“In answer to the Church’s call for evangelization via the new media, SQPN is constantly searching for ways to reach out to new audiences,” says Fr. Roderick Vonhogen, founder and CEO of the Star Quest Production Network.

“The three new shows in our line-up do exactly that: Pat Gohn’s ‘Among Women’ reaches out to women, while Nick and Pat Padley cater to young adults with ‘In Between Sundays’, and Jeff Young, ‘the Catholic Foodie’ targets people that love to share faith and good food with friends and family.”

Something for Everyone

These new shows add exciting dimensions to the current line-up. Meet our new producers:

Pat Gohn, host of Among Women, delivers a podcast on women’s spirituality. Pat shares,  “Last year’s CNMC inspired me, and after prayerful consideration, AMONG WOMEN was launched last March!”

She explores Catholic teaching and its application to daily life, celebrating the beauty and grace of Catholic faith and life among women.

Brothers Nick and Pat Padley talk about life as young Catholic adults on their show, In Between Sundays. Their easy banter and silly antics serve as a backdrop to the serious topics of developing the mind, body and soul.

Nick indicates “we look forward to expanding our ministry to young adults across the globe.”

The Catholic Foodie, Jeff Young, brings much more to the table than merely recipes and reviews. He explains that the show “highlights how food – good food – can be a sign to us of God’s love and care for each of us and our families.”

His tagline, “where food meets faith,” speaks volumes about the importance of community, which is so often developed at meals.

About SQPN

The Star Quest Production Network is an international Catholic new media organization focusing on Catholic evangelization and education, reaches an international audience of over 100,000 people. The Star Quest website, www.sqpn.com, serves as a portal to dozens of Catholic-content audio and video podcasts, as well as a burgeoning social networking site that serves the growing SQPN community of podcasters and listeners.

Information and links to subscribe to the shows can be found at www.sqpn.com.

“SQPN Connect is a great addition to our existing SQPN website,” says Fr. Roderick, founder and CEO of the Star Quest Production Network. “The amazing response to our Catholic New Media Celebration made us realize once more that friendship constitutes the basis of all our Catholic new media efforts. On SQPN Connect, people from all over the world can share and deepen that friendship in a whole new way.”

SQPN Connect uses the popular Ning platform. Membership is free, and people can join or leave the community at any time. People can sign up at http://sqpnconnect.ning.com

• Live from the Drury Hotel
• Lunch with SQPN podcasters and friends
• SQPN Board Meeting
• Meet and Greet Part I
• Meet and Greet Part II

Saturday

• CNMC 2009 Opening Ceremony Part I
• CNMC 2009 Opening Ceremony Part II
• “Communicating with the Passion of St. Paul: New Media as Catholic Evangelization” by Fr. Dave Dwyer of the Busted Halo show
• Fr. Dave Dwyer Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII
• New Media and Your Family, with Danielle Bean from Faith & Family magazine
• Men as Spiritual Leaders: with Andrew Walther from the Knights of Columbus
• “Evangelization Dos and Don’ts” by Patrick Madrid, author and publisher of Envoy Magazine
• Patrick Madrid Keynote
• Reaching to the ends of the world – live Skype interviews with Podcasters – with Fr. Roderick
• How New Media and social networking are changing the Church, with Fred Fosnacht from MyCatholicVoice.com
• Sarah Bauer Q & A
• Sarah Bauer Concert
• Closing Ceremony

Click here to discover more about the event and to register for the CNMC 2009!

PROGRAM CATHOLIC NEW MEDIA CELEBRATION 2009

(Some speakers and topics can be subject to change)

8:00 am – 8:50 am – Registration and welcome

8:50 am – 9:00 am -  Opening Ceremony

9:00 am – 10:00 am – Keynote by Fr. Dave Dwyer of the Busted Halo show

10:00 am – 11:00 am – Breakout sessions I

Track 1: New Media Evangelization and Outreach

• New Media and Your Family, with Danielle Bean from Faith & Family magazine
• Men as Spiritual Leaders: the Knights of Columbus and New Media, with Andrew Walther
• Moderated by Bill Moyer from the National Fellowship of Catholic Men

