HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The LORD bless you and keep you!
The LORD let his face shine upon
you, and be gracious to you!
The LORD look upon you kindly and
give you peace!

 




"For thus says the LORD,
The creator of the heavens,
who is God,
The designer and maker of the earth
who established it,
Not creating it to be a waste,
but designing it be lived in:
I am the LORD, and there is no other."
Is 45:18

DJ Jedi's Funky Christmas 2010!!!

my boy and long time supporter of the m3 ministry DJ Jedi is back again this year with a funky Christmas Podcast...check him out here

well, my putting on Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite in the morning 2 get the kids off 2 school doesn't mix well with crying and screaming...just fyi

i must share my excitement upon receiving my Ignatious Catholic Study Bible New Testament in the mail 2day...those of u who know me know i really dig Scott Hahn, then when u add Curtis Mitch 2 the mix it's crazy! so, since we're in Revelation 4 the daily readings...i'm diggin right in2 the back of the book!

it's in Revelation people!!!

"Yet I hold this against you:
you have lost the love you had at first.
Realize how far you have fallen.
Repent, and do the works you did at first.
Otherwise, I will come to you
and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent."

let's get ready 2 grow closer to Christ (again) in His child-like trust of us...peace b 2 u

file under Apostolic Exhortations

well this will b blowing up this coming week...i will spend the weekend checking
it out...u as a Bible Reading freak should check it out too!

'tis the new AE on the Word Of God from
B16 entitled 'VERBUM DOMINI'

well, the Pope is back from a short visit 2 Spain over the weekend...read up on the trip here...

also, just finished another album 4 a client that turned out great! thanks b 2 God 4 the gift of music and working with a great family of musicians...one being Kyle from Popple...he saved a song from near death with the mighty ukulele...thank u again Kyle...also much love 2 my wife and children 4 their continued support and sacrifice of time 2 get these projects done...i love u's...
the Catholic Underground Chicago stream was another success...the cats over at Spirit Juice Studios never cease 2 amaze me with their talent...u can re-live an evening with manCHILD here...

gigs still coming so i'm very thankful 2 that...have been recording alot of live gigs with the jazz, blues, and funk things i do...so i'll pick a couple of those jams 2 post on the m3 SoundClick page...more info on that later

next on the agenda is working on praying and writing new material...please pray 4 me...

All Hallows' Eve

ran in2 a couple of cats who questioned engaging in Halloween as a practicing Catholic...if u need some info on the true story of the Great Pumpkin, click here...

we here at the Lopez household r cool with watching Charlie Brown and dressing like Airbenders...look

but as a practicing Catholic try 2 also hit Mass on All Saints Day & All Souls Day...which is Nov. 1 & Nov. 2

thnx 2 phat catholic apologetics 4 never letting me down...peace nick

now, somebody save me a peanut butter cup!

while i get 2 mixing a new recording project we here @ m3studios did this past weekend, check out the new Fr. Stan YouTube Channel...

he has just left Poland and in Rome now on this, his 5th Annual JPII Poland/Rome Pilgrimage...he has some great footage and homily from the trip...so please peep the knowledge and pray 4 Father...

and here is some footage from the Congreso De Jóvenes trip w Fr Stan on Oct 10th...thank u Father 4 the looplooplooplooplooploop.......and ESNE TV 4 the love

Rob from SJS asked me 2 cover the 1969 Jefferson Airplane song "Volunteers" in a web commercial for Research Down Syndrome...i asked Ian 2 come play guitar and bass...all other sounds by m3...here is the finished product...

here is a sample of the m3studios session w The Barehanded Wolfchokers...thnx 2 Dave and the cats 4 trusting me on this project! mucho fun! (fyi: wiki says St Edmond the Martyr is the patron saint of wolves...but of course wiki cannot b considered dogma)

Many blessings happening around us here @ m3studios...

finished mixing the NCYC Unplugged Volume 2 sessions 4 Spirit Juice Studios...that was a blast watching and mixing some of the freshest artists in catholic music...thank u rob 4 trusting me with this project...
and speaking of SJS, m3 has been invited back as part of staff 4 another season of Catholic Underground Chicago...i will again b helping stream and record the groups that come in...will keep every1 posted on that...the 1st CUC is on November 4th...oh, and who's manCHILD???

