The Good Catholic Life
By Archdiocese of Boston
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Podcast Description
The Good Catholic Life is created and broadcast in Boston and hosted by folks who grew up in and know the Boston area. We’re all about living a good Catholic life in our hometown. Our regular host is Scot Landry and he is joined each day by a regular rotating series of co-hosts as well as guests to discuss a variety of topics of interest to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The Good Catholic Life shares and discusses the initiatives and efforts of Cardinal Seán to renew the Church; provides formation to understand Church teaching to live a happy, holy, and good Catholic life; profiles the ministries, apostolates, and Catholic leaders within the Archdiocese and our region who are effectively bring the Gospel message to the city streets and our neighborhoods; and looks at the news of the day locally, nationally, and globally to explore what’s happening in the world around us from a distinctly Catholic perspective. Above all, The Good Catholic Life is honest, comprehensive, informative, formational, and fun, and shows that the good life is the Catholic life and the Catholic life should always be The Good Catholic Life.
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0243: Thursday, February 23, 2012 | Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Lent begins; fasting; new cardinals; Catholic Press Month; local news Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott sit with Greg Tracy during Thursday’s news roundup while Fr. Roger Landry flies to the Holy Land. The beginning of Lent is the big story of the week, including free fasting bread from a local baker, as well as the consistory that created 22 new cardinals, including two from the US; Msgr. James Moroney’s new column on the Mass prayers for Lent; a behind-the-scenes look at how The Anchor comes together each week; and more local news. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan to the show on the second day of Lent. Scot said Susan is preparing for the Catechetical Congress on March 24 at Boston College High School. They have a couple dozen workshops planned in English plus more in Spanish and Portuguese. There will be hundreds of attendees. Scot said today is Fr. Roger Landry’s birthday and thus Susan said it is also Scot’s birthday. Scot said Fr. Roger is leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Scot’s wife and son are on the trip along with Scot and Fr. Roger’s parents. They left for the Holy Land today. Scot said Fr. Edward O’Flaherty, the director of the office for ecumenical affairs, died this week. He and Susan worked very closely over the past 10 years. Scot said he’d been sick for several months. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Greg to the show today. Scot said the big news this week is the beginning of Lent. They discussed their Lenten resolutions. Greg said he is giving up fresh-baked bread for Lent. In his house, they have fresh bread four or five days a week in his house. Susan said she gave up Diet Coke for Lent last year and never went back to it. She went from 32 ounces per day to one or two cans per week. “Lent should time of grace, defeating temptation, pope says,” Cindy Wooden, CNS, 2/22/12 Pope Benedict’s remarks at the General Audience on Ash Wednesday, 2/22/12 Program #0236 for Tuesday. February 14, 2012: Andy LaVallee Scot said the Pilot has a front-page story on Andy LaVallee of LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors, who we had on The Good Catholic Life, going more in-depth on the fasting breads that his company is providing free of charge this Lent. These are breads that are all-natural and more nutritious so that people don’t become more hungry while fasting. Most breads make you more hungry, making fasting more difficult, whereas these breads satisfy. It’s a great story of a Catholic businessman seeing some aspect of the faith and taking it to the next level, using his business to help people live their faith. Scot then discussed Pope Benedict’s remarks on Ash Wednesday about Lent being tied to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert and Israel’s 40 years in the desert. Susan recalled the Gospel passage in which the angels ministered to Jesus at the end of the temptations in the desert and the Holy Father says the angels are there to minister to us as well. New in the Pilot is a column by Msgr. James Moroney, who will be rector of St. John Seminary in July, in which he writes about the new prayers of the Liturgy. This week is the opening prayer for the First Sunday of Lent. Greg said Msgr. Thomas McDonald used to do a similar column some years ago, until he passed away. They hope to do this during Lent and Advent. Scot said he’s heard priests say that they are glad that the new prayers bring back the treasures of the Liturgy that we haven’t had for so long. Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, tha | 2/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0242: Wednesday, February 22, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli Links from today’s show: Message of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, for Lent 2012 “Lent, A Time to Shoulder our Christian Responsibilities” Pope Benedict’s homily for Ash Wednesday 2012 Today’s topics: Pope Benedict’s message for Lent Summary of today’s show: On Ash Wednesday, Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams discuss with Dom Bettinelli the message from Pope Benedict for Lent in which he calls for the renewal of the old practice of fraternal correction. We must care for our brothers and sisters enough to not remain silent in the face of choices they make that may affect their eternal salvation. Some may call it judgmental meddling, but when done with love, compassion, and within a relationship based on Christ, it can be a loving experience of God’s mercy. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt and Dom Bettinelli take the opportunity of Ash Wednesday to discuss the following message of Pope Benedict for Lent 2012. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter. This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters. The author states that to sustain this life shaped by the Gospel it is important to participate in the liturgy and community prayer, mindful of the eschatological goal of full communion in God (v. 25). Here I would like to reflect on verse 24, which offers a succinct, valuable and ever timely teaching on the three aspects of Christian life: concern for others, reciprocity and personal holiness. 1. “Let us be concerned for each other”: responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for “privacy”. Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be “guardians” of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships | 2/22/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0241: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Sister Olga Yaqob and Sarah Doyle Links from today’s show: Today’s topics: Preparing for Lent Summary of today’s show: Lent starts tomorrow. How are you going to take full advantage of this season to prepare for Easter? Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor are joined by Sr. Olga Yaqob and Sarah Doyle to talk about Lenten resolutions (“What are you giving up for Lent?”), prayer, fasting (and abstinence), and almsgiving. They share practical tips and spiritual insight for approaching the penitential season with joy. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Chris back to the show and Fr. Chris said last week while in Florida he caught his first ever. It was an edible fish and they had it for dinner. He then showed how it is an illustration for the preaching of the Gospel and the notion of being fishers of men. Fr. Chris also said that “Fat Tuesday” is his patronal feast day. At the seminary, the men prepare their ethnic dishes of their heritage. The word ‘Carnival’ comes from the Latin words for “Farewell to meat.” Scot said on today’s show, we’ll be talking about preparing ourselves for Lent. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed the consistory in Rome over the weekend where Pope Benedict made new cardinals. They quoted Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York who said to those who asked if he was looking to be pope next that he was seeking a higher calling: to be a saint. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Olga and Sarah Doyle to the show. Sarah graduated form Boston University last May and has been giving a volunteer year at the Catholic Center at BU. She’s been helping carry on the work of Sister Olga when she was there. Sr. Olga formed a new religious community, the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, and they now have 8 young women and four more are preparing to join this summer. They are all between 18 and 30 years old. Scot also said Sr. Olga’s successor at BU, Fr. John McLaughlin, has been named a Monsignor by Pope Benedict for his work in the Archdiocese of the Military. Fr. Chris said Monsignor is an honorary title that recognizes some particularly distinguishable service. He recruited vocations for the Military Archdiocese and was the first to hold that office. The Military Archdiocese provides spiritual care for all Catholics serving in the US military services. Dioceses will co-sponsor men who are ordained in the diocese and serve for a few years before going off the military chaplaincy for up to 20 years and then return to the diocese. Scot talked about the requirements for abstinence and fasting during Lent. Abstinence means Catholics over age 14 and in good health must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. Fr. Chris said 14 years old is about the age of Confirmation and thus the person is about an adult. The reason we abstain is not that the Church has something against meat, but that we are doing some penance together. We are giving something up to set aside Lent as a different time. Giving something up is to reflect why we give it up. Christ gave his life on the cross for us as an offering and so we make an offering, we are reminding ourselves of our membership in the body of Christ and the great gift that Christ gave to us. Scot asked about vegans and vegetarians. Sr. Olga said she’s a vegetarian and so she gives up something else. Whatever we give up during Lent is a sign of love for Jesus. We are giving in return to the One who on Friday pours out his whole life to redeem us. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, those between 18 and up to their 60th birthday, we are asked to fast, which means to have only one full meal and up to two small meals that don’t add up to a full meal. No snacks between meals. Sarah said the freshman students at the Catholic center are just 18 and so may be fasting for the first time. The Catholic communi | 2/21/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0239: Friday, February 17, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Links from today’s show: Planning2012.com Today’s topics: Pastoral Planning consultations Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, the pastor of two parishes in Wrentham and Plainville, discuss the progress of the pastoral planning consultations in the Archdiocese, what the current proposals are, and the rationale behind them. They also discuss this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip back to the show. Fr. Chip is now pastor of two parishes and he’s been busy with his parochial vicar on retreat. They will be discussing the progress of pastoral planning consultations, especially Phase 2, and how it’s being accepted in the Archdiocese. 2nd segment: Scot said the Pastoral Planning consultation kicked off formally in this effort to put a recommendation before groups in order to get feedback to refine a final recommendation for Cardinal Sean later this year. It started with a convocation of priests in December, sharing principles. Phase 2 was proposing parish groupings. Phase 3 is sharing it with various interest groups. Scot said back in December heard the principles which is to provide more resources for parishes and help them thrive and grow by banding together. Fr. Chip said he was interested by the proposal because it’s a unique way of going about this kind of work they are thinking outside the box. He was already pastoring two parishes so he’s on the front line of all this. He thinks there’s been a generally positive response from priests. Some may be concerned at what it means exactly, but he thinks the archdiocese is taking those concerns into account. Secondly, people are worried what it means for the jobs of those who work in parishes. Scot said some of what was share in the Phase 1 consultation was that 50 of the 291 parishes already share a pastor with another parish. Msgr. Bill Fay, co-chair of the pastoral planning commission, said it hasn’t been done looking at the macro situation of the Archdiocese, looking at the situation of the entire archdiocese. We want to get ahead of the shrinking of the available priests over the next five years. Fr. Chip said he sits on the priest personnel board and when they make new assignments they often consider whether the new pastor can take of more than one parish. That’s good, but it’s not the culture of planning that Cardinal Seán wants. Scot said Cardinal Seán is trying to make that it ties to the strategic priorities he’s put in place, including strengthening parishes as primary communities of faith. Scot said the commission on December 5 said the proposal is not a proposal to close or merge parishes. Scot said that’s been often misunderstood in secular media. It’s also not a proposal to close churches within parishes or to restructure parishes. It’s a proposal to reorganize and regroup parish staffing and how priests are organized to serve parishes. Scot said back in the 1950s parishes had pastors who already served 20 years in parishes, a senior curate, a lot of junior curates, a lot of religious sisters and then a couple of lay employees, like a maintenance man. Now many of the parish staff have become lay professionals. Scot said even if nothing was done, most priests would be pastors of more than one parish in five years. Fr. Chip said the Archdiocese is very big in the numbers of people and the number of resources, including buildings. Scot said the reason for Pastoral Service Teams is it consolidates in order to have one pastor with one team for the collaborative. Fr. Chip said the process will cause some angst, but once we’re through it, this will be great for parishes. It’s also important to note the increasing professional of parish staff members. They emphasized that this is still a proposal. One of the proposals is the Pastoral Collaborative with | 2/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0240: Monday, February 20, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Victor Pap and Alexis Walkenstein Links from today’s show: Maximus Group Today’s topics: Catholic communications and public relations Summary of today’s show: Alexis Walkenstein and Victor Pap discuss with Scot Landry their work at the Maximus Group, promoting books, movies, and other media—Like The Way, There Be Dragons, and Mighty Macs— that incorporate Catholic values using a grassroots efforts among Christian communities in a way that really has never bee done before. 1st segment: Scot welcomed listeners to the show. He said there are so many good books and movies and other media being produced that the owners want to let Catholic families know about, but the Church in the US is so decentralized with thousands of parishes and schools that it’s difficult for the Church to promote and market those initiatives. The Maximus Group entered that market a few years ago as a professional promotional and marketing agency. Two local people who grew up in the Boston area have now joined Maximus in leadership positions and Scot welcomed Victor Pap and Alexis Walkenstein to the show. Alexis joined Maximus about one year ago. Scot asked her about her background. She grew up in the Archdiocese of Boston, starting in Framingham. After graduating from Regis College, she started with WHDH-TV Channel 7 as the news assignment manager and a producer. Her last big assignment was covering the death of Pope John Paul II. From there she wanted to serve the Church, which led her to the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, where she served as the diocesan spokesperson, for five years. She wanted to move back to Boston and after praying a novena, she was contacted by Lisa Wheeler of Maximus out of the clear blue to come work for them. Scot asked Alexis what it was like working on the Channel 7 news desk during the height of the sex abuse crisis in Boston. Alexis said you couldn’t escape it. Your faith is your whole life and your job can’t be compartmentalized from it. Being an objective journalist and a fearless witness to the faith was difficult. She had already been considering leaving secular news because of the type of news that they cover. But sometimes God puts you in a difficult place to be a light in the darkness. Scot then noted that the diocese of Palm Beach had two of its bishops resign after being accused of abusing young men. They were followed by then-bishop Sean O’Malley, who himself was followed by Bishop Barbarito, who Alexis worked for. Alexis said much of her desire to leave secular news was being tired of seeing the Church take it on the chin, but she also wanted to go on offense to proclaim the good news of the Church and bringing the Gospel to people. Scot then asked Victor about his background and how he came to work for Maximus. Victor said he grew up in Weymouth. One of his parents came from Hungary and the other from Brazil and they both fled oppressive governments. They met at the Colonnade Hotel. They settled in Weymouth where he grew up and went to Sacred Heart School. He didn’t have an interest in government. He went to Suffolk University and got an internship at the State House. He was amazed at how the process worked. His communications and journalism degree helped him understand how he could have a greater impact. He remembers a vote on junior operator requirements to limit their driving. He was struck by how his peers didn’t know how they were being affected. From there he worked in campaigns for the next 13 or 14 years and lead the group Catholic Citizenship. It was a grassroots effort of laity to work with the Mass. Catholic Conference to influence lawmakers. Victor is also on the town council in Weymouth, bringing his Catholic faith to local government. He said Catholics have to become more savvy in how we communicate with our government. Victor’s Catholic faith has always been important | 2/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0238: Thursday, February 16, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: The Obama administration’s contraception mandate, plus local stories Summary of today’s show: The biggest news of the week concerns the Obama administration’s so-called compromise for religious groups on the mandate that health insurance plans cover contraception for employees. Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Greg Tracy review and comment on editorials in the Pilot and the Anchor as well as reaction from bishops and opinion columnists to the rule and the general attitude toward religious liberty found in this administration. Also, other local stories, including an obituary for Fr. Robert McAuliffe, grants to local parishes from the national St. Vincent de Paul society, iPads for a Catholic high school, and Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism airing on TV locally. 1st segment: Scot and Susan caught up on their day. Susan was at a meeting in the southern end of the archdiocese in Halifax. Her big news is that she just flew in from Los Angeles where her newest grandson was baptized last Sunday. 2nd segment: Scot said both the Pilot and the Anchor have editorials on the mandate from the Dept. of Health and Human Services requiring contraception coverage in health insurance plans. Fr. Roger’s editorial covers President Obama’s “unaccommodating accommodation”. Fr. Roger said Obama said religious organizations won’t have to pay premiums for contraception, but the insurers will provide it for free, but this is just an accommodating trick. The reality is that these costs will be covered by higher premiums. The US bishops’ main concerns were all neglected in this so-called compromise: respect for religious liberty and consultation with religious groups . The Obama administration did not consult with the affected religious institutions at all. The bishops aren’t just trying to get an exemption for the institution, but that Catholic business owners shouldn’t be forced to violate their own consciences either.Scot said Catholic businessmen have told him that they hoped the bishops would defend all Catholics, not just dioceses and parishes and explicitly Catholic organizations. The bishops are asking Catholics to call the White House (202-456-1111), representatives and Senators. They should ask Congress to pass the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (HR 1179, S 1467). Susan said we have discussed before that there is a difference between the freedom to worship and freedom of religion and our country is built on the wider principle of freedom of religion. Also, the Church serves more than just Catholics. We don’t ask people whether they’re Catholic and hungry; we just ask if they’re hungry. Scot noted how Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has been criticizing the mandate and standing up for the rights of all religious people. Greg talked about his editorial in the Pilot this week, which says that many Church health insurance plans are self-insurance plans. The editorial notes there is much confusion about the policies and statements being thrown about by partisans on this issue. We use the term “health insurance” very loosely; even the President did in his remarks last week. But we don’t all have the same kind of insurance plans. Scot clarified that consumer-marketed insurance plans are regulated by states, that is the individual consumer buys the plan. But most large employers choose to self-fund or self-insurance their | 2/16/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0237: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Miriam Marston Links from today’s show: Miriam Marston’s site Miriam’s Facebook page Miriam’s music for purchase on Amazon Today’s topics: Catholic musician Miriam Marston Summary of today’s show: Miriam Marston has been singing and playing music since she was a young girl and now uses her gift along with what she has learned in her theological studies to express the beauty of the Catholic faith through beautiful music. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams listen to the music and discuss with Miriam the meaning of her music and how she was inspired to write it. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt talked about how Fr. Matt and his colleague Steve Colella made a presentation to a committee at the US Bishops’ Conference on the topic of the New Evangelization and the bishops’ document on the topic. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Miriam Marston to the show. He said he’s worked with her in her capacity in her job at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Miriam said she assists with the day to day administrative duties for the Master of Arts in Theology and non-degree certificate programs. Miriam grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended the College of William and Mary. She ended up in Boston by way of England. She had moved there after college for a couple of years and her sister asked her to move near her in Boston. She arrived in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day. Her sister was temping for Fr. Mark O’Connell and that’s how she ended up working at the Archdiocese. It was Boston’s weather that initially had worried her about moving here, but the charms of the city overcame that. she worked for two years in the Office of Canonical Affairs and then left to study for her Master’s degree at Boston College. Miriam’s parents met in a choir in France. Her mother was a professional singer of Renaissance music. She learned to play the piano as a girl and wrote her first song when she was 10. The second song she ever wrote was called Nostalgia, but at 10 years old she’s not sure what she was nostalgic about. She went to Catholic school until going to college and her music gave her a way to ask deeper questions. Music allowed her a way to unpack these questions that connected to her faith. When she was 19, Miriam recorded an all-piano CD and then recorded a second CD about 18 months ago, “The Luggage of an Optimist”. She’s also released a new song in January called “Juliette.” It was the quickest she’d ever written a song, at all once in one sitting at the piano. The name of the song came first. It refers to an unborn child. It’s written from the perspective of the child in the womb and then at the end switches to the perspective of a womb who’s had an abortion wondering how to fill the void in her life. The storm of the song is meant to convey the pain of abortion. Juliette The sound of water always lulled her to sleep, like the gentlest waves you could imagine. And she dreamed all of the purest dreams untouched by the madness outside her. And one day when the storm broke, the ocean spoke no more. And all the dreams ended there, inside where, alas there was a dreamer alive there. The sound of conversation stirred her awake, with all the comfort of a long awaited embrace. But they were only words deciding her fate without her thoughts and her perspective. And one day when the storm broke the ocean spoke no more. And all the dreams ended there inside where, alas there was a dreamer alive there. And one day when the storm ends our knees will bend for the unnamed. And is it freedom on display as some say, or gone astray, replacing the day with evening. “With all the emptiness locked inside maybe this thing will satisfy. With all the unwritten lullabies, maybe this love will sanctify.&# | 2/15/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0236: Tuesday, February 14, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Andy LaVallee, Catholic businessman and owner of LaVallee’s Bakery Links from today’s show: LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors Live the Fast.com LaVallee’s Fasting Breads on Facebook Massachusetts Catholic Business Association “Boston bakery distributor practices ‘Charity in Truth’”, The Boston Pilot, 2/3/12 “A Revolutionary Way to Feed Bodies and Souls”, The Spirit of St. Francis Andy LaVallee: Profile of A Catholic Business Leader Today’s topics: Profile of Catholic businessman Andy LaVallee Summary of today’s show: Local Catholic businessman Andy LaVallee llives his faith 24/7, bringing his Catholic values into LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors, which provides high-quality breads to feed the poor and homeless; puts employees, customers, and vendors above the bottom line through Gospel values; and has now started a new initiative providing free nutritious bread to anyone who wants to fast for Lent (LiveTheFast.com). In addition, Andy helped found the Massachusetts Catholic Business Association, bringing together Catholics in all fields and walks of life to pray, learn their faith, and join in fellowship on a regular basis. 1st segment: Scot wished all the listeners a happy St. Valentine’s Day. He discussed today’s topic of living the social gospel in how we conduct all our affairs, including our business life. Our guest is Andy LaVallee, owner of LaVallee’s Bakery in Waltham, which gives its first rate bread to many of the food pantries in the area and how he has made the Gospel central to his work. Andy said it’s a 35-year-old family-owned business. They bring in products from all over the world, cakes, cookies, breads and distribute them to top hotels and restaurants. Most of the products come from vendor partners all over the world. He grew up in Charlestown in the busing era. He found a job at a bakery to keep himself out of trouble. After about eight years, his wife was pregnant with their first son, so he bought a station wagon for a few hundred dollars and started delivering bread on the way home. LaVallee’s had a different vision of who they wanted to be, to have top-level service. Their breakthrough was delivering to the Château and Nocera restaurants. Andy said you have to be totally committed if you’re self-employed and through the first 15 years he put in a lot of long hours. The turning point was in 1997, when he was leaving Mass and Fr. Rodney Kopp asked him to teach CCD to confirmation age boys. He promised to do it for one year and ended up doing it for 13 years. He learned a lot about Catholic social values and how to treat people. It transformed how he lead the company and gave him the idea of servant leadership. He said in the beginning, he went to Mass, but had no other faith life. He said he’s a Triple type-A personality so he attacked teaching CCD in the same way and wanted to make sure he was teaching these kids the right thing. Andy said the first thing to know is God’s love and how his grace and mercy works in us. He used examples from their own lives to explain the Church’s teachings. By recognizing how blessed we are by God and we are created with a purpose makes us want to reciprocate for what we have been given and to find out what our mission is. He wanted to be an example of these teachings, not just for the CCD classes, but also for his own family. He had an interview with a young man for a driver’s job. They’d had trouble keeping drivers working for them. At the end of the interview, he asked him why he wanted to work there. The man said God had told him he wanted him to go work at LaVallee’s. That told Andy that he wanted to run his company that way. Instead of living by the spreadsheet, they wanted to live by the truth of the dignity of every human being. The way that works is that yo | 2/14/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0235: Monday, February 13, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Br. Lake Herman, OFM Cap; Br. Eric Lenhart, OFM Cap; Cara Annese; and Kelly Hughes of Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry Links from today’s show: Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps Today’s topics: Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry Summary of today’s show: After serving the youth and families of the Archdiocese of New York for decades, Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry is expanding its services to Boston. Scot Landry talks with two Capuchin brothers and two lay volunteers from the post-college service year group CapCorps about the secret to CYFM’s success and how to reach young people of today with the Gospel message to awaken and enliven their Catholic faith. 1st segment: Scot said Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries reaches out to youth, especially those who’ve fallen away. They’ve been successful in New York and want to extend their ministry to parishes in Boston. Scot asked Br. Lake about CYFM. Br. Lake said it was a retreat center established about 40 years ago in the Hudson Valley after a couple of priests and Catholic families did a Cursillo retreat to bring the same experience to youth of the area. It expanded to parish confirmation retreats and meeting young people wherever they are. Scot asked Cara if it’s similar to Cursillo in the effects on young people. She said it’s similar, but it’s also an experience of being together with people who are similar that you can bond with for life. Br. Eric said Capuchins try to balance prayer and ministry. He told a story of early Capuchins who were intensely drawn to prayer, but saw people suffering from the Plague and so turned to that ministry. So the prayer informs the ministry. Not only the friars, but also youth and families are drawn to prayer and that work. Kelly was a psychology major at Providence College and was drawn to campus ministry. It was a transformative experience and she wanted to continue after graduation. CFYM says “It’s tough, but we need to do it,” so seeing how she could grow in ministry she decided to do it. She said it’s a little easier to minister to peers in campus ministry, but with teens it needs to be more engaging and entertaining, all with the intent of making them feel comfortable, which is easier for college kids over high school kids. Scot said St. Francis is well loved by so many for his beautiful attitude. He asked Br. Lake about the Capuchin order. Br. Lake said it was a reform movement from friars who wanted an intense prayer experience. From that contemplative prayer they could go out for other kinds of ministry. They formed in a time of great social upheaval around the time of the Reformation in the 1500s. Br. Eric said the Franciscan movement was almost always on the edge of chaos, but was most effective because of it. Scot said two things stand out about Cardinal Sean who remembers going to see a Capuchin brother as a young boy and being told that the Capuchin was the happiest man alive. Also, he knew the Capuchins got the hardest missionary assignments in the world and the thought he would get send far abroad. Br. Eric was a cadet at West Point and the Franciscan retreat center was just across the Hudson River. He had some powerful retreat experiences there and saw himself conflicted about being a soldier and the requirements of the Gospel. Seeing the older friars at the retreat center, he recognized a spirit in them and he hoped to have that spirit in himself after 50 years as a Capuchin. Cara got involved in the retreat ministry because it was different for involving the family. It was about the whole life of the teen. Adult observers are allowed on the retreat to experience what the teens experience. Scot asked if the kids come knowing what they’re getting into? Cara said for the confirmation retreats, they’re coming with schools or parishes. Th | 2/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0234: Friday, February 10, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization Links from today’s show: SuicideIsAlwaysAtragedy.org Today’s topics: Discussion of Cardinal Seán’s Homily on Doctor-Prescribed Suicide Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell welcome Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization, to discuss Cardinal Seán’s homily for this Sunday, the World Day of the Sick, which will be heard in every parish in the archdiocese for the launch of an education campaign on efforts to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide in Massachusetts. Cardinal Seán warns us not to be mislead by euphemisms and the slow erosion of the respect for life. Christ’s Church responds to illness with love and true compassion, not by encouraging the ill to throw their lives away. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark talked about recovering the Patriots’ Super Bowl loss. They also discussed the work week, including the Presbyteral Council meeting this week. Fr. Mark said Msgr. Bill Fay, who co-leads the Pastoral Planning Commission, said people may be afraid of change, but we’re going to get there anyway. There are already more than 50 parishes that share a pastor with other parishes. If we do absolutely nothing, we will get the same place, but it won’t be planned. Scot said anyone who would like to see the resources that have been shared regarding the pastoral planning consultation can go to PastoralPlanning2012.org Scot mentioned news stories today that printed a private letter from Msgr. Bill Helmick to Cardinal Sean in which he gave his feedback on the pastoral planning suggestions. Fr. Mark said violating that confidentiality is tragic. Scot said the purpose of this consultation process is to receive such feedback. “Priest asks cardinal to delay mergers,” Boston Globe/AP, 2/10/12 Scot said this Sunday is the World Day of the Sick and so Cardinal Sean has asked that a homily from him be read in all parishes this weekend to kick off an education campaign about a ballot initiative to legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Janet to the show. She said it’s been several weeks of preparation for this weekend, and parishioners will not only hear or see the homily but will receive printed materials to help educate them on the proposed bill and its problems. They began by listening to the first part of Cardinal Seán’s homily: I am grateful to your pastor and the parish staff for this opportunity to talk to you today on the occasion of the twentieth World Day of the Sick. We celebrate World Day of the Sick each year on the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes in order to pray for the sick and the dying and for those in the healing professions. Saint Paul exhorts us today to be imitators of Christ, who stretches out his hand in compassion toward the sick. This is the model that we as Christians have emulated for centuries in our hospitals, nursing homes, and treatment centers. Unfortunately, this model of compassion is now being threatened. In November, citizens in Massachusetts likely will be asked to vote whether doctor-assisted suicide should be a legal and normal way to care for the terminally ill. That is why it is so important for me to talk to you now about the so-called “Death with Dignity Act.” If passed, the referendum would allow an adult resident of Massachusetts— diagnosed with fewer than six months to live— to request and receive a prescription for a lethal drug. Proponents of this bill want us to believe that this is a compassionate response to the plight of people who have a terminal illness. It is not. We are called to comfort the sick, not to help them take their own lives. As the Catholic Bishops of the United States said in their recent statement on assisted suicide: & | 2/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0233: Thursday, February 9, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Cardinal Seán’s homily on assisted suicide; Little Sisters of the Poor; Honorary Ibo chief; Defense of marriage Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Greg Tracy discuss the news of the week including an advance look at Cardinal Seán’s homily on assisted suicide that will be heard in parishes throughout the Archdiocese; the Little Sisters of the Poor in Somerville who truly show what death with dignity looks like; a pastor in Hyde Park who’s been made an honorary chief in a Nigerian tribe; and how the defense of marriage is linked to the defense of religious freedom. WQOM is having an emergency fund drive to raise $105,000 to meet operating expenses for the next three months. During the show on Wednesday and Thursday, our regular segments will be interspersed with fundraising appeals from the Station of the Cross network headquarters in Buffalo. Every gift matters. If you want to donate go to their website or call 888-711-6279. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan, Fr. Roger, and Greg back to the show. He said the biggest story in the Pilot this week is a preview of Cardinal Seán’s homily that will be played in the parishes of the Archdiocese with his remarks on the assisted suicide ballot initiative. Greg said the Cardinal has taken on this issue full force to make sure people are educated on this issue. Susan said the Cardinal talks about the slippery slope, noting how in the Netherlands after euthanasia was legalized, doctors are now killing people for non-terminal ailments and sometimes even without their permission. He also quotes from the Hippocratic Oath, which says the doctor will not prescribe a lethal dose. Fr. Roger said many schools no longer administer the oath. Greg said the original oath also said the doctor would not perform abortions. Cardinal Seán’s homily on Doctor-Prescribed Suicide initiative Fr. Roger said the Cardinal says the assisted suicide proponents use euphemisms for killing and suicide. He said the Cardinal’s leadership is very important and he hopes the cardinal’s words are repeated by people throughout Massachusetts. Scot quoted from the homily: The 5th Commandment states “Thou shall not kill.” This certainly includes killing to alleviate suffering. Doctor-assisted suicide occurs when a doctor assists the patient to end his own life, even though does not directly administer the lethal drug. It is doctor-prescribed death. Blessed Pope John Paul II said: “To concur with the intention of another person to commit suicide and to help in carrying it out through so-called “assisted suicide” means to cooperate in, and at times to be the actual perpetrator of, an injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested.” Scot said the slippery slope is true when it comes to life issues. The more we devalue human life, the worse it becomes in the future. susan said there is much confusion about Catholic teaching on end of life care and we need education for this. Greg said in the proposed law it says that the death certificate wouldn’t say suicide. If suicide is okay, why won’t they use the word? 2nd segment: Scot talked about an article in the Pilot this week about the Little Sisters of the Poor in Somerville who are serving the elderly and terminally ill at Jeanne Jugan Residence. Greg said the Pilot wanted to have a story that was a counterpoint | 2/9/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0232: Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Dan Hennessey, Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Vocations Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Dan Hennessey discuss the discernment of lifelong vocations as well as God’s will in the small moments of every day. Meanwhile, WQOM is having an emergency fund drive to meet operating expenses and Scot spent those breaks talking with Rick Paolini from the Station of the Cross network in Buffalo. 1st segment: WQOM is having an emergency fund drive to raise $105,000 to meet operating expenses for the next three months. During the show on Wednesday and Thursday, our regular segments will be interspersed with fundraising appeals from the Station of the Cross network headquarters in Buffalo. Every gift matters. If you want to donate go to their website or call 888-711-6279. Scot said WQOM is having an emergency fund drive to cover costs until the Spring Fund Drive in May. Fr. Dan is covering for Fr. Matt Williams who’s down with the flu. Scot asked Fr. Dan how vocations is going. He said between Christmas and Easter is a time when a lot of men want to meet with him about being open to the possibility of the priesthood. They then discussed the number of men studying for the archdiocese, increasing from 30 a few years ago to 70 now. Fr. Dan said it’s the result of people praying for priestly vocations. All young men and women should be asking them what life God desires for me. Every person’s meaning of life is to figure out what God desires of us to get to heaven. Scot the question just doesn’t lead people to becoming priests or religious, but integrates into their daily lives to figure out what God wants us to do each day or at this moment. Fr. Dan said we shouldn’t equate vocation with career. What we should ask is what mode of life is God calling us to lay down our life for him? Priesthood, married life, single life, religious life? 2nd segment: Scot said he knows some seminarians at St. John’s Seminary who listen to the The Good Catholic and they hear many priests talking about their own lives as priests. Fr. Dan said the witness of good priests is invaluable and hearing from the priests how they came to hear the call from God to the priesthood is a beautiful part of The Good Catholic Life. Fr. Dan said a culture of vocations is a Catholic culture and having the Catholic faith on the radio builds that up. Scot said the Vocations office is planning discernment retreats from men under 40 and men over 40. He aid this weekend are two retreats. The first one is for men age 18-40 at Connors Family Retreat Center and St. John Seminary. It’s in two locations because they didn’t have enough space in the seminary. The cardinal gives three conferences on Saturday, there’s a seminarian witness, small-group discussions, Mass, and Rosary. For men over 40, there’s a retreat this weekend as well at Blessed John XXIII National Seminary. Go to VocationsBoston.org for more information and to contact Fr. Dan. | 2/8/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0231: Tuesday, February 7, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Links from today’s show: USCCB Conscience Protection website Cardinal Seán’s letter on HHS ruling USCCB News Release: “White House misrepresents its own contraception mandate” “ObamaCare and religious freedom”, Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan Today’s topics: The Obama administration’s assault on religious liberty Summary of today’s show:Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor go in-depth on the Obama administration’s recent ruling that Catholic institutions must violate their religious beliefs and conscience in providing healthcare to employees. They consider Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan’s forthright remarks that show how extreme the administration’s policies on religious freedom are; the three key points highlighted by the US bishops that define this issue; a series of common questions and answers to clarify what’s at stake; the USCCB’s point-by-point rebuttal of the White House’s response; and a particularly egregious column by the Boston Globe’s Joan Venocchi. 1st segment: Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor caught up with their activities of the past week and discussed today’s topic. Fr. Chris said it’s outrageous what the Obama administration has done with Health and Human Services regulations on the contraception mandate for health insurance coverage. Scot said they will get behind the soundbites and slogan and examine the issue in-depth. 2nd segment: Scot said Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan has been on the forefront of this issue and read from his recent op-ed: Religious freedom is the lifeblood of the American people, the cornerstone of American government. When the Founding Fathers determined that the innate rights of men and women should be enshrined in our Constitution, they so esteemed religious liberty that they made it the first freedom in the Bill of Rights. In particular, the Founding Fathers fiercely defended the right of conscience. George Washington himself declared: “The conscientious scruples of all men should be treated with great delicacy and tenderness; and it is my wish and desire, that the laws may always be extensively accommodated to them.” James Madison, a key defender of religious freedom and author of the First Amendment, said: “Conscience is the most sacred of all property.” Scarcely two weeks ago, in its Hosanna-Tabor decision upholding the right of churches to make ministerial hiring decisions, the Supreme Court unanimously and enthusiastically reaffirmed these longstanding and foundational principles of religious freedom. The court made clear that they include the right of religious institutions to control their internal affairs. Yet the Obama administration has veered in the opposite direction. It has refused to exempt religious institutions that serve the common good—including Catholic schools, charities and hospitals—from its sweeping new health-care mandate that requires employers to purchase contraception, including abortion-producing drugs, and sterilization coverage for their employees. He played the Cardinal’s video statement from the USCCB website on this issue. Scot further explained the Cardinal-designate’s point about recent Supreme Court cases and how even justices appointed by Obama are saying the administration’s interpretation of the first amendment is getting more and more extreme. Fr. Chris said he hears priests refer to it as the persecution of faith. He said this isn’t the Church’s war on Obama, but the Church calling for the protection of the freedom of conscience. Scot and Fr. Chris pointed out that our rights do not come from the will of the government, but that they are ours by right of our birth and given to us by God himself and this has been emphasized by Pope Benedict XVI, quoting our own Declaration of Indep | 2/7/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0230 for Monday, February 6, 2012: Why homeschool your children? | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Dr. Kevin Ryan, Mrs. Marilyn Ryan, educators, Pilot columnists, and grandparents. Links from today’s show: Kevin and Marilyn's editorial, "Why homeschool your children" from the January 20th 2012 edition of the Pilot newspaper Laura Berquist's book on designing a classical homeschool curriculum Today’s topics: Catholic homeschooling Summary of today’s show: Scot sits down in today's show with Kevin and Marilyn Ryan, career educators and grandparents of a set of entirely homeschooled grandchildren. Kevin and Marilyn share their wisdom, advice, and opinions on the research, and explain why Catholic homeschooling is entering the mainstream. Scot and the Ryans discuss the academic benefits, social benefits, and most importantly faith benefits to parents guiding their child's learning in the home. Full show notes for this program will be available later tonight at TheGoodCatholicLife.com. We thank you for your patience. | 2/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0229: Friday, February 3, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Dr. Mary Grassa-O’Neill, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and Jim Walsh, Associate Superintendent for Finance and Administration Links from today’s show: Catholic Schools, Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Catholic Schools Week: Wrapup Summary of today’s show: In our last show of Catholic Schools Week, Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell welcome Mary Grassa-O’Neill and Jim Walsh from the Catholic Schools Office to give listeners more examples of how Catholic schools around the Archdiocese celebrated, including students performing in Chinese at Boston College High and a human rosary at Holy Family in Rockland. They then discussed the success of Catholic schools in Boston, including the first rise in enrollment in decades and tools for principals and pastors to use to better ensure financial viability and strategize for future success in ensuring every child who wants an education steeped in the Catholic faith can have one. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark discussed the Super Bowl on Sunday then discussed the meeting of the Cardinal’s Cabinet. Fr. Mark said the meeting was very forward-looking. Fr. Mark said it’s also the Feast of St. Blaise and he’s been blessing many throats today. On the day after the Feast of the Presentation, on which the candles are blessed, the candles are used for the blessing. He offered the same blessing to anyone who hadn’t been able to receive it today. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Mary and Jim to the show. Scot asked Mary for her highlights of the week. She said it’s exciting because there are so many activities. She said it begins with the special themed Masses, many of which take place in the parishes last Sunday and others which have them each day. BC High had a program this week called “Chinese Idol,” in which students performed in Chinese, to encourage them to continue to learn Chinese and learn Chinese culture. They were accompanied by an all-strings orchestra from Beijing. They offer nine levels of Chinese instruction and send students to China each year. She said we have to do more in our schools to prepare students for engaging Asian cultures in the future. Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Neponset also had a big Chinese celebration. Meanwhile, Holy Family School in Rockland did a human rosary, with each student being one of the prayers. St. Agatha’s in Milton had a standing-room only Mass that had over 600 students plus more from the community. Trinity Catholic in Brockton had the mayor and public school superintendent come in to read to the children and they had career days. That is a big school as well with 560 students on two campuses. Mary said the National Catholic Education Association provides suggestions, but schools come up with their own ideas. Quincy Catholic Academy students learned about filmmaking and made stop-motion movies. Other schools take educational field trips. Scot said there seems to be three purposes: school spirit, highlight the Catholic identity, and market the schools to potential students. Jim said it’s also an opportunity to celebrate the sense of community. Many honor and give tribute to the religious orders that founded and staffed those schools, teaching about former principals and teachers, for example. They welcome in former students as well as parents and grandparents to see what’s going on in the schools. Fr. Mark talked about the connection between the pastors of the parish and the schools. Mary told a story of one child with cancer at St. Mary in Melrose who had chemo but was afraid to come back with no hair so the pastor, Fr. Sullivan, got a local barber and five classmates (with permission of their parents) and they all shaved their heads in solidarity, Fr. Sullivan too. Scot said Catholic Schools Office has three main themes: Strengthening Catho | 2/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0228: Thursday, February 2, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Chancellor steps down; HHS ruling and religious freedom; Proposed pastoral clusters; Mass. Citizens for Life on assisted suicide Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott are joined by Fr. Roger Landry and Antonio Enrique this week to discuss the headlines in The Pilot and The Anchor, including the resignation of Jim McDonough, chancellor of the Archdiocese of Boston for the past six years; the release of the proposed list of parish clusters as part of the continuing pastoral planning process; the US bishops react to the unprecedented attack on religious freedom via the Health and Human Services regulations related to Obamacare; the Mass. Citizens for Life annual assembly addressing assisted suicide proposals; and the retirement of a popular priest from our largest parish. 1st segment: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott discussed the birth of her eighth grandchild, Louise Sinead Cavanaugh, 8lbs 8oz. this past week. Scot said Rico and Ashley Ciricola had their first child, Isaac, this week. Rico works in the Pastoral Center and this is their first child. Scot said today is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and for many years it was ordination day in the Archdiocese so for many priests ordained in the 50s and 60s, this is their anniversary. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan now welcome Antonio Enrique and Fr. Roger Landry. Scot said the top story is the resignation of Jim McDonough as chancellor for the archdiocese and John Straub will be succeeding Jim as interim chancellor. “McDonough to conclude his tenure as chancellor”, The Boston Pilot, 01/31/12 “Archdiocese of Boston Announces James P. McDonough to Conclude his Tenure as Chancellor” Antonio said Jim became chancellor six years ago. Last year, he renewed his five year commitment, but told the Pilot that it was not a good idea to leave his office vacant at the same time as the vicar general was changing. Six months after Msgr. Deeley came as vicar general, now is the right time. Scot said that even though John is interim chancellor, Msgr. Deeley said he expects John will be named permanent chancellor. They hope to use this interim status as a time for John to listen to the voices of the constituencies and perhaps in six months the title of interim will be dropped. Susan said the announcement was a surprise in the Pastoral Center. She said she loved how he said that at 61 years old he thinks he has another game in him and if he waits too long it will be cribbage. She was also touched by his interview with the Pilot. Scot said the chancellor is one of the top three leaders in the Archdiocese with the cardinal and the vicar general. The chancellor is the chief financial officer. During his tenure, he addressed the clergy pension funding and recommended the creation of an independent board to oversee its implementation. He also oversaw the move of the archdiocese’s central administration from the former Brighton campus to the Pastoral Center in Braintree in 2008. He also was able to balance the central ministries’ budget. John Straub said his focus will be on helping parishes realize the sorts of savings as they have found for central ministries as well as help with pastoral planning in parishes. Fr. Roger said in Fall River, the chancellor is a priest who is also a pastor as well as dealing with financial matters and canonical requests. Scot said Boston has had lay chancellors for about the past 25 years and John Straub, if he& | 2/2/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0227: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Dr. John McEwan, president, and Cathy Demers, head of the religion department at Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton Links from today’s show: Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton Today’s topics: Catholic Schools Week: Cardinal Spellman High School Summary of today’s show: For the third day of Catholic Schools Week, Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams welcome Dr. John McEwan, president, and Cathy Demers, head of the religion department at Cardinal Spellman High School, Brockton, to talk about their unique school. From the famous school Masses that have priests on waiting lists to celebrate them to the model of 1st segment: Scot said we continue Catholic Schools Week. Fr. Matt is a product of Catholic schools. He was born in East Braintree and he attended Sacred Heart School in Weymouth, Xaverian Brothers High School, Stonehill College, and St. John Seminary so it was a Catholic education his whole life. His parents worked very hard and sacrificed to put them through Catholic schools. He said the Sisters of St. Joseph modeled the love of Christ, but they also put the fear of God into the students as well. Fr. Matt also remembers the joyful witness of Fr. O’Donovan, the pastor at Sacred Heart at the time. Today we profile one of our leading Catholic high schools at Cardinal Spellman in Brockton, but first Fr. Matt went on a Cursillo retreat this past weekend. He’d been invited so many times and had wondered what makes Cursillo so different. When he was invited, he saw he had a free weekend and he invited his uncle to come along. To sum it up, it was a beautiful foretaste of the communion of saints. The saints in heaven share in the eternal love of God and that overflows to us. In heaven, everyone is in sync with beautiful harmony and sharing of life. On Cursillo, you experience people’s authentic gift of themselves, pure love directed at you from a number of different angled and you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the love of God coming through people. He recommends anyone to go, especially his brother priests, as an opportunity to renew your faith or discover it for the first time. There were people there who haven’t been to church in years and who are regular worshippers. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed John McEwan and Cathy Demers to the show. Scot was inspired to know that John is not just the president, he was a student, the parent of a student, and a teacher too. John said Cardinal Spellman has changed quite a bit in the 60 years since he came there as a freshman. His was the fifth class to graduate from the school. Prior to Spellman he had been in 9 schools because his family moved a lot, and it became a home for him. He also received a full scholarship in his sophomore year which left him ready for the rest of his life. He went to the seminary for four years, but later left and ended up back at Spellman as a student-teacher and then on staff. He also married his wife, who had been in the same class as Spellman with him. Years later he has become the first lay president of Cardinal Spellman. He was very nervous to follow in the footsteps of Sr. Thomasina who was retiring and had been the first president of the school. Cathy also grew up at Sacred Heart in Weymouth, but this is also her second stint at Cardinal Spellman. She said it’s like her second family. She had her first teaching job there. She went to Regis College for her undergraduate work and went to work at Spellman until she had kids and stayed home with them. Ten years ago she came back and hasn’t regretted it. Scot asked what makes Cardinal Spellman distinctive. Cathy said it starts with their admissions program and Sr. Pat Lynch, CSJ, who runs admissions. The eighth graders come in and are “called by name” by the seniors and freshman who give them tours and have lunch with them so they already have a socia | 2/1/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0226: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): William McIvor, headmaster, and John Robinson, music director of the Archdiocesan Choir School; and Fr. Michael Drea, pastor of St. Paul Parish, Cambridge Links from today’s show: Boston Archdiocesan Choir School Boston Archdiocesan Choir School on Wikipedia St. Paul Parish, Cambridge Today’s topics: Catholic Schools Week: The Boston Archdiocesan Choir School Summary of today’s show: Boys’ choir schools are an ancient tradition in the Church going back hundreds of years and the Archdiocesan Choir School is the only choir school left in the United States. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor talk with Fr. Michael, William McIvor, and John Robinson about the unique school and how it prepares boys with an excellent education and musical skills that put them ahead of even college-level freshman in most instances. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris caught up on their past week. Scot said there was a big announcement today in the Archdiocese. Jim McDonough, the chancellor for the Archdiocese for the past 6 years, is retiring as of March 2 and he will be succeeded by an interim chancellor, John Straub. Scot said this news will be discussed on our Thursday news show. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed today’s guests and asked how the Archdiocesan Choir School started 49 years ago. Fr. Michael Drehe said the school started with 25 boys in 1963 with a primary focus on music. They area choir with a school in that the music is the lifeblood of the choir. But academics are not given short shrift. The founder was Dr. Theodore Marier. John grew up in England and he said choir schools in that country are very common, but St. Paul’s is the only Catholic choir school in the US. He said that focus on music helps with academics. The discipline and hard work of music train them in the skills needed to succeed in education and Catholic formation helps that. Bill said the boys sing Mass every day of the week at St. Paul’s. You can’t help having that part of your everyday life but it will affect your faith. It becomes a platform for their formation. The school is currently grades 5-8 and they will be opening a grade 4 next year. Bill said he came from public education where he worked for 40 years and working at the choir school is a delight. Fr. Chris asked about the unique role of the pastor in the choir school. Fr. Michael said it is the opportunity to be with young people and to present the love of the priesthood and share it with them, to see men who are happy in serving the Lord and the Church. This is an important aspect of his ministry. He also works with Bill and John on the administration: academics, finances, music, and more. With only about 40 students, it has unique challenges and requires a lot of work to maintain. When the boys graduate, they have the opportunity to attend some of the best schools in Massachusetts. Fr. Chris asked John how he imparts a love for music and for liturgical music to the young boys. John said he’s amazed how the boys coming to the music for the first time find something intrinsic to it that they love. He believes it’s some of the greatest music in the world and these boys are coming into contact with it and carrying on a tradition literally thousands of years old. Fr. Michael said he hears from some of the students when they go away on vacation and come back, their comments when they come back is that they are happy to be able to sing the music they can at Mass. They understand the beauty of the music and how it elevates the soul in worship. Scot asked Bill what it means for them that they’re the only boys choir school in the country. Bill said it gives them a sense of pride in that they have this unique school. Some of the staff have been at other schools and they have come together to realize what a true treasure they have. Because they are involved every day | 1/31/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0225: Monday, January 30, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Paul O’Brien, Pastor of St. Patrick’s, Lawrence, and Sr. Lucy Veilleux, Principal of Lawrence Catholic Academy Links from today’s show: Lawrence Catholic Academy St. Patrick Parish Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish Today’s topics: Catholic Schools Week: Lawrence Catholic Academy Summary of today’s show: Lawrence Catholic Academy may be only two years old, but it builds on more than 100 years of Catholic education in Lawrence. Fr. Paul O’Brien and Sr. Lucy Veilleux talk to Scot Landry about the challenges facing their school in the poorest city in the state where 75% of kids come from single-parents families and the crime rate is skyrocketing. While the public school system has been taken over by the state, LCA had 100% graduation rate. What is their secret? And how did they manage to bring together two different schools with long traditions of their own in such a short time? 1st segment: Scot said it’s Catholic Schools Week, a time to focus on the importance of Catholic schools in the life of our Church and for society to recall the important impact our Catholic schools have had on our nation. Especially in inner cities, Catholic schools have helped students to excel and rise out of poverty and become leaders. Scot said it’s up to this generation to continue this legacy. He welcomed Fr. Paul O’Brien and Sr. Lucy Veilleux from Lawrence Catholic Academy. It was founded in 2010 with the St. Patrick School and Our Lady of Good Counsel came together. Fr. Paul said having a full school located at the parish in the inner city is great. The school now has more than 500 students. Sr. Lucy said families are very impressed by the faculty, how dedicated they are to the students. Fr. Paul said there were three Catholic elementary schools in Lawrence: Our Lady of Good Counsel in Lawrence was small, St Mary was a little bigger, and St. Patrick was biggest. They wanted to avoid the pattern of closing one by one, but combined for the greater strength of Catholic education for the entire city. It was a sacrifice for everyone. St. Patrick’s which could have survived gave up its identity in order to bring together more students and keep a strength of Catholic education for the city. Sr. Lucy said they put a lot of effort into bringing the students into the new school with the changes. Fr. Paul said the middle school kids had the hardest time assimilating into the new school. He said it took most of the first year to integrate the 5th, 6th, and 7th graders socially. Sr. Lucy said giving up the uniforms was the biggest change and they took the effort to choose a new uniform for everyone. They are planning to open up another second grade class next year, but that will put them at capacity. Fr. Paul said the parents were the ones most concerned about the future viability of schools and he was surprised by how the parents accepted the change. From the beginning the parents said they didn’t want to give up their own schools, but they need this what they needed to do. It’s a credit to the honesty of the school leaders and transparent. He said people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s are very realistic about the challenges of living in Lawrence and the need to keep the schools open. He said a desire for a Catholic education overrode school or parish loyalties. Scot said others may want to know how to integrate two separate communities into one. Sr. Lucy said the first step was to work with the staff. They had an off-campus retreat day for the staff. People were angry and had to seek forgiveness or forgive others. After that they were worked together as one to form Lawrence Catholic Academy. She said every event that the individual schools had was evaluated in order to create a new tradition. People felt like it wasn’t one school taking over another, but that this was a new school. Scot said St. Patrick had a school for 10 | 1/30/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0224: Friday, January 27, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Wayne Cockfield Links from today’s show: SuicideIsAlwaysATragedy.org Today’s topics: Physician-assisted suicide Summary of today’s show: Proponents of physician-assisted suicide are pushing a ballot initiative in Massachusetts this November and Wayne Cockfield, a disabled Vietnam veteran and vice-president of National Right to Life, sits down with Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell to talk about this dangerous expansion of the culture of death. Wayne tells Scot and Fr. Mark that such a law would strip constitutional protections from another class of citizens—the disabled, elderly, and sick—and create pressures on them to seek death for the convenience of others. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark caught up on their past week. Fr. Mark was in Baltimore this week working on behalf of the Canon Law Society of America. It was the board of governors meeting held at the Baltimore airport so it wasn’t very glamorous, but he did get to gloat a little at the Patriots beating the Baltimore Ravens. Scot said this November, Massachusetts will get to vote on a proposed law that would legalize doctor-prescribed suicide. We’re beginning our coverage of this issue with Wayne Cockfield, vice-president on medical ethics for the National Right to Life and their representative at the United Nations. He speaking to the Mass. Citizens for Life assembly this Sunday at Fanueil Hall. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Wayne to the show. He is a Vietnam veteran and former US Marine. Wayne said he was born and raised in South Carolina and a 13th generation South Carolinian. He had an ancestor on the first ship at the founding of Charleston. Scot asked him about his experience in Vietnam and how it prepared him to speak up for disabled Americans’ rights and the right to life. Wayne joined the Marine Corps in 1969 and was sent to Vietnam. He was eventually promoted to Sargent at 20 years old. during a river patrol on rubber rafts, they were ambushed and an explosive threw him 20 to 30 feet in the air. He was riddled with shrapnel. A helicopter had just enough room to get into a clearing nearby with the rotors actually hitting leaves. He was literally in the field hospital within 10-15 minutes after being wounded and that is what saved him. He stayed conscious the whole time and he still believes that if he lost consciousness he’d have died. He spent more than 2 years in the hospital and had 27 surgeries. He is now an amputee and in a wheelchair. He suffered massive pain that went on for days and weeks and months. When people talk about pain in relation to assisted suicide, he understands pain at least as well as anyone in this country and he knows suicide is not appropriate pain treatment. When he got home, it took 4 to 5 years to have the stamina even to do normal daily tasks. This was about the time of the abortion wars in the early 70s. He’d left behind the culture of death in war to America which was steeped in a new culture of death. He decided right then to join t he battle on the part of life. Wayne started in the pro-life movement at the local level in Columbia, South Carolina and quickly became a spokesman against abortion. He would say that if they continued to kill unborn children, it would lead to one day killing our grandmothers. Devaluing some life leads to devaluing all life. Once society gets used to killing—and as a combat Marine he knows you get used to killing—we would have euthanasia. We’re already at the bottom of the slippery slope, killing disabled babies, grandmas, the terminally ill. Scot said doctor-prescribed suicide will be a ballot initiative in all likelihood in Massachusetts. He asked how is it different from some of the other life issues and how is it the same? Wayne said doctor-prescribed suicide is a form of euthanasia. He said euthanasia is not for | 1/27/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0223: Thursday, January 26, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Transitional deacons; Archdiocese’s annual report; Catholic schools; March for Life roundup Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott review this week’s headlines with Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry, including the ordination of transitional deacons; the release of the Archdiocese’s annual financial report; Fr. Roger’s editorial on how all Americans should realize the value of Catholic schools to our nation; and a roundup from this week’s March for Life. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan to the show and said they were recording Thursday morning. After the show, Susan was heading to an afternoon meeting with religious educators to discuss the topic of pastoral planning in the archdiocese. Scot said we will have a show coming up on the second round of pastoral planning. He said listeners can go to PastoralPlanning2012.com and see the current list of proposed grouping of parishes throughout the Archdiocese. The idea is to expose the thinking of the pastoral planning commission to receive many responses and thus incorporate all the feedback into further recommendations to Cardinal Seán. Susan emphasized that nothing is carved in stone and that they are looking for constructive criticism. Susan also said she is counting down the days until her newest grandchild is born. Her daughter, the youngest of her children, is due to have her first baby at any time. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry to the show. On the front page of the Pilot this week is the ordination of seven men as transitional deacons by Cardinal Seán last Saturday. Eric F. Cadin, Felipe de Jesus Gonzales, John J. Healy, Adrian A. Milik, and Brother Michael F. Sheehan, FPO, were ordained for Boston. Matthew Skal Peter Guidi was ordained for the Diocese of Springfield and Brother John M. Luong was ordained for the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. Greg recounted his experience covering the story. He recalled that it was snowing, but the Cathedral was still two-thirds full and it’s a testimony that people came out on this horrible day to see this ordination. “Of course in the Church’s way of preparing men for priestly ministry part of the itinerary is to be deacons. So, this celebration today puts them on that journey to priesthood, even closer, and underscores the fact that ministry is about service, about answering a call to serve the Lord, and the poor at the altar, and to be at the service of the word of God,” Cardinal O’Malley said. Scot said last week, Fr. Roger said that these men will always be deacons. Susan said it struck her too that the diaconate will always be part of their priesthood. Fr. Roger said the ordination of Jason Brilliante in Fall River was thinly attended unfortunately because they had about 11 inches of snow. Scot said the priestly ordination in Boston will be in late June this year. Annual Report page on the Archdiocesan website Scot said the Archdiocese has released its latest annual report. Back in 2006, when the archdiocese released its first report, it made national news because never before had a diocese released so much information. Now it’s a non-story. This is for fiscal year 2011 which ended last June. It covers the Corporation SOle, which includes parishes and central ministries. The budget was balanced and net assets increased by $31 million because of investment performance and net contributions in pa | 1/26/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0222: Wednesday, January 25, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli Links from today’s show: Silence and Word: 46th World Communications Day message Pilot New Media: “Silence and Word: Pope Benedict’s message for World Communications Day” 45th World Communications Day, 2011 - Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age 44th World Communications Day, 2010 - The Priest and Pastoral Ministry in a Digital World: New Media at the Service of the Word 43rd World Communications Day, 2009 - New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a Culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship Photos from the March for Life Today’s topics: Pope Benedict’s message for World Communications Day Summary of today’s show: What does silence have to do with communication? Everything, says Pope Benedict XVI in his latest message for World Communications Day. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams are joined by Domenico Bettinelli to talk about the Holy Father’s message and the importance of creating a balance between word, silence, images and sound and to let silence lead to contemplation which leads to a deeper relationship with Christ. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and welcomed Fr. Matt Williams back from leading the pilgrimage for the March for Life in Washington, DC. Scot said Monday’s show was recorded before the actual March and asked how it went. Fr. Matt gave kudos to the people from his office who coordinated the March: Kathy Stebbins, Steve Colella, and Danielle Olsen. He also said all the group leaders were amazing in their witness and they were a pleasure to work with. After the recording on Monday, they traveled down to Sixth Avenue and lined up with Cardinal Seán, marching with him. Scot asked about the weather. Fr. Matt said it was raining at the start, but for 85% of the walk they didn’t need umbrellas. He said many of the groups of kids stopped and prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet in front of the Supreme Court. Fr. Matt talked about how the three different age groups did their own thing after the March. Scot said he’s heard some seminarians tell him that going on a March for Life was the beginning of their call to the priesthood. He said he hopes that many of the pilgrims have the opportunity to discern their vocation. He also said he hopes the pilgrimage see that they are not alone in living their faith. Fr. Matt said the pilgrims are accompanied by witnesses who show them how to live that Catholic life. Whenever you see a priest or religious, you can say that person gave their life for me and the witnesses on the March showed the same truth. The pilgrimage exposes them to the experience of God through all these different streams. Scot said the Popes have issued for 42 years a message on the Feast of St. Francis de Sales and in recent years it’s been focused on digital media. This year, Pope Benedict focuses on the value of silence in communication. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Dom and said we’ll read each paragraph and comment on it as we go. As we draw near to World Communications Day 2012, I would like to share with you some reflections concerning an aspect of the human process of communication which, despite its importance, is often overlooked and which, at the present time, it would seem especially necessary to recall. It concerns the relationship between silence and word: two aspects of communication which need to be kept in balance, to alternate and to be integrated with one another if authentic dialogue and deep closeness between people are to be achieved. When word and silence become mutually exclusive, communication breaks down, either because it gives rise to confusion or because, on the contrary, it creates an atmosphere of coldness; when they complement one another, however, communication acquires value and meaning. Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence | 1/25/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0221: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV Links from today’s show: Fr. Gallagher’s website St. Joseph Retreat House The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living Discerning the Will of God: An Ignatian Guide to Christian Decision Making Spiritual Consolation: An Ignatian Guide for Greater Discernment Meditation and Contemplation: An Ignatian Guide to Prayer with Scripture (Crossroad Book) An Ignatian Introduction to Prayer: Scriptural Reflections According to the Spiritual Exercises The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living Today’s topics: Ignatian Spirituality and Discerning God’s Will Summary of today’s show: How do you know what God’s will is for your life? How do you know if you did God’s will today? Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV, joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor to discuss Ignatian spirituality, and especially the daily Examen prayer and discerning the will of God. Discernment is not a technique and examen isn’t a test. They are both parts of a relationship with God. Also, what kind of input should your spouse have in your discernment? 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. He said Fr. Chris must often hear from seminarians how can they know what God wants them to do in their lives either each day or for their whole lives. Fr. Chris said Fr. Tim Gallagher’s books have been very useful for diocesan priests and seminarians. Every day before lunch, for instance, they pray Fr. Gallagher’s Examen Prayer. Scot said we recently got news that Bishop Arthur Kennedy will be taking a new role in the archdiocese and that Msgr. James Moroney, already a professor, will become rector. Fr. Chris said there is a mix of sadness among the seminarians at Bishop Kennedy leaving, because of the great work he has done in the seminary forming priests, seminarians and laypeople in the faith, and joy at seeing Msgr. Moroney as his replacement. He can’t think of a better replacement to continue Bishop Kennedy’s work. Fr. Chris said Msgr. Moroney is well known throughout the Church, especially for his work traveling around the country to talk about the new translation of the Roman Missal. Fr. Chris said with today’s gift, we will have a greater insight at the end of the show about what prayer looks like. 2nd segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Timothy Gallagher to the show, an Oblate of the Virgin Mary. Scot asked how an OMV has become an expert in Ignatian spirituality. Fr. Tim said the founder of the order, Venerable Bruno Lanteri, met a Jesuit priest as a diocesan seminarian and took him as his spiritual director. He became convinced of the power of the Ignatian spiritual exercises to change hearts and help dedicate their lives to Him. He decided that since the Jesuits have so much to do in the Church, he decided that his order would focus on Ignatian spirituality. Scot said the OMV came to Boston in 1976, including maintaining St. Clement’s Eucharistic Shrine in Boston, which is very active and unofficially a student and young adult parish. They have St. Francis Chapel in the Prudential Center Mall, which offers Masses and confession throughout the day. They run St. St. Joseph Retreat House in Milton, which has been becoming very active. Fr. Tim said when he was a senior in high school there came a point of great clarity that God wanted him to become a priest. He researched many orders and the diocesan seminary before coming across the OMV. He was attracted to their Marian nature, growing up in a family with great Marian devotion. Also that the order was based in Rome and he would be living in Rome. Fr. Chris asked what is the most important element of his work as an Oblate. Fr. Tim said his own work is very Ignatian. Having written the books, people ask him to come speak all the time. Fr. Tim described St. Ignatius. Until he was 30, | 1/24/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #220: Monday, January 23, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Cardinal Seán, Fr. Matt Williams, Sr. Olga Yaqob and more Links from today’s show: Photos of the Pilgrimage to the March for Life Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults Today’s topics: 2012 March for Life Summary of today’s show: More than 500 Boston pilgrims have traveled to Washington, DC, for the 39th annual March for Life today. On today’s show, Scot Landry was joined by Fr. Matt Williams, Sr. Olga Yaqob, and a number of pilgrims, including Cardinal Seán O’Malley to talk about their experiences so far and what they expect to see when they began marching this afternoon. You will be inspired and energized by the joy and hope in the youth who join us on air today. 1st segment: Scot said we are recording this around lunchtime with pilgrims at the March for Life in Washington, DC. Scot welcomed Sr. Olga and Fr. Matt Williams. Fr. Matt’s office at Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults organized this pilgrimage. Fr. Matt said it has gone remarkably well. They tell the pilgrims that this is a pilgrimage, not a vacation, and we never complain about anything on a pilgrimage. The nature of pilgrimage is God calling you out of your home to a place for a specific purpose, in this case to bear witness to the gift of human life. When you’re on pilgrimage, you’re called to a deeper life of prayer, charity, and sacrifice. There will be moments of inconvenience, including buses breaking down, snow delaying trips, video equipment breaking down. But it teaches that sacrifice and suffering has an intrinsic value and part of life is suffering. He said it’s been wonderful with lots of opportunity to offer up. Scot said there are 500 young people on three tracks: Middle School, High School and Young Adults. Sr. Olga said she and her community are traveling with the young adults, including 25 from Boston University, but also from many different parishes and professional careers. Scot said this morning the pilgrims had Mass this morning with Cardinal Seán at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, where the cardinal served when he was first ordained. Fr. Matt said after lunch they will travel to the March where they will walk to the Supreme Court, where they will break down into small groups to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet for our country, asking for God’s mercy on our country for not valuing human life and for ourselves for the times we have not spoken out. From there, the middle schoolers will go back to the hotel for dinner and a youth night. The high schoolers will go to a nearby parish in Landover, Maryland, for a pizza gathering (There’s about 350 of them), and then a talk, group processing, and Eucharistic adoration and confession. In their experience, this adoration is the most powerful event of the whole weekend, because they have put their faith into action and seen the body of Christ together and are now praying. The young adults will be getting on buses back to Boston. On Tuesday, the youth will gather with Cardinal Seán for Mass. Sr. Olga said the highlight of her trip so far was the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception last night. Just the opening procession was 45 minutes long with all the seminarians, priests, bishops, and cardinals. The young adults were amazed by the youthfulness of our Church and the strength of the Church in America. To see hundreds of young seminarians was inspiring to see that side of the Church. There were thousands of young people sitting everywhere, including on the floor and all the way out the doors into the rain, without any complaining. Sr. Olga said on Saturday, in the snow, it took them 7 hours to get the New York but there were no complaints. Scot said last night more than 22,000 crowded into the upper and lower church of the Basilica. 2nd segment: Joining us are Kevin Oue | 1/23/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0219: Friday, January 20, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Maria Bianco of the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today’s show: Metropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Maria Bianco, a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell are joined by one of Fr. Mark’s colleagues on the Metropolitan Tribunal, Maria Bianco, a judge on the Tribunal. She is a native of Argentina, speaks four languages, writes poetry, has a degree in psychology, and has practiced both civil and canon law in the US and Argentina. Maria provides the office both with a native Spanish speaker who understands Latin American culture and can assist the many natives of those countries, but also a heart that understands the spiritual, pastoral, emotional, and therapeutic dimensions of the work of the Tribunal, primarily with those seeking marriage-related assistance. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark talked about the Patriots-Ravens game this weekend and gave their predictions. Scot said 34-20 Patriots, while Fr. Mark said the Patriots will score in the 30s. Fr. Mark is going to Baltimore next week and hopes everyone there will be sad. They then discussed Fr. Mark’s classes he’s teaching at St. John Seminary. He’s teaching a course called Marriage and Family to the third-year seminarians. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Maria Bianco, a judge on the Metropolitan Tribunal. Scot said she is the first person from Argentina on the show. He asked her what her childhood was like. Maria said she grew up on a farm near a small town. She lived there until she was 5 and was sent to a Catholic school in a nearby town. She still owns the farm which produces soybeans and cattle. She always knew she’d want to keep the farm, but also knew she had to find her own way in the world. Social and political matters were prominent in her family life and the call to serve the Church came later. She first worked as a civil lawyer in family law. In Argentina, there were many people who were divorced and couldn’t get remarried in the Church, so she decided to study canon law to help them with the annulment process. Maria has three children of her own. Fr. Mark said she also studied psychology. Maria said she needed to do this while working in family law in order to help the people who came to her with all their family problems. Maria said the divorce rate in Argentina is similar to the Boston area’s. But at the time she was practicing law, divorce was only recently legalized and there was a rush of pent-up demand to seek divorces. Scot asked her why she came to the United States. She worked with the Metropolitan Tribunal at the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and she learned that tribunals in the US were much faster at resolving annulments, so she wanted to come to see how it works here. She also wanted to have an international experience and knew of an Argentinean working as a judge at the Boston tribunal. That’s how she came. Scot said she’s been here 10 years now. What has kept here? Maria said it’s the group of people she has met in the Tribunal and because she has learned a lot. She also finds the US to be much safer than Argentina because of the civil upheaval and corruption in society. Scot asked Maria the best part of her job. She said it’s the feeling of serving others. In civil law, you are also serving others, but in canon law, you go beyond the ordinary matters of life because canon law concerns eternal life. Fr. Mark said Maria has helped so many because she speaks Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, and English. Her language skills connect so many people in the Archdiocese of different cultures to the Church. She also provides connections to tribunals throughout Latin America, which is necessary because when immigrants from those countries seek annulments or o | 1/20/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0218: Thursday, January 19, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: New Vicar for New Evangelization, new rector for seminary; global abortion genocide of girls; Supreme Court ruling favors religious freedom; local baker puts charity first Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott review the headlines of the week with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy, including the big news that Cardinal Seán has asked Bishop Arthur Kennedy to be the new Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization and Msgr. James Moroney to be the new rector of St. John’s Seminary; also this week Fr. Roger’s hard-hitting editorial on the global genocide of girls, the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the ministerial exception, and a local baker who puts Catholic charity first and foremost by providing bread for the poor in a unique way. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show and noted she had car trouble this morning. They discussed how we often fail to appreciate the miracle of our cars that help us in our commute. Susan said this week the religious education office is working with new catechetical leaders to see how they’re doing in their first year. They’re also doing some pastoral planning sessions. Scot said there are three rounds of consultations going on and religious education teachers went through round 1 this past week. Scot said this week, priests are getting a glimpse at draft groups of parish clusters. He emphasized that the materials shared at those consultations become available the afternoon of the meetings at Planning2012.com. He encouraged listeners to go the documents and also repeated that everything is in draft stage right now, just to get feedback. Susan also asked everyone to keep this process in prayer. Scot said today Cardinal Seán is announcing a new vicar for the New Evangelization and a new rector for St. John’s Seminary and that’s our first story after the break. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Fr. Roger and Gregory back to the show. Scot said this week’s Pilot has a big headline. Bishop Arthur Kennedy has been appointed Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization as of July 1 and Msgr. James Moroney has been named to replace him as rector of St. John Seminary. Scot said Bishop Kennedy was ordained a bishop for Boston on September 14, 2010. At the time it was expected a replacement as rector would be named. He’s done a great job expanding enrollment at the seminary bringing it from 25 seminarians to a full-enrollment of more than 100. It’s not clear yet what Bishop Kennedy will do, but Scot’s sense is that he will oversee a lot of the Year of Faith activities and oversee efforts to strengthen evangelization efforts in parishes. Susan said this is great news and pointed out that he is also a native son of West Roxbury. She said she has worked with Bishop Kennedy with her work at the Master of Arts in Ministry program and Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John’s. As sad as she might be to see him leave the seminary, the appointment of Msgr. Moroney takes away the sadness. Scot said one Bishop Kennedy’s responsibilities will be to oversee expansion of TINE. Fr. Roger said Bishop Kennedy has done an extraordinary job in just five years. Cardinal Sean, who has placed a premium on seminarian formation, has taken a spectacular rector and put him in a place to lead formation of the laity and shows how important this task is to Cardinal Sean. | 1/19/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0217: Wednesday, January 18, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Fr. Brian Flynn, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Lynn; Carl DiMaiti, Principal of St. Mary High School; Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody, campus ministers and religious education teachers; Helio Neto, Cristian Abarca, Megan Stacey, and Amy Donovan, students Links from today’s show: St. Mary High School, Lynn St. Mary Parish, Lynn Today’s topics: St. Mary High School, Lynn, and the March for Life Summary of today’s show: The annual March for Life in Washington, DC, is coming up this week and again the Archdiocese is sending busloads of pilgrims, including more than 100 from St. Mary High School in Lynn. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk to the pastor, Fr. Brian Flynn; the principal, Carl DiMaiti; religion teachers Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody; and four students, Helio Neto, Cristian Abarca, Megan Stacey, and Amy Donovan, about their experience of the March, how those experiences affect their school, how they prepare for months—including before-school meetings each week—for the March, and how they petitioned the local media to give at least as much attention to 400,000 people from all walks of life Marching for Life in DC as they do to a few dozen Occupying Boston’s Dewey Square. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Matt must be the Catholic Church’s expert on Tim Tebow. Last week, he gave a few interviews on the Patriots vs. the Broncos football game and Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow, with his very public witness of faith. They discussed how we all have the responsibility for handing on the witness of the faith. Fr. Matt said he can be an example of living the witness of your faith. They discussed LIFT on Tuesday night, which included Trent Horn, Respect Life director for the Diocese of Phoenix. They’ve been discussing the dignity of the human person. This month’s topic was abortion and next month is physician-assisted suicide. Scot said next week will be 39 years since the Roe v. Wade decision and many people gather in Washington, DC, to mark that occasion. Fr. Matt said he’s attended for many years now and the Office for the New Evangelization organizes pilgrimages of youth to attend. It is one of the most powerful and inspiring things that they do each year, to watch what happens to them in this experience, including a deepening of their life in Christ and wanting to witnesses to that. Fr. Matt said St. Mary, Lynn, is bringing 103 people to the March. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Flynn, Carl DiMaiti, and Andrea Alberti in a remote studio in Lynn. He asked Carl how many people are coming from St. Mary’s High School in Lynn and why it’s such a big deal in Lynn. Carl said it starts with the leadership of the school, including the head of school, the pastor, and the campus ministers. He said they take great pride in being the top high school in the archdiocese. Scot asked Fr. Flynn what the March for Life means to him. He said it’s great to participate with so many students. Last year was his first at St. Mary’s and when he saw how many students were going and how important it was for them that he go, he went. The school and especially the pro-life aspect is the part of the parish assignment that makes him so happy and blessed to be at St. Mary’s. Fr. Matt said he’s had the privilege of being a priest-chaplain on their bus and he’s found the teens to be well-prepared and understanding how this is a pilgrimage which includes sacrifice. He asked Andrea how they help the students prepare. She said Chris Carmody coordinates the pilgrimage and they start preparation three months ahead. The students commit to two meetings a week, at 7:15 am for one and after school for another. They pray and then have a theme, which this year was martyrdom and dying to self. They are also talking about being called by name, as John Paul II said, and that each pilgri | 1/18/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0216: Tuesday, January 17, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Links from today’s show: Apostolic Letter “Motu proprio data” Porta Fidei of Pope Benedict XVI for the Indiction of the Year of Faith Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Note with pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith Today’s topics: The Year of Faith Summary of today’s show: Pope Benedict XVI has declared a Year of Faith to begin in October that will encourage all Catholics to a greater understanding of what they believe and what the Catholic faith teaches. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor prepare for the Year of Faith by reviewing the Holy Father’s apostolic letter Porta Fidei, introducing the Year, as well as the recommendations from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on how dioceses, parishes, and religious communities can make the Year of Faith a great success and make it spiritually fruitful for the entire Church. They include the Top Ten list of suggestions for both parishes and dioceses. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. On Saturday, many of the 4th year seminarians will be ordained to the transitional diaconate at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Some from other dioceses will be ordained in their cathedrals as well. They will serve as deacons in their parishes until the end of June. The ordination to the priesthood is later this year because Deacon Eric Bennett will be coming back from Rome then to join his classmates for ordination. They also have the St. Andrew Dinners as well, which brings young men, mostly high school age, to the seminary for a holy hour, dinner, and some talks to give the young men an experience of the seminary and to see that the seminarians are normal guys like them. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed the football playoffs and the prospects for the Patriots this weekend. Fr. Chris also talked about the upcoming March for Life coming up next Monday. Many seminarians go down for them. Scot said we will have a special show tomorrow, traveling up to St. Mary High School in Lynn, which is sending about 100 students, to interview some of the students and adult leaders. Today’s topic is the Year of Faith that Pope Benedict has declared for the year beginning in October 2012. 2nd segment: Scot said they would be discussing the Pope’s document Porta Fidei, a letter issued last October 11, which begins: The “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into his Church. It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace. To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime. It begins with baptism (cf. Rom 6:4), through which we can address God as Father, and it ends with the passage through death to eternal life, fruit of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whose will it was, by the gift of the Holy Spirit, to draw those who believe in him into his own glory (cf. Jn 17:22). To profess faith in the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – is to believe in one God who is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8): the Father, who in the fullness of time sent his Son for our salvation; Jesus Christ, who in the mystery of his death and resurrection redeemed the world; the Holy Spirit, who leads the Church across the centuries as we await the Lord’s glorious return. Ever since the start of my ministry as Successor of Peter, I have spoken of the need to rediscover the journey of faith so as to shed ever clearer light on the joy and renewed enthusiasm of the encounter with Christ. During the homily at the Mass marking the inauguration of my pontificate I said: “The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us l | 1/17/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0215: Friday, January 13, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Terry Donilon, Secretary for Communications and Public Affairs of the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today’s show: Archdiocese of Boston Communications and Public Affairs Today’s topics: Terry Donilon, spokesman for Cardinal Seán, and the Church in the news Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell have a conversation with Terry Donilon, the secretary for communications and public affairs for the Archdiocese and the official spokesman for Cardinal Seán, who outlines his path from growing up in Rhode Island through majoring in theater in college to working for a number of Rhode Island politicians as press aide and spokesman. Terry also talks about how he left a good job as spokesman for Shaw’s to come work for Cardinal Seán in some of the Archdiocese’s darkest days and reflects on some of the biggest stories he’s dealt with in his position. Scot, Fr. Mark, and Terry discuss whether the media is biased against the Church and then predict what will be the big stories related to the Church in 2012. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark talked about the busy week in the Pastoral Center, without about 1,000 guests total coming in to talk about pastoral planning in the Archdiocese. Fr. Mark said we have to work out these things to have the best plan for the Archdiocese going forward. Scot said one of the big differences in the Church from his days working in the private sector is that the Church has a consultative decision-making process, even though the decision is ultimately the Cardinal’s. Fr. Mark said the Cardinal’s personality is that he likes to hear from everyone. People said the website Planning2012.com is being built to receive feedback from people. Scot said yesterday was the Presbyteral Council meeting. Fr. Mark has a particular role on the council as judicial vicar. They discussed pastoral planning and physician-assisted suicide. They also talked about ways parishes can collaborate. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Terry Donilon to the show. Scot said Terry has served in a variety of public relations jobs in both private sector, politics, and now the Church. Terry said his parents were both intimately involved in government and politics. They were 4 kids and his father was former head of Providence school committee and his mother was a head of a union. Scot said was a theater major in college and was heading to theater education. Terry said working in the theater prepared him well for working with the media in Boston. It opened him up in terms of communicating and having a broad background. Terry talked about singing before a legendary liturgical choir director. Terry said he wasn’t as musically inclined as his siblings, but his freshman year at Emerson College, he had to take a semester off due to illness and listened to lots of singing baritones. He went back to college and got the lead in a musical. Many of his classmates have jobs in theater and entertainment today, including several on Broadway. Scot said he can’t do justice to Terry’s voice. It’s a powerful voice. Terry said he’s sung at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. In 1996, he sang for Pope John Paul II in Rome. Terry worked in radio coming out of college, and worked in Providence. He met Providence Major Joe Paolino, who became a friend and brought him on staff. He went on to work for Governor Bruce Sundland and a congressman. He thinks it’s important to instill in his own kids the importance of politics and public affairs. Scot said he’s served pro-life Democrats. Bob Weygand was a pro-life Democrat who lost the senate race in 2000 against Republican Lincoln Chaffee. Terry said he grew tired of the political mindset after a while. He said it’s more fun to be on this side of politics. He’s been encouraged to put his name on a ballot | 1/13/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0214: Thursday, January 12, 2012 | Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Vocations Awareness Week; March for Life; New Cardinals; Fr. Barron’s persons of the year Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott discuss the news of the week with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy, including Vocations Awareness week, especially how parents can promote vocations by teaching their children to pray and how all can hear their vocational call more clearly by making a habit of prayer. Also, more youth than ever are heading to the annual March for Life, while those who can’t go are gearing up for a record-breaking number of Holy Hours for Life; 22 new cardinals for the Church, including two Americans; a national conference for deaf Catholics to be held in Boston; and Fr. Robert Barron’s persons of the year in response to a dubious choice by the National Catholic Reporter. 1st segment: Scot and Susan commented on the bad weather in Boston today and whether it would have been better to have the freezing, pelting rain or blowing snow. Scot said various groups in the Archdiocese are coming into the Pastoral Center to talk about Pastoral Planning. Susan said they are difficult conversations, especially with the fear of the unknown, but everyone acknowledges that we can’t have business as usual. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry to the show. Scot said this week is National Vocation Awareness Week, starting this past Monday to Saturday. He said the Church’s takes this week seriously, not just for priestly vocation shortages, but also for the decline in the number of marriages. “National Vocations Awareness Week takes place Jan. 9-14”, Catholic News Service, 12/29/11 Susan said she is thrilled that they are looking at the whole of vocations, not just priesthood. Fr. Roger Landry in his editorial in the Anchor this week discusses the vocation of the baptized. Susan said it’s a challenge in this day and age of iPods and earbuds to hear the call of God. She recommended a video from Grassroots Films called “Fishers of Men”. Scot quoted St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations from the CNS story: “Through a culture of vocation in families, parishes, schools and dioceses, Catholics can nurture an environment of discipleship, commitment to daily prayer, spiritual conversion, growth in virtue, participation in the sacraments and service in community,” the archbishop said. “Without this environment, promoting vocations becomes simply recruitment. We believe we have much more to offer our young people.” Greg commented on how formation in the Christian family, learning to pray, being involved in the sacramental life of the Church, and seeing their parents live the vocation of marriage are foundational for vocations for priesthood. Scot said in 1997, the vocation awareness week was moved to coincide with the Feast of Baptism of the Lord. Fr. Roger said everything in our life flows from the call we receive at our baptism. The Greek word for Church, ecclesia, means the assembly of those who are called. Scot said that in Fr. Roger’s editorial he wrote about the great decrease in the number of sacramental marriages in the Church. Normally when we hear the expression “vocations crisis” we think of the diminishing numbers of priests or religious. The expression is also now commonly being used to refer to the crisis in the understanding of the v | 1/12/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0213: Wednesday, January 11, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Father Paco Anzoategui, Pastor of St. Stephen in Framingham and Director of the Spanish Apostolate Links from today’s show: St. Stephen, Framingham Hispanic Apostolate Today’s topics: Fr. Paco Anzoategui and Hispanic ministry in Boston Summary of today’s show: Fr. Paco Anzoategui joins Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams to talk about his journey from Mazatlan, Mexico, to the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Boston and how he credits the Blessed Mother for his vocation in a direct way. Fr. Paco also discusses Hispanic ministry in the Archdiocese and the US, including the trend of the growing Hispanic majority, plus why some Hispanics leave the Catholic Church for Evangelical churches, and how to make one parish family that includes both English- and Spanish-speaking communities. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt Williams back from a month off from the show. Last week he was a the Theology of the Body institute in Pennsylvania. He heard Dr. Janet Smith, an expert on Catholic teaching on human sexuality. The institute’s mission is helping people understand Bl. John Paul’s Theology of Body, which is all about love. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Paco to the show. Scot said Fr. Paco is both a pastor and director of the Spanish apostolate. He asked him to share his background. He grew up in Mazatlan, Mexico, in a very Catholic family. That was the origin of his vocation. He went to Catholic schools his whole life, most of them in a Xaverian missionary school. The missionary zeal appealed to him in high school, but he didn’t think of being a priest. But he was finishing high school in 1979 when Pope John Paul came to Mexico. This made such an impact on his life and that of all Mexicans, especially when he addressed the young people of Mexico as the hope of the world. Something happened to him then and he couldn’t stop thinking about those words. The Lord made clear to him that he was being called to be a priest. He became a Xaverian priest in 1988. He studied for the priesthood in the United States. He came to the Fatima Shrine in Holliston run by the Xaverians. He was quickly found by the bishops and inserted into the Spanish apostolates. He was incardinated as a diocesan priest in 2004. He lived there for his first 9 years of his priesthood. It’s especially beautiful because of the walking rosary and at Christmas they put up many lights. Scot asked Fr. Paco to explain the process of incardination. Fr. Paco said it’s a canonical process by which a man who is already a priest becomes part of a diocese at the request and agreement of both the superior of the religious congregation and the local bishop. It lasts for five years. He was first assigned to St. John the Baptist in Peabody, and the pastor at the time was Msgr. John McDonough. At the end of the five years, he was incardinated. He was sent then to St. Patrick in Lawrence for two years and then to St. Rose of Lima in Chelsea. Now he’s in St. Stephen in Framingham. All those parishes have large Spanish-speaking populations. His entire priesthood, he’s been assigned to multicultural parishes. Fr. Matt asked Fr. Paco about his great devotion to Our Lady. Fr. Paco said if he’s a priest today, it’s because of Our Lady. Growing up in Mexico, the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe is very prevalent. He grew up with that devotion. He remembers at the end of high school as he considered the priesthood, he was afraid he wasn’t qualified. One day he prayed in church and was led to a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe where he consecrated himself to her at that moment if the call to vocation was true. He has since had amazing confirmation that she was listening to his prayer. He was ordained in the Marian Year of 1988 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the Feast of the Annunciation. He had lost his parents and si | 1/11/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0212: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Willy Raymond, National Director of Family Theater Productions Links from today’s show: Family Theater Productions Holy Cross Family Ministries Today’s topics: Family Theater Productions Summary of today’s show: Family Theater Productions wants to bring faith and family values back to Hollywood and Fr. Willy Raymond, national director of the ministry, talks to Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor about some of the ways they’re doing that, including an annual student film festival, faith-based outreach to the entertainment industry, and creating original productions. Fr. Willy also shares some stories about celebrity encounters, including meeting Patriots QB Tom Brady on his wedding day. