CATHOLIC WEB SITES
WEB SITE OF THE ST. GREGORY THE GREAT CHOIR
www.stgregorychoir.weebly.com This is the web site of our St. Gregory the Great choir under the direction of Patrick Godon, our Director of Music and Liturgy. This site contains information about the choir, expectations and requirements for new members, its schedule, reflections on the tours that the choir has taken, choir recordings, and other helpful information. Patrick Godon is always looking for new choir members.
PRAYER AND SPIRITUALITY
www.SacredSpace.ie This is a web site produced by the Irish Jesuits called Sacred Space. It provides the opportunity to take ten minutes a day to pray on- line in 19 different languages.
www.prayingeachday.org This prayer and education web site called Praying Each Day is produced by the De La Salle Brothers in Great Britain. It provides opportunities to pray on-line and has prayer links to many other prayer sites.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/online.html This site, developed by the Jesuits at Creighton University, provides a daily reflection page based on the weekday readings from the Lectionary and an on-line version of the Stations of the Cross. It also provides access to an on-line retreat in everyday life, a 33 week on-line retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. There are tips for making this retreat on your own or with a group. The site contains many other resources in the areas of prayer and spirituality.
www.FindingGod.orgThis Web Site developed by Loyola Press, a Jesuit ministry, offers several different resources in the areas of faith formation, prayer and spirituality for individuals, for groups, for families, and for children in English and Spanish. There is an on-line store where you can purchase books and other faith formation resources. You can register on the site to receive e-mail newsletters.
www.dailyscripture.net. This site contains the daily Gospel readings for weekdays and Sundays along with a daily meditation to enhance your own personal prayer. You can also sign up to receive daily meditations by e-mail.
www.JesuitPrayer.org This web site produced by the Chicago-Detroit Province of Jesuits offers a daily scripture reading, an Ignatian reflection and an Ignatian prayer. There is also a place where you can submit a prayer request.
www.contemplativeoutreach.org Contemplative Outreach is a spiritual network of individuals and small faith communities committed to living the contemplative dimension of the Gospel. The common desire for Divine transformation, primarily expressed through a commitment to a daily Centering Prayer practice, unites our international, interdenominational community. Contemplative Outreach teaches the practice of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina, and other contemplative practices. The web site provides many different resources for growing in one’s relationship with God on a deeper level.
www.friendsofsilence.net Friends of Silence is a non-profit endeavor which publishes a monthly online newsletter which contains resources and reflections on prayer, silence, solitude and contemplation. This web site allows people to search through all issues of the Friends of Silence newsletters, get daily quotes, and have the monthly letter delivered to their email box.
www.pray-as-you-go.org This web site developed by the British Jesuits offers downloadable daily prayer experiences. Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection. The aim is to help you to: become more aware of God's presence in your life, listen to and reflect on God's word, and grow in your relationship with God.
www.prayerwindows.com This site presents an internet gallery that uses paintings to display a way to pray in a creative manner. The artist, Rev. Bob Gilroy, S.J., uses creativity to express feelings and communication with God. Directions are provided to viewers can learn how to see God reflected in their own lives through the arts.
www.virtualrosary.org The goal of this free web site which can be easily downloaded is to teach the rosary and make it simple with the program's super-easy operation, to help keep the rosary refreshing and deep for anyone with the aid of scripture, illustrations, and music, and to build a worldwide community of people to pray for each other through the PrayerCast network.
www.comepraytherosary.org This web site allows Catholics worldwide to join together in praying the Rosary or to pray the Rosary individually. Clicking the “Enter” button will reveal a window displaying your choice of either a video of Fr. Dave Heney reciting the Rosary with parishioners of St. Paschal Baylon Church or a video with imagery from the Holy Land containing the same audio track. English or Spanish subtitles are provided as an option. Based on your preference, either the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful or Glorious Mysteries will be recited. Site visitors may also submit written prayer intentions viewable by others joining you in prayer.
http://dariasockey.blogspot.com/p/praying-psalms.html This web site/blog is called Coffee & Canticles: Ordinary Catholics Loving the Liturgy of the Hours. It contains information about why ordinary Catholics might want to pray the Liturgy of the Hours as well as instruction as to how to pray it. This site also contains a collection of posts that explain how we must learn to think as we pray the psalms. The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer book of all priests and religious.
www.prayertoday.org This Christian web site is focused on providing the tools and information to equip Christians in the discipline of prayer. It has a host of materials on how to improve your prayer life and more.