working slowly but surely on a new album...the drums have been set-up 2 go at the drop of a hat...(jamie, come over 2nite!)...please pray 4 that...

also many gigs coming up with the fellas...

m3studios has 2 mobile recording projects in the month of october...the 1st is on location in a ballroom built in the early 1900's back in davenport, ia...the group is The Barehanded Wolfchokers...a Dixieland Band playing traditional jazz from the 20s-30s...the 2nd is working with a female singer named Pene on an album of her fav jazz standards...will take some vid and show ya'll the fun!

and just 2 keep me on my toes, the Lord had Fr. Stan call on me 2 accompany him on a concert in LA on the 10th of october...this will b for the 2010 Congreso De Jóvenes...this event may b streamed live via the internet...if so i will confirm...thank u Jesus 4 Fr. Stan...without him, there would b no Catholic Soul Revolution!!!

and finally, with free time my children and i have been working on a small recording project writing original material based on the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender...u will b able 2 sample that also when completed...until then, here r the Lopez children Airbending!!!

well, it's Wedding Season so here's a new vid from Amanda Vernon (and i guess we could say her husband David Shaheen) documenting in a special way their wedding day! 2gether they r the core of Chastity FORCE. I've been diggin' Amanda since i saw her back in 06, been following her ever since...i'd love to get her on a track??? until then, check the Catechism then check out the great video!

The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself. From their covenant arises "an institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of society." The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God's covenant with man: "Authentic married love is caught up into divine love." - CCC 1639

B16 UK VID(s) OF THE DAY

The Pope is by now back sleeping in his own bed...i watched and followed tons of this trip and am very thankful 2 God 4 a safe and fruitful visit 2 the UK for B16...thanks b 2 God!!!

Mass with the Beatification of Venerable Cardinal John Henry Newman - Birmingham - full homliy text

9.19.10

here u get a sense of the people's love for this Pope and trip from the front lines - vid from Ruth Gledhill whom is the religion correspondent from The Times in London
9.19.10

B16 QUOTE(s) OF THE DAY

-Morning Mass homily in Westminster Cathedral

"My thoughts go in a special way to all those who are spiritually united with this Eucharistic celebration, and in particular the sick, the elderly, the handicapped and those who suffer mentally and spiritually. Here too I think of the immense suffering caused by the abuse of children, especially within the Church and by her ministers. Above all, I express my deep sorrow to the innocent victims of these unspeakable crimes, along with my hope that the power of Christ’s grace, his sacrifice of reconciliation, will bring deep healing and peace to their lives. I also acknowledge, with you, the shame and humiliation which all of us have suffered because of these sins; and I invite you to offer it to the Lord with trust that this chastisement will contribute to the healing of the victims, the purification of the Church and the renewal of her age-old commitment to the education and care of young people. I express my gratitude for the efforts being made to address this problem responsibly, and I ask all of you to show your concern for the victims and solidarity with your priests." 9.18.10

-speaking on Cardinal John Henry Newman at the Prayer Vigil in Hyde Park - London

"Here is the first lesson we can learn from his life: in our day, when an intellectual and moral relativism threatens to sap the very foundations of our society, Newman reminds us that, as men and women made in the image and likeness of God, we were created to know the truth, to find in that truth our ultimate freedom and the fulfilment of our deepest human aspirations. In a word, we are meant to know Christ, who is himself “the way, and the truth, and the life” (Jn 14:6)." 9.18.10

B16 UK QUOTE OF THE DAY

-Ecumenical Celebration - Westminster Abbey

"In a world marked by growing interdependence and solidarity, we are challenged to proclaim with renewed conviction the reality of our reconciliation and liberation in Christ, and to propose the truth of the Gospel as the key to an authentic and integral human development. In a society which has become increasingly indifferent or even hostile to the Christian message, we are all the more compelled to give a joyful and convincing account of the hope that is within us (cf. 1 Pet 3:15), and to present the Risen Lord as the response to the deepest questions and spiritual aspirations of the men and women of our time." 9.17.10