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris O’Connor back to the show after a month off. Fr. Chris said Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. He traveled in the footsteps of St. Paul, going to Istanbul, Turkey, and Ephesus, near Izmir, Turkey. He recalled the Letter to the Ephesians and was in the amphitheater where St. Paul would have spoken. They also visited St. John the Evangelist’s church there and Catholic tradition is that the Blessed Mother lived with St. John there until she was assumed into heaven. He was able to pray in St. John’s house there. Fr. Chris thinks that Ephesus is where she was assumed into heaven. As early as 451 AD, the Church documents refer to Ephesus as the final earthly home for Mary. Fr. Chris said being in a Muslim country was very interesting. He visited the Blue Mosque. He said the only Turkish he learned was, “Let me out of this cab immediately.” The men have returned to St. John Seminary. Archbishop Alfred Hughes, who was a rector of the seminary and was most recently in New Orleans, is leading a retreat for the men today. Scot said Archbishop Hughes confirmed him and his brother when he was an auxiliary bishop here. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Willy Raymond to the show. Fr. Willy is in Hollywood, California, but was born in Old Town, Maine. There were 12 siblings and they spoke French primarily at home. His father was a lumberjack. His mother never learned to speak English. He grew up in a close-knit parish community and it was the social center of their lives and they used to pray the Rosary every night in French. He owes a lot of his vocation to the priests and sisters of his parish. He’s now a member of the Congregation of the Holy Cross. They’re known for Notre Dame University and Father Peyton. Fr. Willy said the pastor had encouraged a lot of the boys to go to college in New Brunswick, Canada, and he won a scholarship to go. The Holy Cross Fathers operated that school. He pointed out that they are not Congregation of the Holy Cross, but Congregation of Holy Cross, because their founder was from a place called Holy Cross. The charism of the Holy Cross Fathers is somewhat eclectic but somewhat family-centered. The order was founded after the French Revolution and the founder, Bl. Basil Moreau, aw the family as the foundation on which to rebuild the Church. He modeled them on the Holy Family and the charism is unity for the mission and the virtue is complete trust in divine providence and zeal for the mission. They wanted to reach young people to educate both their mind and heart. They also seek to help out in parishes wherever they are located. Scot said many people know Fr. Peyton for “the family that prays together, stays together” and promoting the Rosary. He was born in County Mayo, Ireland, as one of 9 children. They ended up in Scranton, PA, and he was working as a janitor. He heard a parish mission by a Holy Cross priest and felt called to a priestly vocation so he went to Notre Dame. When Fr. Willy was eight or nine years old, he became an altar server, which every Catholic boy wanted to be at the time. When he went | 1/10/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0211: Friday, January 6, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. John Currie, Pastor of St. Joseph Parish, Holbrook Links from today’s show: Cardinal Seán’s Letter - Ten Years Later Ten Years Later — Reflection on the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Reflections on 10th anniversary of the sexual abuse crisis Summary of today’s show: Today, the feast of the Epiphany, marks the 10th anniversary of the the first major new stories of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in Boston that started a process of coming to terms, of seeking forgiveness, and of rebuilding trust. Scot Landry sits down with Cardinal Seán O’Malley to discuss the somber anniversary and reflect on the past and future. The Scot talks with Fr. Mark O’Connell and Fr. John Currie their thoughts on the Cardinal’s remarks, their own reflections on the anniversary, how the crisis has affected them as priests over the past decade, how it has affected other Catholics, and the path forward for the Church and society. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark discussed that January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, although we celebrate it liturgically on Sunday. Scot welcomed Fr. John Currie. Scot today marks the 10th anniversary of the breaking of the clergy sex-abuse crisis in Boston when the Globe published the first accounts of predatory priests who had been moved around after accusations. Cardinal Sean has marked this anniversary by re-committing the Church to providing a safe environment for in the Church. He has done many media interviews. He also sat down with Scot for a pre-recorded interview which we will hear now. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Cardinal Sean O’Malley to the show. Ten years ago the sexual abuse scandal became the dominant topic in the Church and society for 2002. He marked it with a letter to the community. Cardinal Seán said it was important to remember these events so we don’t ever go back in the future. We need to express contrition and sorrow, and assure people that going forward we will do everything we can to make our churches and schools as safe as possible for children. Scot said one of the messages was to survivors. Cardinal Seán said if it had not been for the victims who’d been willing to come forward and tell the stories and the media that publicized it so much, we might still have been in a state of denial. Their courage was an important part of the change that was initiated. We are grateful to them and hope they have found some healing and reconciliation. Scot noted the Cardinal came to Boston in 2003 and prioritized our resources for protection of children. Since then 300,000 children have received safe environment training and because of that, 575 children came forward to trusted persons to disclose abuse by someone in their life. the Church has tried to respond in a way not only that we are doing everything possible, but that there is a good that people now know the signs of abuse and come forward. The Cardinal said an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The archdiocese does 60,000 background checks per year which also contributes to a safer environment. But this wouldn’t be possible without the support and work and volunteered time of thousands of people who have helped put these policies in place. In his letters this week, Cardinal Sean acknowledged the difficulties faced by priests and one of the reasons we have such safe environments now is because of the leadership of priests. Cardinal Sean added that parishioners have also been leaders too. In his reflections document, he noted that the media helped us to deal with this problem, but going forward he asked media and other institutions to help contextualize the abuse. The John Jay Report noted that most of the abuse took place decades ago, where the media coverage often presented it as new allegations from the present or that it was a | 1/6/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0210: Thursday, January 5, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Tenth anniversary of abuse crisis; Romney’s pro-life record defended; Santorum’s near-win; physician-assisted suicide; new head of ex-Anglican ordinariate Summary of today’s show: In our first news show of the year, Scot Landry and Susan Abbott talk with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy about the 10th anniversary of the major eruption of the clergy sex-abuse crisis in Boston, touching on an extensive interview with Cardinal Seán in the Pilot; Pro-life and pro-family leaders in Massachusetts defending Mitt Romney’s record; Rick Santorum’s surprising surge in the Iowa caucuses; the appointment of a leader for the new Ordinariate in the US for ex-Anglicans; and more. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and caught with Susan from her Christmas break. Scot said there’s been a lot of media coverage of the church this week and Cardinal Seán has conducted a number of one-on-one interviews talking about he 10 years since Epiphany in 2002 when it was revealed in the pages of the Boston Globe about John Geoghan and how he was assigned to several parishes after being accused of abuse. Susan said she remembers exactly where she was sitting in her kitchen when she read that article. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Gregory to the show. He said Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, did perhaps the most detailed interview with the Cardinal, along with several other stories on this anniversary. Greg said it’s a monumental anniversary which has so much meaning for so many. they wanted to give it the coverage it deserves. The interview with the Cardinal tried to delve a little deeper than the letters, but also to cover how he went to Fall River in the 90s during the Fr. Porter case and then what we should do moving forward. Scot said some people are questioning why we are marking this anniversary this way and Antonio asked the Cardinal about it: I think that the commitment of the archdiocese to work for the protection of children is an ongoing commitment. Often times we memorialize the tragic events in history so that they will not happen again. I think that this is one of those kinds of things. Susan said the Cardinal is on target that this is an ongoing commitment and this is a tragic event that needs to be memorialized. Greg said they have received a lot of feedback over the years asking them to stop printing about it in the Catholic newspaper, but they reply that this is a reality that we have to face up to and deal with as a Church. Scot said there are twelve interview questions in the transcript. Fr. Roger said he was struck by the Cardinal’s candor with a direct answer to a question about whether Cardinal Law should have resigned. Fr. Roger said like Americans won’t forget December 7 or 9/11, Catholics should not forget January 6, where we beg God’s mercy and mark the day with reparations. He encouraged listeners to fast in reparation for the pain of the victims and for the harm done to the Church by this scandal. We need to beg the Lord to draw good out of evil and lead us from darkness to light. Scot quoted a question of the Cardinal: “Ten years after the scandal broke in Boston, how do you explain the actions, or inactions, of Church officials who did not act swiftly when credible accusations of abuse were reported, often repeatedly?” The Cardinal responded: As we say, hindsight is always better than fore | 1/5/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0209: Wednesday, January 4, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Sr. Emi Magnificat and Sr. Christine of the Daughters of St. Paul Links from today’s show: Daughters of St. Paul Pauline Books and Media Today’s topics: The Daughters of St. Paul Summary of today’s show: The Daughters of St. Paul proclaim the Gospel in every medium available from printed books to films and TV to music to ebooks, apps, and websites. Scot Landry interviews Sr. Christine and Sr. Emi Magnificat about the mission of the Daughters of St. Paul, whose American headquarters are right here in the Boston area; their paths to the vocations in the order; and the story of the order’s founder, Bl. James Alberione. 1st segment: Scot recounted that yesterday the show did not broadcast over WQOM due to technical difficulties, but it is available on our website. This week is a big anniversary as well. He also noted that Friday, January 6, we mark 10 years since the first publication of major revelations concerning clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. Cardinal Seán is marking that anniversary with perhaps the most significant rounds of media interviews he has done since coming to the Archdiocese. Links to those are below. He’s also conducted other interviews that will be published in the coming days as well in the National Catholic Report, the Pilot. This Friday, January 6, Cardinal Seán will be on The Good Catholic Life. “Rebuilding From the Ruins: Cardinal O’Malley on the 2002 Boston Sex-Abuse Scandal, Part 1”, National Catholic Register “Rebuilding From the Ruins: Cardinal O’Malley on the 2002 Boston Sex-Abuse Scandal, Part 2”, National Catholic Register “Cardinal O’Malley on changes in the Church”, NECN “On the long road to healing”, Boston Globe 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Christine and Sr. Emi to the show. He said he’s somewhat embarrassed that he hasn’t had the Daughters of St. Paul on the show before now. Sr. Christine said the Daughters were started specifically to work in media. They started in Italy and worked in books and other print, then radio and eventually TV, movies, cassettes, CDs, DVDs, websites, ebooks, and smartphone apps. Scot said if St. Paul himself were evangelizing today, he’d been on radio and TV and Twitter and Facebook. Sr. Emi said Bl. James Alberione, their founder, said that was their mission, to be like St. Paul. She said St. Paul was so convinced of the love of Christ that he wanted to give his life proclaiming the Gospel. that spirit impels the daughters today. Sr. Christine said Bl. James started with a group of men he wanted to train to be the media apostles of the 20th century. In 1915 he founded the Daughters of St. Paul because he thought women should be evangelizers. They should be there as mothers and sisters of the church to spread God’s word in that manner, but also through personal contact. They do that in the media centers and at conferences and wherever they encounter people. The witness of their vocation and vows is the first proclamation of their mission and the mission flows from that. In 1932, Sr. Paula Cordero was sent from Italy to New York to start a foundation. She went to St. Patrick’s Cathedral and put a medal of St. Paul behind the bishop’s chair to pray for the intercession of St. Paul with the cardinal. Cardinal Cushing invited them to Boston to start their novitiate here and there American headquarters is in Jamaica Plain. Sr. Emi said about 60 sisters live in Jamaica Plain, including the novitiate, provincial government, bindery, and the sisters who work at the Dedham book center. She said the novitiate stage is the first entrance into the community and occurs after about two years of postulancy. At the end of the 2 years of novitiate, they take first vows and then about5 years later, they take perpetual vows. Sr. Christine said there are 2,500 siste | 1/4/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0208: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Danielle Bean, editor-in-chief of Catholic Digest and co-host of CatholicTV’s The Gist Links from today’s show: Catholic Digest Danielle Bean’s blog Danielle Bean’s books at Amazon.com Faith and Family Live The Gist on CatholicTV The Gist in CatholicTV Magazine Today’s topics: Danielle Bean, Catholic Digest, TheGist, and Faith and Family Live Summary of today’s show: Danielle Bean is a homeschooling mother of eight, author of three books, editor-in-chief of America’s largest Catholic publication, a well-known blogger, and now the co-host of CatholicTV’s The Gist, an all-new talk show for women. Whew! Scot Landry talks to Danielle about being the queen of all Catholic media, how she juggles her responsibilities, and her vision for serving Catholic women and their families by offering inspiration, support and community. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to 2012 and he wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We start the new year with a great guest, Danielle Bean. He also noted that Friday, January 6, we mark 10 years since the first publication of major revelations concerning clergy sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. Cardinal Seán is marking that anniversary with perhaps the most significant rounds of media interviews he has done since coming to the Archdiocese. Links to those are below. He’s also conducted other interviews that will be published in the coming days as well in the National Catholic Report, the Pilot. This Friday, January 6, Cardinal Seán will be on The Good Catholic Life. [“Rebuilding From the Ruins: Cardinal O’Malley on the 2002 Boston Sex-Abuse Scandal, Part 1”, National Catholic Register “Rebuilding From the Ruins: Cardinal O’Malley on the 2002 Boston Sex-Abuse Scandal, Part 2”, National Catholic Register “Cardinal O’Malley on changes in the Church”, NECN “On the long road to healing”, Boston Globe 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Danielle Bean to the show. He noted that she is a very busy mom living her Catholic faith. He asked her about her new TV show on Catholic TV called The Gist. She said it’s an opportunity for Catholic women to have a new voice in Catholic television. It’s Catholic women talking to one another about the topics they care about: family lives, faith lives, balancing schedules, balancing work and family life. Scot said this month’s CatholicTV magazine said Danielle posed the idea for the show to Fr. Robert Reed this past summer. In her work on Faith and Family magazine helped her to understand what Catholic women need from media to serve them as whole persons. Her goal for The Gist was to do something similar to Faith and Family in television form, offering women what they care about from a Catholic perspective. Scot asked Danielle how the Gist will compare with shows like the View. Danielle said those shows are popular because they meet a need. Women like to communicate with one another and talk. Women respond to a talk show of women sharing and connecting. But those shows appeal to less admirable qualities. The Gist will help them encourage and build up one another, to share their struggles and triumphs from a Catholic perspective. Danielle said recording the show never felt awkward. She said her co-hosts are Carolee McGrath and Rachel Balducci and they have a real connection to one another because they share their core values. Danielle said each show takes up two different topics, balancing deeper topics and lighters ones, plus interviews, including recent TGCL guest Lisa Hendey. They will also do brief review segments, sharing ideas and products they find useful in their lives. Scot noted that Lino Rulli will also be on the show, as well as Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez talking about their new movie The Way, and later this month author Fr. Jim Martin. Scot | 1/3/12 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0206: Thursday, December 22, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Christmas message from Cardinal Seán and Bishop Coleman; Profile of Cardinal Seán in the Boston Herald; Pastoral letter for undocumented immigrants; the famous musical Fr. Pat; New pastor; New saints Summary of today’s show: In our last news show of the year, Scot Landry, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy discuss Cardinal Seán’s Christmas message that will air on Vatican Radio, as well Bishop George Coleman’s message to the Fall River diocese; a laudatory front-page profile of Cardinal Seán in the Boston Herald; a pastoral letter from Hispanic bishops of the US to undocumented immigrants; the famous musical Fr. Pat from La Salette who’s celebrating 40 years of ministry; a new pastor for Catholics in Townsend; and miracles to make new American saints. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Greg to show and noted how today is the first day of winter, but it’s 53 degrees outside. He asked Fr. Roger how his Christmas planning is going and whether it’s easier for priests when Christmas is on a Sunday. Greg talked about Christmas traditions for his family, which is a blended family of both Cuban traditions and New England traditions. Scot and Fr. Roger talked about their family gathering in New Bedford at Fr. Roger’s church on Christmas Eve. 2nd segment: Scot said Cardinal Seán recorded a Christmas message for the world to air on Vatican Radio. WQOM listeners get a preview of the message today. [Cardinal Seán’s Christmas message to air on Vatican Radio across the world] This is Cardinal Seán O’Malley from the Archdiocese of Boston. At Christmas our God comes to us as a humble pilgrim in search of hospitality. Nourished by the bread of life that comes to us from the manger, let us open our hearts in welcome to this Divine Humble Pilgrim, to the Lord Jesus. By reaching out with compassion and loving care we can give Him hospitality as he comes to us disguised in the hungry, the homeless, the mentally ill, the imprisoned, the stranger, the immigrant. Jesus came to reveal the merciful face of the father: the poor, the sick, the marginalized were the protagonists of His Gospel. It is our task to be the merciful face of Christ - as the Father sent me, so I send you Jesus tells us. He does not send us alone but with our brothers and sisters whose faith and solidarity sustains us. And He gives us the spiritual food of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist. At Christmas we come to the manger to see the Baby Pictures and rejoice as we look at our Family Album. But our faith tells us that Christ born at Bethlehem 2000 years ago is still, Emmanuel, God with us. He comes to offer us His friendship and love and to invite us to a life of discipleship in His Church. At Bethlehem the Shepherds were filled with joy and wonder and were anxious to share that joy with others. Knowing the Lord, carries with it an obligation to make Him known and loved. Christmas is the feast of the Child, the Christ child, our God who made Himself small to be close to us. Jesus says in the Gospel- Unless you become like a little child you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God came to us in the humility and simplicity of a little baby—God’s love in face of a child, always new, always fresh, that never tires of loving us, of giving us another chance. We can go to Him only in the humility and simplicity of a child. Children have a sense of trust in their parents - God wants us t | 12/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0205: Wednesday, December 21, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Bonnie Rodgers, Director of Public Relations, Marketing and Programming, and Helen Lee, Manager of Social Media and VoD, of CatholicTV Links from today’s show: CatholicTV CatholicTV on Facebook CatholicTV on Twitter CatholicTV on YouTube The Gist on Facebook The Gist on Twitter Today’s topics: Christmas at CatholicTV and new programs in the new year Summary of today’s show: Every year, CatholicTV becomes ChristmasTV for three days starting Christmas Eve. Bonnie Rodgers and Helen Lee from CatholicTV join Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams to talk about all the great programming on tap for the holiday as well as the new shows on tap for the new year, including The Gist, a new talk show for women. They also discuss CatholicTV’s ubiquitous presence in new media and how they’re using every possible medium to spread the message. Plus all their favorite CatholicTV shows. What’s your favorite? 1st segment: Scot explained why The Good Catholic Life did not air live on 1060AM yesterday because of difficulties at the network in Buffalo, but listeners can listen to it online on our site and it will air again next Tuesday, December 27. Fr. Matt said he loves the Christmas season, including driving around and seeing all the lights decorating homes. He will celebrating Masses at St. Joseph in Holbrook, where he lives. For his family, their celebration will center around liturgies. His family gets together on the day after Christmas for a memorial Mass for all the deceased members of his family. His grandmother died many years ago on December 26 and it’s become a tradition ever since. Scot mentioned that tonight is the night for The Light Is On For You, when every church and chapel in the archdiocese will be open 6:30-8pm for confessions. If you’re looking for a parish, go to PilotParishFinder.com. Fr. Matt talked about why we need to go to confession especially before Christmas as we prepare to welcome Christ. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Bonnie Rodgers and Helen Lee. He asked Bonnie what brought her to CatholicTV. She’s been there for 4 years. She met General Manager Jay Fadden in the Masters of Arts in Ministry program at St. John Seminary. She was working for Verizon at the time, then got early retirement from her job. Jay hired her first as part-time in marketing and now she’s been there four years full-time overseeing public relations, marketing and programming. She said those three aspects really connect together. Helen started at CatholicTV about 4 months ago. She oversees all social media: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and manages video-on-demand resources. Scot said CatholicTV is trying to reach people in their 20s like her. Helen majored in college in new media communications and theology, so she was looking to do something like this when she graduated. Twenty-somethings are in those media and that’s where they are. She’s in the Facebook newsfeeds of many of her Catholic friends from Fordham University now. Scot asked Bonnie all the ways people can get CatholicTV, in addition to cable TV. Bonnie said they want to be wherever people are consuming media. They want to be on every platform, but they want to design for the particular platform. They’re on Twitter, articulating the faith in 140 characters or less. There is YouTube, where they tailor their work for the format. They include both soundbites and segments as well as full programs. They’re on Facebook as well. They are now available throughout the country on cable and Sky Angel IPTV. Scot said you can watch the content at CatholicTV.com. And a small widget can be placed on any website or blog so people can watch the programming on other websites. Bonnie said a diocese in Ohio was using content from CatholicTV for faith formation via DVDs on cable access television. But they adapted it for CatholicTVjr and the whol | 12/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0204: Tuesday, December 20, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Bishop Arthur Kennedy, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston and Rector of St. John Seminary Links from today’s show: Bishop Kennedy’s Profile at BostonCatholic.org St. John Seminary Today’s topics: Bishop Profile: Bishop Arthur Kennedy Summary of today’s show: Bishop Arthur Kennedy, rector of St. John Seminary, just celebrated 45 years in the priesthood. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor discuss with Bishop Kennedy his recent ad limina visit with Pope Benedict in Rome; his childhood in West Roxbury; his formation and ordination in Rome in 1966; and the many years he spent in academia, teaching the Catholic faith to university students. They also talk about bishop Kennedy’s favorite author, Flannery O’Connor, and his assessment of the young people he’s confirmed throughout the Archdiocese since his ordination as bishop last year. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Chris how he celebrates Christmas now that the seminary is not in session. Fr. Chris said he will be helping out at St. John in Winthrop and Sacred Heart in East Boston, which are close together but unique. St. John is a typical suburban parish and Sacred Heart is a melting pot of the city with several ethnic groups living there. He will celebrate the 4pm and 6pm Christmas Eve Masses. On Christmas, he will spend it with his family at his sister’s home in Stoughton. Scot said his family will travel to New Bedford where his brother Roger is pastor of St. Anthony Parish. They will attend 4pm Mass and then have a dinner after in the rectory. On Christmas Day they go to the 9am at St. Agnes in Arlington, where his daughter sings in the children’s choir. They will gather with both sides of his family afterward. Fr. Chris said it’s easier on pastors when Christmas is on a Sunday because they don’t have to double up on Masses. He said he hopes people who come back for Christmas for the first time since the new translation came into effect will find it edifying. Also, this Wednesday, all the church and chapels of the Archdiocese will have confessions available from 6pm to 8:30pm as part of The Light Is On For You. You can find a church at PilotParishFinder.com. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Bishop Kennedy to the show. Scot said he was ordained to the priesthood on December 17, 1966 and is celebrating 45 years in the priesthood. Bishop Kennedy thanked Scot and said it’s a good time to be rector because it shows the young men the life of the priesthood can be remarkably rewarding and filled with the mystery of God. What God does in us is what we really celebrate in this 45th anniversary. On September 14, 2010, Bishop Kennedy and Bishop Peter Uglietto were ordained bishops for Boston. They recently met with all the bishops of New England with Pope Benedict for his first ad limina visit. It’s a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles, first of all, so they celebrated Mass at the tombs of St. Peter and St. Paul as well as Bl. John Paul II. They also met with the Holy Father for about 40 minutes and they each spoke to him about some aspect of the work of the new Evangelization. Bishop Kennedy talked about the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization that they have undertaken at St. John Seminary. The Holy Father emphasized how all evangelization begins with catechesis. They then met with various Vatican offices, including the new council for the New Evangelization, where they were very excited about TINE for their work. He also met with the Congregation for Education ad Seminaries. They talked about the New Evangelization too, especially how they train and form lay people and how that relationship affects how they form and train seminarians. They also talked about getting permission to have a pontifical degree at St. John’ Seminary. Scot asked what is a pontifical degree. Bishop Kennedy said it is based on a system | 12/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0203: Monday, December 19, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Bishop Robert F. Hennessey, Auxiliary Bishop of Boston for the Central Region and Fr. David Barnes, Pastor of St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Parish in Beverly, MA Links from today’s show: Fr. David Barnes’ blog The Light Is On For You PilotParishFinder.com St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Parish Today’s topics: Confession and Preparing for Christmas Summary of today’s show: Bishop Robert F. Henneseey and Fr. David Barnes discuss with Scot Landry the importance of Confession as a spiritual preparation for Christmas and on this Wednesday, the Archdiocese’s The Light Is On For You program makes every church and chapel available for Confessions that evening. Many of the myths and misconceptions of Confession are debunked and the wonderful spiritual benefits are revealed. Also, other ways to use this last week of Advent to make the best preparation for Christmas and the Incarnation of Christ. 1st segment: Scot said we hear a lot in Advent to prepare the way of the Lord. One good way to do that is to make a good holy confession between now and christmas. This Wednesday, every church and chapel in the Archdiocese will be open from 6:30pm to 8pm as part of The Light Is On For You. The recalled the anniversary of Bishop Hennessey’s ordination to the episcopate on last Monday, December 12, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He’s been a bishop for five years. Scot said he meets many people as a bishop, but only sees them once. Bishop Hennessey said as a bishop you don’t have the same relationship with people as you did when you were a pastor. He loves going out to the parishes and doing confirmations, but he does miss life in a parish. Fr. David was the youngest pastor in the Archdiocese when he became pastor of St. Mary Star of the Sea and he was parochial vicar before that and has been there 12 years. Bishop Hennessy said when he was pastor at Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, he did more than 400 baptism a year and he still has people come up to him and say he baptized them. He said East Boston has been a gateway for newly arriving immigrants. Fr. David said he does about 75 in his own very large parish. Scot said Cardinal Seán launched The Light Is On For You during Lent 2010. It is occurring just one Wednesday this Advent on Wednesday, December 21. Bishop Hennessey said a lot of priests said during Advent that they would spend a lot of time preparing people for the new missal and wouldn’t have as much time preaching on confession, plus one of the Wednesday’s would be the vigil of the Immaculate Conception. Scot encouraged listeners to go to TheLightIsOnForYou.org for resources on preparing for confession. He asked how Fr. David was encouraging people to come to confession. He said he preaches about confession quite a bit and blogs on it and writes in the parish bulletin. The kids at the parish school have also gone to confession and hopefully they’re encouraging their parents. He said the more you talk about it and offer it, the more people will come to it. He notices that most of the people who come to confession to him now are under 40. The more you offer it and the more people know you’re waiting, the more they will come. He said for a long time people thought you didn’t need to come anymore. Bishop Hennessey said he remembers in the second grade, Sr. Marie Patrick asking them why Jesus came as a little baby. She said he did so because nobody is afraid of a baby. During Advent, people who say they are afraid to go to confession, that God won’t forgive them, it’s important to remember that God doesn’t want us to fear him. Scot said we often picture God as a strong judgmental father, but Scot likes to remember the father of the prodigal son who races out to embrace his son and has a celebration to welcome the son home. It’s the priest’s role to be that loving father. | 12/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0207: Friday, December 23, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry, Fr. Mark O’Connell, and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Sr. Olga Yaqob, Servant Mother of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth Today’s topics: Christmas Gospels and The Incarnation Summary of today’s show: We prepare for Christmas as Scot Landry, Fr. Mark O’Connell, Susan Abbott, and Sr. Olga Yaqob consider the four different Gospel readings and reflect how each one illuminates a different message of Christmas and the Incarnation of Christ. Our panel then discusses the meaning of Christ being born as a baby in the most humble circumstances and then growing up in obscurity for 30 years in preparation for just 3 years of public ministry. Finally, they look at the first heralds of Christ, the humble shepherds who dropped everything to adore and then proclaim the Messiah, and encourage us all to take the opportunity this Christmas to make Christ our top priority and to proclaim him fearlessly and with enthusiasm. 1st segment: Scot said this is the last broadcast prior to Christmas and next week we’ll have a series of Best Of programs. Scot welcomed Sr. Olga to show. Fr. Mark said he will be celebrating a vigil Mass on Saturday and then Sunday morning, but he’s celebrating midnight Mass for his parents in their home with his family. Susan will be celebrating with her family at her daughters’ home. Sr. Olga said her sisters will go to nursing homes and then feed the homeless and see the families of the young women. Scot said his family will travel on Christmas Eve to his brother’s parish, where Fr. Roger will celebrate Mass and then they will all have a Christmas Eve meal. On Christmas morning they will go to Mass at their home parish where his daughter sings in the choir. Scot said there are many who will also experience sadness on Christmas if they’ve lost a loved one recently and we will pray for them. Scot said we will look at the Mass readings for Christmas and then reflect on the meaning of Christmas. At the end of the program, we will discuss some of our favorite Christmas hymns. 2nd segment: Scot said there are four different Christmas liturgies from which readings come. One is the vigil Mass, the midnight Mass, the Mass at dawn, and Mass during the day. We will hear the four Gospels. Fr. Mark points out that if someone goes to the same Mass every year they only hear one of these Gospels. Gospel of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord At the Vigil Mass This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. Gospel of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, Mass During the Night (Mass at Midnight) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and | 12/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0202: Friday, December 16, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr Bryan Parrish, Assistant Vicar for Administration and Special Assistant to the Vicar General. Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Bryan Parrish Summary of today’s show: In another of our occasional series of profiles of priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, Fr. Bryan Parrish relates the story of his vocation, including how the words of Pope John Paul II on Boston Common ignited the spark of his vocational call, then showcases the series of parish assignments that encompass the broad diversity of the Archdiocese. Listeners will also learn the correct way to pronounce “Quincy” and leanr about Fr. Bryan’s family connection to a beloved South Shore institution. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark caught up on the the week in the Pastoral Center, including the employee Advent party, where reserved parking spots are given out to lucky employees by lottery. They also had the Presbyteral Council yesterday. They are about 50 priests who give advice to Cardinal Seán on important matters. Yesterday they discussed pastoral planning, how the archdiocese will respond to an assisted suicide referendum next November, and the progress of the improved financial relationship model. Fr. Mark noted that there are representatives from each of the 20 vicariates that make up the Archdiocese and those priests are encouraged to go back and report to their fellow priests in their vicariate. Fr. Mark is also closing out the seminary year for his canon law classes. 2nd segment: Fr. Bryan Parrish grew up in Canton, Mass., and he heard the call to the priesthood at the end of high school. It was not a gradual call and came out of the blue, in a sense. He attended Xaverian High School in Westwood from 1976 to 1980. His parents were daily communicants and their faith was very much a part of his life. Going to Xaverian was a deepening of his faith and getting to know a couple of the priests who were chaplains, including then-Father Richard Malone, who is now Bishop Malone of Portland, Maine. Pope John Paul II came to Boston during Fr. Bryan’s senior year and when he spoke on Boston Common, Fr. Bryan had not been looking at the priesthood. He’d been thinking of studying engineering. But he preached his homily to young people, including the phrase “Follow Christ”. This beautiful line in his homily challenged young people: “Whatever you make of your lives, let it reflect the love of Christ.” The phrase stayed with him through his senior year. It was also a difficult time for his family, because his sister had been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma and for the first time in his life had to pray for someone. At the end of March, his senior year, it all just came together and he felt the Lord was calling him to the seminary to explore the priesthood in a more concrete and direct way. His parents were a little unsettled at first, because he hadn’t talked about it. He feels blessed that he didn’t go through any serious questioning of whether he should stay in the seminary. Fr. Mark said he knew Fr. Bryan’s brother, Mark, because they played hockey together. Fr. Mark said he also was a patron of Fr. Bryan’s family business, Crescent Ridge Dairy in Sharon, well known in the area for its ice cream. Fr. Bryan said his whole family was very supportive all along the way. 3rd segment: Fr. Bryan’s first parish was St. Mary’s in Quincy. Fr. Bryan corrected Scot’s pronunciation of Quincy (said with a Z sound, not S sound). Fr. Bryan said the pastor had only been there five days when Fr. Bryan arrived at 25 years old. Fr. Mark and Fr. Bryan both worked in a parish in Quincy together when Fr. Mark was a deacon and Fr. Bryan was a seminarian. From Quincy, Fr. Bryan went to St. Paul, Wellesley. He was there for six years. It was a very different community, very affluent in the MetroWest | 12/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #201: Thursday, December 15, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Tim Tebow; Pope going to Cuba, Mexico; Death of Cardinal Foley; Miracles for Sheen, Cope Summary of today’s show: Why do the secularists hate Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow so much? Because his public Christian faith confronts the deeply held knowledge of the existence of God they try to deny, conclude Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy, as the consider this question and other news of the week, including Pope Benedict’s announcement of visits to Cuba and Mexico next year; the death of Cardinal John Foley, the “voice of Christmas”; and discussion of miracles attributed to the intercession of Archbishop Fulton Sheen and Blessed Marianne Cope, which could advance their causes of canonization. 1st segment: Scot and Susan discussed how we are in the homestretch to Christmas with the momentum building toward the feast. Susan said there was a workshop at St. Michael, Bedford, on religious education for children with disabilities. They plan to do more workshops on the subject in the spring. They work with the parents to bring the kids into the mainstream of religious education. Scot and Susan previewed our first story today on Denver Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow and his public practice of his Christian faith, including the controversy over it. 2nd segment: Scot it’s fascinating to turn on the secular sports and talk shows and hear that everyone wants to talk about Tim Tebow. Tebow has led the Broncos to a 7-1 record since he took over the team and many of his wins have been “miraculous”. Some people have been turned off by his wearing his faith on his sleeve. Fr. Michael Harrington gave a homily this week in which he asked whether as Christians we’re all supposed to wear our faith on our sleeves. Scot said Tebow doesn’t throw the God or Jesus around cheaply. Fr. Roger wrote an editorial this week in The Anchor on why secularists despise Tim Tebow. Fr. Roger said secularists are those who live as if God doesn’t exist and they don’t want to be confronted with the reality of faith in their own interactions. This is why there is an effort to eliminate Christmas from mention in favor of Holidays, for example. Tim Tebow isn’t like some athletes who clearly isn’t living a relationship with Jesus, but thanks God at the end of a win. Tebow spends his time off volunteering in hospitals and going on the missions. Tim Tebow is clearly a sign of contradiction, which is why he’s considered a controversial figure. People trying to reject Tebow are rejecting him not as a football player, but as a Christian. Tebow thanks Jesus for vitories and defeats, for his teammates, for his career, and so on. “Fathers Landry, Pavone on ‘Tebow phenomenon”, Matt C. Abbott, Renew America Scot said NFL Films miked Tim Tebow for last week’s game and last night they aired some of the excerpts. During the game, on the sideline, Tebow is humming Christian hymns under his breath. And when one of his receivers dropped a critical pass, he goes to the receiver and encourages him and tells him he will succeed for the rest of the game. And he did. Scot asked Susan why people despise him for his Christianity. Susan said it sounds like he is a product of a faith-filled home. Maybe people dislike him because he holds a mirror up to us and makes us feel bad about how we’re living our lives. There have been other athletes, | 12/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0200: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Stephen and Kari Colella and Mary Finnigan from Archdiocese of Boston Marriage Ministries and the Transformed in Love marriage preparation program Links from today’s show: Office of Marriage Ministries Natural Family Planning Program Marriage: Unique for A Reason For Your Marriage/Por Tu Matrimono Today’s topics: Transformed in Love marriage preparation program Summary of today’s show: Statistics tells us that there is a marriage crisis in our society. Cardinal Sean and the Marriage Ministry Office of the Archdicoese of Boston have responded with a new marriage preparation program called “Transformed in Love” that provides both the practical human skills and the spiritual foundation and formation that every couple needs to have a successful marriage today. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams are joined on our 200th show by Stephen and Kari Colella and Mary Finnigan to talk about what makes Transformed in Love different and how couples who’ve experienced it are giving glowing testimonials. 1st segment: Scot said it’s our 200th show on The Good Catholic Life and Fr. Matt said it’s great to be on Wednesdays because it’s always a milestone show. Fr. Matt said he’s been getting ready this week for the March for Life pilgrimage in January as well as the New Year’s Eve Young Adult Mass and gathering in the North End with Cardinal Seán. Information on both are available at http://www.one4boston.org. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Steve, Kari, and Mary to the show. He asked Kari to give background on Transformed in Love. She said they started developing it in 2006 and have been running marriage preparation programs with it in 2009. Mary said there are some new topics and areas in this program, by reconnecting people with their faith including reconciliation, a teaching Mass, and a discussion of salvation history. Kari said they spent a lot of time doing research and working with people to find the needs for people preparing for marriage today, as well as deacons and priests helping prepare people. A key element that came up was the role that faith plays in individual lives and as a couple to strengthen marriages, as well as the practical skills they can provide. There was a lot more substantive explanation of marriage, plus they maintained the traditional witness talks from married couples. Mary said the response has been positive. There have been comments like “I’ve never heard this before” or “I went through Catholic school and never heard this before” or “This is more relevant than I thought it would be.” They are connecting and reenergizing interest in the faith. Fr. Matt said several years ago, the cardinal called together a committee to study marriage and was chaired by Kari. They were asked to study how they could strengthen marriage in the archdiocese. One recommendation was educating people about marriage prior to engagement, often as children, and giving the tools for marriage; helping engaged couples prepare for marriage (this is where the committee wanted to focus resources); and helping couples in their relationship after marriage. They are looking how to adapt the marriage preparation program for young people before engagement and married couples after marriage. They are seeking to standardize the program through the archdiocese so that everyone knows what to expect and everyone gets the same high level of preparation. Scot said Catholics divorce about the same rate as non-Catholics. Kari said it is sobering to see those statistics. Research says communications are important to head off divorce. We also have to have the vision and commitment to understand where we’re going as well as spiritual practices to help us grow in virtue and love. People are thirsty for the vision and to love well. Scot asked Steve how those human skills | 12/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0199: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Marianne Luthin, Director of the Archdiocese of Boston Pro-Life Office Links from today’s show: Archdiocese of Boston Pro-Life Office Project Rachel Boston “A Nationwide Call for Healing After Abortion”, Tom Grenchik, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, US Conference of Catholic Bishops “Cardinals throw clout behind strengthened post-abortion healing program”, Catholic News Service, 11/15/11 Today’s topics: Project Rachel Boston Summary of today’s show: Marianne Luthin talks with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor about Project Rachel, an outreach ministry of hope and healing to men and women hurting from past abortions. Project Rachel Boston was one of two diocesan programs highlighted at the recent US bishops’ conference meeting as examples of the need to spread this ministry nationwide, helping women who often say, “God can forgive me, but I can’t forgive myself.” 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. It’s the end of the semester at St. John Seminary. They had their big December 8 celebration on the Feast of Immaculate Conception. Bishop John D’Arcy,retired bishop of South Bend and and former faculty at St. John’s gave a reflection to the men on his priesthood. He said they should be aware of the beauty and dignity of the priesthood and live that with vigor and a desire for holiness. Fr. Chris said Bishop D’Arcy is on fire for the Lord and has a great gift with a real shepherd’s heart. Fr. Chris said the seminarians are now finishing up work and getting ready to head home to be with their families. Fr. Chris said he is looking forward to this weekend for the Patriots-Broncos games which pits Tom Brady against Tim Tebow, who is very well-known as a devout Christian who talks about his faith. Scot said are criticizing Tebow for being willing to talk about his faith and being willing to live it,. 2nd segment: Scot said it must have an honor for Marianne to go down to Washington last month to do a press conference on behalf of the bishops about Project Rachel. She said three cardinals did a joint presentation to all the US bishops on Project Rachel, including Cardinal Seán, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston, and Cardinal Donald Wuerl of Washington, DC. The Project Rachel programs in Boston and Washington were being profiled and the hope is those programs can provide assistance and training to other dioceses who want to start one. Marianne said the program is named after the Old Testament matriarch Rachel. In the book of Jeremiah, Rachel weeps for her children who are no more. The Lord comes to her and says to her to cease her cries of mourning because there is hope and healing. Marianne said an important part of the Scripture is that no matter how many tears Rachel shed or how many years, she couldn’t heal herself. On the healing that came from God made it possible. Marianne said Project Rachel began in Boston in 1985, one of the first in the US. They started it with a full-year of prayer, every day a parish praying for it. The project cares for women who’ve had an abortion and all those who might have participated in the abortion. It provides retreats for women and men seeking wholeness and healing. Every woman’s story is unique and so they begin wherever they can in that healing process. Many women come in after many years after seeing a brochure. Other women are younger and the wound is fresh. The women range in age from teen all the way to elderly. Marianne said it is all completely confidential. No one knows where the retreats will be and they don’t even publish the list of priests who are involved. Scot said the Mass of Remembrance for miscarried children that we profiled a month ago showed that many parents don’t talk about the pain of miscarriage for ye | 12/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0198 for Monday, December 12, 2011: Kevin Wells and Jen Schiller | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Kevin Wells and Jen Schiller Links from today’s show: WQOM 1st Anniversary Conference Kevin's Burst blog Burst: A Story of God's Grace when Life Falls Apart Today’s topics: Kevin Wells discusses his book Burst. Summary of today’s show: Scot, Jen Schiller, and Kevin Wells discuss Kevin's moving book Burst: A Story of God's Grace when Life Falls Apart, in which Kevin details how his faith helped him through various medical and family traumas. 1st segment: Scot opened the show by wishing all the listeners a happy feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe today, and thanked WQOM for a great conference this past Saturday at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Scot welcomed Jen to the show. Jen said she got Kevin's book from friends several months ago. She explained that she knew Kevin from Loyola University, and was very excited to read Burst. Jen said the themes of hope and enduring suffering with faith was inspiring to her, and that his message and witness could be a great example for everyone. Scot commented that Kevin's story is very much what a "Good Catholic Life" is about - not every day is bliss, but we persevere with help from God. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Kevin Wells to the show, and asked him to detail what happened on January 2nd, 2009. Kevin explained that it was a typical night when he was 41, but as soon as he put his head down to go to sleep, it felt like someone had put a tomahawk into the back of his head. A line of arteries and veins had burst in his brain, and his brain was bleeding. By the grace of God he didn't die instantly, as many people with similar bursts do. Kevin said he remembers the EMTs picking him up gently and walking him to the ambulance - the thought that he might not recover crossed his mind then. After undergoing emergency surgery, he spent a long time in the intensive care unit in the hospital. Kevin continued and said that he was mostly lucid after the surgery, as the main impairment was balance and motor function. He remembers vividly a horrid set of hallucinations of demons taunting him and even of his daughter drowning in the ceiling. Kevin said he had just gotten back from a Jesuit retreat, and had been a regular attendee. He said the Ignatian contemplation helped him battle through the time in the hospital bed. He said the method he followed was to take a scripture passage and continually visualize and meditate on being present in the passage. Kevin explained that the passage he focused on most was being in the upper room and picturing Jesus wash the feet of his Apostles. The tenderness and care with which Jesus did this, even when he was about to die, was comforting to Kevin. Another mental picture of Jesus' hand on his head helped Kevin offer up the pain and suffering he was going through. Jen said she was struck by the part of the book where he described these exercises, and what a remarkable gift it is that Kevin has good memory and can put this faith into words to share with everyone else. Jen commented that reading through the book it is obvious a miracle happened in his life. Kevin agreed, saying there's no formula for everyone to deal with pain - we must simply place ourselves in Christ's hands in hopeful surrender and know he will tend to our needs. Kevin said when we unite our pain with Jesus, God's graces flow strongly. Jen mentioned that Kevin wrote in the book that sometimes he struggled to feel God's presence, but that he also wrote in retrospect that "...I'd would be back to my old self in a year or so, yet that really wasn't the point, it would have been a shame if it was." Kevin commented that he thinks it's false theology to say we shouldn't suffer - Easter wouldn't have happened without the Cross a few days prior. We need to embrace the Catholic view of suffering, Kevin said - pain is part of life, and all we can do is call on God in a childlike way and ask Him to hold on to | 12/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0197: Friday, December 9, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Brian Patrick, speakers at the 2011 WQOM 1st Anniversary Conference Links from today’s show: WQOM WQOM 1st Anniversary Conference Ignatius Productions, an apostolate of Fr. Mitch Pacwa, SJ Son Rise Morning Show Today’s topics: Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Brian Patrick, WQOM Conference, Sunday readings Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Mark welcome two of the speakers at this weekend’s WQOM 1st Anniversary Conference in Lowell, Fr. Mitch Pacwa of EWTN and Brian Patrick of the Son Rise Morning Show on WQOM. They discuss the value and importance of Catholic conferences, especially during Advent, to enliven the faith and prepare for Christmas as well as to grow in fellowship with other Catholics. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark talked about their week, including Friday’s Mass of blessing for the new community of women with Sister Olga at the Cathedral. There about 800 people coming. Fr. Mark said Sr. Olga is a very well-known and memorable person who has touched the lives of many people. Scot said on Saturday, more than 1,000 people will join WQOM in celebrating the first anniversary of Catholic radio in Boston at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium. Scot said he loves conferences. He was very involved in the Catholic Men’s and Women’s Conferences in the past and will be the emcee tomorrow. Tickets will be available at the door. It runs from 9am-5pm and will end with a Mass with Cardinal Seán for Gaudete Sunday. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Brian Patrick to the show. Scot said WQOM listeners wake up each day to learn about the Catholic faith listening to the Son Rise Morning Show, which originates out of Cincinnati. Scot asked Brian why it’s good for Catholics to come to a conference in Advent or Lent. Brian said on Saturday he will talk about Advent as a time for a new beginning. The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church year. Especially with the new Mass translation, it’s a new beginning even more this year. Fr. Mark asked how a conference can touch a person individually. Brian said he starts by preparing his own soul for the coming of Christ and then sharing with others his passion for Christ. Brian said he was away from his faith for many years, but he came back to Christ on his knees and realized that the Lord loved him through all those years and gave him a new beginning. Now he gets to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with people all over the world every day. So he will share his own experience and those attending will share their stories with one another. When we can share what we’re going through, it prompts us along the journey. Scot said Brian said Advent is a great time to slow down, but the Christmas shopping frenzy can take us out of it. Scot said he likes an Advent retreat as a way t o step back and not get caught up in that to marvel at the Incarnation. This conference can help make Christmas more special. Brian said the culture wants us to buy in to the idea that we need to make sure the retailers have a good Christmas. But Christmas is focusing on Jesus who comes to us in the Nativity. He loves to give Christmas gifts, but he keeps them personal and simple and refuses to buy into the prevalent idea. Thank God for Catholic media that reminds us of the true reason for Advent and Christmas. Scot said the conference will be a chance to say thank you to The Good Catholic Life listeners. Brian said he loves meeting his listeners. Each morning he thinks of talking to one person because it’s a personal meeting. To see the faces and meet the personalities, he then begins to picture them personally. Brian said they are privileged to have a 24-hour adoration chapel in the building where Son Rise Morning Show is broadcast each day. Fr. Mark asked Brian if he could think of a time when a conference has truly borne fruit. Brian said with | 12/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0196: Thursday, December 8, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Immaculate Conception, pastoral plan, Holy Father’s address to US bishops, Rhode Island’s “holiday tree” Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott gathered with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy on this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception to discuss the news of the week, including the meaning of the feast day; a follow-up on the priests’ convocation Monday on pastoral planning in the archdiocese; the Holy Father’s ad limina address to US bishops on the need to preach with new freshness about our faith; the importance of good Catholic families to evangelization; a kerfuffle over a “holiday tree” in Rhode Island; and mourning two dear colleagues who have passed away. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan, Gregory, and Fr. Roger to the show. Today is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and a holy day of obligation. Fr. Roger preached on various depictions of the Blessed Mother in his parish, St. Anthony in New Bedford and what they teach about Our Lady. The Immaculate Conception has been celebrated in the parish for 100 years because the parish was dedicated in 1912. He said Bishop Dooher came from Boston to give an Advent reflection to priests in the Diocese of Fall River. The grace of God shines through Mary to radiate upon us and to defeat Satan as prophesied in the book of Genesis. Scot said the Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States and on Monday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Scot said it’s often confused that we’re celebrating today the conception of Jesus, but we’re really celebrating the conception of Mary. In 9 months, on September 8, we will celebrate Mary’s birth. 2nd segment: Scot said the front-page headline in the Pilot discusses the Pastoral planning that has begun in the archdiocese. Greg said since we already discussed some of the details of the pastoral plan last week. On Monday, the cardinal brought it before the priests of the archdiocese to get their feedback. He said they chose to have the reporter not be in the room in order to respect the cardinal’s desire to have an open discussion with the priests. “Archdiocese proposes plan to share parish resources”, The Boston Pilot, 12/2/11 Greg said the priests were able to give their instant feedback en masse through electronic voting. The important message was that this is the beginning of a conversation and if any priest wants to make any more comments in private, they will be welcome. Scot noted that the trial question for the priests, in order to teach them how to use the electronic voting, asked them their favorite sports teams. Number one was Red Sox at 32% and number 2 was the Patriots at 30% and the third choice was none of the above at 17%. The rest of the voting will be made public in the future as data is compiled by the Office for Pastoral Planning. Susan said the prospect of the pastoral plan is exciting and scary. She’s been asking people to pray that whatever God wills for the archdiocese, we will cooperate with. She noted that the proposal for Pastoral Service Teams, includes lay ecclesial ministers which includes all kinds of roles within the parish. Fr. Roger said in the diocese of Fall River at the day of recollection for priests, they looked to Boston and were blown away by the scope of the proposal and the response to what is coming down the road, being proactive instead of reactive. It | 12/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0195: Wednesday, December 7, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Dr. Ray Guarendi, Carol Pirillo, and Christopher Harding Links from today’s show: Dr. Ray’s website Cards Behind Bars Archdiocese of Boston Pastoral Planning Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults Today’s topics: Pastoring three parishes, Dr. Ray Guarendi, Cards Behind Bars Summary of today’s show: It’s a feast of topics today. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams continue the discussion of the proposed pastoral plan for the Archdiocese of Boston presented to priests on Monday, by listening to a talk given by Fr. Jack Ahern on lessons learned pastoring three parishes. Then Scot welcomes Dr. Ray Guarendi, host of his own show on WQOM and one of the presenters at this Saturday’s WQOM conference in Lowell. Finally, Scot talks with Chris Harding and Carol Pirillo of the Cards Behind Bars ministry, which provides Christmas cards to prisoners to send to their families. 1st segment: Scot said to Fr. Matt that not only is it the beginning of Advent with the new Roman Missal translation, the God of This City tour last week, a Priests’ Convocation on Monday, a Sister Olga’s new religious community on Friday, and the WQOM conference on Saturday. Fr. Matt recapped the God of This City tour which had over 2,000 people take part over four nights. Friday evening was the culminating event at the Cathedral. They had five priests for confession and all night long the line was over 20 to 30 people deep. Some priests heard confessions for over 4 hours. It shows the need for more priests, but it also shows how the tour brings people to a deeper relationship with the Lord. Scot will begin today with a continuation of the conversation about this past Monday’s priest convocation. Among the speakers on Monday was Fr. Jack Ahern, about what it is like to be the first pastor in the Archdiocese to serve three parishes at once as pastor. His reflections moved the priests who were present. Fr. Jack Ahern: On his first day in Dorchester, following Mass, the lector asked to speak to him. He asked Fr. Jack why the cardinal would send a liberal elite to their parish. He said he must be liberal elite because he’s from Brookline and the Boston Globe likes him. It went down from there. There were painful decisions related to hiring and firing staff, adjusting the schedules and programs for each of the three parishes. Most people recognized the need for change, but the vocal minority made life difficult sometimes. One woman had Bishop Hennessey on speed-dial and called him at least once per week. Scot said when a pastor takes on three parishes you meet it with everything you have and most people embrace the priest and the change necessary. Fr. Matt said in a new assignment you expect to be welcomed with open arms. He suspects it was complicated by the changes that had already occurred in Dorchester. He said it’s difficult for the priest too because you want to shepherd these people and to experience this right at the beginning puts you on your heels. You can lose perspective in that the vocal minority can monopolize your attention. Scot said Fr. Jack was speaking to the concerns of the priests in the room who had not pastored more than one parish at a time. Fr. Jack delineated the challenges they would face. Fr. Jack: It hasn’t been easy, but it’s true for all the priests. For himself and his vicars, they have sometimes shown up at the right time but the wrong church for Mass. The schedules don’t always allow them to be together as one in all activities. It’s an adjustment for the parishioners who do not understand why you cannot be present. Combining programs and celebrations is a slow process. The most difficult adjustment for the priests is that the parishioners are used to seeing their priests each and every week. They would sometimes not see one of the priests for one o | 12/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0194: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Msgr. William Fay, pastor of St. Columbkille, Brighton, and co-chair of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission Links from today’s show: Boston Pastoral Planning Today’s topics: Archdiocesan Priests Convocation on Pastoral Planning Summary of today’s show: On December 5, Cardinal Seán and members of the Archdiocesan Pastoral Planning Commission opened up a consultation process with almost 400 priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, discussing how best to organize the parishes in the archdiocese for evangelization and mission-effectiveness in the years to come. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor welcome Msgr. William Fay, co-chair of the commission, to discuss the convocation and the proposal presented to the priests, which includes grouping parishes and assigning Pastoral Service Teams to them. Later, Scot and Fr. Chris listen to and comment on Cardinal Seán’s remarks at the convocation, including his five mission initiatives and four points he wished to make to priests about the proposal. 1st segment: Scot said today we would review yesterday’s convocation with priests, led by Cardinal Seán, Msgr. William Fay, and Fr. Jack Ahern, to give an idea of the direction the Archdiocese might head in the coming years. Scot welcomed Msgr. Fay back to the show. Scot said a lot has been written in the media in anticipation of the meeting. Msgr. Fay said pastoral planning is about reinvigorating ourselves for evangelization in the archdiocese. Attendance in the sacramental life of the Church is under 16%, which isn’t good for us or those who are not attending. Parishes are struggling for resources and we need to give them a boost. Evangelization takes place in the parishes and we need to energize the staffs by bringing economies of scale to eliminate redundancies. The key idea is Pastoral Service Teams, which would have one pastor for two or more parishes. He’d have a parochial vicar or two, a deacon, pastoral associates, catechists and more. They would look at what it means to do this outreach. These teams would sit down with the members of the parish pastoral council and finance council to develop a plan for the good life in communion for the parish. Scot said this is just the beginning of a consultation, not the presentation of what we’re going to do. It’s the result of months of effort of the pastoral planning commission. He said there’s been misreporting that this is just a new way to close parishes, but it’s not. Over the past two decades about 160 parishes have closed in the archdiocese and we don’t want to close any more going forward. Scot asked how the life of the parishioner would change as a result of this initiative. Msgr. Fay said hopefully they become more engaged and involved in their parish and become excited about their faith. The Church begins in the life of the family and for the Eucharist they come together in the life of the parish. Once we get people to to see what the life of faith is about, we hope they will make a commitment to bring other people into that life with Christ. So they shouldn’t expect much external change in the parish, but they will find some change within themselves and working more collaboratively with each other and nearby parishes. Fr. Chris asked how this plan is different from mergers or closures. Msgr. Fay said when you close a parish, the life of the parish comes to an end and it’s a kind of death. The plan is not to close parishes, but to bring them together in greater relationship with each other by having a pastor assigned to two or three parishes. He becomes responsible for the spiritual life of the parishes and their material existence as well. He is not assigned to a collaborative but to parishes and the parishes are bonded through the pastor in a new relationship. It is hoped that the pa | 12/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0193: Monday, December 5, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Mother Maureen, Sr. Evelyn, Sr. Katy, Sr. Janice, and Sr. Evelyn of Mount Saint Mary Abbey, Wrentham, Mass. Links from today’s show: Mount Saint Mary Abbey, Wrentham, MA Trappistine Quality Candy Mt. St. Mary Abbey on Facebook Today’s topics: Trappist nuns who make world-famous chocolate Summary of today’s show: They say it’s the best kept secret in New England and along a quiet, tree-lined road in the rural town of Wrentham sits an unassuming monastery of contemplative women who make chocolate beloved around the world. Scot Landry goes on location to Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey, where the Trappist nuns support their way of life by making and selling Trappistine Quality Candy (perfect for Christmas gifts!) and practice the Cistercian life of liturgy, labor, and lectio divina. Join us on a rare behind-the-scenes look at life in a place where life moves at a different pace. 1st segment: St. Mary Abbey in Wrentham is the first abbey of Cistercian abbey of nuns in the United States. We are on location in Wrentham to share with you their way of life and show Mother Maureen, Sister Katy and Sister Evelyn join us today. Scot asked Mother Maureen about the origins of the Cistercians. The order was founded in 1098 by Benedictines living in a culture that didn’t allow for the full expression of the Benedictine way of life. These monks missed the manual labor as well as the solitude and prayer that comes with less involvement in secular affairs. So they went off into the thick woods of France with the Church’s blessing to work the land and find a purer balance of the Benedictine way of life: Liturgy, labor, and lectio divina. This way of life took off like wildfire. Scot said at some point the Cistercians underwent a reform which resulted in the Trappists, formally called the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance. Mother Maureen said the order looked back to its roots which helped it to survive difficult times, including the French revolution. Scot said there are other Cistercians abbeys in the US, including 12 for women. Sr. Katy said there is usually a monastery of nuns located near a monastery of women. The Abbey in Spencer, Mass., was already here and then Cardinal Cushing in 1949 asked for the sisters to come from Ireland to found this monastery. The numbers grew very quickly and they began to make foundations elsewhere. The first was in Iowa and the second in Arizona and third in West Virginia. Scot said they take a vow of stability. They promise to stay in the abbey for the rest of their life. Sr. Katy said the exception is if they make a new foundation, but if they come it’s their intention to stay in the community until death. It’s a blessing to have that continuation. It’s a little bit of heaven because we believe after death we will be together forever. She said they never get bored with one another because they’re always changing. Scot said there are 45 nuns in this monastery. Sr. Katy said they’re starting to see young women come to visit again. They don’t like to take them too young because the life is quite radical and so they would like them to have some maturity. Mother Maureen said about 1/4 of the nuns are from New England and 1/4 from the rest of the United States and since the 1990s they’ve had many more from overseas, so about 1/4 are from 10 different countries. And if they count the ones in the cemetery, about 1/4 are from New York state. She said there are more monasteries of men than women and there are some countries with Cistercian monasteries for men, but not women, so women who are interested in the monastic spirituality in the life will seek out the community. Scot said when they make a vow of stability to this community, they are leaving behind their country and they are discerning God’s will that this community is where they will stay the rest of | 12/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0192: Friday, December 2, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Sr. Olga Yaqob and Susan Horne Today’s topics: Mary, A Woman of Advent Summary of today’s show: For the Mother of Christ, Advent was not a time of Christmas shopping and baking, but the difficult last month of pregnancy made more difficult by a donkey-back ride through hard lands to a strange town to give birth in a stable to the Son of God. How can Mary’s experience of Advent enrich our own experience now? Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell are joined by Sr. Olga Yaqob and Susan Horne to consider Mary as the Woman of Advent in joyful expectation and anticipation with “immensity cloistered in thy dear womb”, as the poet John Donne said. 1st segment: Fr. Mark talked about his experience of the new translation of the Mass. He said it takes him back to when he was first ordained when he had to very carefully read every word and pay attention to pages. He said it also surprised him the first time he heard “And with your spirit”. He doesn’t feel that he’s praying the Mass yet. He’s achieving validity, but it will take some time to get comfortable enough to enter into deep prayer. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed back Sr. Olga and Susan Horne. Sr. Olga said the Holy Family and Nazareth in Christmas are close to her heart as one of the new community of women, the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth. Susan is a director of religious education at St. Joseph, Needham. She’s also a student in the Masters of Arts in Ministry program at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization and a student of Fr. Mark. Susan is new in her job as DRE and Scot asked her what it’s like to be DRE at one of the largest parishes in the Archdiocese. She’s surprised by the variety of tasks she has to do and the variety of people she encounters and has gotten to know in the parish. These are about 900 students in religious education students in the parish. Scot said Sr. Olga has a special devotion to the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph. Her new community os Daughters of Mary of Nazareth and her new convent is St. Joseph’s Convent. It was her idea to enter into the season of Advent by examining it through Mary’s eyes and later this month, through St. Joseph’s eyes. Sr. Olga said we have seen Christmas as a season of joy and celebration, even a season of adoration, like the Magi coming to adore the Christ Child. We get a glimpse of what Mary and Joseph truly lived in their experience. As a woman, knowing many women who have had babies, she wonders how Mary lived those last few weeks before giving birth to the Son of God, praying and anticipating and thinking of her son as the hope of her people, Israel. She felt a sense of responsibility. Sr. Olga said there is so much too learn from her in these last weeks of Advent. Susan said in pregnancy, in the last month, you begin nesting, preparing the home and the nursery. Susan thinks of Mary having to leave the nest and go someplace foreign to her to have the baby. Scot said each of his three children came after their due date like 705 of firstborns. In that time after the due date, there is the expectant hope for the child. “Come on already.” At the same time, the Israelites waited a thousand years for their Messiah, like expectant parents themselves. Sr. Olga said with her own mother, she learned from her how to receive Communion with the motherly desire waiting to hold her child. With a young woman she was with who gave birth, as soon as the baby was born, the woman wanted to hold the baby and just to touch his skin. When she goes to Communion, she longs to touch Christ and to receive him. Mary helps her to remain in Communion with Christ. She asks Mary to help her receive Jesus through Mary’s Immaculate Heart. Fr. Mark recalled a quote from John Donne: Christ is immensity cloistered within the womb: N | 12/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0191: Thursday, December 1, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Pastoral Planning in the Archdiocese; the new Roman Missal; new Nuncio in Ireland Summary of today’s show: You’ve seen the headlines about pastoral planning in the Archdiocese of Boston. Now get the real scoop. Scot Landry and Susan Abbott and regular guests Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry discuss the proposal for restructuring the way parishes are served in the Archdiocese that was leaked to the media ahead of Monday’s priestly convocation, countering the agenda-driven critics in the secular press. They also talk about how the adjustment to the new translation of the Roman Missal went in parishes this past Sunday with priests having to do the most adjusting; that the new papal nuncio to Ireland was Pope Benedict’s “go-to” man at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and that Catholic school enrollment in the Archdiocese is up for the first time since the 90s. 1st segment: Scot said Susan starts a retreat tonight in Narragansett, RI. Diocesan leaders of religious education will be examining the working document for the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization for how it affects the work they do as well as personally. Fr. Roger Landry said the document is called the liniamenta. This is the first part of the Synod, a framework which is sent out to all bishops and they respond to it. From that an instrumentum laboris is constructed and will be what the synod works from. Finally, they will Scot said to Gregory Tracy that he just returned from a trip to Guam where a friend who is the godfather of one of his children was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Agana, Guam. While he was from East Boston, his work with the Neo-Catechumenal Way led him to seminary for Guam. The story is in this week’s Pilot. It’s a beautiful country where most of the people are Catholic and they were treated to great hospitality. 2nd segment: Scot said the local coverage in the newspapers today of pastoral planning in the Archdiocese included some headlines biased toward critics. Scot said the planning documents were sent out to priests yesterday morning and some people shared them with the media, breaking an embargo that had been in place. “Critics fear new plan will close churches”, Boston Herald, 12/1/11 “Archdiocese plans to group parishes in large clusters”, Boston Globe “Boston Archdiocese Proposes Broad Parish Groupings”, WBUR, 11/30/11 Scot asked Greg about the beginning of the consultation phase being started right now. Greg said on Monday, the priests of the archdiocese will be gathering with the cardinal to give their feedback on the proposal. Greg pointed out that the proposal only changes how services are rendered in the parishes, not to suppress or merge them. Instead, parish service teams would serve more than one parish and create economies of scale. Scot said after the crisis of 2002, the archdiocese went into survival mode in 2004 with closing parishes to husband resources. Then for the last several years we’ve been in maintenance mode where we haven’t be structured to advance our mission of evangelization and bringing Christ to people and bringing them back to Mass. The changes would provide more resources for missions, streamlining for efficiency. Susan said she was dismayed that the documents were leaked and that it was a breach of trust. She first heard about it on the radio last night on the way home. The | 12/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #190: Wednesday, November 30, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Brother Rahl Bunsa, General Superior of the Brotherhood of Hope Links from today’s show: Brotherhood of Hope TGCL#140 on the Brotherhood of Hope “A Season of Hope by the Brotherhood of Hope: Rediscovering our Advent Heritage” Audio CD Today’s topics: Advent with the Brotherhood of Hope Summary of today’s show: Put away your Christmas music for now and keep Advent in the season with “A Season of Hope”, a CD of Advent music from the Brotherhood of Hope. Br. Rahl Bunsa talks with Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams about Advent as the season of hope in the Coming of Christ to restore creation to what it was intended to be and to prepare our own hearts to receive Christ ourselves. Enjoy what may be the only musical album of purely Advent music for sale anywhere and enter into the season. There’s time enough for Christmas music once Christmas is here. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt discussed the first two nights of the God of This City tour this week. He said the tour has grown bigger and bigger each year they’ve done it. (Our recent show on The God of This City tour is available for listening online or to download.) He described the talks on the two nights. Fr. Matt also mentioned that George Martell is telling the story of God of This City through photos on the Archdiocesan Flickr page. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Br. Rahl to the show. He said getting into the Advent season usually starts with listening to the Advent CD. Scot said church music helps you enter into the liturgical CDs. He asked why the Brotherhood made their first CD about Advent. Br. Rahl said Advent was their favorite season of the year, because of the theme of hope. But also they noticed that everyone had Christmas music, but not Advent music and yet there is so much very rich Advent music. Scot said his oldest son gets very upset when he hears Christmas music too early. He asks himself why can’t we all wait until Christmas? As Catholics we shouldn’t jump the gun on Christmas. Advent is rich in messages for us and can enrich our spiritual life and deepen our longing for Jesus. Br. Rahl said our parents and grandparents would not have decorated their homes until Christmas Eve and would have used Advent to prepare with Advent calendars and the like. Br. Rahl said of hope that all virtues are to grow in us and with hope, we are to grow in our confident expectation that Christ will come again in glory. And not just a future reality of the second coming of Christ, but also that the many promises of God in Scripture will be fulfilled, like the promise that as we grow in prayer, we will grow closer to God. Scot asked what the difference is between hope and optimism or a positive nature. Br. Rahl said it’s the difference between natural hope and supernatural hope. Supernatural hope is attached the supernatural nature of God, regarding his promises and what he has said. Fr. Matt said he loves the idea of preparing for Christ. In praying the new prayers of the revised Roman Missal this week, he was struck by the opening prayer that asked God to strengthen our resolve to go out to meet him at His coming, equipped with righteous deeds. He said our society has a lot of fear at the coming of Christ, but Christians want Christ to come and save us. It’s a hope-filled calling, that the Lord is faithful to his promises. He is unconditionally faithful. Fr. Matt said many people are turning to pharmaceuticals because they are not living in hope. Br. Rahl said a traditional acclamation of hope is the Greek word Maranatha, which means “Come!” Scot said there’s a nice quote in the CD cover that refers to the two-fold expectation of the coming of Christ. We prepare for the general coming of Christ at the end of time, and we also prepare for our own encounter with Christ at the end of our own lives. The first so | 11/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0189: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Richard Clancy, Director of Campus Ministry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Mary Doorley, Vice President of Development for Boston Catholic Development Services Links from today’s show: Archdiocese of Boston College Campus Ministry Tech Catholic Community Oblates of Divine Mercy Fellowship of Catholic University Students Today’s topics: The Cardinal’s Christmas Letter benefits the Office for Campus Ministry Summary of today’s show: Cardinal Seán’s annual Christmas letter customarily urges end-of-the-year support for one archdiocesan ministry and this year he’s asking for help for College Campus Ministry. With 23 colleges and 250,000 students in the Boston area, Fr. Richard Clancy and his fellow campus ministers are bringing Christ to population that is most missing from our parishes and yet are those seeking the truths that Church has to offer. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor are joined by Fr. Clancy and Mary Doorley of Boston Catholic Development Services to talk about engaging in effective campus ministry with limited resources and how even small donations can make a big difference in the life of young people and the future of the Church. 1st segment: Scot discussed with Fr. Chris the new translation of the Roman Missal and how it went for him this weekend. The idea of celebrating a Mass that is both new and still the same was disconcerting. He had the altar server stand next to him the whole time with the Missal. Today, he concelebrated Mass at the seminary and he found himself slipping back into the old, familiar ways, but he believes over time this will be beautiful for the Church. He said the men at Norfolk Prison last night were prepared and raring to go. He said it will be daunting in the seminary because the only group more critical than priests are seminarians because they know every rubric. Fr. Chris said priests also have the added burden of finding their way around the new Missal and so it will be a time of getting reacquainted. He also wished Scot a happy new year with this first week of Advent marking the beginning of the liturgical year. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Mary Doorley and Fr. Clancy to the show. Fr. Clancy has been in campus ministry for 15-1/2 years and he’s been director for 10 years. He grew up in Woburn and was always involved in his parish. St. Anthony. He worked in the rectory, helped the custodian with the grounds, was an altar server and lector. His parents were a good example as we was so involved with the church. He always considered it as a child, but it was when he went to college that it came to the fore. He attended Merrimack College and was very involved in alternative spring breaks and retreats. There were Augustinian brothers who influenced him. Mary said she’s worked at the Archdiocese since the beginning of September. She grew up in a family whose parish the center of their life. That was in Pittsburgh. She has worked in fundraising with many Catholic organizations over the past 25 years. Fr. Chris said he is ecstatic about the Cardinal’s Christmas Letter benefiting campus ministry this year because many of the men in the seminary now started their vocational journey through campus ministry at local colleges. Scot asked Fr. Clancy about campus ministry in the Archdiocese of Boston. He said there are 250,000 students in the Boston area. He added that they have different relationships with different schools. For example, most Catholic colleges provide their own campus ministry and then assist with resources and facilities. At private schools like MIT, many of the resources are partly provided by the archdiocese and partly provided by alumni and donors. At state schools and some private schools, the donations from donors and alumni are the sole support. Scot read a list of colleges and universiti | 11/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0188 for Monday, November 28, 2011: New Roman Missal Review | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Dr Edward Sri and Fr Brian Mahoney For links from today’s show, see our show notes page on http://thegoodcatholiclife.com. Today’s topics: The New Roman Missal at yesterday's Mass celebrations Summary of today’s show: Scot said he loves new stuff at the start of the show today - and as Catholics we have a double dose of new stuff these last few days. Yesterday not only marks the start of the new liturgical year, but the implementation of the New Roman Missal - a change in translation of our Mass parts - as well. Scot is joined today by Fr Brian Mahoney, Pastor of St Francis of Assisi parish in Dracut, Dr Edward Sri, Provost and professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute, and regular Thursday co-host Susan Abbott to discuss all these new things, and analyze the changes that every Catholic heard and spoke at yesterday's Mass. 1st segment: Scot welcomed all the listeners back and welcomed today's guests: Fr Brian Mahoney, Dr Edward Sri, and Susan Abbott. Scot asked Dr Sri what he thought the biggest changes to Catholics in the pews were with yesterday's implementation of the New Roman Missal. Dr Sri said it was exciting for him - he went to the Saturday night evening Mass to hear it first. His Church in Denver provided both pew cards and a screen for people to follow along with the new words and responses. As much as he had prepared for it, Dr Sri said he stumbled a few times, even messed up the second reply of "And with your spirit!" (leading to much teasing from his kids). He continued and said that the biggest change was the Creed, but he was pleasantly surprised to hear people following along well and not stumbling too often. Dr Sri said it will probably take a while before we instinctively say "And with your spirit" as a response, but it will happen eventually. Susan shared that at St Theresa's in West Roxbury the Sunday morning Mass at 10:30, the pastor encouraged people to follow along on the pew cards or in their missalette - everyone had something in their hands to keep themselves on the same page. Scot reflected that he and Fr Brian had only known the "old" translation that we used up until last week, and how interesting it was to hear a new one. Fr Brian commented that he thought things went very well at his parish. He attended all the Masses to conclude a series on the new missal that he has been running in the parish for the last few weeks. Everyone at Sunday Mass was saying "And with your spirit," but at daily Mass this morning it seemed some people forgot! Scot commented that many Catholics seem to remember those few little words the most. Dr Sri explained that he views the Latin text of the Mass as a great carrier of our Tradition, and the English reflection of that Latin should do the same. In this case, "and with your spirit" is reflecting the words of St Paul in his letters, but also the significance of the history of the exchange. In the past, Dr Sri said, people said "The Lord be with you" as an invocation of power or to empower people who needed God's help - Moses, Joshua, Gideon, even Mary heard these words. Now when we hear them in the Mass, Dr Sri continued, we should remember that we are called to do something daunting that we couldn't do on our own - encounter God in his Word and in the Eucharist. When the priest says "The Lord be with you," he's almost saying "get ready!" In the same vein, "And also with you" is not supposed to be a "right back at you, Father" response, but rather asking God to bless the identity of the priest - the spirit changed by Ordination that enables him to offer the Mass. When we say "And with your spirit," we are asking God to come upon the priest's spirit as he offers the sacrifice of the Mass. Scot read a quote from Cardinal Burke that said the new prayers were more beautiful and might encourage more Catholics to think about what they are praying. Scot asked Fr Brian which o | 11/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0187: Friday, November 25, 2011 | Today we bring you an encore presentation of Scot Landry’s interview of Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, Priest-Secretary to Cardinal Seán O’Malley and Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Worship, and Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, Executive Director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL). As we approach the first widespread use of the new translation of the Roman Missal in English this coming Sunday, Scot discusses with Fr. Gaspar and Msgr. Wadsworth the important questions: Why are the prayers of the Mass changing? What are they changing to? How will it affect how we sing at Mass? Is it taking us back to the Middle Ages? All these questions and more will be answered as Scot Landry is joined by Fr. Jonathan Gaspar of the Archdiocese’s Office of Worship and Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth of the International Committee on English in the Liturgy, which was largely responsible for this new translation of the Roman Missal. Complete shownotes for this episode may be found at original airdate’s show page. | 11/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0186: Thursday, November 24, 2011 | Happy Thanksgiving! Today we bring you an encore presentation of Scot Landry’s interview with Jim and Terry Orcutt, founders of My Brother’s Keeper, and Jack Shaughnessy Sr. of Shaughnessy and Ahern Hauling and Rigging, about My Brother’s Keeper, a volunteer ministry providing assistance in southeastern Massachusetts. Jim and Terry share with Scot the story of how they started My Brother’s Keeper, a mission to provide furniture and food to the needy in southeastern Massachusetts while preserving dignity and sharing the love of Christ. Jack Shaughnessy, a benefactor of My Brother’s Keeper, also discusses what inspires him about their charity and why he’s involved. Complete shownotes may be found on the original airdate’s show page. | 11/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0185: Wednesday, November 23, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Jon Niven and Heather Flynn of LIFT Ministries Links from today’s show: LIFT Ministries God of This City tour Today’s topics: LIFT Ministries and the God of This City tour Summary of today’s show: LIFT Ministries and the God of This City tour present Catholics of all ages with a beautiful and contemplative experience of Eucharistic adoration coupled with energetic and contemporary music and talented and prayerful speakers. While LIFT occurs each month at Fontbonne Academy, for Advent the God of This City tour brings LIFT to all five regions of the archdiocese. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams are joined by Jon Niven and Heather Flynn to talk about the birth of LIFT five years ago at St. Mary parish in Dedham, how it has grown and matured, and how it continues to reach ever wider audiences of people seeking to encounter the Lord in an uplifting environment of praise that complements their experience of the Eucharist at Mass. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Matt about the Jesus in the North End event last Friday evening. It’s a monthly gathering of young adults. They start at 7:30 with Eucharistic adoration until 8:45pm. It’s at St. Leonard’s in the North End of Boston. Some stand outside the church inviting people to come in and say a prayer. They’ve been doing these for 3 years. For the first time in 3 years, the Fire Department showed up to have them put out the little fire they light every month in front of the church. Next time, Fr. Matt said they’ll just put up loads of incense smoke. Scot asked Fr. Matt if he’s prepared for the new English-language translation of the prayers of the Mass. He said he’s ready for them. They’re so much more beautiful and richer. The connections with Scripture are beautiful. He’s look forward to it elevating his own prayer life. He noted that Fr. Shawn Carey, who works in the Pastoral Center, is a deaf priest and he was involved in creating the signs in Sign Language for the new prayers of the Mass. Fr. Matt is looking forward to today’s show because he is closely involved in LIFT Ministries and the God of This City tour. 2nd segment: Scot asked Heather Flynn what inspired the start of Lift Ministries five years. Heather and Jon were both working in the Life Teen program at St. Mary’s in Dedham. She’d been feeling God’s calling to expand her ministry beyond the parish and she’s had a love for praise and worship music that she shared with Jon, who was music director for Life Teen at St. Mary’s. They’d heard about a ministry in Louisiana, called Door, that’s similar to Lift. Jon Niven said Lift nights begin with some praise and worship. Then they have a speaker come in, whether a local lay person, a priest, a bishop, or national personality, to speak on a theme. Then there is time for Eucharistic adoration followed by more praise and worship. Jon said the contemporary praise and worship music makes it unique in the Church. He said they’re not changing the Church or her teaching and traditions, but instead are using the means of the culture to say, “Hey, we’re here.” Heather said on an average night it’s about 300 people, but they’ve had up to 800 people. What makes it unique is that while they’re geared to teens and young adults, they do get all ages. Fr. Matt said when Heather and Jon first came to him, as parochial vicar at St. Mary’s, Jon had also gone to Phoenix to see some similar such programs. They approached him at the end of a long day when he was exhausted from work, they told him their idea for a young adult outreach. His first reaction was “Don’t we already do that?” because he was so busy. He “yucked” their “wow”, but Heather in her great charity said they would take him out for lunch another da | 11/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0184: Tuesday, November 22, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Boston Jesus’ Eager Desire: Our Participation in the Sunday Mass Today’s topics: Cardinal Seán’s Pastoral Letter on Sunday Mass participation Summary of today’s show: Cardinal Seán O’Malley has issued a major pastoral letter on the importance of Sunday Mass participation. Scot Landry, Fr. Chris O’Connor, and Janet Benestad devote an hour to discussing this very personal message from the Cardinal’s heart, which is also filled with intimate pastoral advice and practical suggestions for priests, parish staff, and parents, such the revival of monthly coffee hours after Mass and a link to a Mass times website for travelers. 1st segment: Scot said St. John’s Seminary had their big seminary dinner last night, giving thanks for everyone who is a part of that family. The seminarians were heading out to be with family and friends for the holiday. The Master’s in Ministry Formation and TINE had a concert over the weekend to pray for deceased loved ones and people sponsor particular songs in memory of the deceased. He said Bishop Hennessey told them that one of the things happening in the Archdiocese that Pope Benedict particularly wanted to know about during their ad limina visit earlier this month was the work of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. He asked for them to send materials to Rome to learn more about it. Fr. Chris and Scot talked about the transition to the new translation of the Mass coming up on Sunday. Priests will have to get used to reading the prayers from the books just as much as the parishioners. Next Monday will discuss how the first Sunday goes. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Janet Benestad to the show. Scot said the Pastoral Letter is the Cardinal’s second this year. The first was on the Feast of Pentecost and this version is longer than the first by far. Scot said the letter begins by referring to the Thanksgiving holiday and what we put up with to attend that family celebration. Janet said it’s a very personal letter where the Cardinal reminisces about his own childhood and events of his life. She said we work very hard to come together, even if the food isn’t as great as we want it to be or the conversation won’t be as great as it could be. But we do it because it would be unthinkable to be apart from these people. The same is true of the Mass. When we’re away from the Mass, we start to feel disconnected from the Church, our parish, and the Eucharist. Scot said it’s not the same when a member of the family isn’t there on Thanksgiving, and it’s the same when our brothers and sisters in Christ aren’t present at the Eucharist, a Greek word which means Thanksgiving. Fr. Chris said St. Paul speaks of this; when a member of the Body of Christ is missing, the Body is lacking. The next section is called “Jesus’ Eager Desire— Do This in Remembrance of Me”. The Thanksgiving meal of our Catholic family occurs every Sunday. The word Eucharist comes from the Greek word εὐχαριστία (eucharistia), which literally means “thanksgiving.” Jesus Himself instituted this family tradition on the night before He died. When He gathered the disciples in the Upper Room for the Last Supper, He told them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover meal with you.”1 He taught them the importance of humble service through washing their feet.2 Then He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and through His divine power transformed it into His own body, blood, soul and divinity. He told them, “Whoever eats this bread and drinks this blood will have eternal life.” 3 He then instructed them to, “Do this in memory of me.” | 11/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0183: Monday, November 21, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Recipients of the 2011 Cheverus Awards Joan Fawls, St Mary of the Hills, Milton Frances X. Hogan, Massachusetts Catholic Conference Frank McCarthy, St Rita, Lowell Chester & Patricia Morrill, St Richard, Danvers Benoit Thibault, St Augustine, Andover Brother Daniel Walters, OSB, Glastonbury Abbey Ann Casey, St Marguerite d’Youville, Dracut Linda Newell, Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Marblehead Mary Therese Ferraris, St Jude, Norfolk Deacon Michael J. Markham, Our Lady of Grace, Pepperell, along with Fr. Paul Ring Eileen Simmons, Our Lady of Grace, Pepperell Deacon A.J. Constantino, Sacred Heart, East Boston Thomas Maloney, St. Ann, West Bridgewater Today’s topics: 2011 Cheverus Awards “Cheverus Award recipients announced”, The Pilot, 11/11/11 2011 Cheverus Award photos on Flickr.com Summary of today’s show: The Good Catholic Life was live at Holy Cross Cathedral on Sunday to bring you 13 stories of some of the 97 unsung heroes of the parishes of the Archdiocese who received the Cheverus Award from Cardinal Seán. What’s remarkable about them is how unremarkable the stories are in one way: These humble people acknowledged that there are many more just like them in their parishes, doing the same work of living out the Gospel in the world. They are the Body of Christ in the world and on this Solemnity of Christ the King, they emerged from the shadows for a brief moment of recognition on behalf of all those they represent. 1st segment: Scot said yesterday at Holy Cross Cathedral was a special ceremony in which Cardinal Seán awarded 96 Cheverus Medals to recipients who were recognized for their service to the Catholic community. Established in 2008, in conjunction with the archdiocese’s bicentennial celebration, the Cheverus Award is named after the first Bishop of Boston, Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus. Bishop Cheverus led the diocese from 1808 until his return to his native France in 1824. The award is given to lay people, deacons and religious in parishes and other archdiocesan ministries for their service to the Church and the people of God. Recipients are nominated by pastors, regional bishops and the central ministries of the archdiocese. Cardinal O’Malley also chooses some of the recipients personally. Scot and Rick interviewed 13 of the recipients at the end the ceremony and those recordings will be played.. Scot welcomes Joan Fawls of St. Mary of the Hills, Milton. Her children all attended the parish school and she become involved through the PTO. She’s also involved in a food program that brings desserts to residents of a homeless shelter. She’s been running it for about 7 years. She was humbled to be selected from among so many who work so hard. She said it’s an easy program to run, she has the gift of organization. She loves running it. This was Joan’s first time to the cathedral and she said it was very lovely. Scot welcomes Fran Hogan, a Boston attorney and volunteer who has served the pro-life committee of the Mass. Catholic Conference. She said she was shocked to be given the award. She chairs the pro-life and family life subcommittee and she’s dealing with many issues in the public arena, including assisted suicide. She said there are many euphemisms in use. For example, the Hemlock Society has changed its name to Compassion in Choice. Massachusetts is seen as a testbed because of its large medical community. She is a member of Immaculate Conception Parish in Everett. In her day job, she is a real estate attorney. Scot said the Cheverus Awards work by having each diocese nominating one person every three years. Scot said St. Rita’s in Lowell nominated Frank McCarthy. Frank has been a member his entire life, being baptized there and getting married there. His main involvement is in religious education and RCIA. The ministry has helped his own faith. He said | 11/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0182: Friday, November 18, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Msgr. Francis Strahan, Pastor of St. Bridget Parish in Framingham St. Bridget Parish Today’s topics: Pastor Profile: Msgr. Francis Strahan Summary of today’s show: One of the legendary priests of the Archdiocese of Boston, Msgr. Francis Strahan, talks with Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell about his 52 years in the priesthood, including 18 years teaching future priests to sing at the seminary and 28 years as pastor of one of the largest parishes, St. Bridget in Framingham. Msgr. Strahan also recalls the experience of leading an archdiocesan choir for Pope John Paul II’s Mass on Boston Common in 1979 (and why the choir ended up dyed red), and how on a later trip to Rome, the Holy Father acted as a music critic for Monsignor’s musical performance. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show and they discussed the end of the liturgical year and Fr. Mark’s busy day. It’s also the last weekend with the old translation of the Missal we use for Mass. Scot said it’s also the weekend for the Cheverus Awards at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Sunday at 3pm. They are the unsung heroes of the archdiocese. Scot said one of the legends from within the presbyterate of the archdiocese is Msgr. Francis Strahan. Fr. Mark said all the priests look up to him. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Msgr. to the show. His hometown is Everett, which he calls the Riviera of the East. He’s been a priest for 52 years now. He first heard the call by being inspired by the priests of his parish as well as a nun who taught music. Fr. Bill O’Neill was a great influence. In those days, there were 4 priests in the rectory. Msgr. said his parents were talented musicians and there was always music in his home. They sang a lot in Mass in those days, with singing throughout the Mass even during the prayers of the priest. He spent two years at Boston College and then moved to the seminary. In the seminary, he was in the choir. He eventually did some cantoring and really enjoyed that. After ordination, he was assigned to St. James the Greater Parish in Boston. He was invited to formally study music at the New England Conservatory so he could eventually teach it at the seminary. The parish was in Chinatown and the theater district and garment district, and they had a lot of city ministry to workers downtown. His degree at the conservatory was in voice and conducting and theory. Msgr. Strahan taught full-time at the seminary for 18 years. He said it was a challenge, especially in the late 60s to 70s, with the change of the Mass from Latin to English. Most of the men were very dedicated to the learning. Those who sang in the choir still say that it was an enjoyable time. The Christmas choir was half men who couldn’t almost sing and half who could sing very well. Msgr. Russell Davis was the one who recruited Msgr. Strahan to replace him teaching music at the seminary. Davis had been at the seminary for 18 years himself. Msgr. Strahan taught at both St. John and Blessed John XXIII seminaries. Scot asked Msgr. Strahan how he worked with a seminarian who wasn’t a good singer. Msgr. said he told the men who felt they couldn’t sing that everyone has one note and you could sing any prayer with that one note. Scot noted how he’s heard priests who sung the whole Mass, who didn’t have good voices, but yet it was prayerful and sounded beautiful. Msgr. said when the priest sings the consecration, even with one note, the whole church becomes silent. 3rd segment: The segment began with a soundbite from Pope John Paul II during his visit to Boston in 1979. Msgr. Strahan built a choir of 350 people for the papal Mass. Msgr. said at first they weren’t sure the pope would be coming to Mass to celebrate a Mass. when they found there would be a Mass, they started to think about a choir. The | 11/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0181: Thursday, November 17, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese. The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: US bishops’ meeting; Ordinariate for Anglicans; Cardinal Seán’s pastoral letter Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott were joined by Fr. Roger Landry and Antonio Enrique to discuss the news of the week, including Cardinal Seán has issued a pastoral letter asking for more participation in Sunday Mass; the US bishops met this week and religious freedom was a major topic; big developments for Anglicans and Episcopalians wishing to enter the Church en masse; a clarion call from Archbishop Dolan for bishops to model passionate love for Christ; the Marian Medal awards in Fall River; and other local stories 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. She said last night she was in Brighton for a workshop at the catechetical certificate course with parish catechists. She also did a workshop at Sacred Heart in Kingston this morning with catechists on the South Shore. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Antonio Enrique and Fr. Roger Landry back to the show. Scot said the US bishops have two annual gatherings, one in June and a second in November and the latter is in Baltimore. One of the main addresses this year was by Bishop Lori who is the chair of a new ad-hoc committee on religious liberty. “Bishops discuss religious liberty, marriage, finances at Annual meeting”, CNS, 11/14/11 “Bishop Lori outlines religious liberty issues at fall general assembly”, CNS, 11/14/11 Fr. Roger said the US bishops have prioritized religious freedom. Bishop Lori gave a clarion call for why this is important to everything Catholic. There is a notion among secularists is that they’re doing us a favor by allowing us to practice our faith in our churches on Sunday and object to us when we want to live our faith in public. Not only have they worked in the courts to force us to take up their notion of marriage, for instance, and then force Catholic adoption agencies to give children to same-sex couples and force Catholic public clerks to give out marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Bishop Lori put it all in one document why this is important. It all happens through the courts and legislatures and executive offices of our government and we all have to understand duty to object to this curtailing of our religious freedom. Secularists are saying freedom of religion is freedom to worship as opposed to freedom to live your faith in the public square. What they want to allow is a militant secularism. Bishop Lori named 10 bishops to his ad-hoc committee and ten others as well, including John Garvey, president of Catholic University of America, and Mary Ann Glendon of Harvard Law and former US ambassador to the Vatican. Scot said one-third of committee chairs of the USCCB are elected each year and Cardinal Seán was elected to be chairman of the bishops; Pro-Life Committee, one of the most important committees. Antonio said the pro-life cause is very near and dear to Cardinal Seán. It is great news for Boston and great news for him. The new chairmen-elect will become chairs of those committee next year and will spend this year preparing for leadership. The bishop elected to head this committee is usually one of the American cardinals, which gives greater prominence to the office and the work they’re doing. Cardinals will also get more headlines in the secular media. Fr. Roger is excited about this appointment because Cardinal Seán is a great homilist and will be the celebrant at the annual Mass at | 11/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0180: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry, Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Teresa Tomeo, radio host and author of the new book, “Extreme Makeover”, and Danielle Olsen, Mission Coordinator of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults TereseTomeo.com The Extreme Makeover site Extreme Makeover: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Culture Noise: How Our Media-saturated Culture Dominates Lives and Dismantles Families Today’s topics: The messages women hear in the media and the message the Church has for them Summary of today’s show: Women have been subjected to intense and conflicting media messages on body image, promiscuity, and personal choice. Teresa Tomeo, author of the new book Extreme Makeover, and Danielle Olsen, talk with Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams about the Church’s alternative message for women, a message that has been consistent and proven correct over the past half-century. Teresa advocates that women detoxify from the media onslaught and embrace the beautiful truths that God wishes to share with them through the church. