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Worth a Listen: 10,000 Reasons by Matt Redman (The Unashamed Version)

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(Sharing great songs that are inspiring, uplifting and/or are otherwise “worth a listen”)


I often catch up on blogs on our first generation iPad after reading to the kids at night.  The only downside is that it makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to leave a comment.  This is fine because I am often just doing a quick check-in, but frustrating when I do want to comment.

Recently, on a post I can’t now locate on Dorian Speed’s blog (yes, that’s her real name!), various commenters, mostly fellow Catholic bloggers, admitting (some in a sheepish way) that they can’t abide Christian music.  This isn’t the first time I’ve seen this sheepishness, and it just makes me laugh.  There are a lot of people who say Christian music makes them crazy.

When I read these kind of comments or see those kinds of posts, I think, man, I am just not cool enough for school.

You see, just started here on the blog in the last few weeks “Worth a Listen” to specifically feature Christian and Catholic artists, songs that our family loves.

And so I wanted to comment, (perhaps in a whisper,) um, hey, some people really, truly, like Christian music, and find it helpful in their faith and family life.  But I also feel a wee bit embarrassed because so many people have such an aversion to it.

Then I thought, you know what?  I’m letting my freak flag fly.  Not ashamed anymore.

I’m a sold-out, singing-along-with, iTunes library full-of, Christian music fan.  I was CCM (that’s contemporary Christian music) before CCM was even considered nerdy.  I’m a total, 100 percent, Christian music geek here, and proud of it.

I’m sure I will be writing a lot more about my love of CCM in coming weeks and how it can co-exist with an intelligent, robust Catholic faith life.

For this week, I decided to feature a very popular song right now on Christian radio, Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reasons.”  Here’s what I love best about it:  when it comes on in the minivan, hearing my kids sing along (and one, who shall remain nameless, sing in a fake Australian accent): “Bless the Lord, oh my soul.”

Sheen Mass of Thanksgiving, Part 3: Wrapping Up and Keeping it Real

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This is my final wrap-up post about the Mass of Thanksgiving for Fulton Sheen.  You can read Part 1 here about before the Mass (perhaps destined to be known hereafter as “the mantilla post”?), and Part 2 about the Mass itself here.

This is basically the keepin’ it real edition, to explain some of the back story and to make fun of myself, share a family joke, and have an epiphany about online life and camaraderie and perspective.  I am definitely increasing the drama level here for effect, and I hope that works.  Perhaps it is only helpful to me, but I’m going to share it anyway.  Here it is:

No one tells me anything.

I’m not sure exactly how it came about, but since I’m from a big family, some of us became fond of complaining this to parents or other siblings, once we were mostly grown and away at college or starting careers.  Mom & Dad, you’re going to New York to visit another sister?  Someone got into law school?  Someone has a new boyfriend?

All purpose response: “No one tells me anything!”

Fortunately this had become a family joke before most of us started having children, so we had a very strict unspoken protocol of personally talking to each sibling when a new baby was on the way.

And no other sibling could spill the beans.  This meant that to avoid awkward conversations around that time, if you had heard from a pregnant sister (or sister-in-law), you usually didn’t answer the phone for a few days to be sure you weren’t going to get a different sibling who might not have heard the news yet.  Which would be me because… pause for effect here… No one tells me anything!

These days my siblings and I use the expression with each other because we are all almost too busy to keep in touch.  It’s also helpful to use if I am feeling left out about something with friends or those close to me, I  say that to myself, since it usually makes me laugh and realize that it’s not the case, and I need to just plug on and be positive.

As perspective on what I’m going to share, keep in mind that I wasn’t officially “covering” the Mass or the Sheen weekend events for The Catholic Post.  I’m a freelancer for The Post, writing my column and this blog. So I’m not in the know about every Catholic event, but I do like to sometimes write here on Reading Catholic about events from my own perspective.

So being out of the loop for me is not necessarily a bad or unusual thing–I’ve got my specialty here with books, and in general I like to stick to it.

