EWTN Tour / Life on the Rock Taping

In November a few of us hit the road and went to the EWTN studio outside of Birmingham, Alabama and sat in a taping of the show Life on the Rock.

Funny note....in the very first picture on this blog where I announce I'm taking a leave of absence and moving to Italy, I'm wearing a LOTR baseball cap. Go ahead...Scroll all the way down and look! You know you want to. (smile)

(Pic 1) shows Jan, Dorothy - Director of Young Adult Ministries - Archdiocese of Atlanta, Ashley and I in front of the EWTN studios.

(Pic 2) Surprise! Guess who was asked if they wanted to sit on stage during the taping! Me! And even thoug I was about 20 years older than most of the others...I enjoyed myself. This was the after taping shot of the group.

The guest on this edition of LOTR was Fr. Leo Patalinghug. Fr. Leo was one of the guest speakers at our Revive event in Atlanta along with Jesse Romero and our own Fr. Bailey from Holy Spirt Church- Archdiocese of Atlanta. Fr. Leo created a great recipe, discussion of faith, prayer book called "Grace Before Meals". He is working with PBS to get his show "Grace Before Meals" supported and aired soon. (Pic 3) Nothing like a little product placement in the shot. Even Brother Louie is getting in on the act.

(Pic 4) shows a group shot of us sitting on the stools used in the beginning section of the LOTR shows.

(Pic 5) Shows Dorothy and I hanging out on the interview chairs on the set prior to show taping. We look right at home, huh?

(Pic 6) An action shot. This shot was taken during the taping of the show. I sat right in back of the host, Fr. Mark, so when I went home and watched the show on my Tivo...I was all over the tape. Tee Hee Oh, I have an interesting story about Fr. Mark...I will come back to that.

(Pic 7) Brother Louie goofing off before the show with his wonderful camera work.

(Pic 8) The chapel at EWTN.

(Pic 9) Talking over things before the studio tour with Fr. Leo, Brother Louie, our tour guide and a couple going with us, Dave and Bonnie.

We were joined for dinner at the Irondale Cafe...the original Whistlestop Cafe from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, by a few EWTN staff members from the theology and graphic arts departments and a producer, friends of Dorothy.

OK...back to the story with Fr. Mark. The first time I visited the EWTN studios was with a pilgrimage from St. Joseph Church in Shreveport, LA. We also went to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. We were the inaugural group (12 of us...Hi Ladies!!) and they went this year also but I had to drop out as I moved to Atlanta. During that first visit I met Fr. Mark while waiting for half the ladies went to the restroom and the other half the car. I was just taking everything in...a whirlwind time of my life. I told him I was going on a pilgrimage to Italy (the trip that gave me the crazy idea to move to Italy...and start this blog). He tells me to go to a specific altar in St. Peter's Basilica at the back to the right as he celebrated a special mass there. He couldn't find the picture of St. Peter healing the cripple so I would just have to see it for myself. We get to Rome and had planned to have mass at the tomb of St. Peter. Unfortunately, we were bumped by some cardinals. They move us to another altar and and guess where they took us...yep, you got it ...right next to that altar Fr. Mark talked about. So I guess it may have been my fault we were bumped...I was meant to see that altar! Don't fret...I had the opportunity to have mass at the tomb of St. Peter when I went back on a second pilgrimage to Italy Oct 2007....that will be my next post.