Category: catholicism
September 2, 2012
December 30, 2011
Shannon’s Top Ten of 2011
Well, here ends another great year for Oddwalk Ministries. We had the opportunity to bring what we do to a lot of great places:
Granite City, IL – Toledo, Ohio – Mascoutah, IL – Breese, IL – Belleville, IL – Davenport, IA – Washington DC – Buffalo, NY – Fairview Heights, IL – Hazelwood, MO – Albany, GA – Savannah, GA – Merrillville, IN – Collinsville, IL – Indianapolis, IN
We also had a good year with the blog. Here now is my list (chronological) of the top blog posts for 2011. Enjoy!
TOLEDO SNOW – In January , Oddwalk traveled to Ohio for a week’s worth of Catholic Schools Week appearances. Due to the same snowstorm that blanketed most of the midwest, almost nothing went right with this trip. Check out the breakdown.
APRIL FOOLS DAY FUN – In past years on the blog, April Fools Day rocked. This year it just Ricked.
DOG DAYS – While news of the Cerneka family getting a dog might not seem like a strong Oddwalk post, I assure you that my kids would disagree. Now if we can get her to stop eating the couch.
VICTORIOUS! – In May, Oddwalk had the honor of being part of the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Victorious Missionaries, providing music for Mass and dinner entertainment.
CONSUBSTANTIAL?!?! – In July, Oblate Media invited Oddwalk to be part of a video they were producing to help congregations get ready for the upcoming changes to the English translation of the Roman Missal. Additionally, Orin’s new Mass setting, “Ever Ancient, Ever New”, was included in the final product!
ODDWALK vs. AIR FORCE – Our friend (and drummer!) Rick works at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, IL. Some time in October, Rick tried to check out our website from his work computer. Bad move, Rick! Now he knows just how dangerous we truly are.
JEALOUS MUCH? – What would you do if you were a Chicago Cubs fan (shudder) and the band you had hired for your event were St. Louis Cardinals fans. You probably wouldn’t do much. What if, however, the team you followed hadn’t won a World Series in 103 years and the band’s team was only two days removed from winning their second World Series in five years. Would you consider doing this?
LOVE! – In early November, Oddwalk (and band!) had the chance to record a new song, called “Love”. We all really like the song and took the opportunity to offer it as a free download son our website.
A BIG SURPRISE – For years, Orin and I have attempted to write what we hoped would be the theme song for various National Catholic Youth Conferences (NCYC). How great would it be to have 20,000 people singing one of your songs? Eleven songs later, we’re still trying. :) This year, however, we were honored to have our song, “At Your Name”, included as a communion hymn for the NCYC Closing Mass. Cooler than having all those people singing one of our songs, however, was the knowledge that something we had written had accompanied their prayer during Communion. Truly awesome and humbling.
A NEW KEYTAR SUPERSTAR? – During NCYC, Oddwalk offered a new iPod Nano to the the person (or persons) who could grab one of our keytars and take the most rockin’, most face-meltingly awesome pic ever. These individuals then had to post these pics to our Facebook page. Dozens of pic later, we named a winner!
Here’s to more great adventures in 2012!!
June 29, 2011
More Captions Please
Seems like this picture could use a few captions. You know the drill. Thanks, Michael!
What’s really going on: Pope Benedict XVI checks the new Vatican web portal on an iPad device at the Vatican June 28, 2011. Benedict XVI will launch the site, a news information portal that aggregates the Vatican’s various media into a one-stop site for all things papal, on Wednesday, the 60th anniversary of his ordination into the priesthood. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano
Visit http://www.news.va/en for more!
February 1, 2011
Oddwalk Makes the News – Catholic Schools Week
The ABC affiliate in Toledo, OH, WTVG, featured our appearance Monday at St Pius School for Catholic Schools Week! We were in a little segment called “Newsreel” which showed the very opening of our concert, doing our little “I’m a little Teapot/We Will Rock You” mash-up. This school came prepared – we had met one of their teachers in New Orleans at NCCYM in December and had passed along a bunch of stickers, and apparently as part of morning announcements, they have been playing our music every day since coming back after Christmas break! There were even some fan signs – we’ll try to post pictures when we get permissions from the school. For now, check out the video below – we’re in the first 30 seconds or so. Guess which one of us that is in the video preview still.
Unfortunately, the “snowmageddon” (snowpocalypse?) that is traveling across the country cancelled our appearances in Toledo today, and likely will tomorrow. We hope we can get back to STL Thursday to do our two masses and shows in Mascoutah and Breese, IL on Friday! Remind us to tell you sometime about our trip up here. The extremely short version is that we’re never likely to fly American Airlines again if it’s up to us. Ah well, everything’s ok now.