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. He said his office has been doing some research based on a synod for the new evangelization coming up next year. One of the areas the bishops will discuss is media and culture. Danielle said these issues affect even the middle school girls she sometimes works with. Teresa Tomeo is on from 9-10am Monday-Friday on WQOM. Scot welcomed her to the show. Teresa’s been on the air for 9 years. Extreme Makeover is Teresa’s third book. She discusses the mixed messages that come at women through the media that confuses them. She wants women to know that they’re not crazy or alone and that the Catholic Church is the best place for a woman to be, but it has the message for women that recognizes their inherent dignity. She also blows the lid off of topics like abortion, contraception, and other issues for women. It first started for Teresa when she lost a big job as a TV anchor, after having sacrificed her family and her relationship with God. It had become her identity. So when she lost her job, she had nothing. It was heartbreaking because the industry she had sacrificed for wasn’t there for her. It’s difficult to come to the point of realizing you’ve been doing everything wrong. It’s a long process. It started her examining what she was investing her time in. It took 5 to 7 years before she decided to walk away because she didn’t know much about her faith. This was back in the 1970s where she didn’t have a lot of opportunities to learn more. God doesn’t give you the whole picture at once. It’s a detoxification process where you have to peel the onion layers back slowly. Scot quoted a segment from the book. He said with the amount of media we consume, it’s almost impossible to avoid the messages they contain. HE asked why so much of the media advances these messages of abortion, contraception, promiscuity and more. Teresa said it’s an example of groupthink. So many of the people in the media are not religious and they come from similar colleges where much of this is taught as the norm. It goes back to the Sixties, which saw the birth of all these movement undermining traditional morality. They put bondage out there and sold it as freedom. The feminists sold a new bill of goods to women. The Church has been an advocate for women, including Blessed John Paul, who said the new freedom of women has been taken too far. Fr. Matt remembered coming back from World Youth Day 2000 in Rome where millions of youth came together with the Holy Father. Yet when he came back, the local media showed a small photo with “Pope meets with young people” even though it was one of the largest gatherings of humanity in the world. How does the Church begin to address and deal with this tsunami of the culture of death. T | 11/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0179: Tuesday, November 15, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, president of the Magis Institute and Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership Magis Institute University Faculty for Life “Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues” by Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ Today’s topics: Ten principles of logic and reason to address life issues Summary of today’s show: Want to win an argument against legalized abortion or assisted suicide with someone who doesn’t buy your religious morality? Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, discusses his Ten Universal Principles with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor and shows how the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade violated basic logic, ethics, and commonsense in its decisions. If you weren’t convinced before, you will be after this very quick, one-hour discussion. 1st segment: Scot said we ask how we deal life issues today are there reasonable principles that guide our actions? How should our society address them? That’s our topic today as we welcome Fr. Robert Spitzer, former president of Gonzaga University and author of the book “Ten Universal Principles”. Scot said as a pro-lifer he learned a lot from this book to help him articulate why Roe v. Wade was terrible on even just the logical and ethical level. Scot said today’s show might change the opinion of someone who says they are personally opposed to abortion, but publicly pro-choice. As we prepare for the battle against assisted suicide in Massachusetts, we will address how to approach that topic with these universal principles. 2nd segment: Father Robert Spitzer, S.J., is a philosopher, educator, author and former President of Gonzaga University. He is founder and President of the Magis Institute, an organization dedicated to public education on the relationship among the disciplines of physics, philosophy, reason, and faith. He is the head of the Ethics and Performance Institute, which delivers web-based ethics education to corporations and individuals. He also is President of the Spitzer Center of Ethical Leadership, which delivers similar curricula to non-profit organizations. Father Spitzer’s other books include Healing the Culture and Five Pillars of the Spiritual Life. Scot welcomed Fr. Spitzer to the program. He asked Father why he wanted to write this book. Fr. Spitzer said there was a real need to get a comprehensive philosophy of the pro-life movement. They built it around ten principles so that when people accepted the principles they couldn’t have it both ways. They either accepted the principles and accepted the pro-life idea or they rejected the principles and accepted all kinds of awful things. It makes a case against abortion based on ethics and logic, not just religious morality. The principles are in three categories. Three principles of reason, three principles of ethics, and three principles of justice and natural rights and a fundamental principle of identity and culture. Scot said he learned form the book that we don’t get all of our rights from the Constitution. Fr. Spitzer said the whole idea of a natural right come from Francisco Suarez, SJ, in the 17th century, who showed that if justice is to be fulfilled, then everybody is owed a right to life, to freedom or liberty, and a right to property. The notion of the inalienable right is that they come to us from our Creator and the only criterion to fulfill to have these rights is to be a human being. No government gives these rights and so no government can take them away. John Locke discovered Suarez’s works and incorporated that into his work. Thomas Jefferson incorporated Locke’s work into the Declaration of Independence, which says we hold these truths to be self-evident, that every person is endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. The | 11/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0178 for Monday, November 14, 2011: Encore Presentation on Fr. Roderick Vonhögen | Subscribe for free in iTunes WQOM has provided us with ten tickets to the WQOM Conference on Saturday, December 10th, 2011. Scot announced that all interested in winning a pair of tickets should send an email to LIVE@thegoodcatholiclife.com before midnight on November 14th. We will give away a pair of tickets every day this week, so tune in for your chance to win! Scot was also proud to announce that Cardinal Sean O'Malley has been elected chair of the Pro Life Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Please say a prayer for Cardinal Sean that he may lead the committee to fruitful works. Today we bring you an encore presentation of an interview Scot and Fr. Matt conducted with Fr Roderick Vonhögen in June. Fr Roderick's varied experience and entertaining yet moving vocation story is always worth another listen. The shownotes are available on the original airdate's page. We hope you enjoyed this encore presentation. | 11/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0177: Friday, November 11, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, Priest-Secretary to Cardinal Seán O’Malley and Director of the Archdiocesan Office for Worship, and Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, Executive Director of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) International Commission on English in the Liturgy The US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ site on the new Roman Missal The Archdiocese of Boston site on the new Roman Missal Today’s topics: The new translation of the Roman Missal Summary of today’s show: On the First Sunday of Advent at the end of November, the Church in the United States will mark a historic moment where the texts of the Mass we celebrate each day will change. Why are they changing? What are they changing too? How will it affect how we sing at Mass? Is it taking usback to the Middle Ages? All these questions and more will be answered as Scot Landry is joined by Fr. Jonathan Gaspar of the Archdiocese’s Office of Worship and Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth of the International Committee on English in the Liturgy, which was largely responsible for this new translation of the Roman Missal. 1st segment: Scot said the first Sunday of Advent this year marks a momentous occasion in the history of the Church, because we will begin praying the liturgy in new ways that will help us deep the sense of reverence and the sacred. One of the worldwide experts on these changes is with us. The ICEL has a major task to help creation translations that are faithful to the original Latin texts of the Church’s liturgical texts. Msgr. Wadsworth said ICEL is a commission of 11 bishops who represent the territories of the world where the Mass is celebrated in English: the US, Canada, Ireland, England & Wales, Scotland, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, India, Pakistan, and South Africa. ICEL is responsible for all of the liturgical texts, including those for the Mass. It started its work even during the Second Vatican Council, translating texts at the time. It’s a collaboration of 11 bishops’ conferences, which have responsible for the liturgical texts in their countries, and ICEL provides assistance to them. ICEL was originally funded by an initial contribution from the 11 conferences, and since that time it collects copyrights on the liturgical texts from the publishing of the books containing the works. It enables them to subsidize the production of liturgical books in poorer areas. Msgr. said the staff of the permanent secretariat which is located in Washington, DC, is 5 people, with collaborators all over the world. Msgr. said when there’s a text to be translated from Latin, they have a base translation by a person authorized by the Church to undertake the work. They have linguistic ability as well as a theological background. Their first draft goes to a committee of four bishops who have those same gifts and they assess the translation line by line and word by word. From them, the text goes to the 11 bishops of the ICEL board, who meet at least once per year. At that point the text, which is called the Green Book, goes to the individual bishops conferences and all of those bishops study and reflect on the text and consult anybody they want to help them. All of that comes back to the ICEL offices and they apply them to the text. On the large-scale, the Church has given general guidelines, which were mostly issued in 2001. And then more specific guidelines have been issued in the Ratio Translationis for the English language, which are the specific considerations which have to be born in mind when translating into English. What the bishops are often able to identify are those things which might be insensitive in relation to their own territory. English is a worldwide language, but it’s used differently in different places. Scot asked how they balance the concerns between countries and bishops. Msgr. said they balance the universal | 11/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0176: Thursday, November 10, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Ad limina visit; Assisi prayer; US: beacon of hope; Cheverus awards Summary of today’s show: In this week’s roundup of the news, Scot Landry and Susan Abbott are joined once again by Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy to discuss the New England bishops’ ad limina visit to Rome; the gathering for peace by the world’s religious leaders in Assisi, Italy; the papal nuncio’s admiration for the US as a beacon of hope; the Cheverus Awards for unsung heroes in the pews of the Archdiocese of Boston; new pastors and priests who who’ve died; a collection for retired religious sisters; the Pope on nihilism; and the 100th anniversary of Boston’s first cardinal. 1st segment: Susan started the week with a meeting in Worcester with the Catholic school superintendents of New England and religious education leaders to discuss the upcoming National Catholic Education Association in Boston in Spring. She also met with her religious education counterparts for New England to discuss their collaborative work. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Greg to the show. Fr. Roger wished his goddaughter Ally, who happens to be Scot’s daughter, a happy eighth birthday. “New England bishops begin ‘ad limina’ visit with prayer”, CNS, 11/4/11 The big story is that the bishops of the US region 1, which includes all of New England, have been meeting with the Holy Father. Usually there is a lot of news and releases related to these kinds of meetings and there hasn’t been much this time. Greg said the ad limina is usually about every 5 years, but these bishops haven’t been in 7 years and it’s the first time meeting with Pope Benedict. They report on the status of their diocese, meet with the Pope, and meet with various Vatican officials. They receive the Holy Father’s concerns and encouragement for their dioceses and to share their own concerns. This is the first group of US bishops for this round of ad limina visits by the American bishops. One of the public events chronicled in the Pilot is how they kicked off the visit with Mass at the tomb of St. Peter in the Vatican. Susan said the excerpts of Cardinal Seán’s homily say he spoke about how Jesus didn’t select Peter for his intellectual capacity or organizational skills or fundraising capacity, but only asked if he loved the Lord. Fr. Roger said he was surprised there wasn’t a papal address during the ad limina. John Paul gave an address for each of the regions as they visited. Normally that’s what drives the news cycle, when he responds to what he has received from the bishops. We’ll have to wait until our bishops return to find out the results. 3rd segment: Fr. Roger dedicated his editorial this week “path to peace” on the topic of Pope Benedict’s remarks at the Assisi interfaith meeting on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the first such meeting. Pope Benedict contextualized what the religious leaders were doing 25 years ago, by noting the fall of the Berlin Wall a few years later and he said that interreligious prayer for peace brought peace to that part of the world. He also talked of the threats to peace that threaten the world today: terrorism, especially that which is religiously motivated—not just Muslims either—as well as the violence that is done through the absence of God in places with a lack of religious freedom. Pope Benedict said we also see it in the sc | 11/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0175: Wednesday, November 9, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Lorna DesRoses of the Office for Black Catholics, Fr. Gerald Osterman, pastor of Immaculate Conception, Everett, and St. Katharine Drexel in Roxbury, and Judge Antonette Leoney Office for Black Catholics Bishop James Healy Award Dinner 2011 Today’s topics: The Bishop James Healy Award Dinner and award recipients Summary of today’s show: Each year, the Office for Black Catholics celebrates members of the community who demonstrate strong, effective leadership and Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams sit down with the honorees this year, Fr. Gerald Osterman and Judge Antoinette Leoney, and Loran DesRoses from the office to talk about the awards and the particular concerns of the black Catholic community in Boston. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. There was a Lift last night and the speaker was Oscar Rivera, a middle-school youth minister who graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Oscar did some rap music and talked about the theme of “Get a Life” and being authentic with God. Fr. Matt also gathered with other graduates of the Good Leaders, Good Shepherds program of the Catholic Leadership Institute. It included priests from around New England. The program helps priests with tools to be a more effective leader. Cardinal Seán is being honored by the Catholic Leadership on Friday. Scot said the Bishop Healy and Robert Ruffin Awards will be awarded at a gala on November 19. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Lorna DesRoses of the Office for Black Catholics and Fr. Gerry Osterman, pastor of St. Katharine Drexel in Roxbury and Immaculate Conception in Everett, as well as Judge Antonette Leoney. This is the 19th presentation of the Bishop Healy Award and the 9th presentation of the Ruffin Award. The Healy award remembers Bishop James Augustine Healy, the first African-American bishop in the US. He was born in Georgia in 1830 to an Irish farmer and a black slave. All of their children received their education out of the south. Three became priests. One of them was president of Georgetown. Lorna said Healy is controversial because he never publicly acknowledged his African-American heritage. He was a vicar general of the Archdiocese of Boston and a bishop of Portland, Maine. The award is given to a Catholic who exemplifies their faith in the community. Judge Leoney is the recipient of the award this year. She is a member of St. Katharine Drexel Parish and is involved in the Archdiocesan Black Catholic Choir. She is very involved in her parish. She is also an associate justice of the Massachusetts District Circuit Court. Judge Leoney said she is extremely humbled by this award. When she was told she was selected to receive the award, she was speechless. She said there are others who are more worthy than her and Lorna challenged her to tell her who they are. She has been singing in church for more than 20 years. Fr. Osterman said beautiful music lifts our hearts in liturgy and he said the judge helps him in his own chant during the Mass. He said the choir sends everyone home with lifted hearts. He said it is a great honor to have a parishioner to receive the Healy Award. He was overjoyed when Judge Leoney was recently appointed to the bench and now with this award. Fr., Matt asked her about her work as a judge and how her faith shapes her work. Judge Leoney said every day she thanks the Lord and says, “But for the grace of God, go I.” She sees so many people in bad circumstances and how throughout her personal life and professional life that Jesus has been the center of her life, helping to remain centered. There are days when she leaves work completely exhausted by the stories of the people who come before her and without Jesus as the center of her life, it would be difficult to do what she does. Before going on the bench, she was a federal prosecutor for 20 years and she started her day the | 11/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0174: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Joshua Phelps, Associate Director of the Office of Pastoral Planning for the Archdiocese of Boston Church in the 21st Century Webcasts on Demand Today’s topics: Cardinal Seán on “The Eucharist: The Center of Catholic Life” Summary of today’s show: In a speech that goes from Papua New Guinea to Flannery O’Connor, Cardinal Seán O’Malley says we have a crisis of absenteeism from Sunday Mass and calls for a renewed vigor from disciples to invite Catholics to return to the Eucharist. Scot Landry, Fr. Chris O’Connor, and Joshua Phelps consider the Cardinal’s recent speech at Boston College and unpack its implications for the Church today as we face this crisis. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. He also welcomed Joshua Phelps back to the show. Two weeks ago, Cardinal Seán gave an address called “The Eucharist: The Center of Catholic Life” to members of the Boston College community as part of their Church in the 21st Century program. The Cardinal begins by telling a story, which he often does in talks and homilies. When I was in the seminary, our Provincial, Fr. Victor, wrote a letter to Rome in which he said that our mission in Puerto Rico was flourishing and that our Province was prepared to take on a second mission. He said that he wanted the most difficult mission in the world. The response was lightening quick saying that we should open a mission in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The guardian, Fr. Fermin Schmidt, from the Capuchin College in Washington was named the first Bishop and friars were sent. Three of my classmates went. It was reported back to us that when the friars landed in a field, the natives who had never seen Europeans or an airplane were quite curious. They asked if the plane was a male or a female. They said if it was a female they wanted an egg. Many years later a young friar I ordained who was working in Papua New Guinea came to see me on his home visit. He had glorious pictures of smiling natives, with bones in their noses, feathers in their hair and little else in the way of clothing. He announced proudly, “This is my parish council.” I was particularly intrigued because one of my own pastors had just told me that his parishioners were not ready for a parish council. In the same vein, at World Youth Day in Cologne, Pope Benedict addressed the Bishops of Germany at the seminary. He referred to his native country, Germany “as a mission land.” This is true for so many places in the Western World including our own beloved country, where secularism and de-Christianization are gaining ground. The Holy Father said, “So many people do not know God. They do know Christ. There is a new form of paganism, and it is not enough for us to strive to preserve the existing flock.” We need to find new ways of bringing the Gospel to the contemporary world, of proclaiming Christ anew and of implanting the faith. As Pope Benedict said, we are not here just for “the existing flock.” We must be a missionary Church. Fr. Chris said it’s a reminder to everyone that every single member of the church is called to be a missionary by virtue of their baptism. The cardinal sets up a contrast between Papua New Guinea and the United States. It’s a reminder to us that there needs to be a missionary spirit in all of us and a return to radically proclaiming the Gospel. The fact that Pope Benedict this past year opened a new Holy See office for the New Evangelization, which means not simply evangelization to far-reaching missionary lands, but to Europe and the United States where Christianity is almost taken for granted. Scot said it’s to re-evangelize those who have been baptized Catholics. Scot said you don’t think of Boston as a place where a new form of paganism is gaining ground. M | 11/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0173: Monday, November 7, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Lisa Hendey, Editor of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author CatholicMom.com A Handbook for Catholic Moms A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms Today’s topics: Author Lisa Hendey and resources for Catholic moms Summary of today’s show: Catholic moms, this show is for you. Scot welcomes Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com and author of two books, “A Handbook for Catholic Moms” and “A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms”, which are great resources for mothers of all ages who are looking to connect with other Catholic moms, for resources for forming their kids in the faith, and for ways to spiritually nourish and refresh themselves. 1st segment: Scot said many listeners of The Good Catholic Life are Catholic moms. Today’s show is for you. Our guest is Lisa Hendey who founded for CatholicMom.com and has authored several books intended for Catholic moms. He said he also began to appreciate what his own wife, a Catholic mom, does in her role in their family. Scot welcomed Lisa to the show. He asked her how she got involved in online evangelization. Back in 1999, her kid’s Catholic school was looking for a volunteer webmaster and she volunteered. She’s since become the parish webmaster. After a little experience, she decided to start CatholicMom.com. She was looking for support from other Catholic moms, since her husband had not yet become Catholic, she was struggling to lead her family in faith. Scot said Lisa has said it took a while for her to become comfortable with being a Catholic mom after having had a career outside the home. Lisa said it’s been amazing to see the ministry of CatholicMom.com grow up. She gives and receives from that community and the website has gone beyond her own dreams of what it could be. It’s no w a team effort with over 120 volunteer contributors and members of the community come from all over the world. Scot said he was impressed by the site’s Sunday Gospel activities. As a dad, he’s struggled with what to do for his kids during the Mass and he’s found the Magnifikids publications to be helpful. He said CatholicMom.com also provides some free resources as well. Every week they use the Liturgy of the Word to create free activities related to that, all as downloadable pages. They even have resources for religious education and catechists. Lisa said about half of the people using the resources are homeschoolers and half are catechists in parishes using them instead of traditional religious education curricula, even from as far away as South American and Africa. Another popular part of the site is the blogs where they have writers all the ay from new moms, pregnant moms, all the way to grandmothers. They also have a few dads and deacons as well. They cover topics all the way from adoption to just regular parenting. There also many more sections with fun activities, music, and more. Lisa’s hope is that it’s a magazine format. Woman can come to discover new music or find a good movie. They also get prayer request through the prayer line on a daily basis. Scot asked if Lisa can quantify the growth of CatholicMom.com. She remembers when the site first started that seeing the number of hits go up by 100 was a big deal. Now they get visitors from all 50 states and 160 countries. It’s a successful site for a one-person operation run out of her home. Lisa said she is shocked and humbled at the growth and reach of the site and the plans they have for the future, especially as someone who started without skills and training in this area. Scot said it’s a lesson for all of us that sometimes God wants to lead us in a different direction in our life. Scot recalls how fruitful it was when he responded to a bulletin announcement after college to teach 7th grade parish religious education. Scot noted Lisa’s husband, Greg, wasn’t Catholic but t | 11/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0172: Friday, November 4, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell WQOM Today’s topics: Catholic bashing in the media; Ad limina visits; WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive; Sunday’s Gospel readings Summary of today’s show: Be vigilant and ready to give a reason for your faith, say Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell on today’s show, when they look at a front-page article in the local papers that give many anti-Catholic critics an opportunity to take potshots at the Church. Be ready and vigilant is also the theme of this Sunday’s Gospel, where we will hear about the groom who comes when he’s not expected, which tells us how Christ will come for us at the end of our lives. Will we be ready or will we be left thinking we still had time to be better Christians? 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. Fr. Mark is flying to Virginia this weekend where one of his assistants is getting married tomorrow. Scot said Cardinal Seán and the auxiliary bishops of Boston are in Rome this week for their ad limina visit, which is periodic visit to the Vatican to update the Holy Father on what’s going on in the diocese and he relates his particular concerns. Scot said each ministry gives lists of statistics and a report to be presented to Rome. Fr. Mark said the last ad limina was in 2004, but at the time Cardinal Seán was brand-new in Boston and didn’t present a report. Scot said the ad limina visit before that Cardinal Seán was bishop of Fall River and he brought some of the Fall River priests and seminarians, including Scot’s brother Fr. Roger Landry, to a visit with Pope John Paul II in Castel Gandolfo. Scot said Pope Benedict does these visits a little differently from Pope John Paul, and doesn’t do many one-on-one meetings with bishops. So perhaps they don’t have the opportunity to bring others with them. Scot said the Holy Father’s address to the bishops of New England should be significant because they are the first group of American bishops to see him in this round of ad limina visits. The last time he addressed the US on such a large-scale was when he visited the US in 2008. Fr. Mark said in addition to the Holy Father, the bishops will meet with officials of the various Vatican congregations and councils. They will talk about many of the issues in the dioceses as well as sharing lived experiences with the Roman officials. Scot said the bishops also bring all the prayers and intentions of the people of the local dioceses to the shrines and churches of the apostles, saints, and martyrs. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to WQOM 2nd segment: Scot told Fr. Mark that today’s Boston Herald had a front-page article on today’s 80th birthday of Cardinal Bernard Law, former archbishop of Boston who now lives in Rome. Scot said when you read all the comments in the article you find much Catholic bashing and that’s why it’s so important to have Catholic media. You can’t get a fair shake in the secular media. Fr. Mark said it’s not that we don’t deserve some of the criticism of the Church, but after a while it becomes too much. He said he sees a lot of errors in the reporting. The bishops in Boston aren’t going to Rome at this time for Cardinal Law’s birthday as some report, nor were the bishops of Boston summoned to Rome as if it were unusual. Fr. Mark said every single occasion is an opportunity to bash us. Scot said when the coverage is so one-sided, common sense says that they’re doing it to take shots at the Church. When the Herald devotes its front page to the Church, it gives a cue to the rest of the media in Boston. “Victims irate over Bernard Law’s 80th birthday party”, Boston Herald, 11/4/11 Scot noted we are called to forgive. The Her | 11/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0171: Thursday, November 3, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, Executive Editor of the Anchor, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River WQOM The Anchor Today’s topics: Assisted suicide, 7 billion people, WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive Summary of today’s show: Birth, death, and birth were the watchwords today as Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, and Fr. Roger Landry—live in the studio for the first time—discussed the news of the day, including the birth of Susan’s newest grandson, November as religious education month, Cardinal Seán’s strong call to leadership against physician-assisted suicide by medical professionals at the annual White Mass; and the implications of the 7 billionth child born in the world (not Susan’s grandson as far as we know). 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. She was away last week visiting her newest grandson in California. Last night she was at Immaculate Conception Parish in Weymouth which has a Catholics Come Home committee continuing the work of the program. She spoke on reconciliation. Scot said it’s also the first time that Fr. Roger Landry is live in the studio after eight months coming via Skype. Scot said this week in the Pilot there is a special section on religious education. Susan wrote an article on November as religious education month. In order to read all the parish programs which may meet weekly or biweekly, they have a whole month dedicated to celebrating the good work done in parishes. Susan said religious education encompasses everything from baptism through adult faith formation. Scot said there are 400 parish religious education leaders, 12,000 catechists, and over 115,000 children in religious education. Fr. Roger said Jesus once said the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who keep his commandments and teach others to do the same. Our catechists are the greatest in the Church because of the example they set and the leadership they provide. The seeds they plant are seeds that will change the world. Scot said he was a substitute catechist in his own parish this past week. Susan said faith begins in the home, but it can be daunting to parents whose own formation is not as solid as they want it to be. But the first step is just being at Mass with the children, even if the parents have to split going to Mass if an infant must stay at home. The best thing you can do for your kids is to give them a relationship with Jesus Christ rooted in the sacraments of the Church. Scot said those parents who don’t have a strong faith formation can supplement it by listening to Catholic radio. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to WQOM 2nd segment: Scot said Cardinal Seán had strong words about physician-assisted suicide when addressing doctors and other healthcare workers last weekend at the White Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral. Fr. Roger said the Cardinal is looking to medical personnel to take the lead in rejecting efforts to legalize assisted suicide. The Cardinal cited many scary statistics from Oregon, where it was legalized. It’s not just those who are terminally ill who are affected. When society says some suicide is okay, we start to see a rise in teen suicides and suicides by people who are not terminally ill. Scot said the cardinal understands the treasure of the vocation of the physician. He’s calling them to be both Catholic and physicians and calling them to honor their Hyppocratic oath which says “first, do no harm.” Susan said assisted suicide is a false compassion. She said advocates want depression to be re-defined so it would not be an obstacle to prescription of lethal drugs. Scot added that there is an effort to rename suicide to “aid in dying”. Scot said the petitioners are asking people to sign a peti | 11/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0170: Wednesday, November 2, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams WQOM Today’s topics: All Souls Day; Ad limina visits; WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive Summary of today’s show: Are you praying for all the faithful souls in Purgatory today? Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk about All Souls Day and the Catholic approach to death. They also discuss all the bishops of New England going to Rome this week for their ad limina visits (andwhat does “ad limina” mean anyway?). Finally, we begin the WQOM Fall Fund Drive today. Will you consider supporting Catholic radio in Boston? 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. He said All Souls Day and All Saints Day are some of his favorite holy days. Fr. Matt said this is for all the Christian deceased to be remembered in our prayers. Fr. Matt recalled St. Augustine’s homily about the death of his mother St. Monica and how she told him that all she wanted of them after her death was to remember her at the altars of the Lord. Scot said we as a Catholic family, those on earth and in purgatory and in heaven, have bonds between us and we all need to pray for one another. Scot said today’s Mass readings are so uplifting, especially the Gospel from John: Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Fr. Matt said the focus on the reading is the resurrection and Christ’s victory over death. He said the first part of the passage is important for us to understand why we pray for the dead. The reality of purgatory is for us to be purified of ourselves. We don’t do it “My Way”, we do it God’s way. Purgatory is a gift and a mercy of God, but not something we want to aim for. We know from the mystics that in purgatory we see the presence of God, but don’t experience. It’s like smelling the most awesome meal, but unable to eat it. You know you will be with God in heaven someday, but can’t be with him yet. That is suffering. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to WQOM 2nd segment: Scot said the Anchor newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River has an editorial this week on how we confront death and fear of death. Scot recalled how his Uncle Sonny faced death and how he brought a joy to his family even as he approached the end. Fr. Matt said it’s beautiful to be with someone who is prepared for death at the end. It’s so peaceful and beautiful as he’s entering into a new life. Fr. Matt observed that popular culture acknowledges the existence of heaven and hell, so the question for the culture is who decides where people go. Scot then talked about how he talks to his own children about heaven and the afterlife and how we prepare ourselves for eternal life. We have to be present at Mass, be involved in adult faith formation to know our faith. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. 3rd segment:Scot said the bishops of Region 1 of the US Bishops conference are in Rome this week for their ‘ad limina’ visit. That is short for ‘ad limina apostolorum’,which means “at the threshold of the apostles”. They meet with Vatican curial officials and Pope Benedict XVI to discuss what’s going on in their dioceses, bring their concerns to Rome, and bring back the concerns of the Holy Father. They also pray for us in a special way. Fr. Matt said Rome is one of the most beautiful cities of the worl | 11/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0169: Tuesday, November 1, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli and Mother Olga Yaqob WQOM Pier Giorgio Frassati St. Rita of Cascia Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto St. Maximilian Kolbe Today’s topics: Our favorite saints; WQOM 1st anniversary Summary of today’s show: Who is your favorite saint? On this All Saints’ Day, Dom Bettinelli and Mother Olga join Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor to talk about some of their favorite saints, including a saint who died at the hands of the Nazis, a saint who was a mother and wife, saints who were young siblings, and a saint who was a college student who came from a wealthy and influential family. They also discussed the one year anniversary of WQOM in Boston, which began broadcasting with the Mass on Nov. 1, 2010. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Chris on All Saints Day. Today is also the one-year anniversary of WQOM in Boston. Fr. Chris said he was at Sacred Hearts in Malden at the Cheverus grammar school for the All Saints Day Mass. He went through some of the many saints that the kids are familiar and remind them that we’re all called to holiness. Their pastor, Fr. Dan Hickey, has been the pastor there for 26 years. The Cheverus school is an urban school and is very multicultural. It is named for Boston’s first bishop. Cheverus is also the name of the award given to lay leaders in the archdiocese by Cardinal Seán on the Feast of Christ the King. Cheverus School Fr. Chris said at the seminary the new tomb marker has been installed for Cardinal O’Connell after his grave was moved. He’s sure that the cardinal will receive many new prayers now that he’s located right next to the seminary instead of up on the hill and out of the way where he used to be. He was moved in mid-July and the marker has just been installed. Cardinal Seán will lead a formal service marking the move. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Dom and Mother Olga to the show. Scot introduced a recording of Cardinal Seán’s remarks during the inaugural Mass for WQOM last All Saints Day at Holy Cross Cathedral. Scot said it was a momentous day. It was appropriate that the first words on air were those of the Mass. Scot said he has heard form many people who tell him how much the station has become a part of their daily life. Fr. Chris said he hears from prisoners in the Massachusetts prison system who listen to WQOM for inspiration and catechesis. Mother Olga said she also heard from a number of people as she travels around the area who say they heard her on this show. A mom told her she sits in the car while doing errands waiting for the last few minutes of the show to finish to hear it all. Dom said he has heard from people who say that WQOM has been an integral part of their conversion to the Catholic faith. Scot sent his thanks to the people of the Station of the Cross network who started WQOM and 24-hour Catholic radio in Boston. 3rd segment: Mother Olga said many of her students at Boston University where she was a campus chaplain had a devotion to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, especially young men. Scot asked Fr. Chris how many of the men entering seminary have devotions to Bl. Pier Giorgio. Fr. Chris said walking the corridors of the seminary, you see many photos of Bl. Pier Giorgio, as well as St. George and St. Michael. 4th segment: Scot said Mother Olga wanted to offer St. Rita of Cascia as an example for moms. She was a holy wife and holy mother. She had a difficult life with suffering, but she was faithful to the Lord and to her family. She was born in Italy in 1386. She had wanted to become a religious sister, but her parents arranged a marriage for her and she obeyed. It was a difficult marriage because her husband was not devout or faithful. He was violent and mistreated her. They had two boys and she was dedicated to them and taught them to respect their father, to love him and pray for him. She p | 11/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0168 for Monday, October 31, 2011: St William Tewksbury Eucharistic Adoration Chapel | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr John Hanley OMI, Eileen Wood, and Tim Francis CatholicQuest.org St William Church in Tewksbury Today's topics: St William's Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, the Real Presence, science versus faith Summary of today's show: The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is something all Catholics should know and rejoice in - St William Parish is teaching Tewksbury parishioners about the it through their Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Today we focus on the events leading up to the 5th anniversary celebration of the Chapel. Fr John Hanley, who started the Chapel; Eileen Wood, who helps run the Chapel now; and Tim Francis, who will be speaking in two weeks join Scot for a discussion on how spending time with Jesus in the Eucharist can enhance our faith lives. 1st segment: Scot started the show by wishing everyone a happy Halloween, that it be safe and a good preparation for All Saints Day tomorrow. Today is also the last day to pre-register at a lower price for the WQOM Catholic Conference on Saturday December 10th. The conference will feature Brian Patrick, Fr Mitch Pacwa, Dr Ray Guarendi, Cardinal Sean, and Sister Olga Yaqob. Register Online for the WQOM Catholic Conference! Brian Patrick's Son Rise Morning Show Fr Mitch Pacwa's Ignatius Productions Dr Ray Guarendi from The Doctor is In Scot also reminded everyone that tomorrow is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation. Scot also announced that a special Mass for All Soul's Day will take place on WQOM at 2pm with Cardinal Sean. He concluded the segment by asking for prayerful support of The Station of the Cross Fund Drive that will be this week on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Your prayers and generosity help keep WQOM on the air. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr John and Eileen to the program. Eileen is a parishioner at St William's in Tewksbury, and Fr John just completed 8 years as pastor at the parish. Fr John explained that when he arrived at St William's in 2003, the three previous priests had been transferred out at the same time. The popularity of adoration was rising due to ACTS retreats and other events, so he brought up the idea of a perpetual adoration chapel to the Parish Council to build on their Tuesday all-day and Friday overnight adoration programs. The Council prepared for the next 8 months to start the program - getting volunteers, making the physical space, and organizing the logistics. The decision was made to open the Chapel on the feast of Christ the King. Scot emphasized that there are only five or six perpetual chapels in the Archdiocese, making it even harder for St William's to launch it. Fr John said they recruited friends and family from the parish and all over the greater Lowell area. Eileen was involved from the beginning, having helped organize previous adoration programs. Eileen said that about 80 to 85% of the adorers are parishioners at St William. Scot asked what times are the hardest to fill - Eileen said surprisingly it isn't the middle of the night or early morning, but weekend afternoons when people might have to give up family events or travel. She said that the very first call she got when they announced the schedule was a man who wanted to reserve Thursday morning at 3am! Scot asked about the profile of the people who come in late - Fr Hanley said that some people like to wake up early, but many are late shift workers who may come at the end of their work day. Scot asked what preparations and education the Council did to recruit volunteers. Eileen said they published a long series of bulletin inserts to answer questions about what perpetual adoration is, what people do during adoration, why adoration is important, and more. One parishioner, Eileen continued, was touched by the comparison of adoration to having a private audience with your favorite celebrity. Scot observed that having a regularly scheduled appointment with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament can he | 10/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0167: Friday, October 28, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Msgr. Dennis Sheehan, parochial vicar of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Newton, and associate director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life Our Lady, Help of Christians, Newton Office of Worship and Spiritual Life Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Msgr. Dennis Sheehan Summary of today’s show: If there’s a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston who’s worn more hats than Msgr. Dennis Sheehan, we want to meet him. Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Msgr. Sheehan about his many assignments from the Pontifical North American Seminary in Rome to Blessed John XXIII National Seminary to the Pontifical Josephinum in Columbus. After his days leading his seminaries, he stays with the student theme in shepherding St. Paul’s in Cambridge, which includes the Harvard Catholic Student Association. Today, Msgr. Sheehan provides leadership at the presbyteral council and in the archdiocesan Office for Worship. Also, on today’s show, Scot andFr. Chip discuss this Sunday’s Gospel reading and tell us why we can call our priests father. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip Hines back to the show as a substitute co-host for Fr. Mark O’Connell. Fr. Chip is often in the Pastoral Center on Fridays for meetings of the Clergy Personnel Board. He represents priests who were ordained in the 2000s. The board advises Cardinal Seán on appointments of priests. Scot and Fr. Chip talked about Game Six of the World Series, one of the best World Series games ever. Scot said he talked with his kids about what it was like as a Red Sox fan in 1986 to watch the ball roll through Bill Buckner’s legs in that Game Six. Both agreed that the Cardinals will likely win tonight, although they’re sympathetic to the Texas Rangers and their fans. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Msgr. Sheehan to the show. He’s know the monsignor since he was pastor at St. Paul’s in Cambridge in the mid-1990s when Scot was graduating college. Msgr. said he was a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in East Boston when he was first ordained. He also taught at Emmanuel College and was campus chaplain at Suffolk U at the same time. Msgr. said he studied at the North American College in Rome in Latin so he didn’t have enough Italian to be fluent at Sacred Heart. He was actually present in St. Peter’s during the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Pontifical North American College He went back to Rome on the seminary faculty in 1969. He was director of liturgy and went to San Anselmo at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute and studied nights while teaching the subject during the day. He taught at the seminary for four years. Scot said in that time, helping to form future priests in a liturgy they didn’t grow up praying, must have been a challenge. Msgr. said the liturgy was for the first time in the vernacular and celebrating the liturgy was an art in the making in those days. There were no books to consult at the time. While there he oversaw the sabbatical program for priests at the North American College, soon after it had started. Msgr. said it was a post-Vatican II enterprise, that priests had to get caught in the areas that the Church was entering. He said it was a work in the making. It included 35 priests every spring and fall from all over the United States, including American missionaries who had returned home. Hearing all the lecturers who came in to address the priests was like getting a second graduate degree. Scot said the program continues today and our own former vicar general, Fr. Richard Erikson, is there now. Msgr. said the rule of thumb was that a priest would not be admitted until he had been ordained 15 years. He said being in Rome itself was part of the formational experience. They would visit not just ruins and museums, but also meet those running various Vatican offices. They even used to take the priests to Geneva for meetings at the Wor | 10/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0166: Thursday, October 27, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Vatican thoughts on financial crisis; Pope in Assisi; World Mission Sunday and Bl. John Paul Saturday; Profile of Cushing; Project Rachel Summary of today’s show: What is the authority of a Vatican document? It depends on what you mean by “Vatican”. Scot, Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy discuss the recent economic paper released by a pontifical council that’s making waves, not least for its comparison of Church teaching to Occupy Wall Street. They also consider Pope Benedict’s visit to Assisi today for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious peace meeting at which the Holy Father spoke in no uncertain terms about the responsibility of religions for violence done in their name. CLoser to home, Cardinal Sean celebrated World Mission Sunday and the first feast of Blessed John Paul this past weekend at Holy Cross Cathedral. Two series continued in the pages of the Pilot with a profile of the storied Cardinal Richard Cushing and an anonymous memoir of a woman who sought healing through Project Rachel. Finally, we remembered the oldest and longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, who died this week. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Greg and Fr. Roger back to the show. They talked about a trip that Greg and his wife took last week to Mexico for their 20th wedding anniversary. Fr. Roger has been busy leading clergy retreats in Pennsylvania and Arizona in recent weeks. He’s been doing these retreats in many places over the past few years. He preached on Pope John Paul’s Theology of Body, which is intended to help priests as they counsel and work with married couples. 2nd segment: Scot said the first story is about a document published this week by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Fr. Roger said the document is significant as a study document by Catholic leaders, but it does not have the authority of papal encyclical or a teaching of the Magisterium. It’ intended to help us reflect on the moral issues involved in our examination of economic issues. It tries to applies Church teaching to economic issues, but it’s up to us to put it in its context. “Vatican officials see agreement in church teaching, Occupy Wall Street”, CNS/The Boston Pilot, 10/24/11 “Vatican council proposes a global financial authority”, CNA/EWTN News, 10/24/11 Scot said the document said there usually needs to be a mechanism that fosters the common good in global economic transactions. While it may suggest a global financial authority. This has met some criticism, including some who say it shows the Vatican is out of touch. “On Going the Way of World Government”, Mark Brumley, Catholic World Report Greg said the sentiment in the Brumley’s article may be harsh—the Church wants the poor to be protected from the unfettered effects of capitalism—in practical terms this is an idea that won’t be possible. Scot said Cardinal Turkson of the Pontifical Council said that those who are part of Occupy Wall Street and the Vatican agree in that financial institutions should be held accountable. Fr. Roger said it surprise him that the Vatican has discerned what Occupy WallStreet is about when those in the movement themselves don’t know. Scot noted that CatholicCulture.org said that people don’t distinguish the different types of pronouncements from the Vatican: When people reach the conclusion that the Vatican is talking nonsense, they do not ordinarily distinguis | 10/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0165: Wednesday, October 26, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Kyle Hamilton, Terry Poplava, Aaron Winn, and Eileen Herrington of Our Sunday Visitor Our Sunday Visitor Our Sunday Visitor Offertory Solutions Radius Webtools for Parishes Electronic Services for Catholics blog Pilot New Media Today’s topics: How Our Sunday Visitor serves parishes today, including good parish websites Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Matt are joined by Kyle Hamilton, Terry Poplava, and Aaron Winn to discuss how Our Sunday Visitor has been serving Catholic parishes for 100 years in various areas of communications, including most recently providing excellent parish websites that are easy to create and maintain, adhere to best practices, and don’t cost a lot of money. They also talked about how the Archdiocese has partnered with Our Sunday Visitor to create a special package of content and visual designs for Boston parishes. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. Fr. Matt had the honor of concelebrating at the funeral Mass of the priest who baptized him as a child. Fr. Francis would have celebrated 70 years as a priest in December. Also, the Mass for the feast day of Bl. John Paul II at the Cathedral was beautiful and George Weigel gave an excellent talk on the Holy Father. Weigel talked about how his biographies of John Paul were used in the beatification process. About 1,000 people attended. They don’t yet have a family for all of the priests in the archdiocese for the adopt-a-priest prayer apostolate just yet so anyone interested should go to the Serraboston.org site. Today at the Pastoral Center we had many parish staff come to hear about creating excellent parish websites. The goal was to expose people to best practices for websites. Scot highlighted the work of our own Karla Goncalves in assessing 243 parish websites on 68 different characteristics. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Terry Poplava from Our Sunday Visitor and Aaron Winn from OSV’s Radius Webtools to the show. Terry said OSV works with thousands of parishes nationwide. They help parishes communicate with parishes in a way that creates involvement and engagement. They help with printed media like bulletins and offertory envelopes and with electronic media like email and websites. They wanted to offer a full package of different channels a parish can use and work with them create consistency across their messages. Aaron said little has changed with the fundamentals of communication so what makes a great website is the same as making great print media. The content of the message is the most important thing you do want to communicate. Sometimes churches put things on their website that people aren’t looking for. People want Mass times, for example, but not so interested in mission statements. Scot said in Boston 16% of our parishes don’t have websites. Nationwide that would translate to thousands of parishes and thousands more would have a poor website that doesn’t communicate that the parish is a place people want to be involved. Terry said as a Church we should be better about communications. But parishes have limited time and money and skills for this area. Parish leaders may not realize how much easier it has become to have a website. They need to put the right amount of emphasis on the importance of websites. Scot asked Aaron what makes Radius easier to use. Aaron said it has one interface to do everything on your website, not separate tools for email and blogs and calendar and so on. He gave the example of a complicated remote control or getting in a rental car and not knowing how to make anything work. That’s bad user interface. Radius’s user interface has a lot of thought behind it that it just works. It saves minutes and even hours in maintaining the website. Fr. Matt asked whether parishes have staff or volunteers who maintain the site. Terry said it’s a mix, but less often is | 10/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0164: Tuesday, October 25, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. David Cavanagh, a priest of Opus Dei and postulator for the cause of Servant of God Fr. Joseph Muzquiz Opus Dei “Canonization cause opened in Boston for Fr. Joseph Muzquiz” Today’s topics: Opus Dei and the cause for the canonization of Fr. Joseph Muzquiz Summary of today’s show: Fr. David Cavanagh reveals to Scot and Fr. Chris how he came to be a priest of Opus Dei as a hockey player at Harvard, a little more about what Opus Dei is about, and his work as postulator for the cause of canonization of Fr. Joseph Muzquiz, an Opus Dei priest who ministered and died in Boston. 1st segment: Fr. Chris had the St. John’s seminary alumni gathering this past weekend and over 100 priests were there along with Cardinal Seán and Bishops Kennedy and Uglietto. It’s good for the seminarians to see the men already in service and for the priests to be inspired by the young men coming to help them. They gathered at 5pm for a holy hour then a cocktail hour and dinner. One of the fourth-year men gives a presentation to welcome these men home. Two seminarians also provided musical entertainment on the flute and violin and Irish music. Last night, Fr. Chris visited Norfolk state prison and the inmates were excited to hear that today’s guests is a priest of Opus Dei. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Fr. David Cavanagh who is based at the Elmbrook Center in Harvard Square. He is in the Pastoral Center today for Fr. Joseph Muzquiz’s cause for canonization, but first Scot asked him about growing up in the area. Fr. David and his brother Joe went to Harvard as hockey players, partying as hard as they studied. They met the priests at the Elmbrook Center at Harvard and they were attracted by the fact that they never were told that there was anything wrong with playing hockey. They were told to do it well, which meant that if you’re going to do it well, then do it all for the Lord. It was appealing because it wasn’t pulling them out of what they loved to do. Scot said Opus Dei calls us to holiness in our everyday life, whatever we do every day. There is a path to holiness in every secondary or particular vocations. Unless you find God in the every day, you’ll never find him, said St. Josemaria Escriva. God blesses and uses our everyday experiences to spread the Gospel. Fr. David said his brother later reflected that it was obvious the reason they were good at hockey was so they could end up where they did in life. Fr. David had been intending to be married and it was only at the end of law school that someone asked him if God was calling him to celibacy within the apostolate as a layman. Suddenly, so much became clear and he knew it was true. Later, some of the men living as a numerary, as a celibate within Opus Dei, are called to priesthood. Fr. Chris asked Fr. David about his primary work. Fr. David said he celebrates the sacraments first and everything flows from that. He makes himself available for that. He spends a lot of time hearing confessions, giving spiritual direction to everyone, whether or not they are Opus Dei. He also preaches on retreats. Scot said he thinks of other groups within the Church, like the Franciscans at Arch Street, he thinks of the particular gifts they provide to the Archdiocese. For Opus Dei, he thinks of the help they give to people through spiritual direction, taking their faith to the next level. He helps people to see God’s signs that He provides for them and helps them to see what they might have missed. Fr. Chris asked about St. Josemaria, the founder of Opus Dei. He was called to start Opus Dei by living it himself, not just writing down some principles. He came from an ordinary family who went through some hard times: siblings who died, impoverishment. He was later able to see that he was being brought through it to understand what he was late | 10/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0163: Monday, October 24, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Greg Wayland, reporter for New England Cable News (NECN) Greg Wayland’s profile at NECN.com Today’s topics: Greg Wayland, local reporter and practicing Catholic Summary of today’s show: Greg Wayland joins Scot to talk about his two decades of experience as a print and broadcast journalism, including reporting at several local Boston news outlets, as well as how he brings his Catholic faith into his reporting as well as the newsroom, not to present a bias in favor of the Church, but to ensure accurate reporting. 1st segment: Scot said today we will hear from a Catholic who works in secular media. Greg Wayland will be familiar to our listeners, having worked in television news in New England for two decades. His work at NECN allows him to work on longer stories on diverse topics. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Greg to the show. Greg said he’s been at New England Cable News (NECN) since May, 1998. He’s moved around a lot. Prior to that he was at 7, 4, and 12 in Providence. He’s also worked in Florida, starting in Fort Myers in 1979. There are a lot of Boston retirees in that area. At the time he arrived there it was among the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. The television market was small, but now it’s a large and glitzy market. Boston is still among the biggest local TV markets, ranked number 6. New York’s local TV market is a little more national in focus. People come to work in Boston TV to stay as a destination. He began his career at the Boston Globe in print journalism. He had been in the Army during the Korean War, and when he came out he was interested in journalism and could write, so he got a job running copy at 25 years old. That worked into the possibility of doing freelance stories and then he moved to the Dedham Daily Transcript as a reporter. Greg grew up in St. Anne’s in Dorchester and won an award for oratory throughout the archdiocese in high school. Meanwhile his brothers all worked in broadcast journalism, mostly in sales and behind the scenes, and when he was in his early 30’s he decided to take the jump. At the time it seemed a little more glamorous, but later found out it was just as challenging as print. Scot asked the difference between print journalism and TV journalism. Greg said although newspapers are facing tough times, they’re still the medium of record and set the direction of the news for the day. When a reporter covers an event, all he has is his notebook and sits through the event without worrying about images. He’s usually writing for a later edition. TV news has images and words to worry about with shorter deadlines. It’s also a different type of writing: fewer words, but using the pictures to tell the story. But now newspaper reporters are carrying photos and video cameras for the web, plus writing shorter versions of their long stories for web use too. And TV reporters are now writing for their websites too. It’s called convergence. Scot asked Greg how much of the final story is him shaping the final version of the story. Does he shape the visuals and words? How much are other people involved in the newsroom? Greg said it’s a collaborative effort. He does have a considerable amount of say in the visuals. The camera man can take direction, but they usually know what they need to get too. Greg may ask for a specific shot for something he will write about later. When they get back, some reporters have to shoot, write, and edit. Greg doesn’t have to do that; he sits with an editor, logs everything he hopes to put in the story, and they drop in the soundbites. They meld it together in collaboration under tight deadlines. Scot asked how much of his assignments come from the assignment desk versus generating the stories himself. Greg said every station has editorial meetings in the morning and afternoon. They are asked for their | 10/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0162: Friday, October 21, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Brian Patrick of the Son Rise Morning Show and Maria Bain, general manager of WQOM WQOM Son Rise Morning Show Today’s topics: WQOM; Prepare the Way Conference; Brian Patrick Summary of today’s show: Maria Bain, general manager of WQOM, returns to the show to talk about the first anniversary of Boston’s Catholic radio station and to encourage listeners to attend the Prepare the Way Conference in Lowell on Dec. 10. Then Brian Patrick, host of the Son Rise Morning Show on WQOM, joins Scot and Fr. Mark to talk about the value of such conferences in Advent as a way to prepare for Christmas. Finally, Fr. Mark and Scot, as they do each week, discuss the Sunday readings with a particularly powerful Gospel this week. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Mark about attending the Canon Law Society of America meeting in Jacksonville, FLorida, last week. He said there was a tropical storm hanging over the city last week, but the convention was good. He said the theme was the rights of the faithful and the rights of the Church in canon law. He said more than 300 people attended. Scot said these conventions are great for ongoing learning and ensuring they are on top of their game. Scot said yesterday afternoon the Stanley Cup at the Pastoral Center on Thursday as part of the finish of the bet between Cardinal Sean and Archbishop Miller on the NHL championship series. Fr. Mark grew up in Canada and was a hockey-mad kid, so getting a photo with the cup with his brother was a big deal. He remarked on the humongous championship ring worn by one of the Bruins staff. Scot said George Martell took a neat photo of Cardinal Sean with his episcopal ring next to the Bruin ring and a Patriots Super Bowl ring worn by Frank Mendes of the Pastoral Center staff. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Marian Bain to the show. He said she had an exciting week last week at the EWTN radio conference. She was able to meet many of the people from around the world working in Catholic radio. There are 15,000 AM/FM radio stations, 1,500 of which are Protestant and only 200 Catholics ones. Only 16 years ago, there 7 Catholic radio stations. Scot said the annual fund drive for the station is very important for keeping it on the air. This is coming up on November 5. The theme is “Go forth for the new evangelization.” Scot said he helped kick off a new Catholic radio station last month in Worcester. He said then it’s up to all us who benefit from the station to keep it going. Maria said the fund drive provides 75% of the operating costs. She thanked listeners for their continued generosity as well all the priest in the archdiocese who have allowed them to give parish presentations and get the word out about Catholic radio. Maria said the goal for this year’s fund drive is $300,000. She asked listeners for their prayers. On December 10 in the Lowell Memorai Auditorium, there will be a Catholic conference, called Prepare the Way, sponsored by the Stations of the Cross, which will feature Dr. Ray Guarendi, Brian Patrick, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Sr. Olga Yaqob, and Cardinal Sean, who will celebrate Mass. There will be lots of opportunities during the day, including meeting all the speakers. Scot said he’s looking forward to thanking everyone who listens to the show in person. Tickets can be purchased on the website or by calling 877-888-6279. Those who receive the newsletter can also find an order form inside this month’s edition. Scot said their’s an early-bird discount for tickets ordered before October 31. Maria thanked all the listeners for all their letters and calls saying how WQOM has been changing their lives. 3rd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Brian Patrick to the show. Scot said WQOM listeners wake up each day to learn about the Catholic faith listening to the Son Rise Morning Show, which originates out of Cincinnati. Scot as | 10/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0161: Thursday, October 20, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston; and Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: New nuncio for US; Year of Faith; human trafficking; IntegrityRestored.com Summary of today’s show: Antonio Enrique from The Pilot and Fr. Roger Landry from The Anchor join Scot and Susan to discuss the news of the week, including the appointment of a new papal nuncio to the US, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, known for management skills in the Vatican City-State; the announcement of a Year of Faith by Pope Benedict; the Mass. bishops asking the state Legislature to take action on a human trafficking bill; the Obama administration revoking a contract with the US bishops’ migrant services agency to provide care for trafficking victims because they won’t promote contraception and abortion; a new website that helps Catholic men who are addicted to pornography; and Cardinal Sean joining the circus… for a day. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Susan back the show. He asked her about the confirmation preparation training program, which has been taking place in many locations across the archdiocese. The focus of the workshops was revisiting the theology of confirmation and how do parish confirmation programs for teens align with it. It included a presentation by Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, co-director of the Office for Worship and Spiritual Life, on the theology of confirmation. Scot and Susan discussed their hope that confirmation will be more than just a graduation from religious education or graduation from going to church. Susan said she also met with members of the Brazilian community religious education community at the initiative of Fr. Michael Harrington of the Office for Cultural Diversity. They assessed the needs of the fast-growing community and discussed their future needs. Scot said he’s heard there are as many Portuguese-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese as there are Spanish speakers. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Antonio and Fr. Roger to the show. He asked Antonio about the appointment of Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano as the new nuncio to the US. “Pope names Archbishop Vigano new nuncio to the US”, CNS, 10/19/11 Antonio said Vigano was previously the secretary-general of the Vatican City Governorate. Scot asked his sense from his friends in Rome on he appointment. Fr. Roger said Americans will like his management style because he brought many American management best practices to the Vatican, which was controversial in Rome. It streamlined operations and saved 25% on the cost of running the Vatican without cutting any budgets, in part by cutting out “friend-of-a-friend” contracts and deals with vendors to the Vatican. Fr. Roger wondered what criteria Vigano will be favoring in his recommendations on new bishops for the US, whether it will be management ability or more pastoral sensibilities or more likely some combination of both. Scot and Susan discussed the role of the nuncio as the papal representative to both the Church in the US, but also to the government of the US. Scot and Antonio discussed that Vigano said he has big shoes to fill in replacing Archbishop Sambi who died in the middle of the summer. They agreed that in this case it is true as Sambi was much loved in the US. Antonio knew Sambi over many years, back to when Sambi was the Pope’s representative in the Holy Land, a very difficult role. He was very down to earth, very cordial, and had a strong sense of humor. “Pope announces ‘Year of Faith’ to help renew missionary energy”, CNS, 10/18/11 S | 10/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0160: Wednesday, October 19, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Fr. Dan Hennessey, Director of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Boston Office for Vocations Serra Club of Boston Monthly Prayer for Priests Apostolate Today’s topics: Serra Club of Boston, the Adopt-a-Priest ministry, and Blessed John Paul’s Feast Day Summary of today’s show: Fr. Dan Hennessey, director of vocations, talks with Scot and Fr. Matt about one of the biggest events in boston this fall, the Mass in recognition of the Adopt-a-Priest Apostolate of the Serra Club on the Feast Day of Blessed John Paul II. They talk about the fruits of families that adopt a priest in prayer for a year for both the priest himself and the families as they create a culture of vocations in their home. Scot, Fr. Matt, and Fr. Dan also discuss Bl. John Paul’s radical discipleship that inspired many vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and marriage and look forward to papal biographer George Weigel’s talk on Saturday on Bl John Paul as a saint for our times. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Matt about the LIFT series that continued last night. The series is called “Get a Life”. And the God of This City tour is taking place Nov 28 through Dec 2. This past Sunday, he was at St. Patrick’s on Stoneham for a wedding of friends who both serve work in ministries with youth and in parishes. Fr. Matt was the key to them meeting each other when he asked them both to volunteer on a particular retreat. The wedding itself had seven priests to concelebrate and they were two very faith-filled young people who made it a particularly beautiful wedding ceremony. Their witness and faith were palpable. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Dan to the show. Fr. Dan said the Vocations Office focuses primarily on the vocation to the diocesan priesthood and often sponsors gatherings to bring together young men who might consider the vocation of the priesthood. He said the Adopt-a-Priest apostolate is a ministry of the Serra CLub of Boston, which is part of the Serra Clubs internationally. It is named for Bl. Junipero Serra, a famed missionary who founded many of the California missions. The adopt-a-priest apostolate creates a booklet for each Boston diocesan priest with a photo, name, ordination date, and birthday, seals them up and distributes them to willing families which pledge to pray for the priests. Fr. Dan said priests tell him how the people are praying sometimes contact the priests and a relationship is sometimes formed. Every year, the assignments change. This Saturday’s Mass happens to fall on the feast day of Blessed John Paul II as declared by Pope Benedict earlier this year. This is the first celebration of this feast. Following the Mass at the Cathedral of the holy Cross on Saturday at 10am will be a talk by George Weigel, noted scholar and autobiographer of John Paul II. Fr. Dan pointed out that it doesn’t have to be families who adopt a priest. They are asked to pray on a daily basis, perhaps offer a Mass for the priest or say the rosary for them. Even make spiritual sacrifices. Scot said his family has participated in the adopt-a-priest apostolate. Two years ago, Scot’s family was assigned Msgr. Bob Deeley, who was serving in Rome. Scot sent him a letter saying that his family was praying for him. It’s a wonderful thing within a family with young kids to create a culture of vocations, to help them think about not only what they want to be when they grow, but what God wants them to be. One way to do so is to pray regularly for a priest. It helps create awareness of the beauty of the vocation to the priesthood and religious life. Fr. Matt said praying for priests helps strengthen the married couple to understand their own call to holiness as well as their own children. Fr. Dan said it helps the family put a context on their own vocation, to understand the give and take between and all vocation. He make | 10/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0159: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Kathy Greenlar Sexton and Fr. Peter Gori from St. Augustine Parish, Andover, Mass. St. Augustine Parish in Andover Today’s topics: Memorial Mass for Miscarried Children and their Families Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chris talk with Kathy Greenlar Sexton and Fr. Peter Gori about the difficult topic of miscarried and stillborn children; the anger and spiritual questions that many parents experience; and the unique ministry that St. Augustine Parish in Andover offers through an annual Memorial Mass for Miscarried Children and their Families. During the show, Kathy discusses her five miscarriages and the pain and anger she felt even when she didn’t know where to turn for spiritual consolation and when the healthcare professionals didn’t have any to offer. Fr. Peter also offers words of hope in what the Church truly teaches about the children who die during pregnancy and the healing offered to the grieving. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. The sad news is that St. John’s Seminary’s softball team lost their game versus Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston. They compared the loss to the collapse of the Boston Red Sox. Fr. Chris will have to report the loss to the alumni during their annual dinner on Friday night. It’s a wonderful night for the priests who serve throughout New England to come back to be examples for the seminarians and who leave encouraged by the future prospects for the Church. Scot said the seminary has been open since 1884. Fr. Chris estimated that there have been more than 900 priests who are currently alumni and they are expecting 100 to come to the dinner. Fr. Chris mentioned this evening that the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John Seminary is having an open house this evening at St. Gabriel Church across from St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Brighton. This is for anyone thinking of taking a degree program to learn and grow in their faith. Scot said today’s show topic is the Church’s response and our response for those who lose a child to miscarriage. One in 5 people experience this sad situation themselves. This year for the second time, St. Augustine Parish is offering a Memorial Mass for Miscarried Children and their Families on Saturday, November 5, 9:30am. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Fr. Peter Gori, pastor of St. Augustine in Andover, and Kathy Greenlar Sexton, a parishioner, to the show. Scot said Fr. Peter was an associate pastor at St. Augustine in the 1980s. He was there from 1988 to 1993 after his doctoral studies in Rome. He also serves on the Metropolitan Tribunal as a canon lawyer. Kathy said she and her husband Sean grew up in the area. And after living in Chicago for a number of years they returned to the area, specifically the Merrimack Valley where many of their family live. Fr. Peter said it’s a big and busy parish, especially with the number of children. They have 1,200 children in religious education and 440 in the parochial school. Kathy started in broadcast television and worked with high-tech companies in marketing. She was part of the founding team of the Altavista search engine. She has worked with top websites since then to help them grow their businesses on the web. Kathy said it was a lot of fun working at the beginning of the Web. Kathy has suffered through five miscarriages. When she came to St. Augustine, she asked Fr. Peter to start a public remembrance. Scot asked her how she began this apostolate. She said when they moved to Chicago, she was pregnant, but they were devastated when they lost that child. They’ve had five pregnancies and five miscarriages. Their experience is not unlike others in the same situation with the extreme grieving process and issues of anger, resentment, and loss. With each miscarriage those feelings deepened along with | 10/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0158: Monday, October 17, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Sr. Olga Yaqob “Iraqi sister founding religious order to serve Boston’s spiritually poor”, Catholic News Agency, 6/23/11 “Sister Olga says farewell to BU after 10 years”, Daily Free Press, 4/13/11 “Iraqi Nun Finds Her Calling, Spreads Message of Peace”, Assyrian International News Agency, 10/25/2004 Today’s topics: Sr. Olga Yaqob, foundress of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth order Summary of today’s show: Sr. Olga Yaqob joins Scot and shares with him her story of growing up in Iraq as an Assyrian Christian; her growing pull toward the Catholic Church; how she started a movement of love in response to war, including ministering to prisoners in the infamous Abu Ghraib prison; started the first order of religious women in the Assyrian Church in 700 years; came to Boston and eventually entered full communion with the Catholic Church; served as campus chaplain at Boston University; and was asked by Cardinal Sean to form the first new religious order of women in Boston in 45 years. 1st segment: Scot started by recalling that 33 years ago yesterday was the anniversary of the election of Pope John Paul II. Scot said joining us today on the show is Sr. Olga Yaqob, who is founding the first new religious order in Boston in five decades. Scot said Sr. Olga was living in Iraq in 1978 and was not part of the Roman Catholic Church, but was Assyrian Christian. She became a Roman Catholic much later. Sr. Olga said John Paul was part of her faith journey. She remembers the day he died. Earlier that year she’d started the full process of coming into full communion with the Church. He had inspired her desire to convert. She feels he’s with her even more now that he’s in heaven. Sister pointed out that Assyrian Christians are not in communion with Rome, while the Chaldean Catholics are. She grew up in northern Iraq, near Kirkuk, until she finished high school. Part of her ministry in Iraq was helping the victims of the first Persian Gulf War. Sr. Olga said her vocation was influenced by the suffering of her people. She was born in 1966 and has seen four wars: the war with Iran, first Gulf War, the 12 years of the embargo, and the second Gulf War. she was struck by the pain and despair of young people, who would say that it didn’t matter if they went to school because they would die anyway. She wanted to give them hope by bringing them out to the streets of Kirkuk and Baghdad to see the pain of others, to make a difference for them and help them see a hope for the future. Sr. Olga said the Assyrian church does not religious sisters, but it was the example of the Blessed Mother that called her to the religious life.She grew up desiring to be set aside for the Lord, just like the liturgical items in the church. Her neighbors in her town were Catholic and she asked them why they went to Mass every day and they said it was because they were Catholic. They then introduced her to the rosary, to religious sisters, and to the presence of the Eucharist in the church. She told her father she wanted to become a religious sister and live next to the “red light” of the tabernacle lamp. She moved to Baghdad at one point. In high school, she saw so many dying in the Iran-Iraq War, she wanted to serve. She knew that Assyrians had not had religious sisters in 700 years until she became the first in 1995. So before that she went to the Patriarch and asked him if she could start a lay movement of young people serving others, called “Love Your Neighbor”. She said it was amazing to see Muslim young men and women join the movement too. It included Catholics and Assyrians as well. One of the prisons where Sr. Olga ministered was the infamous Abu Ghraib prison. She served prisoners there for seven years, including both criminals and political prisoners. She even walked with prisoners who were being taken for | 10/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0157: Friday, October 14, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Sister Bridget Haase, OSU, spirituality coordinator of The Boston Home, and a former missionary to Appalachia The Boston Home Wisdom Wonder Spirit and Life radio program Generous Faith: Stories to Inspire Abundant Living, by Sister Bridget Haase Today’s topics: The amazing 50 years of ministry of Sr. Bridget Haase, OSU Summary of today’s show: Ursuline Sr. Bridget Haase sits down with Scot and Fr. Chip and, in her charming New Orleans accent, shows them why she’s known as a master storyteller, as she weaves stories of her 50 years in religious life, from Appalachia to the Sudan to Boston, where she now serves The Boston Home and is co-host of a weekly radio show with her brother, Fr. Albert. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip back to the show and noted that Fr. Chip has a new assignment as pastor of two parishes. He is still pastor of St. Mary in Wrentham and is now pastor of St. Martha in Plainville as well. He is grateful to the Cardinal for his confidence in him. Scot noted that Martha and Mary in Scripture had two personalities (the sisters, of course), and asked if they had two personalities as parishes. Fr. Chip admitted that St. Mary is named after Our Lady and the people probably wouldn’t like to re-dedicate the parish. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Bridget to the show. She is celebrating 52 years of religious life as an Ursuline nun and in January she will celebrate 50 years after her final profession. Sister was born and raised in New Orleans, but she says people always think she has a Boston accent. She said when you love New Orleans, she’ll love you right back. Plus everybody is family. If you see a neighbor in the store, you’ll call them Aunt or Uncle and you’ll go up and give them a kiss. When she was 4 years old, she went to Ursuline Academy in junior kindergarten and she met her first nun. At first she was scared by the nun’s habit, but then she was so kind to her that she stayed at the academy throughout schooling and then entered the order after graduation. She first experienced the calling to the religious life during a mandatory retreat in her senior year. She remembers coming into a conference room where there was a huge crucifix and hearing a talk by a priest. He called the girls to attention and asked them what they’ve done for Jesus, what are they doing for him, and what will they do for him. The first two answers were “nothing” and on the third, her heart opened and heard a question in her heart asking her to be a nun. She agreed and she became an Ursuline. There was never any doubt in her after that point. She received a college degree at the College of New Rochelle and began teaching. She was assigned to first grade in Kirkwood, Missouri. There were 40 children and not even room for a desk. That was in 1965. It was an experience in which she saw the children as a gift from God. It was very hard, but it all worked out. Fr. Chip asked her if she misses it and she said she misses it terribly. Before she dies, she has a plan to go into first grade classes and be Sister Storyteller and tell stories of Catholic values. Scot asked Sr. Bridget was led her to serve in Appalachia in eastern Kentucky. She’s discovered that God comes in surprises and disguises and He always has something up the Divine Sleeve. She was watching a program with Charles Kuralt on Christmas in Appalachia. She had the same experience like with the Cross: “Would you go there?” So she went to her superiors. She did the research on where she would go and then for two summers she went to Bible camps. After that she asked to go full-time. Many people had never even seen a Catholic before, but they were welcoming. Sr. Bridget and another sister ended up living in a small shed heated by a coal stove with an outhouse. No electricity, no indoor plumbing. But everybody lived that | 10/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0156: Thursday, October 13, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Death of the oldest pastor; retirement plans; $1 million for Catholic schools; Project Rachel; Episcopalian converts; assault on religion; the bishops of Boston Summary of today’s show: Greg Tracy joins Scot and Susan to discuss the news of the week in the Pilot and the Anchor newspapers, including a new retirement offering for archdiocesan employees; the death of the Archdiocese’s oldest pastor at 96; a $1 million gift for Catholic schools; another Project Rachel testimonial; Episcopalian converts coming into the Church en masse; the federal government’s assault on freedom of religion; interesting statistics on abortion rates; and A new series on the bishops of Boston. 1st segment: Scot asked Susan how her four-day week is going and she said a four-day week after a three-day weekend is just like having a six-day week to catch up. The religious education office has been having workshops all over the archdiocese to train parish leaders to do confirmation preparation. The goal is to ensure that parish confirmation preparation is uniformly high quality. Susan also shared the Joseph Anthony Abbott, her grandson, was born today to her son and daughter-in-law in Los Angeles. Another grandchild is due on February 4, which would make 8. Scot also wished his niece, Molly McDermott, a happy 5th birthday. 2nd segment: Scot said a big story in the Pilot this week is that 3,000 archdiocesan employees in the Pastoral Center and in parishes and schools will have a new 401(k) plan. While employees have a pension plan, younger employees will have a smaller payout at retirement and putting some away for themselves now is a good idea. Greg said a large readership of The Pilot are those who work for the Archdiocese and so it’s a significant story. The reality is that the Archdiocese began the switch from a traditional pension plan to a 401(k). Most organizations have made the switch because they have become very expensive as people are living longer and Social Security isn’t expect to cover everyone in the future. So the Archdiocese has selected a new model for retirement. There is currently a 403b plan, which is similar to a 401k, which was additional voluntary contributions, but did not include contributions from the employer and the 403b was spread over all kinds of vendors and plans. The 401k has all the benefits of the 403b but is much more portable and well-known. Scot noted the obituary in this week’s Pilot for Msgr. Stanislaus Sypek who died this week at age 96 and was still an active pastor, not retired. He was ordained in 1943. They reviewed his long career of service to the Church. Also, Fr. Clyde Leonard died this week at 84. He was ordained in 1964 at 37 years old. That was unusual at the time. Fr. John Connelly, pastor of Sacred Heart, Newton, is the oldest serving pastor at 89 years old. “Campaign for Catholic Schools awarded $1 million by State Street Foundation” The State Street Foundation made a large gift to the Campaign for Catholic Schools of $1 million for the benefit of Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester and Mattapan. Greg attended the press conference and noted that the kids from the school will remember their whole lives how the people in the State Street Bank building cared for them enough to support their education. The State Street CEO said it’s an investment in the community. A good educated workforce benefits the entire business community. Catholic education has an immense success rate and is a good place to invest. Scot noted how the former mayor of Los Angeles has | 10/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0155: Wednesday, October 12, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Associate Editor of Children’s Books at Pauline Books and Media Pauline Books and Media Pauline Kids “The Mass Explained for Kids” Today’s topics: Jaymie Stuart Wolfe Summary of today’s show: Jaymie Stuart Wolfe talks with Scot and Fr. Matt about her years of ministry in the Church, including being a columnist for the Pilot and now working as an editor at Pauline Books and Media. They also discussed her new books that make the words of the Popes more accessible, especially to youth and young adults, and another that explains the Mass for children, including the new translation coming up in Advent. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Matt is in Maine today on a retreat and is joining the show via the phone. He was in Chicago last weekend for the baptism of a friend’s daughter. He was able to play tourist in Chicago as well and to be part of his friend’s family’s life. On retreat, he’s been doing some spiritual reading by a Carmelite priest called “Under the Torrent of His Love,” about St. Therese of Lisieux. He explains the spiritual context of St. Therese from the French Revolution to Jansenism in France. At the time, there was a lot of focus on God’s justice without focusing on the mercy of God. Therese looks at it from the perspective of the childlike way and the love by which God sends his son Jesus. A child is completely open to allowing himself to be loved as God loves him. They are so open to receiving God’s love. For Therese, the Sacred Heart devotion was not once per month, but every day. She has four new books, one she edited, “The Mass Explained for Kids”, and co-edited three others, “Adoring Jesus with the Holy Father”, “Honoring Mary with the Holy Father”, “Praying with the Holy Father”. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Jaymie Stuart Wolfe to the show. Scot asked about all the many ways she has served the Church. She came into the Church in her senior year of college. She said she read her way out of evangelical Protestantism. She hit the bottom of evangelical ecclesiology and discovered the Church. She got involved in work in the Church through having children (she has 8 and 5 grandchildren) and getting involved in the pro-life movement. She’s done spiritual concerts of music, writing, speaking, and many others. She also has a longtime column in the Pilot, starting in 1995. She had just had a baby in November, right after finishing her first book, and then a week later a priest connected to the Pilot asked her to write a column. Scot said that’s about 26 columns per year and hundreds of columns since then. She’s enjoyed writing how family life leads you deeper into faith. She’s enjoyed how her life changes because a child enters in. Her kids bring all of their variety and diversity of interests into her own life and enriched it. And then she sees how God’s call everyone differently. One of her daughter spent the summer working with the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. She is now a student at the University of Dallas. Prior to her role at the Daughters of St. Paul, Jaymie was faith formation director and music minister at St. Maria Goretti parish in Lynnfield. She said most adult Catholics have faith at a level of 8 or 10 or 12 years old. They’ve progressed in all other aspects of their life, but their faith life hasn’t matured. Much of that comes from not understanding why we do the things we do. Also, that being Catholic is not about a few hours on a Sunday morning, but a call to life. Baptism is not an event but a calling to a life, an identity. For most people who graduate from CCD when they’re confirmed, they will never know everything about faith. Theology is not basketweaving. But the beauty of the faith is that once you’re in a relationsh | 10/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0154: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 | Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Dr. Karen Bohlin, Head of the Montrose School and author of the book “Building Character in Schools” Montrose School “Building Character in Schools”, by Kevin Ryan and Karen F. Bohlin Dr. Bohlin’s other books Today’s topics: Raising children of virtue Summary of today’s show: Dr. Karen Bohlin talks with Scot and Fr. Chris about raising children of virtue, strong character, and great intellectual vigor, including the girls who attend the independent Catholic school she leads, Montrose School in Medfield, Mass. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Chris what he did on his 3-day weekend. He went to Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, to catch up with priest-friends in the area. Scot said he loves to visit DC, especially the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Fr. Chris said they went to Mass at the basilica and Bishop Loverde of Arlington, VA, happened to be leading a pilgrimage to the basilica on Sunday. He said he also visited the new Martin Luther King monument in DC. He found some of the quotes by MLK were indicative of the virtues they will be discussing today. Scot said his family went to Maine for a soccer tournament and they went to Mass in a parish up there. There happened to be an elderly woman entering the Church at that Mass and so his kids could see the woman receive First Communion and Confirmation and they had many questions afterward. Fr. Chris said it’s wonderful to welcome someone new to our faith community. He was speaking to someone today who’s running an RCIA program in a parish and so it’s a good time to ask a parish if you’re interested because now is the time that such programs begin. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Dr. Bohlin back to the show. She was on previously talking about the movie “There Be Dragons”. Scot asked about her background before coming to the Montrose School. Karen said she started as an English teacher and drama coach at the Montrose School. She found herself involved in Boston Public Schools and teacher education. She received her doctorate at Boston University and worked at the Center for the Advancement of Ethics and Character, working with school departments around the country and even advising the White House. Scot said ethics and character education were not a big component of higher education before the big financial scandals of the beginning of the century. BU’s Center was among the first to bring it into teacher education and curricula. They form teachers to prepare them for their moral responsibilities. Karen said she also taught undergraduates at BU and was quite happy there, but was asked to consider the position of the Head of School at Montrose. She knew if she moved from a research institute to a school, she would be working directly with students and parents and alumnae. She would be able to work with families and educators over time to go more deeply into transforming young lives. Scot said while both jobs are in education, they’re very different roles in research versus running a school. She has been able to see several generations of students come through the school. They just celebrated their 30th anniversary at Montrose. It was founded by a group of parents and educators, including several Harvard Business School grads looking for a school for their daughters with good liberal arts education that didn’t compromise either the faith or the intellectual tradition of the Church. They wanted a strong mentoring program in character and leadership formation, especially for girls at the critical age of middle school years. They wanted to prepare girls to go to any size school or college and enter any professional field. They have many accomplished alumnae, including authors like Suzanne La Fleur, an author of young adult books. | 10/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0153: Monday, October 10, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Collin Raye, multi-platinum country music star and spokesman for for the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network Collin Raye “Meet Collin Raye, Terri’s Network National Spokesperson” “New Voice for Life: Collin Raye”, National Catholic Register, 10/03/11 Today’s topics: Collin Raye, national spokesman for Terri Schiavo’s Life Summary of today’s show: Multi-platinum country music star Collin Raye talks with Scot about his conversion to Catholicism as a young, musician seeking truth as well as his experiences as a husband and then a grandfather seeing loved ones on life support that led to his decision to become a spokesman for the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network. 1st segment: Scot said issues concerning human life are coming to the forefront in Massachusetts, especially with a new ballot initiative on assisted suicide. As Christians, we need to be clear and informed on these issues. Our guest, Collin Raye, is a multi-platinum country music artist who recently joined the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network as National Spokesman. 2nd segment: Scot said he’s been a fan since the early 1990s when he was living in Cincinnati. Collin said he never really fit in with the country music scene because he didn’t wear a cowboy hat and his style was more pop and ballads. But he has tried to put out songs that have some meaning to it. He thanked God for his ability to make hits of songs that have something positive to say about life. Scot said the song “What if Jesus Came Back Like That” made his look at every person he met on the street in a new way, because Christ comes to us in distressing disguise sometimes. Collin said even for songs he didn’t write himself, his mission was to find songs that he could sing from the heart. His first hit came out when he was 30, but he was working in music since he was 15 in many rough places. He made a commitment to the Lord in those years that he would always strive to build up the Kingdom of God and give him glory. While he would sometimes stray from the path and get caught up in pride, he would catch himself and recognize that the Enemy was at work in him. Collin said music is one of the most powerful tools given by God to worship Him (which was the original purpose of God) and to bring healing and clarity, sometimes clarity for things which Christians already know. When “What is Jesus Came Back” came out, some people criticized him for saying Jesus could come back as anything other than the Lord in glory. Scot said one of Cardinal Sean’s favorite stories is of how a demented person entered New York Cardinal Spellman’s office years ago and the cardinal got a call from his secretary saying a man claiming to be Jesus was there and asked what to do. The cardinal said, “Look busy.” Scot asked Collin if other country music stars would find it odd for him to step out on a controversial issue like those represented by the Life & Hope Network, including euthanasia and assisted suicide. Collin said publicists and others would tell him to not speak out or be controversial, but he was always a square peg in a round hole, speaking out on things. They always wanted him to go out there for “safe” charities, like cancer research. He was always sure that he wasn’t trying to milk his celebrity for publicity. People in the industry are probably saying that his current position is understandable. Collin said he doesn’t understand why euthanasia and assisted suicide are controversial because it seems so apparent what is right. He’s had family members who were on life-sustaining equipment and their situation turned out differently because they didn’t have a Michael Schindler trying to unplug. Collin said he never expected God to use him, but that’s pretty much | 10/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0152 - Fr John Sassani | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr Mark O'Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr John Sassani, Pastor of Our Lady Help of Christians Parish in Newton Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr John Sassani; the importance of a healthy prayer life, this Sunday's Mass readings Summary of today’s show: Fr John discusses his vocation story and past assignments with Scot Fr Mark, as well as the new high school forming next year in Newtown. The group also discusses the readings for this Sunday, the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Father Mark to the show, and said it felt like they had been together all day. They discussed that the Cardinal's Cabinet had met today, as is the custom on the first Friday of every month. Scot said they covered many important topics, especially a discussion of how to follow up on the Catholics Come Home campaign and continue to increase Mass attendance. Fr Mark added that with the wide variety of people that make up the cabinet, it adds a great wealth of opinion to the discussions. Scot mentioned that the Cardinal could not be present at the meeting but will get a full report - Cardinal Sean was at the funeral Mass for Msgr Stanlislaus Sypek this morning. Fr Mark pointed out that Msgr Sypek was still a pastor at 96 years of age - showing his legendary dedication. Scot said that people of the Archdiocese may remember Msgr Sypek from his work at St Adalbert parish and as a professor at Emmanuel College and Boston College. Members of the Cardinal's Cabinet Msgr. Sypek's Obituary 2nd segment: Fr John Sassani joined Fr Mark and Scot on the show. Scot asked Fr John to describe how he heard the calling to the priesthood. Fr John explained that when he was in the 2nd grade, Fr Dick Little came to Swampscott as a new priest, and caught Fr John's attention and had great influence on his life. Fr John also said that the Sisters of St Joseph, who taught at his school, gave him a sense of what was important in their lives and how their vocations affected it. He attended St John's Prep in Danvers, and entered St John Seminary College Division when he was done with high school. He would speak with his dad, who had been a seminarian for several years in New York, and supported him greatly through his seminary years. Scot asked Fr John what things his parents did to create a culture of vocation and openness to a priestly vocation. Fr John said that his parents were people of great faith - even if they didn't say prayers before dinner every night, their faith came into play every day of their lives. Scot asked Fr John to speak about his early priestly assignments, the first of which was at Sacred Heart in Roslindale. Fr John said that while he had requested a parish north of Boston, as a second or third priest and without a school, he was sent south of Boston to Roslindale as the sixth priest and a large, thriving school. He said that being in Roslindale gave him a wide variety of experiences with different people over the three years he was there, until he was asked to do graduate studies in liturgy in Rome. Fr John said that he spent a year there, but it wasn't a good match, so he came home and served at St John's in Winthrop. Fr John continued that St John's was a great place to be and had a solid history and active parishioners. After Winthrop, Fr John was assigned to the Office of Spiritual Development along with Msgr Dennis Sheehan. They also managed St Jean's, a small parish in Newton. Fr John explained that the Office of Spiritual Development was founded by Bishop D'Arcy to help parishes renew themselves in a spiritual way. He worked during the academic year, and spent his summers at Creighton University studying spirituality. It was at this time that he and Maryann McLaughlin created the "Meeting Christ in Prayer" program, which eventually was published by Loyola Press. Scot asked Fr John what was involved with spiritual renewal at the parishes. Fr Jo | 10/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0151: Thursday, October 6, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Life issues; Capital punishment; New Roman Missal; Faithful Citizenship Summary of today’s show: Scot and Susan consider the news of the day with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy, including Respect Life Sunday; federal efforts to undermine New Hampshire’s defunding of Planned Parenthood; renewed emphasis on Catholic teaching on the death penalty; an explanation of why the words of the Mass are changing from one of the chief architects of the change; the adopt-a-priest prayer apostolate; the US bishops’ guidance on faithful citizenship; and the death of the archbishop who wore combat boots. 1st segment: Scot said the Catholic Media Secretariat gathered with Cardinal Seán this morning to pray for the success of media evangelization. Susan said the Cardinal spoke beautifully of All Souls Day marking the first anniversary of WQOM. This past Sunday was Respect Life Sunday. Also Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth, leader of the international committee on English in the Liturgy that provides the new translations of the Roman Missal was in Boston last week. Plus other local and national news stories. 2nd segment: Scot said Respect Life Sunday was marked by a Mass at the Cathedral with Bishop Hennessey this past Sunday. He said the protection of life was not first among equals of issues; it is first. He also called for consistency on this issue. Susan said he emphasized how God is merciful. Scot said Bishop Henessey is an apostle of the confessional. After the Mass was a 5-kilometer walk from Boston Common as a fundraiser for pro-life causes. Greg said he noticed this year that pro-life expanded beyond abortion to many new threats to life on many fronts, including assisted suicide. Fr. Roger said his parishioners who went to the walk were buoyed by seeing that they are not alone in the pro-life witness. They noted the push for assisted suicide in the Commonwealth. With abortion, we’re trying to push back a law legalizing abortion, but with assisted suicide we’re trying to prevent it in the first place, which is always easier. Scot said there were 4 speakers on Boston Common, including 18-year-old Sean Harrington. Scot said another story concerns New Hampshire’s attempt to end government funding of PLanned Parenthood in the state. In return, the Obama administration is undermining the authority of the local executive council to parcel out federal funding by mandating it directly to Planned Parenthood. Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary for health and human services, and President Obama are trampling on the rights of taxpayers and states. Fr. Roger said they are not championing choice, but are championing abortion. In the Pilot this week is a second column in the Project Rachel series of anonymous testimonials from women who’ve had abortion and received assistance in post-abortion healing. Scot said it’s some of the most powerful writing he’s seen in the Pilot. Susan said this woman’s statement that as an 18-year-old rape victim, she didn’t think she had a choice or didn’t deserve to have a baby was very chilling. 3rd segment: Scot said one of the many aspects of being pro-life is our stance on capital punishment. While the Catechism is not unilaterally opposed to capital punishment, do we need to be putting people to death in this day and age. “Moral theologians issue call to abolish death penalty”, CNS, 9/28/11 “A Catholic Call to Abolish the Death Penalty”, CatholicMoralTheology.com “Dead wrong: Catholics must no longer | 10/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0150: Wednesday, October 5, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Martin Doman, Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at Ave Maria University Martin Doman’s website Ave Maria University Today’s topics: Martin Doman, Catholic praise and worship music leader Summary of today’s show: On our 150th show, Martin Doman talks with Scot and Fr. Matt about his ministry as a Eucharistic praise and worship leader, his experience of writing and performing Catholic music, including “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”, the theme song for The Good Catholic Life; and his advice as a campus minister for parents looking at Catholic colleges for their children. 1st segment: Scot said we celebrated our 150th show since we started on Ash Wednesday. Scot said he’s learned so much about his faith and its tough to believe it’s been that many. We’ve profiled more than 75 priests and had about 200 guests. Scot said he’s not sick of his own voice yet. Just today Scot received a card from a listener who sent his condolences after Scot mentioned his uncle who had passed away. Fr. Matt said last Thursday he spoke to the first-year men discerning the diaconate. He spoke on living out your baptismal call. His cousin Brian was married on Saturday and it was a joy to be able to celebrate the sacrament with them. Scot said our guest today has had perfect attendance on the show. Martin Doman wrote the music we use as the theme for our show. It’s called St. Patrick’s Breastplate. Fr. Matt said he’s known Martin when he was worship leader for the Steubenville East youth conference. 