B16 UK QUOTE(s) OF THE DAY

- when asked by a journalist 'how the Church could be more attractive to the public'

"I would say that a Church that seeks to be particularly attractive is already on the wrong path, because the Church does not work for her own ends, she does not work to increase numbers and thus power. The Church is at the service of another: she serves, not for herself, not to be a strong body, rather she serves to make the proclamation of Jesus Christ accessible, the great truths and great forces of love, reconciling love that appeared in this figure and that always comes from the presence of Jesus Christ." 9.16.10

- addressing the youth during the homily at the Mass in Bellahouston Park - Glasgow

"There are many temptations placed before you every day - drugs, money, sex, pornography, alcohol - which the world tells you will bring you happiness, yet these things are destructive and divisive. There is only one thing which lasts: the love of Jesus Christ personally for each one of you. Search for him, know him and love him, and he will set you free from slavery to the glittering but superficial existence frequently proposed by today’s society. Put aside what is worthless and learn of your own dignity as children of God." 9.16.10

don't 4get that Pope Benedict XVI will b in the UK this Thursday-Sunday...so please pray your favorite prayer 4 him and the Church!
EWTN always has good coverage of the papal visits...u can check out the schedule here

Flashback Sunday:

while touring with a top 40 band back in 1997 i found myself in Ft. Wayne, Indiana...met this guitar player one nite...he liked my drumming...he asked me 2 come to a studio in town 2 record a song he had written...i said "cool"...later i come 2 find out that this song got serious airplay on a now defunked radio station called '96.3 The Edge' who had released it on a local music compilation...the cat's name was Brian Lemert...he says he actually had label buzz calling about signing a record deal...but it was only he and i that were on the record...he had no band...it was sort of a joke song...although he did give a fake name ala Prince 2 the project...Onionhead!

"Supersonic Rock and Roll Star" by Onionhead

Brian Lemert - all gtrs, bass, vocals
Manuel Lopez III - drums

"You people worship what you do not understand; we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews." - John: Chapter 4

“We should be displeased with ourselves when we commit sin, for sin is displeasing to God. Sinful though we are, let us at least be like God in this, that we are displeased with what displeases him. In some measure than you will be in harmony with God’s will.”

St. Augustine Divine Office III p.451

2 months ago 2 the day

THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT

LIVE: Fr. Stan Fortuna with manuel3
St. Matthew Parish Hall
Champaign, IL.

6.9.10

Fr. Stan - talks, loop, bass, shaker, vox
manuel3 - drums, percussion
special guest Corey (future priest) on the djembe

download the winzip file for 1 week only...HERE

ZENIT: What would you recommend to Catholics who say they are bored at Mass?

Bishop Echevarría (Prelate of Opus Dei): I would recommend that they participate with sincerity in the Mass, seeking and loving Jesus. In "The Way," St. Josemaría wrote: "You say the Mass is long and, I add, because your love is short."

Feelings must not be given too much importance: enthusiasm or apathy, desire or lack of it. The Mass is sacrifice: Christ gives himself out of love. It is an action of God and we cannot fully understand its grandeur, because of our limited condition as creatures. But we must make the effort, not only to be at Mass, but to live it in union with Christ and the Church. - Source

the Sista's have been called! (by St. Joseph?)

we reported back in March that Decca Records was looking 4 a religious order 2 record Chant with...well they found them...read the Zenit article here...

and here is a vid from ITN news in the UK

So,
1st off i'd like 2 thank Augie Leal and his family along with the SHINE Catholic Work Camp for a fantastic blessing on July 9th, 2010...m3 was asked to play a concert closing a week long ministry for high school/college students in which they served the communities of Chicago...helping the needy, poor, and the elderly!

many a blessing b upon these great students for giving up some summer 2 do God's work!!!

