Air Maria

Ave Maria!

Well, a year has gone by since our official start last March 25th. We passed the 100,000 marker on our visitor counter since we installed it in April last year. Now it reads 130,000. We estimate 150,000 visitors in total (including those before April 2007). In addition, we’ve produced over 600 videos and over 1,100 posts. Deo Gratias!

We wanted to celebrate on March 25th but with Easter coming we had to wait until the Annunciation (this year it was on the 31st of March) but then we needed to get the server updated and that proved more difficult than expected. In fact we were down most of that day. But now that we have the new server up and running and with more features on the site than ever before, its time to pop the champagne! (more…)

FI News #31 - 1000 Posts!! ( 0:30) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Wow! New milestone, 1000 posts on AirMaria.com!! Deo Gratias!

Ave Maria!

Well, here I am in Australia. AirMaria has landed. Notice Fra Cyprian’s (sort of) smiling face (far left). He is the first to be delivered a “friar in the box” across the Pacific, and he will be our first overseas producer.

The “friar in the box” is a complete mobile kit for producing video entries on AirMaria. It is an engineering wonder. Effective, light, mobile and quick to set up. Five pounds overweight, I might add, for domestic flights, as I found out. AirMaria Central is working on that.

For the past few years I have spent some weeks with our friars in Perth on the West Coast of Australia. This year I am here on a visitation in preparation for our General Chapter coming up at Pentecost.

We have two friaries in Australia, one in Perth itself, Munster properly, pictured above, and one about an hour and a half North of Perth in a little town called Toodyay. I am staying right now in Munster. In the picture, from left to right, that’s Fra Cyprian, Father John Joseph, myself, and Father Andre. Here is the Australian friars website.

It is said that Perth is the most isolated city in the world. With over two million people it is a large city, but drive outside of the suburbs and you are in the bush and the bush goes on for hundreds of miles before you find another town.

In Munster, the brothers organize what we call a Marian Family Cenacle and our MIM. They also do a weekly radio show called Gate of Heaven. I will be on the air tonight. (Live Stream here 7:30 PM Perth; 5:30 AM EST; archived afterward here, click on the link 20:00.) More on the Cenacle in a later post. Hopefully, I will get you some video of that.

In Toodyay, the friars are restoring an old school, transforming it, actually, into a retreat house. They are also involved in the Family Cenacles. It is in Toodyay that there is a burgeoning interest in the Knights of Lepanto.

I will be there later in the week and giving a men’s retreat from Friday, November 23 to Sunday, November 25. We’ll try to get some video of that as well. I am sure Fra Cyprian will be looking up Apostolate for some technical help. More to come. Ave Maria!

Roving Reporter #16 - Friar Augustine and Susan Mackewich on the Video School at the Griswold Friary (5min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Friar Roderic catches Fra Augustine, FI and Susan Mackewich of Gizmo Production & Post, NY City as they wrap-up their video school for the friars at Griswold, CT in preparation for the Live Video Transmission of the Behold Your Mother Conference in Indiana on Oct 13th. In the video school they did a complete training in the set-up and operation of our portable live video system that we will be using to live stream from Greenwood, IN. Come watch this video and see how much is going into the preparation for this event.

Ave Maria!

Ave Maria!

It been a busy weekend here at Griswold. Yesterday at 7pm we had the clothing of seven Novices. This morning we had the first profession of Fr. Joachim who has just finished his novitiate and Fra Athanasius renewed his temporary vows.

Tonight we will be the grand event, the Solemn Profession of Fra Joseph Mary, F.I. at 7pm Eastern Time. We will be broadcasting this Live on the Internet here as Air Maria for our first live broadcast.

We will be doing a test broadcast all day today prior to the event to get feedback on how it is working. So click on the picture below to try the live Broadcast and please send comments on the normal blog comments below. We need to know how the audio and video is working, including how smooth and clear it is. And, of course … come join us at 7pm for this great event!

Ave Maria!

Ave Maria!