2nd segment: Scot asked Martin what it was like to move from his native Pennsylvania to FLorida at Ave Maria. He said it was a big change for someone so used to winter. He said the university is surrounded by a brand-new town that is inhabited mostly by Catholics and it’s a great environment for his kids to grow up in. On their block alone, there are 40 or 50 kids their ages. Martin has been involved in leading Eucharistic worship for at least a decade. Scot asked him how he got started in this life. Martin said in high school he was exposed to the charismatic renewal and heard someone lead prayer in music. In his college years at Franciscan University of Steubenville, he decided that playing music at Mass was the path was God calling him to. Fr. Matt said he encountered Martin at Steubenville East in Attleboro. Martin was involved there for nine years starting in 1998. He got involved in conferences when he was in school in Steubenville when the music leader Jim Cowan asked him to be part of his band. He did well and so they asked him to lead the music himself at the Boston-area youth conference. Scot asked him to explain Eucharistic praise and worship and place it in context. He said praise and worship means just praying with music and that has it roots in Hebrew worship. So it’s praying with music, participating in song. St. Augustine mentions praise music very clearly in his writings. Eucharistic praise and worship means to worship the Lord with music in His presence during Adoration or during Mass. Scot said he used to think that Adoration just had the opening and closing hymns with silence in between, until he heard Martin play during Adoration at the Men’s and Women’s Conferences where he would sometimes pick quietly during prayer. Martin said the rite for adoration allows for music during adoration. He plays quiet and meditative music. The words of the music he uses draw out our personal relationship with God. There is emotion in that relationship, not unlike the emotion found in the Psalms. It’s the same kind of communication. The words of the song and music life the spirit. St. Augustine said he who sings, prays twice. Fr. Matt said upbeat praise music can lead to more solemn worship as the Holy Spirit fills the place and you experience the deeper presence of Go | 10/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0149: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): James Driscoll, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference Massachusetts Catholic Conference Today’s topics: The Massachusetts Catholic Conference Summary of today’s show: Jim Driscoll, who became executive director of the Mass. Catholic Conference just a few months ago, appears on the show for the first time to talk with Scot and Fr. Chris about his background, the work of the body that represents the 4 Mass. dioceses on Beacon Hill, and the hot button issues of assisted suicide and casino gambling that he’s had to address right out of the gate. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. He was at Boston University this past weekend with the college students and Fr. John McLaughlin, the new campus chaplain. They went on retreat in Wells, Maine, at the Franciscan retreat center. Several of the faculty went up to hear confessions of the students. Scot said Fr. McLaughlin most recently served as vocations director for the Military Archdiocese. He’s filling the big shoes of Sr. Olga Yaqob and the Brotherhood of Hope at BU. Fr. Chris said he’s building on a great legacy with young people who are on fire for their faith. Fr. Chris always asks him how many vocations he’s got for St. John Seminary. They are the source of many vocations to the priesthood. Scot said the seminary is planning a big alumni gathering on October 21 with the seminarians. The seminarians serve the meals and give some of the entertainment. It’s a great day for the alumni to see the future Church and for the seminarians to see those who are serving in the parishes they will serve some day. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome James Driscoll to the show. Scot asked Jim about his family and background. His family attends St. Mary of the Nativity in Scituate and have been there since 1985. He has four children, all girls. Three of them have graduated college, all of them at Boston College. The last is a junior in high school. Jim went to Providence College and got a law degree at Suffolk. Jim is the black sheep in his family, being the one who didn’t go to Boston College. He was a probation officer in the district court while attending law school at night. Jim used to work for state government in several roles. He worked for the state Lottery Commission as the assistant general counsel and then the general counsel. After that he was general counsel at the state auditor’s office until this past spring when he came to the Mass. Catholic Conference. Jim said he loves his faith and take a lot of pride in working with the Knights of Columbus council he belongs to. For many years, he oversaw the community pool that the Knights ran. All the profits went to the good works of the Knights of Columbus. Jim took the job because it was time to make a change in his career; he’d been working in state government since law school. He’d been acquaintances with Ed Saunders, the previous executive director of the conference, and he found Ed’s job to be fascinating. Then Ed passed away suddenly last year. After getting past the shock of his death, Jim decided to see if it was the right fit for him. Gerry D’Avolio was Ed’s predecessor and he was interim director after Ed’s passing. Gerry’s assistance was invaluable. Jim’s first day of work was when the mariatalks.com website controversy broke and Gerry helped him with that. Gerry also introduced him around to the various representatives and senators on Beacon Hill. The Mass. Catholic Conference represents all the dioceses in the state: Boston, Fall River, Worcester, and Springfield. Jim said most states have Catholic conferences, about 37 or 38 of them. He went to the first meeting of all the directors back in July. They discuss national issues facing all of them as well as some local matters. Jim said four people | 10/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0148: Monday, October 3, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Andrew Small, OMI, National Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States; and Fr. Rodney Copp, Archdiocesan Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston Make a donation Today’s topics: Pontifical Mission Societies and World Mission Sunday Summary of today’s show: Fr. Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, and Fr. Rodney Kopp, Boston director, talk to Scot about World Mission Sunday and how the societies provide support for the Church in 1,100 mission dioceses worldwide; how the US went from being a major recipient of aid to being the largest donor in two centuries; and how the “pagan babies” served by the societies years ago still need our generous assistance today. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. In three weeks, we will celebrate World Mission Sunday. Scot welcomed Fr. Rodney Kopp and Fr. Andrew Small. Scot said Cardinal Richard Cushing once served as Pontifical Missions director in Boston. Fr. Small’s predecessor was Archbishop Fulton Sheen. Fr. Small said it is awesome. Fr. Small has served in many roles in the US. Scot asked him what he has learned new about the missions since being appointed last spring. Fr. Small said this country was a recipient of great gifts supporting the missions in the US back the 18th century. When faith is planted and watered and grown is bound to spread. It never stops surprising him how generous people are to the missions. Fr. Kopp has been in his role since June, 2010. He’s been surprised by the incredible complexity of the the work with regards to the numbers of diocese they serve and how many dioceses are represented by missionaries coming to ask for support. He also had not known of how much support the archdiocese has provided to the missions over the years, being one of the leading dioceses in the US. Boston is the birthplace of Maryknoll, 100 years ago this year, and the the Missionary Society of St. James the Apostle, founded by Cardinal Cushing. Scot said the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) have a long history of service in the missions. He asked Fr. Small if that was why he entered the missions. Fr. Small said he was born in Liverpool, England, to Irish parents. He came to the US in 1988 to study and got to know many Oblates in Lowell. The second-to-last Sunday in October was always World Missions Sunday. This is the mission of the whole Church and in his boyhood parish where there were OMI priests, on that Sunday they would build igloos to represent their work among the Eskimos/Inuit people. They serve the people who live beyond the end of the asphalt roads. Fr. Small served for a year in Brazil. The OMI in Brazil were asked to serve in a time when they were still mission dependent, i.e. dependent on missionaries. The Church in Brazil is strong in faith, but still having a hard time providing catechists and the sacraments to the people. He served outside Rio de Janeiro near some of the infamous favelas, but among very generous and joyful people. What he learned was that in the drive for progress, the little people are being left behind, especially in faith. The OMIs go to these little people so they are not left unserved, including immigrant communities. There is great hope in the missions, but these people are getting left behind economically, both in our country and around the world. The OMI have as many seminarians as they did in the 60s, but they are in new places like Africa and Asia. If we are missionary, we are energized as a Church. If we lose that global focus, we turn in on ourselves. Fr. Kopp said when we heard vocation years ago, we thought of priests and religious, but every baptized Catholic has a vocation which is intimately bound up with the command in Matthew to serve all nations, whether through praye | 10/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0147: Friday, September 30, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Greg Willits, host of The Catholics Next Door radio show The Catholics Next Door Catholic New Media Conference Star Quest Production Network Rosary Army CatholicTV Today’s topics: Catholic new media from The Catholics Next Door Summary of today’s show: Greg Willits, a pioneer in Catholic new media, talks with Scot about hosting a nationally broadcast Catholic radio show, The Catholics Next Door, with his wife, Jennifer, revealing the real life of a normal Catholic family each day on the air; the gathering of Catholic new media fans and professionals alike in Kansas City this weekend for the Catholic New Media Conference; how the Church, in its lay and ordained members, need to be patrons of the new media, supporting this work of evangelization that is vital to our future; and the new Catholic sitcom Greg and Jennifer filmed in their home for CatholicTV. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Greg Willits. Scot said Greg was one of the founders of the Star Quest Production Network and three years ago they started the Catholic New Media Celebration. Last year, the CNMC was in Boston and this weekend it’s in Kansas City. Greg said the Holy Spirit has been leading many people from around the world into Catholic new media. It’s been appropriate to gather people in all aspects of new media: blogging, podcasting, social networking. People are so spread out, and when they bring everyone together there is a synergy and excitement and inspiration to see first hand the clarion call to go out and evangelize the world, using whatever technology have. Greg and Jennifer used to podcast from a studio they built in their closet. Fr. Roderick Vonhogen was podcasting from his rectory in the Netherlands, but they were working in isolation. SQPN and the CNMC bring people together to check in and support each other and help one another. Every year, they see it become more professional, while there also remains room for those who just want to get started. Scot said he experienced hope during last year’s CNMC, meeting the pioneers in Catholic new medias and seeing how it’s all working. Scot asked Greg where he thinks we’re at by the Church. Greg said there’s been a study that shows a low percentage of Catholics consuming new media, but Greg thinks they may have looked at the wrong study group. Greg said we have a long way to go anyway compared to the other Protestant churches and the Mormons and their online presence. Greg said the big sore spot is where the money to do this is coming from. The talent is there and the desire is there, as evidenced by the people coming from all over for the CNMC. People are very interested, but there’s no funding to help people to continue to do this and the funding is going to the people who have the right connections. Greg said he and his wife Jennifer were working full-time on SQPN, but there wasn’t a full-time salary there. He has a family to feed. He doesn’t like to talk about money, but it has to be talked about. People may not be using new media because they don’t know it’s there. For them to know it’s there, there needs to be money. People need to be told where to go for the content and how to get it. If we want Catholic new media to succeed in the next 5 to 10 years, we need to identify realistic ways of funding this. The Church has been known for centuries as a patron of the arts. Michelangelo was a full-time artist being supported by the Church. Today’s podcasters are artists who should be supported by the Church, not just the institution, but also laypeople. Someone could set up a foundation to support new media. Find a way to support people so they can make it their full-time jobs. When Greg and Jennifer left SQPN to go to the Catholic Channel for their radio show, part of the reason was because of the need for job with benefits. Scot said | 9/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0146 for Thursday, September 29, 2011: Respect for Life and Local Catholic News | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of the Pilot; Father Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor. Summary of Today's Show: Scot is joined by the Thursday roundtable and discusses a new Catholic-themed movie, a fundraiser for teens by teens in Weston, Respect Life Sunday, and more. 1st Segment: Scot and Susan lamented the Red Sox collapse last night - but moved on quickly in order to not be too depressing! Susan asked Scot what's been going on with him. Scot said it was a busy week in the Pastoral Center, with a visit from Msgr. Andrew Wadsworth from the International Commission on English in the Liturgy and presentations. Scot said he is also headed to Kansas City tomorrow for the Catholic New Media Conference organized by the Star Quest Production Network. He continued and said he was disappointed that he signed up for the conference before he knew this weekend was also the CatholicTV telethon - it is the first time in a long time that he hasn't been able to participate. Susan agreed that CatholicTV was an important part of evangelization in the Archdiocese. The International Commission on English in the Liturgy website Catholic New Media Conference 2011 Star Quest Production Network CatholicTV Scot said he participated in the launch of a new Catholic radio station - 1230AM, WNEB in Worcester this past Sunday - a station called Emmanuel Radio. WNEB / Emmanuel Radio 2nd Segment: Scot started out by discussing a new movie from Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen called The Way - a story about an ancient Catholic pilgrimage called the Camino de Santiago (or "Camino" for short). Scot commented that he hadn't know until the premier screening that Martin Sheen took his last name after Bishop Fulton Sheen. Greg said everyone asks him what he thought of the film - overall, Greg said, he thought it was a good movie. Many movies have a religious theme, he continued, but start with the end and fill in the gaps. He said The Way, on it's own merits and with a secular point of view, was still a good character-driven music. Scot agreed it was a good movie for both Catholic and secular audiences. The Way on IMDB Scot took a minute to congratulate the occasional fill-in cohost on The Good Catholic Life, Father Chip Hines, on his recent appointment to St Martha parish in Plainville. He had been serving as the administrator at that parish. Scot brought up a story in the Pilot about students in Weston are using social media to help fundraise for the Cor Unum meal center in Lawrence. Greg said that the fundraiser, entitled "Feeding Frenzy," is special because it is particularly geared towards teens and students to help feed other teens and youth. Greg highlighted that the Cor Unum meal center is different from a standard soup kitchen because it not only serves 3 meals a day, but serves them sit-down style - not in a cafeteria line. Greg said the goal is to raise about $25,000 to help fund the meal center. Interview with Fr Paul O'Brien from Cor Unum on The Good Catholic Life from June 27th Cor Unum Meal Center Labels are for Jars "Feeding Frenzy Campaign" Facebook Page Scot highlighted two great stories in the Pilot with pictures this week - one about the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner last Thursday, and one about the Blessed John XXIII Lawn Party. Both events were very successful, Scot continued, and raised money for senior priests and the seminary respectively. The last piece of local news Scot brought up was the combination of two Catholic high schools - Trinity Catholic Academy in Newtown and Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Brighton - to form a new high school named Saint Joseph's Preparatory High School. The new school will be located on the current campus of Mount Saint Joseph Academy and serve a co-ed student body of approximately 400 students. 3rd Segment: Scot reminded everyone that it is Respect Life Sunday this coming Sunda | 9/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0145: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Andreas Widmer, CEO of the Seven Fund and author of “The Pope and the CEO” The Pope and The CEO website The Seven Fund The Pope and The CEO at Amazon.com Today’s topics: The new book “The Pope & The CEO: John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard” Summary of today’s show: Andreas Widmer returns to talk with Scot and Fr. Matt about his new book, “The Pope & The CEO: John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard,” and its goal of helping people find their three levels of vocation in life and live them with success in a truly integrated way. The book offers practical exercises for discernment as well as anecdotes from John Paul’s life that act as a guide to living a life balanced among work, play, prayer, exercise, and all that is good. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Matt has been participating in a pre-cana workshop and class, including leading the couples in a teaching Mass. Fr. Matt said the program is called Transformed in Love and was created by Kari Colella of the Marriage Office. Last night, there were about 25 couples and they broke open to the Mass to help them appreciate what goes on. The Mass has so many signs and symbols that many people don’t know exactly what is going on. He gave the why behind the what. Everything we do in the Mass comes from Scripture and from the Tradition of the Church. So, what’s the significance of incense and stained glass and other parts of the Mass. He gave an analogy of going to the Patriots game. People show 3 hours early and they get filled with the “spirits” in preparation. If you go to Mass 15 minutes early, you’re guaranteed to get a parking spot and you prepare by getting filed with the Spirit. At the football game, you smell hot dogs and other food. At the Mass, you smell incense. In the stadium, you have retired jerseys of great players of the past. In the Mass, you see pictures and statues of the saints. At Gillette Stadium you see the Lombardi trophies. At Mass, you see the ultimate trophy of the Cross of Jesus Christ. The 50-yard line is the central focus of the stadium and the altar is the central focus of the Church. In football, the fans are the 12th player and actively participating without playing the game. In the Mass, the congregation joins in united with the priest in active participation of the prayer of the Mass. And so on. Scot said the difference is that no one says going to the football game is boring because they understand what’s happening, while people say Mass is boring partly because they don’t know why we do what we do. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Andreas back to the show. He said Andreas is a two-time CEO, first for a consulting company and now as CEO of the Seven Fund, which seeks to find entrepreneurial solutions to poverty. Andreas said he credits his return to seriously practicing his faith to Pope John Paul II when he was a 20-year-old Swiss Guard. It came about through meeting him as an individual. Andreas said John Paul was the most fully human person he’d ever met in his life. Often people think that Popes or saints are something unachievable. In fact, he was a real down-to-earth human person. He could be joyful, angry, laughing, pensive and he could pray. John Paul had a very manly handshake. Scot said Andreas didn’t realize all the lessons of John Paul when he was 20, but only came to realize them as he reflected on them through his life. Andreas said he found his faith as a Swiss Guard, but faith is something that never is, but is always becoming. It’s a dynamic process of two steps forward and one step back. As a Swiss Guard he had a lot of time to pray, and then when he went into business and got married, his faith waned a bit and became a sort of Sunday Catholic. His business ethics were separate from his Catho | 9/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0144: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s topics: Pope Benedict’s visit to Germany Pope Benedict’s apostolic journey to Germany on the Vatican website Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chris read two very different addresses from Pope Benedict XVI in his visit to Germany last week, to the Parliament and to young people. To Parliament he called them to remember that the root of law is a respect for human rights and dignity born out of the natural law. To young people, he called them to live as saints, joy-filled and reflecting the light of Christ; not dour, boring, and naïve caricatures of unhappy and unsmiling and far apart from us. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris talked about the ailing Red Sox and whether more prayers in New England are going up to God for them. They also discussed how the seminarians at St. John Seminary get involved in sports. Fr. Chris said they have formed four intramural teams and will compete for the Rector’s Bowl. He said it’s important because exercise clears our heads and helps us to think and pray better. It’s also good competitive spirit and fosters community. In October, they also have a softball tournament versus the seminarians at Blessed John XXIII Seminary, who the St. John’s seminarians affectionately call the Relics. There was also recently the Family Day at St. John’s. Fr. Chris celebrated the Mass and saw how prayer works. Seven or eight years ago there were just 28 men and today there are more than 80. At this family day, the refectory was filled with family of all kinds. Scot said most priests describe their family experience as their first seminary, which makes it so difficult for the men whose parents aren’t supportive of their vocation. Scot said Pope Benedict went home to his native Germany over the past half-week. He’s been writing for years about the crises of Europe losing its Christian roots. Scot thinks it’s a highlight for the Pope to be able to go to his homeland and address these issues. Fr. Chris said Pope Benedict carried important messages back with him. Scot noted that Pope John Paul’s first return to Poland after his election was described as nine days that changed the world. Perhaps this is Pope Benedict’s five days that changed Europe. 2nd segment: Scot said the Pope’s most significant address in Germany was reflections on law to the German Parliament. Address of Pope Benedict to the German Parliament Scot said he was pushing back against any kind of secularism that tries to minimize the importance or place of faith in society. At this moment I turn to you, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, not least as your fellow-countryman who for all his life has been conscious of close links to his origins, and has followed the affairs of his native Germany with keen interest. But the invitation to give this address was extended to me as Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, who bears the highest responsibility for Catholic Christianity. Fr. Chris said the Pope made clear that he is coming as the Vicar of Christ, St. Peter’s successor, and he had something to share with the leaders of this powerful nation. Scot said Americans can imagine the Pope standing in the well of the House in Congress addressing the same audience as the State of the Union. He began with a reflection from the Book of Kings: In the First Book of the Kings, it is recounted that God invited the young King Solomon, on his accession to the throne, to make a request. What will the young ruler ask for at this important moment? Success – wealth – long life – destruction of his enemies? He chooses none of these things. Instead, he asks for a listening heart so that he may govern God’s people, and discern between good and evil (cf. 1 Kg 3:9). Through this story, the Bible wants to tell us what should ultimately matter for a politician. His fundamental criterio | 9/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0143: Monday, September 26, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Edward Riley and Mrs. Lynn Kenn from the World Apostolate of Fatima World Apostolate of Fatima, Boston World Apostolate of Fatima, USA Today’s topics: World Apostolate of Fatima and the National Pilgrim Statue Summary of today’s show: Fr. Ed Riley and Lynn Kenn of the world Apostolate of Fatima tell Scot about the Pilgrimage of Prayer throughout the Archdiocese in October of the National Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Each day in October, the statue blessed by Pope Paul VI, one of only five in the world, will be in a different parish. They also discussed the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 and the prayer requests she made of the world that the Church encourages us to heed even today. 1st segment: Scot said starting this Saturday, October 1 and for the whole month of October, there is a statue that will be traveling among schools and parishes in the Archdiocese. Throughout the month, thousands of people will gather during these evenings to hear Our Lady’s messages to us. He welcomed Fr. Edward Riley, the chaplain to the World Apostolate of Fatima, and Lynn Kenn, who has been involved with the World Apostolate for 32 years. At the time, as a young mother, she saw the problems of the world around her and while she wanted to do something for her children, as a mother she didn’t have time to go out and be an activist. But saw a the visit of a National Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima at a parish and that event made her realize that prayer and the messages of Fatima were the answer. That is why today, she is encouraging all to attend the pilgrimage of prayer for the month of October. Scot said the World Apostolate of Fatima is sometimes known as the Blue Army. It was established around World War II as a response to the Soviet Red Army. Our Lady at Fatima warned of the dangers of the Soviet Union. Scot asked Lynn to summarize the messages of Fatima. She said there were 6 apparitions of Mary to three children in Fatima, Portugal, in May 1917, at the beginning of World War I. Pope Benedict XV started a novena to Our Lady for world peace on May 5 and Our Lady appeared to the children on May 13, 1917 as an answer to the prayer. Our Lady asked the children each time she appeared to pray the rosary every day. She encouraged daily prayer of the rosary as the heart of her message. She asked for the conversion of sinners and she asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope John Paul II completed that consecration in 1984 and the demise of Communion in Russia followed. In 1981, on May 13, the anniversary of the first apparition, Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square and it impelled him to find out more about Fatima. In 1929, the consecration of Russia was not done by all the bishops of the world as she asked, and so John Paul got all the bishops together again in 1984. Pope John Paul II took the bullet that struck him that day and brought to Fatima and had it placed in the crown of the statue of Our Lady there. The National Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will travel throughout the archdiocese in October, stopping in at least 5 parishes in each region of the Archdiocese. The statue was given to the US by the bishop of Fatima in 1967. 2nd segment: This particular statue was blessed by Pope Paul VI during his visit to Fatima. It comes to Boston about every 5 years. Lynn said they start planning a year in advance. Fr. Riley had written to Cardinal Sean in January for permission and then alerted all the auxiliary bishops. Then they started preparing in March, dividing the diocese by region among the board members of the local chapter. The board members set up a committee in each region and then worked to place the statue throughout the regions so that everyone has a chance to be able to go. Fr. Riley is on the staff of St. John Seminary now, but previously was pastor in Holbrook. He s | 9/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0142: Friday, September 23, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. Michael Harrington, Director of the Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity Today’s topics: Celebration of the Priesthood dinner; Priest Profile: Fr. Michael Harrington Summary of today’s show: Fr. Michael Harrington discusses with Scot and Fr. Mark the 2011 Celebration of the Priesthood dinner, a moving opportunity for the people of the Archdiocese to express their appreciation for all that their priests do and are for them; Also, Fr. Harrington’s vocation story; how priestly vocations have grown rapidly in the years he’s been working with the Vocation Office; and the readings for Mass this Sunday. 1st segment: Scot noted that at the Red Mass, Cardinal Sean gave a great homily on assisted suicide that got a lot of national press. Fr. Mark said Chief Justice Rapoza also gave a powerful talk on St. Thomas More to the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Both stories and talks are in the Pilot this week. Fr. Mark said Justice Rapoza quoted G.K. Chesterton as a great model for what was going on at the time (the 1920s) and will be an even greater model for 100 years from then. “Cardinal speaks out against assisted suicide at Red Mass”, The Pilot, 09/23/11 “Justice shares lesson of St. Thomas More at Red Mass luncheon”, The Pilot, 09/23/11 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Harrington to the show. He said 1,110 people were at the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner at the World Trade Center in Boston last night. He said he was happy to see so many people turn out to support priests and encourage them in their ministry. Fr. Mike said it was good to see so much support for priests. Scot said it was announced that the dinner raised over $1 million plus another $150,000 over the next few years to benefit the Clergy Funds for priests’ medical and retirement needs. Scot said the spirit of the night was wonderful. Fr. Mike said each presenter was so positive and highlighted how the priests of this archdiocese had done so much for them in their lives. Fr. Mike said one of the speakers, Chris Boyle, went through a list of the priests who have connected with him through his young life. He is a 7th and 8th grade theology teacher at Catholic Memorial. When Fr. Mike speaks about vocations in parishes, he encourages people to think about the many places and ways that priests have had a positive impact in their lives: marriages, baptisms, confessions, when people were sick, etc. It helps us to realize how much the priesthood means to us as Catholics. Scot said Cardinal Sean gave a very strong address. He related how a five-year-old boy once told him that he is the “communion guy” and said that it’s true that all priests are the Communion guy. Fr. Bob Reed of CatholicTV was the host of the evening. Scot said Joe D’Arrigo, executive director of the Clergy Funds, Some stats, for every 1 active priest we have, there are 10 retired priests. They also shared some charts data on the last four years of work on the Clergy Funds. Four years ago, there was a prediction the funds would run out by the end of 2011, but now the expenses for the funds have been cut without cutting benefits and revenues have been raised. They went from a $10 million deficit to a break-even budget. Fr. Mark said he wasn’t at the event because he was teaching, but he wanted to give kudos to Joe D’Arrigo. A few years ago, Fr. Mark was running the Clergy Funds, but confesses most of the priests who ran it didn’t have the expertise to do so, so he’s very grateful to Joe. Fr. Mike added that Joe is here for nothing but to serve the priests of the archdiocese. Scot said everyone who were involved did a very great job. The highlight of the night was an eight-minute video highlighting the work of some of our priests: The priests in the video were Fr. Mark Murphy, Fr. Richard Clancy, Fr. Jack Ahern, and Fr. J | 9/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #141: Thursday, September 22, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Cardinal speaks out on assisted suicide; 13 permanent deacons ordained; Fr. Roger’s editorial; Mass. bishops on casino gambling Summary of today’s show: Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Antonio Enrique and Greg Tracy of The Pilot, including Cardinal Seán’s homily at last Sunday’s Red Mass for the Boston Catholic Lawyers Guild in which he spoke strongly against an assisted-suicide ballot initiative in Massachusetts; the ordination of 13 permanent deacons for Boston and Cardinal Seán’s admonition for them to care for their wives, in particular; Fr. Roger Landry’s newest editorial on preventing innocent priests from becoming collateral damage to false accusations; and the Massachusetts bishops’ statement on casino gambling in the state. 1st segment: Scot wished Susan a happy birthday today. She’s been working this week, getting ready for the new religious education year. They had a workshop for new catechetical leaders yesterday. Last Sunday was Catechetical Sunday. 150 catechists gathered on that Sunday at St. Rose of Lima parish in Chelsea. Last night she attended the Bl. John XXIII National Seminary’s annual lawn party. She said it was encouraging and hopeful to see these men who have second vocations. They’ve had such diverse paths to the seminary. Two seminarians spoke and did a great job. She said there was such hope. Last night, Scot went to a screening of the new movie “The Way”, starring Martin Sheen and directed by Emilio Estevez, his son. It’s about a man who makes a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestela in Spain. Tonight is the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner where 1,000 people gather to honor priests and raise money for the Clergy Funds to benefit the medical and retirement needs of the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston. This is the third year for the dinner. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Gregory and Antonio to the show. He said the Cardinal had a significant homily at the Red Mass this past Sunday at the Cathedral where he addressed the Boston Catholic Lawyers Guild. Greg said the Cardinal took the occasion of the Mass to speak out strongly against an assisted suicide petition initiative in Massachusetts. He dealt with a rational argument against assisted suicide, which should persuade even those who don’t subscribe to Christian morality that it’s wrong. He noted that where assisted suicide is legal, suicide rates as a whole go up. In many cases, people end up seeing suicide as the only option and even receive the message that it’s inconsiderate not to take it. Cardinal Seán’s homily at the Red Mass The Cardinal said: A decade after Oregon’s law allowing physician assisted suicide took effect, suicide had become the leading cause of “injury death” in Oregon and the second leading cause of death among those between 15 and 34 years of age. The suicide rate in Oregon was in decline until legalizing physician assisted suicide. The suicide rate has been rising since 2000 and by 2007 was already 35% higher than the national average –without counting physician assisted suicides of seriously ill patients which Oregon law does not allow to be counted as suicides and without counting 1,000 failed attempted suicides each year. We hope that the citizens of the commonwealth will not be seduced by the language: dignity, mercy and compassion which are used to disguise the sheer brutality of helping some kill themselves. A vote for physician assisted | 9/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0140: Wednesday, September 21, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Br. Rahl Bunsa, General Superior of the Brotherhood of Hope, and Fr. Ted Psemeneki Brotherhood of Hope “Hope on Campus” on CatholicTV Brotherhood of Hope on Facebook Today’s topics: The Brotherhood of Hope Summary of today’s show: Br. Rahl and Br. Ted of the Brotherhood of Hope sit down with Scot and Fr. Matt to tell them about their small religious order’s very big mission in Catholic campus ministry in Boston that reaches out to more than 60,000 Catholic college students across the city. They also play selections from the Brotherhood’s music CDs and discuss a TV show produced by the Brotherhood called “Hope on Campus”. 1st segment: Scot welcomed back Fr. Matt. He offered him a congratulations on his Name Day because today is the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle. Fr. Matt said he loves the Caravaggio image of St. Matthew being called by Jesus. It’s a beautiful interplay of darkness and light, with Matthew being called out of the darkness and into the light. Jesus’ finger in the painting recalls the image of God’s finger touching Adam’s in Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Fr. Matt said the consolation of Matthew a sinner being called by God is that God knows what he’s getting into when he calls us. It’s not our qualifications that concern God, but who we are. Scot said his uncle, Frank Cluff of Lowell, died last night at 73. He was able to spend time with him last night and was inspired by this holy man prepare for death. He told Scot’s brother, Fr. Roger Landry, to tell others in his funeral homily to encourage people not to fear death. Scot related his story that 21 years ago his uncle was within days of death because he couldn’t get a kidney transplant. He had coffee with a friend and told him it might be their last opportunity to be together. That afternoon, the friend’s 21-year-old son died in a car accident and it turned out his son was a perfect match for the kidney. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Today’s guests are from the Brotherhood of Hope, who specialize in campus ministry across the country, and a new citywide campus ministry they’ll be starting at Cardinal Sean’s urging. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Br. Rahl and Br. Ted. He said Br. Rahl was one of the first members of the order when it began 31 years ago. It started out of lay communities in Michigan and New Jersey. There were five brothers at first in 1980 and now there are a little more than 20. Their main work is in campus ministry, but also men’s ministry, youth work, service trips to Tanzania, and some seminary work. Br. Rahl first encountered the Brotherhood when he was studying at Seton Hall University. He was impressed at how they were just good guys to be around. He had just discerned that God wasn’t calling him to the priesthood and he had thought God was calling him to marriage. But a brother asked him to consider this call. Scot said even growing up in a very Catholic community, you don’t encounter religious brothers as often as you see religious sisters, unless you are connected to particular ministries, like schools. Br. Rahl said in the beginning the order created a painting company to support itself. The men had to shift from their secular jobs to other kinds of jobs as they transitioned to full-time ministry. Their first applied ministry was as campus ministry at Rutgers. Br. Rahl said Br. Ted was among the first new members to come from Rutgers. Br. Ted was an engineering student at Rutgers. Since high school, he’d been attending church on his own. By his sophomore year, he’d connected to the Brotherhood and experienced a life change and the indwelling of Christ within him. A certain loneliness was gone. He’d never felt a calling to the priesthood, but on a visit to a monastery he f | 9/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0139: Tuesday, September 20, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Robert O’Grady, Managing Director of the Pilot Catholic Directory The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire Today’s topics: The Appointment of Bishops, specifically Bishop Peter Libasci to Manchester, NH Summary of today’s show: Fr. Robert O’Grady discusses with Scot and Fr. Chris yesterday’s appointment of Bishop Peter Libasci as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Manchester and then they talk about just how a priest or bishop’s name ends up on the Pope’s desk for appointment to the high office in the Church and just what role the bishop plays in the life of the Church. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris. He went tomato picking this weekend in New Hampshire with many of the parishioners from Sacred Heart Parish in East Boston, who were mainly Italian. They brought 160 pounds of tomatoes back with them. It was a great experience for a city kid. These tomatoes will be canned and will last until next September. He also attended the ordination of 13 permanent deacons for the archdiocese at the cathedral. He was impressed by the number of priests who came to show how they’ve already established great relationships with the priests of the archdiocese. Cardinal Sean joked that there’s nothing worse than a high maintenance deacon. He also reminded them that when their wives die, they will remain celibate for the rest of their lives so he told them to take very, very good care of their wives. The new deacons are David A. Brooks, Christopher Z. Connelly, Paul David Coughlin, Joseph Bryère Guerrier, Geoffrey W. Higgins, Joseph J. Hopgood, Cheonil Kim, Paul Michael Kline, Howard C. League, Vincent James Leo, Timothy John Maher, Thomas L.P. O’Donnell, Jr., and Kevin J. Winn. Scot said his mom attended the first Mass for one of the deacons at her parish in Lowell. Fr. Chris said that the 13 men have gone to 13 very different parishes throughout the Archdiocese and are already involved in very good work. Today, on the show, Fr. Robert O’Grady will talk with Scot and Fr. Chris about the process of appointing new bishops, especially the appointment yesterday of Bishop Peter Libasci for Manchester, New Hampshire. His installation Mass will be on December 8. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. O’Grady to the show. Scot said bishops’ appointments are announced at noon Rome time, which is 6am here. Bishop Libasci was auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, in Long Island. He was a priest for his whole career, a parochial vicar and pastor. He said he was surpsied to be named bishop the first time. He’s very low-key and humble and self-effacing. He’s also biritual, which means that he has permission to celebrate the Liturgy in the Ruthenian Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church as well as the Latin-rite. He’s also been the vicar of the eastern region of Long Island, which includes the Hamptons and the North Fork, the wealthiest and toniest part of the Long Island. However, Bishop Libasci said the area includes many blue-collar towns and Indian reservations, so it’s not just the rich and powerful. Someone noted he had twice as many people in his region as he will have in his new diocese. Bishop Libasci is the 10th bishop of Manchester. He was introduced by his predecessor Bishop McCormack. Scot said it’s good to know that Bishop McCormack hasn’t lost his Boston accent after 13 years in New Hampshire and the Long Island accent of Bishop Libasci will take some getting used to. Scot said he likes the passion he heard in his first reactions as he drove up to his new home. Scot said you can’t help but be impressed by the beauty of New Hampshire as God’s country. But also the description of the mills as a place where people spent so many of their lives, seeking a better life for their families. Fr. Chris said he c | 9/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0138: Monday, September 19, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Michael Medas, Director of Clergy Personnel Clergy Personnel Office of the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Michael Medas; How a priest gets assignments Summary of today’s show: Fr. Michael Medas shares with Scot his many and varied assignments, from parishes to deaf ministry to military chaplaincy and now the clergy personnel office. Fr. Medas also explained the detailed 48-step process that goes into assigning a priest to a parish. 1st segment: Today’s guest is Fr. Michael Medas of the Clergy Personnel Office. We’ll be discussing how priests get assigned to new positions and who gives input to the assignments. But first, Scot offered congratulations to the 13 new permanent deacons ordained by Cardinal Seán at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Saturday. Deacons Jim Leo and Kevin Wynn were our guests on The Good Catholic Life a few weeks ago. Photos of the ordination are at http://www.flickr.com/bostoncatholic. Fr. Medas’ office also assigns deacons as well as priests. It’s an exciting time for his office, he said. Scot said most of the deacons participated in their first Masses on Sunday along with their first homilies. Fr. Medas said a key element of the diaconate is the ministry of preaching. Fr. Michael was ordained in 1988. Scot asked him how he came to discern the call to priesthood. Fr. Michael said is experience of the call was unique. When he first entered the seminary after high school, he found many of his fellow seminarians mentioned a priest who said something in their life or saw a particular quality in them in the context of the Church. A number of his classmates mentioned the influence of religious sisters in their schools. But for Fr. Michael, it was a quiet experience. His family would go to Mass and he would feel a quiet attraction to the ministry of the priest. He was thinking of law enforcement or a medical vocation at the time, but a quiet voice told him maybe priesthood was possible for him. He entered the seminary thinking they were going to kick him out. There was a priest his parish, Fr. Bill Shea, OMI, who gave a homily once about having dinner with a married friend who’d wondered whether he should have considered the priesthood. At the time, he thought that he didn’t want to look back in his old age wondering if he should have considered the priesthood. So he entered the seminary, still planning on another career, waiting for them to decide he should leave. Fr. Michael said his time in the seminary was divided into undergraduate and graduate years and he finally discerned that calling at the end of his undergrad years. It was still a quiet confirmation, a feeling that it felt right and fit him. It was still very challenging to be conformed to God’s heart, mind, and will, but it still felt comfortable. Fr. Michael grew up in Bridgewater and it at the time it was still quite rural with many dairy farms. It was a small town with good family values. Two aspects of the parish that influenced him was the great preaching at Masses that helped him understand that Christ is present in the Eucharist. It is interesting to him that so many who are responding to vocational calls today, that the Eucharist was so central to them. They also had First Friday devotions with Eucharistic exposition all day. As altar servers, they were called to participate. He said the core of what called him to ask if this was what God was asking him to do, was that he had such a great understanding that the Eucharist is Jesus. He knew that whenever he was seeking Christ, he could find him in the Eucharist. As a priest, he wants to continue to share it as gently and firmly as those parish priests. 2nd segment: Fr. Michael’s first assignment was at St. Patrick’s in Watertown, which had many older folks who built the parish and continued to support it. It had a grammar school | 9/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0137: Friday, September 16, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Honorable Maura Doyle, Supreme Judicial Court Clerk for Suffolk County, and Carolyn Carideo Catholic Lawyers Guild of Boston “Annual Red Mass to be held September 18”, The Pilot, 09/02/11 Today’s topics: The Catholic Lawyers Guild and the annual Red Mass Summary of today’s show: Scot is surrounded by lawyers as he and Fr. Mark welcome the Honorable Maura Doyle and Carolyn Carideo for a frank and humorous discussion of the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild, living as a Catholic lawyer in Massachusetts, and the annual Red Mass for lawyers at the Cathedral this Sunday. Also, looking at this Sunday’s Mass readings on forgiveness and the parable of the workers in the vineyard. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Mark is the judicial vicar for the Archdiocese, but he’s also chaplain of the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild as the vicar. This weekend, the Guild has a big event. The highlight of their year is the Red Mass, which is this Sunday with Cardinal Seán at the cathedral. Scot asked Fr. Mark what similarities there are between canon law and civil law. Fr. Mark said the philosophy of law is the same everywhere and comes to the seeking of justice. But the differences between canon and civil law are very great, including the rigidity of sentencing. Where the highest law in canon law is the salvation of souls, it allows a lot of flexibility in application. We see similarities in situations where canon law is trying to do the same things as civil law, like in the governing of property. Scot said a great aspect of our country is that we are a country of laws and a people who respect the law. In eastern Massachusetts, we also have many Catholic lawyers. Our guests today are Maura Doyle and Carolyn Carideo, one an experienced lawyer and a newer lawyer. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Maura Doyle, who is clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court in Suffolk County, and Carolyn Carideo. Maura has been involved with the guild for about 20 years. The guild started around 1987. Scot asked Maura about her experience and title. She said she is the Trial Court Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court. It’s the oldest court of continuous existence in the Western Hemisphere and was created in 1692. It was created for the purpose of traveling to Salem to deal with the witch trials, and after it became involved in those trials they acquitted or overturned every case. This trial court had jurisdiction over the entire state for capital cases. The Clerk is an elected position and has been that way since the mid-1800s. At the time the court was becoming so busy hearing capital cases throughout the state that the State created a new superior court with jurisdiction over all capital cases, although the supreme judicial court could still hear murder cases. Prior to her service at the Supreme judicial court, she was a trial lawyer for 11 years in the federal court. She was also an adjunct faculty at Suffolk University. Carolyn has been practicing law since 2007. In 2003, after working in various industries, she went back to school for law at night at Suffolk University. She practices real estate law. She works in a family-owned real estate business. Scot asked how many of her classmates got into real estate or property law. She said not many and even she had been wary to jump out on her own in 2007 and stayed with her current job. Maura is Carolyn’s aunt and godmother and performed the swearing-in when Carolyn became an officer of the court and a member of the bar. Maura gave special attention to Carolyn at the swearing-in above all the others who were present and getting sworn in to Carolyn’s embarrassment. Maura said 3,000 people pass the bar in Massachusetts because of all the law schools. This November, Maura will have reached 30,000 lawyers sworn in during her career. Maura said the practice of law is an honorable profession, one of on | 9/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0136: Thursday, September 15, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Religious womens’ jubilee; bishops mobilize against contraception; Protecting priests; incardination and the case of Fr. Pavone Summary of today’s show: Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Greg and Fr. Roger including the dispute between Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and his bishop; the US bishops mobilizing Catholics against violation of conscience in healthcare legislation; Fr. Roger’s editorial on protecting priests from false accusations; and women religious in Boston celebrating jubilees and over 5,000 years of combined service to the Church. 1st segment: Scot caught up with Susan this Thursday. She’s off and running with the new school year and so has religious education. This Sunday is Catechetical Sunday and most parishes will begin their programs on Sunday. Parish catechists are frontline apostles, as John Paul II called them. Scot said every parish needs more catechists and listeners should consider helping out. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Greg and Fr. Roger. Scot said the centerfold in this week’s Pilot is about religious sisters who are celebrating their jubilee anniversaries. Greg said it’s a joyous celebration to celebrate their 25th, 50th, 60th, and even 75th anniversaries of religious life. All combined all these women have given more than 5,000 years of service! The Mass took place at St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury, which is Susan’s parish. She said it’s a wonderful celebration. The oldest jubilarian was Sister Declan Sullivan, 93, at 75 years of service and she said it was one of the most beautiful celebrations she’s had. Bishop Dooher celebrated the Mass and praised the sisters for their service and witness. He also connected the celebration to the commemoration of 9/11 which occurred on the same day. Sister Sean Mayer of the Daughters of St. Paul was the youngest at 45 with 25 years of service. She entered the order at 14 and professed at 20. Fr. Roger said in an age where so few make commitments and where those who do don’t keep their word, these women who’ve kept these commitments are a sign of fidelity and what God is saying to us through them about the great mystery of their vocation and God’s great faithfulness to them. It is a sign that God calls each of us in our own way and their vocations are signs to us of our own eternal vocation to be with God in heaven. The Pilot article on Friday will have a complete list of the names of the jubilarians. 3rd segment: The US bishops are asking all Catholics to mobilize to contact Congress and the Dept of Health and human Services to guard our consciences on issues of contraception. Greg said the new healthcare reform law pushed by the Obama administration, health care plans must cover the abortifacient morning-after pill and contraceptives. While there is a conscience protection clause in the regulations, it is so narrowly written that Catholic hospitals, schools, and charities would be required to pay for these drugs and sterilizations. There is a public comment period for these regulations that expires at the end of this month. The bishops are urging people to register their objections at http://www.usccb.org/conscience. “Bishops aim to mobilize Catholics to guard consciences on contraception”, CNS, 09/09/11 “USCCB urges rescission of HHS contraceptive mandate, criticizes ‘inexplicably narrow’ definition of religious freedom”, USCCB, 08/31/11 Su | 9/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0135: Wednesday, September 14, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s topics: Understanding and embracing the Cross of Christ Summary of today’s show: On this Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Scot and Fr. Matt confront the scandal of the Cross, explain how and why Catholics embrace the Cross of Christ as a sign of ultimate love, talk a little about the history of the feast day as well as why our cathedral in Boston is dedicated to the Cross, and then considers the prayers and readings from today’s Mass for the feast. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt will talk about the power and scandal and confusion of the Cross of Christ because today is the Feast of the Exaltations of the Cross, which is important in Boston because our Cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Fr. Matt told Scot that his office has been working over the past week to plan out their schedule for the next year for youth ministry and young adult ministry. He said it’s important to step back and evaluate, to consider what you do well and what you don’t do well, to look at what they have done over the past year. Especially in youth ministry, you need to do more than just pull out what you did last year and do it again. The Holy Spirit evangelizes each generation in a new way. 2nd segment: Today we honor the holy cross by which Christ redeemed the world. Veneration of the cross began in the 4th century after the discovery of the relics of the Cross by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, on September 14, 326. In the Western Church the feast came into prominence in the seventh century — after 629, when the Byzantine emperor Heraclitus restored the Holy Cross to Jerusalem, after defeating the Persians who had stolen it. The cross is the primary symbol of our faith. Fr. Matt said we find the cross everywhere in our society, and it is the power of God made manifest, the manifestation of his love. The sacraments bring the power of the cross into the moment of grace it confers. The first prayer we learn is the Sign of the Cross. During baptism, the baby or adult is baptized with water in the Sign of the Cross. In confirmation, the oil is place on the forehead in the Sign of the Cross. And so on through the sacraments. Scot said the YouCat, a new catechism intended for youth in a question and answer format. The Cross on which Jesus, although innocent, was cruelly innocent was the place of utmost degradation and abandonment,. He chose the Cross to bear the sin of the world and bring the world back to God. God could not show his love more forcibly than allowing his son to be nailed to the cross for us. Crucifixion was the most shameful form of execution in Roman times and God entered into the most abysmal suffering of those times. Fr. Matt talked about how Jesus became a curse to redeem his people on the cross. The cross was considered to be a curse and those crucified on it to be cursed. So Christi who is sinless became cursed on behalf of all of us sinners. He was willing to suffer the most painful form of death to show us that he is the true Lamb of God willing to take away all our sins. Fr. Matt said you often realize how much faith is a gift and it takes humility to receive that gift. Fr. Matt told a story from tradition that when the Persians returned the Cross, the Emperor Heraclius carried the Cross back into Jerusalem on his back. He was clothed in costly garments and jewels. But at the foot of Calvary, he couldn’t pass onto the hill. So the bishop of Jerusalem told him that in his costly garments he was far from resembling Jesus. So the Emperor changed into penitential garb and was able to carry it to the top of the hill. In order to conform our lives to the cross, we need humility. Scot noted that Jesus told us that we have to pick up our cross to follow him as well in order to be his disciple. That’s challenging in this culture where we look at self-denial as a big deal. Fr. Matt said the saints are always ref | 9/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0134: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Jeremy St. Martin, Director of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Deaf Apostolate, and John Hunt, Executive Director of Legatus International Deaf Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Boston Office of the Deaf Apostolate Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity Legatus International Today’s topics: Fr. Jeremy St. Martin and his ministry to deaf Catholics; Legatus’ ministry to Catholic CEOs and their spouses Summary of today’s show: Fr. Jeremy St. Martin tells Scot and Fr. Chris about how he came to the priesthood and the unexpected call to minister to the deaf; as well as all the ways that the Deaf Apostolate works to allow the hearing-impaired to take part fully in the life of the Church. Also, John Hunt of Legatus discusses their ministry to Catholic business executives that recognizes their unique contributions and impact on the culture. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Chris how St. John Seminary memorialized September 11. Fr. Chris said they had a beautiful Mass wit the amazing Scriptures for this past Sunday which challenge all of us in the area of forgiveness. Fr. Chris said he was in Washington, DC, on 9/11/01 and he was reminded of the same clear, blu skies. He reflect on praying for the victims and their families. He was also reminded of all the many people who responded to help. He saw at St. Anthony’s Shrine this past weekend that they had a photo of Fr. Mychal Judge, the Franciscan priest who was a NY fire chaplain who died during the response to the attacks. Scot noted that his kids asked why we still talk about it if it happened 10 years ago? He told them that we don’t want to forget, not just the evil acts, but also the heroism as well as the lesson to live life to fullest and enjoy the many blessings God has given us. Fr. Chris also said he was at Sacred Heart Parish in East Boston for a Portuguese festival of the Holy Spirit where the children receive a special blessing. Scot said one of the 23 languages the Mass is celebrated in at the Archdiocese of Boston is American Sign Language. Fr. Jeremy St. Martin is the director of the Deaf Apostolate. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Jeremy St. Martin to the show. Scot asked him how God planted the seed that led to his ordination. Fr. Jeremy said his parents became very active in the Church when he was about 6 or 7 years old. The change he saw in his parents profoundly affected him at that time. He recalls going to a new parish at the time and he wasn’t too impressed by what he saw, although when his grandparents came with them, that caught his attention. While his mother and her mother-in-law were as different as could be, he saw them change in their relationship to one another during the Eucharistic Prayer of the Mass. This was his first experience of the Mass and he was intrigued by what was happening. As time went on, he became an altar server and got to know the elderly priest who was serving the parish in Little Compton, Rhode Island. Seeing the devotion and simple joy of the old priest, Fr. Jeremy at the time wondered if that’s what God was calling him to. As he went to college, it became harder to continue to practice his faith. He had two friends who were the first in his group of friends to fall in love together and he remembered seeing them together after Mass one Sunday and realizing that they would one day be married and have children. And as he thought about it, he wondered who would baptize the children and it occurred to him that it might be him. A priest once said you have to see if you have the Health, Holiness, Head, and Heart. You don’t have to be perfect in every way, but you have to be doing okay with all of them. Heart in particular is a desire for the salvation of souls. The priest then said people considering vocations should get a regular confessor. Fr. Jeremy was still discerning at this time. Th | 9/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0133: Monday, September 12, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Paul Blanchette and Michael Strong of Pilot Bulletins and Pilot Printing Pilot Bulletins Pilot Printing Today’s topics: The parish bulletin as communications tool Summary of today’s show: The parish bulletin is the primary communications vehicle for the church connecting to parishioners. Paul Blanchette and Mike Strong of Pilot Bulletins discuss with Scot how Pilot Bulletins began 10 years ago as ParishComm, their vision for serving the church through their livelihood, and how ParishComm was acquired by the Archdiocese of Boston just one year ago. Also, Scot, Mike, and Paul give their predictions for tonight’s Patriots-Dolphins game and the Patriots season. 1st segment: Scot said one year on September 9, the Archdiocese of Boston purchased a bulletin-printing business called ParishComm that served about 45 parishes mainly in the North Shore and Merrimack Valley. In the past year, they have expanded their service to more than 200 parishes in their printing services and more than 60 who have their bulletins printed every week. Scot welcomed Paul and Mike to the show. Scot said Paul was on the show previously with Fr. Martin Hyatt of the St. Basil’s Cursillo retreat center and Cursillo was integral to the founding of ParishComm. Paul was working in medical sales previously and wanted to find some way to serve the Church. At the same time, he had a friend who developed some parish management software called Church Mouse and Paul started representing the software locally. He found that even though parishes loved the idea, they usually said they couldn’t afford it and would need to have it donated. Then they found that parish bulletin printing generated a lot of revenue that didn’t make its way to the parish and so they determined to sell the bulletin sponsorships and print the bulletins to fund the parish software. The software became ParishSoft, which is perhaps the leading Catholic parish management software. Paul celebrated the 10th anniversary of starting ParishComm, which happened to be 9/11/01. Paul was in Detroit that day with the man he was working with on the software project. Paul’s son was working in New York at the time and was on the phone with him when the second plane hit the Twin Towers. They had been planning to sign the legal papers to start their business, but that didn’t happen. After two days, Paul and an associate rented a car to drive back to Boston. Meanwhile, in the intervening 10 years, the man he was starting the business with, David Rosenberg, has since become a priest of the Diocese of Lansing. At first, there wasn’t a plan to print the bulletins themselves, but eventually they printed it themselves. Paul made his first sale in October 2001 of $354 for an advertising contract. His first church was his home parish, St. Mary in Georgetown. They installed computers and software and used the parish as the testbed. The first year they made $24,000. In their second year, they got their second church. What was difficult was that they were just a couple of guys with a fledgling business and an idea, so they trusted him. They were outsourcing the product and didn’t have control of the printing. It was printed in Michigan and a bad storm could prevent a parish from having its bulletin. So Paul looked into digital printing and the quality was so much better because they could print in vivid color. But that meant lots of infrastructure costs for printers. It was difficult to get past the old habits of parish bulletins, especially getting them to use new covers every week to be attractive and to use the bulletin as a news instrument rather than just a service directory. Digital printing uses large machines that look like office copiers and have the same general functions of a color laser printer in the office. They are different from the more traditional color offset printers, but the quality is | 9/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0132: Friday, September 9, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Msgr. Robert Deeley, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Boston “New vicar general discusses views, priorities”, The Pilot, 09/09/11 Today’s topics: Meeting the new vicar general of the Archdiocese of Boston Summary of today’s show: Msgr. Robert Deeley, the new vicar general of the archdiocese, recounts his path to the priesthood, his service in Boston and in Rome, his experience working with Cardinal Ratzinger and what it was like to see him elected pope; and how his experience and perspective on the universal Church will help him as a vicar general in Boston. Also this Sunday’s Mass readings and their special relevance to the 10th anniversary of 9/11. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Mark just got back from his retreat this week. He said he was in Duxbury at Miramar Retreat Center and Fr. Robert Rivers was the retreat leader. Fr. Mark also teaches canon law at St. John Seminary and he was happy to see how full the seminary is now. Scot said he spent some time at the seminary at the end of last weekend. In the last five or six years it went from being half-full to now being space constrained. Fr. Mark said in addition to the diocesan seminarians, there are many others from religious orders as well. Scot said The Good Catholic Life is celebrating its six month anniversary. We began on Ash Wednesday and the time has flown by. He said he has learned a lot about his faith. Also one year ago today, the Archdiocese purchased ParishComm which became Pilot Bulletins and Pilot Printing, which serve the archdiocese. Finally, Scot said his friend Tim Van Damm, who’s been on the show and who works for the College of St. Mary Magdalene in New Hampshire, got engaged last night. Fr. Mark noted that Pilot Printing helps not just parishes, but also the ministries in the Pastoral Center. He’s also happy to celebrate the vocation of marriage. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Msgr. Deeley to the show and gave his congratulations for the six month anniversary. Over the past few weeks he’s found the show to be valuable to local Catholics. Scot asked him how Catholic education K-12 made a difference in his life. He said it was a marvelous education at Sacred Heart in Watertown and at Matignon High. The sister of St. Joseph were able to educate, motivate, and form the students and give them a vision of the future. They also nurtured and encouraged his vocation so that he entered seminary after high school. Fr. Mark asked if any of his teachers have contacted him since he became vicar general. Sr. Zita taught him in 7th grade and is still alive today. Scot asked Msgr. Deeley’s family. One of his brothers is a priest and other worked for the archdiocese. Msgr. Deeley said the Church was part of their lives as kids. His parents were immigrants from Ireland and took strength from their involvement in the life of the parish and the Church. They grew up as altar servers, were involved in parish activities, and CYO. He later was able to be a lector and other activities of that nature. He said he felt a kind of call to priesthood in about the second or third grade. There was something about priesthood that attracted him, but he put it out of his head in high school until he was a junior in high school when Msgr. John Kelty encouraged him to think about. His parents were very supportive of his choice, but encouraged him to do what he thought was the right thing for him. The same for his younger brother as well. Fr. Mark and Msgr. Deeley reminisced about their experience of Msgr. Kelty, including times when each of them lived with him in a parish as priests. During seminary, Msgr. Deeley received a prestigious scholarship to study philosophy at Catholic University and that study in the way of thinking systematically was an extremely important part of his education. It was a key preparation for his lat | 9/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0131: Thursday, September 8, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: 9/11 anniversary; Msgr. Robert Deeley; assisted suicide petition; Catholic school year starts; Archbishop Chaput’s installation Summary of today’s show: Gregory Tracy and Susan Abbott discuss the news of the week with Scot, including this week’s anniversary of 9/11 and Catholic reflections on the events and their aftermath; an extensive Pilot interview with Msgr. RObert Deeley, the new vicar general; an assisted suicide ballot initiative; the always promising beginning of the Catholic school year; and the homily of Archbishop Charles Chaput at his installation Mass in Philadelphia. 1st segment: Scot noted that today is the birthday of the Blessed Mother. Fr. Sean Carey, the only priest of the archdiocese who is deaf, celebrated the 12:05 pm Mass at the Pastoral Center for this feast. Susan Abbott said she had a workshop today for a total of more than 100 people on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. 2nd segment: Scot noted that Fr. Roger Landry is traveling, but welcomed Greg Tracy to the show. He said that there’s an article in the Pilot this week which excerpts remarks from Cardinal Sean’s Blog in which the Cardinal reflects on the events and aftermath of 9/11. He starts by describing where he was when he heard about the attacks, at a meeting of the US bishops’ conference. They went immediately across the street to the National Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception for a Mass for the victims. Then he told the story of how he tried to get back to Fall River from Washington, DC. He eventually rented a car with some others. Scot said Cardinal Sean reflects that 9/11 reflected the best and worst of who we are as humanity and also that we all came together to pray. Susan said in her parish they put a notice on the parish website for a prayer service that evening and people began coming back every night to pray. Susan said they had people come to RCIA and other adult formation because of their experience of 9/11. “Acting on the Lessons of 9/11”, Fr. Roger Landry, The Anchor, 09/09/11 “9/11 anniversary prompts reflection on tragedy’s spiritual dimension”, CNS, 08/25/11 Fr. Roger in his editorial reflected on the lessons of 9/11. The events reawakened most Americans to four fundamental realities in the world: of evil in the world; that death comes for us all; the heroism of first responders and others who risked their lives; and the reality of God. He refers to the Imitation of Christ and its advice: “In every deed and every thought, act as if you die this day.” It helps to bring us back to our roots and our purpose in this life. Susan quoted a famous line that the Devil’s biggest trick is to convince us that he or evil doesn’t exist. But she also went to the Prologue of the Gospel of John that the Light shines in the darkness and darkness has not overcome it. Fr. Roger’s ends with: Some, succumbing to the perennial temptation about why God doesn’t stop all evil, asked where God was on 9/11. Fr. James Martin, SJ, responded that on 9/11 God was offering us a parable. As he was ministering to the wounded at a Manhattan hospital, Fr. Martin looked around at the rescue workers and realized, “God is like the firefighter who rushes into a burning building to save someone. That’s how much God loves us. And I saw this love expressed in the great charity of all the rescue workers who gathered at the American Golgotha.” Fr. Roger said that the Ground Zero Cross is a sign that evil doesn’t have the last word. He en | 9/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0130: Wednesday, September 7, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Kathy Reda United States Association of Consecrated Virgins Today’s topics: The vocation of the consecrated virgin Summary of today’s show: Kathy Reda reveals to Scot and Fr. Matt the story of her vocation as a consecrated virgin, one of less than 350 in the United States; how her hospital co-workers handled the news that she was being betrothed to Jesus; and how her counter-cultural witness points to eternity every day in her profession as a nurse. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show after being away for nearly a month. They talked on air when Fr. Matt was in Madrid for World Youth Day. He asked Scot is he has rapped the Rosary with his kids yet, referring to our 100th show with Joe Melendrez, the Rosary rapper. The last week has been one of recuperation for Fr. Matt. Scot said it’s a big day at his house today with all three kids starting school, including his youngest who started kindergarten. Fr. Matt said it’s hard to believe the summer went so quickly and the start of the school year is like the beginning of a new year for youth ministry. Scot agreed that much of everything that happens in the Church either follows the liturgical year or the academic year. Fr. Matt shared a very profound experience during the World Youth Day vigil in Madrid with the lightning storm that hit the field of 1.5 million people. At one point, the Holy Father’s aides asked him if he wanted to end the ceremony early, but the Holy Father refused and asked them to stick it out. Then he asked the pilgrims to pray and soon the rain stopped. Then he invited the pilgrims into the silence and 1.5 million rowdy pilgrims went silent for six minutes of adoration. The next day he blessed the pilgrim crosses given to each participant and asked them to be witnesses to Christ. Fr. Matt asked listeners to pray for pilgrims to be able to live that World Youth Day witness. Today, we’ll be talking with Kathy Reda about the little-known vocation of consecrated virginity. Typically, consecrated life is religious brothers and sisters, hermits, secular institutes, societies of apostolic life, and consecrated virgins. Most of these aren’t well known to most Catholics and we plan to profile some of them. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Matt welcomed Kathy Reda back to the show. She was on the show in early April talking about the Eucharistic Congress. Scot read a definition of consecrated virginity from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church’s approval to live in a state of virginity ‘for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven.’ [Mt 19:12 ; cf. 1 Cor 7:34-36.] “‘Virgins who, committed to the holy plan of following Christ more closely, are consecrated to God by the diocesan bishop according to the approved liturgical rite, are betrothed mystically to Christ, the Son of God, and are dedicated to the service of the Church.’ By this solemn rite (Consecratio virginum), the virgin is ‘constituted … a sacred person, a transcendent sign of the Church’s love for Christ, and an eschatological image of this heavenly Bride of Christ and of the life to come.’” “‘As with other forms of consecrated life,’ the order of virgins establishes the woman living in the world (or the nun) in prayer, penance, service of her brethren, and apostolic activity, according to the state of life and spiritual gifts given to her. Consecrated virgins can form themselves into associations to observe their commitment more faithfully….” Scot said Kathy discerned many different vocations in the Church before coming to consecrated virginity. Kathy said there are 12 of them in the Archdiocese of Boston, 350 in the US | 9/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0129: Tuesday, September 6, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Jonathan Gaspar, Co-Director of the Office for Worship and Spiritual Life Office of Worship and Spiritual Life New Roman Missal resources at BostonCatholic.org The prayers of the new translation of the Roman Missal Today’s topics: The new translation of the Roman Missal Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chris preview the prayers of the new Roman Missal coming to our parish Masses on the First Sunday of Advent, including changes to some very familiar prayers we now pray by heart. Using recordings of some of the prayers being chanted, the panel discuss the rich meanings they hold and reveal. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. Fr. Chris said he’s thrilled to have the seminarians back at St. John Seminary. It’s great to have the chapel full again with a complement of earnest young men. Scot saw it firsthand last Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, giving them presentations. It was wonderful to see 83 seminarians all in one place. Fr. Chris said you see the Lord’s hand in each of their lives. Cardinal Sean celebrated the opening Mass where he quoted Pope Benedict at length from his address to Spanish seminarians in Madrid last month. Scot said today is a transition for him and his family, celebrating the end of summer yesterday, and then today the commuting patterns coming into work have changed with everyone back and work and kids back at school. Another major change in the Church will begin at Advent with the new translation of the Roman Missal, but also new chats for Mass that could be sung in parishes this past week. Fr. Gaspar will talk about that today. Fr. Chris said it’s an exciting time. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Fr. Gaspar back to the show. Scot said Fr. Gaspar has several roles, including working on preparing us all in the archdiocese for the upcoming new Roman Missal. Fr. Gaspar said the work began in earnest a year ago to prepare priests and people. On November 27, we will have a new Roman Missal with some changes to the prayers we pray. The Roman Missal is the new term for the book of prayers we use at Mass. That book is currently called the Sacramentary, but it won’t be called that anymore. This is the largest change in the Liturgy since the Second Vatican Council. One of the first things the council did was write a document on the Liturgy. Scot said how we pray informs how we believe. The words of prayers are very significant. Scot said the objective of the new translation was to correct the problem that our English translations did not accurately reflect the Latin texts and we weren’t praying the same thing as Catholics in other languages. The Church always gives us our prayers in Latin and then those are translated into many languages. Fr. Gaspar noted that at World Youth Day in Madrid, Pope Benedict prayed in Spanish and the Spanish responses were more like the Latin than our English ones were. Fr. Gaspa we are not just being faithful to the Latin text, but to what is deeper than the Latin text. The Mass is composed of words that come right from the sacred Scriptures, which are divinely inspired. When the priest says, “The Lord be with you”, the people will respond, “And with your spirit” which comes right from St. Paul’s writings. The people’s response is a direct reference to the priestly consecration at ordination. Fr. Chris said it seems a richer translation, and the US is one of the last places in the English-speaking world to start using the new Missal. In the 1960s, when the Mass was translated from Latin to English, they wanted to make the prayers as easy for people as possible. Scot noted many people want to read the changes in political terms of liberal and conservative, but this is about praying together in one voice. Fr. Chris said we’ve been praying these prayers for a while, and this | 9/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0128: Monday, September 5, 2011 | Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes On this Labor Day, September 5, 2011, we bring you an encore presentation of one of our most popular shows, an interview with Paul Blanchette and Fr. Martin Hyatt, bso, about the Cursillo retreat experience, its origins, its aims, its wonderful fruits, and just what a Cursillo weekend is all about. The shownotes are available on the original airdate's page We hope you enjoy this encore presentation and that you have a wonderful Labor Day. | 9/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0127: Friday, September 2, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry, Fr. Mark O’Connell, and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Lino Rulli, author of “Sinner” and host of “The Catholic Guy” The Catholic Guy Show on SiriusXM satellite radio’s The Catholic Channel Lino’s website Today’s topics: Lino Rulli, the king of all Catholic media Summary of today’s show: Scot, Fr. Mark, and Fr. Chip were joined by Lino Rulli, author of the new book “Sinner” and host of “The Catholic Guy” radio show on SiriusXM satellite radio and talked about the honesty that makes Lino’s presentation of the faith so attractive and just generally laughed for a whole hour together. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mark and Fr. Chip back to the show. He noted that Fr. Chip has been following Lino on SiriusXM satellite radio for some time. Scot said he’s been giving presentations at St. John’s Seminary over the past few days on human virtues and has been reading Sinner for the past several days at the same time. He welcomed Lino to the show. Lino said he loves Boston even though he’s from Minnesota and lives in New York. He loves the vibe and personality and even the accent. He talked about going to Mass yesterday and running into a guy after who said he used to watch his TV show on CatholicTV and who wanted to talk to him about his problems with the Catholic Church. Scot noted that Archbishop Tim Dolan of New York wrote the foreword to the book and who praised the book for its honesty and humor and boldness. He said “Sinner is a winner.” Scot asked him why he named it “Sinner.” Lino said that when great spiritual leaders write something, they’re so profound and inspirational, but Lino is just a regular who knows the Church has it all figured. He called it Sinner so he could come right out and be honest about who he is right up front, get it out of the way, and then talk about God. Scot asked if titling it Sinner makes it accessible to people who haven’t read a book about Catholicism. Lino said he named it that to disarm people. Lino said even Howard Stern’s producer enjoyed the book even though he says of himself that he doesn’t believe in God. Fr. Chip said Lino wrote three chapters about confession and asked if he’s making confession cool again. Lino said he’s annoyed so many of us went through the 70s, 80s, 90s, and today without talking about the beauty of the sacrament of reconciliation. “We’re offering this beautiful sacrament of reconciliation with God from 3:45 to 4 on Saturday.” In a 10,000-person parish?! How is this not one of the top 3 things you bring up as a Catholic? He told Fr. Chip he’s putting him in the confessional box on Saturday. Fr. Chip said he’s happy to be there. Scot said the third chapter is the impactful for him, that knowing that if Lino can bring this sense of humor to it, then people will be more open to it. He asked how the Catholic Guy Show came about. Lino said he started on TV in 1997 with a small show called Generation Cross that started in Minnesota and then spread to other Catholic channels around the country. He also worked in local Minneapolis TV at the same time. Then he got offered a half-hour radio show called Lino at Large and he decided to try it out. It aired in a bunch of markets around the country for two years until one of the main providers told him he was being let go because younger people listen to Lino and they had an older audience. The guy told him that old people give money and young people didn’t which was strange from a Catholic network that purported to be about evangelization. Lino said that left him mad at God and a bit annoyed and frustrated. The sad thing about Catholic clichés is that they’re true and when a window closes, God opens a new one. A little while later, he heard that Sirius was starting a Catholic cha | 9/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0126: Thursday, September 1, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Beacon Hill’s casino deal; Singing the New Mass translation; Ambassadors of Peace; new policy on altar girls in Phoenix Summary of today’s show: Scot and Susan talk with Fr. Roger and Greg about the news of the week including the arrival of the new vicar general, Msgr. Robert Deeley; the societal costs of the casino bill proposed by Beacon Hill; singing the new Mass translation; a new religious order for Boston; and controversy over a new policy for altar girls in Phoenix. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and said to Susan that September 1 snuck up on his this year. Susan said she was sad to see August go. August is the shortest month of the year and February is the longest. Scot said at the Pastoral Center the last week of August is usually slow, but this summer he’s been involved in the Catechetical Certificate of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization, there’s been various events saying goodbye to Fr. Rich Erikson, the outgoing vicar general, and events welcoming Msgr. Robert Deeley as the new vicar general. Susan said she was moved by the ceremony in which Msgr. Deeley took the Oath of Fidelity and the Profession of Faith, two rituals of the Church for those who hold certain offices in the Church. Scot welcomed Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy to the show. He asked Greg about his experience of the ceremony. Msgr. Deeley had talked about how when he went to theVatican he had three minutes to read all these documents in Latin before signing them, but in this instance he preferred the time to do it right and involve everyone in the Pastoral Center. Fr. Roger said transitional deacons and priests take the oath and profession, as well as pastors and other major responsibilities in the Church. The Church wants to make sure that the person is going to hand on the teaching of the Church, but also to reassure him that he will receive supernatural grace to live up to the demands of the oath and profession. Scot said Msgr. Deeley has been working Rome at the Vatican since 2003, including at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Cardinal Seán invited Msgr. Deeley to come serve as vicar general in April. He met with the Cardinal’s cabinet this morning, then sent an email to all employees of the Archdiocese throughout eastern Massachusetts, celebrated noon Mass with the Pastoral Center community, and then had this afternoon’s ceremony. Scot read the following quote from Msgr. Deeley’s email: These past years of work in Rome have given me a unique opportunity to be near His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. I could not help but note that, whatever the difficulty he encounters, or the problem that arises, he is always confident in the grace of Christ. The word that most captures the spirit of Benedict XVI is “joy”. He teaches us to place our hope in Jesus Christ, who is our joy, as well as the truth of our lives. Accepting this call is fundamental to our mission as Church. We need to come to know that grace ourselves and then, in accord with the call of our Baptism, to share it with others. As I begin this new assignment I ask for your prayers, and promise a remembrance in mine. Together may we bring the joy of Christ’s love to our corner of the world here in the Church in Boston. May Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Lady of Hope, intercede for God’s abundant blessings on our Archdiocese. Scot said it was very clear how closely Msgr. Deeley has worked with Pop | 9/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0125: Wednesday, August 31, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Thomas Foley, Episcopal Vicar and Secretary for Pastoral Life and Leadership of the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Thomas Foley Summary of today’s show: Scot chats with Fr. Thomas Foley who oversees the largest part of the Central Ministries of the Archdiocese as the secretary for pastoral life and leadership. They dicuss the various ways the Archdiocese provides support to clergy and laity and assists parishes in their day-to-day efforts and planning for the future. 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. He said today the archdiocese says goodbye to our current vicar general, Fr. Rich Erikson, and tomorrow say hello to Msgr. Robert Deeley, who will become vicar general and moderator of the curia. He will be on the show on September 9. Scot explained that moderator of the curia helps organize the rest of Cardinal Sean’s cabinet secretaries and coordinate their efforts. The cabinets include administration, education, faith formation, communications, health services, social services, institutional advancement, Catholic media, and the parish life and leadership. Fr. Foley is an episcopal vicar and he is the only vicar in the cabinet apart from the vicar general. A vicar represents or stands-in for the ministry of the bishop. Some dioceses have more than one vicar general. There is a judicial vicar, who is Fr. Mark O’Connell in Boston. Episcopal vicars are less common and he is the bishop’s delegate over a certain area of church life or people. Fr. Foley is the vicar for clergy and parishes. The other episcopal vicar in Boston is Fr. Arthur Coyle who is the Cardinal’s representative to the Merrimac region. A vicar has ordinary power, as canon law puts it. The bishop is the ordinary and the vicar can sign certain documents and take certain actions on the Cardinal’s behalf. 2nd segment: Scot met Fr. Foley in 2006 at the consistory in Rome at which Cardinal Seán was made a cardinal. At the time he was pastor of St. Ann in Neponset. Fr. Foley was born in Woburn, like many priests of the archdiocese. Cardinal Medeiros called Woburn the land of priests. He was baptized at St. Mary, Winchester, and celebrated his first Mass at Immaculate Conception, Winchester. His first assignment as priest in 1986 was St. Mary and Martha in Lakeville. When he was ordained, he got his assignment and said he’d never heard of Lakeville, which is on the far southern edge of the archdiocese. He was only there for three years. His next assignment was St. Eulalia in Winchester in his hometown where he stayed for five years. It was very busy with 1,500 kids in CCD. Four priests lived in the rectory. In a very unusual move, he was moved to St. Mary in Winchester for four years. He was then offered Immaculate Conception in Winchester, his home parish. He was there for 6-1/2 years until it closed in 2004. Scot asked how they dealt with the closing of the parish. They knew they were very small and that their finances wouldn’t work to keep them open. He told the people that the closing affected him as much as them; he had celebrated his first Mass at that altar. From there, he moved to St. Ann in the Neponset section of Dorchester as pastor. He was there only four years before Cardinal Sean asked him to come to the new assignment. Scot said Cardinal Sean might have looked to Fr. Foley because of his role in the formation of Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy, which gathered together 7 Catholics into one. Fr. Foley said in Dorchester, people even today identify themselves by what parish they come from, so merging the schools was very difficult. At the time, St. Ann was the largest school, but the budget was twice revenue very year and he and the other pastors recognized that it was impossible to make it on their own. Scot said it wasn’t easy but in the end it achieved what they hoped, which was the pres | 8/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0124: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Rev. Mr. Eric Bennett, transitional deacon and seminarian at the Pontifical North American College Pontifical North American College “Bennett ordained a transitional deacon,” The Pilot, 7/22/11 Today’s topics: Deacon Eric Bennett Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Deacon Eric Bennett to talk about his recent ordination to the transitional diaconate, his experiences as a seminarian at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, being one of two siblings among his eight to be studying for the priesthood, and the five places in Rome every visitor should see. 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Chris how St. John Seminary fared in Hurricane Irene. It did well and it was their first day welcoming back seminarians and the new men. All of them did show up. No one had cold feet at the last minute. He told them as he welcomed them that there are two major days for the seminary: welcoming new men and the ordinations. Scot asked what the first week is like at the seminary. On Sunday afternoon, Bishop Kennedy celebrated a Mass of welcome and then there was a dinner. They explained how they do what they do and they follow Pope John Paul’s Pastores dabo vobis (“I will give you shepherds”), which is a program for seminary formation. The first week does have a spiritual component, but they include recreation and prayer and Scot will come to give some presentations on virtues that any Catholic man should have. Priestly virtue builds on human virtue. What are the virtues and vices that are presented to Catholic men and how can seminarians grow in human virtue? Simplicity of life, getting priorities in order, building strong relationships with people. Fr. Chris said Pope John Paul II said the intellectual and pastoral must be formed on the human virtues. Priests have to be aware of the rough edges that get in the way of proclaiming Christ. He’s also thrilled to have Scot at the seminary to see excited, intelligent, articulate young men getting ready to go out into the vineyards to proclaim the Gospel. Scot said seminarians of Boston study at St. John Seminary, Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston, MA, and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Both Fr. Chris and Scot have spent one year at the NAC. Deacon Eric is studying there now. Fr. Chris said there are joys to serving in Rome. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Deacon Eric Bennet, ordained one month ago to the diaconate. He was ordained on July 16 at St. Patrick, Natick. That was his parish before entering the seminary. He was living there when he was working as a physical therapist when he applied for the seminary. Scot said it’s been a long time since an ordination took place outside the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, but with just one man being ordained a smaller church was good even though it was filled with friends and family. He went to high school in Rhode Island and attended Boston University. At BU, he got a sense of knowing Jesus Christ through the ministry of the Brotherhood of Hope at the university. After graduation, he moved to Maryland and thought he was called to marriage, but once in Maryland he found the call back to Boston and to the priesthood. It was through his work as a physical therapist, mainly in the cancer ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital. He saw it as a grace and blessing to be with the people and helping them physically and spiritually as they wished. People kept asking him if he ever thought of being a priest and over time he came to see that he was being called to that. He is one of eight children in his family. His family didn’t necessarily see him as headed for the priesthood. He was a bit of a terror as a child and his mom told a friend of his that if she’d had him first, she wouldn’t have had any more. In the Pilot, she was quoted at the ordination: For Bennett’s moth | 8/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0123: Monday, August 29, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Doug and Joanie Kingsley, Msgr. George Carlson, Joe D’Arrigo Celebration of the Priesthood Care for Senior Priests Today’s topics: Celebration of the Priesthood Dinner Summary of today’s show: Scot welcomed Doug and Joanie Kingsley, co-chairs of the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner coming up in September to benefit senior and ill priests; Msgr. George Carlson who is working with the Clergy Funds on the care of priests; and Joe D’Arrigo, executive director of the Clergy Funds to discuss the priests of Boston, the new initiative for the laity to show their appreciation for their priests, and efforts to close the previous operating deficits for the funds without cutting benefits. 1st segment: Scot said five years ago Cardinal Sean launched an initiative to continue care for our senior and ill priests. This year, the 3rd annual celebration of the priesthood dinner will continue to raise funds for their care ad well as to celebrate their lives. Scot welcomed the co-chairs, Doug and Joanie Kingsley, Msgr. Carlson from the board that oversees the funds, and Joe D’Arrigo executive director of the fund. Scot asked Doug why he was excited to say yes to the cardinal. They helped on the dinner last year and learned what a great event it is. The dinner is so important because the money goes to the clergy funds which provide for the healthcare and retirement of our priests. Scot said to Joanie that she and Doug are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. Joanie said they have four boys, two in college and two in high school. They have made it a point for them all to have a Catholic education. Our priests are God’s boots on the ground and it’s an honor to be part of this event. Scot asked them about priests who’ve mad an impact in their lives. Joanie said she’s one of 9 children and her family was active in their parish. She had two uncles who were priests. They had priests at their house almost every Sunday. They had a dear family priest friend, Fr. Howard at St. James the Great in Wellesley, one of the three priests at their wedding. He became part of the family. Doug said they carried on the tradition with their boys and so many priests are part of their lives. In their parish of St. Patrick, Natick, they’ve had so many great priests over the past 10 years, including Fr. Stephen Donohoe, now in Chelmsford, who has a real military bearing about him. Fr. Tom Rafferty is now at St. John the Evangelist in Swampscott. The pastor, Fr. Brian Kiely, is a good and holy priest, who gives you your Catholic marching orders at Mass. A few years ago, he vested himself at the beginning of Mass and taught the congregation what each piece is about, what is symbolizes, and so on. Doug said in just this last year, Joanie’s 89-year-old aunt came from the hospital to die in their house and she spent two weeks next to the Christmas tree in their living room, and there was a constant stream of priest-friends coming through the house to say prayers with her and anoint her. It was a wonderful example for the young people who are friends with their sons to see the priests. Scot said priests have been through so much in the past 10 years because of the crimes of a few of their brother priests. Scot said the dinner is important for the money it raises, but it’s also important because it celebrates our good, holy, and happy priests. Doug said the first dinner in September 2009 started to honor the work of our priests in the archdiocese and to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ordination of Cardinal Sean as a bishop. About 1,600 people attended. The first event raised over $400,000 and the Cardinal decided to make it an annual event for the support of the clergy funds. The event will be on September 22 at the Seaport World Trade Center. Reception at 5:30, dinner at 7pm. It will run like clockwork and end early. It’s a | 8/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0122: Friday, August 26, 2011 | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Father Richard Erikson, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Boston “A great privilege from every point of view,” Fr. Richard M. Erikson, The Boston Pilot (8/19/11) “New vicar general speaks on background, hopes for future,” Antonio Enrique, The Boston Pilot (6/16/06) Today’s topics: Fr. Richard Erikson reflects on his five years as Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chip sit down with Fr. Rich Erikson to reflect on his five-year tenure as vicar general and moderator of the curia of the Archdiocese of Boston, which ends on September 1. Highlights include the move from crisis to a mission-oriented agenda, the move from Brighton to Braintree, Improved Financial Relationship with parishes, the Archdiocese’s bicentennial, and more. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Chip back to the show, substituting for Fr. Mark who will be back next week. Scot said Fr. Rich Erikson began his service as vicar general on June 16, 2006. Next Wednesday, he completes his service and will be replaced by Msgr. Robert Deeley. Scot welcomes him to the show. Scot said he’s astonished by how many things have been accomplished during his tenure as vicar general. In 2006, he said one of his priorities is to continue the healing that had begun under Cardinal Sean’s leadership. Fr. Erikson said we’ve come far, but there is a lifetime of effort to go. Scot mentioned the announcement yesterday of the consolidation of a lot of material related to clergy accused of sexual abuse on the archdiocese’s website. Fr. Rich said they’ve been working on this for many years. He believes the most eloquent part of the Cardinal’s letter is the final paragraph, but it does revisit painful and difficult times of our life together. Cardinal Sean wants to bring light to darkness and acknowledge with great contrition and sorrow what has been done. It’s a heavy and difficult decision. Fr. Rich said it’s the decision the cardinal has grappled with the most in the past five years. Fr. Chip asked if Fr. Rich has thought maybe he should pass this responsibility on to Msgr. Deeley. He does admit that it crossed his mind that it might end up on MSgr. Deeley’s plate, but alas here it is. Scot said we’re still in an era of crisis management since 2002. Together, Cardinal And Fr. Rich have led the archdiocese from crisis to a more mission-oriented agenda. He asked Fr. Rich what he sees as key moments in moving from crisis to mission. Fr. Rich said in 2006 coming back to Boston he said the care of survivors and care for children need to be first and foremost in his mission. Financial realities and painful reconfiguration are in a much better place now than we were in. We have dedicated ourselves to the care of survivors, especially through the Office of Support. Before Fr. Rich came, Cardinal Sean wrote a letter that said everyone is aware of the abuse crisis, but not everyone was aware of the financial realities from the settlements and the need for reconfiguration. When he came, there was a $15 million annual deficit, including $2 million in annual interest payments to Knights of Columbus. This year, they’ve completed their second annual balanced budget. He hopes Msgr. Deeley has a solid foundation to build on to go from maintenance to mission, including initiatives like the Light is On For You, Arise, Why Catholic? Scot has seen how Fr. Rich tries to restore trust in Church authority. He focuses not just on his own team in his office, but on everyone who works in the Pastoral Center, focusing on collaboration and communication and the respect of others. Fr. Rich said we’ve come a long way but we have a long way to go. The Cardinal is a prayerful who strives for holiness in his own life, which has to be the mark of a bishop and tha | 8/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0121: Thursday, August 25, 2011 | Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor, newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River, and Domenico Bettinelli of Pilot New Media Archdiocese of Boston’s Publication With Respect To Its Clergy Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Child Today’s topics: Archdiocese of Boston’s release of names of clergy accused of sexual abuse Summary of today’s show: Scot was joined by Fr. Roger Landry and Domenico Bettinelli to discuss Cardinal Sean’s statement today regarding the Archdiocese’s release of the names of clergy publicly accused of abuse of a minor over the past 60 years, both living and deceased, the names of clergy whose public accusations against them were deemed unsubstantiated, and the website that makes all the information available to the public. 1st segment: Because our usual transcriptionist was a guest on the show today, we do not have a transcript. However, we do have the text of Cardinal Seán’s open letter to the Catholic community. Cardinal’s Decision Regarding the Archdiocese of Boston’s Publication With Respect To Its Clergy Accused of Sexual Abuse of a Child August 25, 2011 My Dear Friends in Christ, The Archdiocese of Boston’s commitment and responsibility is to protect children and to ensure that the tragedy of sexual abuse is never repeated in the Church. Since the crisis erupted in 2002, we have endeavored to regain trust by addressing the needs of survivors and those who have suffered as a result of clergy sexual abuse, investigating and responding to all allegations of misconduct involving minors, removing abusive priests from active ministry consistent with our zero tolerance policy, and creating and maintaining safe environments for children in our churches and schools. Much has been accomplished in Boston since 2002, but our work in this area is continuing, and we will remain ever vigilant. The Archdiocese is continually evaluating its policies and practices to ensure that our child protection and abuse prevention efforts are further strengthened. Consistent with that effort, I have studied suggestions that we enhance the present Archdiocesan policy with respect to sharing information about clergy accused of sexually abusing minors. This is a complex issue involving several competing considerations. On the one hand, there is the critically important need to assure the protection of children and also important considerations related to transparency and healing; on the other, there are interests related to the due process rights and reputations of those accused clergy whose cases have not been fully adjudicated, including deceased priests who were not alive to respond to the allegations. After a careful study of our present policy in light of these considerations, as well as after a chance to consult with my advisors and advisory bodies, including the Presbyteral Council and Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, I am announcing today revisions to the policy of the Boston Archdiocese with respect to disclosing names of clergy accused of sexually abusing minors. This revision comes after serious and thoughtful consideration and prayer by myself and many others. I am acutely aware of the harm that the abuse of children by clergy has caused in the lives of so many. And while I know there will be some who believe our policy changes should go further, after careful consultation and consideration of views expressed by many people and groups, I believe that the changes we are making are appropriate and I would like to share my rationale for arriving at this decision. Since 2002, the Archdiocese has had in place a vigorous policy with respect to disclosing information about clergy accused of abusing minors. First and foremost, it is the policy of the Archdiocese to immediately report to law enforcement all allegations of clergy sexual abuse of children. Th | 8/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0120: Wednesday, August 24, 2011 | **Listen to the show:** [Subscribe for free in iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-catholic-life/id425362545) **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, Domenico Bettinelli, and George Martell * [WYDMadridBoston.com](http://www.wydmadridboston.com) * [Flickr.com/BostonCatholic](http://www.flickr.com/bostoncatholic) * [Pope Benedict's Address to Young People during Saturday night vigil](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/august/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110820_veglia-madrid_en.html) * [Welcoming Words and Homily from World Youth Day Mass on Sunday](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20110821_xxvi-gmg-madrid_en.html) * [Sunday Angelus Message](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20110821_xxvi-gmg-madrid_en.html) **Today's topics:** World Youth Day wrap-up **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell wrap up coverage of World Youth Day with reflections on their experience of the dramatic Saturday night vigil, including the wild weather, and Mass with Pope Benedict XVI and 1.5 million people on Sunday. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed everyone to the show. Last week, we spent a lot of time talking about World Youth Day, but the most important activities happened on Saturday and Sunday during the Vigil and Mass with Pope Benedict. Dom and George are in studio and Fr. Roger Landry, who took more than 30 people from his parish to Portugal and Spain. Scot asked Fr. Roger about his pilgrimage's route. They started in Lisbon, because so many in his parish have Portuguese ancestry, they had Mass at the birthplace of St. Anthony of Padua, the patron of their saint. They then went to Fatima where they spent parts of three days. He had his young people prepare talks of 10 minutes each because they were missing the catecheses of World Youth Day. The youths were blown away by how poor Francisco, Lucia, and Jacinta were. The kids said they came to know how much the Blessed Mother intercedes for them. Participating in a candlelight procession of the Stations of the Cross was very moving for them. They then went to Santiago de Compestela, where St. James the Greater, the apostle, is buried. Most of the kids said the best part of the pilgrimage was visiting the tomb of an apostle and celebrate Mass there. Fr. Roger made an analogy between the thickness of the pillars of Santiago the church with how sturdy and deeply rooted their faith should be. * [Santiago de Compestela](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Compostela) Fr. Roger explained why Santiago de Compestela became a big pilgrimage spot in the Middle Ages, and why people still walk the way of the pilgrimage for up to 500 miles. It's still a place of enormous graces for the pilgrims. Afterward, they saw the Cathedral of Leon, Spain and stayed in the city of Vallodalid. They visited Segovia and the tomb of St. John of the Cross. He's had a big impact on Fr. Roger. He considers St. John to be the greatest teacher in the Church after Christ. He charted the interior life, how God takes on a journey of prayer. Three stages of prayer are the purgative, the illuminative, and the unitive. * [The Three Ways of the Interior Life](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14254a.htm) They then went to [Valles en los caidos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_de_los_Ca%C3%ADdos), the Valley of the Fallen. Francisco Franco, the Spanish leader during the Spanish Civil War, built a church inside a mountain that is the longest in the world. They went to El Escorial, where Pope Benedict spoke to young religious. They visited Avila, where St. Theresa of Avila is from. They visited to Toledo and the last three days they spent in Madrid. **2nd segment:** *A complete transcript of today's show will be available on Thursday morning* | 8/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0119: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 | **Listen to the show:** [Subscribe for free in iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-catholic-life/id425362545) **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Kevin Winn and Jim Leo * [Permanent Diaconate Office](http://bostondiaconate.org/) * [What is a deacon?](http://bostondiaconate.org/Resources/what_is_a_deacon.html) **Today's topics:** Candidates for ordination to the permanent diaconate **Summary of today's show:** Kevin Winn and Jim, two of the 13 candidates for the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Boston due to be ordained next month discuss with Scot and Fr. Chris their vocational journeys, how they discerned the call, how important their wives were to their decisions and their formation, and what they expect from their future ministries. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris O'Connor back to the show. He recalled that in May they had seminarians on the show just before their priestly ordinaiton and today are two men just a few weeks before their ordination to the permanent diaconate. Fr. Chris said it will let them draw distinctions between the transitional diaconate for the road to priesthood and the permanent diaconate. Scot and Fr. Chris commented on the earthquake that was felt along the East Coast. Some people outside the building felt it. They saw that news says that there have been no casualties. Scot also noted that there have been problems with the WQOM signal over the past day or so, but those problems have been repaired. Scot outlined the five ways to listen to the show live or recorded: streaming live at WQOM.org, on the radio at 1060AM, through the iPhone or Android app iCatholicRadio, through The Good Catholic Life podcast at the iTunes Store, or on our website at TheGoodCatholicLife.com Scot was also guest blogger on Cardinal Sean's Blog last Friday describing the work of the Archdiocese of Boston's Catholic Media Secretariate, including The Good Catholic Life. * [Evangelization through the media, Cardinal Sean's Blog](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2011/08/19/evangelization-through-the-media/) Fr. Chris is preparing for the academic year at St. John's Seminary. On Sunday night, 26 new men will arrive at the seminary, one of the largest classes he's seen in the 8 years he's been at the seminary. Bishop Kennedy will celebrate Mass for them and friends and family, then orientation will begin. They will look at the four pillars of the seminary life: the academic, pastoral, human, and spiritual. A new diocese is joining the seminary: Hartford, Connecticut. There Redemptorist religious order is also sending its seminarians to St. John's. Two men from another Vietnamese diocese will also train at St. John's. After these messages, we will meet two of the 13 men to be ordained in September for the Permanent Diaconate. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Kevin Winn and Jim Leo. They are within 3 weeks of ordination. Kevin said it's an exciting time for him. He's going through the gamut of emotions. He's preparing to serve God in a different way, in a vocation he's felt called to. Jim said he's nervously excited. With Christ at the center of his life, he's grounded in prayer and knows that this is the right thing. He can't wait for September 17. Fr. Chris asked Kevin about the signs that God was calling him to the diaconate, especially for those who might be wondering if they are called. Kevin said he doesn't think there's a single moment. As he grew as a Catholic, he was welcomed to St. Joseph Parish in Kingston and they became involved in parish life. One day at Mass, he asked the pastor why there were no altar servers. He said there was no one to train them and "thank you very much." That was the beginning of his involvement in parish life, religious education which turned into youth ministry and retreat work. All the while God was converting and transforming Kevin, unbeknownst to him.God has healed Kevin in so many ways as a person and show | 8/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0118 for Monday, August 22, 2011: Fr Patrick Byrne, Fr Rodney Copp, and Maureen Heil | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today's guest(s): Father Patrick Byrne, former International Secretary General of the Holy Childhood Association; Father Rodney J. Copp, JCL, Director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston; Maureen Heil, Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston. Today’s topics: The four Pontifical Mission Societies, the international work of the Holy Childhood Association, how Holy Childhood Association programs impact Boston children, and Fr Pat's mission work in Ecuador. Summary of today’s show:Scot, Fr. Patrick Byrne, Fr. Rodney Copp and Maureen Heil discuss the work of the Holy Childhood Association both nationally and internationally, and Fr. Byrne discusses his work in the missions. Visit the Pontifical Mission Societies of Boston website See Cardinal Seán's visit to the Pontifical Mission Societies offices from January on his blog 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone and welcomed Fr. Patrick Byrne, the Provincial for Ireland and Great Britain for the Divine Word Missionaries, who served previously in Rome as the Secretary General for the Holy Childhood Association. Fr Pat said that he was at St. Dennis in Westwood and St John in Hopkinton the last two weekends, and will be speaking at St John in Wellseley this coming weekend. Fr Pat thanked Scot for having him on the show. Fr. Pat explained that the Divine Word Missionaries were founded in Germany by Fr. Arnold Janssen in 1875. Fr. Janssen was a diocesan priest, Fr. Pat said, who thought that Germany should have it's own missionary order. Today, the order is about 6,000 priests and brothers strong all over the world, along with 4,000 Holy Spirit Sisters. Fr Pat said the whole outlook of the Divine Word Missionaries is ad gentes - "to the nations." Read more about the Divine Word Missionaries Scot asked Fr. Pat why he wanted to be a priest, and specifically why he wanted to be a missionary priest. Fr. Pat said he grew up in Ireland in the 1950s as the oldest of 6 children, and a lot of boys thought about the priesthood - especially in that time as a young boy, there was a sense of adventure and romanticism attached to the missions still. After a high school presentation from a Divine Word Missionaries and attending a vocations retreat, he joined them in 1967. Fr. Pat said that while the majority of his class went to a local seminary, he got the opportunity to go to London and do his theology studies there. He was ordained two months before his 24th birthday, and was sent to Ghana for 6 months right out of seminary. After those 6 months, he returned and did 6 years of vocations work in Ireland and Great Britain. Scot asked Fr. Copp to speak about the Missionary Co-operative program in the Archdiocese and how many missionaries it brings into the Archdiocese. Fr. Copp said that each parish gets a missionary, but some have several parishes so it is hard to give a quick count. The visits serve a dual purpose, he continued, in that the missionaries can receive not only financial support but prayerful support, and the people in the parishes receive formation and education about the missions. Scot asked Fr. Copp to talk about the Pontifical Mission Societies - people in Boston may know them as the Propagation of the Faith, but there are actually four societies all over the world. Fr. Copp explained that the Society for the Propagation of the Faith is the biggest society; the Society of St Peter Apostle supports the formation of priests and religious, the Holy Childhood Association facilitates children helping children through prayer and sacrifice, and the Missionary Union of Priests and Religious is a spiritual support group for the other three societies. Scot and Fr. Copp also discussed that while the Pontifical Mission Societies have offices here in the Archdiocese and that Fr. Copp serves at the pleasure of the Cardinal, much of the policy, fiscal decision-ma | 8/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0117 for August 19, 2011: Messages of Pope Benedict XVI at World Youth Day | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s topics: Pope Benedict's messages to young women religious, university professors, and the World Youth Day Pilgrims; Gospel reading for August 21st, 2011. Follow along with the pilgrims and their stories at WYDMadridBoston.com View pictures of the World Youth Day 2011 Pilgrimage on the Archdiocese of Boston's flickr account Watch video of Cardinal Seán and pilgrims on the Archdiocese of Boston's YouTube account Summary of today’s show:Scot and Father Chip analyze Pope Benedict's addresses in Madrid during World Youth Day and discuss this Sunday's Gospel reading. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip back to the show, as he hadn't been co-hosting in a while. Fr. Chip said the best thing to catch up on this week is football - he and Scot both agreed that the Patriots looked very strong in their pre-season game last night. Scot said that even though January 1st is the start of the calendar year, so many things start right around Labor Day. Fr Chip agreed, saying that at his parish the Director of Religious education and Confirmation class teachers are gearing up getting ready - very similar to how the teams are gearing up for the season, everyone at St Mary's in Wrenthem is preparing for students to come back and programs to start up for the Fall. 2nd segment: Scot said that pilgrims at World Youth Day woke up early this morning in Madrid to attend a catechesis session with Archbishop Timothy Dolan from New York at a center sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. Scot also mentioned that the pilgrims very much enjoyed their time at the center - it is one of the few air-conditioned venues in Madrid! Scot noted that Pope Benedict's first address this morning was to women religious from Spain and all over the world. Scot read a short excerpt from the speech: In the consecrated life, this means going to the very root of the love of Jesus Christ with an undivided heart, putting nothing ahead of this love and being completely devoted to him, the Bridegroom, as were the Saints, like Rose of Lima and Rafael Arnáiz, the young patrons of this World Youth Day. Your lives must testify to the personal encounter with Christ which has nourished your consecration, and to all the transforming power of that encounter. This is all the more important today when “we see a certain ‘eclipse of God’ taking place, a kind of amnesia which, albeit not an outright rejection of Christianity, is nonetheless a denial of the treasure of our faith, a denial that could lead to the loss of our deepest identity." In a world of relativism and mediocrity, we need that radicalism to which your consecration, as a way of belonging to the God who is loved above all things, bears witness. This Gospel radicalism proper to the consecrated life finds expression in filial communion with the Church, the home of the children of God, built by Christ: communion with her Pastors who set forth in the Lord’s name the deposit of faith received from the apostles, the ecclesial Magisterium and the Christian tradition... Read all of Pope Benedict's greeting to young religious (PDF) Fr. Chip said that he loved the idea of a "Gospel radicalism" - he said since the Gospel is the Truth, there is no mediocrity in it. The Gospel is both the central teaching of the Church and what we are supposed to live, and these women religious are living out the Gospel through their charisms and vows. Fr Chip said that the young women religious are a special witness to the faith. He continued, relating a story about an internet discussion about his hometown of Reading, Massachusetts. One poster said she remembered nuns walking in their habits back and forth from the parish at the center of town. A discussion ensued about the Church - even from that witness long ago. When the Pope brings up this witness up, Fr. Chip continued, it shows that the Pope knows this kind of w | 8/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0116 for Thursday, August 18, 2011: World Youth Day messages from Cardinal Seán and Pope Benedict, Euthanasia petitio | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of the Pilot Newspaper. Today’s topics:Cardinal Seán and Pope Benedict deliver messages to the pilgrims in Madrid for World Youth Day, a petition in support of euthanasia is submitted to the Massachusetts Attorney General, and Fr. Rich Erikson reflects on closing his term as the Vicar General. Follow along with the pilgrims and their stories at WYDMadridBoston.com View pictures of the World Youth Day 2011 Pilgrimage on the Archdiocese of Boston's flickr account Watch video of Cardinal Seán and pilgrims on the Archdiocese of Boston's YouTube account Summary of today’s show: Scot, Susan, and Greg discuss messages at World Youth Day and local and international Catholic news. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the studio, as it's been a while since they co-hosted a show together. Susan explained that, contrary to what we said on the show two weeks ago, she was not on vacation - she was at a conference in Springfield with other catechists. Reporter John Allen was the keynote speaker for the event. Susan said she was also at CatholicTV last week talking about Catechetical Sunday, which is coming up on September 18th. Susan explained that John Allen spoke about his most recent book, The Future Church, about ten trends he sees, and said the book is hopeful work from an objective writer. She said one of the biggest trends Allen identifies is that the Church is no longer a Church of East and West but of North and South. Scot recalled a column where Allen shared his themes, and said he agreed with Allen's analysis of a shift in our Church to South America and Africa. John Allen's blog at the National Catholic Reporter John Allen's book The Future Church CatholicTV's "This is the Day" program 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Greg Tracy from the Pilot newspaper to the program, and talked about the Pilot's front page story this week - a picture of the massive crowds gathered in Madrid. Greg lamented that the Pilot is only a weekly newspaper and couldn't get pictures of the Pope's arrival today in time for printing, but promised a full issue next week dedicated to coverage of the Pope's time spent in Madrid over the next few days. Scot said that even though Pope Benedict has only been on the ground for a few hours, he's already had the chance to give three significant addresses - the first almost as a head of state to diplomats and the King and Queen of Spain, the second when he first greeted the pilgrims, and the third after a reading from Scripture in a homily to the youth. Scot read an excerpt from the homily: Dear young people, listen closely to the words of the Lord, that they may be for you “spirit and life” (Jn 6:63), roots which nourish your being, a rule of life which likens us – poor in spirit, thirsting for justice, merciful, pure in heart, lovers of peace – to the person of Christ. Listen regularly every day as if he were the one friend who does not deceive, the one with whom we wish to share the path of life. Of course, you know that when we do not walk beside Christ our guide, we get lost on other paths, like the path of our blind and selfish impulses, or the path of flattering but self-serving suggestions, deceiving and fickle, which leave emptiness and frustration in their wake. Read Pope Benedict's entire homily at WYDCentral.org Scot highlighted that Pope Benedict is addressing a common theme - that youth have pressure from many sources to conform to values that aren't of the Catholic faith. Susan said she was struck by the sometimes poetic language that the Pope used. Susan said she also enjoyed a piece of the previous paragraph talking about words, where the Holy Father said that "...there are words which serve only to amuse, as fleeting as an empty breeze; others, to an extent, inform us; those of Jesus, on the other h | 8/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0115 for Wednesday, August 17, 2011: World Youth Day Pilgrims and Leaders | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Dom Bettinelli, Sister Olga Yaqob, Danny Menardi and Allison Daley. Today’s topics: Continuing coverage of World Youth Day 2011 live from Madrid. Follow along with the pilgrims and their stories at WYDMadridBoston.com View pictures of the World Youth Day 2011 Pilgrimage on the Archdiocese of Boston's flickr account Watch video of Cardinal Seán and pilgrims on the Archdiocese of Boston's YouTube account Summary of today’s show: 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone back to the show to hear more coverage of World Youth Day 2011 directly from Boston pilgrims in Madrid. Scot welcomed Fr. Matt Williams and Dom back to the program. Fr. Matt said the most impressive thing to him about the pilgrims so far is the reality of the young people's witness to not only each other but to random people from all over the world. He said that even in the airports, the joy of the pilgrims was infectious and made people around them ask about it. They were able to discuss their faith, and one person even asked about how he might be baptized. Fr. Matt continued saying that their group got to Madrid before many pilgrims, so it was good to have some extra time to gather just as Boston pilgrims and watch the city fill up. On Sunday night, the Cardinal consecrated the young people on the trip to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Fr. Matt continued, saying it was incredible to see almost 500,000 people fill up the streets and squares for Mass on Tuesday night - and that the organizers were still getting new registrations for more pilgrimages. Scot asked Fr. Matt about what goals the Office of the New Evangelization had for the pilgrims. Fr. Matt replied that the first goal is for the youth to rediscover the life of Christ within them, and to hear the invitation to vocation - that God has a special plan for their lives, whether it be religious life or a lay vocation. Scot asked Fr. Matt to describe the opening Mass - Fr. Matt said his Spanish is a bit rusty so it is sometimes difficult to follow along, but said it was amazing to concelebrate a votive Mass of Blessed Pope John Paul II and feel his spirit and witness still alive in the event that he started. Scot brought up a quote from Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela of Madrid at the Mass on Tuesday saying that the current youth are "the Benedict XVI generation" - many of the youth attending World Youth Day now might not even have much memory of who Blessed John Paul II was. Fr. Matt said the youth understood their call to be living witnesses and bring the Good News to everyone. 2nd segment: Sister Olga of the Eucharist joined Scot and discussed the group from Boston University that she is leading in Madrid. She said she is thankful for the opportunity to work with them again, even though she completed her work at Boston University last month. There are 34 young men and women in the group, she said, and it was awesome to see the excitement of the youth yesterday at the opening Mass. She said for some people, it was deepening existing faith, but for some it was a new reconversion to the faith. Scot asked Sister Olga to describe her message at a Theology on Tap event held just before the show for the group members over 21. Sister Olga said she spoke about devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - "how to be a man or woman after His own heart." She chose this theme because the Holy Father will consecrate all the youth of the world to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and wanted the youth to be prepared for that event. Sister Olga said Pope Benedict is calling young people to be firm and strong in their faith, and that the best way to do that is to return to the Heart of Jesus. Sister Olga said she is also encouraging the youth to take every opportunity to be with Jesus through Adoration of the Eucharist. She said that many of the young adults are taking time | 8/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanProgram #0114 for Tuesday, August 14, 2011: World Youth Day | Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor. Today’s guest(s): Dom Bettinelli and George Martell of Pilot New Media, reporting live from Madrid. Today’s topics: World Youth Day - Madrid 2011 Follow along with the pilgrims and their stories View pictures of the World Youth Day 2011 Pilgrimage on the Archdiocese of Boston's flickr account Watch video of Cardinal Seán and pilgrims on the Archdiocese of Boston's YouTube account Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chris discuss the events pilgrims for the Archdiocese of Boston have attended so far at World Youth Day with Dom Bettinelli and George Martell. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show, as it has been a few weeks since they have been on the air together. Fr. Chris described his travels with family to Rome - even that he did the same tour of Rome twice with two groups. He said it was great to return to the tomb of Blessed John Paul II at the Vatican and celebrate Mass at the tomb. Fr. Chris also said he climbed the cupola of the Basilica twice, distributing the blisters evenly across both sides of his feet. He continued and described his further trip to Holland. Fr. Chris asked Scot about his vacation. Scot detailed that he and his family visited relatives in Seattle, and that he enjoyed the outdoors and the greeness of the Pacific Northwest. The family visited two great waterfalls and climbed part of Mt. Rainier, and the temperatures were in the low 70s and comfortable. Scot said visiting the Space Needle and attending a Mariners game were highlights of the trip as well. Scot said another highlight was taking his family to a different church for three Sundays in a row. He said it was a great teaching experience for his children about the universality of the Catholic church, even when small details like songs or holding hands during the Our Father are different. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Dom Bettinelli and George Martell live from Madrid via Skype. Dom explained that although it was 35 degrees (which sounds like parka weather), it was in Celsius - temperatures have been between 95 and 100 degrees in Madrid so far. Dom and George said there were almost 500 total pilgrims from the Archdiocese. About 350 pilgrims are traveling with the official Office of New Evangelization team, and the rest are from various parishes throughout the Archdiocese and from Boston University. Office for the New Evangelization George said it was a lot of fun to experience World Youth Day firsthand and show the incredible experience that the youth are having through his pictures. Scot and Dom discussed that the vast majority of the pilgrims from the Boston area have probably not been outside the country before except possibly to Canada or the Caribbean - he said at some times it can be overwhelming for the pilgrims but group leaders help the youth overcome that. Scot remarked how much older European landmarks are - Dom replied that some of the everyday parish churches in Madrid are older than the United States itself! Fr. Chris observed that it must take a lot of planning to keep such a large group together and under control. Dom said the planning and management from the ONE team has been great and spot on. Scot then asked about the trip the pilgrims took to Avila. Dom explained that most of the groups came on Sunday and went to the medieval walled town of Avila and went to Mass in the Monastery of San Jose, the first Monastery formed after St. Theresa of Avila worked to re-form the Carmelite order. Fr. Chris highlighted that the World Youth Day this year is "Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ, Firm in the Faith," from Colossians 2:7: So, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Dom said that the overwhelming experiences of World Youth Day are the universality of the Church and also the youthfulness of the Church. He said n | 8/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0113: Monday, August 15, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Antonio Enrique, Editor of the Pilot newspaper, and Fr. Carlos Flor, parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish, Revere. * [Neocatechumenal Way](http://www.camminoneocatecumenale.it/new/default.asp?lang=en) * [Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the members of the Neocatehumenal Way, January 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/january/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110117_cammino-neocatec_en.html) * [Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the members of the Neocatehumenal Way, January 2006](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/january/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060112_neocatecumenali_en.html) <embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://s0.videopress.com/player.swf?v=1.02" width="400" height="300" wmode="direct" seamlesstabbing="true" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" overstretch="true" flashvars="guid=1A7H1daN"></embed> **Today's topics:** The Neocatechumenal Way **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Carlos Flor and Antonio Enrique shared with Scot their experience of life in the Neocatechumenal Way, a new movement in the Church that allows people to find the love of God in the midst of their busy lives and to become part of a loving community. **1st segment:** Scot said in Cardinal Seán's pastoral letter on Pentecost on evangelization, he addressed the topic of new communities. * [Cardinal's Seán's pastoral letter on A New Pentecost](http://bostoncatholic.org/pentecostletter) >After the Second Vatican Council, the Church has witnessed an outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the blossoming of new movements and ecclesial communities. They bring great vitality to the life of the Church. They are a sign of great hope for the Church in the new millennium. >The Church in every generation is both old and new. Throughout the centuries we have seen the great blessing of so many new religious orders, reform movements and lay associations that responded to the needs of a particular era. Today, many of the new movements and communities are showing great success in communicating a deep spirituality to their members in the context of small, close-knit communities. They energize their people to be evangelizers who bring the Good News they have received to those around them. Without those forces of renewal, the Church can sometimes become too focused on maintenance and the internal aspects of pastoral work. >Many of these small groups and communities are already present in the archdiocese: Cursillo, Charismatic Renewal, Communion and Liberation, Opus Dei, Focolare, Communities of Saint Egidio, The Neocatechumenal Way, ARISE, The Legion of Mary and others. Throughout the years I have known them and experienced firsthand the fruits of Christian life that sprout from their activity, including strengthening of family life, openness to life, and vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Scot welcomed Fr. Carlos Flor, who attended a Redemptoris Mater seminary and is now a priest in the archdiocese, and Antonio Enrique, who came from Spain as a missionary family of the Neocatechumenal Way and is now the editor of The Pilot. He gave a brief history of the Way. * [DECREE OF THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE LAITY: APPROVAL OF THE STATUTES OF NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY "AD EXPERIMENTUM"](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/documents/rc_pc_laity_doc_20020701_cammino-neocatecumenale_en.html) >The Neocatechumenal Way began in 1964 in the slums of Palomeras Altas, Madrid, through the work of Mr Francisco (Kiko) Argüello and Ms Carmen Hernández who, at the request of the poor with whom they were living, began to proclaim to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As time passed, this kerygma was embodied in a catechetical synthesis, founded on the tripod: "Word of God-Liturgy-Community", that seeks to lead people to fraternal communion and ma | 8/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0112: Friday, August 12, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, author of the book "Fatima for Today" * ["Fatima for Today: The Urgent Marian Message of Hope"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586175238/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1586175238) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1586175238" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> **Today's topics:** The apparitions and message at Fatima **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Andrew Apostoli joins Scot to discuss his new book and the message of Our Lady at Fatima, her message of hope, and how we can live the message today in order to fulfill her requests and promises. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Andrew Apostoli. He is a member of the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal. He was ordained a priest by Bishop Fulton J. Sheen in 1967. He has been active in teaching, preaching retreats and parish missions, and in giving spiritual direction. He is an adjunct faculty member of Saint Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, Yonkers, New York. In his community, he has served as Community Servant and Novice Director. He was instrumental in 1988 in helping to found the Community of the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal. Currently, he is serving as a Vice-Postulator for the Cause of Canonization for Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen. Father Andrew has been active over the years producing different TV series for EWTN. He has also been giving talks on various spiritual topics, many of which are available as videos, DVD’s, CD’s, and tapes. Scot asked him when he became interested in teaching people more about Fatima. He knew from when he was a young boy, having seen the popular film in the early 50s. The message was brought to 3 children, which fascinated him at the time. It also stuck with him that our Lady was asking us for specific things. He's tried to keep up with the requests of our Lady in his personal life, including daily Rosary and the 5 First Saturdays devotion. He started making that devotion since his time in high school seminary. Scot asked him what his hope was in writing this book? He had submitted another manuscript to Ignatius Press that was on the works of mercy. They said they would publish the book, but they also wanted a book for them on Fatima. He had helped them with a movie they were distributing called ["The Thirteenth Day."](http://www.the13thday.com/) His goal was to show the role of Mary from Scripture and the great saints, how they depicted the role of Mary in the spiritual warfare of today. He also wanted to show the meaning of the angel's apparition to the children at Fatima. His message was to instill in them a desire to pray for souls. He also wanted to present the 6 Marian apparitions at Fatima and the apparitions asking for the Five Saturdays devotion and the consecration of Russia. The three children were visited by the Angel of Peace three times. Scot wondered if this was the only major apparition site where the visionaries were prepared by an angel. Fr. Apostoli isn't sure if there were others like this. One of the beautiful part of the angel's message was to challenge them to be generous in making sacrifices. He told Lucia to make a sacrifice of anything for the conversion of sinners and peace in the world. The last apparition of the angel focused on the Eucharist and instilled them a love for the Eucharist. The angels instill in them also a desire to make sacrifices. Mary's first apparition asked them if they would accept suffering for the sake of the world and they answered without hesitation. The angel also taught them the pardon prayer: >My God, I believe, I ador | 8/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0111: Thursday, August 11, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Artie Boyle * [Part 1 of the interview with Artie Boyle on The Good Catholic Life](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/08/10/program-0110-for-wednesday-august-10-2011-artie-boyle-part-1/) **Today's topics:** Artie Boyle's miraculous experience in Medjugorje, Part 2 of 2 **Summary of today's show:** Artie Boyle, a father of 13, tells Scot and Fr. Matt how he was diagnosed with cancer at age 44, how it drove him to prayer and deeper faith, and how he came to travel to a little town in the Balkans called Medjugorje where the Blessed Mother is said to have been appearing to six people since the 1980s where he sought both physical and spiritual healing. **1st segment:** Scot said this is a two-part series with Artie Boyle. SCot told Fr. Matt that they'd left off the day before with Artie coming down the mountain in Medjugorje convinced that he was healed of the cancer he'd been diagnosed with. Fr. Matt is reminded of the story in the Gospel of the healing of the paralytic. The paralytic's friends tore open the roof and lowered the man down to Jesus. When Jesus saw the faith of the man and his friends, he told the man his sins were forgiven and then healed. Fr. Matt said Artie's wife, Judy, and friends, Kevin and Robbie, are like a trinity who were praying with him and for him. Artie said the paralytic man's story is close to him because he believes he would not have been healed had Kevin and Robbie not decided to drop everything and go to Medjugorje with him. Kevin runs the largest HVAC company in New England and Robbie is the president of a huge commercial real-estate company. They are very busy men and they dropped everything in an instant to take their friend to Medjugorje. Scot said they had faith that if they took Artie there, that he would be healed. As the trip went on, Artie learned many things to come back and teach others. He knows many people don't receive physical healing, although they receive spiritual healing. When he came off the mountain, they went to Apparition Hill, the place where the visionaries first saw the Blessed Mother. It was dark by now and when he got to the top of the hill, he laid down prostrate on the ground, looking up at the stars, praying, and in a state of peace. He believes that after confession, he didn't sin at all for the next couple of days, which he knows is almost impossible for him. Laying there, looking up at God, Artie asked God to take him now because he was ready. Later, their guide took them to meet Fr. Jozo, who was the original pastor of Medjugorje. He didn't believe the visionaries at first, but the Blessed Mother later appeared to him as well and he became the protector of the children against the Communist regime. He was jailed for 18 months. Artie said there's lots of politics in the Church in the area and he was not allowed to go back to Medjugorje, so pilgrims would go out to his new church to hear him speak. Fr. Jozo was very tough on Americans and their way of life, especially, and it was difficult to listen to him. Fr. Jozo's translator, Nancy, was a Croatian by birth who studied in Canada. She had married while there, but had moved back to Medjugorje. Artie recalls he was the only non-priest to be prayed over by Fr. Jozo, in addition to his friend Robbie, who received an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Nancy told them to see her before they left because she wanted to talk to them As they were getting ready to leave they saw that Fr. Ed McDonough happened to be there at the same time. Fr. McDonough had had an accident and Artie and Robbie ended up taking him to a hospital and they never got Nancy's address. But on the day they were leaving Medjugorje, an Irish nurse who had been there with them and asked them if they wanted to go see Nancy. They sat in the courtyard with many others and Nancy and her husband, Patrick, and then after everyone left she prayed and said to Artie, "You | 8/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0110: Wednesday, August 10, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Artie Boyle **Today's topics:** Artie Boyle's miraculous experience in Medjugorje, Part 1 of 2 **Summary of today's show:** Artie Boyle, a father of 13, tells Scot and Fr. Matt how he was diagnosed with cancer at age 44, how it drove him to prayer and deeper faith, and how he came to travel to a little town in the Balkans called Medjugorje where the Blessed Mother is said to have been appearing to six people since the 1980s where he sought both physical and spiritual healing. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Matt to the show. Today's guest, Artie Boyle, will talk about how he was healed by Jesus during a visit to the village of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina, where the Blessed Mother is said to have been appearing since the 1980s. Medjugorje has had a big effect on Fr. Matt's own vocation. Fr. Matt said the Feast oft he Assumption is one of his favorite Marian feast days. Medjugorje invokes a love and peace in Fr. Matt because it was the impetus of his reversion to the Catholic faith and the seeds of his vocation. He first went in 1991 and he has been back 9 times. Fr. Matt's father was invited to Medjugorje by the priest-chaplain at Children's Hospital where he worked. That was the seed of his own deeper relationship with the Blessed Mother and he began to pray the rosary more and read the book [" Medjugorje: The Message"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0035G054M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=B0035G054M) by Wayne Weible. He chronicles his journey there and is one of the first books about Medjugorje. Fr. Matt's dad decided that the whole family should go together and he announced that the summer when Fr. Matt was 17 that the family vacation would be this trip. His father told him that this was an experience that Fr. Matt needed to have. God honors our free will and he wants us to choose him freely. When he went, over the course of the week, his hardened heart was softened. In MEdjugorje, you are inserted into an atmosphere of prayer .If nothing else, the place is marked by the sacraments and an expectant faith that God is going to do something. You start to experience the love of God through Our Lady. By the end of the week, he was on his knees praying the rosary. But it wasn't until 1994 when he went back at 20 years old and God flipped his world upside down through the experience of confession and he got a sense of his vocation. During that confession, it hits him that God loves him uniquely and personally. And that all his sins have affected this God who desires nothing but good for him. Fr. Matt started weeping. Through that, he said to the priest that he didn't know what to do with his life. He said he thought he might have a calling (despite having a girlfriend of two years). From that point forward he started a journey and three years later he entered the seminary. He been back to Medjugorje three times as a priest. Scot has stories of spiritual and physical healing at Medjugorje for people who have traveled there with an expectant faith. Fr. Matt said while he was at seminary he knew at least three or four other men who were there because of an experience at Medjugorje. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcomed Artie Boyle to the show. Artie works in the Boston Catholic Development Services, helping with the Campaign for Catholic Schools. He started working for the Archdiocese in December 2009. Scot said working in development was a phenomenal experience for him, especially meeting people throughout the Archdiocese. Artie said he has seen many people who have been alienated by events over the past 10 or 50 years are starting to come back and desire to help build up the Church and the faith. Artie and his wife were married at a young age in 1974. He and his wife Judy left school and they didn't have a job to fall back on so they were in God's | 8/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0109: Tuesday, August 9, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Richard Ely, Director of Gift Planning for the Catholic Community Fund of the Archdiocese of Boston * [Catholic Legacy Society](http://www.catholiclegacysociety.org) **Today's topics:** End of life planning as a way to pass on your values and render unto God **Summary of today's show:** Richard Ely joins Scot to discuss estate planning as a way to leave not just a financial legacy to support charity, but also as a spiritual exercise to pass on your values to the next generation, continue the work of corporal and spiritual works of mercy after our death and be a good steward of God's gifts. **1st segment:** Scot read the Gospel passage form Luke about rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar's and render to God what is God's and explained that to render is to give back. Scot welcomed Richard Ely to the show. How long has Richard been helping institutions and individuals applying the logic of estate planning to charitable giving. Scot said in the Catholic context, how we put together and estate plan, it's an indication of our values, to pass on our spiritual legacy in addition to a financial legacy. In many cases, people treat their secular world as separate from our relationship with God, but to the extent that we can recognize that they aren't separate makes our lives easier. Scot said knowing the laws and regulations about our civil obligations is rendering unto Caesar. Richard said this has always been a meaningful Scripture passage for him. We tend to think that if we have good things, it's due to our own hard work, but if something bad happens God is punishing us. But the reality is that everything we have are all gifts from God. We have many ways we can render unto God our gifts, including non-monetary talents like leadership, organizational ability, skills with hands, and so on. Scot recalled a story from our show with Jim Orcutt from My Brother's Keeper who told Scot about a woman who had nothing left but an apple, but gave thanks to God for what she had. We are blessed with so much, not just material things. When we try to take an inventory of our gifts, it's amazing how grateful you can be. Just writing the names of all the people you love on a piece of paper as part of an inventory of your gifts in a formal estate planning situation can be extremely rewarding. Richard said, it's important to be grateful for the gifts from God. **2nd segment:** Richard has initiated the Catholic Legacy Society, which helps Catholics benefit the Church through their estates for decades, if not centuries. Scot asked Richard what the Church asks of us, when she asks us to be good stewards. We must receive God's gifts gratefully. We must also cherish and tend those gifts in a responsible and accountable manner. Then we must share those gifts in justice and love. That's not necessarily a fundraising pitch. It could be sharing those gifts wit hthe family. The fourth element is returning those gifts to the Lord with increase. * [Stewardship: A Disciple's Response (USCCB)](http://www.usccb.org/stewardship/) Scot said God has given us unique gifts. No two people in the world have ever received the same compilation of gifts from God. We're called to appreciate those gifts as well. Richard said it's a recognition and mind-shift. It's one thing to look at an IRA or house and know how much work when into acquiring those assets and to think, "I did that; nobody gave me that." But it's another thing to understand that those are gifts from God. That's an important shift of thinking. * Psalm 116:12 >How can I repay the LORD for all the good done for me? Scot noted a verse from Psalm 116 he often sees on the wall of his parish church. We as Christians have been given an infinitely powerful gift of our own creation and our life. The only response to the love behind that gift is to love him back. God doesn't just want money for the Church, but to give that love to others. The next component is to ch | 8/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0108: Monday, August 8, 2011. | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, Pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Parish, New Bedford, and Executive Editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River * [St. Anthony of Padua Parish, New Bedford](http://www.saintanthonynewbedford.com/) **Today's topics:** The Church's teachings on the Blessed Virgin Mary **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry joins his brother Scot to discuss what the Church believes and teaches about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and how best to prepare for the upcoming Feast of the Assumption. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed his brother, Fr. Roger Landry, to show to discuss the role of Mary in the economy of salvation. Fr. Roger has led retreats called the School of Mary on the teachings of the Church on Mary. Fr. Roger said he took the term School of Mary from Bl. John Paul II. HE spoke about entering into a school of Mary, just as Jesus would have been in a school at the feet of Mary. It also refers to the school of the Rosary which teaches us in meditations on Mary. John Paul II wrote an encyclical called [Redemptoris Mater](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25031987_redemptoris-mater_en.html) in which he asked the Church to look to Mary as a model for the faith. >The Mother of the Redeemer has a precise place in the plan of salvation, for "when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!'" (Gal. 4:4-6) Scot asked what is the blessed Mother's role in the economy of salvation, God's plan to save us all. Fr. Roger said the first point is her free Yes to God's proposal made through the Archangel Gabriel, which set into motion God's plan of salvation. This allowed Christ to take on our human flesh in order to provide expiation for our sins through His flesh and open up the gates to heaven. The second point is the third annunciation of the Cross. The first was Gabriel's and the second was when Simeon told her her own heart would be pierced. The third is when Christ said to her to behold her son, John (and through him all of us), and to all of us. By her prayers and intercession, by her example, and by her continuing to hand on to us her Son, our savior. The Catechism begins talking about Mary by calling her the Mother of the Church. Why is it significant that she is our mother? Fr. Roger said we all need spiritual mothers. Most of us have learned our faith from our mothers. Mothers have a particular genius for handing on the faith to their children. Also, Jesus came from heaven to found a family. We have a father, Jesus is our brother, and no better person has existed who has heard the Word and put it into practice than Mary. Jesus said his mother and brothers and sisters are those who hear the Word and put it into practice. Scot said the Church has proclaimed two dogmas about Mary. The first is the Immaculate Conception, which means she was preserved from sin. * [Immaculate Conception](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immaculate_Conception) * [Assumption](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assumption_of_Mary) the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed in 1854 and the Assumption in 1950. This doesn't mean they were invented then, but that they were conclusively stated at the time. Immaculate Conception was debated. It was universally acknowledged that she did not choose to sin but was she preserved from Original Sin. The dogma said that when God gave Mary a soul at conception, she was preserved from sin. Fr. Roger explained Original Sin. Adam and Eve had supernatural and preternatural gifts, which we lost when they freely disobeyed the Lord and squandered our inheritance. The Immaculate Conception says Mary was conceived *with* these gifts. This was the complicated question theologians asked: Ho | 8/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0107: Friday, August 5, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Peter Loro Bambu, a priest from the Archdiocese of Juba, South Sudan * [Sudan Catholic Bishops' Conference](http://www.eglisesoudan.org/eaccueil.htm) * [CIA World Factbook on South Sudan](https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/od.html) **Today's topics:** The Catholic Church in the new country of South Sudan in Africa **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Peter Loro, a priest of the new country of South Sudan, tells Scot of the extreme poverty of his country and the difficult conditions they have endured over the past 50 years. Yet he also considers himself blessed because of the astounding faith of the people. **1st segment:** Scot introduced today's topic of the Church in South Sudan. He said perhaps no group of Catholics has suffered more than the Catholics in the new Republic of South Sudan. The country gained its independence on July 9. Fr. Peter said the independence came as a result of a long struggle. It was a colony of Britain until 1956. Then the political and economic power was held by the Arab majority in the north of the country of Sudan. The south, which was mainly Christian and animist, was subjected to a lot of suffering. In 1947, the people of southern Sudan had been asked whether they wanted to be one country or to be separate. In 1955, the people of southern Sudan decided to choose to be free, but there were many difficulties. All the power, including the country's resources, were held in the north. The north resisted the separation which brought civil war until 1972. Then there was 10 years of relative peace and in 1983, the president of the country abrogated the peace agreement and declared the country an Islamic country. Civil war began again. The fighting lasted for 22 years until another peace agreement in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2005. In that agreement, southern Sudan was again given the choose to split or remain as one country. Last January, the people voted overwhelmingly to separate. Fr. Peter said they were at war for 38 years out of the 55 years of independence since colonial times, because they refused to be second-class citizens in their own land. Scot asked Fr. Peter if religion was the primary reason for the fighting. Fr. Peter said in the south they are mainly Christian African versus the mainly Arabic Islamic north, but they were also treated poorly. Fr. Peter's own family was separated by the war. Many of them had to run to Uganda when war broke out. Those left behind were separated as well. He fled to northern Sudan with his brother and the rest of his immediate family stayed behind. both of his brothers were killed in the war. Today, they are still re-grouping. Almost all families in southern Sudan were affected in one way or another. Fr. Peter said about 2 millions people died in the 22 years of Sudan since 1983. Most of them died as a result of direct fighting, but a number also died as the consequences of the war. Scot said South Sudan has a population of 8 to 9 million. Fr. Peter said the government of northern Sudan tried to say that there were only 5 million before the referendum on independence. Scot asked if many South Sudanese have returned since July 9. Fr. Peter said even before the referendum, millions of people were returning to South Sudan because they knew they were going to cast their own votes for freedom. Now the key towns and villages are overpopulated from all the refugees returning. Fr. Peter said he went to seminary at 14 years old and became a priest in December 1996. He has been a priest for 14 years and 7 months serving in very difficult situations. He has served in war and hates war. He says to his people now to live in peace. Scot asked him what it's like to be a priest in his country. When Fr. Peter was ordained, he was assigned to a rural parish. He stayed for three weeks and then the parish priest traveled abroad and never returned. He had to assume the role of pastor. The people look | 8/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0106: Thursday, August 4, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** St. John Vianney; contraceptive mandate; immigrants' contributions to US; the Knights' new priorities; the new euthanasia push **Summary of today's show:** Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry join Scot to discuss the news of the week, including Houston's Cardinal DiNardo's statement on the proposed religious exemption from a federal contraception mandate; Archbishop Gomez's remarks on the contributions of Catholic immigrants to the US; the four new initiatives of the Knights of Columbus, including the purchase of the John Paul II Cultural Center; and Fr. Roger's editorial on euthanasia. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Greg back to the show. Susan is off this week. Scot said today is an important day in the Church's calendar for priests because it is St. John Vianney's priest. He asked why the Church has singled out this one priest to be the patron saint of priest. Fr. Roger said he showed proper priestly priorities. When he went to Ars, France, it was dead spiritually and he prayed daily in his church for 10 years asking God to convert his people and spent 18 hours per day in the confessional. There was a lot of sin in his town when he arrived, but at the end people who came to Ars were amazed at the holiness of the people of Ars. He was not a gifted man in human measurement. He was kicked out of seminary three times for his academic deficiencies, but he shows that you don't have to be as smart as Pope John Paul to be a good priest. * [St John Vianney](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Vianney) Greg said St. John Vianney really came into his consciousness when his relic came to Boston. It was available for veneration and he saw many people come to visit with him during the Year of the Priest. He was a man of deep, fundamental faith, not necessarily learned or a scholar, but truly one who has inspired millions through his humble Christian life. Scot said he's like Tom Brady, nobody's first pick, but on his way to the Hall of Fame. Scot asked everyone to pray for all priests today. **2nd segment:** Scot said earlier this week, the Department of Health and human Services proposed a religious exemption for the mandate on all new health insurance plans to include coverage of contraception. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Houston said this exemption is way too narrow. For example, Catholic Charities would have to only employ Catholics and stop serving non-Catholics. * ["Cardinal criticizes contraceptive mandate, calls exemption too narrow," CNS, 8/3/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1103049.htm) * ["USCCB: HHS Mandate for Contraceptive and Abortifacient Drugs Violates Conscience Rights"](http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2011/11-154.shtml) * [Full text of Cardinal DiNardo's letter](http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/religious-liberty/upload/respect-for-rights-of-conscience-act-cardinal-dinardo-letter-to-congress-hr1179-07-22-11.pdf) Greg said this follows up recent coverage on this issue. As part of the new federal health mandate, "preventative" care must be provided free of charge and contraception is considered preventative care. Planned Parenthood has said there is an "epidemic" of unplanned pregnancy, but pregnancy is not a disease. HHS issued the regulations that include the abortifacient morning-after pill and sterilizations. Greg read the religious exemption in the regulations: >Employers "that: (1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; | 8/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0105: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Jim and Terry Orcutt, founders of My Brother's Keeper, and Jack Shaughnessy Sr. of Shaughnessy and Ahern Hauling and Rigging * [My Brother's Keeper](http://www.mybrotherskeeper.org/) * ["As it celebrates it's 20th year, My Brother's Keeper bids farewell to founders," by Vicki-Ann Downing, Brockton Enterprise (6/9/08)](http://www.wickedlocal.com/easton/news/x902824572/As-it-celebrates-its-20th-year-My-Brother-s-Keeper-bids-farewell-to-founders) * ["College students learn to give of selves," by Michael Quinlan, Patriot Ledger (12/11/99)](College students learn to give of selves) * ["The hard lives of the needy made easier," by Beverly Beckham, Boston Herald (9/11/98)](http://www.mybrotherskeeper.org/News_and_Press_Full_Stories.htm#needy) **Today's topics:** My Brother's Keeper, a volunteer ministry providing assistance in southeastern Massachusetts **Summary of today's show:** **1st segment:** Scot said the corporal works of mercy and the spiritual works of mercy are essential elements of our faith. He is inspired by ministries that integrate the corporal and spiritual works together. One such ministry is My Brother's Keeper in the Brockton and Easton area. Scot welcomed Jim and Terry Orcutt and Jack Shaughnessy to the show. Jack had asked Scot on our first show to have Jim and Terry on the show. Jack said it's an extraordinary all-volunteer ministry. Most of the volunteers are students at local Catholic high schools and colleges. Jack had read about a young woman at Stonehill College who was assigned to My Brother's Keeper as part of her social service requirement and she spent two weeks there. Part of My Brother's Keeper's ministry delivers household furniture to people who often have none at all. They give furniture that is secondhand but looks like new to people who are often living in small apartments in the poorer parts of Brockton and who are sleeping on the floors of their apartments because they can't afford anything more than rent. When they deliver the furniture, the people are often so very grateful, but Jim tells them, "Don't thank us. We're only the delivery people." They then give the recipients a small crucifix for their home. The young woman after spending two weeks there literally had her whole life turned around. Scot asked how the idea for My Brother's Keeper came about. Terry said she and Jim had lived a Cursillo retreat weekend in the late 80s and after that weekend, they saw a movie about a mom who lost her job and struggled to find a place to live and ended up having to give up her daughter to foster care. They were so touched by it that they wanted to do something. They saw the empty bedroom their grown son had just vacated and thought that this was all the woman needed. So they made a covenant with the Lord that they would do what He asked of them. Jim said the promise said to God that they wanted to bring their love and hope to people, but they didn't know what to do and they asked him to guide them. They had a desire and a willingness, but that isn't getting the job done without action. At the time they were both working in low-paying jobs in a rented house. They made up flyers on 8.5x11 paper with "We collect things for homeless people." They started to get calls from people who had material to donate and they would pick them up with their car and store them in their cellar. Their philosophy is that if you work for the Lord you should take your work seriously, but not yourself. They had to laugh at themselves because they eventually realized they had no one to give the material to, so they looked up homeless shelters and started making contacts in the area. He finally had someone tell him that she had an apartment but no furniture and that's how they started. There's a danger of over-thinking things. Jim said he tells t heir college student volunteers that there's only three things that we need for God to do great things through us: | 8/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0104: Tuesday, August 2, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Chris Carmody, Religion Teacher at St. Mary High School, Lynn, and Youth Minister Coordinator at Immaculate Conception Church, Salem * [Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium](http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html) **Today's topics:** Vatican II document Lumen Gentium **Summary of today's show:** Chris Carmody joins Scot and Fr. Chris to discuss the 2nd Vatican Council's Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, and its groundbreaking look inward that helped the Church address the modern world in new ways and opened up a new understanding of the laity's role in the Church. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show and said they've been planning to discuss the various documents of the Second Vatican Council and today they will be discussing Lumen Gentium, the dogmatic constitution on the Church in the World. Fr. Chris said this is the constitution for the Church and Pope John Paul and OPope Benedict have always referred to this document on a regular basis. Unlike all the other councils in the Church, this was the first that wasn't called to address a heresy or combat a schism. It was called to take a look at where the Church has been and where it is heading. Pope John XXIII said, "Let's open the windows and let in the fresh air." There was no other agenda. Scot said there were 21 coun cils in the history of the Church and the previous one was Vatican I in the 1870s. Fr. Chris said the Vatican Council was a continuity and a renewal. It was designed to capture who we are and what we are about. He also noted that Pope John Paul and Pope Benedict were young scholars at the Second Vatican Council and had key roles in shaping the council. Fr. Chris said the Church has occasionally called all the bishops of the world together in ecumenical council. He said some scholars said this may have been the first truly ecumenical council with bishops from all over the world contributing for the first time. More than 2,600 bishops were at the council, as well as other experts and observers from other Christian denominations. Scot noted that most of the meetings took place inside St. Peter's Square with all the thousands of attendees during all these meetings. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Chris back to the show. Before Easter, he was on the show to talk about the Hunger for Justice pilgrimage for youth on Good Friday and Holy Saturday. He's been studying in the Masters of Arts in Ministry and will be transferring to the Masters of Arts in Theological Studies at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. He has always loved studying theology from his days as an undergrad at Franciscan University of Steubenville. He found the course on Vatican II to be valuable because he'd never had a chance to read through the documents themselves. Scot asked about the context of Vatican II. Fr. Chris said Pope John XXIII was originally seen as a bridge between popes and a quiet keeper of the Vatican. But he said he felt moved by the Holy Spirit to call this council. He sent out to all of the bishops of the world a blank slate and asked what they should be talking about. From that came all of these documents which began discussions at the Vatican lasting many years addressing important issues. Scot said 16 documents were the product of Vatican II. It opened in 1962 and closed in 1965 with four separate sessions. Four documents were constitutions: divine revelation, on the Church, on the Church in the modern world, and on the sacred liturgy. There were 9 decrees and three declarations on various topics. Fr. Chris said the constitution is the backbone that sets the scope for how we're going to proceed. The declaration makes a statement on a topic, what it is and why it's important. Lumen Gentium (Light of the World), on the Church, was the Church looking i | 8/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0103: Monday, August 1, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Brandon Vogt, author of the book "The Church and New Media" * ["The Church and New Media"](http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1592760333) * [The Church and New Media website and blog](http://www.churchandnewmedia.com) * [Brandon's blog, The Thin Veil](http://www.thinveil.net) * [Computers for Kids in Kenya](http://donate.crs.org/computerskenya) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1592760333" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> **Today's topics:** The new book "The Church and New Media" **Summary of today's show:** Brandon Vogt joins Scot to discuss his new book, "The Church and New Media," which features 12 contributors who write about how the Church can best take advantage of the new communications technologies and the culture of the Internet to spread the Gospel of Christ on the "digital continent" **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Brandon to the show. He asked how the idea for the book came about. There are 12 different chapter authors. Scot is impressed that he's only 25 years old. Brandon said his whole 24th year of life was devoted to considering the lives of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati and St. Therese of Lisieux and how much they accomplished in their short lives. So he felt free to reach for this book. He's also considering how much of a revolution in communication we're having in society and he found that the Church is stuck in the middle of this huge tidal shift. He also noticed a lot of individual Catholics as well as apostolates and ministries using modern technologies very effectively and faithfully. Finally, he noticed that the majority of the Church is doing a poor job, especially compared to Protestants and other religions. We're about a half decade behind the secular world too. A lot of people are becoming interested but don't know where to start. As a 25 year old, he didn't think he could write expertly on these topics, so he set out to target a number of experts in their fields to write, including Scot Landry, who wrote on new media in the diocese. Scot said the Church is sometimes accused of being a couple years behind, and so Scot was overjoyed to see someone doing a project like this and [Our Sunday Visitor](http://www.osv.com/) to being involved. Brandon said OSV was enthusiastically supportive of the idea. The thought it would reach many people. Each of the contributors to the book have a huge social media platform that they can use to promote the book to their readers and followers. He also wanted the book to affect official Church communications structures in parishes and dioceses, and OSV is very well-connected in that realm. Brandon is a convert to Catholicism and Scot has a theory that the Holy Spirit is working to encourage converts to our faith to help lead us and contribute their passion that led them to the Church. Brandon has noticed a lot of the most passionate and excited Catholics tend to be converts because every single one of them chose it. They sought it out and wrestled with the reasons not to be Catholic and ultimately chose the Church. Brandon was born and raised Presbyterian and received all the basic instruction, but it never really hit home for him. He never really committed to him. When he went to college in 2004, on the first Sunday at University of Florida in Tallahassee, he decided to choose whatever church was closest to his dorm in order to satisfy his obligation. That one was Methodist and it changed him in a very deep way and discovered the presence of Jesus, a love of Scripture, the presence | 8/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0102: Friday, July 29, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's topics:** A look back at our first 100 shows; Scot's and Fr. Mark's stories; Sunday's Gospel readings **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Mark shared with Scot his own vocation story, which called the most boring we've heard, as well as the reasons why he pronounces "out" funny and how he came to be a canon lawyer. Scot and Fr. Mark then reflected on the first 100 episodes of the show, how Scot came to be host, and his own time as a seminarian before becoming a husband and father. Finally, a reflection on thisSunday's Mass readings. **1st segment:** Scot told Fr. Mark that today is his last week on theshow for the next two weeks while he's on vacation. We have taped shows for the next 10 shows, including Artie Boyle talking about Medjurgorje; Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR, on Fatima; Fr. Roger Landry on Catholic Marian beliefs; Fr. Peter Loro from South Sudan; Jim and Terry Orcutt from My Brother's Keeper; and some more. There will be a live news show next Thursday. Scot wished a happy birthday to Sr. Olga Yaqob, who is founding a new religious order in the Archdiocese at the request of Cardinal Seán. Fr. Mark said this Monday he will be participating in the golf tournament at St. John's Seminary. He wasn't going to go, but Kathleen Heck at the seminary sent him a personalized top-10 list of reasons why he should go. Look for more information on the tournament at [St. John's Seminary's website](http://www.sjs.edu). Scot said it's inspiring to see prioests out and having fun in an event that really provides good support to the seminary. **2nd segment:** Scot asked Fr. Mark about growing up in Toronto, Canada, until he was 12. His father is from St. Mark's Parish in Dorchester and his mother is from St. Theresa's parish in Watertown. His father was a university librarian and he was head of research at Widener Library at Harvard, the second-largest library in the US. That's where his father met his mother when she was working for a professor and he sent her to the library to get a book. There was a brand-new university in Toronto called York University. His father was offered a job and went to create a brand-new library from scratch. That library now has more than 1 million books. Fr. Mark was born there and grew up playing hockey. He moved to the US on July 4, 1976. They moved to Dover where he attended high school and then he attended Boston College, where his father had become the college's librarian. His father created the Thomas P. O'Neill Library and then the Burns Special Collection library at Boston College. On his eighteenth birthday, he was sitting on the porch in the back yard of his parents' house and thinking that he had no idea what to do with his life. He had a thought that if he could do anything, he'd like to be a priest. Fr. Mark's uncle was a priest and his father's uncle was a priest too, and they were happy priests and a good example of the priesthood. He had the thought that he'd like to be a priest and wanted to God call him, then thought that maybe this is the call. So he decided to live his life as if he was called. In his years at St. John Seminary, he had no doubts that he was going to be a priest and has never doubted since then. An altar boy once asked him, if he could be something other than a priest what would he be. Fr. Mark said that he couldn't be anything else because being a priest is his identity. It is who he was created to be. After ordination 21 years ago, he was first assigned to St. Barbara's in Woburn for five years with Fr. Vin Malone who is still pastor there. He served at St. Mary in Danvers and Salem State College. Bishop William Murphy, then the vicar general, asked him to make an appointment to see him and Fr. Mark thought he was in trouble. It turned out that the the bishop wanted him to attend school to become a canon lawyer. He was asked to attend Santa Croce Seminary in Rome. Scot asked him why he thought he | 7/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0101: Thursday, July 28, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Archbishop Sambi dies; Cardinal O'Connell moves; the Orange Crystal Cathedral **Summary of today's show:** Our usual Thursday panel discussed the news of the week, including the unexpected death of Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the apostolic nuncio to the United States; the reinterment of the remains of Cardinal William O'Connell on the grounds of St. John Seminary; the Dicoese of Orange's bid to buy the famed Crystal Cathedral; and more. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Susan to show and she related her work week. On Monday she took the day off and went to see the Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts. Next week Susan joins with her counterparts in diocesan religious education in Springfield next week. Scot said we'll talk about the death of Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Pope's representative to the United States, who was in Boston a couple of months ago at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary. **2nd segment:** The apostolic nuncio has two essential roles: To be the pope's diplomatic representative to the US government and to be the Pope's voice on world affairs in Washington, DC; and to be part of the selection of new bishops of the United States. He surveys dioceses' for their needs and polls bishops for lists of capable priests. He then prepares a ranked list of candidates to the Congregation for the Bishops in Rome. Fr. Roger said Archbishop Sambi has been known in the US for cutting down the wait down for a new bishop to be appointed. Previously it would take two years or more for a new bishop. Archbishop Sambi cut that down in manby cases to less than a half year. * ["Archbishop Sambi, US nuncio since early 2006, dies at age 73", Catholic News Service (7/28/11)](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1102991.htm) * ["Dolan: US church had 'highest respect, deepest affection' for nuncio", CNS (7/28/11)](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1102989.htm) Fr. Roger said he was a man of great joy whose joy came from knowing Jesus personally. Scot then introduced Archbishop Sambi's words to the Redemptoris Mater fundraising dinner about Cardinal Seán. Susan read Cardinal Seán's statement on the death of Archbishop Sambi: >“Archbishop Pietro Sambi represented the Holy Father with distinction and great skill through his service as the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. He was an engaging and dedicated leader who had great love for a deep commitment to the Catholic faithful of our country. The Archbishop was a good and holy man and he will be greatly missed. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother we pray for Archbishop Sambi, that he be welcomed to eternal life with our Heavenly Father." Scot said Greg had time to spend with the Archbishop at the Redemptoris Mater dinner. His impressions of the archbishop were that he possessed a lot of diplomatic skills; he immediately made a connection with people he met. He was greatly loved and there are so many people issuing statements about how beloved he was. The Archbishop had lung surgery several weeks ago. It had also been rumored that he was going to be getting a new assignment in Italy, but on July 26, his office put out a request for prayers and then he died last evening. Fr. Roger said the Archbishop set a new standard for the interaction of a nuncio with the bishops of a country. Normally, the address of the nuncio at a bishops' conference meeting are pro forma and somewhat vaguely worded, but when | 7/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0100: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Joe Melendrez, Catholic rap musician * [RosaryRap.com](http://www.rosaryrap.com) **Today's topics:** Ministry of Catholic rapper Joe Melendrez and the Rosary Rap **Summary of today's show:** Joe Melendrez joined Scot and Fr. Matt to talk about how he came to develop the Rosary Rap, the prayer set to a hip hop beat; and the unique way in which Joe used 1,000 burritos to bring Christ to his community and engage in a ministry of presence and a Eucharistic experience in a meal. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. Youth ministry heats up in the summer and this past weekend Franciscan Unviersity hosted Steubenville East youth conference at the University of Rhode Island. Three thousands teens were there for speakers, music, Mass, Adoration, and Confession. They hear a strong emphasis on Jesus' love for them and there is a strong promotion of the sacraments. Every 5 minutes 20 kids went through the confessionals. On Monday night, they hosted the annual high school harbor cruise in Boston Harbor with 300+ high school students. It's meant to be an outreach event with lots of social interaction and a message from a high school teen who talked about the priesthood and the importance of living the faith. They had Eucharistic Adoration on the boat. On the top deck they had music and dancing and on the bottom deck they had adoration. Fr. Matt thinks about one-third went through the chapel for a prayer. Last night they went to the Red Sox game, which was a beautiful evening and a great game. All of the World Youth Day organizers were able to attend and see the game from the rooftop terrace seats. Scot said Kate Zabriskie who works in the chancellor's office suggested that he get Joe Melendrez, the rosary rapper, on the show. Scot also noted that this is The Good Catholic Life's 100th show. **2nd segment:** The segment began with a decade of the Rosary being rapped by Joe. Scot asked Joe about his background. He grew up in San Antonio and went to the University of Dayton. Joe said his parents have always been supportive of his dreams. When he was 15 he went on a retreat that he had an experience of God that he believed to be a calling of some kind. He looked for ways to bring God to others in service and helping on retreats. Scot asked him when he first thought about praying through rap. Joe said he loves all kinds of music. A lot of people stop at the bad word, but Joe sees beyond the profanity in which the big-time rappers express themselves. He started by writing poems to girls he liked, then to writing about the way his days were going, and suddenly it occurred to him to start freestyle raps as prayer, while in his car, for example. Scot noted that it is an axiom in the Church that singing is praying twice. Joe said that Tupac Shakur wrote once that he was aware that his gift was from God. So Joe knows that he is gifted from God and he wants to express himself. He wants to be in tune with the Holy Spirit in order to glorify God with that creative act. On one retreat when he was about 16, he was asked to teach the other kids how to pray the Rosary and he decided to try it through rap. One of the retreat leaders encouraged him to record a rosary rap CD. Fr. Matt said rapping prayerm ust count for 2.5 times praying. He asked Joe how old he is and Joe said he is 25. Fr. Matt asked him what music he grew up listening to and he said he's loved all kind of music. He recalls the first rap CD he had was by Sean Coombs (P. Diddy) and the CD opened with a prayer and in another CD he made a song about Jesus being his best friend. That made Joe ask why Jesus couldn't be his best friend. Fr. Matt said it's a powerful witness when you have these superstars pointing to Christ. It's powerful when he can elevate the culture with the Gospel. For a leadership retreat they did soon, they made a song parody of the popular song, The Dougy, called The Jesus Dougy. | 7/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0099: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. David Couturier and Joshua Phelps from the Archdiocese of Boston's Office for Pastoral Planning * [Office of Pastoral Planning, Archdiocese of Boston](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Offices-And-Services/Office-Detail.aspx?id=1448) **Today's topics:** The changing face of parishes **Summary of today's show:** Fr. David Couturier and Joshua Phelps discuss with Scot a national study on the changing face of parishes and how those numbers compare to the situation of the Archdiocese of Boston. **1st segment:** Scot said while the truth of the Catholic faith remains the same, the structures of the Church continue to evolve as it has over the past 2,000 years. Last week, the Center for Applied research in the Apostolate published a study on the changing face of Catholic parishes in the US. Today, we'll look at the study and at how it compares to the Archdiocese of Boston., * ["Report finds fewer priests celebrating more Masses at fewer parishes", CNS, 7/18/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1102844.htm) * [The CARA study's website](http://emergingmodels.org/) * [CARA study press release and summary](http://cara.georgetown.edu/NewsandPress/PressReleases/PR071511.pdf) * ["The Changing Face of US Catholic Parishes"](http://www.emergingmodels.org/article.cfm?id=75) Scot welcomed Fr. David Couturier to show. Fr. David said it's an excellent look at a very important question/: where are parishes today, how did they get there, and where will they be in the future? Scot it's great to see hard data about the changes we've been seeing in our own parishes over time. Joshua said the report gives a set of benchmarks by which we can gauge what's going on in the Archdiocese. He thinks there's a big opportunity to talk to people about mission and evangelization. Scot said the study said the number of parishes in the US have declined by 7.1 percent over the past 10 years. Fr. David said in the Archdiocese it's been 22.04% in Boston. Scot said the areas most affected by closures are where there were large numbers of immigrants in places which are highly populated and densely populated at a time when industry demanded large numbers of workers and those industries have decreased. Now the large numbers of immigrants growing the Church are in different places. Scot said the Catholic population has realigned itself, but the parishes and schools have not. Fr. David said the Church in those areas with declines gave the people the ability to move out of the places where they first came by giving them better education and better economic opportunities. Now we can look at the institutions that have been left behind. Scot said most Catholics moved outside the city of Boston and into the suburbs. Fr. David said Boston has a unique relationship to its parishes compared to any other place he's seen. He related a story of a Jewish man who said he lived in St. Brendan's parish. Because people in Boston identify with the local parish, even if they're not Catholic. Scot said the study found that the average parish grew in the number of households and people. The number of people grew by 45% over the past 10 years. The average number of households in Boston parishes are higher, about 43.8% larger. Scot said there is a dense concentration of Catholics in the Northeast, with higher density and more parishes. We have a long history of the Catholic Church in the area. Fr David said this is one of the silver linings of the report. Scot said the study talks about seating capacity utilization (the percentage of spaces in the pews used by parishioners at Mass). In Boston, it's 33%, which means at the average Mass in Boston, about 33% of the seats will be filled. Scot said this is partly because we offer a lot of Masses at our parishes and it's extremely convenient for people on a Sunday morning. Fr. David said we offer more Masses per parish than other other diocese in the country. He said they have j | 7/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0098: Monday, July 25, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Melissa Squarcia, Senior Communications for the Catholic Leadership Institute * [Catholic Leadership Institute](http://www.catholicleaders.org/) **Today's topics:** Catholic Leadership Institute **Summary of today's show:** Melissa Squarcia joins Scot to talk about the ministry of the Catholic Leadership Institute, which prepares clergy and lay leaders for leadership in the Church as well as assists dioceses in creating a strategic vision and priorities. As priests become pastors sooner after ordination and as they are spread more thin, CLI's programs help them work more efficiently in order to accomplish the ministry goals at the heart of their vocations. **1st segment:** Scot began by asking how we prepare our priests, deacons, and lay leaders for the Church of the 21st century. Parishes keep getting fewer and bigger and priests have more and more asked of them. And they didn't always get the tools to lead in the seminary. The Catholic Leadership Institute is trying to help prepare priests and laity for more effective leadership in the Church and working with bishops and dioceses with strategic planning. Scot welcomed Melissa Squarcia to the show. He asked how she came to CLI. She started about 4 years ago and before that worked for the local NBC affiliate in Philadelphia. They were looking for a communications coordinator to help share the good news about their ministry. CLI is 20 years old this year. Scot said it's amazing what one person inspired in prayer can accomplish. The founder is Tim Flanagan and the co-founder as the late Fr. Charles Pfeffer. Originally they worked with youth and young adults, but as they started looking at where else they could work to assist the Church, they heard priests saying to the young people that they didn't have the time to implement the good ideas. So they started Good Leaders, Good Shepherds, developing a curriculum that meshes the best of corporate leadership training with the teachings of the Church. They started in 2006 and are now in 60 dioceses nationwide, about 1 in every 3 in the US. Scot was impressed that Flanagan, who had a background that included in corporate leadership training, saw the need in the Church and committed to doing something about it. Melissa said the current president Matt Manion left a very lucrative and powerful position to come to CLI to serve the Church. Manion's arrival allowed Flanagan to develop a board of directors, which aids in getting CLI out to a wider audience, including those who can provide support. Flanagan made a 10-year commitment to CLI in the beginning to see where it went. He made a plan and put it into action. If it was meant to be and God would bless it, then 10 years was a good time frame. Now 20 years later, CLI is helping so many leaders in the Church. Melissa said it was also a commitment by an all-volunteer staff that came onboard with Flanagan's vision. There are 26 full-time staff in their main office outside Philadelphia, plus about 30 full- and part-time trainers who travel around the country running leadership training. The full-time trainers travel three out of four weeks per month. The priest-trainers are able to give 3 or 4 days per month. Scot asked how many of the staff are Villanova grads: Melissa said she is, as is Flanagan. Manion has a Master's and there are three or four others who also have some affiliation with the university. Fr. Bill Dickinson joined CLI in 2006 as the organization's National Director for Leadership Development. He's been approved by his bishop to stay with CLI for another 5 years. Flanagan needed a priest to sell the nation's bishops on CLI's offerings and show them how it can be effective for their dioceses. **2nd segment:** Good Leaders, Good Shepherds is the flagship program of CLI and Boston was one of the pilot programs. MElissa said it's meant to help priests find more time and better ways to be a better leader and a good | 7/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0097: Friday, July 22, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines **Today's guest(s):** Fr. George Evans, Pastor of St. Julia Parish, Weston * [St. Julia Parish, Weston](http://www.stjulia.org/) **Today's topics:** Pastor Profile: Fr. George Evans **Summary of today's show:** Fr. George Evans joins Scot and guest co-host Fr. Chip Hines to discuss his journey to the priesthood and his assignments within the archdiocese with specific focus on his time at St. Julia, Weston, working with a parish merger, and on a pastoral planning commission for the archdiocese. Also, a discussion of this Sunday's first reading and Gospel from Mass. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chip back to show. He is coming in on the tail end of his vacation. He was able to take in a Cape Cod League baseball game and spend time with family. It's a high level of baseball from Division 1 college players. It's also a wonderful family experience. Many of the players will end up in the Major Leagues. Fr. George Evans is today's guest. He's been involved in archdiocesan pastoral planning efforts in recent years and looks forward to where the archdiocese is going in the next 10 to 15 years. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chip welcome Fr. George Evans to the show.He's been pastor at St. Julia's since 2003. Before that he worked for many years at the seminary. He was ordained in 1977 and was assigned to St. James in Wellesley for 4 years, which was a foundation for his priesthood. After that he went to Catholic University of America for 4 years to earn a Doctorate in Sacred Theology. He returned to St. John Seminary as a spiritual director. He helped seminarians to integrate the spiritual life with all areas of their life, but also to be a confidante for the men. He spent 18 years at the seminary and served as interim rector at the seminary for a brief time after Bishop Richard Lennon was reassigned. It was at the time that the college seminary was closed and he worked in 2003 to streamline the seminary's programs. It readied him to be a pastor. He spent 22 years of his priesthood in academia of one sort or another. His own parish growing up was a key part of his desire to be a priest and he tried to always keep parish ministry at the forefront of his mind. He was also very eager to return to parish ministry after the seminary. Fr. Chip said he thinks he would have gleaned a lot of practical experience at the seminary. He came from St. Catherine of Somerville. Scot said it's one of the most beautiful parishes we have. Fr. George went to the grammar school there and Matignon High School. He went to Boston College after that. While there he saw the parish adapt to the call of the Church to advance into the modern age. He took the best aspects of that attitude with him to the seminary and then to his own parish. There was a real sense of planning and reflecting among the faculty of the seminary. There was also a lot of newness as new seminarians came in; as they heard many great homilies from other priests; and as he adapted his seminars and courses on a regular basis to keep them new. Fr. Chip said Fr. George's great strength is the ability to see both sides of an issue, which is why the Cardinal trusts him so and why so many priests go to him as a spiritual director still. Some of his favorite spiritual writers are St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Jean-pierre de Cassaude, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Francis de Sales. The latter has a special appeal as a diocesan priest who was working in the Counter-Reformation. He has a love of Church history. It started in grammar school with the Land of Our Lady series, and he became a history major at Boston College. HE taught a history of the Church in Boston at the seminary. It helps him as he works in pastoral planning. A good history of Boston is by Thomas H. O'Connor. More in-depth is the three-volume series by Robert Lord, John Sexton, and Edward Harrington, which goes up to 194 | 7/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0096: Thursday, July 21, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Archbishop Charles Chaput; Transitional deacon ordained; Chinese cardinal in Boston; study of Catholic parishes **Summary of today's show:** Our usual Thursday panel discussed the appointment of Archbishop Charles Chaput to Philadelphia, with Fr. Roger Landry's personal recollection of time spent with the archbishop recently; the unusual timing of the ordination of a transitional deacon for Boston; the visit of a Chinese cardinal to Boston as tensions between the Vatican and China reach an all-time high; and a study of parish life in the United States with some surprising results. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. The Pilot is back from summer hiatus and The Anchor is now on hiatus this week. The big non-Church news is the weather and specifically the heat. **2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcome Gregory and Fr. Roger back to the show. The appointment of Archbishop Charles Chaput to Philadelphia is significant. Scot said it is traditionally seen as a cardinalatial see and one of the largest in the US. It's also significant because the archdiocese is in the midst of a major scandal due to revelations concerning clergy priest abuse. Audio excerpt from the press conference: >"Press conferences like this have a formula of humility and gratitude that can sometimes seem like theater. I'm a poor actor. What you see is pretty much what you get. Philadelphia is one of America's truly great cities, rich in history and achievement, with an extraordinary community of Catholic faith that goes back to saints like John Neumann and Katharine Drexel. Many of you will ask me this question, so I will answer it in advance. I don't know why the Holy Father sent me here. But I do trust his heart, and I do believe in his judgment. I know other bishops would have been smarter than I am, or more talented, or more connected to Philadelphia's past. I know that Cardinal Rigali is one of the great churchmen of my lifetime. He has served the Church in Rome, in St. Louis, and here with enormous dedication and in ways I will never be able to duplicate. > >"But I do promise that no bishop will love the people and priests of this local Church more than I will. No bishop will give more of himself than I will. And no bishop will try harder to help persons who have been hurt by the sins of the past, or work harder to strengthen and encourage our priests and renew the hearts of our people. > >There's a lot I *don't* know how to do. But over the years, a great many good people have shown me how to love and how to lead by the generosity of their witness. And everything I've learned, everything I know and have, I will give to this ministry, because all of you -- the people of God -- deserve at least that much." * ["Archbishop Chaput succeeds Cardinal Rigali; Savannah bishop retires", CNS, 7/19/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1102854.htm) * [Cardinal Seán's statement on Archbishop Chaput's appointment](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=21004) * [Archdiocese of Philadelphia](http://archphila.org/home.php) * [Archdiocese of Denver](http://www.archden.org) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0385522290" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginhei | 7/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0095: Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 | Subscribe for free in iTunes Today's host(s): Scot Landry and Father Matt Williams Today's guest(s): Dr. Christian Smith, author and professor of Sociology at Notre Dame University; Stephen Colella, Assistant Director of New Evangelization for Youth and Young Adults Today's topics: Dr Smith's book "How to Go from Being a Good Evangelical to a Committed Catholic in Ninety-Five Difficult Steps", Dr Smith's research with the National Study of Youth and Religion. Summary of Today's Show: 1st segment: Scot asked Fr. Matt about the results of the Witness to Truth retreat last week. Fr. Matt said that the retreat sent 30 teens back into their parish communities on fire and ready to lead their fellow Catholics. He described that the retreat has a bit of leadership feel and some camp feel as well, and challenges youth to go deeper into their faith. Scot explained that the work of Dr. Christian Smith figured heavily in the recommendations of a faith formation committee formed by Cardinal Seán several years ago. Fr. Matt agreed that the research provided by Dr. Smith's books gave the committee many insights and helped them look at remedies to the problems they faced. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Dr. Christian Smith, a Professor of Sociology at Notre Dame University and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion and Society, and Stephen Colella, Assistant Director of the office of New Evangelization for Youth and Young Adults. Dr. Smith described his work with the National Study of Youth and Religion, a research initiative to study the formation and religious beliefs of young people of various faiths. He said the study has been ongoing since 2000, starting with participants ages 13 to 17 and ending in 2020 with a final survey when they are ages 25 to 29. Dr. Smith described that the study, detailed in his book Soul Searching, found a commonality among teens across all religious beliefs and practices, something he calls "moralistic therapeutic deism" or MTD. He says that MTD is a watered-down version of Christianity where youth acknowledge the existence of God but do not have a strong relationship with Him. It is not faithful orthodox teaching, but rather an adaptation of faith to fit their lives. He said the key element of MTD is that the purpose of life is to be happy but that God can keep a distance from life until someone gets in trouble or needs a problem solved. Dr. Smith reiterated that regardless of their denomination or religion, most teenagers fit into the category of having a faith characterized by MTD - they see that their relationship with God is on their terms and not His. Fr. Matt asked Dr. Smith to outline the reasons for the development of MTD. Dr. Smith emphasized that young people tend to get along on religious terms because they share this "religion." He says his research shows that teens drift towards MTD because of a lack of effective catechesis, not having venues to share and discuss their faith, and influence from parents. Parents often get the message that they don't matter anymore once their children are teens, but Dr Smith maintains that they are even more important during teen years. Dr. Smith said that out of all the teenagers, Catholic teenagers were the most disengaged and apathetic; however, when data was normalized to account for the religious influence of parents, Catholic teenagers came out on the same level as other levels. He says this shows statistically that the reason Catholic teens are less involved in Mass and their faith is because their parents are. A combination of factors lead to the decline of parental influence in Catholicism, Dr Smith said, culminating in the fact that Catholics in the 1970s were culturally assimilated. He said that living in the suburbs away from a strongly Catholic community (in a physical way) and the reduction of the importance of the Church with neighbors made Catholics going to Mass on Sunday be just like every other religion in many ways. 3rd segment: Scot a | 7/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0094: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Brian Benestad, professor of theology at the University of Scranton and author of the book "Church, State, and Society"; and Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston * [University of Scranton](http://www.scranton.edu) * ["Church, State, and Society: An Introduction to Catholic Social Doctrine (Catholic Moral Thought)"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813218012/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0813218012) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0813218012" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> **Today's topics:** Catholic social doctrine **Summary of today's show:** Brian and Janet Benestad discuss with Scot Catholic social doctrine, being a Catholic in the public square, and how to establish a hierarchy among the various elements of Catholic social teaching. **1st segment:** Scot began by asking what the Church asks of us in the public square, how do we form our consciences, and how do we apply Church teaching to the public square? This will be addressed today by our guests, Brian and Janet Benestad. Scot began by noting today's news that Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver has been appointed to become archbishop of Philadelphia. Janet said this is big news. He has been recognized nationally for his leadership in Denver. Scot said Archbishop Chaput has written two books on applying our faith to public life. Brian said Chaput is not afraid to teach the counter-cultural aspects of the Catholic faith today. * ["Render Unto Caesar," Archbishop Charles Chaput](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385522290/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0385522290) * ["Living the Catholic Faith," Archbishop Charles Chaput](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/156955191X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=156955191X) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0057DCSWI" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=156955191X" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> Chaput was a classmate of Cardinal Seán in seminary. They are both Capuchins, studied together, and were ordained on the same day. They were both appointed as bishops at a young age. People have been drawing comparisons between the two. Cardinal Seán was appointed to Boston in its darkest days and Philadelphia is going through similar difficulties today. * [John Allen's interview with Archbishop Chaput in the National Catholic Reporter](http://ncronline.org/news/people/exclusive-interview-archbishop-charles-chaput) The archbishop's installation will be on September 8, 2011 in Philadelphia. **2nd segment:** Janet said she and Brian will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary on September 11. Of course, their 30th anniversary was 9/11/2001 and they were traveling in Europe at the time. They have four children, 3 of them in New England. Two of them are married. They have 4 grandchildren ranging in age from 1 to 7. Their unmarried daughter lives in R | 7/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0093: Monday, July 18, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Brendan O'Connell and Marianne Luthin * [Life Matters TV](http://lifematterstv.com/) * [Pregnancy Help Boston](http://www.pregnancyhelpboston.org) * [Number of Abortions - Abortion Counters](http://www.numberofabortions.com/) **Today's topics:** Life Matters TV **Summary of today's show:** Brendan O'Connell talked with Scot about his widely available cable access program, Life Matters TV, that has had more than 300 episodes and can reach more than 1 million homes in Massachusetts. Marianne Luthin of the Pro-Life Office also discussed the various ministries of the Archdiocese helping women in crisis pregnancy and suffering from having had abortions. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Marianne Luthin, director of the Pro-Life Office, and Brendan O'Connell, host of Life Matters TV, available on Boston cable access television. Marianne was one The Good Catholic Life show #8. Scot asked Brendan how he became involved in pro-life work. Over a 20 year period, starting in business school, he started to see how the public was deceiving the public purposefully and it bothered him. When he was about 35, he started dating a woman who'd had an abortion and got pregnant again. She was in law school and her parents offered to pay for school if she had an abortion. She instead had the child and started dating her when the child was 1-1/2 years old. When he moved back to Boston, he had written to a pro-choice Republican running for office saying that he would never vote for him and he ended up as a Mass. Citizens for Life chapter president. He realized the need to get our voice heard and our message out there. He said there were many people who could be convinced of the value of life. Scot said he often see intentional mischaracterizations of people in the media. Brendan said his show looks at life issue from legal, legislative, biological, political, and spiritual viewpoints. He had no idea when he began that life is being attacked at so many different levels, from the beginning of life to the end of natural life. Around 2050, he said, there is predicted there will be a dramatic decline in world population because of the initiatives against life. He had as a guest recently Don Feder who shared many of these statistics. Scot said there are many efforts our Church takes on life issues, including education through the media. Marianne said Brendan has had her on his program to talk about Project Rachel. Even though it's a secular program, she gets many responses from people who seek out help from the Church. Scot said leadership in the pro-life movement can't be easy. Brendan said he's been ostracized. Sometimes people in your own family won't talk to you. The program is in 1.3 million cable homes. He has realized that other side isn't on television, except through the occasional commercial. He realized that they have nothing to talk about except the process of killing people. He said one aspect that he's covered on the show is the economic impact of abortion, 53 million people in the US who are dead now who would have contributed to the economy. Brendan said the show is a tremendous sacrifice because he often take part-time jobs to support himself. Yet he's been invited to the White House as well. He wants to grow the program throughout New England and nationally. **2nd segment:** Brendan said the program came from wanting to have our voice heard. It was a struggle to get it on in Boston on cable access. They had filled out the application to the local cable access organization, but they couldn't get approved until Mayor Menino's former press secretary helped him get through the bureaucracy. He had a passion for getting the word out to people to change hearts and influence minds. Marianne said it's important to have such programs. We have only about 18% of Catholics in pews on Sunday and if you look at abortion statistics, you see that Catholic women have abortions at the same rate as the rest | 7/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0092: Friday, July 15, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Gerry Dorgan, Pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Danvers * [St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish, Danvers](http://stmarychurchdanvers.org/) * ["A day to celebrate Father Dorgan," Danvers Herald, 4/10/08](http://www.wickedlocal.com/danvers/news/lifestyle/religion/x1620715324#axzz1RRfpaqIU ) **Today's topics:** Pastor Profile: Fr. Gerry Dorgan **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Gerry Dorgan joins Scot and Fr. Mark to discuss his 53 years in the priesthood; his 20 years at St. Mary in Danvers; how he ended up teaching in the seminary after just 5 months as a priest; what makes a good homily (hint: not that's short!); and his love of art and art history. Also, this Sunday's Gospel from Mass. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. He asked how his summer is going at its halfway point. He is starting his vacation this weekend. on today's program, one of Fr. Mark's former pastors, Fr. Jerry Dorgan, will be on the program today. Fr. Mark was at Fr. Dorgan's parish for two years before he was sent to Rome to study canon law. Fr. Mark will always remember how Fr. Dorgan gave him a good sendoff from the parish. Fr. Dorgan was also Fr. Mark's homiletics professor in the seminary. When Fr. Mark presented his first homily to the professor, Fr. Dorgan said it would be a very good children's homily. Unfortunately, Fr. Mark was not writing a children's homily. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Fr. Dorgan to the show. He is celebrating 53 years as a priest this year. He has been at St. Mary in Danvers since 1991 and was at the seminary before that. He began his priesthood at St. Margaret Mary in Westwood, but wasn't there long because he was suddenly drafted to Cardinal O'Connell Minor Seminary. He attended graduate school at night and studied English Literature and also taught American history. He was 24 years old, had been ordained for four months, and was suddenly teaching English and history. Fr. Dorgan graduated from St. John Prep at 16 and then attended Holy Cross College. He'd already been thinking about the priesthood and at the end of the year he transferred to the seminary. After ordination he taught at seminaries until being made pastor in 1991. Scot was surprised that Fr. Dorgan has had only three assignments in his priesthood, which is very unusual over such a long period. He also did a religious talk show on WBZ Radio. The year he was ordained, there were 61 in his class. St. Mary's in Danvers is a wonderful parish. They have about 100 people who come to daily Mass to the 7am and 9am Masses. Scot has heard that there is a tradition in the parish that after Sunday Mass, the people kneel after the final song and pray a prayer of thanksgiving. Fr. Mark also heard that the original St. Mary's Church was demolished during the construction of Route 128 and that it was a good thing because the old building in such bad shape. The new church was built by [Gray Architects](http://www.grayarchitects.net), who have built many beautiful churches in the area. In 1998, they built a parochial school. Fr. Dorgan said it is going very well. It is shared with St. Richard of Chichester Parish in Danvers. It was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph. There is a strong relationship with St. John's Prep. * [St. Mary of the Annunciation School](http://www.smadanvers.org/) * [St. John's Prep](http://www.stjohnsprep.org/) Having taught at the college seminary for many years (St. Clement's Seminary), he had taught many of the priests who serve in the Archdiocese today. Fr. Mark noted that Fr. Dorgan's collection of books took over many rooms at the seminary. Fr. Mark estimated that there were many more than 10,000 volumes. One day he told Fr. Dorgan about a favorite Wyeth painting in the Museum of Fine Arts. So Fr. Dorgan found a book with the image of the painting and gave it to Fr. Mark. He told him he'd been hoping to count down | 7/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0091: Thursday, July 14, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Decision on 8 closed churches, South Sudan, Church teaching on chastity **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger and Greg discuss with Scot and Susan the news of the week, including Cardinal Seán's decision on the future of 8 closed churches; the struggles of the Church in the new nation of South Sudan; the Church's teaching on chastity, especially for those with same-sex attraction; new vicars forane for the archdiocese; and more. **1st segment:** Scot told Susan that there is big news in the Archdiocese today with Cardinal Seán making a decision on the fate of eight closed churches. Susan noted that today is the Feast of Bl. Kateri as well as Bastille Day. Scot noted that on yesterday we learned that today is also the Feast of St. Camillus. She also was at CatholicTV this week taping a show with Msgr. James Moroney on liturgy. cot said Msgr. Moroney is one of the world's experts on Catholic liturgy and is teaching at St. John Seminary. He is in high demand to educate people on the upcoming changes to the Roman Missal this Advent. Scot said the Pilot is back this week from its two week hiatus. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Gregory back to the show. He said Cardinal Seán has announced his decision on eight churches that had appealed closure. Six are being relegated to profane uses and two others for new uses (St. Therese and St. Jeremiah). * ["Cardinal Makes Decisions on Future of Eight Closed Churches," Official statement](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=20960) * St. James the Great, Wellesley * St. Jeanne D'Arc, Lowell * Star of the Sea, Quincy * Our Lady of Lourdes, Revere * St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Scituate * Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, East Boston * St. Therese, Everett * St. Jeremiah, Framingham Greg said relegation to profane use, but not sordid use. Profane use means not set aside for sacred use; a use other than sacred worship. It clears the way to sell or transfer the property for other purpose. The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, for example, has converted some closed churches to affordable housing. St. Therese will become an oratory of St. Anthony in Everett for use by the Brazilian community. In canon law, a church is a public place open to all; a chapel is a private place of worship; and an oratory is designated for a particular group of Catholics and anyone who is a member of that group are welcome to use the oratory. Fr. Roger added the category of the shrine, which is like a church but doesn't have similar rights in canon law to a church. The pastor of St. Anthony had made a request to the Archdiocese, saying that he had too many Masses each weekend in one church building and needed another. The Brazilian community has grown large enough to warrant another building, but they didn't want the extra overhead of a separate parish, with the need for a parish staff and all the separate issues. Susan asked what a rectorate is. Greg said a rectorate is essentially a parish, except it's under the direct authority of the bishop and not a pastor. In a cathedral, the bishops it the pastor and he appoints a rector to run the cathedral parish. It means that the rectorate doesn't have the same right in canon law that a parish does. Scot said it's big news because many of these churches have had vigils in place since they were closed during Reconfiguration in 2004-2005 with many contentious appeals to re-open the churches. He | 7/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0090: Wednesday, July 13, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Thomas J. Craughwell, author and columnist * ["Saints Preserved: An Encyclopedia of Relics"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0307590739/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0307590739) * ["Saints Behaving Badly, Saints for Every Occasion: 101 of Heaven's Most Powerful Patrons"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385517203/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0385517203) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0307590739" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0385517203" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> **Today's topics:** Saints and relics **Summary of today's show:** Tom Craughwell joins Scot and Fr. Matt to talk about ne'er-do-well saints and relics, particularly the surprising history of sin and crime that some saints had before their conversion as well as the long, strange, and confusing history and practice of saints' relics, preserving their bones and possessions for holy veneration. **1st segment:** Fr. Matt joins the show via Skype from St. Thecla Retreat House in Billerica where he's leading the Witness to Truth retreat for high school students. It's an overnight four-day prayer experience and leadership institute. Fr. Matt said the stories of the saints are inspirational to help us step up a bit more in our own lives to become more of the saint we're supposed to be. Today's guest has written several books on saints. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Tom Craughwell to the show. Scot asked him how he became interested in the saints. He's always been interested since he was a kid. He started by reading about them in the books from the school library and has gone to full-on study, examining the original sources and trying to find out what they're really like, what their personalities were like. They were real human beings with all the same characteristics of people like us. In "Saints Behaving Badly", he profiles saints who were gangsters, criminals, and other never-do-wells. People are often surprised because they have a pre-coneived notion that saints were never horribly sinful before conversion and becoming saints. St. Matthew as a tax collector was an extortionist, for example. St. Dismas, the Good Thief, was a criminal his whole life until converting on the cross. It teaches that sainthood is not impossible. Fr. Matt noted the quote that Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Saints are not angels. They're human beings and they deal with original sin and the inclination to sin. God's grace breaks through to conform their lives to him. It's always God's grace that changes hearts and minds. He asked Tom for a story from his book to capture that idea. Tom thought of [St. Margaret of Cortona](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09653b.htm), an attractive peasant girl in Italy. When she was 13 years old, the 16-year-old baron invited her to become his mistress and she said yes to escape her life. He even told her that he would never marry her. They lived together for nine years and they had a child. One day he went away on a trip and was murdered. The shock of finding his body reminded her that she did not know if he had time to repent before he died and so she was confronted with her own mortality. She turned her back on her old | 7/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0089: Tuesday, July 12, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Randy Raus, president of LifeTeen, and Fr. Matt Williams, Director of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults * [Lifeteen](http://www.lifeteen.com/) * [LIFT](http://www.liftedhigher.com/) **Today's topics:** LifeTeen **Summary of today's show:** Randy Raus and Fr. Matt Williams join Scot and Fr. Chris O'Connor to talk about the LifeTeen ministry; its focus on the Eucharist; its effects on teens, including generating many priestly vocations; how it brings families together in the parish; and how they are helping teens prepare for the new translation of the Roman Missal coming this Advent. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. He noted Fr. Matt Williams is also on the show as a guest. He said Randy Raus from Lifeteen is in Boston to speak at the Lift Ministries even tonight. Randy said Lifeteen is parish-based youth ministry in 1800 Catholic parishes in 26 countries. Most are in the US. It is Eucharist-centered with a devotion to the Blessed Mother. They lead teens to Christ through a celebration of the liturgy with music and homily geared to young people. After the Mass are Life Nights, catechetical nights. It's a large group setting that takes them out of the classroom setting to interact with their peers to talk about their faith and experience it in prayer. Randy was a parish youth ministry in Marietta, Georgia. He started with 15 kids in his youth group and had built it up to 80 young people when a teen asked him about LifeTeen. The teen said his old parish in Arizona did LifeTeen and the kids in his old parish made Mass the top priority. He realized that they needed to do more to lead teens to Christ in the Mass. The teen kept bugging him until he went on a training conference for LifeTeen and kicked off the ministry with about 300 teens eight months later. It transformed the parish. Fr. Chris asked how the Eucharist and Mary play the primary roles in LifeTeen. Randy said we are seeking to fill the God-shaped hole in our lives. Whatever a teen is facing in their lives, bring them to the Eucharist. That's the centrality of our faith and of LifeTeen. It helps them to focus on Christ and helps them understand the Real Presence in the Eucharist. Once they realize that fact, it changes everything. Allowing the Blessed Mother to intercede for them and lead them to her Son, she points them only to her Son. Scot asked what specific things do they do to make the Real Presence real for them. The key is for the adult leaders, Core members, have to be having encounters with Christ themselves and believing it. It's a contagious environment. You give them space to experience Christ. Fr. Matt's first assignment as a priest was with St. Mary in Dedham which has a LifeTeen ministry. When he first arrived at the parish, the pastor talked to him at length about LifeTeen before anything else. The kids were excited to meet him as their new priest and couldn't wait to meet him. He felt ill equipped at the time, but the kids had a simple witness that led him to go deeper. The joy of his week was celebrating that Mass every week with the kids and their families. Randy said young people bringing their families back to the Church are an unplanned benefit to the ministry. There is a part of LifeTeen now that is called ParentLife. They even see teens bringing their parents on retreat and leading them to Eucharistic adoration. Fr. Matt said he can imagine asking where are all these kids and how do we get them in our church? What is it that gets them in the doors? Randy said young people are relational, so they need someone to look them in the eye and welcome them to Mass. The average young person needs to be asked five or six times. Scot asked if peers or adults are better askers, but Randy said it just has to be somebody authentic and real, who cares enough. Today teens are easier to approach than ever before and open to adults | 7/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0088: Monday, July 11, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Sr. Mary Corripio and Sr. Marietta Brown of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur * [Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur](http://www.sndden.org/) * [Vocation website](http://www.askansnd.org) **Today's topics:** Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur **Summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan are joined today by Sr. Mary and Sr. Marietta to discuss the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international religious order with strong roots in Boston ad a tradition of educating young women and the poor, serving them and bringing them the light of Christ. **1st segment:** Scot welcome Susan back to the show. He noted that she is co-hosting on Monday, not Thursday, because of her fondness for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She went to a Notre Dame Sisters high school. The sisters have many schools in Boston and have had a profound effect on the Archdiocese of Boston. Susan said St. Julie, the foundress, had a particular devotion to educating young women, especially poor women. Scot noted that his mom is 65 years old today. She is the number one fan of The Good Catholic Life. Scot welcomed Sr. Mary Corripio and Sr. Marietta Brown. Sr. Marietta grew up in Dorchester, as many Notre Dame sisters have. She went to public school until high school when she went to an SND high school. After school, she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame, which was the only congregation she knew. She attended Emmanuel College, Boston State, and Boston College. She taught in many towns around Boston and then was appointed as a principal in the Midwest then came back for a time. She later spent eight years in South Africa doing teacher training. She now works in a preschool in New Mexico on a Navajo reservation. Reaching out to the poor is one of the founding charisms of the congregation. It is incredible to see how the people remain joyful even in their struggles. Sr. Mary found the SND when she went to college. She grew up in Louisiana and wanted a Catholic women's education like she had in high school. She found Trinity College where she got the call. After college, she went to Japan to teach English for a year. After that, she went to Europe on a pilgrimage to figure out what she wanted to do. She ended up in the town where St. Julie was born in the 18th century. She met the Sisters of Notre Dame in the village and ended up staying there for a weekend. That was the beginning of her life with the order. Her first ministry was to work in the Archdiocese of Boston in the Office of Cultural Diversity. She said working working with immigrants is a big part of the ministry of the order. She now works in the vocations office for the order. In the US, they have five people working in vocation ministry in California, Ohio, New Mexico and the US. **2nd segment:** St. Julie Billiart came from a large family and was a very religious child attending church daily. She was recognized as an extraordinarily spiritual child and received the Eucharist at an earlier age than other children. At one point in her life, her dad was confronted with violence and she was so shocked by the incident that she was paralyzed. Nevertheless, she continued to educate young women in religious instruction from her sick bed. Even after her recovery she continued to impress others with her special faith. She was constantly heard to say in all circumstances, "God is good." When God gave her the vision to found the order, it was through the cross. She saw women in a particular habit joined in prayer around the cross. She saw the cross was not just suffering, but also joy. Sr. Marrietta said the physical cross was making her stronger spiritually because she had a strong trust in God's will. At the time in France, the government was persecuting the Church and she snuck into areas to bring religious instruction despite her handicap and military patrols on the lookout. In the cross we see the will of God. The cross is marking this | 7/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0087: Friday, July 8, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Joshua Phelps, Associate Director of Pastoral Planning for the Archdiocese of Boston * [Office of Pastoral Planning, Archdiocese of Boston](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Offices-And-Services/Office-Detail.aspx?id=1448) **Today's topics:** Why Catholics don't attend Mass and why they should **Summary of today's show:** Josh Phelps talks with Scot and Fr. Mark about the work of pastoral planning, part of which is looking at the reasons Catholics give for not attending Sunday Mass every week. Also, our hosts and guest look at this Sunday's Mass readings and how they relate to our need to respond to God's Word by being part of our parish community. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. Today's show will discuss why people make the decision not to attend Mass. Fr. Mark wondered if when people go on vacation they will bother to go to [MassTimes.org](http://www.masstimes.org) to find a local Mass. Scot welcomed Joshua Phelps to the show. He is a graduate of Boston College and worked previously as a Pastoral Associate at St. Patrick, Watertown before coming to work at the Archdiocese in the Pastoral Planning office. He and his wife have been married for five years and they have two children. A couple of years ago, their family was featured in an episode of the CatholicTV program "House+Home". <object width="539" height="303"><embed src="http://www.catholictv.com/_Flash/JWPLayer/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="539" height="303" flashvars="file=http://www.catholictv.com/VideoXML.aspx?vidID=823&repeat=list&fullscreen=true&controlbar=over&skin=http://www.catholictv.com/_Flash/JWPlayer/kleur.swf&enablejs=true&autostart=false"></embed></object> Josh said it's a surreal experience for people come up to them and say they saw them on TV. Josh worked previously in retail forecasting and moved to pastoral planning. Pastoral planning is a catch-all for helping parishes be the best they can be. It's their hope to help parishes work toward the mission of Christ. When an initiative like Catholics Come Home starts, while it's a project mainly of Faith Formation and Evangelization, it's near and dear to Pastoral Planning because they see the statistics regarding the Church in Boston. They see both the downward trends in some parishes and upward trends in others and then they dig down to find out why the differences are there. Josh said leadership, mission, and vision are incredibly important. Parishes that are seeing increases are those that take Sunday Eucharist very seriously and where people see the Eucharist as a very important part of their lives throughout the week. The mission is to live out the Gospel of Christ and build the kingdom of God in that parish. Parishes that take it seriously are the ones that see growth. Josh recently helped two parishes in Wayland to complete a merger. The parishes themselves initiated the merger between St. Ann and St. Zepherin to form one faith community as Good Shepherd Parish. It was a lot of work by a lot of people. As a result of the merge, people now say to their neighbors, "I didn't know you were Catholic," because went to different parishes. Fr. Mark said the merger isn't complete, but goes on for years. While being in the same town, they are very different communities and it needs leadership like that of the pastor, Fr. Laughlin, to facilitate that. Even though they were so different, they were able to come together in a process that both could embrace through proper planning and setting a reasonable timetable. Scot said parishes with very different cultures can come together fully. As the archdiocese continues to look at pastoral planning, this model will have great import for the future. Josh said every parish starts by asking what is in the best interest of the parish to move | 7/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0086: Thursday, July 7, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Fr. Roger's 2nd editorial on true pastoral care of those with same-sex attractions; a new priest for Fall River; a silver anniversary for an altar server; Fr. John Corapi **Summary of today's show:** Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry discuss the news of the week with Scot and Susan, including Fr. Roger's latest editorial battling common falsehoods about Catholic teaching on homosexuality; the first ordination of a priest for Fall River in two years; the silver anniversary of a very special altar server; and the troubling facts about Fr. John Corapi. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Susan back to the show asked how her week has been. She's been talking to pastors about new programs they're looking to start and using the slower summer to prepare for September. Today is Scot's anniversary. He and his wife were married in Mexico City 11 years ago and it was one of the first wedding Masses celebrated by his brother, Fr. Roger Landry. **2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcomed Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry back to the show. Scot said there will be plenty of coverage this week on the Mass that will be held at St. Cecilia's in Boston that has been in the news this week. Fr. Roger has dedicated his editorial in The Anchor in recent weeks to the bigger issues being discussed about the situation at St. Cecilia's. This week's editorial talks about what true Christian love is. * ["Loving in the Truth Those Involved in the Gay Lifestyle", Fr. Roger Landry, editorial, The Anchor, 7/8/11](http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=articles&articles=20110708anchor) Fr. Roger said it's clear that there is a real movement by those who want to have the gay idea of sexuality normalized in America that there are certain principles that go against the Church's teachings with regard to the human person. The Church needs to speak clearly about this to help people understand why and what and avoid confusion. The only adequate response to a person must be love, but it can't be a pale hospitality that doesn't call someone to communion with Christ in truth. He believes this is a critical moment for the Church to respond to moral heresies promoted by members of the gay agenda. He takes up three common falsehoods in this editorial. People said "What would Jesus do?" implying that Jesus would just embrace those in the gay movement without criticism. But Jesus really wants to help those with same-sex attraction to change, just like the woman caught in adultery. He protected her from violence and didn't condemn, but lovingly insisted she leave that lifestyle behind. The second is that the "acceptance" they ask for is on the level of their sexual attractions, but the Church wants to accept someone on the basis of who they are as God made them. True acceptance also involves recognizing that at the deepest level of their being, those with same-sex attractions are made in God’s image and likeness, and ordered ontologically as male or female toward sexual complementarity. Also, some with same-sex attraction don't make a distinction between accepting themselves and accepting their acts. Fr. Roger said we need to say that because we love them, we can't accept their behavior. Scot said this is the same for many of the teachings in the Church. God created us in a certain way and sent His only Son for us and the Holy Spirit to guide the Church to teach on moral matters. Susan said when we don't understand the why behind | 7/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0085: Wednesday, July 6, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Gabriel Delmonaco, National Director and Vice President for Development of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association in the United States * [Catholic Near East Welfare Association](http://www.cnewa.org) * [CNEWA on Twitter](http://www.twitter/CNEWA) * [CNEWA on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/CNEWA1926) * [Gabriel Delmonaco's blog](http://gabedelmonaco.wordpress.com/) * [Gabriel Delmonaco on Twitter](http://www.twitter,com/GabeDelmonaco) **Today's topics:** The Catholic Near East Welfare Association **Summary of today's show:** Gabriel Delmonaco talks with Scot and Fr. Matt about the work that the Catholic Near East Welfare Association does with Eastern-rite Catholics in North Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia, helping match sponsors who want to help with important projects for small Christian communities that are often in the minority and under pressure in their own countries. CNEWA helps fund healthcare for refugee mothers in Jordan, formation for seminarians in Egypt, schooling for deaf children in Bethlehem, and more, all under the mandate of Pope Benedict XVI. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show and asked him how his holiday weekend was. He spent time at a couple of different family parties and caught up with his family. Scot went to a bunch of cookouts on Friday and Saturday and then took his kids to the Boston fireworks on the Cambridge side of the Charles River. Yesterday, Fr. Matt was on CatholicTV's This is the Day program to promote the upcoming Witness to Truth high school leadership program next week. It's not too late for teens from all over the archdiocese to sign up, meet kids from all over, grow deeper in faith, and learn leadership skills that come from the book "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teenagers," by Sean Covey. It's coupled with the theological and cardinal virtues. Find out more at [the ONE website](http://www.one4boston.org) or their [Facebook page](http://www.facebook.com/one4boston) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=catholicnetrevie&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0684856093" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Gabriel Delmonaco to the show. He was born in Italy and he worked in the Vatican at the Congregation for the Eastern Churches. They take care of all the Catholic Eastern Churches around the world. In 1999, he came to Boston for a conference organized by Congregation for all the Eastern Churches in the English-speaking world. He met people from the Catholic Near East Welfare Association and was taken with their mission. He told his wife that he wanted to move to New York and work for CNEWA. Scot asked him about the Eastern Churches. Gabriel said there are the Byzantine, Syrian, Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian/Eritrean and Syro-Malankara. Some of these churches are directly linked to the apostles. Over the centuries there were many divisions in the Church, often over politics. The main division was between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. But over time many of these churches reunited with Rome. They are located primarily in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe. Scot said the Western Church has three or four rites, including the Latin-rite, the Ambrosian-rite (in Milan). What's different in these Eastern churches is the form of the Liturgy, but the commonalities are greater. When we talk about rite that's mainly about how we celebrate liturgy and pray. In the Latin-rite we have the Latin liturgy in both the ordinary (Novus Ordo) and extraordinary (Tridentine) forms. Gabriel said the Catholic Eastern-rites include anywhere that there are Catholic Eastern rite churches, such as i | 7/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0084: Tuesday, July 5, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Derek Borek, spiritual director at St. John Seminary * [St. John Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [Program of Priestly Formation, USCCB](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/ProgramforPriestlyFormation.pdf) * [Pastores Dabo Vobis](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_25031992_pastores-dabo-vobis_en.html) **Today's topics:** What is spiritual direction? Is it for everyone? **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Derek Borek joins Scot and Fr. Chris to talk about his work as spiritual director at St. John Seminary; to explain what spiritual direction is; how it is not just for priests and religious, but for all Christians seeking to deepen their relationship with the Lord; and how to go about finding a spiritual director. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show and asked him how his Fourth of July weekend was. They had a Mass at the seminary and Fr. Chris discovered that there are particular prayers for Independence Day. The Church acknowledges the good and prays for areas of growth. The prayers talk more about the nation and the work of the Holy Spirit uniting us together. Fr. Chris noted how people of diverse backgrounds are brought together on Independence Day. Scot said it was amazing how diverse the crowd was at Walden Pond in Concord, people speaking 10 or more languages. Growing up in Lowell, Scot heard from his Cambodian and Loatian classmates how precious America is to them. Fr. Chris was able to watch the fireworks from the roof of the rectory at Sacred Heart in East Boston. Scot watched the fireworks from Cambridge. Fr. Chris is getting ready to celebrate a Mass for the Missionaries of Charity on Thursday. They run a day camp for 50 or 50 young people, teaching them about the faith and Mother Teresa. The sisters provide a set of eyes and ears for the kids during the summer while their parents are working. Scot noted that today is his parents' 42nd anniversary. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Borek to the show. He asked him how came to his vocation. He hadn't really thought about the priesthood growing up. In high school, he was greatly influenced by a Protestant friend with whom he discussed faith. He challenged Fr. Derek about what he really believed. So he questioned what he believed and it was in college that he started to sense God's calling to the priesthood. He had a friend die suddenly in an accident and that made him step back and take stock. He became attentive to God's presence in his life. At U. Mass Lowell, he got involved in campus ministry and the chaplains had a great influence on him. After graduating he went to the seminary. Fr. Derek grew up in Quincy and went to public school all his life. There is a diversity in the seminarians who come from public and Catholic schools. His decision to enter seminary was a practical decision. While he'd felt the call for 4 years, he had been resistant. He had no loans to pay off, had no girlfriend, didn't have a job, or grad school lined, so he decided to take the chance and explore the option. Over the next five years, he grew in relationship with the Lord. Like many seminarians, he did not know for sure he had a vocation to the priesthood, but he was willing to discern that in the seminary. Seminary formation helps a man come to a greater understanding of the life and responsibilities of the priest and the best place to learn that is in the seminary. Fr. Chris said the faculty's job is to help men figure out what God wants them to do. Discernment comes from God, from the men, and from the Church and if all three are saying that there is a call, then there is a clear indication. That's an important part of the whole process. The men don't sign their life away by walking in the door. Fr. Chris said a seminarian told him that he wished every Christian man could enter the seminary because even if they don't become a priest they | 7/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0083: Monday, July 4, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Dr. John Garvey, president of Catholic University of America, and Domenico Bettinelli, creative director of the Office for New Media of the Archdiocese of Boston * [Catholic University of America](http://www.cua.edu) * [Office for New Media](http://www.pilotnewmedia.com) **Today's topics:** Catholics in new media; Catholic University of America **Summary of today's show:** Dom Bettinelli joins Scot to talk about new media and how the Church and all Catholics should engage the "digital continent," then Scot and John Garvey, president of Catholic University of America, discuss the link between virtue and the intellectual life and how that resulted in a decision to have single-sex dorms only. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes everyone to the show on this Independence Day holiday. He said Pope Benedict has focused in his recent addresses for World Communications Day on the need for each of us in the Catholic Church to embrace the "digital continent." That will be today's primary topic. He will also interview Dr. John Garvey on his first year as president of the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, as well as his recent decision to make all dorms at the university single sex. Scot welcomed Dom Bettinelli to the show. He's usually behind the scenes of the show, making these shownotes and maintaining the website, but now he's in front of the mike. * ["Social media: Friend or Foe, Google or Hornswoggle," presented by Bishop Ronald Herzog at the US bishops, Fall 2010](http://www.usccb.org/meetings/2010Fall/2010-address-social-media.shtml) * [Pope Benedict's message for the 43rd World Communications Day](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20090124_43rd-world-communications-day_en.html) * [Pope Benedict's message for the 44th World Communications Day](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20100124_44th-world-communications-day_en.html) * [Pope Benedict's message for the 45th World Communications Day](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20110124_45th-world-communications-day_en.html) * [Address by Pope Benedict to the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, 2009](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2009/october/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20091029_pccs_en.html) * [Address by Pope Benedict to the Congress on "Digital Witnesses: Faces and Languages in a Cross-Media Age," 2010](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2010/april/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20100424_testimoni-digitali_en.html) * [Address by Pope Benedict to the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/february/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110228_pccs_en.html) Ever since Scot has known Dom, which predates their working together, Dom has been one of the pioneers within the Boston archdiocese for the embracing of new technologies in terms of blogs, Facebook, and Twitter. Dom said is interest in the technology for using it to communicate the faith goes back many years to when he was a child. He was on the leading edge of the Internet and there's been something exciting about connecting to people far and wide throughout the world, to be present to one another even when not physically present. Dom's wife Melanie is also very involved in new media. Scot asked if they met online. They met at Mass during the sign of peace. Dom set up Melanie's first website when they were dating. It was a way for her to communicate with her students when she was teaching at Salem State College. Now he refers to her as the famous blogger in the family with a wide audience. Her blog is at [The Wine Dark Sea](http://www.thewinedarksea.com), which is a reference from Homer--the Greek, not the cartoon character. Sco | 7/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0082: Friday, July 1, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Jay Finelli, Pastor of the Church of the Holy Ghost in Tiverton, Rhode Island * [Church of the Holy Ghost, Tiverton, Rhode Island](http://www.holyghostcc.org/) * [iPadre](http://www.ipadre.net/) * [iPadre TV](http://www.ipadre.tv/) * [SQPN](http://www.sqpn.com) * [Steaming Priest](http://www.steamingpriest.com/) **Today's topics:** Fr. Jay Finelli, priest of the Diocese of Providence and the iPadre podcasting priest **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Jay Finelli **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. They discussed Fr. Mark's plans for the weekend and Scot shared his plans. His family is beginning a new family tradition with a sleepover in his brother's yard with all the kids. Scot's not big on the idea of sleeping outside. Scot asked Fr. Mark about the close of the fiscal year for the Metropolitan Tribunal. Today marks Fr. Mark working in the central administration for the past 10 years. He never imagined in seminary that he work so long outside of a parish. Two-thirds of his priesthood, 14 of 21 years, have been outside of parish ministry (including four years of canon law studies.) Today's guest, Fr. Jay Finelli, has a particular ministry, in addition to his parish work, working in podcasting and on the Internet. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Fr. Jay to the show. Fr. Jay is based in Tiverton, Rhode Island, which borders the Diocese of Fall River and he knows Scot's brother, Fr. Roger Landry in New Bedford. His parish is much closer to the Diocese of Fall River's cathedral than his own Diocese of Providence's cathedral. Fr. Jay was ordained in 1992. Before that, he went to Mass a child because his parents too him. He had friends who were involved in the charismatic renewal and when he got involved he started going to daily Mass. He started to think about becoming a deacon, then started to feel the tug of the priesthood. This was when he was about 18 years old. He waited about 3 years to begin the formal process of discernment. He'd gone into junior college and studying science, but then he decided to apply to the seminary in his diocese. At first they didn't think he would do well at the diocesan seminary academically. He went to Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell Connecticut. He met Franciscans from Kennebunk, Maine, and joined them for 7 years. When the Iron Curtain fell, the order decided to move to Lithuania, which he didn't want to do, so he left the community and went back to Providence, where he was incardinated. The Franciscans sent him to St. John Seminary and he graduated in 1991. He went to St. Matthew's in Cranston, Rhode Island. It was a big change to go from a large house of men his age to a rectory with just a couple of priests. After a year, he went to St. Gregory the Great, in Warwick, then St. Kevin in Warwick, which had the largest parochial school in the diocese. From there he went to the largest Portuguese-speaking parish in the diocese, St. Francis Xavier. The people there were on fire. At daily Mass, the singing of the people would blow off the roof. He doesn't know Portuguese, but he would read the prayers in Portuguese and he had a translator for the Gospel and his homily. In his current parish, there's still a sizable contingent of people of Portuguese background. Holy Ghost in Tiverton was his first pastorate and he's been there for 9 years. Scot asked him what it's like to have been there for 9 years, to see half-generation of family development there. It's awesome to baptize a child and then to give them First Communion a few years later. It gives him a new perspective. His first seminarian was 13 years old when Fr. Jay arrived and now he's just graduated from Providence College and is heading to Rome for seminary. He considers him his first "son." Scot asked what it's like to have someone he mentored to choose to enter the seminary. Fr. Jay said priests look at parishes as their fami | 7/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0081: Thursday, June 30, 2011 | **Listen to the show:** [Subscribe for free in iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-catholic-life/id425362545) **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Antonio Enrique, Editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Pope Benedict's 60th anniversary of ordination, he launches a Vatican news website with a tweet, and appoints a new archbishop of Milan; Fr. Roger's editorial on the Church's pastoral care of those with same-sex attraction; the US bishops issue a document on assisted suicide **Summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan are joined by Fr. Roger Landry and Antonio Enrique to discuss the news of the week, including Pope Benedict's 60 years as a priest; an historic papal tweet to launch a new website; a significant appointment of an archbishop; Fr. Roger's editorial on what being "welcoming" really means; and the US bishops' new policy on assisted suicide. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. They noted that Cardinal Seán gave Pastoral Center employees Friday off for the long weeked. The end of June is busy at the Pastoral Center to end the fiscal year and finish programs before the height of the summer period. This week, because the Pilot is on its two-week hiatus, news stories are from the Anchor and from Catholic News Service. Also, Greg Tracy is on vacation so his boss, Antonio Enrique, is here in his place. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Antonio to the show. Scot said it's great to have Antonio to have on the show finally. He's been the editor of the Pilot for 10 years. His first week was the week of September 11, 2001. The newspaper's offices were downtown in Boston. It was quite a hectic time as they reported on the events in relation to the Church. One of the big stories this week was Pope Benedict celebrating his 60th year as a priest. He gave a homily as the Mass of Sts. Peter and Paul where reflected on his 60 years. Fr. Roger celebrated his 12th anniversary on Sunday and he can't imagine how rich the experience of 5 times that many years would be. The Pope almost never preaches on the first person singular in his homilies. He recalls being frightened at his ordination when he realized Jesus would be using his own very being to forgive sins and bring the Body of Christ to others, that he was immersed in wonderment at being a priest and this continues to today. He also talked about what friendship with the Lord means and led a public examination of conscience by asking us whether we make the commitment back to Jesus that Jesus makes to us. He also applied the image of how great wine is made with sunshine and rain and crushing of grapes and fermenting to his own experiences in life of joy and suffering. * ["Pope marks 60 years as a priest, bestows palliums on archbishops," CNS, 6/29/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1102591.htm) Scot was struck by the Pope saying that this calling of the priest to friendship with God is "so awe-inspiring that one can feel daunted as the decades go by amid so many experiences of one's own frailty and his inexhaustible goodness," he said. Susan noted that the Holy Father connected the pallium that was being imposed upon new archbishops at the Mass with this Sunday's Gospel on the yoke of Christ. * ["Papal tweet launches news portal," Zenit, 6/28/11](http://www.zenit.org/article-32956?l=english) * ["Vatican to launch web portal that streamlines print, TV, online news," CNS, 6/27/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1102562.htm) * [News.Va](http://www.news.va/en) On Tu | 6/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0080: Wednesday, June 29, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, founder and CEO of the Star Quest Production Network * [SQPN](http://www.sqpn.com) * [Catholic New Media Celebration](http://cnmc.sqpn.com) * [Catholic Media Guild](http://www.catholicmediaguild.com/) * [Father Roderick on Twitter](http://www.twitter.com/FatherRoderick) **Today's topics:** Dutch priest Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, a leader in Catholic new media, on his vocation as a priest and media evangelist **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Roderick Vonhögen, a Dutch priest who is a leader in Catholic new media, joined Scot and Fr. Matt to discuss how he discerned his vocation to the priesthood as a Dutch teen at Lourdes, and how Star Wars and the isolation of his first pastoral assignment led to the creation of the premier Catholic new media apostolate in the world, SQPN. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. Fr. Matt said this past weekend he was in Billerica for a young adult retreat, "Life is Good in the Holy Spirit" and then on Monday for the youth harbor cruise. The retreat is about moving deeper into the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we received at baptism and confirmation. In the middle of July they have their [Witness to Truth](http://www.one4boston.org/witness-to-truth) high school leadership institute and in August the [Witness to Hope](http://www.one4boston.org/witness-to-hope) middle school leadership institute. Institute is a misnomer because it's really a lot of fun. It's about getting to meet peers from all over the Archdiocese while going deeper into their faith. For the high school institute, they marry Steven Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" to elements of the faith. Today is the 60th anniversary of Pope Benedict's ordination and in Rome is the special celebration of the imposition of the pallium on new archbishops of the past year. Today is also Cardinal Seán's birthday. Wish him happy birthday tonight at the Cathedral during a Holy Hour in honor of Pope Benedict's ordination. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Fr. Roderick Vonhögen to show. He is a priest of the Archdiocese of Utrecht, the Netherlands and CEO of SQPN. Some of our listeners may have met Fr. Roderick last year at the Catholic New Media Celebration here in Boston. Scot asked him about his journey to the priesthood. He never thought of himself as a priest as a child. He didn't think of it as a glamorous or exciting life. He wanted to travel the world and experience new things. He's always worked in media. As a child, he and his brother bought one of the first consumer computers on the market. When he was about 17 years old, he was one of the few young people going to church on Sundays and remembered fierce debates with his classmates. At the time, Pope John Paul II came to visit the Netherlands and it was a disastrous visit because, basically, he wasn't welcomed. The criticism of the Church made him ask, if the Church was so outdated, why had it lasted for 2,000 years. So he started to study his faith and began to see the beauty and truth of the Church.He began to conclude that if faith was so important, he started to feel the pull of prayer and didn't know how to do it. His father gave him an abbreviated version of the Breviary and he began to pray during the day. That's when God saw the door open and Fr. Roderick felt God pulling him. He began to ask God to show him that God is real in order for his life to be changed and God took that invitation. His parents became concerned he was praying so much because it was so atypical. His parents were regular parishioners, but they were not welcoming to the idea of the priesthood for him because it was so counter-cultural. They did send him on a weeklong youth conference at Lourdes, France, and that was such an amazing experience, kind of like world Youth Day. There were 50,000 youth there and he finally found lots of young people like | 6/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0079: Tuesday, June 28, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Edward Riley, Director of Pastoral Formation and Dean of Men at St. John Seminary * [St. John Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [World Apostolate of Fatima](http://www.wafusa.org/) * [Home School Ministry of the Archdiocese](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/HomeSchoolMinistry.aspx) **Today's topics:** Fr. Ed Riley's vocation story and ministry to the seminarians of the Archdiocese and many more **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Ed Riley shared with Scot and Fr. Chris how his path to the priesthood took him through Appalachia, and what his various duties entail, including Dean of Men and Director of Pastoral Formation at St. John Seminary and the Master of Arts in Ministry and Cardinal Seán's liaison to home schooling families **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris back to the show. Fr. Chris went to Omaha this week to the Institute for Priestly Formation. There are now 175 seminarians spending 10 weeks in Omaha, where's not much to do but pray and reflect. There are 7 or 8 men from Boston there. Fr. Chris mentioned the terrible Midwestern flooding affecting the area. They studied all four pillars of formation: spiritual, intellectual, pastoral, and human. Cardinal Sean is very keen on this program because it integrates the four pillars. The men come back excited that they learned to pray with Ignatian spirituality, which is helpful for diocesan priests who are active in the world, as well as the camaraderie with the 175 men from all over the United States. He's also hoping to welcome 21 new men to the seminary this fall. It looks great for the seminary and the archdiocese. Scot wanted to go back to "praying like St. Ignatius". Fr. Chris said it's going deeper with the Scripture, taking a passage, praying with it, reflecting on it, imagining yourself in the scene, and then asking what the Lord is saying to you. In the seminary they are so busy, that it was great to be able to share time with the seminarians one on one in Omaha. Fr. Ed Riley is on the program today, and he is the Dean of Men. His job is to "crack the whip" and make sure the men are doing what they should be doing when they should be doing it and being "bad cop" to Fr. Chris' "good cop." **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Ed. Scot asked him how he first experienced God's calling to the priesthood. He didn't hear until his late 20s, when he was living in Kentucky, working with a diocesan priest establishing the Christian Appalachian Project. He witnessed his life as a priest, his desire to serve, his love for the people. That was Fr. Ed's encouragement. In hindsight, he realizes the Lord had been calling him for a long time. After college, Fr. Ed was an accountant at a top five firm. He graduated from Boston College in 1984, he worked for Arthur Anderson. He had great opportunities for a career, but after 6 years, he realized something was missing, that there should be something more. He went to the parochial vicar at his own parish at St. John's, Wellesley, Fr. Joe Driscoll, and asked him about it. Fr. Driscoll told him to pray actively and to listen, and then he said he should try to hear the voice of the Lord. He felt the Lord calling him to work with young people so he went to work in Franciscan Children's Hospital. In the late 1980s, he was laid off from his job and so he became more involved at Franciscan Children's Hospital as a full-time volunteer. He says he never knew how many Catholics worked at his firm until he was leaving although he had worked with them for years. A lot of them were active Catholics in their parishes, but it never came up until he was leaving and it came up that he was going to be a volunteer. After a year, he felt his call was to help disabled adults get into the workforce. This was at the time that the Americans with Disability Act was coming into force. He decided to spend some time away and then come back and work for disabled adults | 6/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0078: Monday, June 27, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Father Paul O'Brien, Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Lawrence * [St. Patrick Parish, Lawrence](http://www.saintpatrickparish.com) * [Cor Unum](http://www.corunummealcenter.org/) * [Labels Are For Jars](http://www.labelsareforjars.org/index.html ) * [Lawrence Catholic Academy](http://www.lawrencecatholicacademy.org/) * ["Scenes from A Parish" PBS documentary](http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/scenes-from-a-parish/film.html) **Today's topics:** The work of Fr. Paul O'Brien in one of the poorest city in Massachusetts **Summary of today's show:** Fr. Paul O'Brien joins Scot Landry to discuss the work of the Church in Lawrence, the poorest city in Massachusetts, providing innovative and successful answers to the problems plaguing the community, including the Cor Unum Meal Center, the Labels Are For Jars program, and Lawrence Catholic Academy. **1st segment:** Scot said Cardinal Seán in his pastoral letter this month praised the Church in Boston for how she does the corporal works of mercy and encouraged the Church to do better at the spiritual works of mercy. Scot said St. Patrick Parish in Lawrence is one of the best examples. He welcomed Fr. Paul O'Brien, pastor for the parish, to the show. Scot noted that Fr. Paul was ordained in 1991, 20 years ago last week. Fr. Paul said he experienced the call to the priesthood out of the blue at a Mass during his freshman year in college. He believes God had been calling him, but he wasn't paying attention. He heard the call specifically to the diocesan priesthood, despite he had grown up in a Jesuit parish. Starting from that Mass, for the next couple of years, the feeling didn't go away and he knew it was a real call. By the end of college, he decided to enter seminary to discern. He went to St. John's Seminary for one year of pre-theology and then to the Pontifical North American College for five years in Rome. Fr. Paul said he received a good education in theology and philosophy. The formation program allowed him to serve in Rome and then in different parts of the world during the long summer breaks. He did in-depth pastoral work in different settings. He worked in Calcutta with Mother Teresa, in Hungary with her sisters, and in East Germany. He was able to visit many other places and understood how God's kingdom unfolds in places than Boston. Mother Teresa's view of the world has affected his priesthood very profoundly. She knew him and his limitations very well, and Fr. Paul said she helped him to break through selfishness and see people the way Christ sees them. Fr. Paul attended Mt Alvernia Academy in Chestnut Hill, which was the best Catholic education. He attended public and secular schools from then. That education was the formational foundation for his early life. Fr. Paul said his call was unusual compared to his peers in seminary. He believes they had better skills at listening to God in prayer, as opposed to talking at God. He has a Scripture-based spirituality, which allows him to reflect on the Word of God and sit in his presence, to ask Him what He is saying to Him. He does hear God speaking to him about himself and the world through Scripture. **2nd segment:** Fr. Paul said his first assignment was in Concord, Mass., at St. Bernard's Parish. He was Secretary for Pastoral Services of the Archdiocese for 3 years in 1996 and administrator of St. Lawrence Parish in Chestnut Hill. He also lived at St. James in Chinatown. He became Pastor at St. Patrick in Lawrence 10 years ago. When at the Archdiocese he also planned Pilgrimage 2000 in the year 2000, which began with an event at Foxboro Stadium and ended with an event at Fenway Park. His current assignment is in Lawrence, the economically poorest community in Massachusetts. It's 70% Hispanic. About 75% of children are born to women who are not married. The average per capita income is $16,000 and a third of people live below the poverty line. About 80 | 6/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0077: Friday, June 24, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Daniel Hennessey, Director of the Office of Vocations for the Archdiocese of Boston * [Office of Vocations](http://www.vocationsboston.org) **Today's topics:** Fr. Dan Hennessey and the work of the Vocations Office; Feast of Corpus Christi Mass readings **Summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Mark talk with Fr. Dan Hennessey about his call to the priesthood, his work as director of vocations, what it was like to be ordained at the height of the sex-abuse scandal, and the incredible number of men entering seminary in the fall. Also, a discussion of the Mass readings for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on Sunday. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. Fr. Mark said he's been running all week so it's good to have this time to pause and talk about bigger issues. There's lots happening at the Tribunal, trying to conclude the fiscal year on June 30. There have been many meetings including Archdiocesan Pastoral Council, Presbyteral Council, the Cardinal's Cabinet, and there's been very good attendance. Today, there's another priest of the archdiocese to talk about his call to the priesthood and his ministry. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Fr. Dan to the show. Fr. Dan was one of the first broadcasts of The Good Catholic Life and he there wasn't enough time to talk about his journey to the priesthood. He grew up in Andover and went to St. Michael Parish in North Andover. He went o Central Catholic high school in Lawrence. He went to Merrimac College for a couple of years, but left halfway through to figure out what he wanted to do. He eventually went back and got a degree in biochemistry. He worked for a year and then entered St. John's Seminary. Scot asked him when he first experienced a call to the priesthood. Fr. Dan said it wasn't until high school or college that he realized that he'd been thinking about since he was a young boy. He clearly recalls the first time he thought about it during a First Friday Mass in the 3rd grade. Fr. Mark asked where were the angels from on high telling him what to do. Fr. Dan said obviously it doesn't happen in most circumstances. The majority of the men in seminary go in and are not sure God is calling them. They think God may be calling and go in to discern whether that is true. Fr. Dan didn't become convinced that it was his vocation until the second or third year in the seminary. He said he didn't have any particular priest as a role model. It was his parents' example in their love for the Eucharist and the sacraments and their teaching him to listen to God calling him. As he was discerning entering the seminary after college, he did have a couple of priests who did give him good guidance. One encouraged him to pray as the most important step. Scot noted that Augustinians served in his high school and college. Did Fr. Dan always know he would enter the diocesan priesthood or did he consider the religious life? He said he didn't understand the distinctions at the time and so he just went to a parish priest who directed him to the vocations director for the Archdiocese. Fr. Mark pointed out that while they planned to be parish priests as diocesan priests, they are not in parishes. Fr. Dan said he still gets to be in parishes very often, which is a blessing. Fr. Dan was ordained May 25, 2002, just as the scandal broke. Fr. Dan said it was interesting to be ordained that year. It required the men in seminary and being newly ordained to reiterate that they have a true appreciation for the priesthood. He was also struck by the idea of the priest as an instrument of healing and reconciliation. Before his present assignment, he was at St. Bridget's in South Boston. About three months after that, he also gained the responsibility for FGate of Heaven in South Boston. He was there for two years and moved to the Vocations' Office half-time. The next year he went to the Vocations Office f | 6/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0076: Thursday, June 23, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Fr. John Corapi; Cardinal Sean on St. Cecilia's confusion; praying for more local saints; adoration as a remedy **Summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan Abbott talk with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy about Cardinal Seán's latest statement on the controversy at St. Cecilia's parish in Boston; Fr. John Corapi's decision to leave active priestly ministry; a call for more devotion to local potential saints; and Pope Benedict's remedy for secularism and idolatry. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan back to the show. This past weekend, Susan was able to spend time with her son, his wife, and their baby who were in town visiting. They're expecting again in October and she'll go out to visit them. She has four children, six grandchildren with one on the way. She's also teaching a course on catechetical methods in West Concord that ends tonight. It's a great group of people, she said. Scot said the end of June is a busy time at the Pastoral Center, with a lot of regular committees meeting for the last over the summer. The Presbyteral Council met today with a discussion of the results of the Catholics Come Home campaign. **2nd segment:**vScot welcomes Fr. Roger and Gregory back to the program. Fr. john Corapi is one of the most recognized priests in the United States. He has decided to end his priestly ministry. Gregory was quite surprised. He first heard about it in Corapi's YouTube video. He expressed a lot of frustration at the investigation of allegations against him would take too long, that certain people in the Church wanted him gone. Scot said it was certainly his decision to stop exercising his priestly ministry. * ["Fr. Corapi announces he's leaving the priesthood," CNA/EWTN News, 6/18/11](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/fr.-corapi-announces-hes-leaving-the-priesthood/) * ["Order 'saddened' by Father Corapi's decision to leave priesthood," The Pilot, 6/23/11](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13476) * ["Fr. Corapi's Bombshell," CNA/EWTN News, 6/20/11](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/father-corapis-bombshell/) Susan said she knows he has a large ministry and many people credit him for their return to the faith. She was concerned that stories said the process of clearing his name was too sluggish. She knows of other priests under investigation in Boston who have lingered for years while investigations of allegations proceeded. Many waited for years while their innocence was proven. Scot was surprised that Corapi only waited for 3 months before quitting. He was stunned because he too had heard so much about Corapi's influence on people's faith. Fr. Roger said he was saddened and was moved to pray for him. He said that Fr. Corapu is violating many of the pricniples that attracted people to his ministry in the first place, including his strong masculine approach to the Christian life, manning up in difficult circumstances. When the going's getting tough, he's leaving the greatest gift that he has. The Father Corapi that so many people know would never have given up his vocation. It's a sure sign of spiritual desolation. He said that priests under investigation often don't want to get back just their name, but also to be able to minister with their people with the sacraments. Fr. Corapi said that this part of his priesthood was only 10 percent of his ministry in recent years, which is already a sign of problems. It's akin to a husband in a divorce saying that bec | 6/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0075: Wednesday, June 22, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Chip Hines, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham, and co-host of CatholicTV's "Spotlight" * [St. Thomas More](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14689c.htm) * [St. John Fisher](http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08462b.htm) **Today's topics:** St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher **Summary of today's show:** Scot, Fr. Matt, and Fr. Chip Hines commemorate the feast day of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher by discussing their martyrdom, especially in light of the movie of More's life, "A Man for All Seasons." They also discuss how More shows Catholics today how to be authentic witness with regard to politics and public life. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Matt back to the show. Fr. Matt is preparing a young adult retreat this weekend at St. Thecla's in Billerica called "Life is Good in the Holy Spirit." The young adults always come back strengthened in their faith. There are specific talks that build up to praying for the release of the Holy Spirit in a new way in their life. They also have Adoration, Mass, Confession, small group discussion, and plenty of fellowship. There are about 12 different team members running the weekend. On today's show, this is the feast of St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, Catholics who were beheaded for standing up for the Catholic faith against King Henry VIII, who was leading the Church of England away from the Church. Thomas More is one of Scot's favorite saints. Fr. Matt said they help us to understand what it's like to live as a Catholic in this world. Scot said the 1966 movie "A Man for All Seasons" is a good way to enter into the life of St. Thomas More. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip back to the show. He's been very busy at St. Mary in Wrentham with preparations for parish activities throughout the summer. With regard to the movie "A Man for All Seasons", Fr. Chip said that it's in his top-five movies of all time. It's a classic and there's nothing bad you can say about this movie. It's engaging with great performances. Scot said St. Thomas More was being pressured by King Henry VIII to accede to his wishes, to say that he was the supreme head of the church in England, and not the Pope. Many other leaders in England knuckled under to the pressure, but St. Thomas More resisted because of his faith. He is a model of courage under adversity. Fr. Chip said if you want to show this value to somebody, this movie is a perfect example. Thomas More did not waver in the end. Fr. Chip said he did not become heroic overnight, but throughout his whole life, while this movie gives a snippet of that. It's a great image of what it means to be a Catholic in public life.. The movie starts a few years before he became chancellor of England. He was a tremendous intellect and a lawyer. Fr. Matt said he loved his family and was a devoted father. He was deeply faith-filled and wasn't afraid to let that affect his professional life. He was a judge who had a reputation for efficiency in adjudicating cases. Fr. Chip said he was known for his honesty as well. He couldn't be bribed. Leading a heroic Catholic life, you need to be true to yourself and your faith and to God. He was a prolific writer as well. Fr. Chip said being a good father figure was important to him. He even insisted that his daughters receive a good classical education. He was born in 1477 and died on July 6, 1535, beheaded at the order of King Henry VIII. St. John Fisher was martyred on June 22, 1535. He was a bishop, the only one who did not sign the oath that King Henry VIII was demanding. They were beatified on the same day and canonized on the same day. They are heroes for standing up for their faith in the face of intense pressure. **3rd segment:** Scot said "A Man for All Seasons" was one of the first movies on virtue and courage he'd seen. <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg | 6/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0074: Tuesday, June 21, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Sister Marian Batho, Delegate for Religious of the Archdiocese of Boston * [Sisters of Saint Joseph](http://www.csjboston.org/) * [Delegate for Religious office](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/DelegateForReligious.aspx) * ["Journeying Together: Congregations of Women and Men Religious in the Archdiocese of Boston 1808-2008"](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/uploadedFiles/BostonCatholicorg/Offices_And_Services/Offices/Sub_Pages/Vocations/Journeying_Together.pdf) * [NRVC/CARA 2009 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life](http://nrvc.net/study_overview/?return_url=study_overview) **Today's topics:** The contribution of religious orders to the Archdiocese of Boston **Summary of today's show:** Sr. Marian Batho joined Scot and Fr. Chris to discuss the link between the health of religious communities and the health of the Church. Also how one discerns a call to religious life, her work as Delegate for Religious in Boston, the history of religious orders in Boston, the Sisters of St. Joseph, and the future of religious communities. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. Today marks the first day of summer. Tomorrow, Fr. Chris is heading to Omaha to Creighton University to visit with seminarians spending time this summer at an institute for priestly formation. They are learning [Ignatian spirituality](http://ignatianspirituality.com/). Scot noted that EWTN's program [Faith and Culture](http://www.ewtn.com/series/shows/faithAndCulture/faithAndCulture.html) with Colleen Carroll Campbell was at St. John's Seminary over the weekend filming about 10 episodes with local Bostonians. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Sr. Marian to the show. Scot asked her about call to the religious life. From when she was 8 years old, she began to think about being a sister. She liked to go into the chapels of religious communities in her neighborhood, including Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and the Columban Sisters. She went to Boston public schools, but for college went to Regis College, which is run by the Sisters of St. Joseph and she fell in love with the order. Their commitment to the students touched her. She's loved classical music since she was a child and her music teacher, Sr. Margaret William McCarthy, was instrumental in helping her in college. She was a witness of love for her vocation. Several years after graduating, Sr. Marian entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. In between, she was engaged to be married, but she felt God call her to a different path. She also had a Master's degree in finance before entering religious life. She had been on a career track through the financial services industry, particularly insurance. But in 1976, she entered religious life. Fr. Chris said Sr. Marian also works as the Cardinal's representative to the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council as well as assisting couples with marriage preparation in a local parish. She said she finds it a great blessing to work in the Pastoral Center and work for the Archdiocese for nearly 14 years. She's been the Delegate for Religious for almost 10 years and is able to meet with men and women religious nearly every day, which continues to inspire her. The Archdiocesan Pastoral Council is a consultative body to Cardinal Seán. It's like a parish's pastoral council. Cardinal Seán meets with them to seek their advice on various pastoral issues facing the Archdiocese. It includes two pastors, two deacons, a religious sister, a religious brother, and lay representatives from the various regions of the archdiocese as recommended by local pastors. As Delegate for Religious, Sr. Marian is liaison between Cardinal Seán and over 2,000 religious in Boston, as well as consecrated virgins, hermits, and men and women in discernment. She calls herself the vocation concierge. Sr. Marian gets four or five calls per month from people looking for more information. Th | 6/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0073: Monday, June 20, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Jim Stenson, author and educator * [Jim's website: ParentLeadership.com](http://www.parentleadership.com) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0933932979" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1594170002" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1889334375" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> * [Father, The Family Protector](http://www.scepterpublishers.org/product/index.php?FULL=297) **Today's topics:** Being a successful husband and father; raising children **A summary of today's show:** Jim Stenson talks with Scot on the day after Father's Day about the qualities of the successful father and husband gleaned from his decades of serving and observing families, including the 4 ways that a dad's role is that of protector and the 12 pieces of essential advice for fathers. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes author and educator Jim Stenson to the show. Scot was surprised while reading Jim's books to learn that Jim is not a father himself, but he's captured so much wisdom in terms of what makes successful fathers and husbands. Jim has been a numerary member of Opus Dei since he was 18 years old and has helped started two schools, one in Washington DC and another in Chicago. He was director of the school in Chicago for 12 years. One of the principles of schools that Opus Dei tries to foster is that the people who benefit the most from the schools is the parents because parents do most of the work in raising the children. Their job is to reinforce what the parents do at home. He became interested in the dynamics of the family and has studied hundreds of families. Over the years he found in families do a good job in that they raised adults, not children. What he learned, he put into his books and into his talks to parents. He's been giving conferences since 1989 all over the world. He's written three books. His website is parentleadership.com. Jim started when he saw so many social changes take place in the family over the last several decades. For example, the father works outside the family and the children almost never see him. He saw this as a significant fact. What he tried to do was learn as much as he could and provide a job description. Increasingly he saw the role of the father as very important and misunderstood. A lot of fathers weren't sure of what their role is in their family. Too often children see their father come home and veg out in front of the TV or the computer and there's not much interaction. There isn't much to emulate. Children learn character and virtues by imitating people they admire. You don't teach virtue with lectures and talks, but by example. People in the learned wisdom by watching the father be active around the house or the farm or the shop or workshop or other family business. Too often kids just see their father in his leisure time. Jim said the less the father does to provide leadership in his family, the more the burden falls on the mother and if she works outside the home then there's a vacuum in the children's formation. Formation is everything you say and do so your children don't grow up to be the se | 6/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0072: Friday, June 17, 2011 | Full show notes for today's program will be available on Monday. Thank you for your patience. Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Father Mark O'Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. Joseph Mozer, Judge at the Metropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Fr. Mozer, his work at the Metropolitan Tribunal; misconceptions about Declarations of Nullity; the Gospel readings for The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. A summary of today’s show: Scot and Father Mark O'Connell 1st segment: Scot and Father Mark welcomed Msgr. Robert P. Deeley as the new Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia as of September 1st. Before Msgr. Deeley went to work in Rome, he worked in the Metropolitan Tribunal here in the Archdiocese of Boston. Father Mark said that having Canonical training will be a good influence on Msgr. Deeley's leadership style in such a key office to the Archdiocese. Father Mark also highlighted that having good connections in Rome and a worldwide perspective on the Catholic Church will be a great help to Boston. Pilot news story about Msgr. Deeley's appointment to the position of Vicar General and Moderator of the CuriaMetropolitan Tribunal for the Archdiocese of Boston Website 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Father Joseph Mozer, a Canon lawyer and Judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal. Father Joe explained that he first heard the call to be a priest in his teens, reenforced by time spent with the Neumann Club and Catholic Center at UMass Amherst. He explained his membership in what was nicknamed the "CCC" - the "Confused Catholics Club," made up of students who were considering vocations in to the religious life, working as a volunteer, and to the married life. Father Joe said that experiencing his own parents' divorce, declaration of nullity, and remarriage helps him understand the situations that he works with in the Tribunal, as well as his outside work with Catholic Engaged Encounter. 3rd segment: Father Joe spoke about his work with Catholic Engaged Encounter, a program that prepares couples for marriage. The program uses techniques from the Marriage Encounter program, especially one called dialoguing that encourages discussion between the couple about issues they may face in the future of their relationship. Father Joe said he became involved in the program when he attended a weekend to more accurately recommend it to couples asking him about marriage preparation programs. Scot also highlighted Father Joe's favorite hobby - motorcycle riding. Father Joe explained that he first started riding as a family activity with his mother and stepfather, and enjoyed it so much that he got his own bike. He was at Bike Week in Laconia, New Hampshire on Wednesday and said that riding is his favorite way to de-stress and enjoy the road. He rides his motorcycle to work at the Pastoral Center when weather permits. Scot asked Father Mark about his hobbies, and Father Mark said he goes golfing and enjoys spending time with his friend Father Soper. Scot asked Father Joe to describe what is commonly known as an Annulment, but is known in the Church as a declaration of nullity. Father Joe explained that the crux of a valid marriage is the willingness and ability of both spouses to enter into the partnership of the whole of life that the Church understands as marriage. He explained that a Judge in the Tribunal reviews evidence presented in Declaration of Nullity cases to determine whether a marriage is valid. Catholic Engaged Encounter in BostonMore information about Declarations of Nullity 4th segment: Father Mark, Father Joe, and Scot discussed the Old Testament and Gospel readings for this upcoming Sunday. Old Testament (First Reading) for Trinity Sunday (Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9)Early in the morning Moses went up to Mount SinaiAs the LORD had commanded him,taking along the two stone tablets. Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses thereand p | 6/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0071: Thursday, June 16, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** New vicar general for Boston; St. Cecilia, Boston, controversy; crisis in Fatherhood; Catholic U returns to single-sex dorms **A summary of today's show:** Our usual Thursday panel discusses the Bruins' winning the Stanley Cup; Msgr. Bob Deeley's appointment as vicar general and moderator of the curia; the controversy at St. Cecilia's in Boston and homosexuality; crisis in fatherhood; and single-sex dorms at Catholic U. **1st segment:** Scot admits staying up too late for the Bruins win in the Stanley Cup. He welcomes Fr. Roger Landry, Susan Abbott, and Gregory Tracy to the show. Scot said it's amazing to him that with all the talk of a Patriots dynasty that now they have the longest drought of championships in Boston sports. Fr. Roger said he watched the game with the whole communion of saints. Fr. Roger said Bruins goalie is one of the best athletes to listen to and watch. He's un-cliched, gives everything he's thinking, doesn't say the typical things athletes will. Susan said she had a class in Concord and was convinced no one would show, but people did come. She did ask anyone in the class who could keep up with the score to keep everyone in the loop. The panel reminisced on great moments from the game. Scot is looking forward to the Bruins rolling rally on Saturday and has promised his kids they could go. **2nd segment:** On Tuesday, Cardinal Seán announced that he is naming a new vicar general and moderator of the curia. Msgr. Robert P. Deeley has been serving for the last 7 years in the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Before that he was a pastor in Quincy and judicial vicar for the archdiocese. Our current vicar general, Fr. Richard Erickson, will be granted a sabbatical in Rome, after which he will return to Boston for a new assignment. * [Archdiocesan press release on appointment of new vicar general](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=20726) * [2005 Pilot profile of Msgr. Deeley on his appointment to the Vatican](http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=1757) * [Canon Law Society of America](http://www.clsa.org/) Fr. Roger knows Msgr. Deeley. He first met him many years when the Mass. Catholic Conference brought some priests together for a program to defend marriage against the re-defintions that were being attempted. He was very impressed by his clear thinking, his hard work, and how thoroughly imbued with the teaching of the Church he is. He's also very funny. He also has a skill set for the tasks of vicar general that complements the skill set of the Cardinal. Susan took a semester course in canon law with Msgr. Deeley when she was working in a parish. She echoed Fr. Roger's comments. She's sad to see Fr. Rich leave, but thrilled for his new opportunity. Scot said the appointment of vicar general is a big deal. Gregory said vicar general and moderator of the curia is a long title. Both titles are important. The vicar general is someone empowered by the local bishop, the Ordinary, to fulfill his mandates for a particular purpose. All of the auxiliary bishops are vicars general too. The moderator of the curia oversees the central administration of the archdiocese. He is the real intermediary between the bishop and those who work for him. Scot said he has a personal connection with Msgr. Deeley. The local Serra organization has an Adopt-a-Priest program for families to be assigned priests to pray for every day. The ass | 6/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0070: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Michael Harrington, director of Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity; Lorna DesRoses, director of Black Catholic Ministries; Maria Bain, station manager of WQOM * [Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity](http://catholicculturaldiversity.com/) * [Deaf Apostolate of the Archdiocese of Boston](http://catholicculturaldiversity.com/) * [Catholic Family Festival](http://catholicculturaldiversity.com/catholicfamilyfestival/) **Today's topics:** Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity; Catholic Family Festival; WQOM updates **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Mike Harrington and Lorna DesRoses tell Scot and Fr. Matt about the cultural diversity of Boston (for example, there are 27 different ethnic groups in the archdiocese; the largest Brazilian community outside Brazil is in Boston) as well as the upcoming Catholic Family Festival on June 25. Marian Bain also updates on the latest news from WQOM. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Mat, who is returning from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, where he was visiting a friend who knew from seminary. He entered more deeply into the Cajun experience. On the last night of his trip, they went out to dinner where he tried turtle soup and fried alligator, all of which he thought was very good. Fr. Matt said the final game of the Stanley Cup is tonight and he has a wager with the head of youth ministry in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Fr. Matt is wagering New England clam chowder and baked beans and they're offering British Columbia smoked salmon and some Canadian bacon. Cardinal Seán and Archbishop Miller also have a wager. Fr. Matt said his friend's child was baptized Sunday on the Feast of Pentecost, which couldn't have been better timing. The night before they went to a Cajun festival with music and dancing. His friend told him about [Charlene Richard](http://www.charlenerichard.net/), who died in 1959 from Leukemia, who is called the Little Cajun saint. She offered all of her suffering for others and was known for being devoted to the Blessed Mother. There have been miracles attributed to prayers said at her tomb. Fr. Matt said they visited the tomb to sing and praise God. As they prayed, a wind kicked up to cool them off the rest of the evening from the 99-degree, 100-percent humidity weather. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mike and Lorna to the show. Scot said the Office of Cultural Diversity is the broadest ministry in the Pastoral Center. Fr. Mike said they do outreach to 27 different ethnic communities throughout the Archdiocese, from very large communities like Brazilians to very small like Japanese and some Middle Eastern. Lorna said Mass is celebrated in more than 25 different languages each Sunday. Fr. Mike started in the office last year and Lorna has worked in the office for 7 years. Scot said there are many ministries in the archdiocese that reach out to people just in English and Fr. Mike's small staff offers the same services to 27 different communities. Fr. Mike said there are rewards and joys in reaching out to these communities, which are not on the fringe, but are at the heart of the life of the Church in this archdiocese. As an example, he works with 16 different Brazilian communities to connect them to marriage prep, youth and young adult events, conferences, sacramental preparations, Masses in their languages, and other ways. On June 25, the Office is hosting the Catholic Family Festival at Malden Catholic High School from noon to 7pm. It will include a cultural gala involving 14 communities performing and singing. There will be time for families to let their kids play in various games. There will be a procession of nations, Mass with Cardinal Seán, and a international food festival. Fr. Mike said the cultural gala will honor Blessed Pope John Paul II through native song and dance from Brazil, Kenya, Vietnam, and all other parts of the world that the Holy Father w | 6/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0069: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry andFr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Deacon Jim Greer, Director of Health Care Ministry and Director of Prison Ministry for the Archdiocese of Boston * [Health Care Ministry](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/HealthCareMinistry.aspx) * [Prison Ministry](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/PrisonMinistry.aspx) * ["'You are not forgotten'; Behind bars, a cardinal's quiet prison ministry," Boston Globe (12/26/10)](http://articles.boston.com/2010-12-26/news/29324428_1_prison-joseph-druce-chaplain) * ["Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice," USCCB, 11/15/00](http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/criminal.shtml) **Today's topics:** Prison ministry and healthcare ministry; Important announcement for the Archdiocese **A summary of today's show:** Deacon Jim Greer talks to Scot and Fr. Chris about healthcare ministry and prison ministry within the Archdiocese and their vital roles in fulfilling the corporal works of mercy. Both professional chaplains and volunteers are needed for these important ministries. Also, an announcement today about Cardinal Seán's appointment of a new vicar general for the Archdiocese. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes all to the show and wishes everyone a happy Flag Day. He welcomes back Fr. Chris. Cardinal Seán made an announcement today that Msgr. Robert Deeley will become vicar general and moderator of the curia for the Archdiocese in September. He has been assigned to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith since 2004. He served directly under Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict XVI. He's been a pastor in Boston and was previously judicial vicar for the Archdiocese and president of the Canon Law Society of America. * [Cardinal Appoints Rev. Monsignor Robert P. Deeley as next Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Boston](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID=20726) * Fr. Richard Erickson has served as vicar general for five years. He received a three-minute standing ovation from the staff today. Prior to this post, he was an Air Force chaplain. Cardinal Seán had asked him to return home to this challenging job. Today's guest, Deacon Jim Greer, says he has not worked closely with Fr. Rich but that they are close because of their shared military background. Fr. Chris said the Archbishop is the Chief Executive Officer and the vicar general is the Chief Operating Officer, who is responsible for how the CEO's vision is implemented. Or from the political viewpoint, he would be the vice president. In any case, he's involved with the nitty-gritty day-to-day running of the archdiocese. He ensures the Cardinal's pastoral plan is implemented. Msgr. Deeley is both vicar general--which means he has the authority to work on behalf of the Cardinal in his name--and he's the moderator of the curia--which means that he coordinates all the departments of the archdiocese's various ministries. Fr. Rich will be going on sabbatical for three months in Rome at the Institute for Continuing Theological Studies at the Pontifical North American College followed by a new assignment in Boston. **2nd segment:** Scot again welcomes Deacon Jim to the show. He asked about how he came to be a permanent deacon. Jim grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with a priest uncle. After high school, he went to the Coast Guard where he slipped away from the faith. After 10- years, he met his wife, who slowly brought him back to the Church. He remembers a mandatory meeting for his son's First Communion, where the priest said if you don't go to Church, how do you expect them to know the faith? That convicted him and he started going back to church. They moved to their present parish, where he became involved. He made a Cursillo weekend, which opened his eyes to serving God. He responded to a bulletin notice about looking into the permanent diaconate. He felt God call | 6/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0068: Monday, June 13, 2011 | Today's show notes are abbreviated due to a family emergency of our webmaster. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston; Fr. Stephen Rock, Pastor of St Agnes Parish in Reading Today’s topics: Cardinal Seán's Pastoral Letter, entitled "A New Pentecost: Inviting All to Follow Jesus." A summary of today’s show: Scot Landry, His Eminence Cardinal Seán O'Malley, Father Stephen Rock, and Janet Benestad discuss the pastoral letter released yesterday for Pentecost. The letter addresses what Cardinal Seán 1st Segment: Scot reminded listeners that today is the feast day of St Anthony of Padua, the patron saint of lost items, and wished a happy feast day to all St. Anthony of Padua parishes. Cardinal Seán's pastoral letter, released yesterday on Pentecost Sunday, begins by highlighting that Pentecost is known as the "birthday of the Church" because it was the day that the early followers of Jesus began to proclaim the Gospel, fulfilling Jesus' command to go forth and baptize all nations. Scot explained that a pastoral letter is a method for bishops to guide those in their diocese in aspects of Catholic teaching, worship, or social concerns. Bishops have three responsibilities - to teach, sanctify, and govern the diocese. Issuing a pastoral letter is an important way for bishops to teach their clergy, religious, and lay people in the diocese. Cardinal Seán has written more than a dozen pastoral letters, and this is his first since 2005, and the first he has written translated into multiple languages. 2nd Segment: Cardinal Seán joined Scot via the phone to speak about his pastoral letter. Cardinal Seán said he wanted to write a pastoral letter on evangelization because it is the chief mission of the Church - and to make it clear that the Catholics Come Home initiative was about more than the television advertisements, it is about a continuing campaign to invite people to answer the call to discipleship in the Church. Scot and Cardinal Seán discussed various passages from the letter, including an analogy of a cancer researcher who would feel obligated to share a cure he found - we too should feel obligated to share the best thing we have, our relationship with Jesus, with our neighbors. Pentecost is a good time to speak about evangelization because it was the beginning of the spread of the Good News of Jesus, Cardinal Seán said, and the beginning of the mission of the Church to spread the Gospel. At this time in the Church year, we should remember that Pentecost is where this all began, and that we continue the mission to spread the faith to the next generation of Catholics. Cardinal Seán quoted Pope Paul VI, that the activities of the Church are to announce the kingdom and to invite people to follow the Lord - therefore what we do and say must be part of the work of evangelization. 3rd Segment: Scot started by highlighting that the third section of Cardinal Seán's letter says evangelization starts with each Catholic's ongoing conversion. Janet explained that we can only share what we have received - we must know Jesus to be able to share His love with others. Scot emphasized that Pentecost is not a historical event, it is today - just as Jesus is not just a historical figure, He lives with us today. Father Rock explained the process of the Envision program at St. Agnes parish in Reading. His parish has come together to grow in faith and make a plan of how they will evangelize their community as Catholics. Janet added that the Cardinal asked in his letter for us to focus both on Corporal and Spiritual works of mercy in our evangelization work - using the Latin phrase cur animarum, meaning "care of the soul." 4th Segment: Scot explained that section 6 of the pastoral letter focuses on the parish as the chief venue of | 6/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0067: Friday, June 10, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. John Sheridan, pastor of St. James and St. Thomas the Apostle parishes in Salem **Today's topics:** Fr. John Sheridan, the parishes he leads in Salem and Peabody; the Mass readings for Pentecost Sunday **A summary of today's show:** Fr. John Sheridan joined Scot and Fr. Mark to talk about his journey to the priesthood and the experience of being pastor of two very different parishes in Salem as well helping another parish with a merger. Also, they discussed the Mass readings for Pentecost and a very special saint of the day for Scot. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark back to the show. Fr. Mark said this week he was excited to be part of the opening of the cause for canonization of Fr. Joseph Muzquiz. His role in this process is vice-chancellor and he notarizes documents for the Archdiocese. He signs many different documents, and this particular day he was the notary for that meeting. He received the Acts, signed them, sealed them, and handed them. Scot said it's must be special to be with a group of people who all knew and lived with someone who may be a saint. Fr. Mark said there were a lot of saintly people in that room as well. Scot welcomes Fr. John Sheridan to the show. Both Fr. John and Fr. Mark attended the clergy convocation yesterday, a gathering of the priests of the archdiocese. Fr. John said it's great to be with so many priests. It was like being at Chrism Mass. It's unusual for all of them to be together and share their stories. It is unusual to gather so many priests from the geographically diverse archdiocese. This meeting was about the new translation of the Mass that will go into effect this Advent. Fr. Mark said Msgr. Jim Moroney is one of the Church's experts on liturgy and he spoke about the Missal. The priests at Fr. Mark's table at the convocation agreed within the first 30-seconds of his talk that this was going to be good. Msgr. Moroney is working on a new series for CatholicTV on the Mass. Fr. Mark asked Scot to have Fr. John on the how during the Stanley Cup finals because he is the biggest Bruins fan. He predicts that the Bruins will win, that they have momentum on their side, and that they have woken up since game 3. Scot said June 10 is his favorite saint's day of the year. He asked Fr. Mark and Fr. John what the special saint of the day is. He said there isn't a St. Scot, but there is a St. Landry, whose feast if June 10. He was a bishop of Paris in the 17th century. There is also a Landry Parish (county) in Louisiana and there is a St. Landry Parish in Opelousas. * [St. Landry of Paris](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landry_of_Paris) * [St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, LA](http://www.stlandrycatholicchurch.org/) **2nd segment:** Fr. John is pastor of two parishes in Salem. Scot asked him what led him to first hear the call and to respond by entering the seminary. Fr. John said he grew up in Newton in a large family with 4 brothers and 4 sisters. He was the eighth of the nine. His parents were extraordinary. He has 19 nieces and nephews and 1 great-niece and 1 great-nephew. Their Catholic faith was part of their everyday life, not just for Sundays. His brothers and sisters are very active in their parishes and active in helping their children to understand what they believe. He was an altar server at his parish Mary Immaculate of Lourdes in Newton Upper Falls. Fr. Bob Connors was a great influence on him. He was struck by the examnples of the laypeople in his parish, who encouraged him to look at his faith as something that is ingrained in everything you do. That's what inspired him to look at his life and see what he could do. Pope John Paul II's visit to Boston in 1979 was the first nudge for him. The Pope's words were written on his heart, especially the call that whatever you do with your life, do something extraordinary. He'd wanted to be a sportswriter before. He says that God didn't ta | 6/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0066: Thursday, June 9, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Cardinal Seán's Pastoral Letter on Evangelization, tornado in Springfield, new cause of canonization in Boston, US bishops on assisted suicide **A summary of today's show:** **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan back to show. Susan said she's just back from the Sacred Hearts Retreat House in Wareham where she met with New England regional diocesan catechetical directors in a day of reflection. Scot said the Pastoral Center has been busy today because the convocation of the archdiocese's priests has been taking place nearby at Lombardo's in Randolph. Fr. James Moroney addressed them on the changes to the Roman Missal that are coming this Advent. Videos of recent workshops on the changes coming to the Liturgy are available on the archdiocese's website. * [The New Roman Missal at BostonCatholic.org](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/newromanmissal.aspx) **2nd segment:** Scot begins by talking about the Cardinal's new pastoral letter called "The New Pentecost." He asked Fr. Landry to explain pastoral letters. It is meant to help Catholics to approach an issue from the perspective of the Catholic faith. It's a study by the author on a theme that he believes those to whom he's writing it need to react and respond to. This pastoral letter is a response of Cardinal Seán to starting in 1992, Pope John Paul II began calling for a New Evangelization of the Americas on the 500th anniversary of the discovery by European Christians. This calling to a new evangelization is meant to address those 83% of Catholics who don't regularly go to Mass very Sunday as well as those of the other 17% who have not let the Gospel fully impact their lives. Scot asked Gregory what he makes of the Cardinal releasing the document on Pentecost and linking evangelization to Pentecost. The Holy Spirit overshadowed the apostles, converting them from cowering in fear and calling them to go out and proclaim the Good News. We're also called to proclaim the Good News like the apostles did. * [Cardinal Seán's Pastoral Letter on Evangelization](http://www.BostonCatholic.org/Pastoral Letter) (Will be available on Friday, June 10) * ["Church must find more effective ways to evangelize, says pope" CNS, 5/31/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20110531.htm) Susan said that she's this letter as being right up her alley in terms of using in catechesis, formation and religious education and see hiow it's applicable to her ministry. Scot said we're called to evangelize and spread the word to others. He asked Fr. Roger how important it is to make people understand this isn't just the mission of the priests or professional lay ecclesial ministers. Fr. Roger said if we're not bursting forth with the desire to share the Good News with others, we have to wonder if we've fully receive the Gospel and recognize what great news it is. Pope John Paul II said in the encyclical [Mission of the Redeemer](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio_en.html) said 15 times that the work of evangelization is the work of all the disciples of the Lord. Jesus' two great verbs are to "come" to Him, but also to "go" out into the world. Scot said there are 11 sections to the Cardinal's letter. The first one states that Pentecost is the beginning of Evangelization. Then he talks about Catholics Come Home, evangelization as the start of each Catholic's ongoing conversion; evangeliz | 6/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0065: Wednesday, June 8, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Msgr. William Fay, pastor of St. Columbkille Parish, Brighton, and co-chair of the Pastoral Planning Commission * [Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/PastoralPlanning.aspx) * [Consultation on Archdiocesan Strategic Priorities](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Offices-And-Services/Office-Detail.aspx?id=16454&pid=1448) * ["Committee to look at future of parishes," The Pilot, 2/11/11](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=12935) * ["Boston Archdiocese considers major reshuffling of parishes," Associated Press, 6/3/11](http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x2006832163/Boston-Archdiocese-is-looking-at-a-major-reshuffling-of-parishes) **Today's topics:** The work of the Archdiocese of Boston's pastoral planning commission **A summary of today's show:** Msgr. William Fay updates Scot on the work of the archdiocesan pastoral planning commission, the consultations they're making on the state of the archdiocese today, and what shape their future discussions may take. They also debunk some of the inaccurate representations of their work that have appeared in some media reports. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes all back to the show. He said in every organization, every one gives their input and the leaders makes choices on how to use the resources available. One of Cardinal Seán's efforts over the past few years has been getting the key stakeholders in the archdiocese to answer the question how we can ensure the archdiocese is in good shape in the future. This year, Cardinal Seán appointed Msgr. William Fay and Deacon Chuck Clough to co-chairs of a pastoral planning commission. One the phone is Msgr. Fay. Scot asked him about his path since ordination 27 years ago. Msgr. Fay said he was inspired by a bumber of holy priests. He was born at St. Theresa's in West Roxbury. His first priestly assignment was St. Rita's in Haverhill. He did graduate studies in Washington, DC, and then taught for 14 years at the seminary. In 1995, he was asked to go back to DC to serve at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, eventually as general secretary. He has been pastor at St. Columbkille since 2006. Scot asked him what the general secretary of the USCCB does. Msgr. Fay said at the time there 380 people who worked for the US bishops and dozens of committees. Each of those committees had staff members. It was his responsibility to ensure all the staffs were doing what they were supposed to be doing and following the mandates of the committee. Scot said there aren't many priests whose experience gives them a national view of the work of the Church. Msgr. Fay said it was an amazing opportunity for him to see the Church in the US at work in 195 dioceses and eparchies with some 400 bishops, ordinaries, auxiliaries, and retired. Msgr. Fay said St. Columbkille's was founded in 1871, the cornerstone was laid in 1872, and it was built in 3 years. The first wave of immigrants in the parish were Irish. The next wave was Italians from around the town of Monte Cassino. In the 1960s, there was a wave of immigrants from Cuba and there's been a Spanish Mass celebrated every Sunday since that time. St. Columbkille's school has a unique partnership with Boston College. Msgr. Fay's predecessor as pastor worked with BC to show that they not only excel at college-level education, but could also train people to value education at all levels. They formed a corporation called the Partnership School, and this year they have an enrollment of 300 children. When they started in 2006, they had about 200. The children come from Allston and Brighton and many from struggling families. **2nd segment:** Scot said every organization needs a long-term plan. Msgr. Fay said a pastoral plan for a diocese is like a road map set out for itself. It's not just an answer to problems. You set out for yourself what the purpose and goal of an organization is. For the Church, it's obviously | 6/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0064: Tuesday, June 7, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Carlos Suarez from Christ the King, Our Lady of Lourdes, and St. Edith Stein Parishes, Brockton; and Fr. John D'Arpino from St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, Bridgewater * [George Martell's photos of the presbyteral ordination Mass](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostoncatholic/sets/72157626770315180/) * [The Pilot story on the ordination Mass](http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=13386) * [Christ the King, Brockton](http://ctkp.org/) * [Our Lady of Lourdes, Brockton](http://ourladyoflourdes-brockton.com/) * [St. Edith Stein, Brockton](http://stedithsteinparish.org/) * [St. Thomas Aquinas, Bridgewater](http://stthomasaquinas.com/) **Today's topics:** Meeting two of the newest priests in the Archdiocese, Fr. John D'Arpino and Fr. Carlos Suarez **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Carlos Suarez and Fr. John D'Arpino talk with Scot and Fr. Chris about their first weeks as newly ordained priests, their experience of the ordination Mass, celebrating the first Masses, and moving into their new parish assignments. Also, their own journeys of discerning their vocations to the priesthood. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. chris back to the show. He has been looking forward to this show since May 21 when 6 men were ordained for Boston. Fr. Chris has been to other ordinations as well, including the Dioceses of Worcester and Springfield, where men who studied at St. John Seminary will serve. On Friday, they also had a catechetical certificate graduation. The program educate catechists to know more about their faith in order to work in parishes and share the faith. In Scot's experience, when a newly ordained priest is assigned to a parish, it re-energizes that parish. Fr. Chris said it's a reminder that the Church is ever ancient and ever new, always young. On Pentecost, we're reminded that the Holy Spirit re-energizes us. That your first love is your greatest love is true for priests as well: There will be no parish like their first parish. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Carlos and Fr. John to the show. Scot asked Fr. John what it was like during the ordination ceremony after his years of formation. Fr. John said during the moment when Cardinal Seán asked him to pledge his obedience was a highlight for him. He remembers how peaceful he was during the whole ordination and was able to pray. The one moment that sticks out for him is the prayer that the priest prays during the Lamb of God and he suddenly realized he needed to say it. ALso during the Litany of the Saints, it touched him to think of praying with everyone in the cathedral, but also everyone who has come before. Scot asked what it's like to lay on the floor before the altar during the litany of the Saints. Fr. John said it's a humbling experience to receive those prayers of all the people. We are unworthy, but we accept it as a gift from God. Scot asked Fr. Carlos for his brightest memories of the ceremony. He said the imposition of the hands by all the brother priests was a powerful moment. He felt the communion of the priesthood as each one prayed for him. He felt a fraternity and affection from each of them. Fr. Chris asked Fr. Carlos what he was thinking about as he headed to the cathedral. He said it was overwhelming in prayer to think about all the graces he was receiving from God. The concentration on the logistics of the day helped to put aside the stress and just enter into the Mass. Scot said the closest equivalent for laypeople was their wedding day and many of them have to stress over details. Fr. John said he was lucky that he didn't have to deal logistics. He just had to show up at the cathedral and then the reception. Being on retreat for the week right up to the ordination helped him to focus on the most important part of the day. Fr. Chris said one of Cardinal Seán's gifts is preaching his homilies. Fr. Carlos said the Cardinal capitalized on the | 6/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0063: Monday, June 6, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Jeffrey Thielman and Fr. Jose Medina from Cristo Rey Boston High School * [Cristo Rey Boston High School](http://www.cristoreyboston.org) * [Cristo Rey Network](http://www.cristoreynetwork.org) * [Jeff Thielman's Arlington School Committee election website](http://www.jeffthielman.com/) * ["More Than A Dream" book website](http://morethanadreambook.com/) * ["More Than A Dream: The Cristo Rey Story; How One School's Vision is Changing the World" on Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0829425764/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0829425764) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0829425764" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> * Cristo Rey on CBS' "60 Minutes" <object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" style="width:400px;height:300px;" data="http://www.cristoreyboston.org/plugins/content/jw_allvideos/includes/players/mediaplayer/player.swf" title="JoomlaWorks AllVideos Player"><param name="movie" value="http://www.cristoreyboston.org/plugins/content/jw_allvideos/includes/players/mediaplayer/player.swf"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><param name="bgcolor" value="#010101"><param name="autoplay" value="false"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="flashvars" value="file=http://www.cristoreyboston.org/images/stories/videos/60min.flv&image=http://www.cristoreyboston.org/images/stories/videos/60min.jpg&autostart=false&fullscreen=true"></object> **Today's topics:** Cristo Rey Boston High School, a new model of Catholic education **A summary of today's show:** Jeff Thielman and Fr. Jose Medina tell Scot about Cristo Rey high school in Boston and its unique model that puts students to work in the corporate world one day per week to give them important life skills and to help them pay for an education they wouldn't be able to afford otherwise. **1st segment:** Scot said Catholic education is one of the Church's most important outreach initiatives, especially to non-Catholic students to help them improve their lives and communities. Today an exciting topic. Cristo Rey has a unique model of secondary education. Joining Scot is Jeffrey Thielman and Fr. Jose Medina. Jeff was a Jesuit Volunteer from 1985 to 1989 in Peru. In 1994, a priest he had worked with there founded Cristo Rey high school in Chicago. The students there work at white collar firms to earn their tuition. In 1997, he visited the school and was hired as development director and worked there for three years. In 2000, a venture capitalist originally from Lowell came to the school and said he wanted to see Cristo Rey schools all over the country. He hired Jeff in 2001 and he oversaw the founding of 24 schools all across the country. In 2008, he moved to working exclusively locally at Cristo Rey Boston. The school started in Cambridge and moved to Boston's Dorchester neighborhood this year. In Boston there are two Cristo Rey schools, Cristo Rey in Boston and Notre Dame in Lawrence, founded in 2004. Chicago has three, Boston has two, and no other diocese has more than one. Fr. Jose taught for a year at North Cambridge Catholic High School, which was the school Cristo Rey Boston was founded from. It was struggling financially and it was converted to Cristo Rey. He and Jeff wrote a feasibility study for the idea. He moved to Washington, DC, and came back 5 years ago and became principal of the local Cristo Rey school. Jeff described what makes Cristo Rey unique. It is the work-study | 6/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0063: Friday, June 3, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry, Fr. Matt Williams, and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ, president and founder of Ignatius Press * [Ignatius Press](http://www.ignatius.com) * [YouCat](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586175165/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399701&creativeASIN=1586175165) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1586175165" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> * On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, WQOM and the Station of the Cross network are holding their [2011 Spring Fund Drive](https://www.thestationofthecross.com/wqom-spring-fund-drive-2011.html). All donors over $30 will receive a Station of the Cross "Benefactor Card" and are eligible to win great daily and hourly prizes. Consequently, the recorded shows for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as heard on this site and downloaded through iTunes will not include the Spring Fund Drive segments as heard live as they aired. **Today's topics:** The new Catholic catechism called YouCat; the Mass readings for Sunday **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Joseph Fessio tells Scot and Fr. Matt about the origin of the new YouCat youth catechism, which is not a replacement for the universal Catechism, but a formulation addressing the particular concerns of the young in new ways. They also discuss Pope Benedict's very direct and surprising appeal to young people in the foreword to the YouCat. Finally, Scot and Fr. Mark discuss this Sunday's Mass readings. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark back to the show. Scot said this is the 62nd broadcast of The Good Catholic Life. He said it's been fun to learn more about his faith, to meet a lot of new people, and to get to know his co-hosts better than he had. Fr. Mark said it's a blessing in his life as well. More and more people come up to him to say they've heard him on the radio. The other week a priest said to him, "I stole something from you that you said on the radio when you were on with Msgr. Connie McCrae." Fr. Mark thinks it's great. Scot thanks WQOM and all its benefactors for allowing him to broadcast The Good Catholic Life every day to the Boston area. Fr. Mark encouraged everyone to spread the good news of The Good Catholic Life, which is unique to Boston and it's always current. Fr. Mark said his parents gather on Fridays to listen faithfully and comment to him about the show. He said his mom corrected him when he referred to something his pastor, Fr. Sepe, cooked for him as slimy. She told him that everything Fr. Sepe cooks is good and he should apologize. Scot's mom also had a strong reaction to the show with Fr. Sepe. He grew up in St. Michael's Parish in Lowell, the same parish Scot grew up in, and Scot had expressed surprise at this because he hadn't known. Scot's mom called him to say, "How could you not Kevin Sepe from St. Michael's? We knew him growing up." **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Matt Williams and Fr. Joseph Fessio to the show. Scot said the YouCat is a new initiative for youth, a catechism designed to be youth-friendly. He asked Fr. Fessio how it's different from other catechisms that are out there in the Church. Fr. Fessio said when the universal [Catechism of the Catholic Church](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385508190/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0385508190) came out, the Holy Father, Bl. John Paul II, in his preface said that this was for the whole Church, but that there would have to be adaptations for different groups and different cultures and so on. This youth catechism is not only done for younger people, but also by younger people, collab | 6/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0061: Thursday, June 2, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Michael Coren, columnist, television host, and Catholic author * [Michael Coren's website](http://michaelcoren.com/) * <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0771023219/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217153&creative=399701&creativeASIN=0771023219">"Why Catholics Are Right"</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=&l=as2&o=1&a=0771023219&camp=217153&creative=399701" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0771023219" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> * On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, WQOM and the Station of the Cross network are holding their [2011 Spring Fund Drive](https://www.thestationofthecross.com/wqom-spring-fund-drive-2011.html). All donors over $30 will receive a Station of the Cross "Benefactor Card" and are eligible to win great daily and hourly prizes. Consequently, the recorded shows for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as heard on this site and downloaded through iTunes will not include the Spring Fund Drive segments as heard live as they aired. **Today's topics:** Canadian author Michael Coren and his new book "Why Catholics Are Right" **A summary of today's show:** Michael Coren talks with Scot about the unique claims of the Catholic Church and why the Church is right about every major topic of morality facing our culture today, including contraception, marriage, abortion. Also, why much of what is said about the clergy sex abuse crisis goes beyond what really happened to advance an anti-Catholic agenda. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Michael Coren to the show. He is the host of the "Michael Coren Show" on CTS in Canada and a syndicated columnist in many newspapers and bestselling author of 12 books, including his latest book, "Why Catholics Are Right". Michael said Random House is the publisher, it's available in most good bookstores, a few bad ones, and on Amazon.com. Scot said it's a provocative book, in which Michael takes on almost every attack that's leveled against the Church. Why did he decided to write it? Michael said he could have written the book years ago, because the Church has been the main target for public criticism for some years. He has four children and has seen what they've had to put up with and what he's had to put up with, the things said about the Church that would never be said about other denominations, other organizations. It's fine to criticize the Church for what it does. It's when people know nothing about Catholicism, what we believe and teach, and yet go after us on a daily basis. This ranges from what we hear on the street to alleged educated and informed civilized media, from comedy shows to PBS in-depth news shows. It's unfair. Rather than just running away and pretending, he decided to give it the title and give substance and explain for ordinary people--he's not a theologian--what the Church believes and respond to the attacks, which are always the same attacks over and over again. Intellectual and metaphorical information to attack back with. Scot quoted from the introduction: "I've seldom met someone who dislikes me because of my views on the saints and the papacy, but I've lost jobs in media because of my Catholic belief that, for example, life begins at conception and that marriage can only be between one man and one woman." Does that indicate that Catholic defense on those issues, particularly marriage, artificial contraception, abortion, and the life issues, is really what Catholics need to know to defend in the public square and at the dinner | 6/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0060: Wednesday, June 1, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and biographer of Pope John Paul II * [Ethics and Public Policy Center](Ethics and Public Policy Center) * [Archive of George Weigel's syndicated columns](http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/342) * On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week, WQOM and the Station of the Cross network are holding their [2011 Spring Fund Drive](https://www.thestationofthecross.com/wqom-spring-fund-drive-2011.html). All donors over $30 will receive a Station of the Cross "Benefactor Card" and are eligible to win great daily and hourly prizes. Consequently, the recorded shows for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday as heard on this site and downloaded through iTunes will not include the Spring Fund Drive segments as heard live as they aired. **Today's topics:** Pope Blessed John Paul II from the "inside" **A summary of today's show:** George Weigel discusses with Scot and Fr. Chris the interior life of Bl. John Paul II, his courage, his Christian discipleship, and devotion to both the Divine Mercy and the Blessed Mother, as well as three surprising things that George learned when writing about the Pope. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris to the show. Fr. Chris has known George a long time, dating back to when he was studying philosophy at Catholic University of America. He was one of Fr. Chris' parishioners. George is an incredible supporter of the priesthood and how the Church is a gift to the whole world. Scot is excited to get his insights on last month's beatification. Fr. Chris said he has written the definitive biography of John Paul II, showing how the Pope was a son, a factory worker, a priest, a skier, and the full gamut of the man. Scot said this is the 60th broadcast of The Good Catholic Life, and he reflects on the gift that 24/7 Catholic is in the Archdiocese of Boston. Fr. Chris hears about it from parishioners, seminarians, and his fellow faculty at St. John's. He also hears from the men at Norfolk prison where he ministers that it is a great gift to them as well. Scot said since his early days at the Archdiocese in 2006, Cardinal Seán has always talked about evangelization, but in particular on the radio in many languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Scot thanked WQOM and the Station of the Cross to make English-language Catholic radio possible in Boston. Fr. Chris said the Church has a wonderful message to proclaim and we have to find new ways to reach people constantly, including those who might not be going to church now. Some of Scot's favorite segments are those where he talks to priests and seminarians and he's looking forward to next week's shows where he will talk with the newly ordained priests who were just ordained for the Archdiocese of Boston. The day after the beatification, the radio studio was dedicated to Blessed John Paul II and so he's happy to learn more about Pope John Paul from George Weigel. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome George Weigel to the show. He is the definitive biographer of Blessed Pope John Paul II. John Paul's beatification has been a prime topic of conversation on The Good Catholic Life. One of the statements John Paul made to George was that people often know him only from the "outside". He could truly only be understood from the inside. Scot asked George what are the central aspects of his interior life that defined him as a heroic Christian disciple? George said you saw some of them displayed on the tapestry that was unveiled on the loggia of St. Peter's Basilica during the beatification Mass. It was that twinkle in his eye, a wonderfully natural and warm human being, with a great natural capacity for love, which was amplified by supernatural charity. He had made himself into a kind of channel by which grace poured into the world. Literally millions if not tens of millions who saw and met him | 6/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0059: Tuesday, May 31, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Boston * ["Go and Make Disciples: A National Plan and Strategy for Catholic Evangelization in the United States" (USCCB Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis](http://www.usccb.org/evangelization/goandmake/eng.shtml) * []() **Today's topics:** Evangelization as an inward and outward activity **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chris talk to Janet Benestad about evangelization and the strategy put forward by the US bishops in their document "Go and Make Disciples". **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris back to the show. Last Wednesday, Fr. Chris helped with the graduation of the Master of Arts in Ministry program. There were 16 graduates. Bishop Dooher gave the commencement address and he talked about evangelization. He told them that what they learned there, they now have to spread to others. Some of them are working in parishes, one is a Boston Symphony Orchestra member, and another is a chemist. It shows that the work will be done not just in parishes but in homes and places of work. One of the 16 is the hundredth graduate of the program. Laypeople and deacons formed at the heart of the Church. Fr. Chris has also been with the men at Norfolk state prison, who are always listening to the show. Fr. Chris celebrates Mass. Sometimes he will also speak afterward. He will also hear confessions. Scot said there is now a Boston Bruins flag flying outside the Pastoral Center today in honor of the Bruins playing in the Stanley Cup finals against the Vancouver Canucks. Walking through Boston yesterday, he saw a Bruins flag at City Hall and the State House, so he's happy to see it here. Fr. Bryan Parrish, who works in the Pastoral Center, said the flag was donated by one of his parishioners. It's a great time to be a Boston sports fan. Scot pointed out that the flag flies between the Vatican flag and the US flag, temporarily replacing the Massachusetts state flag. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Janet to the program. Janet has been at the archdiocese for several years and before that in the Diocese of Scranton. She started in Scranton 12 years ago in a similar role, overseeing religious education, youth and young adult ministry, prison ministry, hospital ministry, cultural diversity, and more. Her secretariat was reconstituted prior to her joining her team because Cardinal Seán had wanted a new focus on evangelization and faith formation. Janet said both parts are vitally connected. Faith formation helps people come to know Jesus in a systematic, while evangelization is a broader effort. It helps people understand that everything they do is connected in some way to the love of God. Fr. Chris said the great gift of the Eucharist is God's abiding presence. In coming to Eucharist and hearing the Word of God proclaimed we are sustained. We can't give what we don't have and how can we share if we don't know Jesus. Evangelization often has a sour taste in the mouth in our culture. It's too often described as proselytization, which is forcing the faith on others or manipulating. Janet said to be a witness is to not engage in propaganda, but to be a living mystery, to live in such a way that life would not make sense if God did not exist. It is the message of Jesus Christ, given in the Gospel and preached with conviction and all of the power of the Holy Spirit. Scot said Henri Nouwen's definition is "one beggar leading another beggar to the bread." The person who evangelizes doesn't have all the "food", all the answers, but knows the way. You just have to lead people to Christ. Fr. Chris said it complements the idea of the Body of Christ, that there's no one person who can communicate all of the faith to another. This is why we have all the saints, who shared the faith in their own way, just as we do. The word some basic words in our fai | 5/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0058: Monday, May 30, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Stephen Rock, pastor of St. Agnes Parish in Reading; Beirne Lovely, General Counsel for the Archdiocese of Boston; Fr. Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life; Bill Wise, parishioner at St. Paul Parish in Hingham * [Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA](http://www.milarch.org/site/c.dwJXKgOUJiIaG/b.6287817/k.3DFD/Home__Archdiocese_for_the_Military.htm) **Today's topics:** Memorial Day remembrances by a Vietnam veteran and a former Navy chaplain; Priests for Life **A summary of today's show:** On Memorial Day, Scot talks with Beirne Lovely about his experience as a Marine serving in Vietnam and as a veteran on Memorial Day; with Fr. Frank Pavone about the ministry of Priests for Life and this weekend's appearance at St. Paul, Hingham; and Fr. Stephen Rock, a 34-year Navy chaplain and now pastor of St. Agnes, Reading. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Beirne Lovely, general counsel for the archdiocese and a former Marine, to the show. Scot asked him about his military service. He was commissioned as a Marine officer directly from Dartmouth College in 1967, followed by six months in Marine officer training, and then directly to Vietnam. He was stationed there for 13 months, all of 1968, which was one of the worst years of the war, including the [Tet Offensive](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tet_Offensive). He spent his whole tour up north, including a [Khe Sanh](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Khe_Sanh) and the [DMZ](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnamese_Demilitarized_Zone). He was very close to the North Vietnamese border, serving as a platoon commander in an infantry company. He became a company commander when his company commander was killed. Scot said his perception of the Marines is that they are the ones who go in first, taking on the most difficult and most life-threatening assignments. Beirne said that was true. The Marine Corps had responsibility for the northern region of South Vietnam so they primarily were facing uniformed, trained [North Vietnamese Army](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_People%27s_Army) soldiers rather than [Viet Cong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viet_Cong) guerillas, so that's a fair statement. Beirne has been out of active duty with the Marines for 40 years now. What's it like to be a veteran on Memorial Day, remembering all those who have served and given their lives? Beirne said he lost a lot of friends in Vietnams. He arrived in Vietnam on an airplane with about 40 infantry Second Lieutenants and of those about half were killed and virtually all of the rest were wounded, so he has a special memory of service. He spends Memorial Day with other veterans in his hometown of Milton, which has services of recognition of veterans. He's spoken at a number of memorial services. He stays in touch with them year-round. He belongs to a number of veteran organizations to gather and recall the services of others. It's a difficult day in some respects because it reminds him of the friends he's lost as well as the people who served with and under him who were killed. He remains close to a small cadre of friends who he survived with and periodically they gather. Every year they celebrate the Marine Corps birthday on November 10. Boston is famous for its [Marine Corps birthday recognition](http://www.necn.com/11/10/10/US-Marine-Corps-turns-235/landing_newengland.html?blockID=349493&feedID=4206). They have a Marine Corps luncheon with over 2000 at the Hynes Convention Center. It's the biggest gathering of Marines in the country and often the [Commandant](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandant_of_the_Marine_Corps) or the assistant commandant come and speak. They have a number of Medal of Honor winners who are present. Msgr. John McDonough, a priest of Boston and former Chief of Chaplains for the Air Force (who Scot and Beirne jokingly call "the General") and Fr. Rich Erikson, the vicar general of the Archdiocese and reserve Air Force | 5/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0057: Friday, May 27, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Paul Soper, Pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish, Weymouth * [St. Albert the Great Parish, Weymouth](http://www.atgweymouth.org/) **Today's topics:** How an astrophysicist becomes a priest; helping Catholics cope with reconfiguration; Catholics Come Home; St. Albert the Great Parish **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Paul Soper joins Scot and Fr. Mark to talk about being an astrophysicist who became a parish priest; the remarkable response of a parish to being closed; and how his current parish became an example of helping Catholics come home. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark back to the show. Fr. Mark said that as it's Friday of Memorial Day weekend, we might be the only people left in the building. A very special event happened in Fr. Mark's family yesterday. His sister Margaret Mary graduated from Harvard University with a Master's degree and intends to become a teacher in the inner city. It's a great time of year. Scot said Cardinal Seán said at the ordination Mass last weekend that they were holding a rapture party. He used it very cleverly, poking gentle fun at those claiming the end of world would be last week. Fr. Mark was at St. Athanasius in Reading this week for a talk on issues related to the work of the tribunal, especially related to marriages and annulments. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Fr. Paul Soper to the show. Fr. Paul grew up in St. Jerome's Parish in Weymouth. The pastor when he was a teen was Fr. Dan Quinn, very open and loving man and effusive in his love of God and the Church. One day, he asked Fr. Paul at 15 years old to think about being a priest. Fr. Paul said he wanted to be an astronomer. He made him promise to consider it briefly before doing anything final. Fr. Paul went to college and began to apply for graduate schools, but yet had been feeling something gnawing inside him. He went to St. Paul's, Cambridge, to speak to a priest there about these questions coming up. He thought it was just to honor the promise and put it to rest, but it lead to him deciding this was a serious call. His family was supportive, but probably not very surprised. His parents were very wise and their reaction was wanting to support him if that's what he wants to do. They later told him he was very pleased, but didn't want to influence his decision. Scot asked about those who want to pit science against faith. Fr. Paul has a degree in astrophysics. He asked Fr. Paul how studying science affected his faith. The Psalmist says the heavens proclaim the glory of the Lord. He doesn't look to science to lead him to direct conclusions about God. But go outside on a starry night to observe the immensity of the universe to observe how glorious they are, and yet they are entirely incapable of knowing what they are and why they were created. If he can study the star, and it can lead him to glorifying God because of it, then he's helping it to fulfill its purpose. Fr. Mark said some scientists cannot connect their faith to their livelihood. They can't measure God and so eliminate him from their belief. Fr. Paul said science asks questions about what and how, but is very poor at asking questions about why. The scientific method is harsh, demanding, rigorous and limited. Questions of why are really fundamental questions. They go well with the how questions. For example, the Big Bang can be investigated as to the how, but the why question which goes hand in hand with it, needs to be investigated in the chapel and in prayer and in Scripture and human interrelations. The universe is pulsing with meaning that cannot be investigated by the scientific method. One of the astronauts Pope Benedict spoke with last week said you can't help but pray when considering the fragility and beauty of the earth. Fr. Paul said one of the beautiful unfoldings with human history, with each age new ways have come forward for us to be able to un | 5/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0056: Thursday, May 26, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Ordination; Catholic school closing in Lawrence; the John Jay College report on sexual abuse; the Pope talks to astronauts **A summary of today's show:** Scot, Susan, Fr. Roger, and Gregory discuss the priestly ordination Mass in Boston this past week; misinformation about a Catholic school closing in Lawrence; more analysis of the John Jay College report on the abuse crisis; Pope Benedict talking to astronauts in space; and more. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan back to the show. She was in Atlanta this week for the [National Association for Catechetical Media Professionals](http://www.nacmp.org/) meeting. Scot today met in a cabinet meeting in which Msgr. Bill Fay updated Cardinal Seán and the cabinet on the work of a committee considering pastoral planning for the archdiocese. The commission has 17 or 18 members who have been getting to know one another and the hard work that has been done already on pastoral planning in the archdiocese. They are working on getting us from where we are today to where we want to be in 10 years. Msgr. Fay used to be general secretary of the US Bishops Conference and is now pastor at St. Columbkille's in Brighton. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Gregory and Fr. Roger back to the show. The cover story of The Pilot this week is on the ordination Mass this week in which six men were ordained: Rev. John Anthony D’Arpino, Rev. Michael Joseph Farrell, Rev. Kwang Hyun Lee, Rev. Mark William Murphy, Rev. Carlos David Suarez, and Rev. Sean Patrick Hurley, FPO. Gregory said the Mass began and the weather was gloomy and much like March and by the end it was May again with sun and warmth, which was an analogy for the day for these men. Gregory said it's like having six weddings at one time. Instead of one powerful moment, there is six. * [George Martell's photos of the Ordination Mass](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostoncatholic/sets/72157626770315180/) * [CatholicTV's recorded broadcast of the Mass](http://www.catholictv.com/Priesthood-Ordination-2011.aspx) It was an unusual ceremony in that all the men studied at St. John's. In other years, there can be those from Bl. John XXIII, Redemptoris Mater, or the Pontifical North American College. Susan said the ceremony is so moving and filled with rich imagery and language. Susan pointed out that there are some wonderful ordination photos by George Martell in the public places in the Pastoral Center. Scot was able to watch the rebroadcast of the show because he couldn't attend the Mass and his daughter had commented on how many hugs the newly ordained received from the other priests. His son remarked on how Cardinal Seán kissed their hands. Fr. Roger's ordination anniversary will be later this summer after 12 years in the priesthood and has participated in many ordinations since then. In his own ordination, receiving Christ's peace from so many priests he knew and looked up and who were his heroes was moving. Many of them whispered congratulations to him, calling "Father" for the first time. He now does that for all newly ordained and says a special pray for them. Then Scot played a series of taped comments from the newly ordained themselves recorded at the Mass. They were asked what it's like to be laying prostrate at the altar and what the most poignant moment is for them. They spoke of the power of the Litany of the Saints, to be reminded of the whole Church in heaven and on earth that is praying for them. Fr. Rog | 5/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0055: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Jay Mello, parochial vicar of St. Patrick Parish in Falmouth and columnist for The Anchor newspaper * [St. Patrick Parish, Falmouth](http://www.stpatricksonline.org/) * [The Anchor, official newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River](http://www.anchornews.org/) * [Fr. Jay Mello's column, "Putting Into the Deep"](http://www.anchornews.org/columns/putting_into_deep_mello/) **Today's topics:** Fr. Jay Mello's vocation story; The Rosary and Marian devotion **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Jay Mello discusses with Scot and Fr. Matt the essential nature of Marian devotion for Catholics, the benefits of the Rosary for union with Christ, and pilgrimages to Marian apparition sites. Also the Scavi tour in St. Peter's Basilica and Where in Europe was Fr. Matt? **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Matt to the program after his European pilgrimage and vacation. He traveled with his sister and parents and they prayed a lot for WQOM and its listeners. They only saw rain once on the trip and that was on the drive from Rome to Assisi. Scot sent a shout-out to the graduates of the MAster of Arts in Ministry program and George Martell is taking photos and posting them to the Archdiocese of Boston's Flickr site in real-time. Also in breaking news today, the Daughters of St. Paul and the Archdiocese have worked out an agreement to end a lawsuit over the pension funds held by the Archdiocese on behalf of the lay employees of the religious order. Scot said this topic will be discussed in more detail on tomorrow's The Good Catholic Life. * [Joint Statement from the Archdiocese of Boston and the Daughter of St. Paul](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=20602) * [Masters of Arts in Ministry at St. John's Seminary](http://www.tineboston.org/mam_index.html) * [Photos from today's MAM graduation](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostoncatholic/sets/72157626805181396/) We've had several conversations about the Blessed Mother and the Rosary this month because May is dedicated to the Blessed Mother. Fr. Jay Mello, today's guest, has dedicated his columns in The Anchor newspaper this month to the Rosary and we'll discuss the Rosary on today's show. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Fr. Jay to the show. Scot said he and Fr. Jay go way back. Jay was a teenager when Fr. Roger Landry, Scot's brother, was assigned to Fr. Jay's parish. Scot asked him about his vocational journey. Fr. Jay said Bishop Seán of Fall River (now-Cardinal Seán) assigned a series of seminarians to his parish and he was exposed to the idea of a vocation. His family was very involved with the parish and he became involved with the parish community itself. At the end of high school, he was praying on Holy Thursday in Adoration and on Easter Monday morning he met with his pastor to tell him he was ready. That fall he went to Franciscan University of Steubenville for his undergraduate work and then went to the North American College in Rome for his theology. It was in Steubenville that he really learned what it meant to be a Catholic and where he learned what it meant to live in a Christian community; where his faith became real to him. The friends and roommates in Steubenville were some of the best people he knew. Fr. Jay was ordained in 2007. After his ordination he went back to Rome to finish his degree. When he returned he was assigned to St. Julie's parish and then was assigned to Falmouth last year.Serving on Cape Cod is very different. In the summer, the Cape is hopping. There is a summer chapel a mile from the church. On the weekends, they go from 4 weekend Masses to eight. The retired priests from the Archdiocese of Boston living on the Cape give a lot of help. He's been writing the column "Put Out Into the Deep" for a little less than one year. He's inherited the column from Fr. Roger Landry, the current editor of The Anchor. He's dedicated his columns in | 5/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0054: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Robert Reed, president of the CatholicTV network * [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com) * [CatholicTVjr](http://www.catholictvjr.com) * [iCatholic](http://icatholic.catholictv.com) * [Catholic TV Everywhere](http://www.catholictveverywhere.com) * [Carry Your Faith: CatholicTV iPhone app](http://www.carryyourfaith.com) * [CatholicTV Magazine](http://www.catholictv.com/catholic-magazine.aspx) * [VisitThePope.com](http://www.VisitThePope.com) **Today's topics:** CatholicTV, America's Catholic Broadband Network, and Fr. Robert Reed **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Robert Reed shares with Scot and Fr. Chris the roots of his call to the priesthood and how he came to be President of the CatholicTV network. Also, the history of CatholicTV, its dynamic and far-reaching present, and the bright future ahead. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris O'Connor to the show. The Ordination Mass this past weekend was the high point of the year. Six men from St. John Seminary were ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross by Cardinal Sean. Fr. Chris was at a diaconate ordination for one of his seminarians down in the Diocese of Providence. Scot was able to watch the Mass on CatholicTV, because he couldn't be present himself. Scot's 7-year-old daughter commented on how many hugs the new priests receive. All the priests in attendance give a holy embrace to each of the ordinandi during the ceremony and many of the priests in the Archdiocese were in attendance. When Cardinal Seán celebrates an ordination, you know an ordination has taken place after 3 hours! Cardinal Seán charges a "fee" to the new priests by requesting their first priestly blessing at the end of the Mass. Then he kissed their hands to show that these are priestly hands consecrated to the work of Christ. You can watch the ordination at CatholicTV.com. Click on "cathedral events." Fr. Chris said the only thing as special as the ordination Mass are the first Masses celebrated by the priests on Sunday. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Bob Reed. Fr. Bob notes that Scot is prepared for heading out to coach his kids' baseball and soccer team this afternoon, and Scot said he thinks it's good for kids to see him and his wife outside the house helping them in other activities. Scot asked Fr. Reed how his vocation came about and what his influences led him to respond to the call. He was born in Boston and grew up in Swampscott. His parish was St. John the Evangelist, right there on the ocean. His vocation began in tragedy. He lost his dad in a tragic car accident when he was 7, just months before his First Communion. It caused him to think deeply about his Catholic faith and discover there was a lot there in his faith. His mother re-married a number of years later to a friend of his father. He also has 3 brothers and a sister. He also had marvelous priests in his parish and the Sisters of St. Joseph in the parochial school. It all developed this call that came from God. Scot asked when he knew he wanted to enter the seminary. Fr. Bob said he was always thinking of the priesthood. Even though he was encouraged to look at other options, he remained sure. He was accepted to other colleges, but he decided to go to St. John's and never regretted it. Fr. Chris asked which priests were most role models. Fr. John Carroll and Fr. Dick Little were in his parish and the greatest influences. Fr. Little was once the chancellor for the Archdiocese. Fr. Little brought a crucifix to Fr. Reed's home after his father's funeral and Fr. Bob thought to himself, "Those are the hands of a priest!" In 1985, at his ordination, as he emerged from the cathedral, a man fell to his knees in front of Fr. Bob and kissed his hands too. Fr. Reed studied at St. John's Seminary College and then at the North American College in Rome. Studying at the NAC gives a man a great experience of situating him at the center | 5/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0053: Monday, May 23, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Andreas Widmer, CEO of the Seven Fund, and Michael Miller, Director of Action Media at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty * [The Seven Fund](http://www.sevenfund.org/) * [The Acton Institute](http://www.acton.org/) * [Faith and Prosperity blog by Andreas Widmer](http://www.faithandprosperity.com/) * [Encyclical "Centissumus Annus" by John Paul II](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus_en.html) * [Encyclical "Rerum Novarum" by Leo XIII](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html) * ["The Birth of Freedom"](http://www.thebirthoffreedom.com/) * ["The Call of the Entrepreneur"](http://www.calloftheentrepreneur.com/) **Today's topics:** The roots of free markets and entrepreneurship in Catholic culture and teaching **A summary of today's show:** Michael Miller of the Acton Institute and Andreas Widmer of the Seven Fund tell Scot that it is a myth that entrepreneurship and free markets are opposed to Catholic social teaching, but in fact are rooted in Christian tradition and are the most effective tools for approaching poverty. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Andreas Widmer back to the show. Andreas has been on The Good Catholic Life several times talking about his experiences as a Swiss Guard for Pope John Paul II and then his experience at the beatification of Bl. John Paul earlier this month. He also welcomed Michael Miller. Scot said he has know as Acton as an organization that talks about the role of free markets in the creation of a virtuous society. Michael said Acton was founded 20 years ago to look at the intersection of theology and moral philosophy on the one hand and business and economics and entrepreneurship on the other. Most people make their living in business and there's a rich tradition of the Church thinking about these matters. It is an ecumenical organization. Fr. Robert Sirico is a co-founder of the Institute 20 years ago. Father had left the faith as a young man and was very influenced by leftist causes and socialism. He once met a man with whom he had debates about economics and the man at one point remarked, "You know, you're delightfully dumb. You need to read something." And so he gave Fr. Sirico all these books that he began to read and slowly began to have a conversion away from left-wing radicalism to a sense that a free-market that allows people to live out their freedom and responsibility actually helps the poor better than his previous ideas. Then he had a re-conversion to the Catholic faith and entered the seminary where he found a lot of the radical ideas he'd left behind from when he was a leftist. When he was ordained he co-founded an institute to consider these questions. They made the decision to make it broad-based and engage it from a whole Christian perspective. The Institute does many things, including academic articles, books, and films. They are a research and educational institute. They do three main things: 1. Research, including a scholarly journal called "The Journal of Markets and Morality." They have a lot of serious scholarly books, lots of op-eds. 2. Education, including a summer conference of 600 people in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they talk about the moral, economic, and theological foundations of a free society, called Acton University. They also have conferences around the world. 3. Media, including two documentaries, "Call of the Entrepreneur" and "the Birth of Freedom", both of which have been on PBS. They are working on a third documentary now on entrepreneurial solutions to poverty. Andreas said the beauty of the Acton Institute engages reason in such a way as to attract secular groups. Andreas is both a research fellow at Acton and the CEO of Seven Fund. Seven Fund approaches the challenge of dealing with poverty through entrepreneurial s | 5/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0052: Friday, May 20, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Kevin Sepe, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Braintree * [St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Braintree](http://www.sfab.org/) * [Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda](http://www.catholicbermuda.org/) **Today's topics:** Fr. Kevin Sepe shares his path to the priesthood, the wonderful community at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Braintree, how the clergy personnel board assigns priests, and what does a vicar forane do? **1st segment:** Scot welcome Fr. Mark back to the show and Fr. Mark says he was in Bermuda this past week. Boston has been appointed by the Vatican for many years as the tribunal for the Catholic Church in Bermuda and Fr. Mark made a pastoral visit with the priests on the island. He also spoke to laypeople on the topic of annulments. He said Bermuda is at the same latitude as North Carolina and only two hours by plane. Scot was at St. Michael's in Andover, the largest parish in the Archdiocese, for a vicariate meeting on the work of Catholic media. Also tomorrow is the priestly ordination for six men in the Archdiocese of Boston, at the Holy Cross Cathedral at 9am. Fr. Mark taught them canon law in the seminary and said they are a very fine group. They will receive their assignments tonight from Cardinal Sean. Fr. Mark resides at St. Francis of Assisi parish in Braintree, where the pastor is today's guest, Fr. Kevin Sepe. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Fr. Sepe to the show. He is also pastor of the geographic region in which the Pastoral Center resides. The first day the Pastoral Center was open, Fr. Sepe brought collection envelopes to the Chancellor. Fr. Sepe grew up in St. Michael's in Lowell and attended high school. In 1977 there was a graduating class of 17 men, 3 of whom are now pastors in the archdiocese. They never discussed the seminary in high school, but they all came to the seminary later. He believes its the foundations they received from the priests in the parish. Scot said he was stunned to learn that Fr. Kevin grew up in the same parish Scot grew up in. When Fr. Kevin was in high school, he admired the headmaster of St. Michael's school, who was also his Latin teacher. One day at the end of school, the priest asked him, "Sepe, did you ever think of the priesthood?" He said, "No", and the priest replied, "Start." Fr. Kevin said that seed developed and grew and he couldn't escape it. It wasn't in his brain, so much as his heart. After that, he talked to a parish priest who recommended he talked to someone at the seminary who offered a weekend retreat for college-age men. While he was a little rambunctious on the weekend, it was a foundation. Fr. Kevin's father was a classic WWII vet and while he had a profound faith, he was no theologian. To have a son as a priest was an honor. His mother was a registered nurse and had worked in a psychiatric hospital and seen many difficulties in people's lives so she wanted to make sure he would be happy. Scot said Fr. Kevin is celebrating 25 years in the priesthood this year. His experience is far different from the day of his ordination. At the time, you couldn't expect to be pastor for 25 years, but that quickly changed. His first assignment was St. Joseph, Quincy, where had a wonderful five years with the pastor and a parish school in a city. He stayed friends with the pastor afterward. After that assignment he went to Middleboro and learned how large the archdiocese is. The parish itself is 75 square mile and is the southernmost part of the archdiocese. On a communion call one time he got lost on the back roads and it took him all day to get back home. After that assignment, he was at St. Mary in Randolph with Fr. Richard Harrington. Fr. Kevin has been a pastor for 14 years this coming August. He remembers being on a board that investigated making rectories separate from the church's offices, which has turned out to be a good respite for many pri | 5/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0051: Thursday, May 19, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of The Pilot newspaper, and Father Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor newspaper. * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot's and The Anchor's websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. **Today's topics:** Ordination of 6 men for Boston on Saturday; new protocols for Extraordinary Rite of the Mass; Vatican, US bishops update on sex abuse crisis; Apostolic Nuncio's remarks in Boston **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan take a look at the news of the week with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy, including the Apostolic Nuncio's talk in Boston; a report to the US bishops on the causes of the sex abuse crisis; Vatican guidelines to bishops worldwide on the issue; the Vatican's clarification of an instruction encouraging generous allowance of the Extraordinary Rite of the Mass; and Boston's ordination this Saturday of six men for the priesthood. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan back to the show and asked her about her week. She had a meeting with Archdiocese of Boston catechetical leaders in Duxbury yesterday and one in Gloucester today. It's the annual retreat day for catechical leaders in parishes. It's a busy news week including Saturday's ordination, new protocols from the Vatican for the Extraordinary Rite, the Vatican and US bishops continuing to work on the sex abuse crisis, and the Apostolic Nuncio's remarks this Sunday at the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary gala dinner. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Roger and Gregory back to the show. Starting with Archbishop Sambi's remarks at the gala dinner. Gregory said the nuncio was in town the dinner to receive an honor from the seminary. He spoke about vocations, prayer for vocations, Good Shepherd Sunday. He commended Cardinal Sean for his leadership and the Holy Father's regard for the cardinal. He urged Boston to take its place as a preeminent leader in the United States: May Boston recover that position that it had in the Church in the United States, to be the mother, to be the light, to be the Church indicating the future through its engagement to have many vocations." Fr. Roger said the archbishop very sincerely appreciated the support the people in the room were giving to the seminary. Fr. Roger was very inspired as were the people who came with him to the dinner, who are entering the Church on Pentecost. Scot quoted the Archbishop who said that Redemptoris Mater is "at the center of diocesan values and missionary values." He told the seminarians that their house is small, but the hope in this house is great. Then he encouraged the people at the dinner to "help please to enlarge the house and, by doing so, the hope." Gregory said during the reception before the dinner, the Archbishop made the rounds through the room, meeting people, and was very engaged in taking the time to hear their stories. * [Archbishop Pietro Sambi's biography](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Sambi) * [Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/redemptorismater.aspx) Also recognized at the dinner was local businessman Jack Shaughnessy. He said at the dinner that the future well-being of the Catholic Church depends on thriving seminaries. He said the dinner was an opportunity not to honor himself but to support, promote, and advance the works of the archdiocesan seminaries. * [Jack Shaughnessy](http://www.jackshaughnessy.net) **3rd segment:** The John Jay College of Criminal Justice report tries to help understand what happened in the Church to cause the sexual abuse of minors. Gregory said the study began in 2006. An earlier study looked at the extent of the crisis, but this study tried to determine why it happened and thus figure out how to prevent it f | 5/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0050: Wednesday, May 18, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Martin Hyatt, bso, and Paul Blanchette * [National Cursillo Center](http://www.cursillo.org/) * [Boston Cursillo](http://www.bostoncursillo.org/index.html) * [St. Basil Salvatorian Center](http://saintbasils.org/html/salvatorian_center.html) **Today's topics:** The Cursillo ministry **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Martin Hyatt and Paul Blanchette talk with Scot and Fr. Chip about Cursillo, its origins, its aims, its wonderful fruits and just what a Cursillo weekend is all about. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip back to show as a substitute co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is still traveling. The radio studio for The Good Catholic Life is dedicated to Bl. John Paul and today would have been his 91st birthday. Today is also the 50th broadcast of The Good Catholic Life. On today's show, we will discuss Cursillo. Many people of faith throughout the archdiocese that Scot admires have the common background of having lived a Cursillo, including Cardinal Seán. Fr. Chip said he's seen how the Cursillo brings people closer to Christ. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chip welcome Fr. Martin Hyatt and Paul Blanchette to The Good Catholic Life. Paul said he has been involved with Cursillo for about 20 years and that's where he met Fr. Martin on his own weekend. It takes place in Framingham and Methuen. Fr. Martin has been general spiritual director since 1994 and has been helping with Cursillo since he was ordained in 1984. Fr. Martin said Cursillo comes from the Spanish word meaning course and it means literally "little course" or "a short course." The full name is a "short course in Christianity." It was born in Majorca, Spain, where the bishop was meeting regularly with a group of men and they were planning a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestela. First it was delayed by the Spanish Civil War and then by the World War, and all this time the men grew tighter and tighter together. So this weekend experience took place and caught on like wildfire. It traveled to mainland Spain to Portugal to France and Italy and all over Europe. It came to the US through the US Air Force. During an exchange with the Spanish Air Force at the Air Force base in Waco, TX, the American airmen noticed their enthusiasm and made their Cursillo. The Cursillo came to Boston in 1963 and the first one at the St. Basil center in 1969. Fr. Martin said Cursillo is not a retreat. It's a method. It's how we develop a deep and intimate relationship with Jesus and how we live to serve him. The tripod of Cursillo is piety, study, and action, or holiness, formation, and evangelization. This is the foundation. Holiness begins the relationship with Christ, formation feeds the relationship, and evangelization brings it out to others. Scot said many people might have gone through religious education to learn facts about their faith. What makes Cursillo so much more powerful and different and so impactful in 4 days? Fr. Martin said the short answer is the Holy Spirit. The long answer is three full days of time and no distractions: no watches, no cellphones, nothing like that. They take off the masks: cool and macho. Instead they talk in a simple, non-threatening way about things that really matter. Like on the road to Emmaus, the disciples comment that their hearts were burning when Jesus taught them. Fr. Chip said he often saw parishioners, especially men, who would go on Cursillo would come back without the tough veneer and demeanor they left with. Fr. Martin said God breaks through if we are open and receptive. The deepest desire of our heart is our salvation. God created us to love and to be loved. So when Cursillo talks about things that really matter, it touches the hearts' deepest longing. He hears many stories on the reunions that take place one month later about people who have begun to reach out to God in their lives and that they have changed their lives in simple but profoun | 5/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0049: Tuesday, May 17, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Wayne Belschner, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, East Boston * [Sacred Heart Parish, East Boston](http://www.rc.net/boston/sacredhearteast/) * [East Boston Central Catholic High School](http://www.ebccs.org/) **Today's topics:** Fr. Wayne Belschner's vocation story and the unique pastoral situation of Sacred Heart Parish, East Boston **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Wayne Belschner to discuss his journey to the priesthood, his seminary years in Rome, his first assignment in Woburn, and his present parish of Sacred Heart in East Boston, where he serves an ethnically diverse parish that comes together as one Catholic family. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris O'Connor back to the show. This Saturday 5 men are preparing for ordination to the priesthood as well as a brother with the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance. This week they are on retreat at the retreat house in Milton run by the Oblate Fathers. The ordination on Saturday is at 9am. It's a busy time for the men and the Mass itself is 3 hours long. After, they will have a reception with family and friends where they offer their first priestly blessings. On Sunday, they have their first Mass celebrated throughout the diocese, typically in their home parishes. They will have a week off, but will typically return to the parishes they served as seminarians and celebrate Mass there. Usually during the month of July, Cardinal Sean's blog includes the new priests writing their stories. At their first Mass, the new priests typically ask another priest to preach the homily. It's usually a spiritual director or another priest who was instrumental in their vocation. This week's [Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) will have profiles of each of the men and [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com) will show the Mass live. Everyone is welcome to the cathedral for the Mass. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Wayne Belschner to the show. Fr. Wayne was the youngest of 11 children in his family. He one sister and 9 brothers. They lived in a small house with just 4 bedrooms for everyone. They all ate dinner at one table and this was family time where everyone shared their day. His whole family remains extremely close. Having nine brothers prepared him well for the fraternity of the priesthood. His parish growing up was St. Mary of the Assumption in Revere. His parish priest was an example and a mentor that had a tremendous impact on his vocation. He first had thoughts about a priestly vocation as a sophomore in high school. His pastor, Fr. Mahoney, took ill and he spent a lot of time helping him and saw how remarkable he was in how he worked in his ministry. He was a gentle person, but his example affected his life deeply. Fr. Mahoney's recommendation for his entrance into seminary was received on the day that Fr. Mahoney's funeral was celebrated. When Fr. Wayne first asked him for a letter of recommendation, Fr. Mahoney tore it up and said he would only sign it if he knew Fr. Wayne was not being pressured to enter the seminary. He studied for a time in Rome at the North American College. During the four years of college seminary, there 70-80 men there in the late 80's and early 90's. And as he was finishing, he was asked to go to Rome for the NAC. He made some close relationships with friends in Italy that he remains in touch with. His mother was Italian and she was very proud that her son was becoming a priest. His father was like Fr. Mahoney who wanted to be sure he was doing this not to prove something, but because it was what he really wanted. His parents came over to Rome to visit, which was their first trip overseas. His parents were very supportive. A highlight of studying in Rome was meeting Bl. John Paul II. They had many opportunities to go over for Mass with him and he served Mass with him in his private chapel. The classes, as well, showed hi | 5/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0048: Monday, May 16, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Deacon Dan Burns, director of Permanent Diaconate Formation for the Archdiocese of Boston * [Archdiocese of Boston's Permanent Diaconate office](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/deacon) * [BostonDiaconate.org](http://www.bostondiaconate.org) * [Holy Family Parish, Duxbury](http://holyfamilyduxbury.org/) * [Lumen Gentium, Vatican II, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church #29](http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html) * [What is a deacon?](http://bostondiaconate.org/Resources/what_is_a_deacon.html) * [Pope Paul VI's motu proprio Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19670618_sacrum-diaconatus_en.html) * ["Diocese suspends diaconate for new candidates," Worcester Catholic Free Press, 3/26/11](http://www.catholicfreepress.org/_Pages/_This%20Week/0318Diocese.html) **Today's topics:** The permanent diaconate **A summary of today's show:** Scot talks with Deacon Dan Burns about the permanent diaconate in the Archdiocese of Boston, his own calling to holy orders, the process of discernment and formation involving the men *and* their wives, and the future of the diaconate in the Church. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes all to the show. Yesterday was the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, and while we should pray for vocations to the priesthood we should also pray for all forms of service to the Church, including the permanent diaconate. The ministry of the permanent deacon was restored at Vatican II. There are about 36,000 deacons in the world, with about half in the US. Boston has 247 permanent deacons, which ranks the archdiocese 12th in the US. How are deacons formed for ministry? How does their family take part in the discernment process? **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Deacon Dan Burns to the show. He was ordained to the diaconate in September 1998. He was 42 when he was ordained and started formation when he was 38. He was active in his parish with marriage prep, choir, confirmation retreats. The vocation sprung from that service and a mid-life crisis, in a sense. There was another man int he parish in formation for the diaconate who suggested to Deacon Dan he might have a vocation. His wife initially thought he was crazy, which is a fairly common reaction. She said he was already very busy and how would it fit into the family. Healthy skepticism is good for discernment. But she saw he had a call and one of the parish priests reinforced the call. It's very important to realize that this is a vocational call, not just a promotion for someone who helps out in the parish. There are already many ways to serve the Church. The discernment must come fro ma very deep prayer life, to feel the Spirit drawing you in this direction. There were a number of hurdles and he didn't get over all of them until his ordination. But the basic hurdles are considering how it would fit into family life, how he would fit it into his working life. He asked why would God be calling me? You tend to look at your own flaws and weaknesses and try to put it off because God "couldn't be calling me into this." The Church speaks of the deacon's ministry in three areas: Deacon of the Word, Deacon of the liturgy, and Deacon of charity. Deacon Dan felt his call was broad-based, but many feel called to a particular more than the others. All three of those are important parts of being a deacon. What is an average week in the life of a permanent deacon like? He's involved in Sunday Mass, to proclaim the Gospel in any Mass he's at, maybe one or more times in the week. He might have to do baptisms on Saturday or Sunday. Might be connected to religious education program in some way. For service, he's found himself ministering in hospice settings for the terminally ill. One part of formation was a summer internship in a hospital and he had been deathly afraid of hospitals, | 5/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0047: Friday, May 13, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Jennifer Schiller and Najat Whalen from Women in God's Spirit (WINGS) ministry * [WINGS](http://catholicwings.com/) **Today's topics:** Women in God's Spirit (WINGS), Sunday Mass readings **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Mark talk to Jen Schiller and Najat Whalen about Women in God's Spirit (WINGS), a parish-based ministry for Catholic women of all ages that helps them deepen their faith and become more connected to their community. Also, considering the Gospel for Good Shepherd Sunday. **1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Mark to the program. Scot said he was the lector at the noon Mass at the Pastoral Center. Today is also the 30th anniversary of the assassination attempt on Bl. John Paul II, on the feast of Our Lady of Fatima. Twenty-nine years ago today, Pope John Paul went to Fatima to have the bullets removed from his chest placed in the crown of the statue of our Lady of Fatima because he credited her with saving his life. Cardinal Seán has been celebrating the Mass and leading the international pilgrimage in Fatima at the request of the Holy Father. Back at the Pastoral Center, after Mass, there was the May crowning of the statue of Mary. Also, today is the last day for a colleague of Scot's, Patrick Gispon, the Catholic Appeal manager, who is returning to Chicago, where his family is from. Fr. Mark said he was impressed to see the number of people who turned out to say goodbye to Patrick and the spirit of the people Scot affected. The "Why Catholic?" program, discussed on The Good Catholic Life earlier this week, also had one of its informational sessions. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Jennifer Schiller and Najat Whalen. Scot asked Jen about WINGS. She said she participated in WINGS when she lived in Southern California as a young mom. She'd been invited to attend in her parish and found about 75 to 100 women who gathered weekly to learn about and grown in their faith. It was a ministry for all ages. They had childcare. It was an opportunity to learn more about her faith. When they relocated to Massachusetts, she was looking for something like WINGS so she approached her pastor who encouraged her to start it, about 11 years ago. There are now 11 groups in the Archdiocese. She started at her parish of St. Mary in Holliston. The other groups grew organically from women who came to their group and then wanted to do the same at their parish. Fr. Mark said he sees a pattern of people who have a great idea or experience and who don't wait for others to do something, but take initiative. Jen said she had lots of help. She had good encouragement from the pastor and after a couple of months they had about 8 to 10 women who were committed. They are all volunteers who want to help other women and grow in their faith. Najat said she became involed in 2005 when she was a CCD teacher and had a 5-year-old son entering school. She saw bulletin announcements and was attracted to the idea of deepening her faith and learning more. Eventually she became more involved because she was asked to become childcare coordinator and then program coordinator. Scot asked Jen if it's truly women of all ages or is it primarily one age group. She said it's truly all of them. When she started in 1995, she found herself in small groups with grandmothers and others. She found that meeting with women of all different perspectives helps them all in whatever place in their faith journey they find themselves. Jen said WINGS is not a national organization, but it is growing as women move from Southern California to other places. Each group is independent. They are made up women from the parish, but they have a spiritual adviser in the parish that helps them keep the ministry focused and on track. The suggested program is three seasons of six weeks each during the school year. They focus on areas of spiritual growth. In the fall, they focus on some a | 5/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0046: Thursday, May 12, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of The Pilot newspaper, and Father Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor newspaper. * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) **Today's topics:** Immigration reform, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Benedict on prayer, and more **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan talk with Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy about a Catholic response to the political question of immigration reform; Pope Benedict's advice on how dioceses should approach praying and preparing for vocations; the Holy Father's ongoing catechesis on prayer; and more in the news from The Pilot and The Anchor. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan back to the show. Susan said she enjoyed yesterday's show on adult faith formation and would like to re-visit the topic of the US bishops' document on the subject again on the show some day. She's also getting involved in budget process for her office of Religious Education. The Archdiocese's fiscal year begins on June 1 and all the ministries are preparing plans and budgets for next year. **2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcome Gregory and Fr. Roger back to the show. President Obama made a speech on May 10 in El Paso, Texas, and released a 34-page blueprint for immigration reform. He emphasized federal responsibility for immigration; to hold employers responsible for hiring illegals, create a system that provides for the demands of employment and family unification, and to hold people in the US illegally accountable for their action before enabling to get them on the right side of the law. * ["Obama launches new push for immigration reform," Catholic News Service, 5/11/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/briefs/cns/20110511.htm) * ["The Catholic voice in the immigration debate," Fr. Roger Landry, The Anchor, 6/25/10](http://www.anchornews.org/editorial/2010/june_25_2010.php) Gregory said the Church has always had a great interest in immigration reform, ensuring that whatever reforms are made respect human dignity. Scot said the President accused Republicans of moving the goal posts so that whatever Democrats offer, the Republicans always want more. Republicans shot back that the mission of securing the border has never been accomplished. Susan said we are all descendants of immigrants and need to welcome people, but we also need to be responsible. Sometimes when immigration is discussed, an elitist mindset comes out and that's not who we are as Catholics. The chairman of the US bishops' committee on immigration is Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles, who is himself an immigrant. Fr. Roger said Gomez says we are talking here about brothers and sisters in Christ and we need keep that in mind in any conversation about immigration reform. He also says the Church is not a political party and we're not advocating any particular policy, but we're promoting an attitude of respect and welcoming. Archbishop Gomez also said that anti-Hispanic bias is a factor in some of the conversation about reform. Scot said Archbishop Gomez's letter last year said 10 million illegals are in the country, so what we do we do with them. While we have to uphold our laws, we have to ask what is proper and just. From a moral standpoint, he concludes that deporting immigrants is too severe a penalty. He suggests intensive long-term community service. Gregory thinks it's a reasonable suggestion and it's important to remember that this is a question of civil law, not criminal law. Susan quoted a priest from Fall River who said, "If you are baptized, you are home." Fr. Landry said we have to treat them like human beings rather than treat then like they're doing something horrible by trying to work and feed their kids. This is their experience in New Bedford after the big immigration raid on a Defense Dept. contractor in 2007 that resulted in the arrests of dozens of | 5/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0045: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham **Today's guest(s):** Sister Terry Rickard, President of Renew International, Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Mary Ann McLaughlin, Co-Director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life and Director of Arise: Together in Christ * [Renew International](http://www.renewintl.org/) * ["Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us": A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States](http://www.nccbuscc.org/education/ourhearts.htm) * [Arise: Together in Christ](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/ARISE.aspx?pid=464) * [Why Catholic?: Journey Through the Catechism](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/whycatholic.aspx?pid=464) **Today's topics:** Adult faith formation and the new program called Why Catholic? **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Sr. Terry Rickard, Janet Benestad, and Mary Ann McLaughlin about adult faith formation and the new program in the Archdiocese of Boston called "Why Catholic?" that will take parishioners through the Catechism. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip as a substitute co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is traveling. He has been pastor at St. Mary's for three years as of May 1. He's working hard to try some new things, bringing people closer together and bring people back to God. He also co-hosts the movie review show Spotlight with Fr. Bill Kelly on CatholicTV. He's been a big fan of movies as long as he can remember. They've completed their second season of the show. Scot said they'll be speaking today about the centrality of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of Boston and specifically about the new program following on Arise and Catholics Come Home called Why Catholic? Fr. Chip said he's excited to hear about these programs coming from the archdiocese because not every parish has the resources to do it all on their own and re-inventing the wheel. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Sr. Terry and Janet to the show. Scot said most of what Renew does is helping dioceses and parishes with adult faith formation. Renew came out of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council and focuses on the methodology of small groups. They have worked in 24 countries and 160 dioceses in the US over the past 30 years. Currently they are working in 51 dioceses. Scot said there are about 176 dioceses in the US. Scot said to Janet that the US bishops wrote in a document about 10 years ago that adult faith formation is central to the mission of the Church. Janet said Bl. John Paul wrote in [Catechesi Tradendae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html) about this centrality for the first time. Our parishes do a good job educating and forming children, but we haven't done as well at ongoing formation for adults. Scot said he was surprised to read in the US bishops' document: >The Church wisely and repeatedly insists that adult faith formation is "essential to who we are and what we do as Church" and must be "situated not at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its center." While most Catholic parishes place a high priority on the faith formation of children and youth, far fewer [Catholic parishes] treat adult faith formation as a priority. Fr. Chip said it's important that we do it, but we're not doing it. We're so focused with our limited resources on forming children that we let parents and other adults slip through the cracks. He did a formation series last fall on Church history and it was sporadically attended. But that can't be discouraging because people do tell him they want such formation. We just have to find what works for them. The US bishops said well-formed adults are our next generation of catechists and other volunteers within the parish. Sr. Terry said such programs are not just informational transferral, but information for trans | 5/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0045: Wednesday, May 11, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham **Today's guest(s):** Sister Terry Rickard, President of Renew International, Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Mary Ann McLaughlin, Co-Director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life and Director of Arise: Together in Christ * [Renew International](http://www.renewintl.org/) * ["Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us": A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States](http://www.nccbuscc.org/education/ourhearts.htm) * [Arise: Together in Christ](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/ARISE.aspx?pid=464) * [Why Catholic?: Journey Through the Catechism](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/whycatholic.aspx?pid=464) **Today's topics:** Adult faith formation and the new program called Why Catholic? **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Sr. Terry Rickard, Janet Benestad, and Mary Ann McLaughlin about adult faith formation and the new program in the Archdiocese of Boston called "Why Catholic?" that will take parishioners through the Catechism. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip as a substitute co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is traveling. He has been pastor at St. Mary's for three years as of May 1. He's working hard to try some new things, bringing people closer together and bring people back to God. He also co-hosts the movie review show Spotlight with Fr. Bill Kelly on CatholicTV. He's been a big fan of movies as long as he can remember. They've completed their second season of the show. Scot said they'll be speaking today about the centrality of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of Boston and specifically about the new program following on Arise and Catholics Come Home called Why Catholic? Fr. Chip said he's excited to hear about these programs coming from the archdiocese because not every parish has the resources to do it all on their own and re-inventing the wheel. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Sr. Terry and Janet to the show. Scot said most of what Renew does is helping dioceses and parishes with adult faith formation. Renew came out of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council and focuses on the methodology of small groups. They have worked in 24 countries and 160 dioceses in the US over the past 30 years. Currently they are working in 51 dioceses. Scot said there are about 176 dioceses in the US. Scot said to Janet that the US bishops wrote in a document about 10 years ago that adult faith formation is central to the mission of the Church. Janet said Bl. John Paul wrote in [Catechesi Tradendae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html) about this centrality for the first time. Our parishes do a good job educating and forming children, but we haven't done as well at ongoing formation for adults. Scot said he was surprised to read in the US bishops' document: >The Church wisely and repeatedly insists that adult faith formation is "essential to who we are and what we do as Church" and must be "situated not at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its center." While most Catholic parishes place a high priority on the faith formation of children and youth, far fewer [Catholic parishes] treat adult faith formation as a priority. Fr. Chip said it's important that we do it, but we're not doing it. We're so focused with our limited resources on forming children that we let parents and other adults slip through the cracks. He did a formation series last fall on Church history and it was sporadically attended. But that can't be discouraging because people do tell him they want such formation. We just have to find what works for them. The US bishops said well-formed adults are our next generation of catechists and other volunteers within the parish. Sr. Terry said such programs are not just informational transferral, but information for trans | 5/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0044: Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Jack Ahern, pastor of Mother Teresa Parish, St. Peter Parish, and Holy Family Parish in Dorchester * ["3 parishes to share 1 pastor," The Boston Globe, 3/24/09](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/24/3_parishes_to_share_1_pastor/) * [Mother Teresa Parish, Dorchester](http://www.motherteresadorchester.org/) * [Friends of St. Peter's Church, Dorchester, MA, Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_62654437298) **Today's topics:** Profile of Fr. Jack Ahern, the first priest in Boston in recent years to lead three parishes at once **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chris talk with Fr. Jack Ahern, pastor of three parishes in Dorchester, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston, where he's already celebrated 20 funerals for murder victims this year. But there's also much hope in the three parishes with 5 churches, 17 buildings, 6 languages, and a long Catholic history. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Chris and asked what he's up to. They've been working to end the seminary year and get the seminarians out to the parishes they will work in this summer. Also, ordinandi are preparing for the ordination on May 21 by going on a 5-day retreat. Cardinal Sean is also looking for the right assignment for the new priests, by getting a sense of the gifts of each man from the seminary by aligning them with the right openings. The men have an hour meeting each with the clergy personnel board. The men will have a dinner the night before and each have an individual meeting with the cardinal that night when their assignment is given. Today's program is an interesting look at the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Boston with Fr. Jack Ahern who is the first pastor of 3 parishes in Boston. He has had two years working in these parishes. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Jack. Recounting his background, his first parish was in St. Albert's in Weymouth. His last assignment was St. Mary's in Brookline for 18 years. Now he is in Dorchester with three parishes that were five parishes until recently when two of them merged into the other three. He has been a priest for 31 years. On the day of his ordination, he received a chalice and they said, "All this and more for the priesthood," and the "and more" was so much more. He has spent a lot of time in Dorchester working on the streets, serving many people who are suffering, including recently celebrating the 20th funeral for a murder victim in his parishes this year. Fr. Chris asked what are the ways Fr. Jack is responding to the violence in the city. He said they often work with the police in the street or go with street teams from the teen center to go into the homes of g********rs to meet with parents and see how they can help the younger kids into other activities so they don't get involved in gangs. Fr. Conway at St. Peter's has been very active as well, learning Portuguese at 71 to work with Cape Verdeans. Fr. Jack moved the parish's offices from the rectory to the teen center at St. Peter's so that the kids can see them coming and going and interact. If there's a funeral, there's the wake, the Mass, and then a counseling program after for the kids. In the summer, they run a program for the kids because the kids wouldn't be safe to leave their homes during the day. They are also helping them to become better citizens. At Mother Teresa, they are fortunate to have the [Cristo Rey High School](http://www.cristoreyboston.org/) move into a vacant school building. The students spent time during the school day working in businesses to give them experience and to help provide support for their tuition. The corporations mentor the students. Scot asked him what it's like to be pastor in the inner city and dealing with violence, crime, and fear for the safety of their kids. Fr. Jack said it's exciting to be working there as a priest because every day is different. He k | 5/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0043: Monday, May 9, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** From the College of St. Mary Magdalen in Warner, NH: Dr George Harne, president; Dr. Mark Discher, academic dean; and Tim VanDamm, vice president of advancement and admissions. * [The College of St. Mary Magdalen](http://www.magdalen.edu/) **Today's topics:** Getting a great Catholic college education **A summary of today's show:** Scot talks with Dr. George Harne, Dr. Mark Discher & Tim Van Damm of the College of St. Mary Magdalen about what it takes to find an authentically Catholic college and get a good Catholic education. Drs. Harne and Discher also discuss their individual journeys into the Catholic Church and the role that beauty and intellectual pursuit played for them. **1st segment:** Many Catholic parents and high school seniors are finalizing decisions now about where to study in college. They seek to find a place where they can learn, make lifelong friends, prepare themselves for a good career and see their virtues grow and their Catholic faith strengthened. There are so many factors involved that it can often be a difficult decision. We’ll focus on many of these questions of getting a great Catholic education in college with 3 leaders of the College of St. Mary Magdalen which is located about an hour north of Boston in the state of New Hampshire. This college is reinventing itself in many ways to meet the needs of Catholic college students today. Now I’d like to welcome Dr. George Harne, Dr. Mark Discher and Tim VanDamm. George said one thing that many do not consider when attending a college is how it will affect my soul? Catholic parents and their children should consider where they can go to get both the intellectual and spiritual formation. Scot asked what a liberal arts education means. Mark said that classically, liberal learning is for a free man, one who has the leisure for study t come to a deeper understanding of themselves, of humanity, and of God. Scot asked why someone who wants a business degree would want to study a liberal arts education. Mark said most of the presidents and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies hold liberal arts degree. Those degrees should help one to carry through an argument, to look at general perspectives, and have a general grasp of existence. It should lead to a lot of trainability and adaptability. George said the classical liberal arts are seven: four verbal and three mathematical. He has a friend in New York City who his is doing very well in the corporate world who studied rhetoric. The subjects are ordered to help one to think clearly and speak well. Most modern liberal arts education is like a salad bar where you aren't sure what you're going to get. In terms of student like on a college campus, Tim said a parent should ask whether the culture on campus will build up their children's faith that they worked so hard to bring to that point. Look at what maintains and continues what I've already started as a parent. At Magdalen, there are students who get up early in the morning to pray in adoration or at daily Mass or to pray before an abortion clinic. What are warning signs at other schools? Tim said if you see aspects against the Catholic faith: for example, gay/lesbian/transgender clubs; plays that are anti-Catholic or immoral. When parents are paying student and academic fees that support activity inimical to their faith, that's a warning sign. George said parents can start with the [Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978650212/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0978650212) by the [Cardinal Newman Society](http://cardinalnewmansociety.org/). The Society's website also keeps up with current news about what's going on at Catholic colleges. Parents should get the most current information on the colleges from the college's own websites as well. Also, call the college and talk | 5/9/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0042: Friday, May 6, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. John Phalen, CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries * [Holy Cross Family Ministries](http://hcfm.org/) * [Congregation of Holy Cross](http://www.holycrosscongregation.org/) * [Brothers of Holy Cross](http://www.holycrossbrothers.org/) * [Family Rosary](http://familyrosary.org/) * [Family Theater Productions](http://www.familytheater.org/) * [The Story of Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC](http://www.hcfm.org/FatherPeyton.aspx) **Today's topics:** Father John Phalen of Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Family Rosary, Family Theater, God's Children Now retreat **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Mark talk with Fr. John Phalen about praying the rosary as a family including practical tips for praying with children. They also discussed the upcoming Family Rosary day for families on June 4 at BC High and the status of the cause for canonization of Fr. Patrick Peyton, the famed Rosary Priest. Also, this Sunday's Gospel reading on the road to Emmaus. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Mark. Fr. Mark says in the past week he's been doing end of the academic year duties, including his last class with seminarians at St. John's for the year and last with the permanent deacon class. He teaches marriage & family and a class on the temporal goods of the Church and is just starting an introduction to canon law class. Scot said May is one of the two months of the year the Church dedicates to the Blessed Mother. (October is the other.) One of the ways we live the devotion to the Blessed Mother is the rosary. In Easton, Mass., is headquartered Holy Cross Family Ministries, founded by Fr. Patrick Peyton, known as the Rosary Priest. Fr. John Phalen, the current president of the ministry, will join us to discuss praying the rosary as a family. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Phalen to the show. Fr. Phalen is a past president of the Mariological Society. Scot asked Fr. Phalen why Catholics need to turn to Mary for a robust faith life. He said Mary was the first Christian and the first among the saints. If we want to conform our lives to Christ, we should go to the one who knew Him the best. She is the one who contemplated His face the most, who spent the most time with Him in her life. Here in the Northeast, we connect May with flowers, but this month we also celebrate Mother's Day, so it is appropriate. Fr. Mark asked about her role as intercessor. Fr. Phalen said Mary is a special intercessor. He said that on a trip to Uganda, he found a parish called "I Saw You" Parish. The pastor said the ground was the king's property at one time and it was forbidden trespass. When trespassers were brought before the king, the accusation was "I Saw You" and they would be condemned to death. The only person who could intercede with the king was the Queen Mother and she would sometimes intercede, asking for him to comply as a favor to her. People in the parish understood the role of Mary as intercessor by this Queen Mother role. Mary helps us by going to her Son an interceding for us with her prayer. She is like us completely, being a human being who gave birth to her savior. Scot said he recalls Fr. Peyton's saying "The Family that prays together, stays together." Why is it great for families to pray the rosary together? Fr. Phalen said the rosary's prayers are very simple: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. If they need the mysteries, there is simple guides available. Saying the Hail Mary over and over helps us to contemplate the mysteries. The Rosary is simple so everyone can do it. Grown adults can participate on their own level, but in the presence of other members of their family. Fr. Mark said there are many families that try and give up because of how the kids squirm. Fr. Phalen says keep trying, but do it in small bites, like just one decade at a time. Keep coming back to it. Model it as a something you want to do it and then hold it o | 5/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0041: Thursday, May 5, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of The Pilot newspaper, and Father Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor newspaper. * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) **Today's topics:** Catholic reaction to Osama bin Laden's death; wrap-up of Bl. John Paul's beatification; followup on MariaTalks.com; Apostolic Nuncio coming to Boston; Pope Benedict teaching us to pray **A summary of today's show:** Scot, Susan, Gregory, and Fr. Roger consider how Catholics should react to Osama bin Laden's death, then switch gears to give a last look at the beatification of Bl. John Paul. In local news, the Mass. bishops spoke out on a controversial website, but the Governor refuses to act; the Pope's representative the US is coming to Boston; and Pope Benedict begins a new teaching series on prayer. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan. She said last said Sunday a grandson received First Communion and this Saturday a granddaughter will receive First Communion at another parish. Bringing a child to the table of the Lord is best thing a parent can do for a child. For Mother's Day, Scot asked her about her children and grandchildren: She has three daughters and 5 grandchildren locally and a son and another grandchild on the West Coast. **2nd segment:** * [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2302-2317: On Just War and Safeguarding Peace](http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P81.HTM) * ["What is Just War?," Colin B. Donovan, STL, EWTN.com](http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/just_war.htm) * ["Vatican says bin Laden's death cause for reflection, not rejoicing," John Thavis, Catholic News Service](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101730.htm) Scot welcomes Gregory and Fr. Roger to the show. First thing Monday morning, Scot saw the news about Osama bin Laden and it became clear to him that he wasn't sure how we're supposed to respond as American Catholics. On the one hand, we're happy he was no longer able to hurt innocents, but some of the celebrations seemed out of hand. Fr. Roger said that as a Catholic we're called to love even our enemies. In the case of a mass murderer, it's very hard. In terms of those who want to harm the innocent, all those who have a duty to protect others need to do what's possible to carry out that mission. If bloodless means are insufficient, then legitimate authority may use lethal force. If he had been imprisoned by the US, could he have been able to carry out harm just by his existence. Scot asked Gregory what he thought of the Vatican's statement that "in the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices"? Gregory said it's a question of rejoicing in his death. We can rejoice because the world is safer, but we cross a line when we celebrate the fact that someone had to die. If it's necessary to sue deadly force then so be it, but it's always a regrettable choice. Even Blessed John Paul II used to say that only if there's another reasonable way to make society safe, then death is a possibility. Susan said there was a lot to process in the news. She heard the news on Sunday night after having watched videos on the beatification and it was an odd juxtaposition. She had a sense of relief at the world being safer, but she goes back to Matthew 5:43 in which Christ calls us to love our enemy. Scot reviewed the three conditions for an act within war to be morally justified: >First, the act must be good in itself. The use of force to obtain justice is morally licit in itself. Second, it must be done with a good intention, which as noted earlier must be to correct vice, to restore justice or to restrain evil, and not to inflict evil for its own sake. Thirdly, it must be appropriate in the circumstances. An act which may otherwise be good and well motivated can be sinful by reason of imprudent judgment and execution. > >In this regard Just War doctrine gives certain | 5/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0040: Wednesday, May 4, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Charlie Cox, star of the new film "There Be Dragons"; Fr. Chip Hines, Pastor of St. Mary, Wrentham, and co-host of CatholicTV's *Spotlight*; and Dr. Karen Bohlin, head of the Montrose School in Medfield, Massachusetts* ["There Be Dragons" official website](http://therebedragonsmovie.com/)* ["There Be Dragons" on IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1316616/)* [Roland Joffe, director](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0423646/)* [Charlie Cox as "Josemaria Escriva"](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0423646/)* ["There Be Dragons" website for resources to promote & discuss](http://dragonsresources.com/)* [St. Josemaria Escriva](http://www.josemariaescriva.info/)* [Opus Dei](http://www.opusdei.us/)* [*Spotlight,* the movie review show on CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com/catholic-movies.aspx)* Photos from the film: Courtesy of Mount Santa Fe<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z17OEqbrOOQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>**Today's topics:** The new film "There Be Dragons" and its depiction of moments from the life of St. Josemaria Escriva**A summary of today's show:** Scot interviews actor Charlie Cox, who portrays St. Josemaria Escriva in the new film "There Be Dragons" and then discusses with Fr. Matt Williams, Fr. Chip Hines, and Karen Bohlin the themes of the "dragons" in our lives: Unforgiveness, selfishness, doubt, isolation, as well as the example of consistent virtue and heroism by Josemaria.**1st segment:** Scot tells Fr. Matt Williams that this is the 40th broadcast of The Good Catholic Life. Today they discussed the new movie "There Be Dragons" which has strong Catholic themes. Fr. Matt said movies are important because they help us understand culture and life situations of different people. Scot said Cardinal Seán saw a screening of the movie a few months ago and asked the movie company to get in touch with Scot to do an episode of The Good Catholic Life on it. Fr. Matt said he had a sneak peek of the movie last July at a conference in Philadelphia.During today's show, Scot gave away tickets for the movie, general passes for any showing at any theatre as well as tickets to a special premiere in Framingham tomorrow night.**2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip Hines, who co-hosts a move review show on CatholicTV. He also welcomed Karen Bohlin, who is hosting several showings of the movie so her students can see it. Montrose school's mission and vision are inspired by the life of St. Josemaria and the whole school community are excited by it. Karen said it will be relevant to young people because many of themes are applicable to today's culture and society. Also, because it focuses on the early lives of the protagonists and the life decisions they have to make.There Be Dragons is an epic action-adventure romance set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. The story traces the lives of two young men, Josemaria Escriva (Charlie Cox) and Manolo Torres (Wes Bentley), childhood friends who are separated by the political upheaval of pre-war Spain to find themselves on opposite sides as war erupts. Choosing peace, Josemaria becomes a priest and struggles to spread reconciliation by founding the movement Opus Dei (work of God).Manolo chooses war and becomes a spy for the fascists. He becomes obsessed with a beautiful Hungarian revolutionary, Ildiko, who has joined the militia in pursuit of passion and purpose. But when Ildiko rejects him out of love for the courageous militia leader Oriol, Manolo's jealousy leads him down a path of betrayal.As personal and national battles rage, the characters' lives collide and their deepest struggles are illuminated through the fateful choices they make. Each will struggle to find the power of forgiveness over the forces tearing their lives and friendship apart.Scot played an interview with Charlie Cox that was taped earlier. Scot asked him what interested him in | 5/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0039: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Rev. Mr. Ryan Rooney and Rev. Mr. Michael Wood, transitional deacons at St. John's Seminary* [Diocese of Springfield Vocations Office](http://www.myvocation.com/)* [Rev. Mr. Ryan Rooney's biography](http://www.myvocation.com/sems/rooney.html)* [Rev. Mr. Michael Wood's biography](http://www.myvocation.com/sems/wood.html)* [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu)* [Survey of the Ordinands](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/ordination-class-2011-report.pdf)**Today's topics:** Meeting deacons preparing the priesthood; Mary in seminarians' lives; statistics on 2011 ordinands**A summary of today's show:** Deacons Ryan Rooney and Michael Wood share their journeys to the priesthood, through challenges and triumphs. Ryan sings the Ave Maria and they discuss the importance of Mary in the lives of seminarians; finally, a look at the statistics of priests to be ordained throughout the US in 2011.**1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris and says it must be a joy to see the transitional deacons prepare for ordination. He said the two happiest days in the seminary are when new men arrive and when they ordain men for service in the Church. They are holding their annual deacons' night when they say farewell to men being ordained. They are also holding candidacy, for men entering their First Year of theology at the seminary. Thirteen men were honored at deacons' night and about 13 entering candidacy. About half are Vietnamese and being prepared at St. John's for priesthood in Vietnam. Fr. Chris said many men got up early to watch the beatification ceremonies and the rector played a video of John Paul praying the beatitudes. They also had a May crowning of the statue of the Blessed Mother.The two transitional deacons today are for the Diocese of Springfield and will be ordained at the beginning of June. St. John's has men from Providence, Springfield, Fall River, Worcester, Manchester, as well as a Boston. Scot said it will be great for men from all the different dioceses having relationships among one another. Fr. Chris said he always reminds the seminarians to make friends in the seminary in order to have priest friends down the road.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris are joined by transitional deacon Ryan Rooney. He got his call after his first year of high school. He'd taken a religious studies class and was shocked by the atheism of his peers. On a retreat that summer, he was prayed over and felt the power of the Holy Spirit. He felt a calling to evangelize his peers. He takes that as the moment he was called to the priesthood.His pastor and a mentor nurtured his call. They took him on other retreats, including trips to New York for Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Fr. Chris said he often sees Ryan being very involved in pro-life work, including praying in front of abortion clinics and going to the March for Life in DC every year. He thinks its an important witness for the seminarians to be visible there.In his junior year in high school, he went to the Dominican Republic for social service projects, so he worked at a reformatory for boys, teaching English, alongside about 12 priests from throughout Latin America. Scot said Ryan has had a lot of suffering in his life: a disabling injury to his knee and a diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease, all in his senior year in high school. He said to God that if He had been preparing Ryan for the priesthood that everything would be okay.For ordination, he looks forward to being called Father as a spiritual father, to grow in that vocation, to be able to administer the sacraments.Right now, he's working as a deacon at St. Mary Parish in Westfield. Along with the Mass duties, he's helped form the RCIA, preached in both Spanish and English, working with Spanish prayer groups. Then there's the other more mundane duties around the parish, like shoveling snow, etc. For his First Mass, he's invited his spiritual director, Fr. | 5/3/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0038: Monday, May 2, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Cardinal Séan O'Malley, Andreas Widmer, Fr. Daniel Hennessey* [The Vatican's official tribute to Blessed John Paul II](http://www.johnpaulii.va/en/)* [The Diocese of Rome's Bl. John Paul II website](http://www.karol-wojtyla.org/En/Home%20Page.aspx)* **Today's topics:** Reflections on the Beatification of Pope John Paul II; Dedication of the radio studio to Bl. John Paul II**A summary of today's show:** Cardinal Sean, Fr. Dan Hennessey, and Andreas Widmer called in from Rome to give their own unique perspectives on the beatification ceremonies: as a cardinal, a priest, and a former Swiss Guard. They also imparted the flavor of the day, the peace and joy evident in the event even in a crowd numbering close to 2 million. Also, today, we dedicate our radio studio under the patronage of Bl. John Paul II.**1st segment:** Yesterday, on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI beatified his predecessor, the now Blessed Pope John Paul II. This holy pope was a spiritual father to all of us and an inspiration. On today’s program, we’ll receive the reflections of 3 pilgrims who are familiar to listeners here on The Good Catholic Life. Later, we’ll hear from Father Dan Hennessey, the director of Vocations for the Archdiocese, and Andreas Widmer a former Swiss Guard who now lives in Boston. Cardinal Sean now joins Scot. The Cardinal said it was exciting to be there yesterday. The crowds were enormous, and luckily there were many opportunities for people to participate in different ways. With up to 2 million people in the city, it was very challenging to get up close to the ceremony itself. Last night, the Basilica was open until 3am and there was a column of people filing past the casket of Bl. John Paul. Today there was a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Cardinal Bertone. There were pilgrims from all over the world, virtually every continent. Obviously, yhr Holy Father had touched so many people's lives. No one in history had ever been seen by so many people as John Paul. This ceremony gives testimony to the connectedness that people felt with him.Scot asked what it's like to know someone he knew so well become a blessed in the Church. Cardinal Sean never thought he would grow so old that he would know two people who were beatified: John Paul and Mother Theresa. He was with the Holy Father many times as both a priest and a bishop. He was extraordinarily gifted and real grace for the Church. It's wonderful in our lifetime to have the opportunity to celebrate his ministry and his life.Scot said Pope John Paul wasn't beatified for his papacy, but for his holiness and virtues. He asked Cardinal Sean for any reflections on his holiness. Cardinal Sean said he was impressed how, in the midst of a chaos of a papal visit, wherever it was, he had the ability to concentrate and pray and be recollected. He's sure that was the source of his strength. That was evidence of just how profound his spirituality was. Cardinal Sean said it looked like the entire College of Cardinals was present and he was pleased that Pope Benedict asked all the cardinals to concelebrate. Even a number of retired cardinals in poor health came to Rome to be part of it.Scot asked how Rome was different than all the Cardinal's many trips. There were many people from all over: lots of French and Spanish, also many from Africa. Many people slept in the St. Peter's Square and along the Via della Conciliazione. Scot said he followed many of the Catholic bloggers and Twitterers who were writing during the whole night from the vigil and through the Mass. When Cardinal Sean went by the Basilica last night about 11pm and there was still a huge column. Cardinal Sean also ran into some of those attending today's Vatican meeting of Catholic bloggers, including Anna Arco of the *Catholic Herald* in London.**2nd segment:** Now joined by Fr. Daniel Hennessey from the Basilica of St. Paul-Outs | 5/2/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0036: Friday, April 29, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell**Today's guest(s):** Msgr. Cornelius McRae, currently Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Norwood* ["Norwood pastor going back to Rome" (The Pilot, 4/15/11)](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13233)* [Casa Santa Maria](http://www.pnac.org/casa-santa-maria/about-casa-santa-maria/)* [St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Norwood](http://www.stcatherinenorwood.org/)**Today's topics:** Msgr. Connie McRae's reflections on 50 years in the priesthood, his current pastorate, and his impending return to ministry in Rome**1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark O'Connell back the program. Last Friday, Fr. Mark was at the cathedral with Cardinal Sean for Good Friday. Fr. Mark said he is looking forward to seeing the beatification of Pope John Paul II this weekend.Msgr. McRae, our guest, was a spiritual director for Scot when Scot was a seminarian for a year at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Fr. Mark said Msgr.McRae was a close friend of Fr. Mark's uncle, Fr. David Delaney. They owned a house together with two other priests many years ago. When Fr. Mark was in Rome for four years, he lived at Casa Santa Maria, where Msgr. McRae will be serving starting in June. Those four years coincided with Msgr. McRae's previous years in Rome.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Msgr. McRae. He recalls the wonderful days he shared in Rome with Scot and Fr. Mark and he's not unhappy with the idea of returning to Rome. Msgr. McRae remebers Fr. Mark as a toddler visiting his uncle's house at the beach. He also remembers Fr. Mark's first day in Rome. He just came off the plane and was very nervous, saying that he wasn't going to venture out the door into Rome.Scot said the Casa Santa Maria is in the heart of Rome, right near the Trevi Fountain. He asked Fr. Mark how much of an affect these four priests he knew as a child on his vocation. He remembers that they were happy in their lives and that their house was a joyful house and that had an influence this summer.This summer will mark 50 years as a priest for Msgr. McRae. The last 11 have been spent at St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood, one of the largest and busiest in the archdiocese. Msgr. said it is a parish that welcomes priests. They've had a number of priest gatherings throughout the year. He said the parish is unique and is about 120 years old. The church building celebrated its 100th anniversary this past Christmas. The people, even more than the building, are astonishing. They have two Masses during the day and they need four people distributing Communion at the morning Mass during Lent. He's trying to summarize in his own mind what it has been like. He believes there have been dramatic changes in his life as a priest. Fr. Mark said the past 10 years have been a time of great challenges in Boston and they correspond to his time in the parish. Msgr. said he recalls having to do a listening session in the parish at the beginning of the sex-abuse scandal. St. Catherine's was an island of peace where no abuse had occurred. They had a powerful experience of listening over the course of a night to the pain of the people who came to the session. He's learned that whatever shame or anger or frustration priests have felt is nothing to compared to that suffered by those who were abused.Fr. Mark said there's also been a decline in number of priests and closings of parishes in the past 10 years and he's had to guide the people in this time. Msgr. said he was aided by the people of the parish and the parishes that were closed.Scot asked what it's like to be pastor of such a large parish, where for example, there are so many first communions and so many weddings. Msgr. said once the parish had seven priests, but isn't that way now. He said it's important to have a clear vision of why they are there: They are there to assist in building and continuing to build a faith community. It's easy to create division. It's hard to b | 4/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0036: Thursday, April 28, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Boston archdiocese* [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)* [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.com)**Today's topics:** An offensive state-funded website; pro-euthanasia billboard; local and worldwide reaction to Pope John Paul's beatification**A summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry, including an offensive, state-funded website telling teens abortion is no big deal; a new billboard in Boston advertising euthanasia; and local and worldwide reaction to the beatification of Pope John Paul II, including our hosts' and guests' personal recollections of the Pope.**1st segment:** Scot catches up with Susan. She said her parish this week confirmed 70 teens and 2 adults, giving the whole parish a spiritual high. Bishop Allue celebrated the confirmation. Scot recalls that in 1979, Susan's pastor Msgr. Helmick was in charge of the papal visit of Pope John Paul II to Boston along with Fr. James McCune. Scot has been going through the archives of the archdiocese, looking for photos of the papal visit.**2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcome Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry to the show. On Wednesday, April 20, there was a story in the Boston Herald profiling a website called "Maria Talks" and then a column the next by Michael Graham about the site. The Pilot this week has a story on legislators who want to pull state-funding from the site. The site is partly funded by the state of Massachusetts and run by the AIDS Action Committee and is aimed to be sex education of teens. It includes graphic content on sexual activity and downplays the reality of abortion, saying it's easier than it sounds and that it's not a big deal. It also describes in great detail how to avoid telling parents about an abortion.Susan said that as a mother and a grandmother she is outraged. Massachusetts Citizens for Life sounded the alarm on this site. She recalls that while you may need parental permission to have ears pierced, there is state-funded information on how to get an abortion without parents. Susan said the information they provide is itself factually flawed.Scot said there is a bipartisan group of lawmakers asking Gov. Deval Patrick to take down the website. Fr. Landry said that while people are always telling pro-lifers not to force their morality on them, here they are forcing their immorality on us. Mis- and partial information is being peddled to young people. It's another sign for us to awaken from our slumber, They aren't just trying to force this immorality on our young people and they're trying to make us pay the bill for it. He hopes that we'll keep our vigilance up because this is just scratching the surface of the larger effort to advance the anti-life cause.NARAL Pro-Choice America calls the site "terrific". Gregory said this is abortion distortion: The normal rules of life somehow don't seem to apply when abortion is involved. Children can't bring aspirin to school, but they can get abortions without parental involvement.* [MariaTalks.com](http://mariatalks.com/index.php) **Warning: Graphic Content*** ["Site: No stigma in abortion" (Boston Herald, 4/20/11)](http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332044)* ["Mass. lawmakers say sex ed website 'disgusting'" (Boston Globe/AP, 4/26/11)](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/26/mass_lawmakers_say_sex_ed_web_site_disgusting/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Local+news)* ["Defunding solves a problem like Maria", Michael Graham (Boston Herald, 4/21/11)](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/2011_0421defunding_solves_problem_like_maria/)Another local story is a Boston billboard outside the Callahan tunnel in East Boston advertising | 4/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0035: Wednesday, April 27, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Andreas Widmer, former Swiss Guard to Pope John Paul II and CEO of Seven Fund* [The Swiss Guard](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/index.htm)* [Seven Fund](http://www.sevenfund.org/)**Today's topics:** Pope John Paul's lessons for how to elevate our work into a vocation.**1st segment:** Fr. Matt joins the program via phone. He's on a planning retreat for his office. He spent the Triduum on the Hunger for Justice retreat for teens. Holy Week is the Super Bowl for priests. About 200 teens from the northern part of the archdiocese came together for the retreat on which they fasted for 30 hours. Their fasting was sponsored, each one raising about $250. They raised about $15,000 total for Japan earthquake relief. They started on the beach in Nahant with a theme that sin leaves us homeless because sin alienates us from the Lord, from each other, and ourselves. We are outside the loving embrace of the Lord. But the cross of Jesus welcomes us home. They had Good Friday service at St. Thomas Aquinas in Nahant, then went back to St. Mary in Lynn where they had a final meal for the fast.On Saturday they served the homeless in Boston. One man in a wheelchair told one of the girls how he sometimes finds himself sleeping in a garage in a sleeping bag. He had only a thin shirt under his jacket and the girl gave him her own sweatshirt she was wearing. It was raining all day, but they didn't have a rain contingency. The homeless get rained on whenever it rains, so the kids took part in solidarity with them. It helped them appreciate the blessing they have and what the homeless go through.Toward the end of today’s show, we will answer listener questions about the Holy Father’s Beatification. If you have a question, please email [LIVE@TheGoodCatholicLife.com](mailto:LIVE@TheGoodCatholicLife.com), text or call us at 617-410-MASS.**2nd segment:** Andreas Widmer joins Scot and Fr. Matt. Andreas was on the show a few weeks ago and he shared how he became a Swiss Guard and his first encounter with Pope John Paul II. Andreas has since studied John Paul's life and has written a book, "The Pope & The CEO: Nine Lessons in Executive Leadership Learned by a Swiss Guard at the Feet John Paul II" (coming soon from Emmaus Road) on how to apply those lessons to his life. After the Swiss Guard, he entered the high-tech industry and went through the ups and downs of the tech boom. In the downs of life, you can sometimes find God more easily. In one of those downs, he started to think about those lessons of John Paul.Vocation is often talked about a religious vocation, but John Paul made sure to emphasize that vocation is whatever mission we are sent from God. 98% of Christians have a vocation outside of religious life. John Paul said you know that you're working well, you don't just make more, but you become more. Is my job helping me to become more? How do you approach your job? How do you see your job?How did John Paul teach someone to find their specific vocation? Andreas said John Paul would say that God is asking you what you are going to do with all the talents and opportunities He has given you? We present what we are going to do and then God will bless us and help us to excel in life and become a saint.Fr. Matt said Pope John Paul II wrote a letter to young people in 1985, [Dilecti Amici](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_31031985_dilecti-amici_en.html). John Paul saw young people as the hope of the future. In the letter, he identified adolescence as a time of intense discovery where we ask what is our life's project. God has created us in a particular time and place for a purpose that we have to discover. In our culture, we are constantly surrounded by noise and distraction and it keeps the heart and soul from listening. That's why Eucharistic adoration is so powerful. When Fr. Matt was first thinking | 4/27/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0034: Tuesday, April 26, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Dr. David Franks, vice-president of mission for the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at the [Theological Institute for the New Evangelization](http://www.tine.org) at St. John's Seminary* [Pope Benedict's Homily for the Easter Vigil, April 23, 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20110423_veglia-pasquale_en.html)* [Pope Benedict's "Urbi et Orbi" (the City and the World) message for Easter 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/urbi/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20110424_urbi-easter_en.html)* ["Pope contrasts Easter joy with suffering humanity," (Zenit)](http://www.zenit.org/article-32410?l=english)**Today's topics:** Pope Benedict's messages to the world on Easter; Pope John Paul II's influence**1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Chris. Recalling the celebration of the Triduum, Fr. Chris said many different people come to the liturgies of the Triduum from outside the seminary. Scot was on the Dan Rea show on WBZ Radio last Friday to talk about Catholics Come Home and answer caller questions about the Church.At the seminary on Holy Thursday, they traditionally select the men in their 3rd year for the foot washing. On Saturday night, they had transitional deacon Quang Lee sing the Exsultet. Scot said they hope to have the transitional deacons on the shows leading up to the ordination next week.Scot said in this show, they plan to talk about the Holy Father's messages on Easter, the major ideas and themes. The messages are for everyone, not just those gathered in St. Peter's Square.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Dr. David Franks back to the show. Last Saturday, the Holy Father's homily follows--as in every Easter Vigil Mass in the world--the service of light, the Exsultet, and the readings of Salvation History. He begins:>The liturgical celebration of the Easter Vigil makes use of two eloquent signs. First there is the fire that becomes light. As the procession makes its way through the church, shrouded in the darkness of the night, the light of the Paschal Candle becomes a wave of lights, and it speaks to us of Christ as the true morning star that never sets – the Risen Lord in whom light has conquered darkness. The second sign is water. On the one hand, it recalls the waters of the Red Sea, decline and death, the mystery of the Cross. But now it is presented to us as spring water, a life-giving element amid the dryness. Thus it becomes the image of the sacrament of baptism, through which we become sharers in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.Fr. Chris said it is a beautiful opening and it captures this image of light. "Lumen Christi, Deo gratias", "The Light of Christ, thanks be to God." You see not just the Paschal candle, but the lights of hundreds of followers. And then the image of water to welcome into the faith, new believers, to have it happen because Christ's side was pierced for them and us. It's also an image of the Church being born. The Church is more than just stone and mortar, it's living human souls.David said fire and water is also a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Fire and water can be lifegiving, but they can also be dangerous in the natural world. But in Jesus Christ, what can be destructive toward human good are lifted up and used for the good of humanity. Scot said they are basic elements of creation and capture our imagination.Scot said his 9- and 7-year-olds were struck by the third reading of Pharaoh's chariots being drowned in the Red Sea and asked if God was being mean. David said St. Paul points out to the Romans, we aren't talking about the eternal destination of the Egyptians, but the plan of liberation God has set in place. If we work with God then it is to our benefit, but if we array ourself against God, we should realize that no force of darkness can overcome the power of God's love.Fr. Chris sai | 4/26/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0033: Monday, April 25, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Rocco Palmo of the [Whispers in the Loggia](http://whispersintheloggia.blogpost.com) blog.* [Vatican Blog Meeting on Twitter](http://twitter.com/#!/vbm_11)* [Rocco Palmo on Twitter](http://twitter.com/#!/roccopalmo)* [Pontifical Council for Social Communications](http://www.pccs.va)* [Pontifical Council for Culture](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/cultr/)* [Information on the Vatican meeting for bloggers](http://www.pccs.va/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=381%3Ainformation-on-vatican-meeting-for-bloggers&catid=1%3Aultime&Itemid=50&lang=en)**Today's topics:** Catholic blogger and journalist Rocco Palmo on his blog, an upcoming Vatican meeting of bloggers, and his memories of Pope John Paul II.**1st segment:** Scot said he hopes everyone had a wonderful celebration of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. It was a truly wonderful Triduum and a wonderfully bright Easter Day yesterday. One personal moment meant a lot to him. His 9-year old son and 7-year old daughter heard The Good Catholic Life last Wednesday when we discussed the beauty of the Easter Vigil. They asked him to go, saying they would take a nap if necessary to stay up late so they could see it for the first time. It was wonderful to share it with them!The Blog “Whispers in the Loggia” first was published in December of 2004 by Rocco Palmo, a then-recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Political Science. Whispers was partly a response to the aftermath of the Clergy Abuse Crisis as one way to shed light on the true nature of the Church, instead of what Catholics and non-Catholics were reading in the secular press. Soon it was picking up thousands, then tens-of-thousands of readers. Now millions of people have read this blog about the life of the Catholic Church. On today’s show, we’ll discuss this Blog, the upcoming Vatican conference for Bloggers, which happens a week from today, and as he prepares to travel to Rome for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II, we’ll discuss with Rocco the impact Pope John Paul II had on him and his views on his lasting impact in the Church and the world. Scot welcomes Rocco Palmo. Scot asked him about the number of readers on the blog. He's had a total of about 17 million readers over the past 7 years. He gets 5 to 6 million per year now.Who reads the blog? There are a lot of laypeople, priests, and even some bishops. He gets emails from secular journalists as well. He runs on a shoestring budget, but he won't go to subscription because he doesn't want to put up barriers to people just coming to the site. He also doesn't take ads. He said the Church in the US is polarized and any advertiser would be difficult to reach all. He prefer the purity of the content. He also likes that donations give readers the opportunity to contribute and show their appreciation.That bishops and priests read his blog is significant. Growing up in Philadelphia, he had a reverence for bishops, priests, and religious, for the wrk of lifelong commitment they made. That he can give something back to them is very humbling.Scot first began a fan in late 2005. He felt that it was a good aggregation of all current news about the Church. Scot knows many pastors who feel the same way. Rocco said he's had a great formation in the Church and he's also had a great formation in the media from his father who's worked for a Philadelphia newspaper for 30 years. He wants to cover the news that isn't just the most sensational.In 2004, after graduation, he started the blog. Scot asked Rocco why he decided to start this. Rocco said he studied Vatican politics in college and found people were fascinated by the Church. He found people were responsive when he explained how the Church really works behind the scenes. The blog started as a catharsis for himself and friends. At the time, he saw little crea | 4/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0032: Thursday, April 21, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Boston archdiocese* [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)* [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.com)* ["Entering the Kingdom," Fr. Roger Landry, Editorial in The Anchor (April 22, 2011)](http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=articles&articles=20110422anchor)* ["Following Jesus' Example," Fr. Roger Landry, Homily for Holy Thursday (March 28, 2002)](http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=homilies&homilies=20020328)* ["Our Crucifed, Eucharistic Lord," Fr. Roger Landry, Homily for Good Friday (March 25, 2005)](http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=homilies&homilies=20050325)* ["Meditation Notes for the Seven Last Words," Fr. Roger Landry, Priestly Day of Recollection (April 14, 2003)](http://catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=homilies&homilies=20030414)**Today's topics:** The Liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday**A summary of today's show:** The Mass of the Lord's Supper and Celebration of the Passion provide Scot, Susan, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy with fodder for a spiritually fruitful discussion of Holy Thursday and Good Friday.