Catholic Audio for Kids
Catholic Audio for Kids Catholic Music Spotlight Interview with
Gerald Montpetit, Cat.Chat by Lisa M. Hendey
What do you get when you mix the Catechism of the Catholic
Church, the Bible, the Communion of saints, papal encyclicals,
and a talking cat?
No, this isn't some bad joke in the making - it's the recipe for
Cat.Chat, a Catholic audio show for families aimed at children
ages three to eleven years of age. From my own review of the
Cat.Chat CDs, however, I'd have to say that the appeal of Moses,
the talking cat and his friends extends well beyond this target
demographic. The five CDs that comprise the current Cat.Chat
catalogue are chock full of fun, learning opportunities and
great Catholic music.
Catholic families, committed to teaching our children a true
love for our faith, are always on the lookout for creative and
enriching catechetical tools. Cat.Chat fits this bill - it is
dogmatically sound, creative, entertaining and fun. I find
myself listening to the CDs even after I've dropped my boys off
at school and am a big fan of both Moses and the talented
Catholic artists who accompany him on the series' five CDs.
I had the chance to catch up with Cat.Chat co-creator Gerald
Montpetit, who shared the following about this wonderful audio
series for Catholic families.
Q: Please describe the Cat Chat program, your goals and how the
CDs are structured.
A: Cat.Chat, short for Catholic Chat, is a NEW Catholic Audio
Show for Kids ages 3-11 that teaches the faith while it
entertains! There are presently 5 CDs in the series and each one
is aimed at helping kids & their families learn important
aspects of the Catholic faith in a simple and dynamic way
through great stories, catchy songs, real-life conversations and
prayer.
Each CD is structured in a similar way that is fun and easy to
understand for kids. They join Moses the Amazing Talking Cat,
Papa, Josh, Hannah and their friends for an unforgettable
Cat.Chat experience in:
Volume 1: Mary Leads Me Closer to Jesus Kids will grow closer
to Jesus and Our Blessed Mother through inspiring songs &
stories such as I Wanna Say Yes, Full Of Grace, Pray for Me and
more.
Volume 2: Jesus in my Heart Learn about love, forgiveness and
living your life for Jesus in the stories and song titles such
as To Be Like Jesus, He's in My Heart, The Lord's Prayer and
more.
Volume 3: Amazing Angels and Super Saints Kids will soak in the
songs and stories about the angels and saints in titles such as
In the Presence of the Angels, Go Francis, I am Called and more.
Volume 4: The Mass Comes Alive This CD will lead kids to a
greater appreciation and love for the Mass. Listen in and have
the Mass come Alive!!!
Volume 5: A Christmas to Remember Have the message & songs of
Advent & Christmas ring in your hearts all year long with this
newest release of Cat.Chat.
Volume 6: (coming soon!!!) An Extra Special Easter This CD
will be a treasured resource to feature the teachings of Lent &
Easter into the hearts & homes of children & families. Our goal
is to see kids and families experience Jesus through the beauty
and treasures of our Catholic faith. We strive on providing
top-quality Catholic media resources to help kids and families
in their faith journey. We want them to experience their faith
in a way that will inspire them to desire holiness and a passion
for living out their faith to the fullest.
As my friend Christopher West once shared with me: "Gerald, my
kids just love Cat.Chat. The tunes are catchy and the lessons
are so inspiring."
Q: Can you please share the touching story behind the
inspiration for Cat.Chat and how your dream became a reality?
A: From the first few years of our marriage, it had been a
prayer on our hearts to be able to do ministry together as a
couple & as a family. With my experience in sound recording &
songwriting and my wife's experience as a religious education
teacher, we were more than eager to share the gifts & talents
the Lord had given us. After much prayer and discernment, the
Holy Spirit started revealing to us His plan for our ministry.
It was not until about 8 years into our marriage that my wife
Denise and I felt called to create a quality Catholic CD series
that has great catechetics and captivating songs all in one. We
decided to call it Cat Chat: The Catholic Audio Show for Kids.
During this whole discernment process, a difficult, yet touching
experience helped unfold the finer details of what Cat.Chat was
to become, including who the main characters of this audio show
would be.
In 1999, when our niece Tristan Humphries (the voice of Hannah
on each CD) was only 4 years old, her mother Louise (my sister)
passed away from cancer at the Cross Cancer Institute in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Tristan's real life experience was
echoed in the Cat.Chat Vol#1 script; she actually "visited her
mom in that really big hospital...kissed her... and hugged her
really hard" the day her mom died.
Tristan, her brother Keenan and their father Mark have
experienced first hand the hardships, the pain and the sorrow of
losing a wife and mother. They truly lived some of what the main
characters - Papa, Josh and Hannah - experienced in this audio
show. Their life story, echoed through the various Cat.Chat CDs,
inspires and encourages us to keep the end in mind; which is
eternal life through Jesus Christ. Q: How do you select the
topics for Cat.Chat and how are your elements researched to
ensure faithfulness to the teachings of the Church?