Track 2: New Media 101

• From the ears to the heart – How to make exciting online audio (speaker TBA)
• Hands-on audio training (speaker TBA)

11:00 am – 11:30 am – Break: Coffee and networking

During the break: Open Microphone

• Podcasters, producers and listeners share their knowledge and testimonies

11:30 am – 12:00 am – Breakout sessions II

Track 1: New Media Evangelization and Outreach

• How to use New Media and Social Networking in your local parish or community (speaker TBA)
• How New Media and social networking are changing the Church, with Fred Fosnacht from MyCatholicVoice.com
• Moderated by Deacon Rodgers of the Archdiocese of San Antonio

Track 2: New Media 101

• Come and See! – How to make great online video (speaker TBA)
• Hands-on video training (speaker TBA)

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Lunch: a choice of great food for the best lunch in Texas!

During the break: Open Microphone

• Podcasters, producers and listeners share their knowledge and testimonies

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm – Keynote by Patrick Madrid

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm – Breakout sessions III

Track 1: New Media Evangelization and Outreach

• Reaching to the ends of the world – live Skype interviews with catholic podcasters from all over the globe (speaker TBA)
• Teach everyone – New Media, religious education and catechesis, with Fr. Seraphim from Catholic Under the Hood and Maria Johnson, co-writer of That Catholic Show

Track 2: New Media 101

• Apostles and bloggers – How to make an amazing blog, with Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom.com
• Would Saint Paul be on Twitter? How to evangelize via Social Networks, with Matthew Warner of flockNote.com

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Break: Coffee and networking

During the break: Open Microphone

• Podcasters, producers and listeners share their knowledge and testimonies

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Breakout sessions IV

Track 1: New Media Evangelization and Outreach

• Catholic Music and the New Media revolution (speaker TBA)
• Catholic Movies with Leo Severino, producer and writer of the movie ‘Bella‘

Track 2: New Media 101

• How to spread the word about your blog, podcast, event or website? With Joe McClane from the Catholic Hack
• How to build a community around your blog, podcast or website? (speaker TBA)

Track 3: Open Microphone

• Podcasters, producers and listeners share their knowledge and testimonies

5:00 pm – 6:00 pm – An amazing concert by top Catholic artist Sarah Bauer

6:00 pm – 6:15 pm – Closing ceremony

In his newsletter, Fr. Leo writes:

“please pray for me next week (June 8th and 9th) as I film with Food Network. Pray I don’t say anything stupid, or more importantly, that I don’t cut my finger trying to chop onions too quickly! And if you want to be part of the action, come to the Mass that will be taped by Food Network on Monday, June 8, at Mount St. Mary’s Immaculate Conception Chapel. If we take time for Mass – even if it sometimes feels like a really long Mass – we receive the Food that lasts forever!

Fusion Fajita

The recipe that Food Network wants to highlight is my take on a traditional Mexican Dish – Fajitas! Since I’m Filipino and only part Spanish, but also heavily influenced by all of my travels, I had to throw in an internationally infused flavor to the traditional dish. I have a special marinade to wake up the hangar steak, which is generally a tough piece of meat that can easily dry out if overcooked.

Unfortunately, I probably can’t give you the recipe until after the Food Network filming. For now, you can simply watch another version of my more traditional fajitas that I made with my brother and sister-in-law in their home last year.

So, click here for the video and recipe.”

Fr. Leo has a video podcast in which he reveals his most secret recipes, but be warned! The episodes will make you VERY hungry.

If you subscribe to the RSS feed (link) or via iTunes (link), you will be able to download all the episodes!

Sean writes:

I wrote this parody to help promote the Catholic New Media Celebration on June 27, 2009 in San Antonio, Texas (http://celebration.sqpn.com). Adam Hendey helped out on flute recorded by his mom, Lisa Hendey (http://new.catholicmom.com). Dan Harms from Popple provide a tasty guitar solo. (http://popple.us). My always supportive wife and daughter make cameo appearances in the video.