My first “no ones tells me anything” moment when I found out that Lisa Hendey and a few other Catholic people I know online were coming to Peoria for the Sheen weekend.

I had another “no one tells me anything” moment after I saw late Saturday that there was some kind of reception at the Sheen Museum on Saturday night.  And there were Lisa Hendey and Alexis Walkenstein (of The Maximus Group), hanging out and having fun just a few miles away.

And what was I doing?  I was in my pjs, sprawled out with kids and dog, watching Love It or List It while also checking Facebook on my ancient iPad.  Nearby, my husband Joseph read something intelligent.  I am a morning person, so my brain shuts off around 8 p.m.  Love it or List It is just about right then.

I know this actually is exactly what I wanted to be doing then, but still… I can do that next Saturday night!  Tonight my online friends are having fun in the same area code as me.

Not only am I melancholic and insecure when it comes to online friends, but apparently I am also prone to jealousy and possessiveness.

I had one of those moments when when Brandon Vogt tweeted that he was going to see his “friend Monsignor Soseman,” and I thought, hey there, Monsignor Soseman was my friend first.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Brandon Vogt, Joseph and I were friends with Monsignor Soseman when there wasn’t an Internet.  We were friends with him back when you were probably still in grade school, young one!

Then I had my epiphany.

When you’re feeling “no one tells me anything,” remember: it’s okay.  You’re part of the family.

We are all part of the same Catholic online family, and I don’t have to know everything, and neither do you.  If I don’t know about some cool conference or some great reception (even in my own area code!), it’s all good.

Just like my siblings are always my siblings, we are all family no matter what.

If you’re in the Catholic online community, you’re part of the tribe–there’s no secret handshake or code.  (And if there is, you can just keep it to yourself, because that’s not the tribe I’m talking about).  I’m part of this, and so are you, however small our impact or own little corner.

When I reach out to other Catholic in online forums like Twitter or seek guest writers or feature some great bloggers, online friendships grow and flourish.  Some day those may and have lead to real-life meetings and most won’t, but we are all part of that same Catholic faith and support each other.

So if you are a Catholic blogger or Twitter person and feel left out or not in the loop when you see people posting photos or seemingly having a great time at a conference, or getting lots of comment or …..fill in your own blank here.  We all have our insecurities.  Just remember you’re not alone, and I feel the same.

After my epiphany, I got out of my “no one tells me anything” mood (and my pjs) by Sunday morning when it was time for Mass.

Of course I was genuinely thrilled to see Lisa Hendey, who I haven’t seen in several years.  She is just delightful and upbeat in person, as she is on her terrific Catholicmom.com, as well as her always-encouraging writing for Faith & Family Live.

Here we are with the aforementioned Brandon Vogt, whose energy and output rivals that of Sheen.

I also loved getting to meet Alexis Walkenstein of The Maximus Group, who is just as cute and endearing in person as she is online, but curses, I didn’t get a photo of her.

I also got to see a lot of local friends, some that I see often and some that I don’t.  Quite a few have blogs that are featured on the sidebar here, Catholic, Local and Online.  Many of them have done their own excellent blogging about the Sheen Mass.  Here are just a few of the bloggers who were there, and please let me know me if I left anyone out, and I will update here.  I am linking to their Sheen Mass post if they have one:

*Britta of “By Prayer and Petition.”

*Marie of “Help Them to Heaven.” 

*”I Wonder Why.” 

*”Stumbling on the Way to Emmaus.”

And Bonnie Engstrom of A Knotted Life.  Especially if you feel you may have had a tough day, head over to Bonnie’s post about her family’s experiences during the Mass. (Kind of makes me a little sheepish about those “no one tells me anything” moments).

As many know, their son James Fulton’s recovery after 61 minutes not breathing after birth is what is technically called the “alleged miracle” being put forth for Sheen’s beatification.

During the Mass, my husband asked me several times, “Where are Bonnie and Travis?”  I kept looking, but never did see them until after the Mass, but didn’t hear about their travails with Travis’ shirt and tie, nursing baby and so forth, until I read about it on Bonnie’s blog.  Here’s the photo I snapped of Travis and James Fulton after the Mass, Travis by this time being minus his more formal wear.

