Background

 

I've always enjoyed two passions in my life: Catholicism and Geekery. I’m a cradle Catholic who remembers his Commodore 64. While coordinating Catholic Mass on campus in the Bible belt, I was living in the first dorm wired for the internet at college. When I left full time parish ministry to be a full time stay at home dad I decided to start a company that brought those two things together. Why?

Consider the following:

4. ...the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions ...

...Profound and rapid changes are spreading by degrees around the whole world. ... Hence we can already speak of a true cultural and social transformation, one which has repercussions on man’s religious life as well.

Gaudiem Et Spes: The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World

And that was written in 1965! How prophetic were the fathers of the Church. Technology advances so quickly today that within a generation, the way the world is experienced is changing. Our children will grow up interacting with the world, with information, with each other, in very different ways than we did. We need to keep up so that we can bring the truth, the love, and the joy of our faith to our children and to the world. Helping us do that is the mission of Catholic Media Resources.

Now, combine the above with this:

There are innumerable opportunities open to the laity for the exercise of their apostolate of evangelization and sanctification.

Apostolicam Actuositatem: The Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity

With the advent of digital and especially internet technologies, we laity have more power to influence our world than ever before. CMR is my attempt to be a part of that process.

 

So who am I?

 

I'm Jerry Harrington, Founder and Director of Catholic Media Resources.

I've lived many places and done many things in my career:

  • southern New Jersey (born and half raised)
  • Houston, Texas (the other half grades 3-7)
  • Memphis, Tennessee (Rhodes College, BA in English Lit & Philosophy)
  • Boston, Massachusetts (Boston College, MA in Philosophy)
  • New Orleans, Louisiana (Notre Dame Seminary, MA in Theology)
  • Omaha, Nebraska (living the cubicle life in a bank's customer service department - good times)
  • Mundelein, Illinois. (teaching religion at Carmel Catholic High School)
  • Wadsworth, Illinois (DRE at St Patrick Church)
  • Libertyville, Illinois (DRE and Youth Minister at St Joseph Church)

So, as you can see I've spent a lot of time learning about and then teaching about the Catholic faith, including the very same theological training that a third of the priests of the United States receive.

What else would you like to know? Here's a list of some of my interests and hobbies:

  • science fiction
  • podcasting
  • singing
  • epic fantasy
  • parenting and fatherhood
  • technology
  • podcast novels/authors
  • Roman Catholicism
  • movies
  • religion in general
  • unicycling
  • exercise and fitness
  • independent music/musicians
  • weight loss
  • family politics
  • philosophy
  • literature
  • TV (of which I watch far too much)
  • and how all of the above play nicely together!

 

Back to CMR

 

I want to create resources that help Catholics understand how being Catholic is relevant and applicable to their daily lives and the popular culture in which we are immersed. Thus, I've created Pop Goes Catholicism and would love to recruit some more writers for those resources. 

I want to share my passion for both Catholicism and technology and popular media and how they go together. Thus, I give presentations that I collectively call CMR Talks.

I want to help those who are amazing at communicating the love of God but don’t know URL from UHF to share their gift with so many more by producing digital download products of it. Hence, my content partnership with Dr. Terry Nelson-Johnson of Soul Play. I would love to help other presenters/authors get their voices heard more widely.

In short, I want to do what every entrepreneur wants to do: change the world. Of course, I didn’t arrogantly come up with that mandate on my own; I’m just following orders.

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

Matthew 28:19-20