, flustered, and replied, “You can grumble, or you can help me lift these bricks.” Only a few pitched in, and most of them gave up once their muscles began to ache. But the man couldn’t stop thinking about his son.
He kept digging and digging – for hours … twelve hours … eighteen hours … twenty-four hours … thirty-six hours … Finally, into the thirty-eight hour, he heard a muffled groan from under a piece of wallboard.
He seized the board, pulled it back, and cried, “ARMAND!” From the darkness came a slight shaking voice, “Papa…!?”
Other weak voices began calling out, as the young survivors stirred beneath the still uncleared rubble. Gasps and shouts of bewildered relief came from the few onlookers and parents who remained. They found fourteen of the thirty-tree students still alive.
When Armand finally emerged, he tried to help dig, until all his surviving classmates were out. Everybody standing there heard him as he turned to his friends and said, “See, I told you my father wouldn’t forget us.”
That’s the kind of faith we need, because that’s the kind of Father we have.
Hahn, Scott (1998). A Father Who Keeps His Promises: God's Covenant Love in Scripture. Servant Books.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Heroic Masculinity
Apathy is the greatest challenge of this generation of men, and we must overcome it. The time for “someone else to do it” is over. We need to step up – when we see someone’s dignity being insulted, when we see women objectified, when our friends are being hurt, and when our enemies need prayer.
We have a choice to make – who will you reflect? Will it be the fall of Adam, or the victory of Christ?
Click here to read the full blog post.
Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck
Today in the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois, Deacon Chase Hilgenbrinck will be ordained a priest of Jesus Christ for the Roman Catholic Church. As a former professional soccer player, his story is compelling and has received much coverage. Below is an article from ESPN and a video from his diocese chronicling his decision to leave the soccer pitch for a life in the church.
-----------------------
"For everything there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven."
-- Ecclesiastes 3:1
EMMITSBURG, Md. -- Chase Hilgenbrinck is alone in the middle of the field, just outside the goal box, with his back to it. He's facing his teammates, who are standing several yards away, split into two lines for pregame warm-ups. One by one -- left, then right -- they kick a soccer ball his way, and start jogging in his direction. Chase deftly deflects each ball off to the side with a flick of his foot, setting up each teammate to launch a shot on goal.
It's been a couple months since he last put on a uniform. But it still feels comfortable. Natural. His mind drifts back to the last time he suited up: Sunday, July 13, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. He was a member of Major League Soccer's New England Revolution, facing Mexican club Santos Laguna in a SuperLiga game. Now, on the final weekend of September, he's preparing to play against a team from St. Joseph's.
St. Joseph's Seminary.
My, how things have changed.
We all have grand dreams when we're growing up. We don't just want to do something with our lives -- we want to be great at it. And for many of us, the ultimate dream was to be a professional athlete.
Chase Hilgenbrinck dreamed that dream. Three months ago, he was playing professional soccer, in his native country. He had reached the end of the rainbow. Only, at the end of the rainbow, he discovered another path he felt compelled to follow. So he gave it all up, at the very moment he had strived for his entire life.
Ironically, Chase never made national headlines during his pro soccer career. But he made headlines around the world when he ended it.
From the Associated Press, July 14, 2008:
"Hilgenbrinck accepted the calling on Monday when he left the New England Revolution and retired from professional soccer to enter a seminary, where he will spend the next six years studying theology and philosophy so he can be ordained as a Roman Catholic priest."
Click here to continue reading.
Monday, August 4, 2014
Fishers of Men
Fishers of Men is a film requested by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. This fast-paced film on vocations to the priesthood has been described as the best vocational film ever produced for the Catholic Church. 8 out of 10 seminarians in the United States own a copy of the film.
Order Fishers of Men from Grassroots Films.
Order Fishers of Men from Grassroots Films.
Sunday, August 3, 2014
The Butterfly Circus
At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus discovers a man without limbs being exploited at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Radiant Magazine
Radiant is a chic, classy Catholic magazine distributed nationally to women ages 15-27. It features Catholic news and articles on issues affecting young women today: health, beauty, politics, love, style, and difficult life circumstances.
See Radiant online.
See Radiant online.
Friday, August 1, 2014
Imagine Sisters
Have you ever met a religious sister? They tend to be the happiest women on Earth. They pray, they sacrifice their lives in love and service to those in need, they live in community–and in many ways they’re just like you! Whether you’ve been taught by sisters or you’ve never experienced their joy in person, Imagine Sisters passionately proposes the possibility of becoming a sister in the world today.
The Mission of Imagine Sisters is to inspire and support vocations to Catholic women’s religious life. Our hope is to help the world meet sisters on fire for their faith. Through online resources and media, Imagine Sisters works to ignite the conversation of vocational discernment.
The Mission of Imagine Sisters is to inspire and support vocations to Catholic women’s religious life. Our hope is to help the world meet sisters on fire for their faith. Through online resources and media, Imagine Sisters works to ignite the conversation of vocational discernment.
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