Blogging+-+Why+Do+Ministers+Blog?

Assignment #1 (A&B)

Using the Catholic Blog Directory ([]), scan through the various titles. Pick three titles that interest you. Read about the author and pick one or two blog posts to read.

Expected time to complete written assignment: 20 - 30 minutes  After you have attended the #|webinar and read the blog pages about //Blogging: Sharing My Personal Faith Story//, your individual homework assignment this week is to identify one or two blogs that are interesting to you and to share why these ministers blog.

What are you noticing about the blogs you have scanned? In a paragraph or two, identify what you notice about the author and the mission of the blog. What is their passion?

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** Please sign in, select the "Edit" button, and add your thoughts below. When you are done, be sure to click on "SAVE." I have added the first bulleted item to get you started. ** ======

=Part A: What is their passion? =
 * Please remember to include the Name of the blog (and URL) with your comments. If possible, try to pick blogs that others are not commenting on. The main focus of this assignment is to identify WHY these authors are writing their blogs. What is their passion?
 * Name:
 * Blog title + URL
 * Why is this author writing their blog? What is their passion?

Example:
 * Name: Caroline Cerveny
 *  Catholic Web Solutions - []
 * Sr. Susan Wolf is a blogger who wants to help religious communities think strategically about integrating the Internet and Social Media into their mission; to develop a plan and then implement it. Using these new media we can enhance our member services, our __#|membership__ recruitment and our outreach.

Ruth Appel 1) Spiritual Popcorn by Paul Jarzembowski - http://spiritualpopcorn.blogspot.com/ He is a Catholic blogger writing movie reviews from a Catholic perspective. I enjoy reading his blog connecting film and faith and I think they could be used as discussion starters in relating the sacred with the ordinary - plus, when searching for blogs, he is from my home town and that caught my eye! 2) Catholic Tech Talk -[] Because of DDBC I wanted to find something on technology and this is one has a variety of contributors so the information is pretty diverse.

Eulogio Olivo-Rivera
 * The Religion Teacher/Catholic Religious __#|Education__ - http://www.thereligionteacher.com
 * Jared C. Dees is a Digital Publishing Agent with Ave Maria Press. Mr. Dees developed catholic textbooks for middle and high __#|schools__, and catechetical material parish formation programs. He founded The Religion Teacher Blog for the purpose of helping Religion teachers from elementary, middle and high school, and catechetical programsto acquire better resources.
 * Iglesia Católica - Santa y Apostólica - http://catolicacristiana.blogspot.com/
 * Cesar Parra graduated from the "Instituto de Formacion Teologica en el Internet," located in Paraguay. Since then, he decided to open this blog to spread the teachings of the Catholic Church using biblical apologetics, with the hope of seeing all those awaited brothers and sisters (Protestant and/or separateborrowers and sisters) back home in the Mother Church.

Heidi is a #|Catholic homeschooling mom of 6 who is passionate about raising her kids in a simple and earnest faith-filled lifestyle. Her sharing is an inspiration both personally and professionally. John is a Catholic dad, professor of Theology. He enjoys sharing thought-provoking theological reflections and his work exudes his passion for being a loving Catholic father and husband.
 * sue sharlow
 * I __#|agree__ with Scott that the statements that he identified as myths are untruths, pretty silly actually. I'm not even very tech savvy and they sound ignorant.
 * []
 * http:www.johnjanaro.blogspot.com/

[] She is sharing the catholic faith through her eyes and love of the faith. , Hearts on Fire [] Fr. is helping to bring a better prayer life to all
 * Amy Acker Mobley
 * my two are: the young apologist

Name: Susan Ajoc Blog name & URL: Almost Not Catholic /[] Blogger - Brent Stubbs, former Protestant preacher, who came into full communion with the Catholic Church. Blogger is sharing his journey of faith and conversion but also to share the "beauty of the fullness of the Truth found in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church". His blogs are comparisons of what we understand as Catholics versus how Protestants may understand the same thing. The blog may be of interest to those considering coming into the Catholic Church and hearing someone else witness as to their own journey. As an RCIA team member, the title caught my eye (and I'm also preparing to lead a discussion about misconceptions & myths of the Catholic Church)