Hey! There’s Tom Dermody, the editor of The Catholic Post, just behind James. I did get a photo of him after all.  Here is his CNS story about the Sheen Mass.

The Engstroms were also popular with the Catholic (and other) papparazzi. I couldn’t resist getting a photo of that.

I also got to visit with the talented and energetic Brandon Vogt.  I even took a photo of him with Monsignor Soseman.

But remember,  Brandon, he was my friend first.

What’s your best memory of the Sheen Mass?

Do you have an epiphany about Catholic online life to share?

What do you think about mine?

Sheen Mass of Thanksgiving, Part 2: The Mass

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Yesterday, in Part 1, I shared what happened before the Mass of Thanksgiving.

Today, Part 2  is all about the Mass itself at the Cathedral on Sunday to celebrate local son Archbishop Fulton Sheen being named Venerable, one more step on the path to sainthood.

Oh how I wish this were a better photo of Monsignor Stanley Deptula!  Monsigor gave the terrific homily at this Mass to celebrate Fulton Sheen (here is the video link to that sermon), and he has been.  I snapped this photo in the sacristy as we were walking through to process through the Cathedral.  My photo of him giving the sermon is very far away, so this is the best it gets.  Monsignor Deptula has been on the forefront of Archbishop Sheen’s cause, as it is near and dear to his heart.  The most popular tweet of Monsignor Deptula’s sermon (that I saw later), was from Alexis Walkenstein of The Maximus Group, who tweets as @spokeswmn: “When God works a miracle, it is an expression of his love” – Monsignor Deptula.  Nice!
Here is the opening prayer led by Bishop Jenky.
The Mass had a lot of media coverage.  I neglected to get a photo of a half-dozen photographers on the other side of the church from here, right in my sightline, but here is Anna Yee, a local newscaster, who filmed just beside where we were seated.
There was a lot of “Catholic papparazzi” present– here is Lisa Hendey taking photos.  I tried several times to snap a photo of my editor at The Catholic Post, Tom Dermody, who was very active taking lots of photos, but was unsuccessful.  All of my photos of him are blurs.  Here is Tom’s excellent CNS version of the story of the Sheen Mass.
After Communion, I noticed my husband reading some after-Communion prayers in a book.
I read several of the prayers along with him, and then asked him to let me take a photo of the front of the book.
It’s a small prayer book put out by the Melkites, an Eastern rite (but in union with Rome) Catholic Church, thus the different looking font on the front.  The prayers themselves are also very … Eastern Catholic.  Here’s a little more about the spirituality of it.  
Interesting Eastern Catholic/Fulton Sheen trivia:  did you know that Fulton Sheen was something called “bi-ritual,” which means he could celebrate both Roman Catholic Mass and Byzantine Catholic Liturgy?  You can read all about that here.
After the Mass, Monsignor Deptula explained more about the positio, the large box of materials that were submitted to the Vatican for Archbishop Sheen’s cause.  Copies of the positio were given to various donors and supporters of Sheen’s cause.
I was right behind a pillar, so it might be a little hard to see here the positio box (a small brown box) being given here.
Tomorrow, Part 3, will be a lot more lighthearted as I share an epiphany I had about Catholic online life through the course of the weekend.
Do you have any memories to share from the Sheen Mass?   I’d love to know how others saw the Mass.

Sheen for All Readers

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Here is my column that appears in this weekend’s The Catholic Post. I invite your feedback here or on Twitter or Facebook.

It’s high time to visit–or re-visit– the writings of local son Archbishop Sheen.

A few months back, Archbishop Sheen was named “Venerable,” one more step on the path to a potential declaration of sainthood.  A Mass and other events will be held in Peoria next weekend to celebrate Sheen’s new title, as well as his life and work.  What the experts call “an alleged miracle” that happened locally (see “Meet a Reader” on this page for details), has been examined and submitted to the Vatican for approval for Sheen’s cause.