You can find my podcast, the Catholic Roundup at http://catholicroundup.com

Feel free to add this video to your blog/website to help us promote the CNMC!

During the 2009 Giving Campaign, listeners and viewers brought together $125,000, enabling the network to continue to produce audio and video programs that reach and touch tens of thousands of people on a daily basis.

Fr. Roderick, Inge and Mark
The 2009 Podcast Marathon started in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Fr. Roderick Vonhogen and Dutch listeners Inge and Mark presented a number of activities that ranged from singing karaoke favorites to a special high intensity workout lead by Fr. Roderick. During the ‘Horror Smoothie Challenge’, viewers could sponsor ingredients for two special smoothies. This resulted in a Yoghurt/banana/Cheese/Olive/Garlic smoothie and a Milk/Oreo/Kiwi/Tuna/chili pepper/Tabasco smoothie. Both were consumed live during the marathon.

Mac and Katherine
Mac and Katherine Barron in Georgia took over with a live episode of their popular podcast ‘Catholic in a Small Town’.

The Sweeney Family
From Georgia, the marathon moved to Texas, where the Sweeney family entertained the audience by dancing in Lederhosen and juggling kittens.

Paul Camarata
Dr. Paul Camarata followed after that with a special two-hour SaintCast session. Dr. Paul dressed up as some of the favorite saints of members of the audience.

Greg and Jennifer
Greg and Jennifer, hosts of ‘The Catholics Next Door’ on the Catholic Channel (Sirius/XM) appeared next, singing songs on request and sharing stories about their Catholic media work.

Fr. Jay Finelli and Lisa Hendey
Fr. Jay Finelli, the iPadre, and Lisa Hendey joined forces for the next hour of the Catholic Podcast Marathon.

Louisa Pittman
From California, the Marathon switched over to the United Kingdom. SQPN community member Louisa Pittman from the Accidental Archeologist podcast was up early in the morning to tell stories about her many adventures and sing sailor songs.

The Finish Line
Fr. Roderick was up early as well for the last hour of the Podcast Marathon, singing songs from the Sound of Music, the Beatles and Frank Sinatra. During that last hour, the tally reached the $10,000 goal. Fr. Roderick wrapped up the campaign and the marathon with a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing for the entire SQPN community.

Highlights on uStream
If you were unable to join the podcast marathon, you can watch some of the recordings on the uStream page of SQPN Live: Click here to watch!

You will be able to see your SQPN podcasters go bananas and do the strangest, most surprising, funny and unexpected things you’ve ever seen them do – within the confines of decency and Canon Law of course

Join the International SQPN Marathon on Mother’s Day by going to www.sqpn.com. And support our Catholic new media work by helping us with your prayers and donations (click here to give).

Help us spread the word by telling your friends about the Catholic Podcast Marathon on Twitter, Facebook and other social networks!

Thanks,

Fr. Roderick

Program:

• 12:00pm – 1:00pm: Fr. Roderick and friends
• 1:00pm – 2:00 pm: Fr. Roderick and friends
• 2:00pm – 3:00 pm: Fr. Roderick and friends
• 3:00pm – 4:00 pm: Mac & Katherine Barron (Catholic in a Small Town)
• 4:00pm – 5:00 pm: The Sweeney Family (Catholic Family)
• 5:00pm – 6:00 pm:  The Sweeney Family (Catholic Family)
• 6:00pm – 7:00 pm: Paul Camarata (SaintCast)
• 7:00pm – 8:00 pm: Paul Camarata (SaintCast)
• 8:00pm – 9:00 pm: Greg & Jennifer Willits (Rosary Army/The Catholics Next Door)
• 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Lisa Hendey (Catholic Moments)
• 10:00 pm – 11:00 pm: Louisa Pittman (Accidental Archeologist)
• 11:00 pm – 12:00 am: Fr. Roderick (wrap up)

Here is the official press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Fr. Roderick Vonhögen
Star Quest Production Network
206-202-4455
info@sqpn.com
www.SQPN.com

2nd Annual Catholic New Media Celebration Announced
Roswell, GA, March 30, 2009:

In his message on the 2009 World Day of Communications, Pope Benedict XVI called on Catholics, especially young Catholics to “… to introduce into the culture of this new environment of communications and information technology the values on which you have built your lives.” He also wrote, “It falls, in particular, to young people, who have an almost spontaneous affinity for the new means of communication, to take on the responsibility for the evangelization of this ‘digital continent’.”