Sherry Foecking Aislingonearth@blogspot.com Fr. Joseph Hennessey of Ireland Aisling being Gaelic for Dream caught my attention and I followed his words that we were each living out God's dream for us here on earth, even tho we may not see it as such. I was drawn in to Fr. Hennessey's blog by his interesting discussions of pithy sayings, "Every Saint has a Past and every Sinner has a future:" started his comments on the possibilities for change in all of us. Many of his blogs speak of the need and possibilites of change and are particularly relevent in our fast moving world. He provides both hope and challenge of #|living a Christian life in todays world. As an older priest, he feels his faith was altered with the arrival of Vatican II and survival in new environment that "was edging away from rigidity toward the challenge of inclusion. This introduction to the Catholicblogs website was real eye opener for me. Reading one lead to reading more. I found Bishop Lynch's comments on the Fourteen days of Freedom and Affordable Care. Deacon Dana from Florida presented a difference perspective of a Catholic with a family. This site is a treasure! Each of these bloggers write with such passion and background knowledge that I am pulled from one into just one more.

Mary Miller This Ignatian Life: [] Several bloggers share their insights as to how they live the principles of Ignatian Spirituality in their everyday lives. Postings are categorized under "People and Conversation", "Prayer, Discernment, and Practice", "Social Justice", "Sustainable Living" and "Technology". Beautiful and real. Almost Not Catholic: [] (I chose this before I read Susan's post). Intrigued with the title, I found this to be a well orchestrated site written by a new Catholic, obviously in love with the Church, who is able to defend the tenets of our faith in a well informed yet gentle manner. Had several "wow" moments reading his posts.

Rachele Deering At God's Mercy - [] The passion of this blogger I see was trying to find the time and space to reflect and pray with God. This was written during the Lenten season and all the thoughts and reflects that you have during Lent. I was amazed at how the author was able to get after a retreat the thought of building a kneeler to have at home to spend some time in prayer. Not many of us can find the time during our busy schedules to pray, and let alone kneel while we're doing it. This just brings me back to perspective that God made ALL things possible, and having His message reached out to me in a blog is a way to spread His word. The Escape - [] This blog reminded me that God is everywhere. This person like so many of us see homeless people all the time and not acknowledge them. Do we forget that God likes to test us every chance He gets? I pray everyday of the blessings I have received, and being kind and acknowleding the many homeless people here in our city is way to let me know that God is looking thru their eyes.

Janet Mitchell (Part A) The Wandering Friar [] Fr. John Anglin OFM I couldn't resist a wanderer. He shares his life and his joy with the readers, his insight and words draw you into the blog. I had gone to a few other blogs and they seemed to be a bit whiny, while his shared stories of his life and discoveries about himself that he shared. His reflections on his mission trip are wonderful along with the photos of his trip.

Lynn E. //Ronald Rolheiser, OMI Speaker, Columnist and Author//. ron rolheiser.com While reading the class blog about blogs I wondered if an author I liked had a blog so I googled “Ronald Roleiser blog” and came up with a ist. Google listed ronrolheiser.com **and** wordpress.com/tag/ronald-rolheiser. How do you know which one is a blog written //by// him and one written //about// him? They both had the same articles. Searching through the URL’s helped but the format of the blog still had me wondering if it was //his// blog or not (a sign that it’s not a good blog). Also the blog was a succession of articles, one directional and not interactive, too bad, he is such a good writer on Christian Spirituality. Being the academic his is you would think his blog would be a better communicator. But his blog articles like his books are excellent themselves and worth reading. Ron has a way of making sense of Christian spirituality and has a passion for helping others to.

I reviewed the list, looking at blog names and the location of the writers. I particularly looked for Florida and Louisiana. These are the ones I reviewed. Abita Deacon @http://abitadeacon.blogspot.com/ Deacon Mike, ordained deacon for the Archdiocese of New Orleans. This caught my attention because new Orleans is home. It was fun to read about an LSU and Saints fan (we just love this stuff). He shares current news stories, some info on saints, and some personal experiences. There is room for comments. Today he shared some thoughts on a plane crash that occurred in the New Orleans area 30 years ago. I remember that event. I'll be checking back on this one from time to time.
 * Dale Brown**

Catholic Tech Talk [] This caught my attention because of this course.This is a group site. Their mission is "to make the name of Jesus Christ know and loved through the use of technology and media." The contributors are described as Catholic technology enthusiasts. Their passion is technology and social media.The have enthusiastically provided information and resources that definitely bear exploring. There is place for comments (I even saw one by Sr. Caroline)

