When we talk of “The Media” we usually mean TV, radio and newspapers. But the media includes books, magazines, billboards, the internet, anything and everything that is used to communicate with a large audience. So, Catholic Media has been around for millennia. From the first letters written by the Apostles to the Encyclicals promulgated by the popes, to EWTN and Catholic blog sites, all a Catholic has to do to know what the Church believes and proclaims is to look for it, it’s everywhere.

But, although Catholic Media is everywhere, it’s not as loud or intrusive as the rest of the stuff that’s out there. We have to be selective, because there is a lot of misinformation about the Catholic Church. For instance, I was once looking for saints on the Internet, and I ran across dozens of sites that were misleading at best, and blasphemous at worst. Now I have a few organizations that I trust, and stick to them.

Vatican
This is the most reliable Catholic website, of course. It’s the site of the Pope and all the documents we find there under the tabs “The Holy Father” and “The Roman Curia” are official documents that can be relied on.

Zenit
If you want Catholic news from around the world, this website is quite good, and it can be read in seven languages. It also alerts us of documents coming out of the Vatican, papal trips, upcoming beatifications and canonizations, and how Catholics are faring the world over. It’s a truly Catholic site in that it gives us universal news, and reminds us that the US Church is but a tiny fraction of the whole.

Catholic News
Another newsy website, focusing primarily on the US and events that touch us as Catholics. Most of the news are told briefly and if you want to make the most of your time, Catholicnews is the site for you.

Archdiocese of Denver
Yes, the Archdiocese of Denver has its own website. There, we can find all the parishes in Northern Colorado, find out where is Father So-and-So whom you once knew, and be up to date on diocesan events.

Ignatius Press
This is the website of the best Catholic publisher in the U.S. Its products are of good quality (their paperbacks are sewn, so they don’t dissolve at the third reading) and affordable. They are also of high content quality: they publish books written by our Holy Father, by prominent and faithful theologians (yes, Virginia, there are also unfaithful theologians). They also publish good children books, CDs, DVDs, movies and more. It’s hard to go wrong buying Ignatius’ stuff.

TAN Books
Another good Catholic publisher. TAN specializes in spirituality. They publish books such as the classic biography of St. John Vianney written by the Abbe’ Trochu, The Life of St. Margaret Costello, The Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Alphonsus de Liguori, and the books of Joan Carrol Cruz, which so many enjoy because they speak of miracles.

EWTN
This is, of course, the 800 pounds gorilla of Catholic Media, because most of us like to watch TV, and it is the only TV station that’s guaranteed not to scandalize our kids, to tell us the truth and to bring it in our homes in an easy-to-understand manner. After having read two of Mother Angelica’s books, I can’t but admire this feisty nun who took on everyone (and won) to bring His Word to the people. Starting out with absolutely nothing, and convinced that the Lord was calling her to start a TV station, she plowed on despite illness, setbacks and even hostility on the part of those who should have helped her. Like Mother Teresa of Calcutta, she was successful beyond anyone’s imagination, simply because she believed that He who asked her could do what seemed impossible to a small human being.

EWTN Radio
And now we have EWTN radio in Colorado: 1570 am in Northern Colorado and 970 am in the Colorado Springs/Pueblo/Limon area. Generous, talented and hardworking folks worked for years to purchase two small stations and rely on the donations of people like us to keep going. You won’t hear endless commercials on their airwaves. I like to listen to it when I drive (I can’t get it at home). Father John Corapi is on at 2:00 pm and his talks are truly powerful. Programs like Women of Grace, The Doctor is In (With Dr. Ray Guarendi and Dr. Colleen Kelly Mast), and Catholic Answers Live offer us practical advice, solid Catholic doctrine and uplifting events. They even broadcast daily Mass, the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy and the Rosary.

With Lent well on the way, this would be a perfect time to become familiar with at least some of these media.