Following the encouragement of Pope Benedict, as well as Pope John Paul II before him, the second annual Catholic New Media Celebration will be held in San Antonio, Texas on Saturday, June 27, 2009.

To be held in the magnificent Sky Room of the University of the Incarnate Word, the Catholic New Media Celebration (CNMC) is an international conference which focuses on evangelization of the Roman Catholic faith using new media.  It is a day to Learn, Share, and Explore how New Media can help the Catholic Church in the New Evangelization called for by Pope John Paul II.

“It will take place during the final weekend of the year dedicated to the apostle Saint Paul,” says Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, CEO of SQPN.   “Just like Saint Paul who traveled the world to tell the nations about Jesus, Catholic new media evangelists reach out to a worldwide audience with the message of the Gospel.  At this year’s CNMC, we will explore how we can follow in his footsteps,” he says.

SPECIAL GUESTS
Keynote speakers for this year’s Catholic New Media Celebration will include Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP and Mr. Patrick Madrid.  The celebration will close with a special concert featuring Ms. Sarah Bauer.

• FATHER DAVE DWYER, formerly of MTV Networks and Comedy Central, is director of Busted Halo, and host of The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio.
• PATRICK MADRID is the publisher of Envoy Magazine, a journal of contemporary Catholic thought, and director of the Envoy Institute of Belmont Abbey College.  He is also an author, apologist, and a host of several shows on the EWTN network.
• SARAH BAUER is a Catholic singer-songwriter from Indiana with a special calling through her “Dare to Dream” ministry, to challenge young people to dream big and to recognize the great plans that God has for their lives

PROGRAM

The CNMC program will include the keynote presentations by Fr. Dave Dwyer and Mr. Patrick Madrid, a Friday night reception for conference attendees, break out sessions by notable producers of Catholic new media, and the closing concert by Ms. Sarah Bauer.

SUMMARY
The Catholic New Media Celebration is a festive, educational, and spiritual one-day event to help all Catholics live out the “great relaunching” of evangelization called for by Pope John Paul II.  In the spirit of the Holy Father’s writings regarding the New Evangelization, the CNMC is a day of sharing the latest technologies used to creatively and effectively invite others to grow in the Catholic faith through new and modern ways.

New media includes podcasts and online video, games and software, websites and blogs, mobile technology and all things interactive.  The Catholic New Media Celebration is a gathering of today’s new media producers within the Catholic Church, as well as of those who simply enjoy and have a desire to learn more about new media content, to grow as a community in an effort to more effectively create and share powerful and unique content for the benefit of the universal Catholic Church.

Anyone interested in New Media is invited to attend.  Registration and additional information is available online at http://celebration.sqpn.com.

LOCATION

The CNMC will be held in the Sky Room on the campus of the University of Incarnate Word, 847 E. Hildebrand, San Antonio, TX 78212.

ABOUT SQPN
SQPN, the Star Quest Production Network, is a non-profit Catholic apostolate dedicated to evangelization and formation through the use of new media.

Just as the star of Bethlehem emerged within the foreign culture of the three magi, and invited them to start an adventurous journey to the newborn Savior, the programs of SQPN tap into popular culture to invite people on a journey of discovery towards an encounter with Christ.

SQPN produces on-demand audio and video programs, also known as podcasts, and offers a portal for a select number of affiliated Catholic podcasters that share the vision and media strategy of SQPN.
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The Washington Post quotes Fr. Leo: ” it’s time to try something new to engage people and their faith. It is part of a movement among traditional Catholics who are pushing what Pope John Paul II called “the new evangelization,” an effort to use mass communication to draw people to the Church.”

According to the newspaper, “Patalinghug is using his role as a budding celebrity chef to preach the importance of the dinner table in family life. ‘The family that cooks and eats together stays together’, he says.”