Tech Tips for Catholics @http://catholictechtips.stblogs.com/ Again, this caught my eyes because of this course.It is a group site with several contributors. The blog was designed to help teens use technology for faith sharing. But it is useful to others (those of us who are no longer teens). It includes articles from other blogs. (Would you put a QR code on your grave marker?), links to feeds, and invitation to become a contributor, an online store, and links to other resources (Catholic freebies). The contributors are involved in faith formation in their parishes, and/or technology. It allows for comments. People can share information about others resources and blogs, or post links to them. Their passion is obviously faith and technology, and they are focusing it n youth and families.

Pray Tell - Worship, Wit, and Wisdom @http://www.praytellblog.com/ Pray Tell is a group blog that discussions questions and issues concerning the liturgy. I was directed to it last year as they presented ad discussed the new Roman Missal. Very interesting and funny comments about the translation. It allows for comments and discussion. Their goal is to present practical wisdom. Althoug they make jokes, their passion is the liturgy, but without some of the formal stresses.

Kevin Hansut Part A Author Originally Lisa Hendry now Group Title -[| Catholic Mom] This may be one of the longer running blogs out there. I began reading it years ago because it offered content that was pertainent to families teaching their children the Catholic Faith. That is the passion of the contributors helping others pass the catholic faith. There is always excellent content and now this blog has advanced to be a site full of established bloggers, in fact one of the bloggers Karen reviewed, [|Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur] contributes on this site. There is also contributions by the Bible Geek, Mark Hart and this week a very interesting Tech Talk by Kevin Knight. The only downside to this blog is navigating it to follow the comments of others.

Author Sarah Reinhard Title - Snoring Scholar Url: [] I found this blog through Catholic Mom and it is a great blog for catechists. Written by a rural housewife with a farm and children and a busy life, yet she finds time to learn, live and write about the Catholic Faith through the eyes of a wife and mother. Also presented are links top other highly useful tech sites. The language is easy to understand and pertainent to everyday family life.

Author Greg Kandra Title - From the Deacon's Bench Url: [|www.pathenos.com] I chose this blog after reading many written by Deacons, as they followed my aspiration to become a Deacon. This was one of the most fascinating, as Deacon Greg writes about his life as a Deacon in Brooklyn NY. He talks about his preparation for homilies and his activities. More interesting though is his attention to daily life stories and their relation to scriptural stories and the faith. He writes about the death of Ernest Borgnine and the return of Katie Holmes to the Catholic Faith. This probably comes from his 26 years of experience as a writer and producer for CBS news. If I am going to read articles with any slant on them, I would certainly perfer it be the Christian Slant.

Kristi Jenkins Author Aimee Simon Title- [|The Mother Lode] URL: [] This is a college friend, a stay at home mom who blogs about her life with 6 kids. Since her faith is important to her, and to the way she raises her kids, it often comes up in her posts. It helps that she is a great writer, who's been nominated for blog awards too! I think every church minister should have an "everyman" or "everywoman" blog to follow, since this gives us a great look into church matters from a "pew view". Peace, Kristi

Sybil Steuart - Part A Title:Seek First the Kingdom – Cardinal Donald Wuerl URL: [] Went to this blog out of curiosity. the Cardinal celebrates mass here at least once a year when he is visiting Naples (this weekend in fact). Great to see the hierarchy of the Church using social media. Very evident that his concerns are the political issues of religion right now, encouraging vocations and participation in the Eucharist.

Title: Overflow - Kari URL: [] Kari's blog talked about the friendship between her children and their expression of it at present with the old media of walkie talkies. Her children, her husband, friendship, family and being Catholic are her passions and the blog was sharing that with others within the context of being a Catholic family.

Title: Sisters of Mercy of the Americas URL: [] Being connected to: other Mercies, people they serve, people who may have an interest in being “mercy” to others. the Sisters recognize that their website is not the only way to reach others these days. I was glad as a Mercy Associate to see them on board with the wave of the future.

//**K.M. Kirkpatrick Part A**// Title: BE NOT AFRAID URL: [] The passion of this blogger is finding strength and hope in God and Mary while raising a family and coping with cancer.