A: We have chosen the most popular topics, and what I believe to
be some of the most important faith aspects in the Church. Mass
and the Eucharist (Vol. 4), relationship with Jesus and
reconciliation (Vol. 2), our Blessed Mother (Vol. 1) and our
heroes in the faith (Vol. 3). Because Christmas is such an
important celebration for all, our desire is to have Volume 5
crossover into the secular market to reach out and share the
true meaning of Christmas, hopefully drawing them into the rest
of the series.
All of our research stems from Scripture, the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, the lives of the saints, different papal
encyclicals and the lived experience of our own family and
friends.
"I am pleased to ....recommend the Cat.Chat products. This
material aims at communicating the message of the Gospel and the
teaching of the Catholic Church in a simple and dynamic way
through music & story-telling and spreads the good news of Jesus
to children & their families." Archbishop Thomas Collins,
Archdiocese of Edmonton, AB
Q: How long does it take to record and produce each volume?
Well, the first volume took about 6 months to complete. As we
progress with each volume, we are now able to complete CD
production within 3-4 months. That includes research, script
writing, song writing, recording, final mix down, and mastering.
Q: Can you please introduce us to some of the cast of Cat Chat,
especially the "real" Moses? How did you get him to talk like
that???
A: Papa, Josh, Hannah are the three main loveable characters of
each audio show. Each volume introduces new friends and family
members to create diversity between the CDs. Now we can't forget
about Moses the Amazing Talking Cat, who is the host of each
show. Kids just love Moses because of his humor, wit and sneaky
ways. What makes it really interesting is that all the
characters in the audio show think Moses is just a cute little
orange-tabby pet cat that purrs and meows and does what any
other ordinary cat does, but to us "the listeners", he's an
AMAZING talking cat who sneaks around telling us what he really
thinks about all this cool Catholic Chat.
There is also a new animal character that interacts with Moses
on each show. You'll meet Rocko, the Coolest Dog in Town (in
Vol. 3), Missy, the Cutest Kitty Around (in Vol. 4) , and Sneak
the Mouse (in Vol. 5). With today's modern technology, anything
is possible. Imagine, Mango the Talking Bird (in Vol. 6). Q:
Please say a few words about some of the awesome musicians whose
work accompanies your CDs.
A: Each CD has approx.40-50 people involved in its' productions.
The main singers for the CD series are Janelle, a rapidly
growing Nashville Catholic recording artist, Christine Paranych,
a local Catholic singer, songwriter and illustrator for
Cat.Chat, as well as myself and several talented kids who sing
some of the songs. There are also two different kids' choirs who
record on the albums- one choir consists of about 20 kids ages 6
to 9, the other consists of about 20 kids ages 10 to 15. We
blend these together to make one beautiful and angelic sounding
choir. We have been blessed to have access to a professional
recording studio where all of the music is recorded. With input
from different professionals in the music industry, we strive to
have the best possible sound quality on each CD.
Q: What type of feedback have you received from listeners,
teachers, clergy and families?
A: It has truly been a blessing to hear such positive and
life-changing responses from people who listen to Cat.Chat.
There are so many stories from kids, parents, educators and
clergy who say that Cat.Chat has truly inspired them to live out
their faith to the fullest. They are excited to have such a
quality catholic resource they can use to help teach the faith.
One touching story of a young, rambunctious 7 year old boy, who
knew nothing about the faith was given a Cat.Chat from a friend.
He never stopped listening to it and eventually got the whole
series. His parents, who were not Catholic, ended up coming into
the Church and the boy now feels that God is calling him to
become a priest. Obviously God was working in their lives and
Cat.Chat was one of the tools He used to bring this family into
the Church. Praise the Lord!
One dad admits that he is somewhat embarrassed to say that he
listens to Cat.Chat alone in his vehicle on his way to work. He
is enjoying it just as much as his kids.
One mom says that the Cat. Chat CDs have been a huge instrument
in helping teach her family how to pray.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: I am currently asking the Lord to send me an email regarding
this issue. I haven't received it yet.
Actually, my wife Denise and our four young kids are truly
thankful for what the Lord has done with this ministry. We give
Him all the glory and entrust the future of Cat.Chat to Him.
This fall we have been busy doing Cat.Chat Live concerts across
western Canada. We are expanding across Canada and already have
some inquiries for concerts in the United States. We also have a
Cat.Chat VBS program scheduled for release in March of 2006.
Plans to release quality Catholic DVD's that will visually
entertain, captivate and educate kids about the faith is also on
the horizon.
Our desire is to reach as many people as possible with the
gospel of Jesus Christ and we will do all that we can to fulfill
this mission we sense the Lord is calling us to.
To order or find out more about Cat.Chat, visit our website:
www.catchat.ca or call Cat.Chat Productions at: 1-866-286-5433
or visit http://www.catholicmom.catholiccompany.com.
Lisa M. Hendey is webmaster of www.CatholicMom.com , a wife and
mother of two and a Catholic music fan and supporter. Visit her
at www.LisaHendey.com for more information.