December 14, 2007

What do you get when you combine the talents of the creators of the Catholic radio show Glory Stories, the producer of the motion picture Therese, a virtuoso pianist, and a handful of former Disney artists?  A great stocking stuffer that the whole family can enjoy: Holy Heroes Volume 1.

"My kids have all ten Glory Stories CDs," said a homeschooling mother of 8.  "They love the stories, love hearing the voices of other children — and they learn about the faith while they are riding in the car.  I'm glad that Holy Heroes now is picking up where Glory Stories left off. "

Nearly four years ago, Brian Shields (the producer of the motion picture Therese) convinced Ken Davison and Jim Morlino to create Glory Stories, which for over two years now has been a weekly radio standard for both the Ave Maria Radio Network and WEWN, the radio arm of EWTN.  "I was very pleased when Ken contacted me last spring to ask if I would help them create a new series of audio shows for families, stories which teach the faith in a beautiful way," Brian said.  "Now, the first CD is being sold — in English and Spanish — and we have the next four in the works, some scripts being edited, some being translated, and I'm already recording others. "

But you don't just listen to a Holy Heroes production: you can also follow along in the companion coloring books, with beautiful illustrations drawn by John Webber and Caroline Spinelli, both former Disney artists.  Other Disney artists collaborated on the full-color artwork seen on the CD and coloring book cover.  Captions in the books are also in English and Spanish. 

Right now, as an Advent special (and great Christmas gift), the first Holy Heroes CD can be obtained free at http://www.holyheroes.com/.  You can also order a 12-month ‘gift subscription' which provides the recipient a monthly audio CD and a special gift during their birth month.   And don't miss the section on the website offering volume discounts for "retailers, parishes, clubs, and moms with big families." 

The first Holy Heroes CD is volume 1 of the 4-volume set of the Mysteries of the Rosary.  It includes an overview of the rosary, how to pray it, and a Scriptural rosary including more than a dozen children leading the prayers in English and Spanish (a CD with children leading the prayers in Latin is also in development). Each mystery is introduced by an explanation of ‘what happened in the mystery', then before each ‘Hail Mary' a child reads a verse from the Scriptural revelation of the mystery.  At the conclusion, you'll enjoy hearing the exciting part the rosary played in the naval battle called ‘The Miracle of Lepanto'.   Original orchestral music by Eric Genuis, a virtuoso pianist and composer, aids the beauty of the meditations.

"The music and sound of the children praying the ‘Hail, Holy Queen' alone is worth buying the CD," says one father.

"About a dozen people have come together to produce these products, all of us bringing our hearts and professional expertise into producing the stories that have motivated children (and adults) from the dawn of the Christian era: the true life stories of people just like you and me who lived their lives ‘striving to win the heavenly crown,' as it says in James 1:12," said Ken Davison, founder of Holy Heroes.  "Beginning our work with the rosary, a devotion that we hope to encourage in Catholic families more broadly, was something we could all agree on, while we also work on the stories of ‘holy heroes' like Father McGivney (founder of the Knights of Columbus), Fulton Sheen, Father Peyton, and some lesser known heroes which have amazing stories."

"In addition to making the first volume available free on our website, we've also tried to make these products easy to get into parishes, clubs — and moms with big families! — with lower-priced packages that combine a CD with eight coloring books and steep volume discounts on other bulk packages," Ken continued.

Another unique approach offered by Holy Heroes is the one-year "gift subscription", which ensures that a child will receive a new CD every month for 12 months.  "A great benefit for grandparents, godparents, and others who like to get an excited ‘thank you' call every month," said Ken.  "We also send a special extra surprise during the birthday month of the recipient — not even Grandma knows what that will be!"

You can find all the Holy Heroes and Glory Stories products online at www.holyheroes.com.