Title : A CATHOLIC TEEN'S PERSPECTIVE URL: [] This blog is written by a Catholic teenager who adores reading, writing, watching movies, and sharing her opinion. She is very devoted to learning about the beauty of the Catholic faith and striving always to grow in love of God. She created this blog as a place to post her religious thoughts and insights in an attempt to help other Catholic teens looking for some advice from their perspective. Along with reflections on the Catholic faith, she enjoys posting movie, music, and book reviews, political opinions, quotes by amazing Catholic people, and anything else she thinks others would enjoy. She publishes her posts under the name Arafea, meaning "Noble Spirit" in Elvish, for she wishes to imitate the beautiful courage of J.R.R. Tolkien's characters in her life and in her writing. PART B: I have to say that I really enjoyed the teen's blog. I can see having a blog for teen's in the faith formation program

Ginny Nolan - Part A URL: [] There is no author listed for The Apostolate of Hannah's Tears. It is a beautiful site, originally developed to support and comfort those who have not been able to have children. The site states that "it is a vehicle for the spiritual works of Mercy" which also gives hope when life is tough via a video about Nick Vujicic, who was born without any limbs. That site really touched my heart. Another interesting blog was The Catholic Young Woman [] which is dedicated to encouraging other young women to be genuine Catholic women. It is authored by eight young women. I have to laugh at the alloted time for this assignment! Reading these blogs was like having just one more potato chip!! They were so interesting, you have to have just one more!

Ana Munoz - Part A Blog1: "All Things New", Author: Deacon Greg Kandra, URL: http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/Greg-Kandra.html Blog2: "Gift & Mystery", Author: Fr. Stephen C.S.C, URL: http://fatherstephen.blogspot.com/ I found these two blogs through the link provided for this assignment (Catholic Blog Directory...). I tried to pick something from the section that identifies blogs written by Clergy. I picked them out of the long list of blogs organized alphabetically, because their titles got my attention. In both blogs the authors reflect about their homilies, how they prepare, and what inspires them to write a homily. Fr. Stephen's blog is more informal and personal, he writes like if he is writing a letter to a friend. Deacon Greg's blog is more formal and general, and I would say even commercial. Something I really enjoy about Fr. Greg's blog is how he talks about his personal life and the things he does out of his church responsibilities, he really shows his personality and human side. Make you realize that priests are people that can do regular things and have fun as anyone else. What I like about Deacon Greg's blog is that he provides very interesting information, and as a serious writer is provides his sources and references. Both seemed as wonderful blogs, with interesting information, each on its own style.

Mary Jane Spirk - we blog because we have ideas, we are thinking people. We share ideas, we want to share what our faith means to us, the effect it has in our lives.

Jennifer McIlveen - Part A Fringe Faith, Author: Liz Jakimow, URL: [] - This blog is written with a faith perspective on current events in our society and culture. The author takes current events and reflects on how it affects her life and the life of her family and also emotions and feelings. Time for Reflection, Author: Victor Moubarak, URL: [] - I thoroughly enjoy reading this blog. The author takes events in his own life, turning them into living the faith short stories with a wonderful sense of humor. Every blog I have read on this site has brought me wonderful laughter. What better way to bring God into peoples lives than to do it through simple life experience and laughter!

Name: Lori Crawford St. Joseph’s Vanguard, [] Devin Rose is a convert to the Catholic faith and an apologist who shares his faith journey and his responses to challenges to the Catholic faith. He uses his blog to process through his own conversion story and help others through theirs, to evangelize to other faith traditions, to educate to current Catholics, and to promote his book (which I am reading now and is quite good, incidentally).

Kelli Bonner // Breathing with Both Lungs //[] This blog by Cappuchin Franciscan Fr. Tom Forde of Dublin, Ireland is engaging and informative. Fr. Forde uses a multimedia approach to get "the word" out. It's no surprise that you can find a full-length video about the basics of Eastern Rite churches (thus, both lungs). Aside from frequent entries, the side bar is packed with visuals and tid-bits of information to make you smile. It's sounds like this blog is too busy to absorb, but that's not the case. It's layout lends itself to clarity. He's passionate about the fullness of the faith and the future of Ireland. // How Can I Keep From Singing? //[] You could expect from the url that Fr. Ernie Davis (of Kansas City, Missouri) is an Episcopal convert. He's been married for 30 years and has three children. What he presents is infrequent entries, mostly ramblings, from which one gains that he's into WWII and hiking the Appalachian Trail. Varied typestyles and pastel backgrounds make it difficult for the eye to land. If one sticks with it, though, you'll find commentary based on personal experience that supports Church teaching. He's passionate about history and nature, and the Church, of course.