2nd off,
i'd like 2 thank the fellas who accompanied me on this journey:

drums - Jamie Hopkins
bass - Curtis Hawkins
gtr - Ian Johnson
keys 2 - macario lopez
sax - Eddie McKinley
trpt - Manny Lopez

once again, they put tons of time in2 learning a pretty demanding show...they played awesome! it was super hot in the gym we played, but we were all cool as the other side of the pillow...c 4 urself!

arrival shot...(L 2 R) Augie, Macario, Jamie, Curtis, Ian, m3


rehearsal shot...

concert vid...


with Augie himself!!!

"So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." - MATT. 5:23

well, Disney is over and the rehearsals will begin this week 4 chitown...
but 1st here is a pic from the morning breakfast with the Princesses @ Epcot...
from left to right is my son Manuel IV, my daughter Mia, my daughter Cela, and my nephew Brooklyn...

and we spent Father's Day @ Sea World and here is a vid of us @ the Shark Water Grill...


the kids were awesome...thank u 2 my mother and father-in-law 4 this great adventure...and thank U 4 ur prayers!

i will b streaming a rehearsal on monday july 5th...more later

live long and prosper

well, we r off 2 Disney World 2morrow...
we r planning on hitting Animal Kingdom, Breakfast with the Princesses, Magic Kingdom, Sea World, Fireworks by the Castle, the Pool, and i'm sure much more...

we will catch Mass on Sunday @ the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe...that's what i'm excited about!!!!

please pray 4 us...

when i get back...it's time 2 get the show ready 4 Chicago and the Shine Catholic Work Camp Concert!!!

Pope John Paul II musical goes on stage in Rome then on tour...

The musical was written by Father Joseph Spedicato and will be performed in Rome. Playing the Pope is actor Simone Sibillano. The musical features 18 songs, including some rap numbers. -

link 2 NCR article right here

The one priesthood of Christ

Everything that the priesthood of the Old Covenant prefigured finds its fulfillment in Christ Jesus, the "one mediator between God and men."15 The Christian tradition considers Melchizedek, "priest of God Most High," as a prefiguration of the priesthood of Christ, the unique "high priest after the order of Melchizedek";16 "holy, blameless, unstained,"17 "by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified,"18 that is, by the unique sacrifice of the cross.

CCC 1544

things going well...Praise God
gigs coming and going ...
Disney World trip with fam in 2 weeks...
pray 4 us...

Spirit Juice Studios called, they said, "Can you sing rock n' roll music?"
I said "Yes!"
...the rest will b history...film @ 11

also, just in...got a call from Augie Leal whom i met via NCYC's...remember this?...his ministry is the SHINE CATHOLIC WORK CAMP...he asked if manuel3 and the fellas could play 4 the Chicago camp on July 9th...just like the rock n' roll question, I said "Yes!"...more film @ 11

God Bless U all

me and my boys from this same weekend

HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN...

This final stage stays closely linked to the first, that is, to his descent from heaven in the Incarnation. Only the one who "came from the Father" can return to the Father: Christ Jesus. "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man." Left to its own natural powers humanity does not have access to the "Father's house", to God's life and happiness. Only Christ can open to man such access that we, his members, might have confidence that we too shall go where he, our Head and our Source, has preceded us. - CCC 661

real number 4 texting B16
+39 335 18 63 091


not real number 4 texting Hurley
+4 8 15 16 23 42

RIP Lena Horne

got this yesterday afternoon via email ...

Mannie...hope all is well...copies of new cd is en route to you...hope all is well...fs+...
"In work we have the most vital contact with the goodness of God and with his love, which purifies and elevates us." Cardinal Stefan Wyszenski

can't wait Father!!!

everybody check this new album out here @ Francesco Productions

Pope Benedict XVI and his love for music has emerged yet again in these words and video...

"Music is capable of opening minds and hearts to the dimension of the spirit and of leading persons to raise their gaze on High, to open to absolute Goodness and Beauty, which have their ultimate source in God."