**1st segment:** We are at Holy Thursday. On today’s show, since we are in the height of our liturgical year, we won’t discuss the news as we do on most Thursdays, but we will discuss the great liturgies of the “Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper” tonight and also the “Celebration of the Lord’s Passion” tomorrow on Good Friday. We are discussing both liturgies today since tomorrow WQOM will cover the Good Friday liturgy directly from Hanceville, AL during this hour.Scot asked Susan what experiencing the Triduum means to her? She said Holy Thursday is her favorite day of the year because of the Eucharist. She has been blessed this Lent with the [Magnificat](http://www.magnificat.com/) and the Holy Father's book, ["Jesus of Nazareth: Holy WeeK"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586175009/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=158617500) and the [Stations of the Cross](http://www.penitents.org/Ratzstations.html) that he wrote as Cardinal Ratzinger. She shared a haiku sent to her by a friend: "He knew He must leave/So he found a way to stay/The Holy Eucharist".**2nd segment:** Scot said on Holy Thursday that there is no daily Mass today on the Church's calendar, but there is only the evening Mass of the Lord's Supper. Fr. Roger said while every Mass brings us to the upper room, on Holy Thursday it brings us in a significant way to that time and place. The liturgy tonight also doesn't end tonight, but continues through the Good Friday liturgy and finally ends with the Easter Vigil. As a priest, it is the anniversary of all priests because Christ instituted the priesthood at the Last Supper. The Mass brings him back to the reasons he became a priest.* [Instructions from the Roman Missal on Holy Thursday Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper](http://www.catholicliturgy.com/index.cfm/FuseAction/documentText/Index/2/SubIndex/38/ContentIndex/324/Start/319)*[Gospel (John 13:1-5)](http://www.usccb.org/nab/042111a.shtml#gospel)*<blockquote><p>Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had cometo pass from this world to the Father.He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.He took a towel and tied it around his waist.Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disc | 4/21/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0031: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Father Jonathan Gaspar, the Co-Director of the Office of Worship & Spiritual Life and the Priest Secretary to Cardinal Seán O’Malley**Today's topics:** The Liturgy of the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night Of Easter**A summary of today's show:** Scot, Fr. Matt, and Fr. Jonathan Gaspar go through the prayers and readings of the Easter Vigil to see how the entire Christian faith and salvation history is encapsulated in this liturgy, the high point of the whole liturgical year.**1st segment:** We are now several days into Holy Week. Today is the last day of Lent. We begin the Sacred Triduum tomorrow of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. Tomorrow on The Good Catholic Life we will discuss the liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Today we will discuss the most powerful liturgy in the Church’s calendar, in Scot's opinion, the Easter Vigil.Fr. Matt said he is excited about the week. Thursday he will be concelebrating at St. Joseph, Holbrook. On Friday and Saturday, he will be at the Hunger for Justice retreat as discussed last week on The Good Catholic Life.Scot welcomes Fr. Jonathan. Both of his jobs are very busy this week. What's it like to be Cardinal Sean's priest-secretary during Holy Week? He said it's not unlike the parish priests who labor from morning to night during Holy Week with the extra liturgies. He invites everyone to come to the cathedral to celebrate with Cardinal Sean. All of the broadcasts can be watched this week on CatholicTV or at CatholicTV.com.Fr. Jonathan said Easter Vigil is the basis of the Church's liturgical year. It is the most exalted of liturgies. It goes back to the earliest centuries of the Church. 4th century Christian writers wrote about gathering in the evening to prepare for the Resurrection and it would last all night long until sunrise. Scot said you can learn most of the essentials of our Catholic faith during the Easter vigil.* [The Easter Vigil liturgy](http://www.liturgy.co.nz/churchyear/vigil.html)The liturgy starts after nightfall and starts in a way unlike any other. Fr. Matt said it starts at dusk outdoors with the lighting of the holy fire, blessing and consecrating it. The significance is that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. The church inside is dark as well. It shows us that without Jesus, everything is dark, and the Light of the world scatters the darkness of sin. The Easter candle is lit from that candle and all the candles held by the parishioners are it from that candle. The priest recites a prayer of Christ as the Alpha and Omega and then the Easter candle is blessed. Traditionally it was the celebrant who decorated the candle. At the cathedral, the cardinal still traces the year in four quadrants of a cross and the Greek letters for Alpha and Omega into the candle with a stylus and then five stakes of incense are placed into the candle to symbolize the wounds of Christ. The candle symbolizes the Risen Christ. When Christ is raised from the dead, He still carries within His body the wounds of the sacrifice. >Christ yesterday and today (tracing the vertical arm of the cross) the beginning and the end (the horizontal arm) Alpha and Omega (these letters, above and below the cross) All time (the first numeral, in the upper left corner of the cross) and all ages belong to Christ (the second numeral in the upper right corner) to whom be glory and sovereignty (the third numeral in the lower left corner) through every age for ever. Amen. (the last numeral in the lower right corner).Fr. Matt said the incense shows that the Lord's self-sacrifice is a fragrant offering to the Father.Fr. Jonathan said the one candle lights all the tapers to fill the church with a holy glow, from darkness into the Light of Christ. We receive the light of cross and pass it on. Then there is the singing of the Easter proclamation.* [The Exsultet: A detailed look by Dom Jerome Gassner, OS | 4/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0030: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Michael Barber, SJ, director of spiritual formation at St. John's Seminary **Today's topics:** The Chrism Mass of Holy Week and Cardinal Seán's homily **A summary of today's show:** Cardinal Seán's homily for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday of Holy Week calls on priests to humility and courage and greater immersion in the Word of God in order to be strengthened in their vocations and to be united in Christ for their mission. **1st segment:** Scot said we began Holy Week this past Palm Sunday. There are so many powerful opportunities for learning more about our Faith and getting closer to Christ this week. Today we are going to discuss the Chrism Mass, which occurred earlier today, and then look ahead to all the liturgies of this Holy Week. At 11am this morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, Cardinal Sean and hundreds of concelebrating priests celebrated the Chrism Mass, which is a tradition for Tuesday of Holy Week in the Archdiocese of Boston and many dioceses. There are 2 unique aspects of the annual Chrism Mass: (a) The consecration of the Holy Chrism oil: (b) the celebration of the priesthood and renewal of priestly vows. Here is what today’s Mass program said about both: >All Christians are anointed because all are filled with the Spirit's gifts for the building up of the church and the church's service to the world. In every local church one Christian presides in love and orchestrates the church's ministry: this is the bishop, or chief pastor. It is not surprising, therefore, that the most ancient liturgical witnesses designate the bishop as the consecrator of the sacramental oils. Although priests once blessed the oils of the catechumens and the sick and may do so in some circumstances, only the bishop may consecrate the chrism with which the baptized are sealed at confirmation and ordination. This rite is one of the last rites of preparation before the Triduum begins. Before the local church baptizes, it prepares the chrism which will be used in the Vigil. > >This celebration has always retained a special character of priestly collegiality. Even in the centuries when eucharistic concelebration had disappeared from the church's life, the ritual for the blessing and consecration of oils retained strong elements which reminded all that ministry in the church is never the work of an individual but of a community of ministers of different gifts and responsibilities. The present celebration of the rite has been restored as a full concelebration of the bishop with his clergy and with the full participation of the laity. Scot welcomes Father Chris O’Connor our Tuesday co-host. What does the Chrism Mass mean for him as a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston? Fr. Chris said it is a reaffirmation of the priests to the Lord in a special way and it's powerful to do that with your brother priests. It's a beautiful celebration of the priesthood with the bishop. It is a priestly fraternity. It is wonderful to look around the cathedral to see so many priests who have rendered service to God's family. Scot said it is amazing to see all the priests that are there and the diversity of ages, ethnicity, and national original. Fr. Chris said what unites us is faith in Jesus Christ. He said there is also the practical reason for them to come together, which is to get the oils that they will use in their parishes throughout the year: the oils for baptism and anointing of the sick and confirmation. Scot said Cardinal Seán gives one of his best and one of his longest homilies each year at the Chrism Mass. In many ways it is a message directly to priests and indirectly to all of us who support our priests and minister with them in the Church. We’re going to discuss many elements of his homily today. Fr. Chris said it was a great and rousing homily. Father Chris and Scot are joined by Father Michael Barber, the | 4/19/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0029: Monday, April 18, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ, founder and publisher at Ignatius Press* [Jesus of Nazareth 2](http://www.ignatius.com/promotions/jesus-of-nazareth/)* [Ignatius Press](http://www.ignatius.com)<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=catholicnetrevie&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1586175009" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>**Today's topics:** Pope Benedict's new book, "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection"**A summary of today's show:** Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ, of Ignatius Press and a friend and student of Pope Benedict, recounts his own journey with the Holy Father, reflects on his papacy and future legacy, and delves this new book which is apropos for this Holy Week as we enter into it.**1st segment:** Happy Patriots' Day. Scot said today is much more than a day off or Marathon Day or a day when the Red Sox play with an early start. It is the start of Holy Week. We celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday and today is officially known in the Church calendar as Monday of Holy Week. Pope Benedict XVI published a book last month entitled "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection" to help us to get to know our Lord in a special way. On today's broadcast we talked with the English-language publisher of that book, Fr. Joseph Fessio of Ignatius Press. But Fr. Fessio is much more than just the publisher. He has known Pope Benedict since Father was a graduate student and the Pope was known as Fr. Joseph Ratzinger.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Fessio. Fr. Fessio first met Fr. Ratzinger in 1972. Prior to that he was doing his theology as a young Jesuit scholastic in Lyons, France. He met there [Fr. Henri de Lubac, SJ](http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/authors/henridelubac.asp), who was a wonderful priest, a great Jesuit, and tremendous scholar. When it came for Fr. Fessio to do hiw own doctoral studies, and Fr. de Lubac suggested he do his studies on [Hans Urs von Balthasar](http://www.ignatiusinsight.com/authors/vonbalthasar.asp), the Swiss theologian that de Lubac thought was the great theologian of the Church. He said Fr. Fessio should go to Regensburg to study with the great young theologian Fr. Ratzinger and it was Fr. de Lubac who wrote Fr. Ratzinger on his behalf. Fr. Ratzinger made an exception to accept Fr. Fessio among his graduate students even though he'd been trying to reduce the number of students he was accepting. He was a wonderful teacher as the world now knows.After that, his former doctoral students would gather with him every year, especially after 1977, when he became Archbishop of Munich-Friesing. This was called the Schulerkreis or "student circle". They would go to a monastery, select a theme, bring in a speaker, have discussions, have meals together, Mass together. It was a wonderful opportunity to spend time with their revered mentor. They thought they would end when he became Pope in 2005, but he informed the students that he wanted to continue so they keep going every August. That he continues this, tells Fr. Fessio that he values his friendships he's made, that he values academic discussion and inquiry in o themes of theological interest, and what a warm human person he is that he enjoys this recreation.Fr. Chris asked what qualities Pope Benedict has a professor and teacher that he would admire. He has a brilliant mind and grasps what he reads and remenbers them forever. Is widely read in many subjects, not just theology and philosophy, but also literature and history and others. HE loves art and music and plays piano. He's exceptional for the depth of his knowledge and the sharpness of his intellect. He's also very tranquil and lis | 4/18/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0028: Friday, April 15, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Richard Erikson, Vicar General and Moderator of the Curia for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Colbe Mazzarella, founder and organizer of the Way of the Cross for Life on Good Friday. * [Archdiocese of Boston's Annual Report for 2010](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/annualreport)* [Life Matters TV show](http://www.lifematterstv.org/)* ["Way of the Cross for Life tradition continues" (The Pilot, 4/2/2004)](http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=1603)* [Way of the Cross for Life - Meetup](http://www.meetup.com/Way-of-the-Cross-for-Life/)**Today's topics:** Fr. Richard Erikson's role as vicar general and moderator of the curia; the Archdiocese's balanced budget; and the Way of the Cross for Life**A summary of today's show:** Fr. Erikson tells Scot and Fr. Mark what the vicar general and moderator of the curia does and then talks about the milestone of the Archdiocese's balanced budget, which is a foundation for the future of the church in Boston. Colbe Mazzarella discusses her founding of the Way of the Cross for Life as a spiritual component of the pro-life movement. Then a discussion of the first Gospel for Palm Sunday.**1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark back to the show. Fr. Mark was in Washington DC with the Canon Law Society of America. He is a member of the board of governors. There are thousands of members. Tomorrow, as the judicial vicar, he is the chaplain of the Catholic Lawyers Guild, and on the Saturday before Palm Sunday they have a day of recollection. Fr. Ed Riley will lead the day. All Catholic Lawyers and judges are welcome at the Pastoral Center tomorrow. Scot asked why the annual Mass for lawyers is called the Red Mass. Fr. Mark said it has medieval origins. It connects with the robes that the priests wore during that Mass, which were red.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Fr. Richard Erikson to The Good Catholic Life. Scot asks what Fr. Richard's job entails. He was asked by Cardinal Sean to take on the job five years ago and even then he didn't have a full understanding. Vicar comes from the word vicarious. So his job is to take Cardinal Sean's vision and make it reality. His job is to reflect the mind and the heart of the bishop. He said Cardinal Sean has an enormous mind and an enormous heart. He has the heart of a shepherd. There are a number of vicars general in the Archdiocese. The auxiliary bishops are also vicars general and Fr. Mark says that Fr. Rich's role is unique because of his job as moderator of the curia. The curia are all those who work in the Archdiocese, those who work in the Pastoral Center and all the priests. He is the pastor for them.Fr. Mark asked what are the privileges of his role. Fr. Rich said he has the privilege of working in Christ's name to bring Christ to others, to build the kingdom of God in the Archdiocese. It is also a responsibility of leadership as well.Scot said that on his first day of work, Fr. Rich talked with him about the ministry of development, and Fr. Rich talks about the ministry of administration. Fr. Rich is also an Air Force chaplain. What does it mean to have a ministry of administration? He says it's difficult not to be a parish priest. He had imagined he would spend his life in parishes. Everything we do in the Pastoral Center i service to others, to parishes, to hospitals, to others in carrying out the mission of Christ. Even though he spends a lot of time in meetings and writing memos and looking at budgets, all of it is service to Christ and the Catholic community. Scot noted that he was astounded when he learned how big the Archdiocese is, how many ministries there are, how many organizations. Fr. Rich said what even more impressive than the scope of the operations is the dedication of the people on the staff and the hours people spend and the devotion and commitment. He didn't know before he became vicar general that there were 144 commun | 4/15/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0027: Thursday, April 14, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott**Today's guest(s):** Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Domenico Bettinelli, creative director of Pilot New Media and former editor of Catholic World Report magazine* [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)* [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.com) **Today's topics:** Pope John Paul's upcoming beatification and his feast day is set; Supreme Knight Carl Anderson's JFK talk; a great pro-life essay from a pre-teen; two new pastors in the Archdiocese and one going to Rome; closing of a school in Lawrence; the Archdiocese's annual financial report**1st segment:** * [Glastonbury Abbey](http://www.glastonburyabbey.org/)**2nd segment:** * [Vatican announces Masses, Oct. 22 feast day for Blessed John Paul (CNS)](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101438.htm)* [Pawtucket Roman Catholic parishes to merge (Boston Globe)](http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2011/04/12/pawtucket_roman_catholic_parishes_to_merge/)* [Supreme Knight Carl Anderson's talk on April 7](https://www.kofc.org/un/en/news/releases/detail/jfk_speech04082011.html)* [Supreme Knight Carl Anderson on The Good Catholic Life, April 5, 2011](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/04/05/program-0020-for-tuesday-april-5-2011/)**3rd segment:** * [St. Catherine of Siena, Norwood](http://www.stcatherinenorwood.org/)* [St. Margaret Mary, Westwood](http://www.saintmmparish.org/)* [St. Thomas Aquinas, Bridgewater](http://www.stthomasaquinas.com/)**4th segment:*** [St. Mary of the Assumption School](http://www.stmaryassumption-lawrence.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=4)* [Archdiocese of Boston Annual Report](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/annualreport.aspx)**5th segment:*** [USCCB document: "Co-workers in the Vineyard of the Lord"](http://www.usccb.org/laity/laymin/co-workers.pdf) | 4/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0026: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Andrea Alberti, youth minister at St. Thomas Parish in Nahant and St. Mary High School, Lynn; and Chris Carmody, youth minister at Immaculate Conception in Salem and religion teacher at St. Mary High School, Lynn.* [Hunger for Justice on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_134715953259931)* [St. Mary High School, Lynn](http://www.smhlynn.org/)* [St. Thomas Parish, Nahant](http://www.stthomasnahant.com/)* [Immaculate Conception Parish, Salem](http://icsalem.org/)* [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org)**Today's topics:** The Hunger for Justice retreat for 350 youths on Good Friday and Holy Saturday; and a special message from Bishop Robert Hennessey about the Sacrament of Confession**A summary of today's show:** Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody share the amazing story of 350 youths on the Hunger for Justice Retreat fasting from Good Friday to the Easter Vigil, while serving the poor of their community, experiencing God's love and mercy in the sacraments, and raising tens of thousands of dollars for charity. Thousands of youths have experienced one of the 27 retreats and have borne much fruit in the Church.**1st segment:** Scot said that one of the things he hears so often working for the Church is the concern that we are not doing enough to engage young people in our Catholic faith. Behind this concern is the hope that we can figure out fresh ways to present our faith so that it connects with young people and sparks their interest to make a commitment to it as teenagers and adults.Today’s broadcast of The Good Catholic Life will give us all hope. What Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody are doing up on the North Shore really works. The [Hunger for Justice](http://www.smhlynn.org/page.cfm?p=1083) retreat they organize on Good Friday and Holy Saturday attracts 350 students, who participate in carrying a cross through the town of Nahant, serving the homeless in Boston, and then experiencing together the joy of the Easter Vigil. Also today, we will hear a special message from Bishop Robert Hennessey about the Sacrament of Confession and its availability each Wednesday evening during The Light Is On For You campaign. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Andrea Alberti and Chris Carmody to the program. This is the 27th time that Andrea and Chris have run the Hunger for Justice retreat. Andrea said it is now celebrated during the Triduum, but it started just as a service project with 6 confirmation students at Immaculate Conception Parish, Newburyport, who wanted to do something about the fact that children are denying every day. Chris was one of those students. They made a difference by fasting from food and any other kind of luxuries and got sponsors for each hour they did this, raising $7,000. Last Good Friday, they had 350 students who raised $25,000 that went to a hospital in Haiti.Scot asked Chris about what attracted him to do this as young person and who are the young people who take part in the Hunger for Justice retreat on Good Friday. Chris said it started when he was a freshman in high school and he remembers the adults in his parish who were so on fire with Christ and invited the kids to understand poverty, especially since they didn't see it growing up in Newburyport. As part of the retreat they walked miles for whatever water they needed because they had seen videos of poor women and children who walked for miles every morning and night for their water. The kids who come now see a need and feel a call from God in their hearts, knowing that they can make a difference, they can do something about it. They are God's hands and feet.What is the experience for the kids on the retreat? Andrea said they always try to begin everything around the sacraments, in an intimate relationship with Jesus. Their axiom is "Rules with Relationship = Rebellion." They could get students who have been in Catholic sc | 4/13/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0025: Tuesday, April 12, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Joseph D'Arrigo, executive director of Clergy Funds, and Transitional Deacons Mark Murphy and Kyle Stanton of St. John's Seminary.* [CareForSeniorPriests.org](http://www.careforseniorpriests.org)* [BostonPriests.org](http://www.bostonpriests.org)* [St. John Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu)* [The Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA](https://milarch.org/)* [Diocese of Manchester, NH](http://www.catholicchurchng.org)<object width="539" height="303"><embed src="http://www.catholictv.com/_Flash/JWPLayer/player.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="539" height="303" flashvars="file=http://www.catholictv.com/_Documents/Video/248/priest-projectHQ.flv&repeat=list&fullscreen=true&controlbar=over&skin=http://www.catholictv.com/_Flash/JWPlayer/kleur.swf&enablejs=true&autostart=false"/></object>**Today's topics:** The Clergy Benefit Trust Funds and care for senior priests; transitional deacons preparing for ordination in May**A summary of today's show:** Joe D'Arrigo, executive director of the Clergy Funds, recounted his journey from a successful business career to answering the call to help shore up the Clergy Benefit Trust Funds, bringing it from $10 million deficits a few years ago to break even today. Also, the need for continued generosity from parishioners to care for their priests as retirement costs increase. Later, Transitional Deacons Mark Murphy and Kyle Stanton related their own paths to their vocation as priests and how they hope to put their life experiences at the service of the Church.**1st segment:** Fr. Chris reports that the men of Norfolk prison are listening to the program regularly and are grateful for The Good Catholic Life and WQOM. Next Monday, we will have an interview with Fr. Joseph Fessio, a friend of Pope Benedict XVI, about the Holy Father's new book, "Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection"". When he was Fr. Joseph Ratzinger, the Holy Father was Fr. Fessio's dissertation director.<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=catholicnetrevie&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1586175009" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Fr. Chris said next week is an exciting week to be Catholic during Holy Week.Later in the program, they will have an interview with transitional deacons who are due to be ordained in May, God willing. But first, Joe D'Arrigo on how we as a Church care for our senior priests in their later years.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Joe D'Arrigo to the program. Joe has had a successful business career but a few years ago chose to get involved in an effort to shore up our clergy benefits funds. He got a call from Chancellor Jim McDonough to ask him to help with the challenge that the Clergy funds were underfunded on an annual basis in the amount of $10 million. It was a challenge and Joe was preparing to wind down his career, not embark on a new direction. He was inclined to say No, but in a conversation with one of his business partners, the partner said it would be perfect for Joe. Then later, during dinner with a friend, she said the same thing because they saw something that Joe had not seen.Joe had been involved very heavily in the works of the Church. He's been involved with the [Shrine of St. Anthony](http://www.stanthonyshrine.org/) in downtown Boston. The new guardian of the shrine at the time, Fr. David, asked for his help. He's worked with Catholic Charities Boston and in 2000-2003, he helped develop a strategic plan to re-organize Catholic charities. It is the largest non-profit organization in the state of Massachusetts. The plan laid out | 4/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0024: Monday, April 11, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Tom Peterson, founder and president of CatholicsComeHome.org and Janet Benestad, Cabinet Secretary for Faith Formation & Evangelization* [Catholics Come Home](http://www.catholicscomehome.org)* [Catholics Come Home Boston](http://www.catholicscomehomeboston.org)* [Boston Herald, "Prodigal parishioners return to church"](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/2011_0410prodigal_parishioners_return_to_church_boston_archdiocese_reaches_out_to_halt_plummeting_mass_attendance/srvc=home&position=0) (April 10, 2011)**Today's topics:** The genesis of the Catholics Come Home initiative, its implementation in Boston, and ways Catholics can participate**A summary of today's show:** Tom Peterson, founder of Catholics Come Home, and Janet Benestad, secretary for faith formation & evangelization, tell Scot about the origins of the Catholics Come Home campaign, where Tom's inspiration came from, how the acclaimed commercials came about, and the best ways that local Catholics can share their faith with others to invite them back to the Catholic Church.**1st segment:** This CatholicsComeHome.org initiative is the largest outreach effort of the Archdiocese of Boston in more than a generation. It took 2 years of planning, fundraising and coordination. Many of you have seen the commercials on television and heard them on WQOM. They are outstanding presentations of our faith. Hopefully you also saw the front page story in yesterday’s Boston Herald, which featured an interview with Cardinal Sean and several Catholics that have returned home to the Catholic Faith. Catholics Come Home features several commercials. The most frequent one you’ll see on TV is called EPIC. Let’s listen to that now.<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tvA29P1U7OU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>**2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Tom Peterson and Janet Benestad to The Good Catholic Life. We just listened to the “Epic” commercial from CatholicsComeHome.org. Scot said he can say that he's never heard a more powerful 300-word description of the Catholic Church. It still gives him chills when he hears it and watches the commercial on TV. There are so many powerful lines.Scot asked Tom to talk about the development of that commercial and some of the scenes. He said it was a byproduct of a retreat experience he had on a Marian men's retreat where he asked God how to serve him. Tom felt God calling him to use his advertising talents to spread the Good News. The first diocese he worked with was Phoenix. Epic puts the 2,000-year history and accomplishments of the Catholic Church in a an easy-to-grasp and attractive format. Our Catholic story isn't being told properly by the secular media and it's about time that we take the Good News and bring it to the ends of the earth in a positive, enriching and beautiful way.Scot asked how challenging it was to boil the 2 millennia of history down to 120-seconds and then 30-seconds? Tom said that with God all things are possible. He said there were many attempts that ended up in the wastebasket, but these successful ones are inspired by the Holy Spirit. He had a lot of good people who contributed to the development. A lot of it is based on the book "[How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895260387/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0895260387)" and to boil it down wasn't easy,. but it hits on the high points of the major accomplishments and most beautiful things about our Catholic faith. When you hear the commercial, it's great, but when you see it, there's something special that happens in the soul.Scot asked how many locations it was shot in. Tom said it was shot all around the world. Rome was the | 4/11/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0023: Friday, April 8, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell**Today's guest(s):** John Monahan, host of CatholicTV's ClearVoice, recounts his journey from Dorchester to local TV news to the new Catholic newsmagazine show; talks about it's like to chase breaking news stories; and he gives tips for being a more effective communicator in business, job interviews, and even for priests giving homilies. Also, the Mass readings for the Fifth Sunday of Lent. * [John Monahan's biography](http://monahan-communications.com/#/bio/4541336885)* [ClearVoice on CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com/ClearVoice.aspx)* [ClearVoice in iCatholic magazine](http://www.catholictv.com/magazine/magazine.aspx?magazineID=65116)**Today's topics:** Former Fox25-Boston TV news reporter John Monahan's journey to CatholicTV's new magazine show, "ClearVoice". Also, this coming Sunday's readings for Mass.**A summary of today's show:** John Monahan, host of CatholicTV's ClearVoice **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark. Scot notes today is Red Sox opening day at home. He suggests listeners turn up WQOM, turn on the TV and turn down the volume there. Fr. Mark went to the funeral of Msgr. Daly, who had served 36 years at the seminary. He was the rector of the seminary when Fr. Mark was there in 1986-1990. He said Cardinal Seán was there as well as 60 priests. Fr. Mark said it was a beautiful turnout.Scot notes that homilist at priests' funerals is a friend of the priest. At this funeral, Msgr. James McCune was the homilist. At the end of priest's funeral, all the priests gather around the casket and sing the Salve Regina as they accompany the casket to the hearse.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome John Monahan to the program. Scot notes that John's voice is familiar to CatholicTV and Fox25 viewers. John grew up in Dorchester in St. Brendan's parish and went to BC High School. Studied communications at UMass Amherst. After graduation he worked at Boston University on a half-hour news show for a cable-access news show.He wanted to move to California to pursue his career in broadcast journalism. He brought resume tapes to about 10 stations in California and Oregon. He got a call from a station in Monterey, California. Fr. Mark asked how much John's natural voice opens doors? He said the voice has never been a big part of his success. TV news is so subjective that you can't guess what will grab a station manager's attention. His first job in Monterey was doing the farm report because he looked like he grew up on the farm and a Midwesterner.He never intended to move back to Boston. He had wanted to move up to a larger market than Monterey and had been focusing on Los Angeles and San Francisco. His agent sent out tapes and he happened to get a call from the station manager at WB56. When the manager found out he went to BC High across the street, he had the job. He was there for 3 years, starting out on a morning show. He moved to Fox 25 and was there for 4-1/2 years.Scot asked what his favorite stories were. John said he liked the feature stories, digging down deep and getting to know a person and telling their story. He also loved covering breaking news, the heat of the moment. He covered the infamous "shoe bomber" story, the terrorist on the plane who had tried to blow up the plane and the plane was diverted to Boston. Scot asked what it's like to cover breaking news? Is it competitive or collaborative?He said they want to get the story, but there is collaboration. You help someone else so they're not completely left behind, but you don't put your own story in jeopardy. He loved working in spontaneous situations.Fr. Mark said sometimes when he knows the story, often a reporter will blow up a small kernel into something awful. John said the reporter is always trying to find the conflict in the story, the juxtaposition, to entice the viewer and draw them in. Some stations do this to a greater degree than others. The news used to be more objective, but the comp | 4/8/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0022: Thursday, April 7, 2011 | **Listen to the show:** *The online streaming and downloadable versions of The Good Catholic Life will be available later this evening.*[Subscribe for free in iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-good-catholic-life/id425362545)**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of *The Anchor*, the newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of *The Pilot*, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston* [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org)* [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)**Today's topics:** The Courtyard of the Gentiles; A new director for the Mass. Catholic Conference; Pope John Paul II is being beatified for his personal virtue, not his historic pontificate; and two stories of simple but heroic courage and virtue**A summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy look at the news of the week with Scot Landry and Susan Abbott, including the Courtyard of the Gentiles, a Vatican initiative to engage with atheists, agnostics, and non-believers on an intellectual level; the new director of the Massachusetts Catholic Conference and one of the issues he'll be tackling: the Church's response to casino gambling in the state; why the beatification of Pope John Paul II won't be because of his historic pontificate, but instead about his personal virtue; and the heroic virtue of a young man performing a simple act of charity that captured a nation's attention and the heroic courage of an unemployed father to sacrifice a job rather than cooperate with evil.**1st segment:** Susan was at the symposium on adolescent catechesis this morning and it was wonderful. She said Bob Rice's talks were inspiring for the catechists and priests and DREs who were present. She said she was also at the New Roman Missal workshop for laity at the Pastoral Center yesterday where there were hundreds of participants. Scot said the Knights of Malta also had a gathering at the Pastoral Center for their annual pilgrimage to Lourdes.Tonight is both [Carl Anderson](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/04/05/program-0020-for-tuesday-april-5-2011/)'s talk at Fanueil Hall and [Bob Rice](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/04/06/program-0021-for-wednesday-april-6-2011/)'s talk at Theology on Tap. Tomorrow is Bob Rice's mini-retreat day for youth ministers and on Saturday is the [Co-Workers in the Vineyard](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Events-Calendar/Event-Detail.aspx?id=19836) conference.**2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcome Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy. Fr. Landry wrote this week in his editorial about the Courtyard of the Gentiles, the Pope's outreach to atheists, agnostics, and non-believers. A couple of years ago, Pope Benedict spoke about the well-meaning atheists he'd met on a trip to the Czech Republic. Pope Benedict said we needed to recover the sense of the courtyard of the Gentiles from the ancient Jewish temple where Gentiles could come and ask questions and find out what the Jewish faith was about. There have been many outreaches since Vatican II to Jews, to other Christians, and to other non-Judeo/Christian religions, but we haven't had anything for non-believers. So on March 21 in Paris, they held this first Courtyard of the Gentiles, culminating with a live video address by Pope Benedict XVI. The next gathering will be in Chicago.Believers can have more than a little to do with the birth of atheism when we teach error or are deficient in showing the authentic face of God. Gregory said it points to the need for ongoing faith development for ourselves. He recalls meeting someone from Europe who was truly un-churched and literally knew nothing about Christianity. He and his wife took some time to explain the basics. We can never fail to reach out to those who are curious. The first step in conversion is engaging in a dialogue.Just as non-believers have nothing to fear from God, believers should have no fear of those who | 4/7/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0021: Wednesday, April 6, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Bob Rice, professor of catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville, author, musician, youth minister, worship leader * [Bob Rice's website](http://www.bob-rice.com) * [Franciscan University of Steubenville](http://www.franciscan.edu) * [Bob's music on iTunes](http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewArtist?id=152205628) * To learn about any of the events discussed here and to register, go to the website of the Office for the [New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults](http://www.one4boston.org) <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=catholicnetrevie&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=1456339850" style="width:120px;height:240px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe> **Today's topics:** Bob Rice is coming to Boston for training in adolescent catechesis, young adult ministry, and to lead a retreat for youth ministers. **A summary of today's show:** Bob Rice--professor, speaker, youth leader, musician, and author--talks with Scot and Fr. Matt about the challenge of reaching out to youth, not just to fill them with information, but to form them in a transformation and a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ. Bob has also written a new novel that lets us walk with St. Peter through the Gospels. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Matt and noted that Fr Matt and his team at Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults have been working very hard. They had the Eucharistic Congress last weekend, the Youth Ministry Awards Dinner last night, and three more events this week. The Congress was fantastic, he said. They had more than 500 participants and they had a huge turnout from colleges. The powerful aspect of this weekend was the focus on Pope John Paul II. All of the talks drew on his teachings. See the photos on [Flickr.com/BostonCatholic](http://www.flickr.com/BostonCatholic). They had the vocation monstrance blessed by Pope John Paul II, and the College of St. Mary Magdalene Choir sung during the procession through the streets of the North End. Some people who saw this were moved to tears, some were mocking, but most were awed by what they saw. Some participants were assigned to go up to the people watching and introduce them to what was going on. Last night was the Awards Dinner for Youth. They are trying to tell the story of the good news that is going on among youth in the Archdiocese. The dinner has been going on for more than 50 years, but it was reinvigorated over the past few years. Last night they gave out more than 100 awards to youth and adults. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Bob Rice to the show. Bob will be in Boston this week for three different events. On Thursday, 9am-3:30, a catechesis on adolescent catechesis; on Thursday night, 7 pm, City Side Bar in Brighton, Theology on Tap; and on Friday, a mini-retreat day for anyone who ministers to youth. The symposium will be for those involved in passing on the faith to young teenagers and talk about the keys to catechizing young people today. The goal of catechesis is intimacy with Jesus Christ. Many times we have a classroom stereotype of religious education, but while it can be done in the classroom, the goal of catechesis is transform lives. The heart of catechesis and how we can bring young people to conversion in any setting. He travels around the country about once or twice per month bringing this message of catechesis to people working with youth, as well as doing this as his full-time job at Franciscan University, teaching catechesis to college students who will go out and do the same. On Thursday, he will be giving three talks: Forming a Catholic worldview; dynamic and effective catechesis; and "God doesn't care about your ministry." The f | 4/6/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0020: Tuesday, April 5, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Karen Walters from the Catholic Leadership Institute, and Linda DeCristoforo, Pastoral Associate at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Chelsea * [The Knights of Columbus](http://www.kofc.org) * [Boston Leadership Forum](http://www.bostonleadershipforum.com) * [John F. Kennedy's inaugural address](http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkinaugural.htm) * [Catholic Leadership Institute](http://www.catholicleaders.org/) * [Tending the Talents](http://www.catholicleaders.org/programs_pdld.aspx) * [Good Leaders, Good Shepherds](http://www.catholicleaders.org/programs_GLGS.aspx) * [James F. Driscoll named Executive Director of the Mass. Catholic Conference](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=19944) * [Massachusetts Catholic Conference](http://www.macathconf.org/) **Today's topics:** Catholic Leadership Institute's Tending the Talents program launched nationally in the Archdiocese of Boston 18 months ago; Carl Anderson's speech this Thursday at Fanueil Hall on John F. Kennedy's inaugural address **A summary of today's show:** On today's show, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson calls John F. Kennedy's inaugural address is one of the most eloquent expressions of human rights and dignity in history and reconciles it with his famous "Houston" speech on his Catholic faith. Also, the Catholic Leadership Institute is preparing a generation of laity to assist their pastors in leadership in the Church and the Massachusetts Catholic Conference has a new executive director. **1st segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Carl A. Anderson via phone. On Thursday, 5:30pm at Fanueil Hall, he will be delivering an address called “Making God’s Work our Own: The Continued Importance of President John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address 50 Years Later.” Carl said the address was so inspiring for so many Americans, that "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country," became a byword. The Knights have always been proud that JFK was a 4th degree Knight of Columbus. They were surprised that so little was being done in general to mark the 50th anniversary of the speech and so they set out to properly mark the event. (To RSVP for the address on Thursday please email [jfk@kofc.org](mailto:jfk@kofc.org) or call 203-752-4483. The event is co-sponsored by the Boston Leadership Forum, which brings speakers to downtown Boston.) Scot said one of the more powerful lines is "the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God." Carl said this is the main statement he will address in the speech he will deliver on Thursday. The Knights led the movement to have the words "under God" added to the Pledge of Allegiance because they hold to the truth that the rights and human dignity we possess is a gift not from the State, with discretion to give and take, but is ingrained in the human person by God, that it is intrinsic to us. These rights are superior and precede the State. There is a standard which government must measure itself by, not political power, but a moral standard. This is key to Kennedy's thinking, to his address, and to America. Fr. Chris said much of the inaugural address sounds so much like [Gaudium et Spes](http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html), the pastoral constitution on the modern world from Vatican II. You can see the relationship between the speech and Vatican II. Carl said it's not a coincidence that the speech opens with a recognition of God's authority and closes with a recognition of the duty of to provide for our fellow man under the authority of God. It's known that then-Cardinal Montini, who later became Pope Paul VI, heard and then studied the address and it may have informed his encyclicals on social justice incl | 4/5/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0019: Monday, April 4, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Antonio Medeiros and Fr. Emanuele De Nigris, the Rector and Vice-Rector of the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Brookline. * [Redemptoris Mater Seminary](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/redemptorismater.aspx) * [Cardinal Seán's 2011 trip to the Holy Land with the NeoCatechumenal Way](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2011/02/04/visiting-the-holy-land/) * [Cardinal Seán meets with the seminarians in 2009](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2009/09/25/gathering-with-the-seminarians-of-the-neocatechumenal-way/) * [Cardinal Seán's Mass of the Holy Spirit at Redemptoris Mater, 2009](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/09/10/taking-a-boston-duck-tour/) * [Redemptoris Mater Seminary gala dinner, 2010](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/2010/05/21/marking-the-year-for-priests-with-the-sisters-of-st-joseph/) * [The Neocatechumenal Way](http://www.camminoneocatecumenale.it/new/default.asp?lang=en) **Today's topics:** The Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary in Boston, forming men from around the world to be missionaries right here in Massachusetts **A summary of today's show:** The Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary is the least-known and newest of Boston's three archdiocesan seminaries, but it is currently forming one-third of the archdiocese's seminarians. The 18 men come from around the world to become archdiocesan priests with missionary hearts, who will serve in Boston or in the missions at the local ordinary's discretion. Also, on May 15, the RM Seminary will honor the Pope's apostolic nuncio to the US at a gala dinner. **1st segment:** Cardinal Seán often says that "vocations are everyone's business." We need to pray for vocations and to encourage young people to consider where God is calling them. We have three archdiocesan seminaries: St. John Seminary in Brighton and Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, and then Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, which has 1/3 of all Boston seminarians. Redemptoris Mater Seminary is both “Archdiocesan” and “Missionary” and one of its goals is to prepare priests for the New Evangelization, both within our Archdiocese and then also in the missions. The Redemptoris Mater Seminary is preparing priests to do just that. Our Archdiocese of Boston has had a tremendous tradition of supporting the missions and the people around the world, sending many priests to the Saint James Society and to serve as chaplains in the Military. The Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary is continuing that tradition and also introducing many new things to the life of our Archdiocese. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Medeiros and Fr. De Nigris to the program. Scot said he found all the priests and seminarians at RMSB to have very varied backgrounds. He noted that Fr. Tony was born in the Azores and then moved to Fall River in 1980 with his family when he was 16, not speaking any English at the time. (He now speaks 7 languages.) He came to know a priest who moved him and who inspired Fr. Tony to want to become a priest. He started the path through seminary education in 1982 and entered St. John's in 1986. He struggled during those years in the seminary to determine that this was indeed the vocation God was calling him to. He left the seminary and spent time in Rome in discernment. He attended [World Youth Day in 1989](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/youth/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_27111988_iv-world-youth-day_en.html) in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He heard John Paul II's call to young men to be holy and to follow God's call. Fr. Tony talked with his friends in the Neocatechumenal Way, which he had joined by then, who helped him to see his vocation. In 1993 he was ordained for the Diocese of Rome after attending the first Redemptoris Mater Seminary, which had been opened by Pope John Paul II. He wa | 4/4/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0018: Friday, April 1, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Erika Bachiochi, Joanie Kingsley, and Kathleen Sotell * [Erika Bachiochi's website](http://erika.bachiochi.com/) * [Erika's book "Women, Sex, and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0819883204/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0819883204) * [The book at Pauline.org](http://www.pauline.org/WomanSexandtheChurch/tabid/418/Default.aspx) **Today's topics:** A discussion of the new book "Women, Sex, and the Church: A Case for Catholic Teaching" as well as a general roundtable on women in the Church. Also, our regular Friday feature looking at the upcoming Sunday's Mass readings. **A summary of today's show:** Erika Bachiochi talks with Scot and Fr. Mark about her new book and her own journey from pro-choice radical feminism to an embrace of the authentic feminism of the Catholic Church, which isn't anti-woman and misogynist after all. Also a look at the Gospel for the 4th Sunday of Lent. **1st segment:** Happy April Fool's Day! Scot asked Fr. Mark if he's had any pranks pulled on him and he said if there have been, he hasn't noticed. He also said his parents are celebrating their birthdays this week. It's also opening day for the Red Sox who are traveling to Texas. Put it on the TV, turn down the volume and turn up the radio with WQOM! This weekend are two events we've been talking about lately including the Eucharistic Congress in the North End tonight and tomorrow and the Faith and Family Mom's Day Away in Stoneham tomorrow and the weather isn't going to hold them back. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Erika Bachiochi, Joanie Kingsley and Katherine Sotell. Scot said Erika's book is a great service to the Church and anyone that wants to understand Church teaching and why it makes sense. The book discusses Church teaching on abortion, premarital sex, marriage, contraception, infertility treatments and the priesthood. Erika first points out that the book was co-written by many women who each took a chapter said her motivation for the book was a widespread assumption, even in the pews of the Catholic Church, is that the Church's teachings are misogynist and that no serious, self-respecting woman would embrace them. She saw this played out in the media during the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI, in which nearly every pundit was a dissident Catholic disputing the Church's teachings. It was very frustrating for her, having come to see these teachings as found in authentic feminism. She knew that lots of data from secular academics was corroborating the Church's teachings. Even many of the Church's theologians believe the Church's teachings are against women. One of the most difficult teachings for women to swallow is the all-male priesthood. She did a lot of research on her own to make pro-woman arguments for Catholic teaching that doesn't necessarily rely on theological arguments because there are many people who aren't interested in theological arguments. She found scientific, biological, psychological data that shows that straying from the Church's teachings actually hurts women. Erika said that while the book is often placed among books on the Theology of the Body, Pope John Paul's exploration of theology of how God created man and woman, this book is very different because it takes a step back, almost as a prerequisite for TOB. Many people need to embrace the Church's teachings before approaching TOB and this book is for them. The target of the audience is people who are estranged from the teachings of the Church. It's philosophically an apologia for the Church's teachings. She wants to be clear that when she says the book is filled with data, it is not dry and full of statistics. It is a readable book. It's for both the average reader and academics. Scot said it's important for Catholics who are looking to | 4/1/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0017: Thursday, March 31, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of *The Anchor*, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of *The Pilot*, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese. * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [Statement of the Archdiocese on the lay pension plan](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=19854) * [CNS: "Pope appeals for suspension of fighting in Libya"](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101210.htm) * [Mass. Catholic Conference brochure on Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/mcc.aspx) * [Centers for Disease Control statistics on sexual behavior](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr036.pdf) **Today's topics:** The Archdiocese of Boston's lay pension plan; the Pope's message for suspension of fighting in Libya; teens and abstinence and the new Mass. Health Curriculum Frameworks **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy discuss with Scot and Susan Cardinal Sean's strong statement of support for lay archdiocesan retirees and employees and their pension plan; Pope's Benedict's plea for the cessation of fighting in Libya for the sake of the innocent; new statistics showing teens are taking up abstinence because of federal funding that started in the early 2000s; the Church's challenge to serve immigrants to the US; and then tributes to two men whose professional careers are undergoing a big change. **1st segment:** Susan has been working on her budget for the past week for her Office for Religious Education, causing her to pull her hair out. But she's also excited for Red Sox Opening Day tomorrow and they've picked a good year to start the season out of town. She also noticed a slight resemblance between our own Justin Bell and Red Sox shortstop Dustin Pedroia. Scot said many national experts are picking the Red Sox to go to the World Series. He doesn't know whether that's encouraging or whether we should be afraid of jinxing the Red Sox. Another exciting event was the blessing of a new statue of St. Patrick at the Pastoral Center, which was a gift of St. Mary parish in Brookline. If you have questions, email LIVE@thegoodcatholiclife.com or call or text 617-410-MASS. **2nd segment:** Gregory Tracy relates a very exciting event in his family's life. His oldest daughter, Carmen, received her acceptance letter to Harvard yesterday and more importantly found out that they would receive the aid so she could go. Scot reflected on his own acceptance to Harvard and how he and his brother Fr. Roger were accepted to the school and received enough financial aid to go. Susan's son also went to Harvard as well. Scot noted that St. Paul in Cambridge is an excellent Catholic community for Catholic students at Harvard. Fr. Roger remembered a Mass for their deceased grandfather in which a relative who had gone to Boston College remarked by joking that it was good he had died before seeing his grandsons go to Harvard and lose their faith. But seriously, Fr. Roger said his experience at Harvard helped prepare him to be a herald of the Good News. Scot also extended congratulations to Greg and his wife, Donis, for all their own hard work supporting their daughter. Today's front page story in the Pilot is Cardinal Sean's commitment to the Archdiocesan lay pension plan. The Pilot received a strong personal statement from the Cardinal. Scot said the archdiocesan pension plan is transitioning from a defined-benefit to a defined-contribution. The defined-benefit is a promissory note that after retirement you will get X dollars every month until you die. A defined-contribution is a promise to put X dollars into the plan every month while you're working and what you receive at retirement depends on the fluctuations in the market. Defined-benefit plans have become a huge burden on organizations as markets have suf | 3/31/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0016 : Wednesday, March 30, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Andreas Widmer, former Swiss Guard to Pope John Paul II and CEO of Seven Fund* [4th annual Eucharistic Congress](http://www.eucharisticcongress.com)* [The Swiss Guard](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/swiss_guard/index.htm)* [Seven Fund](http://www.sevenfund.org/)**Today's topics:** On today's show, Scot and Fr. Matt welcome Andreas Widmer, who will talk about his experiences as a Swiss Guard during the reign of Pope John Paul II, his reflections as a Catholic businessman, and the witness he will give at this weekend's 4th annual Eucharistic Congress for Young Adults in Boston's North End.**A summary of today's show:** Andreas Widmer told Scot and Fr. Matt of his first encounters with Pope John Paul II as a Swiss Guard and how the Pope's holiness and attention to each person he met changed Andreas' life. Scot and Fr. Matt also shared stories of their encounters with the soon-to-be beatified pope. Also, the Eucharistic Congress this weekend is dedicated to John Paul II.**1st segment:** Fr. Matt discussed the awards banquet coming up next Tuesday for the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults that honors both youth and the adults who serve them. There is a selection process in which people are nominated for awarding. There is a high quality of people involved in youth ministry in the archdiocese. He said there will be 120 awards. Cardinal Sean will be there. Our photographer, George Martell, will be receiving an award for the many times he's recorded youth ministry events for our archdiocesan sites, including our [Flickr page](http://www.flickr.com/bostoncatholic). Fr. Matt said he's used many of George's photos advertising youth ministry events.**2nd segment:** Scot andFr. Matt welcome Andreas Widmer. He is the CEO of Seven Fund. It promotes enterprise solutions to opvoerty. Using entrpeneurship and business to help people escape poverty instead of government aid. They work mainly in Africa and Asia. The intersecition of his faith and the work of Seven Fund is encapsulated by John Paul II's statement that with work we don't just make more, we become more. True dignity comes through the pursuit of excellence in whatever we do. All the great saints have said work should be prayer.He will be one of four speakers at the Eucharistic Congress this weekend. Fr. Matt said they more than 200 registrants, which makes them ahead of last year. They encourage pre-registration, but they will still accept people at the door. It will be rain, snow, or shine. On Friday, at Sacred Heart Church in the North End, they will open with prayer and music by [Jon Niven](http://www.jonniven.com/), music minister at Life Teen at St. Mary, Dedham.The theme is "John Paul II: Be Not Afraid, His Life, His Witness, His Challenge." Fr. Roger Landry will speak on Pope John Paul II and the new evangelization. Fr. Matt is a fan of his website [CatholicPreaching.com](http://www.catholicpreaching.com). He did his graduate work in Rome on Pope John Paul's writings.Then Fr. Dan Hennessey will speak about the vocation monstrance, one of several monstrances blessed by Pope John Paul II to be sent around the world for prayer for vocations. April 2 will be the sixth anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death. There will be confessions during Eucharistic Adoration. Then there will be a procession to the downstairs chapel and then adoration all night.On Saturday morning, at 10:15, Andreas will speak on "Be Not Afraid: " and then they will go into service projects all over the city of Boston. Anything from writing letts to confirmation students to visiting with the elderly priests at Regina Cleri to cleaning up a park. After that will be Mass with Cardinal Sean and then dinner provided by the restaurants of the North End. Fr. Matt expects Cardinal Sean's homily will combine Pope John Paul's preaching with the topics of the 4th Sunday of Lent.Scot said he knows Cardinal Sean enjoy | 3/30/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0015: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Maureen Heil, Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston, and Sister Lisa Valentini of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.* [Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston](http://www.propfaithboston.org/Boston/index.html)* [Pontifical Mission Societies/Boston on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001954394979)* [Pontifical Mission Societies/Boston on Twitter](http://twitter.com/#!/BostonMissions)* [Pontifical Mission Societies/National](http://www.onefamilyinmission.org/)* [Maryknoll Missionaries](http://www.maryknoll.org/)* [Society for the Propagation of the Faith](http://www.onefamilyinmission.org/society-propfaith.html)* [Holy Childhood Association](http://www.onefamilyinmission.org/hca.html)* [Missionary Union of Priest & Religious](http://www.onefamilyinmission.org/missionary.html)* [Society of St. Peter the Apostle](http://www.onefamilyinmission.org/apostle.html)* [Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, USA Province](http://www.mscreading.org/)**Today's topics:** The work of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the Archdiocese, nationally, and internationally and the universal call to all Christians to support the missions.**A summary of today's show:** Maureen Heil and Sr. Lisa Valentini tell us about the Pontifical Mission Societies and the essential missionary nature of the Church. Sr. Lisa and Maureen also related some of their eye-opening, heart-wrenching, and heart-warming experiences serving on the missions in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador and more. Also, the missionary history of the Archdiocese of Boston as both recipient and giver.**1st segment:** Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back as co-host. Fr. Chris said the seminary had its annual seminary workday, doing a spring cleaning of the seminary and preparing for the Triduum.If people are having problems hearing the over-the-air signal, they can listen on TheGoodCatholicLife.com either streaming or for download. WQOM's engineers are hard at work fixing the issues related to the powerful signal of our radio dial neighbor, WBZ 1030.Fr. Chris said he's hearing a lot of excitement for the radio show and for the radio station.Introducing today's topic, Scot said it's a common misunderstanding that there is just one mission society in the archdiocese, but in fact there are four. An explanation after the break.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Maureen and Sr. Lisa to the show. Scot said he always thought the Propagation of the Faith was *the* pontifical mission society. Maureen said as a legal corporation in Boston they do business as the Propagation of the Faith, Inc., but there are four related societies. The Propagation of the Faith is responsible for mission education in developed countries, to help them be aware of the need to pray for the missions around the world and to support them. The Holy Childhood Association is for children from Kindergarten to Confirmation. The motto is children helping children. All the support goes to help children 14 and under. The children are asked to pray a Hail Mary every day for kids in the missions who don't know God loves them, who need an education, food to eat, a place to sleep, medicine when they're sick, etc. And they're asked to remember to do this on their own, without prompting from parents or teachers.There is also the St. Peter Apostle Society, which raises up a local clergy in the missions. Helps men in the missions who want to become priests but can't because of poverty. The Missionary Union is non-fundraising and asks people to pray for the spread of the Gospel around the world. They publish brochures and books.The name "pontifical" connects to the Pope's title as Supreme Pontiff. The mission societies report through the [Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cevang/index.htm) to t | 3/29/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0014: Monday, March 28, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Dr. Mary Grassa O'Neill, archdiocesan secretary for education and superintendent of schools, and Dr. William McKersie, archdiocesan associate superintendent for academic excellence. * [Catholics School Office on BostonCatholic.org](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/CatholicSchoolsOffice.aspx) * [Boston Catholic Schools Office](http://www.catholicschoolsboston.org/) * [Pioneer Institute](http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/) * [Pioneer Institute white paper: "Be Not Afraid: A History of Schooling in Massachusetts"](http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/110315_Be_Not_Afraid.pdf) * [Pioneer Institute statement on the white paper](http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/110315_Be_Not_Afraid_PR.pdf) * [The Know Nothings](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing) * [Pioneer Institute white paper: "The Know Nothing Amendments: Barriers to School Choice in Massachusetts"](http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/pdf/090401_chapman_know_nothing.pdf) * [Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, "The Catholic Schools We Need," America magazine (Sept 13, 10)](http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=12448) **Today's topics:** Catholic schools in Boston and Massachusetts; their successes, vision, and challenges; recent efforts to address laws that are obstacles for parents choosing Catholic education **A summary of today's show:** Catholic schools in the archdiocese and nationally are providing a superior education for their students, but also provide benefits to our communities and society as a whole. Dr. Mary Grassa O'Neill and Dr. Bill McKersie share the good news about Catholic education in Boston, Cardinal Sean's vision for its future, and the obstacles for parents who want to send their children to Catholic schools presented by 19th-century anti-Catholic laws **1st segment:** Catholic schools are vital to the overall health of the Catholic church. They have experienced several challenges in recent years and so many have responded to this challenge and are working to rebuild Catholic schools that have strong Catholic identity, academic excellence and financial vitality. One of the challenges of Catholic schools now is the inability for many families to afford the tuition. A group of leaders in Boston is trying to do something about that, to eliminate anti-Catholic discriminatory statutes in the Massachusetts constitution and to lobby for educational tax credits that parents could apply to a Catholic School education. Catholics are challenged in many of the Northeast cities. Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote a piece in "America" magazine last fall on this topic. He said, "The most crippling reason, [for the decline in Catholic schools], may rest in an enormous shift in the thinking of many American Catholics, namely, that the responsibility for Catholic schools belongs only to the parents of the students who attend them, not to the entire church. Nowadays, Catholics often see a Catholic education as a consumer product, reserved to those who can afford it. The result is predictable: Catholics as a whole in the United States have for some time disowned their school system, excusing themselves as individuals, parishes or dioceses from any further involvement with a Catholic school simply because their own children are not enrolled there, or their parish does not have its own school." He also said, "“As long as we Catholics refuse to acknowledge that the overall health of the church in the United States is vitally linked not only to the survival but the revival of the Catholic school, we are likely to miss the enormous opportunity this present moment extends" to all of us as a Church. We look forward to discussing the state of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, the many initiatives underway to revitalize them, and this effort to repeal the Know Nothing amendments and enable educational tax credits during this entire hour on this special broadcast of The Goo | 3/28/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic #0013: Friday, March 25, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** LeAnn Thieman, author of "Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith", Fr. Bill Schmidt, pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham, and Mike Alex, founder of MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com, the Catholic online learning platform. * [MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com](http://www.mycatholicfaithdelivered.com) * [LeAnn Thieman's website](http://www.leannthieman.com/) * ["Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living Catholic Faith"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935096230/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1935096230) * [St. Patrick Parish, Stoneham](http://www.catholic-church.org/st-patricks/) **Today's topics:** Lenten mission at St. Patrick Parish in Stoneham; MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com; A look at this Sunday's readings for Mass **A summary of today's show:** LeAnn Thieman, author of "Chicken Soup for Soul: Living Catholic Faith", and Fr. Bill Schmidt of St. Patrick Parish, Stoneham, discuss "the most unusual parish mission" you'll attend coming up next week at Fr. Schmidt's parish. Mike Alex tells Scot and Fr. Mark about MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com, the most advanced online learning platform for Catholics. Finally, Scot, Fr. Mark, and Mike discuss this coming Sunday's Gospel reading for Mass on the woman at the well and the Living Water that Christ promises her. **1st segment:** Fr. Mark's week included a talk in Stoneham at Fr. Schmidt's parish on annulments. Also a cabinet meeting today at which Cardinal Sean announced that Chancellor Jim McDonough's term was renewed for another five years. Fr. Mark said the chancellor is also the finance officer for the archdiocese. The term that was renewed was actually for finance officer. Only two diocesan roles have terms that cannot be abridged except for grave reasons. The other is Fr. Mark's job as Judicial Vicar. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome LeAnn Thieman by phone from Colorado and Fr. Bill Schmidt by phone from Stoneham. LeAnn gave an overview of the sessions she'll be giving at the mission next week. She'll start by sharing her story, starting in 1975 with Operation Babylift, to bring 300 Vietnamese orphans out of the midst of the war in Vietnam with the approval of President Ford. On Tuesday, she'll speak on caring for ourselves as well as we care for others, caring for our bodies and our minds. She shares stories from her 12 Chicken Soup books she's written. One of the tools is the tool of forgiveness. On Wednesday, she'll talk about living the Catholic faith as the spiritual balance to the topic of the night before: What we can do to stand up for our faith and to take pride in it. She promises that attendees will march out proud of being Catholic and excited about sharing it. Fr. Schmidt said Lent is a privileged time during which busy people who don't often have time for prayer want to do something special. It's not easy to carve out three nights in a row, so it's a special opportunity. This is the sixth year they've had a parish mission in his 10 years as pastor. 800 people come at least once over the 3 nights. Fr. Mark asked what the Chicken Soup for the Soul books are. LeAnn explained that each has 101 true stories all on a particular topic, such as adoption, fathers and daughters, nurses. Part of LeAnn's own story during Operation Babylift is that she found a little boy who she then adopted as her own. It's amazing, she said, how she still gets emotional as she tells the story, even though she has told it so many times. * [Operation Babylift](http://www.adoptvietnam.org/adoption/babylift-index.htm) Fr. Schmidt said after the last mission, where they heard Fr. Tom Nestor, Bishop Hennessey, and Fr. Jonathan Morris, someone on the parish council asked if a woman could give the mission. Father had a friend in Colorado who had heard of LeAnn and her captivating and motivating story and his experience | 3/25/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0012: Thursday, March 24, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston. * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [St. Thomas More College](http://www.thomasmorecollege.edu/) * [CNS, "Dancing with the saints: Retreat master says that's the key to Lent"](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101089.htm) * [The Boston Herald, "Nuns sue Archdiocese of Boston over retirement funds""](http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view/20110321nuns_sue_boston_archdiocese_over_retirement_funds/) * [Raymond L. Flynn, "Halting bigotry against Mass. Catholic schools"](http://www.lowellsun.com/editorials/ci_17633890) * [Pioneer Institute](http://www.pioneerinstitute.org/) **Today's topics:** Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York interviewed on CBS News' *60 Minutes*, the Pope's Lenten retreat, school choice, the Daughters of St. Paul dispute with Archdiocese of Boston over pension funds, St. Thomas More College relocation **A summary of today's show:** In a brisk review of the week's news, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York on being a "conservative" Catholic and then the ongoing response to the sexual abuse crisis; the Pope's Lenten retreat focusing on Pope John Paul II; an effort to repeal anti-Catholic laws in Massachusetts; the dispute between the Daughters of St. Paul and the Archdiocese of Boston does not undermine the mutual love and respect; and a relocation of a Catholic college to the archdiocese. **1st segment:** Susan reflected on the past week since her last appearance and how she and friends and colleagues have been reflecting on Lent and the joy in Lent. Scot said it's always a trial to keep up with Lenten disciplines and also there appears to be many more people showing up for Mass each day at the Pastoral Center. **2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcomed Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry. First item up for consideration was an interview by *60 Minutes'* Morley Safer with Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York. Fr. Roger recalled knowing then-Msgr. Dolan when Fr. Roger was a seminarian at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Archbishop Dolan was as warm, friendly, and jovial as he remembered him and seemed to win over Morley Safer with his personality. Archbishop Dolan leads the US Catholic Church in several ways, both holding the biggest pulpit in the US at St. Patrick's Cathedral and as president of the USCCB. *A clip from the show includes Safer's comments calling Archbishop Dolan a right-wing conservative. Archbishop Dolan bristles at being called right-wing, but he is enthusiastically grateful and committed to the timeless traditions and history of the Church.* Scot notes that many people like to label the Church, especially calling people who take their faith seriously as right-wing. Greg noted that there's a tendency to put everything under political labels, like "left" and "right". But that doesn't really apply to the Church, which is what Archbishop Dolan was saying. Fr. Roger noted that Christ's word is eternal and those who follow don't put their finger in the wind to see which it's blowing. People try to make the Church a political messiah, like people tried to make Christ a political messiah back in the day. We are supposed to be conservative if we define it as supporting life issues and the Church's teaching on morality, but liberal if we define it as supporting the Church's teachings on the poor, for example. As Catholics we must defy those easy labels because we are called to be both. Susan said what came to mind was the paradox people saw in Pope John Paul II, being both orthodox on the Church's teachings and so politically "liberal" on issues related to war and peace. *A clip from the interview on the Archbishop's experience meeting with abuse victims an | 3/24/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0011: Wednesday, March 23, 2010 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams **Today's guest(s):** Tim Van Damm, vice-president of advancement and admissions, College of St. Mary Magdalen, and coordinator of AdorationBoston.org; and Kathy Reda, coordinator of the Eucharistic Congress for Youth and Young Adults * [College of St. Mary Magdalen](http://www.magdalen.edu/) * [AdorationBoston.org](http://www.adorationboston.org) * [4th annual Eucharistic Congress for Youth and Young Adults](http://www.eucharisticcongress.org) * [St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine]() * [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org) * [Pilot Parish Finder](http://www.pilotparishfinder.com) * [Pilot Parish Finder iPhone/iPad/iPod touch app](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pilot-parish-finder/id406816873?mt=8) * [PilotParishFinder Android app](http://www.appbrain.com/app/pilot-parish-finder/com.thebostonpilot.parishfinder)) **Today's topics:** The College of St. Mary Magdalen's new name and new vision for itself; Perpetual adoration in the city of Boston at St. Clement's Eucharistic Shrine; the 4th annual Eucharistic Congress for Youth and Young Adults; and questions about confession | 3/23/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0010: Tuesday, March 22, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Drs. David and Angela Franks and Dr. Aldona Lingertat of the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary/ * [TINE](http://www.tineboston.org) * [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [TINE on Facebook](http://www.facebook.com/pages/Theological-Institute-for-the-New-Evangelization/173683042661394) * [Photos from press conference launching TINE on March 17](http://www.flickr.com/photos/bostoncatholic/sets/72157626161918993/) * [Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference](http://sjs.edu/News/2011CWITV.html) **Today's topics:** The new Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary and a new degree and certificates for laity, deacons, and religious that join the existing Master of Arts in Ministry program. **A summary of today's show:** The Theological Institute for the New Evangelization at St. John's Seminary is preparing laypeople, deacons and religious to become energetic and knowledgable evangelists and missionaries within their own parishes and out in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces to bring about the new evangelization envisioned by Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Seán. **1st segment:** Is God calling you to serve the Church as a professional lay minister or catechist? Or is God calling you to receive strong adult faith formation to know, share and defend the faith? If so, than today’s program is meant for you as we’ll be discussing the exciting new Institute at St. John’s Seminary for Adult Faith Formation. Fr. Chris said last week that they had the annual St. Patrick's Day dinner at St. John's Seminary, including Irish song, Irish cheer, and limericks that poked fun of the faculty. On St. Joseph Day, he had Mass with the Missionaries of Charity and lots of zeppoli throughout the day. It's an Italian pastry. Scot said his wife had her birthday this weekend, so he was able to break his Lenten diet as planned. He also wished a happy birthday today to Maria Bain, station manager for WQOM. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Aldona Lingertat and David and Angela Franks from TINE. David explained that St. John's has gathered immense resources to train men for the diocesan priesthood, so St. John's has made available these resources to laypeople who want to serve the Church. For the past decade that has been available through the Master's in Ministry and now the institute further expands the offerings of those resources. St. John's feels it's crucial to make these resources available to support the new evangelization. Angela said St. Patrick's feast day was chosen to launch because he was an evangelist and missionary to a hostile culture and we live in a society and culture that is hostile to our faith. Scot also pointed out that as St. Patrick is the patron of the archdiocese it ties the work to the archdiocese. Fr. Chris concurred and added that they hope it also offers resources for other dioceses in the region as well. A seminary is the heart of the diocese, he said. Aldona said the program students are all active in their parishes. The program makes sure the students are already active or asks them to become so first. They also offer a course in the basics of the Catholic faith as well. Scot noted that many Catholics, through no fault of their own, sometimes have not studied the faith as adults because formal religious instruction ended at confirmation. Angela said they found many people who come to their programs haven't read the Catechism. Scot said being part of a community while learning the faith is more fun and rewarding than studying alone. Aldona said there's an excitement in finding other people who care as much about the faith as you do. It helps grow and deepen your faith. Scot finds two significant aspects to the name. First, that it is an institute at the seminary and, second, that it is for the new evangelization. Fr. Chris said it respond | 3/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0009: Monday, March 21, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Pat Gohn and Rachel Balducci for Faith and Family magazine's "Mom's Day Away" and Tom Shields, Peter Carpentier, and Dick Kiernan from Alpha for Catholics * [Faith and Family Live](http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/) * [Faith and Family's Mom's Day Away](http://faithandfamily.eventbrite.com/) * [Rachel Balducci's blog, "Testosterhome"](http://www.testosterhome.net/) * [Rachel's book, "How Do You Tuck in a Superhero?"](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080073372X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=catholicnetrevie&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=080073372X) * [Pat Gohn's website](http://www.patgohn.com/) * [Pat Gohn's podcast "Amazing Women"](http://www.patgohn.com/patgohn/AmongWomenPodcast.com.html) * [Pat Gohn's podcast "Catholic GPS"](http://www.patgohn.com/patgohn/Catholic_GPS.html) * [Pat Gohn at CatholicMom.com](http://catholicmom.com/author/pgohn/) * [Pat Gohn at Patheos](http://www.patheos.com/About-Patheos/Pat-Gohn.html) * [Pat Gohn at Catholic Exchange](http://catholicexchange.com/tag/pat-gohn/) **Today's topics:** Mom's Day Away for Catholic moms, Catholic moms in new media, and Alpha for Catholics **A summary of today's show:** Pat Gohn and Rachel Balducci talk with Scot about Faith and Family's Mom's Day Away for Catholic moms coming up on April 2 as well as their personal projects including blogs, books, podcasts, and online columns. Then Scot welcomes Tom Shields, Peter Carpentier, and Rick Kiernan to discuss the Alpha for Catholics program in the Boston archdiocese. Finally, Scot and George Martell talk about George's photographs and the unique ways the Internet allows him to share them. **1st segment:** Scot read a statement from Jim Wright, president of The Station of the Cross, on Fr. John Corapi's administrative leave and then read a statement from Fr. Corapi from his website. The Station of the Cross has suspended ticket sales for the August 6 conference with Fr. Corapi pending consultation with advisors and resolution of the situation. * [Fr. John Corapi's statement on his website](http://www.fathercorapi.com/default.aspx) **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Pat Gohn and Rachel Balducci of Faith and Family magazine. Pat said Faith and Family magazine and their website is a ministry of high quality for Catholic families and especially with Catholic moms in mind. Faith and Family Live is a great resource that brings together bloggers and has built a close-knit online community. Mom's Day Away is a day to bring the community of Faith and Family together. Rachel talked about the experience of meeting so many of the women who've been reading her blogs and book. It's an opportunity to give these Internet relationships a soul. There is a challenge to forming relationships online. It can be easy to forget there's a person on the other end of the computer. She was at the Catholic New Media Celebration in Boston last summer and had a great time meeting so many real life connections with people she'd already met online. You need the real-life connections to go along with the online interactions. One of the three keynotes is Jennifer Fulwiler. She grew up never believing in God, raised as an atheist. After getting married, she and her husband starting exploring the lack they felt in their lives. The Internet became a resource for her and through the Catholics she met online she discovered God and joined the Catholic Church. * [Jennifer Fulwiler's "Conversion Diary" blog](http://www.conversiondiary.com) Danielle Bean is the editor of Faith and Family magazine and one of the other speakers. Pat said it is her vision and leadership that has brought the magazine and website to where it is today. She's an author as well as wife and mother of 8. She brings a lot of exuberance and energy to everything she does including this day. * [Danielle Bean's books on Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=ht | 3/22/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0008: Friday, March 18, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Marianne Luthin, director of the Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office * [Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Pro-LifeOffice.aspx) * [Pregnancy Help Boston](http://www.pregnancyhelpboston.org/) * [Project Rachel](http://www.projectrachelboston.com/) * [Respect Life Education Office](http://www.respectlifeeducation.com/) * [Holy Hour for Life](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/HolyHourForLife.aspx) **Today's topics:** Archdiocesan Pro-Life Office, Pregnancy Help, Project Rachel, Respect Life Education, Mass readings for Sunday, March 20, 2011 **A summary of today's show:** Marianne Luthin shared the breadth of the Pro-Life Office's work, including Project Rachel retreats for post-abortion women; the Archdiocesan Pregnancy Help Center, which provides counseling and assistance for women in crisis pregnancies; and Respect Life Education, which creates curricula and trains teachers for school-age children and sponsors chastity speakers. Fr. Mark O'Connell and Scot Landry also previewed this coming Sunday's Mass readings on the Transfiguration of Jesus. **1st segment:** Fr. Mark reflects on his week: worked on 16 marriages cases, said Masses in four different places. Scot said that he met today with priests who work in the Central Region of the Archdiocese to talk about the work he's doing in Catholic Media. He found them very receptive to what they're doing in media. The Church is very active in pro-life efforts. The March for Life is one activity, as well as the Way of the Cross for Life on Good Friday. Many priests, deacons, seminarians, religious and laity all participate. But there is much more, which Marianne Luthin will share after the break. **2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Marianne Luthin. Project Rachel retreat is coming up on March 26. It is an outreach ministry across the US and the world designed to offer hope and healing and reconciliation to women and men who've participated in past abortions. It takes its name from Rachel in the Old Testament, and in the Holy Land there is a shrine to her where women come to pray for safe childbirth. It recalls [Jeremiah 31:15-17](http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/jeremiah/jeremiah31.htm) where Rachel weeps inconsolably and the Lord comes to her to tell her to cease her cries of mourning, there is hope for the future. Marianne knows many women cry tears of desolation for years and it is the mercy of God that can heal those tears. There are countless millions of women who suffer the effects of abortion. There are 1.2 million abortions in the US every year and with every abortion there is both a father and a mother, and sometimes their parents and medical workers and friends and family who participate. It is estimated that nearly 1 in 3 women of childbearing age in the US have had abortions and Catholics abort at about the same rate as non-Catholics. Fr. Mark asked if the women on these retreats are those who have recently had abortions or if it's those for whom it's been a long time. Marianne said that they often find its women coming to them after years living with abortion. She had one woman who was in her 90s who'd had an abortion 69 years ago. The most common reaction of a woman having an abortion is a sense of relief right after it happens. But it's after that fact, maybe after getting pregnant again or on the anniversary of the abortion, that all these issues come to the fore. Scot asked whether she encounters many women who believe incorrectly that they can't be forgiven for the abortions. There are probably many who do who never call or contact her office. She estimated that close to 80 percent of the women who call them say something like, I understand God forgives, but I can't forgive myself. Many woman go to confession after confession, but can't experience the healing love of Christ. On the "Healing Waters" retreats, they begin by helping them understand it's | 3/20/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0007: March 17, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Justin Bell of the Catholic Media Secretariat * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org/) * [The Boston Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) **Today's topics:** Crisis in Japan and the Church's response; the Rite of Election; Massachusetts bishops on low-income energy heating policy; the real St. Patrick **A summary of today's show:** Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy join Scot and Susan to discuss how the tragedy in Japan as a reminder for prayer and to consider God's mercy; they discuss the significance of the Rite of Election and the preparation to receive new members of the Church; the Massachusetts bishops ask Congress not to cut home heating oil assistance and how that affects the dignity of the person; and who is the real St. Patrick? **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan to the show and they discuss St. Patrick's Day. Susan shared what she heard in the homily at Mass this morning at the Pastoral Center. Fr. Bob Oliver talked about the Breastplate of St. Patrick, and that if St. Patrick felt the need for armor in his ministry to protect him, then perhaps we shouldn't domesticate him too much. Scot said that the theme song for The Good Catholic Life is "St. Patrick's Breastplate" by Martin Doman. He wrote it as the theme song for the 2007 Boston Catholic Men's Conference. * [Martin Doman](http://www.martindoman.com/) * [St. Patrick's Breastplate](http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/legacy/id323621256) * [Boston Catholic Men's and Women's Conferences](http://catholicboston.com/) **2nd segment:** Gregory Tracy and Fr. Landry join Susan and Scot. The situation in Japan is one of most significant tragedies and calamities of our lifetime. Greg reflected that so many are overwhelmed by the scenes, the videos of the tsunami devastating everything in their path. It recalls for him how powerless we are in the face of the forces of nature. It takes these disasters to remind us that man is not the ultimate force in the world. One of the Japanese bishops said that life is a gift of God and is in the hands of God. Fr. Landry said it is difficult to watch every night to see so much suffering. It is hard to see other people like us to suffer so much. As a pastor, he tries to convert that sorrow into prayer. We know that this life isn't all that there is and even though we might die tragically, it doesn't mean that life is over. We pray for those who died and their loved ones. That is how we respond as Catholics. He is pleased that Cardinal Sean and Bishop Coleman in Fall River have authorized collections to provide for the physical and monetary needs in Japan. We can let them know that in the midst of charity they are not alone and that the love of people from across the world is stronger than a tsunami, that the radiation of Christian faith is stronger than nuclear radiation. Most parishes will take up the collection either this Sunday or the next. Scot had no doubt that Catholics in the region will be as generous as they always are when such collections come up. Fr. Roger is always pleased that in his inner-city parish so much is raised for these collections. Scot said that he's always felt that it is better to donate to a Catholic organization to show how we as a Church respond. Susan said that she remembers reading an assessment of relief organizations and Catholic Relief Services was highest rated as the one in which the most pennies per dollar reach the people on the ground. People often ask, "How could God let this happen?" Fr. Landry said that such disasters are never positively willed by God, but the best explanation was *Salvifici Doloris*, in which John Paul II said sufferin | 3/17/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0006: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 | **Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams, director of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults **Today's guest(s):** Stephen Colella, assistant director of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults, and Seth DeMoor, founder of the website OneBillionStories.com. * [Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults](http://www.one4boston.org) * [OneBillionStories.com](http://www.onebillionstories.com) * [Seth's appearance on CatholicTV's "This Is The Day"](http://www.catholictv.com/shows/default.aspx?seriesID=72&videoID=89) * [World Youth Day Madrid official website](http://www.madrid11.com/en) * [Eucharistic Congress](http://www.eucharisticcongress.org) * [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org) **Today's topics:** World Youth Day Madrid 2011 and the Boston pilgrimage; OneBillionStories.com telling the faith stories of one billion Catholics; Listener questions about the sacrament of confession **A summary of today's show:** Stephen Colella of the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults talks about World Youth Day pilgrimages, including this summer's WYD in Madrid, and their value to young people on a faith journey. Seth DeMoor tells us about his plan to collect the personal witnesses of all one billion Catholics on their lifetime journeys of faith. And Stephen, Scot, and Fr. Matt answer listener questions about the sacrament of confession. **1st segment:** How is Lent going for Fr. Matt? Sometimes it's hard to remain true to Lenten disciplines, and those failings remind us of how much we need a savior. So for him it's been wonderful and humbling. Scot has said a new diet regime has given him new appreciation for "praying with your whole body." Today was very active at the Pastoral Center. There were 120 people at noon Mass with the Sisters of Life from New York and all the pro-life directors from around New England. Cardinal Sean gave a great homily as well. Fr. Matt said you see Catholics embracing the wonderful practice of daily Mass for Lent. Many people don't realize that we can go every day, that there is Mass every day of the year, except Good Friday. It's a good habit to form. Tonight is the first of the six Wednesdays during Lent in which we will have the Light Is On For You. Every parish throughout the archdiocese will be open for confessions from 6:30 to 8pm. Questions about confession may be emailed to [LIVE@thegoodcatholiclife.com](LIVE@thegoodcatholiclife.com), texted or called into 617-410-MASS. * [PilotParishFinder.com](http://www.pilotparishfinder.com) * [PilotParishFinder iPhone app](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pilot-parish-finder/id406816873?mt=8) * [PilotParishFinder Android app](http://www.appbrain.com/app/pilot-parish-finder/com.thebostonpilot.parishfinder) **2nd segment:** Stephen Colella joins Scot and Fr. Matt. World Youth Day 2011 is in Madrid. Every 3 years it's a celebration of young people gathering from around the world. Steve said Madrid is a classic European city, lots of plazas for gatherings, lots of historic churches and relics. His team has been planning since the last one, in Sydney, Australia, in 2008. Each WYD has its own flair, culturally, and the marks of the universal Church in that place. You also experience the culture, food, and music that makes that place unique. For example, on Wednesday of that week, the WYD organizers have rented every theater in Madrid and will be showing Catholic films submitted in every language. Fr. Matt said pilgrims should expect it to be hot, hot, hot. Some forecasts say it can be 110 degrees. They prepare the pilgrims by drilling into them, "This is a pilgrimage, not a vacation. On a pilgrimage, we never complain about anything." With that said, in Spain, you have the oldest marian shrine in the history of the Church, Santiago de Compostela. Spain has some of the greatest saints in history. In Spain, you're always en | 3/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0005: Tuesday, March 15, 2011 | **Today's hosts:** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor, vice-rector of St. John's Seminary **Today's guests:** Bishop Robery Hennessey, auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, a seminarian studying at St./ John's Seminary. **Today's topics:** The Light Is On For You, Lenten confessions, a seminarian from Yugoslavia, the St. James Society and South America * [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu) * [The Light Is On For You](http://www.thelightisonforyou.org) * [St. James Society](http://www.socstjames.com/) **A summary of today's show:** Bishop Robert Hennessey reflects on the beauty of the Sacrament of Confession and the message of God's forgiveness it contains. He also notes the wonderful success of The Light Is On For You, a confession initiative during Lent and Advent. Seminarian Sinisa Ubiparipovic talked of his journey to seminary and his recent travels to South America with the St. James Society, while Bishop Hennessey recalled his years with the Society, the important work they do, and the important fruit it continues to bear for the Archdiocese. **1st segment:** Fr. Chris O'Connor joined Scot on the show for the first time. He shared some of his background that brought him to the seminary. He grew up in Dorchester and Quincy, went to BC High, attended St. John's Seminary College, went to Rome for a year, returned to finish his studies, spent some time in St. Mary, Chelmsford, received a doctorate in Philosophy from Catholic U in DC. St. John's has had a renewal in recent years. It has almost reached capacity with seminarians and continues to grow. Many of the men entering were inspired by the example of Pope John Paul II. Bishop Arthur Kennedy, the rector, has provided great leadership and expanded their mission to become a regional seminary. It also offers a series of lay leadership and ministry formation courses. There is a master of arts in ministry program to form parish ministers. They also offer catechetical certificates. On Thursday at 11am, Cardinal Seán and Bishop Kennedy will announce a new lay formation program during a press conference at the cathedral, followed by the St. Patrick's Day Mass. **2nd segment:** Bishop Robert Hennessey joined the program. He was ordained a bishop on December 12, 2006. Prior to that, he served the Church in various ways, including the St. James Society. He grew up in South Boston at St. Augustine's parish. He attended St. John Seminary and then served in several parishes and then went to Bolivia for several years with the St. James Society. He then served Most Holy Redeemer in East Boston, the largest Spanish-speaking parish in the archdiocese, as pastor for 12 years. Then he was appointed as bishop. Two years ago he was appointed to lead The Light Is On For You, a Confession initiative for Lent and Advent. Confession is not just for Lent, Bishop Hennessey said, but frequent confession is good for us. It is a great place to find out, not that we're bad, but that we're loved by God. Even if we disappoint God or anger Him through our sins, we are still beloved of Him. Fr. Chris asked the bishop which Scripture passage he would say is the best to talk about Confession. The bishop loves the Prodigal Son, mainly because the young man was able to admit his faults, but also before he could tell his father that he was no longer worthy to be his son, the father cut him off with his loving forgiveness. We cannot say we are not worthy to be loved by the Father, because His love is a free gift of His grace and His very nature. Scot said that it is not just the story of the Prodigal Son, but also the story of the Loving Father. Bishop Hennessey said that the father was keeping watch for his son, because we know he saw the son coming back from a distance. In Pope Benedict's book, "Jesus of Nazareth", he says it's not just the Prodigal Son, but the Prodigal Son*s*, because it is both sons who disappoint their father and who need forgivenes | 3/16/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0004: Monday, March 14, 2011 | **Today's host:** Scot Landry **Today's guests:** Bishop Daniel Reilly, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Worcester, Mass.; Angelo Guadagno, organizer of the Worcester Catholic Men's Conference; Deacon Jack Sullivan of St. Thecla Parish, Pembroke; and Fr. Dan Hennessey, director of the Office for Vocations of the Archdiocese of Boston. * [Office for Vocations](http://www.vocationsboston.org) * [Diocese of Worcester](http://www.worcesterdiocese.org/) * [Worcester Catholic Men's Conference](http://www.firstmensconf.org/www.firstmensconf.org/Welcome.html) * [Pilot article from August 2010 on Deacon Sullivan's miracle](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=12190) * [Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress](http://www.eucharisticcongress.org) **Today's topics:** Lenten retreats, the annual Archdiocesan Eucharistic Congress, the Worcester Catholic Men's Conference, and the miraculous intercession of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman. **A summary of today's show:** The Worcester Men's Conference was the seed of the nationwide Catholic men's conference movement over the past decade, and that tradition continues at this year's conference later this month. The keynote speaker will be Deacon Jack Sullivan of St. Thecla Parish in Pembroke, whose miraculous healing from a spinal ailment led to the beatification of Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman. And on April 1 and 2, the fourth annual Eucharistic Congress for Youth and Young Adults will take place in the North End of Boston as hundreds of youth witness to the power of Christ in their lives. **1st segment:** Welcoming Fr. Dan Hennessey. He reports that there are many men interviewing and considering applying for the seminary this spring. He talked about the St. Andrew's Dinner for young men in high school. The most recent dinner welcomed 75 young men. There also retreats for men 18-40 held at St. John Seminary and for men older than 40 at Blessed John Seminary. There are currently 59 men studying for the archdiocese at St. John Seminary, Blessed John XXIII Seminary, Our Lady of Providence Seminary, and the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Interested men should call Fr. Dan at 617-746-5949 or through the [Vocations Office website](http://www.vocationsboston.org). **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Bishop Daniel Reilly and Angelo Guadagno. Bishop Reilly was bishop of Worcester for 17 years and one of his passions was working with men. He doesn't like to consider himself as retired, just emeritus, and so as long as he has the capacity to minister he will be there with the people and be a witness to faith. Bishop Reilly and Angelo and others launched the Worcester Men's Conference 11 years ago and it was the first men's conference in the country. At the time, PromiseKeepers was a large Evangelical movement for men, and Catholic men were coming to Bishop Reilly and wanted something similar. Shortly after that, a pastor called the bishop about a man who wanted to serve the Church. That was Angelo. They met and talked about ministry for men. At first they worked with other dioceses in New England, but in 2001 they decided to go forward on their own in Worcester and it has been very successful and uplifting. It gives the men who attend something to direct their Lenten journey toward. The talks of the conference carry them throughout the year and give men's groups a foundation to build upon. Angelo said men usually come to the conference because they were invited by someone and thus the conference is an environment of fellowship. Men come to the conference because it's easy in these days for a man to feel isolated and alone, but when he comes to the conference and sees 1,000 men who are like him, have his values, his point of view, then he no longer feels alone. The second reason is that it's easy to plateau in our faith, to think that because we go to church every Sunday that's enough, but the conference gives a challenge and the tools and incentive to take another step in | 3/14/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0003: Friday, March 11, 2011 | *Due to technical difficulties, the first 15 minutes of today's program are not available in the stream and podcast. Much of the content is available in the show notes below. We apologize for the error.* **Today's hosts:** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell, Judicial Vicar for the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Boston. **Today's guest(s):** Bishop John D'Arcy, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend, Indiana and a former auxiliary bishop of Boston;,and Fr. Michael Harrington, director of the Office for Cultural Diversity and Outreach and assistant director of the Office for Vocations of the Archdiocese of Boston. * [Tribunal](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Tribunal.aspx) * [Office of Vocations](http://www.vocationsboston.org) * [Office of Cultural Diversity and Outreach](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/OutreachandCulturalDiversity.aspx) * [Cardinal Seán's Blog](http://www.cardinalseansblog.org) * [Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend](http://www.diocesefwsb.org/) * [St. Mary, Star of the Sea, Beverly](http://www.stmarystar.org) **Today's topic(s):** The importance of Lenten retreats and missions; Cardinal Seán's Lenten message to Catholics in the Archdiocese of Boston; Listener questions about Lent and Lenten practices. **A summary of today's show:** Today's hosts and guest discuss Cardinal Seán's Lenten homily on Ash Wednesday and its call for Catholic to use this time to take stock, to "update our obituary," and to make sure that we're always moving forward in the spiritual life. Lent is also a perfect time for the work of evangelization that is Catholics Come Home. This initiative is one of the spiritual works of mercy to which we are commended during Lent. Bishop John D'Arcy also recalled his years as a priest and then bishop in Boston and then talked about how Lenten missions and retreats are a spiritual aid to Lent, as well as a work of evangelization and a renewal of the parish. Finally, Scot, Fr. Mark, and Fr. Michael answered some common questions about Lent, especially those surrounding the practice of fasting. **1st segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark recalled their experience of Lent as children, giving up meat on Fridays. Fr. Mark then gave a brief summary of his life and vocation as a priest. As judicial vicar, he is "the canon law guy." The Metropolitan Tribunal's main focus are marriage cases and annulments. They also do some criminal cases, financial cases, and even cases related to saints. In future broadcasts, they will delve into those subjects more. One day he came back from lunch and said he'd had a great lunch of chicken noodle soup. His secretary reminded him that it was a Friday in Lent. Another worker in the office, who happened to be Jewish, came in then and called out, "Look, I've got my tune sandwich. It's Friday in Lent." So, the Jewish woman remembered Lent, but the priest did not. **2nd segment:** Scot asked Fr. Michael Harrington what his hopes are for Catholic radio. He said St. Paul would be doing the same thing if he were here today, using every means to reach out to people. Scot, Fr. Mark, and Fr. Michael considered the following clip from Cardinal Seán's homily for Ash Wednesday: > Lent is such a special time in our year. It is a time of new beginnings, of reviewing our lives in the light of the Gospel, to deepen our conversion and to draw closer to God and to one another. > The ashes on our forehead are to remind us that we are pilgrims in this world. One day death will end that pilgrimage and we will have to render an account of our stewardship. How did we use our talents, our treasure, our time? Did we make this a better world by our love and generosity? If we have been living selfish and self-absorbed lives, Lent is an opportunity to clean up our obituary, to change the direction of our life. Change is never easy. We need a lot of help and we need a plan. Lent fi | 3/12/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic LIfe #0002: Thursday, March 10, 2011 | The Good Catholic Life is a current affairs, evangelization, and faith discussion program broadcast M-F, 4-5pm from the Archdiocese of Boston's Pastoral Center in Braintree, MA. The host is Scot Landry, along with a series of regular co-hosts. New podcasts should be available each night after the broadcast. | 3/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
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CleanThe Good Catholic Life #0001: Ash Wednesday, March 9, 2011 | The Good Catholic Life is a current affairs, evangelization, and faith discussion program broadcast M-F, 4-5pm from the Archdiocese of Boston's Pastoral Center in Braintree, MA. The host is Scot Landry, along with a series of regular co-hosts. New podcasts should be available each night after the broadcast. | 3/10/11 | Free | View In iTunes |
| Total: 244 Episodes |