Ann Ferguson

Blog #1:
Come Follow Me, //The Journey of a Man Discerning his Vocation,// [] The author is Matthew Pulis who is from Malta and is keeping a blogging journal of his process of discernment for the priesthood. His passion is Jesus! The format of this blog is pretty standard and well constructed, not surprising since his profession up to now has been as GIS consultant and GIS Web developer. If you are interested in hearing his personal story, I think you’ll find him interesting to read. He has several stories he talks about from around the world, including that of Yousef Nadarkhani who was condemned by the Iranian government for becoming a Christian.

Blog #2
====Deeper Truth, [] ; his most recent blog is about the “chain of command”, the apostolic succession as it originates with Moses both from verbal and written tradition which was carried on from Jesus to St. Peter through Benedict XVI; that God ruled his people through the covenants as revealed to them and bound by his love for his people. Their blog’s mission is to debate and defend the truth about our Catholic faith.====

<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">Blog #3 <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">The Alternate Path, []<span style="font-family: Cambria,serif;">by <span style="color: #222222; font-family: Cambria,serif;">Fr. Michael, a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Knoxville, TN. Ordained a priest in 1995 he is currently serving as Vocation Director for the diocese and Chaplain to the Catholic Center at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN. He blogs about St. Teresa de Avila’s discussion on two types of prayer in the Fourth Dwelling Places of The Interior Castle; consolation prayer that originates in us to God versus spiritual delights that originates from God and arrives in His own time and place. “ Consolations are experiences that are acquired through our own effort - our petitions and our prayers. They move from us to God and as long as they end in God they are good and beneficial.” Whereas spiritual delights remind us that God is indeed active in our life. This further illustrates a basic difference between the time when Teresa de Avila wrote and the present. He continues that the world today offers a "Christianized" form of secularism - God is acknowledged but God really does not move within the secular realm. I’m bookmarking this blog site. His style and subject matter is thought provoking.

=<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Part B: Do you agree or disagree? =


 * After listening to Scott Rosenberg's video, //10 Myths About Blogs//, do you agree or disagree with what Scott states in the video? Why? Please post your name with your answer**

I’m just beginning to get the jist that twitter, blogging, wikis and facebook are all different forms of “social media” or //social// communication. I guess I should rent the movie //Social Network// that came out a few years ago to find whats what.
 * Lynn E (Part B):** I guess these are the questions/myths some have raised; I haven’t talked to people about blogs so I don’t know how others feel about them. It’s only been in the context of this class that I even heard of blogging as a form of journalism. Some of the myth’s Scott gives I have not heard alluded to even once (i.e. blogging is dead (– says who?)) but my experience of blogs is minuscule so I do not have much to go on.

Amy Acker Mobley I am currently a blogger and this is one of my favorite things to do. I liked the above 2 sites and found Hearts on fire to be a space I will want to visit more. the youngapologist is one I have followed for a month or so - I do appreciate knowing so many exist on the faith. I highly recommend both of mine for there both interesting but hearts on fire was so peaceful and inspiring to me personally. loved all the prayers.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Karen Heaphy Part A 3 Blogs Name: assistantpotter (does not identify real name) Blog Name & url: Assistant Potter at http://assistantpotter.blogspot.com/ Assistantpotter describes herself as: “I am a person of simple tastes and habits, whose main passion is learning how to live out a life of love and communion with our Lord, and whose special interest is in accompanying others on their healing journey. Blogger since 2007. “ Uses photography, art, poetry, prayer and color to celebrate the Lord.

Name: Holly Blog Name & url: A Life-Size Catholic Blog at [] Holly states “I believe: “The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.”~ Blog ponders on a variety of topics and relates it to faith

Name: [|Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur] Blog Name & url: Spiritual Woman at [] Patrice describes her blog and self this way “**Spiritual Woman** I am a writer, artist, and homeschooling mom. Here you will find musings on life, readings, and a relationship with God”. Blog focus is on topics of women's spirituality.

