How can the Church be renewed from within? How do we faithfully follow our conscience while acting with prudence? Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle explore how saints, popes, and everyday men and women—including themselves—have embraced the real work of the Kingdom, responding to the failures of Church leadership not with bitterness, but with holiness and give tips on how you can too!

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“The fact of the matter is that no matter the office, no matter the charism, holiness has always trumped everything when it comes to authority in the Church and so what I’d say is like, if you are frustrated with Church leadership, be holy. Be a saint!”

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle talk about reviving the diaconate. They discuss how deacons are not just “married priests” but that they have different yet important roles. They also talk about the origin of the diaconate, how the role has evolved through the ages, and share their raw thoughts on the diaconate.

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“I’m grateful for the diaconate because I’ve always seen it as a part of the way the Church has ministered over the centuries, the way the Apostolic Church saw a need to fulfill and I think also the purpose of the Cross of Jesus Christ is to keep us in mind that our job is to be a sacrifice for other people.”

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What does it mean to be a priest today? In this episode, Gomer and Dave reflect on the beauty and burden of the priesthood—its spiritual power, real-world challenges, and the call to bold, Christ-centered leadership. With insights and wisdom from Pope Benedict, we explore how priests can renew their role as shepherds—and how we, as laypeople, can support them in their mission.

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle discuss the importance of understanding priests; what their role is, how they should be set apart and how we should approach the priesthood. They also talk about the significance of sacrifice and the biblical roots of the priesthood.

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Jesus Christ is the high priest, he’s the unique mediator. There is no priesthood without Jesus Christ. When you are baptized into Christ, you enter into the role of priest, prophet and king. So the whole community, every Christian man and woman participates in the baptismal priesthood of Christ.

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle are joined by cannon lawyer, Fr. Brian Austin. Together they discuss the origins of canon law, the difference between church and secular legal law, papal primacy, and discuss the role of the Catholic Church through the chaos of history.

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If you believe that God wants you to be happy then how does that change what law is? Well it goes from being the arbitrary, tyrannical, imposition of an authority over me, right? And the scariest thing is not the tyrant, the scariest thing is its arbitrariness.

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Why does the Church need bishops? Dr. Michael Sirilla joins Mike Gormley and Dave Van Vickle to explore the role of bishops in the Church, referencing St. Thomas Aquinas' insights. They discuss the spiritual fatherhood, pastoral duties, and theological understanding of bishops. They also unpack the processes of selecting bishops and the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding the Church.

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"Bishops are more than administratros, they are spiritual fathers."

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Mike Gormley and Dave VanVickle unpack Church history, explain papal theology, highlight the importance of Rome, and the importance of St. Peter. They also explain papal infallibility, what it is and what it is not.

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"So the Pope is supposed to be this thing of unity amongst the communion of the bishops, but he is not supposed to be the CEO of a bunch of franchises and that is an ugly way to view the Church."

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Have you ever wondered why Peter was the first pope? Do you question the idea of a pope or of papal infallibility? Where does priestly authority come from? Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle continue their season of exploring church leadership through the examination of the Old Testament, the New Testament, the priesthood and the role of St. Peter.

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If Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament as the Davidic King, he has a right hand man as it were the chief steward of the house, he has what we would call today the Prime Minister, and that person, that Joseph, is Peter.

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Are you ready for a new season of Every Knee Shall Bow?

Michael Gormley and Dave VanVickle kick off their new season by addressing the topics they’ll cover in upcoming episodes regarding church hierarchy, where it comes from, all the common problems people have and many other topics around church leadership.

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Even in the face of incredibly competent leaders, that aren’t priests, that aren’t bishops, that isn’t the pope, Christ ordained and established that rule.

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Gomer and Dave will return next week with a new season on Church hierarchy.

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