Our neighbors face eviction, health issues, unpaid bills, and job loss. Hunger, homelessness, and poverty can result from any of these. Today, we share the success stories of two groups that reflect God’s love through the services that they provide. The Open Door Café and St. Vincent de Paul, Waukesha, both of whom know the poor by name, help people through difficult times with dignity and respect.

Our special guests are Idalia Nieves-Reyes (Open Door Café, Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist) and Rob Shelledy and Mary Freisleben (St. Vincent de Paul, Waukesha), who see the face of Christ in everyone they serve.

How can the hurt of difficult marital or divorce periods be overcome? Do we keep the pain hidden or do we seek God's love and help from others?

In today's podcast, Archbishop Grob and Lydia LoCoco and reflect on addressing difficult times in marriage or divorce and the first steps in healing. Doug Ulaszek and Edell Schaefer, our special guests, talk about archdiocesan programs that offer support for engaged couples or married couples and provide healing for those experiencing divorce.

Doug Ulaszek speaks on Unveiled: Couples’ Retreat which will be held July 17-19, 2025, at St. Monica Parish. Discover how passion, purpose, and intimacy can be strengthened or restored in your marriage. Register here https://jpiihealingcenter.org/unveiled/.

Edell Schaefer discusses A Day of Healing: Beyond Divorce which is held twice a year. Whether you are still in the process of divorcing, or you have been divorced for years, this retreat is offered to all. Explore divorce in a deeper, gentler way, including presentations that guide you in a relationship with yourself, with God and with others. Contact the Office for Evangelization at 414-758-2211 for more info.

Books for adults, books for kids—we’ve got a stack of great recommendations! Three Catholic parents reveal their favorite titles to enlighten you and your kids throughout the summer and beyond.

Join Lydia LoCoco and her friends, Beth Ulaszek from Evangelization and Mark Schrauth from the Salzman Library, as they share their summer reading list.

The need for knowledgeable and effective pastoral staffs in our parishes is great, but what are the resources for parishioners who aren’t sure on how to get started?

Today’s show explores an archdiocesan initiative that guides parishioners, or the “laity” who are not ordained clergy towards a path to receive professional training so they may work in their parish.

Our guests from the Lay Initiative Office, Brenda Cline and Meg Aspinwall, share all of the options that the Archdiocese of Milwaukee offers to get you on the path to becoming trained to work on your parishes’ pastoral staff. And we’ll hear an inspiring testimony from Caitlin Raether (St. Robert’s Parish), who’s currently studying in the Cor Unum program today.  

https://www.archmil.org/Lay-Ministry.htm.

This week's NEW podcast episode has inspiring stories of accepting God’s invitation to Priesthood.

They were all planning to become engineers but took an unexpected yet joyous path to priesthood. Recently, Joel Kolb, Alex Becker, and Andrew Swietlik were ordained to the Transitional Diaconate. They share their personal vocational journeys and what life is like at Saint Francis de Sales Seminary, offering an inside look at prayer, formation, and brotherhood.

Visit thinkpriest.org to explore becoming a Catholic priest for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Connecting to Christ and His Creation through the Catholic Ecology Center 

The Catholic Ecology Center in Neosho, WI, is a wonderful oasis of nature and Catholic spirituality. Inspired by Pope Francis, the center welcomes people of all ages. Our guests share with us everything the center has to offer and its connection to Pope Francis’ letter, Laudato si' (on care for our common home). 

Joining us are from the CEC are Joe Meyer, Executive Director and Jackie Lesperance, Program Coordinator. Fr. Andrew Linn, the pastor of St. Anthony in Menomonee Falls also joins us to reflect on connecting to Christ and his creation.   

Visit the Catholic Ecology Center to find out more. https://catholicecologycenter.org/

“There was a lot that was offered by this Holy Father.”  — Fr. Brad Krawczyk

In today's podcast, priests and friends share their own experiences and perspectives on the impact of Pope Francis. Listen in, as we reflect on Pope Francis' influence and anticipate the next conclave.  

Today's guests are Bishop Jeffrey Haines of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Fr. Michael Simone, S.J., the pastor of Gesu in Milwaukee, and Rev. Paul Hartmann, the Associate General Secretary of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Fr. Brad Krawczyk is our host.

Great opportunities and programs exist for youth and teens to have a fun and engaging Catholic summer. Our guests share a variety of ideas to keep children learning about and living out their faith throughout the summer break.  

Kim Slizewski from St. Peter, Slinger, describes the Totus Tuus Summer Faith Program, Andrew Schueller from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee talks about the Love Begins Here program, and Sami Tayler from St. Dominic, Brookfield, gives details about their Summer Camps & Mission Trips for youth.

Join Fathers Brad Krawczyk and Joseph Heit for a fascinating and lively discussion as they reflect on the three days leading up to Jesus' Resurrection. They share the significance of scripture, music, and symbolism – many aspects you may not know about.

Honoring those who have abundantly given their time, talent, or treasure to enhance the vibrancy of our Catholic schools is today’s conversation. Recently, the Catholic Schools Dinner honored the recipients of the Seton Awards and the Catholic Herald Teacher Awards here in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. 

In this episode, we will meet two of them, and our superintendent will share his insights on our excellent Catholic schools. Our guests are from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, including Ed Foy, Superintendent of Catholic Schools; Seton Award recipient Catherine LaDien, principal of St. Jude, Wauwatosa; and Lidia Benitez, St. Adalbert, Milwaukee, a SPARK & middle school math teacher, who received a Catholic Herald Teacher Award.  

Visit our school's page at https://www.catholicschoolnearme.org/.