Catholic Thought discussion

Please use this section to share your recommendations for catholic websites, podcasts, apps, and other resources.

I have a number of podcasts I listen to weekly (my ears are often free but my hands must work):

pray-as-you-go podcast by Jesuit Media Initiatives - It is a 10-13 minute prayer session everyday incorporating scripture music and questions for reflection.

UMD Newman Catholic Campus Ministry - Homilies preached by Father Michael Schmitz. Although he is part of a campus ministry Father Schmitz is aware of the wider audience.

The World on Fire Show - Bishop Robert Barron weekly podcast on faith and culture.

Bishop Robert Barron's Sermons - weekly homilies

Lanky Guys - Father Peter Mossit (sp) and Scott Powell, "a weekly attempt to draw some meaning and humor out of the sacred treasury of the Scriptures in the context of the liturgy."

iPadre Catholic Podcast - Father J. Finelli

Catholic Stuff You Should Know - J.10 Initiative - "A lighthearted exploration of various prominent and obscure Catholic topics." This podcast is my favorites and the first podcast I listened to...two years ago I didn't know podcasts existed...and I consider myself still young hahaha!

Laudate and My Consecration are the primary apps I utilize.

iPieta, CST (Catholic Social Teaching App), The Pope App, Truth & Life, iMissal, Magnificant, vatican.va, RC Calendar, EWTN, Ignatius Press Lighthouse Catholic Media, Compline, iBreviary, 9 Days for Life, 365 Days to Mercy.

For my children I have Bible App for Kids and Bible Match.

Melissa wrote: "I have a number of podcasts I listen to weekly (my ears are often free but my hands must work):

pray-as-you-go podcast by Jesuit Media Initiatives - It is a 10-13 minute prayer session everyday in..."

Wow, lots of apps and podcasts Melissa! Thanks! :) Just curious, the apps toward the bottom - is it as simple as searching for these in Google Play or Apple's App store?

I think most of them are on both google play and App Store. I switched from a Samsung to Apple and did not have a problem finding all the apps I carried on my previous phone. A general search of Catholic will produce a huge selection of apps.

Melissa wrote: "I think most of them are on both google play and App Store. I switched from a Samsung to Apple and did not have a problem finding all the apps I carried on my previous phone. A general search of Ca..."

Thanks Melissa! I'm curious about the Pope and 365 Days To Mercy ones in particular. I happen to be reading The Church of Mercy right now.

Greg wrote: "Melissa wrote: "I think most of them are on both google play and App Store. I switched from a Samsung to Apple and did not have a problem finding all the apps I carried on my previous phone. A gene..."

The Pope app is all news relating to the Pope along with his Tweets, daily homilies, speeches, list of events that you can watch live. There are photos, videos, webcam feeds. It's great.

The 365 Days to Mercy is an app created for the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy which began December 8, 2015 - the Feast of the Immaculate Conception - and ends on the feast Christ the King November 20, 2016. The app is an excellent tool to learn more about our faith, works of mercy, prayer, scripture, etc.

The Church of Mercy is on my to read list. :) I am listening to
Laudato Si': On the Care of Our Common Home on Audible...my ears can listen while my hands work ;) hahahaha!

Melissa wrote: "
The Pope app is all news relating to the Pope along with his Tweets, daily homilies, speeches, list of events that you can watch live. There are photos, videos, webcam feeds. It's great.

The 365 Days to Mercy is an app created for the extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy w..."

Great info Melissa!!

I'm actually listening to The Church of Mercy in audio form too; I love it! I got it on Audible, and I certainly want to listen to more of Pope Francis.

Just curious, where did you get the audio version of Laudato Si': On the Care of Our Common Home? I'm thinking of listening to his Walking with Jesus: A Way Forward for the Church or The Name of God is Mercy for my next audio religious read - they're not too expensive on Audible, but with my 2 hours a day work commute, I go through audiobooks very fast! Curious if there's a better way to get these. I don't recall seeing them at the library, but I'll check there.

Laudato Si': On the Care of Our Common Home was a free download on Audible when it was first released. I don't know if it is still free or not. It is a bit over four hours long and has two narrators, one male one female. I really enjoyed it. I now have the book on pre-order from Verbum.com.

Verbum.com is the catholic arm of Faithlife who markets Verbum 6 and Logos 6 Bible study software. The software is almost identical regardless of which one you use. The main difference is that when searching your library Verbum 6 focuses on Catholic resources while Logos focuses on Protestant resources.

Verbum offers two books monthly. One is free and the other is a book by the same author for .99 cents. You do not have to buy the second book in order to get the first book free. This month's book, available until April 30, is Saint Athanasius On the Incarnation of the Word of God which includes the audio version of the book that was just released yesterday. Last month's book, which I am still reading, was The Impact of the Dead Sea Scrolls by Joseph A. Fitzmyer.

You need the software to read the books, but it is free as well. When you purchase the free book you will get an email receipt that includes a link to download the Mac or the Windows version of the Verbum 6, whichever one you need. There are also mobile apps available for iOS and Android that are also free. The books are completely searchable via the Verbum 6 software and the apps.

To get the monthly free books go to www.verbum.com and search for Free Book. It will take you to the link for the monthly free book where you click "Quick Buy" or "Add to Cart". You do not need to enter a credit or debit card to purchase the free book. It will show up as free on the purchase screen.