Zenit text...
Benedict XVI Praises the Value of Music

played a house party @ my Grandma Vs on the 17th of April with my Uncle Pancho in from up north 4 a gig i booked...he just so happens 2 b (besides my father) the most influential person 2 me musically...he's the reason i started playing the drums...and probably the reason i'm funky

along with me that day were the usual suspects...ian, curtis, and jamie...thnx 2 those brothers 4 jamming...also, later in the evening the party was made more mexican by Troy Rangel sitting in on the guitar...thnx Troy

peace 2 the Vallejo family...i love u all

Earth Day

Hope and pray ur Easter is fruitful...it's Earth Day 2010...watched my babies eat a "dirt cake"...which is crushed oreo's, vanilla pudding, and a gummy worm...they loved it!

back 2 lotsa gigs...cool collections and vids coming soon from m3studios...stay tuned...

here is a song and vid 4 the weekend...God Bless America

"Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has been raised."

"At this hour the Lord is asking us: are you living, through faith, in fellowship with me and thus in fellowship with God? Or are you rather living for yourself, and thus apart from faith? And are you not thus guilty of the inconsistency which obscures my mission in the world and prevents men and women from encountering God’s love?" - Pope B16's Homily @ Mass Of The Lord's Supper aka Holy Thursday 2010

"If Jesus goes up to Jerusalem together with Israel on pilgrimage, he goes there to celebrate the Passover with Israel: the memorial of Israel's liberation -- a memorial that is always at the same time hope for the definitive liberation that God will give. And Jesus goes to this feast with the awareness that he himself is the Lamb spoken of in the Book of Exodus: a male lamb without blemish, which at twilight will be slaughtered before all of Israel "as a perpetual institution" (cf. Exodus 12:5-6, 14). And in the end Jesus knows that his way goes beyond this: It will not end in the cross. He knows that his way will tear away the veil between this world and God's world; that he will ascend to the throne of God and reconcile God and man in his body. He knows that his risen body will be the new sacrifice and the new Temple; that around him in the ranks of the angels and saints there will be formed the new Jerusalem that is in heaven and nevertheless also on earth. His way leads beyond the summit of the Temple mount to the height of God himself: This is the great ascent to which he calls all of us. He always remains with us on earth and has always already arrived [in heaven] with God; he leads us on earth and beyond the earth." Pope Benedict XVI - Palm Sunday 2010

Calling all Sista's...
Decca Records is launching a talent hunt aimed at religious orders around the globe in a bid to recruit a troupe of chart-topping nuns!

click for more info

"One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as truth coming from God the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation. The Council teaches: "'The obedience of faith' must be given to God as he reveals himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits himself entirely to God, making 'the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals,' and willingly assenting to the revelation given by him." This statement, which touches the very essence of faith, is perfectly applicable to Joseph of Nazareth." - JP2 August 1989 - REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS

2day is the Feast Day of St. Cyril of Jerusalem...2 celebrate, i present 2 u a jam entitled 'Mystagogy' that was recorded back in my Iowa City days...2 download click here

after a deep study of St. Cyril's "Mystagogical Catecheses" along with the CCC 1075...we hit the lab with this track...
Akalyte is featured on a hot 16...also has my other brother in Christ B.J. Jaggers playing the guitar like sprinkles on a stack of french toast! What?

Here is the opening prayer 4 2day's Mass:

Father,
through Cyril of Jerusalem
you led your Church to a deeper understanding
of the mysteries of salvation.
Let his prayers help us to know your Son better
and to have eternal life in all it's fullness.

"During Lent each of us is invited by God to bring about a change in our lives, thinking and living according to the Gospel, correcting something in our way of praying, of acting, of working and in our relations with others. Jesus makes this appeal to us not with a severity that is an end in itself but precisely because he is concerned about our good, our happiness, our salvation. On our part we have to answer him with a sincere interior effort, asking him to make us understand those particular things about us that we need to change." - POPE BENEDICT XVI - 7.10.10

it's the Papal Disco!...

one of the already considered "classic" trax from the fabulous Hip Hop Hooray album by Popple...this is 1 of the songs i had the esteem pleasure of performing with Kyle and Dan last fall @ NCYC in KC...this awesome video was produced and created by 8th graders...can u believe that?...and i just spent all day trying 2 get a scanner 2 work?...it's Lent alright

VATICAN CITY, MARCH 3, 2010 (Zenit.org).

- Benedict XVI today recalled the 200th anniversary of the birth of Fryderyk Chopin, mentioning the musician when he greeted Polish-speaking pilgrims at today's general audience.