Congratulations to Fr. Leo and the whole team behind ‘Grace Before Meals’, and if you’ve never watched Fr. Leo’s online videos here on SQPN, what are you waiting for? You can subscribe to his video podcast here.

We invite you to become a volunteer member of the SQPN Star Teams and help spread the work about online Catholic media and SQPN to even wider audiences.

SQPN Star Teams
The SQPN Star Teams are open to anyone enthusiastic about informing people about SQPN, helping people find the shows that interest them, and sharing the ways that Catholic new media can help people on their individual spiritual journeys.  As a member of the SQPN Star Teams, you will join an important part of the SQPN community, working at the local  level to share what SQPN has to offer.

How does this work? Click here to discover!

SQPN is more necessary than ever. Over the last four years, SQPN has been very succesful in reaching hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world with a positive, creative and enthusiastic Catholic message.

Many listeners and viewers of our programs have grown closer to the Catholic Church, and we have received many stories of personal conversion. SQPN has motivated people to deepen their faith, and thanks to the worldwide SQPN community, they find daily support for their journey in life.

SQPN completely depends on your gifts to be able to continue this work.

For this year, we need $125,000, and we have only 40 days to reach that goal!

A shoe-string budget compared to other Catholic organizations, but a huge challenge for us, because we have no access to big sponsors, and we know that we all live in difficult economic times.

But we trust in Gods providence and in your generosity to help us get there. During the campaign, we will show you why your donations are necessary, and what we will do with your gifts.

And don’t forget to pray for SQPN as well. We pray every day that this work is and always will be Gods initiative, and that we will always follow where He will lead us on this amazing journey of discovery in the world of new media evangelization.

Click here for an overview of the ways in which you can donate to SQPN

Please send an email to donate@sqpn.com to let us know the amount of your pledge, and also let us know if you will renew your monthly donation for another year (let us know the amount for that as well).

Thank you for your gift!

Fr. Roderick

Click here for photos of Myra

Follow Jeff and Zina on Plurk

We haven’t sent a newsletter lately, but we want to send you regular editions again after Christmas. The free SQPN newsletter helps us to keep you informed about new SQPN initiatives and shows. We won’t spam you, you can always unsubscribe and your email address is safe with us: we won’t give it to anyone! If you already subscribed in the past, we still have your information – no need to resubscribe.

Click here to subscribe to the SQPN Newsletter!

Have a wonderful Christmas time, and see you soon on one of our podcasts or on the SQPN website!

Fr. Roderick

P.S.: go over to the forums and wish your SQPN friends a Merry Christmas!

http://www.podcastawards.com/

The Catholic new media network SQPN.com has won four awards in the 2008 People’s Choice Podcast Awards.

Food, music, health and religion

- The video series ‘Grace Before Meals’, hosted by the Catholic priest and chef Fr. Leo Patalinghug won the award in the Food and Drink category.

- George Leite won the award in the Music category for his show ‘Catholic Rockers’.

- Dutch priest Fr. Roderick Vonhogen won the Health/Fitness award for his show ‘Healthy Catholic’, a weekly show about physical and spiritual health.

- Fr. Roderick also won the Religion/Inspiration award for his morning show ‘Daily Breakfast’, a mix of catechesis and popular culture.

The awards will be presented during an international online Awards Ceremony early December.

Evangelization

“This is the fourth year in a row that our Catholic shows have won awards in this predominantly secular contest,” says Fr. Roderick Vonhogen, CEO of SQPN. “It is a strong sign that our programs reach a broad audience, not just Catholics. And that is exactly why we started SQPN: to reach out and evangelize the world through new media”.

SQPN has a unique approach to new evangelization. By looking for connections between the secular culture and the rich tradition and culture of the Catholic Church, the organization builds communities around certain popular themes like cooking, entertainment, music, health and fitness.

“These communities are like online mini-parishes where people share their faith and their lives,” says Fr. Vonhogen. “We see a constant stream of new people joining these communities, many of whom are not Catholic”.