Once you create your account and purchase your free book, you will get monthly emails regarding the free book, or can simply go to Verbum.com each month and get it. I also follow Verbum on Twitter and like them on Facebook. I will often find out about the free book on FB before I get the email.

Jeffrey wrote: "Laudato Si': On the Care of Our Common Home was a free download on Audible when it was first released. I don't know if it is still free or not. It is a bit over four hours long and ..."

Fantastic info Jeffery! Thanks so much!

I had no idea what Verbum or Logos actually were; I'd just seen the names but had no idea how they worked. I'll definitely look into it.

Audio materials would be the most useful though as with written materials I still prefer paper when I can get it ... a little bit of Luddite in me I guess. Also, my non-audio reading time is quite limited by comparison to the 10 -12 hours a week in my car.

If they contain a fair amount of audio content, it could certainly be worth it!

You're welcome. This is the first audiobook that has been offered by Verbum to my knowledge. Bear in mind that you if you plan to listen to it in your car, you will need to download the appropriate app for your phone or tablet since most people don't take their computers along in their car to use while driving :-).

I not only get the monthly free books, but I also use Verbum 6 to study the scriptures and read books ranging from theology to commentaries, atlases, and Bible dictionaries, among other things. Those packages can be pricey, though, so I don't recommend them unless you are serious Bible student, theologian, priest, etc. However, the free books are good. A couple of months ago I got a book by G.K. Chesterton. I already had the companion book they offered.

I think this an outstanding thread. So many wonderful suggestions. So greatful to everyone for making them. What podcast would be the best to listen to?

I like the pray-as-you-go podcast. You can access this podcast through the Laudate app under the daily readings section. As far as apps go, laudate has been my favorite so far.

The catholic mega app is pretty good too.

I like iBreviary

If you are interested in Bible study, I recommend agapebiblestudy.com

Thank you everyone for all of the great information on this thread. I'm hooked on the pray-as-you-go podcast - it's wonderful.

Laudate app on my iPhone.

I really like my Ignatius Press Lighthouse Media app on my iPhone. Has a little bit of everything on it and the app is free. The best part is it is mobile and can go with me wherever I go.

This month's free book from Verbum.com is 101 Questions and Answers on Popes and the Papacy. The 99 cent companion book if you choose to purchase it is 101 Questions and Answers on the Bible.

I just listened to an episode of Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire Show. (Each episode is approximately 30 minutes long). Thank you Melissa for the recommendation! The link to the show is below. You can also subscribe to his show via iTunes.

http://wordonfireshow.com/

Susan Margaret wrote: "I just listened to an episode of Bishop Robert Barron's Word on Fire Show. (Each episode is approximately 30 minutes long). Thank you Melissa for the recommendation! The link to the show is below. ..."

He is so great and knowledgable. Bob Dylan is his favorite artist. I like to listen to his homilies before Sunday mass. As I usually am distracted by one or all of my four children hahahaha! He is such a blessing to listen to. :)

If you are looking for free catholic ebooks and audio books, check out the site listed below. They have a lot of books listed and I mean A LOT!

http://www.traditionalcatholic.co/fre...

The free book from Verbum this month is Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton. It is available for free download at Verbum.com.

Susan Margaret wrote: "If you are looking for free catholic ebooks and audio books, check out the site listed below. They have a lot of books listed and I mean A LOT!

http://www.traditionalcatholic.co/fre..."

Wow, Thanks for that resource. I was hoping I might find our upcoming title there, but a skim of the list did not reveal it.

I saw that. I tried to download it, but apparently can't remember my password or am using my new Ipad incorrectly. I have to try to get it on my computer.

Here is another site with many free ebooks and audio files. You can search by author, title, format, and language:

https://www.ccel.org/index/author/A

Project Gutenberg is another site you can check out:

http://www.gutenberg.org/

More sites for free ebooks.

Below is a link to an article titled "Building a Catholic eBook Library on the Cheap" written by Brandon Vogt. The article includes links to several books.

http://brandonvogt.com/building-catho...

This is also a good resource:

http://www.basilica.org/pages/ebooks.php

And another:

https://catholicebooks.wordpress.com/...

Ave Maria Press just sent out an email about a $1 sale on about 45 titles.

https://www.avemariapress.com/on-sale...

Catholic lecture series from Now You Know Media

https://www.nowyouknowmedia.com/

I first encountered these in our previous parish with a study group exploring the history of the church. They are very good! And of the titles I purchased I find myself listening to them again and again.

Topics span a wide variety in Audio, CD, and DVD format and as a rule each lecture is 25 Minutes long. Most sets have 12 lectures, but many titles have more. You also get a PDF with the outline of the talk and study questions.

I know they look a little pricey, but they always have some titles on sale, and if you subscribe to the newsletter, you'll get promo codes all the time offsetting the shipping costs at least in part.

Formed is rolling out their new series, Presence, the Mystery of the Eucharist. Starting with this week, one episode/week can be streamed.
They did this before, but I forget which series it was! All I remember Matthew Leonard was the host, and the episodes were available only for a limited time. However, I haven't seen anything specifically mentioned about time limits for this new series.