Summary: it took me longer than the projected time as I wanted to find a blog that I would follow. I looked at blogs that I thought might reflect living life as a Catholic lay person in a secular world. The 3 blogs that I ended choosing are blogs that bring Catholic identity into the everyday world. I enjoyed the use of photos. poems and art that I found on the blogs as well as using everyday topics that reveal God in our midst. Sharing books and thoughts the different authors share their faith.

Karen Heaphy Part B Listened to the Video on the 10 myths about Blogs. I must admit that I have heard all the myths. Scott advocated well for the future of the blog. The one myth that seemed to resonate the most with me, and perhaps one that I have heard often is that the blog is trivial. It is easy to discount the Blog because it can be so anonymous and often it seems to be opinion rather than fact. But Scott challenges one about which blogs you follow. The same could be said of the printed newspapers that we read today. How do we choose what we read and agree or disagree with the author's point of view. Which brings me to another point, as I was going through the list of the Catholic blogs, I wondered who said they were Catholic? Were they identified as Catholic by the authors or some other group. There were a few nice blogs that didn't have any hint that they related to Catholicism.

Susan Ajoc (Part B). Looking at the blog titles (so many) and trying to decide what to choose (first looked for Florida), then picked a few, a number of the myths Scott discussed came to mind. Numbers 1, 2 and 4 - blogs stink, are trivial and too many. Like Karen, some of the blog titles caught my attention because I wondered what they had to do with Catholicism and after reading, still not clear but saw some comments to the blog text from non-Catholics which were interesting and faith-sharing. I agree that there is an opportunity to engage others in thoughtful dialogue if structured to encourage dialogue rather than "I like this".

Mary Miller (Part B). Prior to this module, I must admit I believed most of the myths - a lesson to be learned in not forming an opinion on something you know little or nothing about! I can see both sides to several of the myths, but knowing about blogs and being able to navigate will help a reader "weed" out the frivolous, the narcissistic, the unuseful. Choice is good.

Rachele Deering (B) - Listening to the 10 Myths about blogging, I tend to disagree with some of the points. Writting a blog is a written expression of a topic that needs to be discussed. Bloggers can write their thoughts elequitely and may give a different perspective on a journalist's views. I agree there are too many bloggs, but we have so many different likes and dislikes that the many that are available can please all.

Janet Mitchell (Part B) First I had to find the question for part B (it had moved because someone had written above it but I finally figured it all out)and then find the connect to the video. I visited a few blogs before choosing the one I really enjoyed. Like Susan and Karen before me, I wasn't always sure how they fit into the subject of Catholicism, some were well written, and some not so much. I am not sure I really disagree with several of the myths. I found some silly, poorly written, and while they may get better with time they lost me. I will stick with the Friar.

Part B Kevin Hansut As I read through quite of view blogs and the one I wrote about and then reviewed the myths presented, I would agree that they are inded myths. Yes there are some blogs out there that might cause someone to agree with any one of the myths, but the ones I reviewed were point on, well written and certainly worthy of trust. The fact that Catholic Mom ahs grown to the number of contributing bloggers and has withstood the test of time certainly disproves blogging is not dead and in fact continues to grow. I don't think we will reach a poin that there are too many blogs as long as more folks become aware of their value and how to use them.

Part B - Dale Brown I disagree, or maybe should say I believe the myths to be just that, myths. It is possible that some of that exists, but I think on the overall scale, this is not the case. As a matter of fact, as I have thought about and considered blogging over the past couple of years, I think what has held me back or kept me from doing it is that list of ten, in a sense. I wanted to make sure that what I did wasn't any of that which was listed.