Impact

Meeting place for these communities is the forum on the SQPN website (www.sqpn.com), where podcast fans share their experiences. “I have been listening since Januari of this year,” says Jon, “I am returning to the Church after 22 years.”

“I have been a lapsed Catholic for the past 9 or 10 years,” says Eliana, “listening to the Daily Breakfast was has really helped me in my decision to return to the Church.”

Another listener recently decided to to lose 200 lbs, and ‘Healthy Catholic’ helps him to keep on track: “I am continuing to work on eating healthy and exercising, and am motivated by the SQPN community and their support and prayers.”

Migli writes how the SQPN podcasts broke negative stereotypes: “I found out how much these Catholic people are just like me. It’s been a good ride. Hopefully I will officially be one of them someday.”

About SQPN

SQPN, the Star Quest Production Network, is a non-profit Catholic apostolate dedicated to evangelization and formation through the use of new media.

Just as the star of Bethlehem emerged within the foreign culture of the three magi, and invited them to start an adventurous journey to the newborn Savior, the programs of SQPN tap into popular culture to invite people on a journey of discovery towards an encounter with Christ.

SQPN produces on-demand audio and video programs, also known as podcasts, and offers a portal for a select number of affiliated Catholic podcasters that share the vision and media strategy of SQPN.

More information about SQPN and the Podcast Awards on the following websites:

www.sqpn.com
www.podcastawards.com

Join friends and podcasters from all over the world in the new forum. Talk, share, learn, pray and have fun!

Click here to join the forums!

As you know, SQPN is made possible thanks to the gifts and the prayers of our audience. For the last two years, you have given us tremendous support during our two Giving Campaigns.

Inverted Giving Campaign

This year however, we know how difficult and uncertain the economic situation has become for many of you. That is why the SQPN board has decided to do a complete reversal of the Giving Campaign this year: instead of asking for your gifts, WE will give to YOU (and trust God’s providence for the rest!)

Giving thanks

The month of November is the month of thanksgiving. We want to thank you for being our audience, for all your support, encouragements and prayers ever since we started SQPN. And to express our thanks, we have a number of gifts for you in store, that we will unveal over the course of this ‘inverted giving campaign.

Our first gift

The first one is the opening of the official SQPN forums! Starting today, SQPN has a new place where you can hang out, talk, share, learn, pray and have fun with friends and podcasters. Check it out at forums.sqpn.com!

We have many more suprises lined up, so keep an eye on this website.

Staying afloat

We have done our best to be good stewards of the financial support you gave us previously. By being as prudent as possible in our spending, we hope to be able to stay afloat for a few more months. Of course, if you have the ability to support us financially, we would be very grateful for anything you can do. Click here if you want to donate.

Vote every day at www.podcastawards.com

1. go to www.podcastawards.com every day
2. make sure you check SQPN.com for the list of nominated Catholic
shows (http://sqpn.com/2008/10/23/help-sqpn-vote-every-day/)
3. select the shows you want to vote for (you can skip categories)
4. fill in name and email and submit your vote.

Again, you can vote every day, every vote counts!

Here is the list of nominated SQPN shows (you have to pick 1 show per category):

• Religion Inspiration: ‘Daily Breakfast’, a daily morning show about faith and popular culture by Fr. Roderick Vonhogen, and ‘iPadre’, a show about ‘all things Catholic, and then some!’, hosted by Fr. Jay Finelli.
• Food and Drink: ‘Grace before Meals’, a videopodcast that brings families together around the process of creating and sharing a meal, hosted by Fr. Leo Patalinghug.
• Health/Fitness: Healthy Catholic, a weekly program to help people get in better physical and spiritual shape.
• Cultural/Arts: The ‘Secrets of Harry Potter’ podcast, a program that looks at religious themes and symbols in JK Rowling’s books from a Catholic perspective.
• Entertainment: The ‘Hands and Feet’ show, a show for young people that explores ‘the fun side of living a Catholic life’.
• Podsafe Music: ‘Catholic Rockers’, a show that highlights Catholic musicians and Catholic popular music.