Laudate app - If you have a smart phone, there is an excellent free app to add to your phone called Laudate. It contains daily scripture readings and reflections, information about the Saint of the Day, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Order of the Mass, the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, a listing of traditional prayers, a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Vatican Documents, the complete New American Bible as well as the Douay-Rheims Bible and much more.
Truth and Life app – If you have a smart phone, there is a helpful app called Truth and Life. It contains the complete text of the Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible – Catholic Edition, along with a fully-dramatized two hour audio presentation of the Gospel of Mark. This free app is available in formats for a variety of mobile devices at www.truthandlifeapp.com.
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE
www.familyministries.org This is the official website of Family Ministries of the Archdiocese of Chicago. Family Ministries works to strengthen marriage and families by coordinating programs and ministries of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, while serving as a resource to families, ministers, and parish staffs. It offers information, resources and links for engaged couples, married couples, families, and people who have experienced divorce.
www.foryourmarriage.org This web site created by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers an extensive and varied collection of resources for married couples who want to live a holy and happy life together. A Spanish version of this web site can be found at www.portumatrimonio.org.
www.catholicdatingsites.net/top-100-christian-marriage-and-relationships-blogs/ There are many different marriage and relationship blogs on the internet. Where to begin? The creators of this site have sifted through the vast array of these blogs to pick their top 100 Christian marriage and relationship blogs. These blogs feature relationship advice, wedding planning, and most of all stories, advice, and tips for having a healthy, loving Christian marriage.
www.familyland.org This web site offers information and resources about the Apostolate for Family Consecration, an International Catholic Lay Movement founded by Jerry and Gwen Coniker in 1975. It’s mission is to consecrate families to the Holy Family and in the truths of our faith, thus enabling them to live their baptismal vocation and be effective evangelizers and people of faith in the parishes they belong to.
www.familycatechism.com This site is an interactive family catechism in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Tagalog that will help you and your family discover the workings of our Catholic faith through a multimedia experience. Based on the Apostolate for Family Consecration’s Family Catechism, familycatechism.com presents an easy to understand question and answer format that provides the basics of the faith. Prayers and theological illustrations summarize each concept presented.
www.catholicmom.com This web site celebrates faith, family, and fun from a Catholic perspective.Enjoy fresh perspectives from its columnists and contributors.Read the latest selections from its Book Club. Help your child make the most of the Liturgy of the Word with its Sunday Gospel activities.Listen to its weekly Catholic Moments Podcast for interviews with special people doing extraordinary things to live out our Catholic faith and share it with others.
www.catholicmothersonline.com This web site contains helpful hints, resources and support for Catholic mothers.
www.cmcsvirtues.org. Since 2004, Catholic Men Chicago Southland (CMCS) works to encourage and support contemporary Catholic men to grow spiritually, and to bring Jesus Christ into their daily lives and all of their relationships. CMCS is an Apostolate of Bishop Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of The Archdiocese of Chicago. This site provides resources to Catholic men who desire to initiate and lead the spiritual transformation of their lives, families, and communities.
www.fathersforgood.org This web site is an initiative by the Knights of Columbus with resources and encouragement especially for fathers. It highlights the unique contributions of husbands and fathers and offers information, inspiration, expect advice, and answers to questions for men seeking to be better husbands and fathers.
www.firstheralds.blogspot.com/2009/06/20-things-you-can-do-to-help-your.html This web site offer suggestions for parents to help toddlers and preschoolers learn about the Catholic faith. On this site, you can find suggestions for parents to help prepare a toddler to prepare for Mass at home and to help a toddler behave at Mass.
