I thought this was a great question from listener Mark, and I’m posting this as bait for my friend, Jeb, who does an excellent job managing his parish’s site:

I loved your show today and I wanted to show you what I am doing to reach out to our small parish.  Like many rural churches we have never had a website.  I have been bugging them to create one for years and they finally told me to go ahead and show them what I had in mind.  I found a company that allows a “free look” period and showed our priest a template I was building.  Now he can’t get it fast enough.  If you have a few minutes please take a quick look at the site.  It is still under construction so parts of it still need reorganized but I would like to have it up in two weeks.  I want it to be a strong apologetics site so I will be giving resources for Daily Mass readings, the Catholic Channel and Lighthouse Catholic Media.  Father Jay Finelli paid our Capuchin Sisters us a visit recently so he is giving me some materials as well.  Could you please take a quick look.  I am open to suggestions for content.

www.icslchurch.net

The hosting company is very happy with what I am doing and they have very few Catholic customers so they have asked me to create a few templates for them and reach out to Catholic churches as well.  Once I am done with ours I will probably make this a ministry for myself.

Thanks, and I love your show.  My wife is a Presbyterian and your show is the one program on the Catholic Channel she really enjoys.

So what should go on a parish’s website?  What makes it truly useful and brings people back again and again?

I would recommend the approach that Bob, another listener, is doing with his parish.  Bob wrote last week and said:

I just wanted to drop you an e-mail, and let you see what we are doing in our local Parish; because in a way you were the motivation! As a long time listener, I had been pondering how our local community could do something in terms of technology that would make a difference, bring people together.
A friend at church agreed, and fortunately we have a Priest who was very supportive. The feedback from the community has been awesome. It’s a bi-weekly video e-mail, that focuses on our Lenten journeys and things going on. The e-mail links them to a semi-private You Tube video that we created.
We have to laugh, because it’s such a new concept to some; that they don’t really understand how bad it is!! J

Anyways, just wanted to show you. Without your continued dialogue about Catholic Media and how we all need to incorporate it into our parishes, I am not sure we would have done this. It’s just been awesome, and just confirmed the Bishop of the diocese has agreed to do a special Holy Week video for us!

Just wanted you to know, that you both make a huge difference!

CLICK HERE for link to the list of video’s. I highly suggest you go to this Tuesdays video – It’s our best to date!!!

I love the fact that a parish is making their own creative videos.  What else would you suggest?

I hate when I can’t answer a Rosary question.  Mike wrote:

I was recently asked by a group setting up a work center for Down’s kids if I could help them set up a line to make rosaries.  Most the these kids have very limited capabilities so the rosary design must be very simple.  I’m thinking of cord/wire rosaries that have a max of 4 knots/crimps.  I can then set the line up so the kids basically load the beads and, if necessary the supervisor, can do the knots.

My request to you is for information.  Have you don’t such a program in the past?  Do you have rosary designs/techniques that might be useful.  Do you know of a source of inexpensive supplies where we might buy bulk supplies through the non-profit.

I think the center should be operational in the next 60-90 days (my estimate) and I think I need to get on my horse to be ready.

My response was:

The Rosaries we make with Rosary Army would probably not be the best in this case as they require some intricate knots, but there are other “big bead” Rosaries I’ve seen that might make more sense.  Unfortunately, I’m not sure where to direct you for supplies.  I wonder if a place like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby would sell large wooden beads that could be threaded onto string?  I’m completely unfamiliar with making the cord/wire Rosaries.

I so wish I could be of more help!  I’ll keep an eye out and if I see anything, I’ll let you know.

Anyone have suggestions for what Mike could use to teach these kids to make Rosaries?

Lisa asks:

I just started listening to you guys for about a month now and I really enjoy your show.

I wanted to know as a couple and as an individual, what is more important to you, love or happiness? Some people choose happiness over love. While some people choose love over happiness.

Would you stay with someone who you love but you are not happy with that person?

I am really looking forward to both of your response.

I wrote back and asked:

Before I answer this, when you say “would you stay with someone,” are you talking about someone you’re dating or someone you married in a the Church (i.e., a Sacramental marriage)?

She wrote back:

It could be someone you’re dating or someone you are married in a Church.

Simple answer – Would I stay with someone I loved but wasn’t happy with?  In the Sacrament of Marriage, absolutely.  If I wasn’t married, but just dating?  Absolutely not.

Dating is not a commitment or a vow.  And if the goal of dating is to get married, and the person you’re with makes you unhappy, I’d recommend getting out of that one.

How would you answer this?

We recently talked about Marriage Encounter on our program and got an email from a listener who didn’t find it too helpful:

I was listening to your topic on Marriage Encounter.

For my wife and I it was not so good experience

We were married in a Lutheran church in the 80’s. My wife was Catholic I was Lutheran

About 3  years ago  after being married for 20 +  years, I decided to explore becoming Catholic.

As part of this, the Pastor in our church said we needed to go to a Marriage Encounter weekend. He did allow me to skip the NFP classes however(in retrospect I would have rather attended a NFPM seminar than WWME).

The Encounter was in a not so nice part of town.  All of the Counselors read from papers which seemed as though they were scripted. It was a pretty “cheesy” program to say the least.