After winning three statues at the 2007 People’s Choice Podcast Awards, the Star Quest Production Network (SQPN.com), a Catholic network dedicated to evangelization through new media, has been nominated for 7 shows for the 2008 Awards.

The nominated shows range from The Daily Breakfast, a morning show presented by a priest, to Healthy Catholic, a program to help people getting into better physical and spiritual shape.

Catholic New Media

“We are very excited that so many Catholic shows were nominated in this predominantly secular contest” says Fr. Roderick Vonhogen, founder and CEO of the Star Quest Production Network.

“SQPN.com wants to use new media to spread the teachings of the Catholic Church. We already reach around a quarter of a million people all over the world. These nominations will broaden that audience considerably!”

“The nominations show that there is a tremendous interest for Catholic new media,” Fr. Roderick continues. “SQPN is about to start its annual giving campaign, and we hope that we will find enough funding to be able to continue this innovative evangelization work next year.”

Categories

The Catholic podcasts were nominated in several different categories:

Religion Inspiration: ‘Daily Breakfast’, a daily morning show about faith and popular culture by Fr. Roderick Vonhogen, and ‘iPadre’, a show about ‘all things Catholic, and then some!’, hosted by Fr. Jay Finelli.

Food and Drink: ‘Grace before Meals’, a videopodcast that brings families together around the process of creating and sharing a meal, hosted by Fr. Leo Patalinghug.

Health/Fitness: Healthy Catholic, a weekly program to help people get in better physical and spiritual shape.

Cultural/Arts: The ‘Secrets of Harry Potter’ podcast, a program that looks at religious themes and symbols in JK Rowling’s books from a Catholic perspective.

Entertainment: The ‘Hands and Feet’ show, a show for young people that explores ‘the fun side of living a Catholic life’.

Podsafe Music: Catholic Rockers, a show that highlights Catholic musicians and Catholic popular music.

Links to all these shows can be found on the website of the Star Quest Production Network, at www.sqpn.com.

Voting

The public is invited to vote in each of the categories between October 23rd and November 6th. Votes can be made each day at http://www.PodcastAwards.com during the voting period.

During the 2007 Awards Ceremony, SQPN was awarded the best Religious/Inspirational Podcast Award for the Daily Breakfast, the best Mobile Phone Formated Podcast Award for Praystation Portable and the best Podsafe Music Podcast Award for Catholic Rockers.

This year, more than 281,000 people submitted nominations.

About SQPN

SQPN.com is a non-profit Catholic apostolate dedicated to providing the best in Catholic audio and video podcasts and new media.

A podcast is a free, downloadable audio or video file saved in MP3 or other formats that can be listened to and watched on computers or portable media devices such as MP3 players, CD players, and iPods.

Click here to vote for SQPN Shows at the Podcast Awards (starting October 23)

Peoples Choice:
Whichever show you like most

Best Produced:
That Catholic Show
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ThatCatholicShow

Best Video Podcast:
That Catholic Show
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ThatCatholicShow

Comedy:
Catholic in a Small Town
http://feeds.feedburner.com/catholicinasmalltown

Cultural/Arts:
Secrets of Harry Potter
http://feeds.feedburner.com/secretsofharrypotter

Education:
Catholic Under the Hood
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CatholicunderTheHood

Catholic Hack
http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheCatholicHack

Saintcast
http://feeds.feedburner.com/saintcast

Catholic Family Podcast
http://catholicfamilypodcast.com/goto/episodes/feed/

on the U
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ontheu

Into the Deep
http://deepcast.org/ct/intothedeep/podcast/podcast.xml

Entertainment:
Hands and Feet
http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheHandsAndFeetPodcast

Food and Drink:
Grace before Meals
http://feeds.feedburner.com/gracebeforemeals

Gaming:
Secrets of the Lord of the Rings
http://feeds.feedburner.com/secretsoflotr

General:
Rosary Army
http://feeds.feedburner.com/rosaryarmy

Catholic Moments
http://feeds.feedburner.com/CatholicMoments

iPadre
http://feeds.feedburner.com/ipadrepodcast

Health/Fitness:
Healthy Catholic
http://feeds.feedburner.com/healthycatholic

Movies/Films:
Secrets of Battlestar Galactica
http://feeds.feedburner.com/battlestargalactica

