Cat helps Mass come alive

By RAMON GONZALEZ
WCR Staff Writer
Radway

Moses the Cat, the host of the children's audio show Cat.Chat, is no ordinary cat. He makes learning fun.

In a CD entitled The Mass Comes Alive, Moses brings children to a deeper understanding and a new appreciation for the Mass by snooping from tent to tent at a Catholic family conference.

Gerald and Denise Montpetit, the producers and creators of Cat.Chat, released the new CD Dec. 3, saying the specific goal of this new audio show is to point children toward the central celebration of the Catholic faith, the Eucharist.

"Of course, we find it really timely that this is the Year of the Eucharist," Denise said in an interview. "When we created the CD we had no idea at the time that the pope was going to declare this the Year of the Eucharist. We are excited to be a part of this mission."

The Mass Comes Alive is volume four of an audio series aimed a teaching children 3 to 11 the basics of the faith in a way that is fun and easy to understand. It uses lovable characters like Moses, faith-filled stories, and creative, upbeat songs to achieve its objective.

"It's catechizing, evangelizing kids in a fun way, because with kids you need to catch their attention if they are going to learn their faith," Denise said.

Prepare for Mass

As Denise noted, "the CD has stories, conversations and songs to create an awesome audio show. And that's why we call Cat.Chat an audio show because it keeps the kids' attention. It's not just stories or songs; it's everything mixed in one for a great audio show."

After listening to the CD, children will never again complain that the Mass is boring, the couple said.

The audio show takes place in the context of a Catholic family conference where the curious Moses visits all the tents at the conference - the children, the youth and the adult tents - and in each one he hears stories, conversations, and teachings on the Mass.

Along with Moses, children will also meet characters like Papa, Josh, Hannah and their friends. "You don't see them but you listen to each of these characters come alive," said Gerald. "They are asking questions, talking. It's like a movie that you listen to.

"What happens is it keeps kids listening because their attention is fixed on listening and not necessarily seeing. It helps them create an image of what the characters are like, where they are coming from, what ages they are, who is speaking now, who is speaking next. It really keeps them tuned in on what's being said."

Kids love Moses

The Cat.Chat series can be used in the family, children's liturgies and schools, said the Montpetits. They produce the series at Life-Vision Communications' studios in Radway, where they live with their four children.

"Families are listening to them in their cars on the way to sports and on the way to school," Denise noted. "Even parents are saying I listen to this CD on my way to work and I'm loving it; I'm learning just as much as my kids are."

The other titles in the series are Mary Leads Me Closer to Jesus, Jesus in My Heart, and Amazing Angels and Super Saints. Coming soon are volumes on Christmas and on Easter.

All four volumes in the Cat.Chat series are based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and on the Scriptures. The best seller is the CD on Mary, which so far has sold about 5,000 copies.

It takes five months and over 50 people, including singers, actors and graphic artists to produce a CD. The cost of producing each volume is more than $35,000. Luminous Media is distributing the series in the United States.

To order The Mass Comes Alive and other titles in the series call 1-866-286-5433 or visit the company's website, www.catchat.ca. The CDs are also available at religious bookstores.

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