Nina Liwski [|Catechesis in the Third Millenium]

I like the layout of this blog - not too busy. I like the fact that the author isn't the main focus of the first page - you can go to another page if interested. An index of Categories also makes for easy reading. These additional pages are a great idea. I also signed up for email notification as I plan to read more. I enjoy reading articles that reflect my own understanding of catechesis and William is defenitely not stuck in "Orthodoxy" land. His writing incorporates key words such as evangelization, new evangelization, discipleship and conversion and he seems to have a good handle on the reality of the state of catechesis in the US. I would have to say that renewal of catechesis is Williams passion. I read his response to Sr Caroline's question about using social media. It's not always easy to get the catechists to buy in. Incorporating Fr. James Mallon's article on A New Model for Sacramental Prep was of great service to all followers of the blog. Fr Mallon brings us to reality when he states that 90% of baptized under the age of 40 no longer live their faith within the community of faith. I just had to quote Fr. Mallon's insights on maintaining status quo. Never was it said better than this! "The greatest consequence is the toll taken by continuing to settle for external appearances that have little or no connection to the internal reality. How long can a pastor and community joyfully and wholeheartedly celebrate confirmation as the completion of Christian initiation knowing all too well that the vast majority of the freshly initiated have, in their mind, just obtained a ticket out of the Church. What makes it worse is that the young people know that you know, and they know that you know that they know that you know that all the externals the sacramentum/tantum, are simply that. At stake is our very integrity a Church." This is worth mounting on the wall of my office.

I responded to this great article: Nina says the GDC can’t make it any clearer — the baptismal catechumenate is the MODEL for ALL catechesis. If only we could understand and trust!


 * Diane Clark**

Blog name: Praire Catholic, Carolyn, matters of faith, building futures one block at a time. I loved how she described the differences in people. How life throws you curvesto make you sit up and pay attention to find the best in yourself. Her passion is people, and how each one has an impact on our lives and who we become.

blog name: Beautiful thorns, Lisa, Florida, Loved this blog and the way it was set up. Lisa writes beautiful and I could so identify with her. I also read her June blog about a Eucharistic miracle that was so inspiring. I will definitely follow this blog. Her passion is her faith.

blog name: On Earth As It is In Heaven, Ton Dobbins Jr His passion is human services and I enjoyed reading it. I especially liked how he compared everyday work to helping people even though it might not be a human services organization.

I did agree with the myths about blogging, they are just that myths. We all have a unique reason why we would blog. Yes, some people might use it as a journal and some might use it as a sounding board. Whatever the use, if people use it appropriately we need to respect each others needs. Everyone can pick and chose the blogs they want to read and should enjoy them.

Michael Cooper The Jesuit Post The Jesuit Post.org I look at "religious" who do blogs in part looking for Jim Martin, S.J. No luck. I figured this blog was part of a group of younger Jesuits in formation/studies and that it would probably lean toward "the churchy" and orthodox. Brendan Busse, S.J. realy surprised me. He is studying philosophy and theology at Loyola-Chicago. His ministry is the Ignatian Spiriruality Project founded by my very close Jesuit friend Bill Creed. The bog has a variety of essay on spirituality topics that are contemporary, healthy emotionally and spiritually, and insightful. Very experiential. Readers can respond and comment and a few do. Actually I thought this was a real gem.

"My Movies" [|www.sisterrose.wordpress.com] Sister Rose Pacatte is a very well known film critic adn regularly reviews for the National Catholic Reporter along with several other magazines. This was not so much a blog as her website with all her articles. I did not see any place to coment or add to her comments. I was looking to see what she might say about "Of Gods and Men." I did not find a search box to try to find it. Thus excellent material but in no way interactive.

Sybil Steuart - Part B There are always those who because of fear, ignorance or suspicion will help circulate "myths" about things that are new to them. Considering the number of religious, clergy and Church hierarchy having blogs, this may be the future for parishes and ministries. how many people go to websites now and even facebook is becoming old hat. Everyone blogs. The Church always takes its time before starting anything and then does so slowly which is good in "safety" aspects. The more I deal with social media, the more I am aware we need to use it in our ministries.

Ruth E Manlandro:
 * TechTips for Catholics
 * [|Catholic Tech Tips]http://catholictechtips.stblogs.com/
 * This blog had some great tips for tech use by. I liked that there was a link to QR Code generators. This is a great way of engaging our students with technology in use today. This helps to keep them active in Catholicism utilizing technology that is in use for other

Barbara Eretto [] bringing you a little bit of __#|couponing__ and a little bit of faith. This blog is written by a lady who likes to coupon and is passionate about her faith. She offers some good couponing tips to save money and often blogs about a topic of passion. She belongs to a group of catholic bloggers who also are passionate about NFP.