PodSafe Music:
Catholic Rockers
http://feeds.feedburner.com/catholicrockers

Religion/Inspiration:
Daily Breakfast
http://feeds.feedburner.com/dailybreakfast

Sports:
Phedippidations
http://feeds.feedburner.com/Phedippidations

Technology/Science:
Technopriest
http://feeds.feedburner.com/technopriest

CatholicUnderground.com
http://feeds.feedburner.com/catholicundergroundpodcast

Travel:
Godspeed!
http://feeds.feedburner.com/godspeedcast

Click here to nominate: Podcast Awards 2008

If you find another article, blog entry, or podcast episode about the Catholic New Media Celebration that has not already appeared on SQPN, please post a link below.

Below are links to the Georgia Bulletin articles by Erika Anderson and Stephen O’Kane and photos by Michael Alexander:

Event Draws Catholics Who Are Evangelizing Online
Catholic Bloggers Help Create Faith Conversations
Couple Serves As New Media Missionaries
Newcomers To Catholic Podcasts Must Find Passion, Presenters Say

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Link to Sean’s website

The Grace Before Meals webisodes will begin with six streaming online video episodes to be featured on GraceBeforeMeals.com, SQPN.com and YouTube. This first installment of videos was filmed during a class offered by Fr. Leo to teach seminarians the basics of cooking – a skill set that will come in handy as these young men enter different ministries across the nation. The various recipes and dishes being prepared are inspired by different occasions for any group dynamic.

Sharing a meal
Grace Before Meals is centered on one fundamental concept: the simple act of creating and sharing a meal can strengthen all kinds of relationships. Founded by Fr. Leo Patalinghug in 2003, Grace Before Meals has grown from a simple idea to a worldwide movement, producing a book, blog and pilot for a television show endorsed by the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

“I am very excited to launch the streaming online videos of Grace Before Meals with the help of SQPN.com and Renegade,” said Father Leo. “We hope that families and friends will enjoy these videos and learn how to cook some traditional meals that are easy to make. Hopefully some viewers will feel inspired to prepare and eat these meals together to strengthen their relationships and enjoy each other’s company.”

One meal at a time
Born in the Philippines and raised in the Baltimore area, Fr. Leo developed his love for cooking while attending the seminary at the North American College in Rome. There, he worked and trained with several Italian restaurant owners and would often invite them back to the student kitchen to trade cooking secrets. Currently, he is a member of the faculty at Mount Saint Mary’s Seminary where he directs the Pastoral Field Education Program for future priests.

Research conducted by The National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University shows that having frequent family dinners can reduce the susceptibility of teens to risks like teen smoking, drug/alcohol use and depression. These benefits don’t just apply to traditional families or people with kids. Stronger families foster stronger communities, and that’s the goal Grace Before Meals strives for–one meal at a time.

www.GraceBeforeMeals.com
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The result is the brand new audio program, Catholic Magazine, which provides a unique blend of viewpoints from priests, laypeople, teachers, and even a military officer, who share stories about living a Catholic life.

“With Catholic Magazine we wanted to capture some of the beautiful story-telling aspects that can be found on radio programs such as those on National Public Radio, but to tell these kinds of stories from a Catholic perspective,” says show host Greg Willits. “The voices and stories you’ll hear are always unique, but the Catholicism of the writers ties them all together.”

Each episode of Catholic Magazine features several short segments by different writers and narrators, offering listeners with different themes on each episode.

Catholic Magazine is available to listen to from the website of the Star Quest Production Network (www.sqpn.com), as well as from the Rosary Army website (www.rosaryarmy.com) where listeners can also download episodes of the award winning Rosary Army Catholic Podcast.

The weekly series is also available for download via podcasts. Podcasts, which are similar to radio shows, are free, downloadable audio files saved in MP3 format that can be listened to on computers or portable media devices such as MP3 players, CD players, and iPods.