We are announcing our first Live Broadcast which will be on the occasion of the Solemn Profession of Fra Joseph Mary on the Feast of the Birth of Our Lady on Saturday, Sept 8 at 7pm. The service will consist of a Mass with the profession right after the homily. It will probably go for one and a half hours but possibly as long as two hours. This is the same Fra Joseph who does No Apologies here on Air Maria so we are all very excited as he makes his final profession of the four vows (Total Consecration to the Immaculate, Poverty, Chastity and Obedience) in the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. So come check it out this Saturday at 7pm, Live.

Promotions #1 - New Promo for Air Maria(20secs) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

We are thinking of adding some short promos to some of the videos. Some will be interesting, general promotions like this one and some would be appeals to help out with links and placing ads on web sites and for donations. So take a look and give us some feedback. And that reminds me, if you have a website please give us a link. Thanks.

Ave Maria!

FI News #18 - Our F.I. Roving Reporter, Friar Roderic Mary, Interviews the Family Institute of CT’s Peter Wolfgang at the CT State House at the Pro-family Rally on Weds, 23rd May, 2007 >>> Play

Ave Maria!

The FI news team covered the pro Marriage Rally held at the Connecticut State Capital yesterday Morning which was organized by the Family Institute of CT. Over 300 people took time off work to give support for keeping the traditional definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman. This is in spite of the fact that the bill to redefine marriage had already been defeated! The pro gay marriage group also had a gathering at the same time and only turned out about 16 people! This rally of families on a gloriously beautiful spring day was a great celebration of the defeat of this bill, and sent a powerful pro family message to the CT legislature and to National and State legislatures across the US. But prayers are still needed.

Ave Maria!

Don’t forget, there are more shows available than just the short shows you see in the main vlog column! See our Extra Shows section for homilies and longer, half-hour shows like Spirit, Faith and Family and Face of Pro-life.

Resent titles include:
Video - Fr. Bonaventure - Homily: The Relentless Fight for Divine Peace
Video - Face of Pro-Life: History of CT Pro-Life & Scandalizing Our School Children
Video - Fr. Angelo Geiger - Homily: Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
Video - Fr. Angelo - Homily: Being Child-like, Not Childish

Ave Maria!

FI News #8 - Fr. Angelo announces the Grand Opening of Air Maria>>> Play

Ave Maria!

On this Feast of Our Lady and after being operational for four months or so, Fr. Angelo Geiger gives the surprise announcement of our grand opening! That’s right, up to now we have not been offically open. It has all been for practice. He mentions the many new shows, our new three column web format that includes a new menu system in the left column. The dedication of the site to St. Clare, Patroness of TV and in honor of Patrick Wroe, son of David Wroe who’s help has been indispensable for Air Maria. He thanks all the many people who have supported Air Maria in so many ways.

Have a blessed Feast of the Annunciation! Ave Maria!

Ave Maria!

Start your VCRs (or DVDRs)!! Doug Keck of EWTN’s Bookmark caught the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate red handed, peddling books and promoting Air Maria at the CMN Network Trade Show this January. Tune into EWTN on cable, satellite or just see their live feed on-line. Show times will be:

Sun 9:30am
Mon 5am

Also try:
Sat 9pm
Wed 5:30pm
These will also cover the trade show but it is unclear to us whether we will be in these episodes.

Ave Maria!

Ave Maria!

Merry Christmas

The audio series For the Life of the World is now on-line with a new menu that gives a choice of high quality format and lower quality for dial-up connections as well as the ability to download the files to play them later. The series consists of over fifty half-hour shows produced at Griswold by the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate in conjunction with NACEPF from August 2004 to April 2006. The series is Hosted Fr. Elias Mary Mills, FI, Fr. Joseph Michael Mary Shane, FI and includes guests Fr. Angelo Geiger, FI, Fr. Peter Mary Fehlner, Fr. Joseph Tito, Joseph Kung of the Cardinal Kung Foundation, Joe Collison, Doug Barry of Radix and many others. Follow the link to see for yourself.

Ave Maria!