No doubt, Sheen is worth reading, discovering and sharing.

So what book should you choose if you’re new or want a good recommendation among Sheen’s prolific output?

My very first review for The Catholic Post, more than two years ago, was Sheen’s excellent autobiography, Treasure in Clay.

I still consider it the best introduction to Sheen’s writing style and his life.  I’m grateful to my editor Tom Dermody for suggesting it as a great “first book.”

As I wrote then, Sheen “is the master of telling a great story. Treasure in Clay is full of such stories; edifying, funny and illuminating, making it an inspiration for us to do more as Catholics.”

But after Treasure in Clay, I truly hesitate.  Not because Sheen didn’t write anything else “great,” but because there’s a lot of variety from which to choose.

I’ve been part of a women’s book group this past year that has read a different Sheen book each month.   What surprises me is how varied our responses are to the different Sheen works we have read.  Some women love a certain book that others have found really hard to get through.   (True confession: I’m one of the ones who found a few hard to “get through”).

Not every Sheen book is going to speak to every reader.

Nevertheless, I want to encourage and inspire reading Sheen, and especially for readers not to give up if the first work sampled is not a “keeper.”  So I asked some local Sheen experts for some good ideas.

Julie Enzenberger, administrator of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, has a great theory on her two favorite Sheen books.

“I always say if you don’t know Sheen read Treasure in Clay and if you don’t know Christ read Life of Christ,” said Enzenberger.  “Life in Christ explains every parable in the bible and why Jesus did what he did in terms everyone can understand.”

Monsignor Richard Soseman, a priest of the Peoria diocese who now works for the Vatican in Rome and is Coordinator of International Outreach for the Sheen Foundation, suggests the relatively unknown Old Errors and New Labels, a commentary on modern thought.

“It’s a hidden “gem,” Monsignor Soseman reports, and says that his college students love it.

Others have recommended Three to Get Married, Sheen’s popular book on marriage.

Two other Sheen books are worth mention:

*Ignatius Press has a handsome new edition of the well-loved classic The World’s First Love:  Mary, the Mother of God.  This was a favorite in my book group, as well as mentioned by plenty of people asked for Sheen suggestions.

*Regrettably out of print, but a terrific compendium, is The Quotable Fulton Sheen:  A Topic Compilation of the Wit, Wisdom and Satire of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, edited by George J. Marlin and others.  This book makes looking up quotes from the very-quotable Sheen easy, as it is organized by subject.



De Gustibus, or Fiction for All Kinds of Tastes

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Here is my August column that appears in this weekend’s The Catholic Post. I invite your feedback.


Some years back, I wrote an opinion piece for The Catholic Post about the then red-hot Twilight books, comparing them to junk food; not going to kill you, but not the bedrock of a healthy imagination. I even offered some fun and soul-nourishing alternatives.

“You are what you read” still is my main media consumption rule, for individuals and especially for families.

But to extend the food analogy, I’m not a paleo/vegan/low-carb/raw foods/gluten-free /this-month’s-hot-diet-fad absolutist. You won’t hear me advocating for the non-existent Jane Austen “immersion diets” or St. Francis de Sales “detoxes.”. Book-wise, I’m a flexitarian.

Let me explain by way of a great Latin expression, “de gustibus non disputandum est,” translating roughly as “there’s no arguing personal taste.”

Your favorite ice cream is strawberry, and mine is mint chocolate chip?

De gustibus.

You’re a Bronte fan and I’m really, really not? De gustibus.

When it comes to books or food, there’s a lot of variety, and one person’s favorite might be another’s strong aversion.

I don’t mean that anything goes—some books (and movies, etc.) really are poison, and need to be avoided by everyone. And some people have particular sensitivities to books (like some do with certain foods) that might be especially harmful or helpful.

Being mindful of what keeps you healthy, media-wise, is a great idea at any age.

That still leaves tons of great reading of all kinds for enjoyment and edification. Consider fiction to be in the “nourishing treats” category—more chocolate than broccoli (not that there’s anything wrong with broccoli). Here’s hoping some of these excellent recent releases will agree with your “gustibus.”