Chopin, born in Poland on March 1, 1810, is known to be one of the pianist Pope's favorite composers.

Speaking in Polish, the Holy Father noted the celebrations of the Year of Fryderyk Chopin: "May the music of this famous Polish composer, who made such a great contribution to the culture of Europe and the world, bring those who listen to him close to God and help them discover the depth of man's spirit."

I've posted new Lent jams on the m3 myspace page player...so check them out..will add more b4 2 long

also, the new album from Fr. Stan has been mastered at Sterling Sound in NY and is sounding tight! thank u 2 Father 4 letting m3studios be a small part of the "Seraphic Wanderer" journey...he's looking @ a May release, so i'll let u know when it goes live...and thank u once again 2 K.R. and God for getting us 2gether in the 1st place back in I.C.

after a very successful experience with Catholic Underground Chicago and Spirit Juice Studios earlier this month, i will b taking the wheel of a mobile recording/streaming gig @ the next couple CU's...so if u happen 2 b a fan of Catholic Undergrounds around the globe, we will b streaming live next wednesday 3.3.10 on the m3studios CU Chicago Ustream Page...Greg Walton will b sitting in 4 scheduled performers Ceili Rain...hope u tune in and thank u for supporting catholic music and the catholic faith...

back to gigs this weekend, so pray 4 me as i will u...God Love U

To be converted means to change direction along the way of life -- not for a slight adjustment, but a true and total change of direction. Conversion is to go against the current, where the "current" is a superficial lifestyle, inconsistent and illusory, which often draws us, controls us and makes us slaves of evil, or in any case prisoners of moral mediocrity.
- Pope Benedict XVI 2.17.10

posted on the Catholic Underground Chicago facebook page a week ago 2day...

and it WAS awesome...thank u 2 all those who attended Catholic Underground Chicago, please keep supporting the catholic artists who r called 2 praise His name in song...thank u 2 Spirit Juice Studios 4 their outstanding production...
so now, re-live the show recorded live on ustream...


-> PHOTOS FROM CU CHITOWN <-

the final video cut of the Lenten jam "40 Dayz 40 Nites" performed that evening...


Chicago Catholic Underground outtakes...thnx Rob...ur the best







before and after the love is gone...in 1 min

Fr. Stan is here now...this was released yesterday on the Francesco Newsletter...

"Fr. Stan is busy on his next album entitled "Seraphic Wanderer". Manuel3, another talented Catholic musician, is collaborating with him on various tracks this week. Manuel and his family are hosting Fr. Stan; entrenched in Manuel's home studio, they are working to finish mixing the album and aiming for a May release."

so that's what's going down...i am blessed...thank u Jesus!!!

i love my wife and family 4 continued support of the work God has called me 2...

pray 4 us...

manuel3 and D-Major have released 1 of the jams from r session 2gether back in 2007...and m3 has a new song recorded especially 4 this project on Aftermass Records...4 Haiti Relief people!


now, the Catholic Underground Chicago show is going 2 b slammin!

the band has been giving me so much of their time and talent...i am truly blessed!
thank u jamie, curtis, ian, & macario

thank u 2 my wife and children who've also given me time 2 get the show 2gether...i love u

we will b streaming live the final rehearsal 4 the show on Saturday Jan 30th @ 3pm CT and also streaming the show live from the JP2 Center of the UIC campus...if u cannot make the show in Chi-Town, please check it out here

and Fr. Stan will b here @ m3studios on 2.4 2 work a final session in 4 his new album...so stay tuned...will also b streaming some of that, hmmm?

we r Losties here @ the Lopez household...if u saw this Lost post u'll remember...my wife and i really don't watch TV at all...when we do, besides Project Runway, this is a show we dig...bcuz of my brother Macario

the final season has come...

manuel3 live @ the redstone room 1.9.10

MILESTONES
m3 - keys
jamie h - drums
spencer z - bass
ian j - gtr
manny l - trpt
eddie m - sax

Blessed 2 b featured in a local paper...thanks b 2 God!!!

read the article here

thank u 2 Stephanie 4 the opp...LOST fans unite!!!