Kresta in the Afternoon

On Friday the National School Boards Association issued an apology for the letter that Attorney General Merrick Garland used to target parents as “domestic terrorists.” In the statement, the NSBA said that while the safety of school officials and students is a priority, “there was no justification for some of the language included in the letter.” Doug Keck joins us with a look at this as well as EWTN programming for All Saints Day.

The Church simply cannot reach its full apostolic effectiveness unless each of the baptized effectively discerns his or her personal vocation. And that vocation goes far beyond just discerning if we are called to single, married or ordained life. How do we go about doing this? We talk with Fr. Brent Bowen.

It’s been more than a week since the 17 Christian missionaries were kidnapped in Haiti. It’s the latest in several kidnappings to happen in the poverty-stricken country. Jim Cavnar joins us with a look at the challenges posed to ministering to the Haitian people.

Today we are celebrating the feast of John Paul II. There's no doubt that he is one of the most influential church figures of our time and he had an enormous effect on the church and world of the last 100 years. But what about the next 100 years - and beyond? Suppose the College of Cardinals asked John Paul II for advice on picking the next pope - what would he say? We'll talk about it with George Weigel

George Orwell once observed that “At any given moment there is an orthodoxy, a body of ideas of which it is assumed that all right-thinking people will accept without question.” What does this “orthodoxy” look like today? What so-called truths are we all supposed to accept? Al discusses.

There was a time when Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali was thought to be a future Archbishop of Canterbury. But now he has come into full communion with the Catholic Church and is arguably the most prominent Anglican figure to cross the tiber since Fr. Ronald Nox in 1917. He joins us with his story.

Are you prepared for your death? It’s a question we all need to consider and it’s a popular question this time of year. The National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is hosting the Back from the Dead Cemetery Walk, a prayer-provoking faith drama experience as an antidote to the excesses of Halloween. We’ll talk about it.

17 Christian missionaries have been kidnapped and threatened with death in Haiti. Today, their families released a letter asking for prayer and reflecting on how their loved ones may be soon called to imitate Christ in death. Al discusses and also looks at the “letter Pope Francis wants every seminarian to read.”

The American Freedom Law Center has filed suit against Attorney General Merrick Garland, alleging that Garland’s recently announced policy to effectively criminalize public criticism of local school boards by parents violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Rob Muise tells us what’s going on.

In an effort to explain Pope Francis’ vision for the Synod on Synodality for his flock, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has outlined seven “non-negotiables” for the Synod. We talk this and other church news with Matthew Bunson