Part B: I disagree with the myths posted about blogging. I think blogging can be a form of journalism but it will never replace good journalism. I think that there are many good blogs available, however one needs to know what it is that you are looking for and then you need to spend time to find the topic that you are passionate about. When you blog about your passion then your blog will have much substanance and value, if you try to blog about something that you are not interested in or that you don't know much about then it will not be a useful blog!

Ginny Nolan - Part B I learned a lot from Scott Rosenberg's comments on the myths of blogging. I have to admit I was one who promoted the myths about the narcisissim and the trust factor. The Naples Daily News always has guest bloggers and I always skip over them. I think it takes courage to "put yourself out there" for people to either enjoy or criticize your blog. Your passion for a topic though would give you that courage. Wish I knew about blogging when my kids were growing up. It would have been a great way to "release" at the end of the day!

Eulogio Olivo-Rivera Yes, I agree with Scott Rosenbergs' commentary on the myths of blogging. From the moment thatr blogs appeared in the Internet and mobile world, the media hasbeen going through an uproar. It's no longer dominance of the TV andstation stations, and specially the written press. The powers-to-be in the news business have had no other recourse nor resource, but tointros win and notice that if you can't beat them, join them.

Ana Munoz - Part B I do agree with what he says in his video. I think the whole point is that those myths are no more than mere opinions, that can go in either direction, in other word is all relative to the person who says it, and the blogs they visited. There are two sides for the same coin. There are good and bad blogs, and what I think is good it may be bad for someone else ... and so on. We just need to be conscious about how we use the information we read in blogs and always consider the background and/or intentions (hidden agendas) of the authors. Read the ones you are interested in and you trust and ignore the rest ... unless you cross about one that you consider should be reported as malicious, spam, or something ... but not sure if there is a way to do that....

Jennifer McIlveen - Part B I do agree with Scott Rosenberg and his 10 Myths on blogging. While exploring the blogging world (not being a blogger myself), I have read and looked at many different blogs, some of which I have chosen to follow. I found many different forms of writing styles with many different perspectives. Some were to the particular writing style I would prefer to read, while others were not. I particularly agree with Rosenberg's statement about the blogosphere being whomever you chose to read.

Lori Crawford Are there too many blogs? Yes and no. There are too many good ones to keep up with and too many not-useful ones that after visiting (personal reflection) are not yet worth another visit back. It is overwhelming to know there are so many people with things to say out there, that all feel need to be heard. I struggle with the idea of asking my parishioners (families, catechists) to add me to their list of things to visit online, whether by facebook or otherwise, but if I do choose to be a blogger, it had better be good, so to be worthy of being added to their blogroll!

Kelli Bonner I have little experience with blogging, but I can see the relevence of Mr. Rosenberg's myths and why he bedunks them. I see control as the utmost of importance in the blogosphere(s). One controls, not only what comes in, but what goes out!

Ann Ferguson After watching Mr. Rosenberg's video on the myths about blogging I have to say that I was one of those who felt that blogging was for the especially smart, well informed and certainly to blog would place my thoughts "out there" for all to see, thus exposing me to that scrutiny which makes one feel insecure...and then another part of me likes the fact that this forum allows me to speak on issues about which I'm am passionate. Once making the jump into the virtual plaza of ideas and opinions, it seems like a tremendous opportunity to share. Also, I need to remind myself of the responsibilities entailed in blogging so that I research and check facts before posting things. The prolific number of blogs out there is intimidating. We who are accustomed to eating everything on our plates and have a childhood habit of finishing what you start may struggle initially when facing the myriad of choices. I concede that I have "taken the plunge"! So far, still afloat!

Ruth Appel - Part B / Agree Bloggers give us the opportunity to hear different perspectives on topics that are of interest to us - and as with most opinions, we take them with the proverbial "grain of salt". Also, like with TV we can always change the channel......or should I say, "blogger". I agree with Ginny N. - she mentioned the passion of the blogger giving them courage and I would add committment to that.

NOTE TO ALL STUDENTS--- Great exploring in the blogosphere. It's great to see each of you finding "gems" that give you great resources, news, ideas, or an example to follow. You've also found blogs that weren't particularly helpful or good-- which is part of the internet. We need to know how to evaluate what we find: blogs can be one source, but shouldn't be our only one! To the question, who decided these blogs were Catholic, I believe the authors self-identify when they submit to the list... but I'm checking on that with the list editor. Nice work! -Kristi

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