For adults and young adults:

Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut by Rebecca Bratten Weiss and Regina Doman is a smart new read. It would be best for college-age and young adults, but this middle-aged mom thoroughly enjoyed racing through this fun, fashion-y, and yes, philosophical novel.

The characters in Catholic Philosopher Chick are lovably annoying and well-drawn. The healthy but “real” friendships between the young women feel especially true, and the plot moves along quickly. My only dislike of this book is that a few characters smoke (occasionally). For someone who hates smoking as I do, it seems unnecessary.

Shadows and Images: A Novel by Meriol Trevor is available in a handsome new edition by Ignatius Press. Trevor was a prolific British author of novels for adults and children. She’s also known for her careful biography of Blessed John Cardinal Newman, and this novel covers Newman’s time and new Catholics during that era.

I’m the kind of person who learns more about history through stories, so historical fiction is a favorite for me. This novel brings Newman, the Catholic Church, and the Britain of that time, alive through the story of a young couple.

Before Shadows and Images, I knew Trevor mostly as a Newman biographer and as a children’s book author, as youth publisher Bethlehem books has re-published a few of her excellent children’s novels. Now I want to discover more of her grown-up fiction.

For the younger crowd:

*The Tripods Attack! by John McNichol, is first in the Young Chesterton Chronicles series. This novel imagines G.K. Chesterton as a down-on-his-luck teenager, with friends fending off a Martian attack in a science fiction/Edwardian England.

That description might sound pretty wild to those not familiar with steampunk, the fiction sub-genre that mashes Jules Verne-style fashion and “technology” with fantasy and science fiction, but it’s truly a refreshing summer read. I know some Chesteron purists would scoff, but if GK himself wrote his The Man Who Was Thursday as a steampunk novel for teenagers, The Tripods Attack! just might be the result.

*The Kindgom of Patria series by Daniel McInerny (available only as e-books, from the usual outlets like Amazon and the excellent “Kingdom of Patria” website). You’ll notice that I didn’t use the word “quirky” in reviewing The Tripods Attack! That’s because I was waiting to use this adjective more perfectly to describe McInerny’s, yes, “quirky” and loveable Patria kingdom, and the children and stories that inhabit it.

I asked my 11-year-old daughter to pre-read first in the series for me. She loved it, so I asked her to give me a mini-review. She wrote: “Stout Hearts and Whizzing Biscuits is a fantastical tale about a small kingdom named Patria in the middle of the USA. Warning: If you do not like absolute silliness and utter fun, this book is not for you!”

It’s obvious that she does enjoy “utter fun” in a book, and if you have a middle-grade child who likes it as well, The Kingdom of Patria would be a great choice.

"A Realistic Voice for NFP": Q&A With Katie of "NFP and Me"

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This month on Reading Catholic, I am determined to share some of the great recent resources on human sexuality out there.  This will include blogs, podcasts, and other resources I’ve encountered as I reviewed this month’s column, Adam & Eve After the Pill:  Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution by Mary Eberstadt and My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints by Dawn Eden.   (In case you missed it, I featured a  Q&A with Mandi of Catholic Newlywed about her “Broken” series last week.)

Today, I’m delighted to get a chance to introduce readers of The Catholic Post to Katie , a medical student who writes a smart, terrific blog called, “NFP & Me.” 

I first discovered Katie on Twitter  (where Katie is @NFPandMe I am @ReadingCatholic), when she began posting links to wonderful buttons about “I Use NFP” (and inviting people to share them on Twitter with the hashtag #iuseNFP).  But she’s been blogging and spreading the great word about NFP for some time.   Just this month, Katie also had several articles in the latest issue of Our Sunday Visitor Newsweekly on NFP (coinciding with NFP Awareness Week).

Katie graciously agreed to do a Q&A for the Reading Catholic blog this month, even though she is in her surgery rotation in medical school.  If you’re not familiar with Katie, please take a moment to go over to her blog and visit.  Thanks, Katie!

