Bridge Builder Podcast

In this episode we’re talking about the Civil Rights Act and the impacts it continues to have on society today. We’ll be speaking with Christopher Caldwell, the author of “The Age of Entitlement: America since the sixties.” He is journalist and a former senior editor at The Weekly Standard, as well as a regular contributor to the Financial Times and Slate. He is a senior fellow at the Claremont Institute and contributing editor to The Claremont Review of Books.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about a special election in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment, now that election day has come to a close, what you can do to continue building bridges with elected officials to help transform our state.

In this episode we’re talking about the role of Catholic and other private schools in forming students who go on to form more stable families. We are joined by Brad Wilcox. He is an associate professor in the department of sociology at the University of Virginia, where he directs the National Marriage Project. Wilcox is also a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he directs The Home Economics Project. Inaugurated in fall of 2013, the research project explores the links between family structure and economic growth in 20 countries around the world — more specifically, how marriage and a strong family life foster free enterprise.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about learning more about the judges who may be on your ballot.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment what you can do in these final days before the election.

In this episode we’re talking about the ethics of a COVID-19 vaccine with Dr. John Di Camillo a staff ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center. Dr. Di Camillo has been a full-time staff ethicist at The National Catholic Bioethics Center since 2011. His work includes moral analyses of Catholic health care affiliations and of health insurance plans and claims. He provides ethics education and consultation services to individuals and organizations.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about policy proposals that are working toward creating racial equality in our society.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment we have details on how you can prayerfully prepare for election day.

In this episode we’re talking about totalitarianism and the newly released book, “Live not by Lies: A manual for Christian dissidents.” We are joined by Rod Dreher, author of the Amazon #1 best seller, “Live not by Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents”. Mr. Dreher is a senior editor at The American Conservative. He has written and edited for the New York Post, The Dallas Morning News, National Review, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, the Washington Times, and the Baton Rouge Advocate.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about a recent Minnesota court ruling regarding use of student locker rooms and gender identity.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment what you can do to help restore human dignity to civil conversation.

In this episode we’re talking with about racism, the Church’s response and what can be done from a policy perspective to promote racial equity. We are joined by Dr. Jacqueline Rivers, the director of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies. She earned her doctorate in African-American Studies and Sociology at Harvard University. Dr. Rivers is a doctoral fellow in the Multidisciplinary Program in Inequality & Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about public partisan statements being made by priests and religious sisters.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment: how you can get to know the candidates who are running to represent you as State Senator or State Representative.

In this episode we’re talking with Sr. Norma Pimentel who is executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley to learn more about the realities of life at the United States southern border. It’s a timely topic as we’ve just marked Immigration Sunday Minnesota which coincided with World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday, September 27th.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about the ethical development of vaccines and particularly a concern with a covid-19 vaccine.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment we have details on video of a very powerful discussion about confronting racism.

Resources mentioned: https://www.catholiccharitiesrgv.org/Home.aspx, https://www.mncatholic.org/openwideourhearts/

In this episode we’re talking with newly retired Archbishop Robert Carlson of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Some of our listeners will recall him from his time here in Minnesota. Formerly he served as Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop of Sioux Falls, and Bishop of Saginaw. We’re speaking with him about gender identity ideology.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a timely question regarding ways to help families in our immigrant and refugee communities.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment – an important document that you’ll want to read before casting your ballot this fall.

Resources mentioned: https://www.archstl.org/compassion-and-challenge, https://www.mncatholic.org/immigrationsunday/, https://www.mncatholic.org/resources/election/, https://www.mncatholic.org/guiding-principles-for-sexuality-identity-in-catholic-education/

In this episode we’re talking about questions surrounding where people live, the economic and societal influences and even how COVID-19 may continue to influence these aspects of life. We’re joined by James Howard Kunstler. He is an author, social critic, public speaker, and blogger. He is best known for his books The Geography of Nowhere, a history of American suburbia and urban development, The Long Emergency, and Too Much Magic.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about voting from logistics standpoint.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment – we take a step back from a question about how to cast a vote to provide you ways to help you inform your decision on who you’ll vote for.

In this episode, election day is drawing nearer so we’re talking about living out our call to be faithful citizens and what that means in the realm of politics and public life. We’re joined by Dr. Steven Millies, associate professor of public theology and director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about policies impacting Catholic school students’ ability to get to and from school.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment how you can join with Catholics in Minnesota and around the world this month to help recognize the needs of migrants and refugees.

Resources mentioned: www.mncatholic.org/ImmigrationSunday

In this episode we’re talking about the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation's liberty and prosperity. We’re joined by Oren Cass. Oren is a graduate of Harvard Law School and the executive director of American Compass, whose mission is to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation's liberty and prosperity.

Prior to founding American Compass, Oren held roles as a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and was the domestic policy director for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential campaign. His writing has appeared in many outlets including National Review, New York Times, Poltiico, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and the Weekly Standard.

In our mailbag segment we’re covering a question about Catholic schools around the US closing under the weight of financial pressures from COVID-19.

And stick around for the bricklayer segment, Immigration Sunday Minnesota is coming up at the end of September. We look at what you can do to help keep immigrant families together.