The following resources were compiled for a presentation I gave on using technology to help teens in their prayer life. See this page for details on the presentation.
Please share these resources with anyone who works in catechesis or youth ministry. I’d love to add to the list, so if you have any suggestions, please let me know by leaving a comment. You can also join the One Catholic Life Facebook Group and leave suggestions there.
General Websites
The following websites are excellent sources of material for classroom prayer or individual meditation. They can also serve to provide students with models of how to pray.
- Daily Video Reflections from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- Sacred Space from the Irish Province of the Society of Jesus (Mobile Site)
- Lifeteen.com – “an international Catholic community who believes that Eucharist-based ministry has the power to transform teens, transform parishes and transform culture”
- RosaryLive.com from Tom Curran of the Archdiocese of Seattle
- CatholicTV from the Archdiocese of Boston
YouTube
Besides a few Catholic “channels” to check periodically, be on the lookout for inspiring or unusual videos that can be used to open or close a prayer service, or that can serve as subjects for meditation. If your school’s internet connection makes showing YouTube videos difficult, try out KickYouTube or the Firefox extension DownloadHelper for ways to download the videos to your home computer for transfer using a thumb drive or CD.
- LifeTeen
- Word on Fire
- USCCB
- The Vatican
- Specific Videos to Trigger “Prayer Moments”:
Podcasts
Podcasts are audio or video programs that can be downloaded to a computer and then synced to an mp3 player like an iPod. The easiest way to acquire podcasts is through the iTunes store, where you can subscribe to them for free. There are many excellent prayer podcasts available on the web and in the iTunes store. Here are few of my favorites:
- Pray As You Go: Website – iTunes
- Divine Office: Website – iTunes
- Pray Station Portable: iTunes
- ND Prayercast: Website – iTunes
- Word on Fire Homilies: Website – iTunes
- The Reason for Our Hope Homilies: Website – iTunes
- Prayer from Taizé: Website – iTunes
- CatholicTV Videocasts (all links open in iTunes):
- Daily Mass
- This is the Day – Half-hour talk show
- Newsbreak – Catholic news
- From Lifeteen (all links open in iTunes):
- Sunday Sunday Sunday – Preparing teens for Sunday Mass
- The Mix – Talk show geared at teens
- Love Life – Questions and answers about relationships
- Catholic Movie Reviews – Movie reviews for teens from a Catholic perspective
iPod/iPhone Apps
As the iPod Touch and iPhone continue to grow in popularity, Catholic software developers are creating applications that help us build our relationship to Jesus and live out faith. Though some iPod applications cost money, there are several that are free. The following links will open in iTunes.
- CatholicTV – Free
- RC Calendar – Free
- iBreviary – Free
- Stations of the Cross – Free
- H2Onews – Free
- 3 Min Retreat
- Prayers
- Recordatio
- iMissal
- Holy Rosary Deluxe
- Divine Office
Social Networks
As more parishes and schools begin to utilize social networks, prayer requests and resources can be shared with families in their networks.
Resources for Professional Catechetical Development
Stay current with new resources in catechesis by subscribing to the following blogs in a blog reader like Google Reader.
- Catechesis in the Third Millenium
- JonathanFSullivan.com – Be sure to check out the Catechetical Leader Podcast
- The Religion Teacher
- Engaging Faith
- edtech VISION
- Moving at the Speed of Creativity
Nick,
Thanks for this posting. You and your readers may also want to check out the family of resources at http://www.franciscanradio.org and http://www.americancatholic.org . There is a wealth of engaging media there!
Matt