Happy Schools Week, all!
January 26, 2011
Not Just About the Hits
In his annual message for the church’s World Day of Social Communications, Benedict called for the faithful to adopt a “Christian style presence” online that is responsible, honest and discreet.
“We must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its ‘popularity’ or from the amount of attention it receives,” Benedict wrote. “The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive.”
Benedict didn’t name names, but the head of the Vatican’s social communications office, Archbishop Claudio Celli, said it wouldn’t be incorrect to direct the pope’s exhortation to some conservative Catholic blogs, YouTube channels and sites which, with some vehemence, criticize bishops, public officials and policies they consider not Catholic enough.
November 16, 2010
Real Riches
Folks, here’s a nice article about an event a couple saturdays ago we did in South Carolina, themed on the scripture passage “For your heart will always be where your riches are” (Mt 6:21). Thanks to Christina for a nice piece of writing, and thanks to the Diocese of Charleston, especially Jerry White, for their commitment to the young Church.
Read it online here, or click the pic for a pdf version.
September 19, 2010
And So Should Her Ministers Be
Benedict XVI last week in Scotland: “The Church does not seek to be attractive in and of herself, but must be transparent for Jesus Christ and to the extent that she is not out for herself, as a strong and powerful body in the world, that wants power, but is simply the voice of another, she becomes truly transparent for the great figure of Christ and the great truth that he has brought to humanity.”
September 14, 2010
Chris is Absolutely Right – “This pic DEMANDS a caption contest!”
Chris tweeted this pic a second ago, with the statement you see above, “This pic DEMANDS a caption contest!” We offered to host it here. So, go crazy! Just add a comment with your amazingly funny caption.
PS – No one has yet officially identified the keytar player pictured below, at least not here on the blog. Who can pass up a chance at a free Oddwalk Button? If you need a hint, do some digging on facebook, you’ll find your answer over there. :-)
Insert clever or witty comment here
August 24, 2010
Pope Bans Vuvuzelas
No really: Pope bans vuvuzelas on British tour
THE pope has banned faithful followers from bringing vuvuzelas to his public appearances on his UK tour next month.
The controversial horns made famous by fans at South Africa’s World Cup in June, were among a number of banned items at Pope Benedict XVI’s events during his four-day tour, the papal press office confirmed.
July 7, 2010
Micro-rant from Orin – 99.1FM
Friends, I know this isn’t our usual flavor of post around here, but I wanted to share.
As someone with one foot in classical music (STL Chamber Chorus, etc.) and one foot in Christian (Catholic) contemporary music (Oddwalk etc.), I mourn the loss of Classic 99.1 in St. Louis, especially after hearing the new Joy-FM staff “pray” this morning at about 8:45am. I don’t think St. Louis needed more contemporary Christian music more than it needed any classical music on the airwaves, especially given the apparent motivations as evidenced in the prayer I heard earlier. It was rather self-centered and grandizing, and didn’t mourn the “death” of the old and their staff but rather thanked God for what they had received (without acknowledging what God had also apparently taken away), and hoped that folks who had not heard the sad news and had tuned in that morning might be equally touched by their musical offerings. The prayer was also in part a plea for financial support, a tactic which always irks me.
This is to say nothing of the often theologically shallow (not incorrect, not false, just shallow) and inward-turned lyrics of much the music (i.e. “God, you are my God, and I will ever praise you”). That sort of praise and evangelization has its place, but I prefer my music and worship generally to be a bit more profound. Praise and evangelization is only the first step – the who and the what. Given the usual brevity of lyrics, thats about all that music can be, typically. When we start praying (and singing) about the hows and the whys, then we have entered true theology (faith seeking understanding, said Anselm) and a greater understanding and worship of our God and our faith – and the Christian community, who we are and what we are to be doing, via God’s will. To be sure, much of the music has lately switched its language more directly to God and not self, but there is still very little “us” and “we” in the music, and very little about, for instance, the trinity, or other deeper aspects of the divine life.
Classical music, to be sure, is not necessarily sacred – even some of it with sacred texts! – but I’m sure it reaches some people on a much higher plane than Christian contemporary ever will, and who is anyone to deny someone what connects them with the faith, their God, and their community? I’m not sure that the classical station had to “die” in this instance to give new life even to a generally worthy cause. Were the other (at least) five Christian contemporary stations and countless other religious “talk” stations not enough? How does an organization (radio station, city, society) determine what should stay and what should go, between two worthy choices, if only one choice may be made?
Feel free to answer, disagree or agree in the comments (here on the blog, or if you see this over on facebook or wherever). Now, back to your regularly scheduled internet.
