When the initial invitation to apply for what’s commonly being referred to as the Vatican “Blogfest” came up, I decided to try for the opportunity. I’d been greatly wishing for a trip to Rome, primarily to attend the Beatification ceremonies for Servant of God Pope John Paul II. When the Pontifical Councils for Social Communications and Culture announced a joint meeting for Catholic bloggers, I applied, knowing that I would be one of literally hundreds hoping to attend this forum. The PCSC shared the following goals in their primary announcement of the event:

The aim of the meeting, which is being organised by the Pontifical Councils for Culture and Social Communications, is to allow for a dialogue between bloggers and Church representatives, to listen to the experiences of those who are actively involved in this arena, and to achieve a greater understanding of the needs of that community. The meeting will also allow for a presentation of some of the initiatives to engage with new media practitioners being taken by the Church, both in Rome and at the local level.

Last Saturday, I awoke to the sound of Twitter alerts on my cell phone before 5 am California time – in fitting fashion, it was my friends in the Catholic social media community who alerted me to my selection. We’ve learned since that over 750 applied and that we were randomly selected to provide a broad representation of geographic locations, vocations and perspectives. Looking at the list, I see several familiar names and some new friends I’m anxious to meet for the first time. Knowing how many of my fellow writers hoped to be present at this meeting gives me a great sense of responsibility for sharing the experience as much as possible via CatholicMom.com, FaithandFamilyLive.com, Facebook and Twitter.

I would like to publicly thank my publisher, Ave Maria Press and Bayard (publishers of Faith & Family, Catholic Digest and other fine periodicals) and Lisa Wheeler of The Maximus Group for their support, logistical help and encouragement in helping me to make this trip a reality.

In the days leading up to my trip, I will be sharing some of the journey, as well as announcements from the Vatican and other Catholic news sources related to this meeting. Look for the Vatican Blog Meeting Logo in the sidebar at CatholicMom.com for a roundup of “Blogfest” related posts.

To start, here are a few links for those interested in learning more:

• Beatification of Servant of God Pope John Paul II
• Pontifical Council for Social Communications
• USCCB Beatification Resources
• Vatican Blog Meeting Twitter Feed
• “My Friends/Favorite Bloggers/Folks I’m hoping to meet” Attending Vatican Blog Meeting (growing list to be added in coming days):
  • Allison Girone www.TotusTuusFamily.blogspot.com
  • Brandon Vogt http://www.thinveil.net/
  • Carol Glatz http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/
  • Elizabeth Scalia http://www.patheos.com/community/theanchoress/
  • Joan Lewis http://www.ewtn.com/news/blog.asp?blog_ID=1
  • Kathy Schiffer http://kathyschiffer.com
  • Katrina Ebersole http://thecrescat.blogspot.com/
  • Paolo Padrini http://passineldeserto.blogosfere.it/
  • Rocco Palmo http://www.whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
  • Roderick Vonhögen http://sqpn.com/
  • Taylor Marshall http://www.cantuar.blogspot.com/
  • Thomas Peters http://www.americanpapist.com
  • Tim Kelleher http://www.firstthings.com/

• Meet and Greet/Mom’s Night Out Event – Pauline Book Center, Culver City, CA – May 6, 2010, 6:30 pm – Event Details
• Meet and Greet/Mom’s Night Out Event – Pauline Book Center, San Diego, CA – May 7, 2010 6:30 pm – Event Details
• Book Signing – GodSpace Religious Books & Music – Thousand Oaks, CA – May 8, 2010 – 12 pm – 2 pm – Event Details
• Mother’s Day Book Signing – The Cathedral Gift Shop – Los Angeles, CA – May 9, 2010 – Event Details

My mom will be with me and we’re excited about getting out to meet friends and readers in Southern California.  Can you help me spread the word about these events?  If you would please share this information with your parish and/or school for bulletins and newsletters, that would be a huge help! Additional appearances and all event details can be found at http://lisahendey.com/media/

For friends and readers in the New York/New Jersey area, I am planning a trip to your area for mid June.  I’d love to come visit your parish or organization!  For additional details, contact me by email at lisa@catholicmom.com.

I teased Father Rafael that he should go into the car sales business – when he first invited me to speak, I must admit that I doubted how many people would show up to church on Saturday night to watch a black and white film about Our Lady of Fatima.

Well, Fr. Rafael and the families of St. Joachim’s proved me wrong!  Over three hundred tickets were sold and the parish hall was packed  to capacity to watch this amazing movie.  After the film, we were treated to a very informative question and answer session by another of the Oblate priests from the parish.

If you haven’t already heard Catholic Moments Podcast #129, be sure to check out a press conference that provides a tremendous overview of the making of The 13th Day.

I love visiting parishes and must say that my trip to St. Joachim’s gave me an even greater desire to do more of this in the year ahead.  I want to congratulate Fr. Rafael and his TOBers on an outstanding event.  You managed to raise funds while providing a fun, inspirational, and educational evening for your entire parish family.  I hope I’m invited to your next Movie Night!

To contact me about speaking at your parish or organization, email LisaHendey@gmail.com.

Welcome to my personal website!

In October of 2011, my new book A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body and Soul will be released by Ave Maria Press. I’m so excited to share this book and my love of our saintly companions and intercessors with you!

I would love to come out and speak with your parish, school, group or organization – please feel free to contact me at lisahendey@gmail.com to discuss your special event.

The Catholic New Media Celebration is going to be an unprecedented event in the history of Catholic media. The CNMC is a day to Learn, Share, and Explore how New Media can help the Catholic Church in the New Evangelization. I will be moderating the Catholic Bloggers panel, which will feature Amy Welborn, Jeff Miller and Mark Shea – what a thrill to be in the company of such talented writers! Registration for this great event is free . You won’t want to miss the tremendous lineup being assembled for this event and the chance to meet and visit with other Catholics who are engaged in the use of New Media. Click here for details.