Kresta in the Afternoon

St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, is known for many things, such as her conversion to Catholicism from atheism after being raised in a Jewish family, her scholarly works, and her martyrdom at the hands of the Nazis in Auschwitz. But not much is said about her educational vocation. Al looks at her tips for parents and also shares the story of a young boy who sent a Rosary to the Detroit Lions.

Paragraph 1131 of the Catechism defines the sacraments as efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us.” Finding a metaphor to illustrate this definition can be challenging. David Fagerberg joins us to help understand what the sacraments really are.

December 10 marks the 75th anniversary of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It’s a document that Mary Ann Glendon has described as “the single most important reference point for cross-cultural discussion of human freedom and dignity in the world today.” She joins us to explain why.

The presidents of MIT, Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania have come under fire after they were asked in a Congressional hearing whether their campus hate speech policies ban anti-Semitic speech, and responded that it would depend on the context. On Saturday, Penn President Liz Magill announced her resignation. Jay Greene joins us with the details on this story.

In a recent meeting with the International Theological Commission, which works with the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Pope Francis said that "one of the great sins we have had is 'masculinizing' the church,” and observed how few of the people present were women. What does it mean to emphasize the Church as feminine? Monica Miller joins us.

May may be the “official” Month of Mary, but December is a special month as well. With the Feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Guadalupe, not to mention Christmas, it’s an ideal time to rediscover what the Gospels say about our Blessed Mother. William Albrecht and Fr. Christiaan Kappes join us.

Colleen Pressprich first made a consecration to Mary in college and continues to renew her consecration on every Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It's a wonderful gift, but it may be too advanced for young children. That's why she has developed a Marian consecration for families. She joins us.

When Shane Kapler first heard someone speak of being “Consecrated to Mary,” he was skeptical – it seemed to be a clear violation of Scripture. But after studying the life of John Paul II, he came to understand how a consecration to Mary unites us with her and deepens our Baptismal consecration to Jesus. Shane joins us to talk more about the Biblical basis for this consecration.

St. Augustine said that "the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old is fulfilled in the New." The early Church Fathers saw every part of Scripture as linked to every other part, and the Blessed Mother's role in Scripture is no exception. In what ways can we find Marian imagery in the Old Testament? We talk with Sandra Miesel.

Parents of an 11-year-old girl are demanding that a Colorado school district change its transgender policies after their daughter was instructed to share a bed with a biologically male 11-year-old student who identifies as a transgender girl during an overnight school trip. Legal Counsel Kate Anderson tells us more.