My wife felt it caused more problems than it helped. She also felt it may have causes a couple separation for some of the attendees.

In the end we felt as though we were at a Timeshare Presentation and were being squeezed for money…

I finished RCIA and we were “married” at the Easter Vigil.    I have become closer to God by becoming Catholic and I wished I would have done so long ago.

I have continued to educate myself in the Catholic faith by reading, prayer and  listening to every Catholic podcast I can find.

I certainly would not recommend our local chapter of WWME to anyone in our area.

Have you ever attended Marriage Encounter?  Did you have a similar experience or was it a good one for you?

We’ve heard incredibly good things about Retrouvaille, in case you or someone you know has been struggling in their marriage.

Personally, we’ve never attended either, but I always have high hopes for these kinds of things.

Patti asks:

I believe I heard Greg mention on your program that he has an app for his iPad for the bible.  My son-in-law who is not Catholic but whom we pray may someday join the Catholic Church, is looking for a Bible app for the iPad and wants to use a Catholic bible app if possible.

Love our program on The Catholic Channel — I listen frequently when I am driving in my car!

I’ve used YouVersion since it came out, but honestly, I don’t use it very often at all.  To my knowledge, I haven’t seen an actual NAB Bible that seems like it would be worth buying.

Anyone else have a recommendation for Patti?

Listener Mike writes:

Thank you for a great radio program!

I’d like to ‘vent’ just a bit, if you can bear with me.

Our local parish, like many others, “recites” the Rosary before daily and Sunday Mass.  Someone will start, and the rest of us gathered finish the prayer.

Please don’t get me wrong, these are loving and dedicated Catholics and I cherish their attendance at Church…………but

It seems that they are in a speech-race to finish the prayers:  “HailMary fullagrace theLordbewityou.  Bless-aareyou amonwomen, and Blessisthefruit ofThywombJesus”

I would rather they say the prayer in the spirit of Saint Gabriel:  “Hail Mary!  Full of Grace!  The LORD is with thee!  Blessed art thou amongst women!  And Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb, JESUS!”

What a wonderful exclamation to the mother of our Lord.

If we wish to pray the Rosary at all (and I believe it a beautiful prayer), why not take the time to pray it reverently?

We have audio Rosaries available at our Rosary Army website and we’ve been accused of praying too fast on those.  Other (most) people say the cadence is just right.

While I get frustrated when people say the Rosary TOO fast, I’m just glad when people pray it.  Is it the speed or intention that matters?

After our cruise in May, Jennifer and I will be staying a few extra days in Rome. Since this will be our first time there, and we honestly have no clue which of the thousands of things we should do in Rome, on today’s program I asked for suggestions. Below are a few of the answers from callers. What would you add to the list? We’re particularly interested in the best restaurants we should be sure to go to, as well.

• Old Bridge Gellato (where JP2 used to get his Gellato!)
• 8:30 Mass at St. Peter’s in the Eucharistic Adoration Chapel
• St. John Lateran/San Giovanni – See the table from the last supper
• Church of the Stairs
• Go to Rome Termini and get a pair of glasses (supposedly great deals!)
• Church of San Clemente
• Scavi Tour (already have our reservations)
• St. Maria de Andeas – Where St. Maximilian Kolbe celebrated his first Mass
• Fransican Monastery/Bone Church
• Paul’s Imprisonment site (Mamentine Prison)
• Parthenon
• Climb the stairs at the Basilica
• Vatican Garden tour and train station
• St. Peter in Chains
• When approached by gypsies and their children, yell, “Lottro!”

What else?

We are so excited to announce that from May 14-21 we’ll be joining Fr. Leo Patalinghug from Grace Before Meals for an incredible 7-Night Mediterranean Cruise and we want YOU to come along with us!

Ports of call include Rome, Cannes, Barcelona, Tunisia, and more. Plus you’ll get to join us and Fr. Leo for private cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and an absolute ton of fun with other listeners of The Catholics Next Door.

Click here for a PDF file with more information

UPDATE: We just found out Holland America has given us 10 extra spots for YOU to join us on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but it’s going to go VERY fast!

This offer expired on February 15th, but this extension was just offered and will run out quickly. If you have ANY questions at all or to make your reservations today, call Corporate Travel Service at 1-800-727-1999 x 158, 116 or 161. Make sure you tell them you’re a part of The Catholics Next Door to take part in this special opportunity!

This will be our first trip to Europe and our first cruise ever, and we’re looking forward to having you be a part of this once in a lifetime experience!

We spent a lot of time on today’s program talking about being wise stewards of the money God has blessed us with. If you’d like to listen to more conversations about this topic, check out these episodes of our Rosary Army Catholic Podcast:

RA Podcast #74: Extreme Makeover Money Edition
RA Podcast #75: Controversial? Nah, Just Catholic.
RA Podcast #76: Scrimp and Save
RA Podcast #78: Dude, Where’s My Cloffice?
RA Podcast #91: Back to the Cloffice!
RA Podcast #146: Ugly Rosary

And here’s the book that helped us get out of debt: The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
by Dave Ramsey
And here’s the book we talked about on today’s show: Why Enough Is Never Enough: Overcoming Worries About Money –A Catholic Perspective
by Gregory S. Jeffrey