Q.  Tell Reading Catholic readers a little bit about yourself, your family, and how you began blogging.

Well my name is Katie, I’m 24 years old, married, and a dog mom to Jack.  I’m currently in my third year of medical school. I’m Italian, but not like Snooki. I’m a crazy dog lady and so is my husband (only not a lady). Seriously, you may see us on animal hoarders someday.  ☺


I started blogging by the grace of God. I have a friend who is a fantastic writer, really superb, and I would call him with my ideas of things he should write about. God love him, but he’s not the most reliable. He would never write about my fantastic ideas. He unfortunately quit blogging so I decided that I should give it a try. God had really put it on my heart for a few months and I decided to just go for it. 

Q.  This is kind of a goofy question, but why did you name your blog NFP and Me?  Could you tell us what you hope to accomplish with your blog?

I have no idea where the name came from. I knew I wanted to blog about NFP but I hadn’t thought of actually giving it a name. In fact I didn’t even read blogs at the time so I didn’t exactly have examples. I do remember thinking “Well this rhymes.” and decided to run with it.  


Mostly my goal for my blog is to be a realistic voice for NFP. When I started using it I was so scared of it. I thought it didn’t work, I thought it was only for crazy people.  I was the ultimate skeptic and I know there are countless women out there who were just like me. I just want to be a voice of reassurance, someone who isn’t the holiest snootiest women on earth sharing her fears. There’s an invaluable resource in camaraderie and commiserating.  I’ve built more genuine friendships out of my blog than I could have ever hoped for.  I guess that’s a roundabout way of saying I didn’t even have hopes for it because I didn’t think anyone would read it. In fact I’m still surprised anyone reads it, I think Google Analytics may be lying to me. ☺

Q.  My number one favorite recent post from your blog is “Tell Me Why,” contrasting a popular song lyrics (liberation) with quotes from John Paul II (oppression?) : .  Love!  Do you have a favorite post, or two or three that would really give Reading Catholic readers a feel for your blog? 

I have to admit, I’m a big fan of Tell Me Why too. If there’s minimal writing on my part, I’m for it.  I think my favorite post is We Were Wrong (note from Nancy: love this one, too! well worth a read) . It’s about the discourse between the pro-life stance and the way pro-lifers act. A woman read it who is post abortive and responded how much it meant to her to not be met with judgment, but love. I couldn’t ask for more out of a post.

Q.   Your website IuseNFP.com is newly launched, with a lot of great graphics and content.  What do you hope to do with the website over time?

Oh, what don’t we hope to do with it? Ha! Ultimately we hope our site is a safe place where women can find comprehensive information about their natural family planning options. We want to be a place for every woman, no matter her religion, to feel comfortable asking questions and seeking information. 

Q.   Could you explain about the IuseNFP buttons, and how people can use them on their sites and to share?

We want the buttons to be a simple fun way for people to share that they use NFP. My experience with evangelizing NFP has always been a struggle. Most women don’t use it and there’s always that question mark on young couples in Mass who don’t have kids (couples like my husband and me). The buttons are easy little things that people can share on Facebook, pin to Pinterest, or put on their blog to let people know “Hey, people actually use NFP.” We want the buttons to be fun and modern. We can’t keep throwing babies, however cute they may be, at women. We’re competing with people like Planned Parenthood and we have an obligation to advertise just as, if not more, effectively than they do. 

Q.  You’re a busy medical student.  Why spend time blogging at all? about NFP?

Because I’m called to it. I’m not a gifted writer, I don’t have the most fabulous ideas, I’m not freaking Marc Barnes but God put this on my heart for a reason. When I started this I thought it was there because I had a lot to say but in the year I’ve been blogging I realized it’s because I have a lot to learn. If I can document my learning process in a way that’s relatable to people that can maybe help just one person then I have an obligation to do it. 


We have too many bloggers telling people what to believe and how to act but we don’t have a lot showing how they believe or how they came to believe and doing it with humility. Fortunately for me, being in medical school keeps me pretty humble, let’s just hope I figure out the showing aspect pretty soon. 😉