www.magnificat.net/magnifikid/index.asp Magnifikid is a publication for children between the ages of six and twelve. Subscribers receive the issues on a monthly basis. In each month's packet, children will find a booklet of sixteen color pages for each Sunday and also special issues for all major feast days. It also contains all the readings and prayers of the Sunday Mass with explanations of the difficult words and the meaning of the rituals, suggestions on how to live the entire week with the Lord, various games, a comic and activities to help children learn about Christian life and culture, and a page for parents with suggestions for family prayers.
www.uscatholic.org/life/everyday-spirituality/2012/02/show-and-tell-six-ways-teach-your-children-faith This article taken from the web site of U.S. Catholic magazine offers some wonderful insights about how to teach young children about the faith.
www.anygivensundayproject.com ANY GIVEN SUNDAY is a website developed for 13-18 year old students to help them better prepare for Mass. The weekly reflections are written by some of the best known Catholic youth speakers, musicians and comedians in the country. The reflections are relevant, understandable, personal and geared toward 13-18 year-old students. Tell your friends, tell your enemies, tell the world how cool it is to prepare for Mass on Any Given Sunday!
www.vimeo.com/25418957 In this on line video, Mark Hart helps high school teens understand HOW and WHY the words of the Mass are changing. Mark compares the “dynamic equivalent” and the “formal equivalent” of how we translate words from Latin to English, and then explains the elaborate process used to create the new Roman Missal. Finally, Mark challenges teenagers to rediscover the meaning behind the words we pray at Mass each week.
www.churchinneedwyd.org An organization known as Aid to the Church in Need has created an online forum, a private Catholic social networking site, dedicated to young people who wish to share their faith before, during and after the World Youth Day event which will take place in Rio, Brazil this coming August. This online forum is also a way to engage youth who cannot attend World Youth Day in person.
www.umberttheunborn.com This is a pro-life web site that features Umbert the Unborn, a pre-natal comic strip character that appears weekly in the National Catholic Register and over 100 other publications. Umbert is a feisty, outspoken pre-born baby who loves life and wants respect. Umbert often appears in various stages of development from a single cell to a near term baby. Umbert the Unborn is an upbeat, funny and sometimes poignant cartoon strip about human life in all its glory and potential. Umbert’s purpose is to give a voice, personality and humanity to the unborn child and to change the hearts and minds of the “born” and the way we view life before birth.
www.youragingparent.com/index.htm This site is designed for family caregivers. It's for those who are helping a spouse, aging parent, a child or sibling with special needs, or a friend or family member. Here you'll find spirituality, information and resources for Catholic caregivers.
YOUNG ADULTS
www.charisministries.org Charis Ministries is a Jesuit ministry for young adults in their 20s & 30s. A ministry of the Chicago-Detroit Province of the Society of Jesus, they offer retreats, service, leadership opportunities, and speaker series that bring the gifts of Ignatian Spirituality to the lives of young adults. St. Ignatius of Loyola challenges people to find God in all things. Charis Ministries events seek to give young adults the opportunity to find this grace in the midst of their relationships, careers, struggles, and joys. Charis Ministries is based in Chicago but serves young adults and those who minister to them nationwide through the Charis Partner Program.
wwwBustedHalo.com. This web site created by the Paulist Priests seeks to help young adults explore their spirituality, listen to and encourage one another, discover (or re-discover) the rich depths of Catholic tradition, and connect to communities of faith where their unique gifts will be respected and used, and where they will find support on their journey towards God. BustedHalo.com strives to reveal the spiritual dimension of our lives through feature stories, reviews, interviews, faith guides, commentaries, audio clips, discussions and connections to retreat, worship and service opportunities that can’t be found anywhere else.
www.connection2faith.org This web site published by the Office for Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Chicago provides resources for Catholic Young Adults to help you strengthen your connection to God, family, and others. It also contains a link with frequently asked questions about the Catholic Church and a link that allows you to ask a question.