Made for Mission Podcast

This week is National Marriage Week (February 7-14) across the Diocese of Lansing and, indeed, across the Church in the United States. 

There was a time in this country and beyond when the married family – a mother, father and, God willing, children – was regarded as the obvious building block of a good society, the “first, best, and cheapest, department of health, welfare and education” as the married family was once notably described. 

But the consensus no long exists. Why? What can we do to rebuilt it? And what role can we Catholics play in all that? They are just some of the questions asked in this Diocese of Lansing Podcast to the Diocesan Director of Marriage and Family Life, Rich Budd. He also discusses the Diocese's new marriage preparation guidelines. 

This podcast was recorded on Wednesday, February 10. It is hosted by the Diocese of Lansing's Director of Communications, David Kerr. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #23.

This month saw the Diocese of Lansing publish a new policy on “gender identity” which aims to foster the highest standards of pastoral care for those with gender dysphoria while also ensuring that Catholic entities, such as parishes and schools, have the capability and confidence to safeguard those in their care from contemporary gender ideologies. The policy is rooted in both truth and love and attempts to pursue authentic human happiness and the common good. 

In this Diocese of Lansing Podcast, eminent reconstructive surgeon, Dr. Patrick Lappert M.D., gives his expert view on gender dysphoria and contemporary gender ideologies including the "transgender" ideology. 

Dr. Patrick W. Lappert M.D., was trained and Board Certified first as a general surgeon, then as a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon. He is a veteran of the Naval Service, retiring with the rank of Captain, USN, after serving for 24 years. In addition to being the Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery for the Portsmouth Naval Hospital, he also served the Surgeon General, USN, as the Specialty Leader for Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Lappert established the Craniofacial Reconstructive Surgery Unit, as well as the Wound Care Center for the largest medical treatment facility in the world. Additionally, Dr. Lappert served for 3 years with the United States Marine Corps, flying in the F4 Phantom wit VMFA-451.

Dr. Lappert is also a Permanent Deacon in the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama. He is married with six grown children. Deacon Lappert was raised in a Jewish home, but lived most of his adult life as an atheist. He converted and was received into the Catholic Church in 1995.

This podcast was recorded on Thursday, January 21. It is hosted by the Diocese of Lansing's Director of Communications, David Kerr. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #22.

Over the past two months over 3000 parishioners from across the Diocese of Lansing have part in nearly 70 parish meetings in order to help shape the Realign Resources for Mission process which was launched by Bishop Earl Boyea in 2019.

The purpose of the process is to advise Bishop Boyea on how the diocese can best realign its present resources to better form communities of missionary disciples who go and announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The 14-member Realign Resources for Mission steering is chaired by Father Mathias Thelen, Pastor of Saint Patrick Parish in Brighton.  

In this podcast, Father Mathias given his reaction to the parish meeting; what, he believes, has been gained from them; and what are the main hopes and fears parishioners express in their verbal and written feedback. 

He also explains how that feedback will now be used; the next steps for the process; and discusses the four principles that were put before each parish meeting, each outlining the hallmarks of what a healthy parish in the Diocese of Lansing should look like in the future. They are: 

* A healthy parish in the Diocese of Lansing: 

1. Is led by priests who are striving for health and holiness; 

2. Equips and empowers parish staff; 

3. Makes and forms missionary disciples;

4. Seeks the lost and serves the poor. 

This podcast was recorded on Friday, January 15. It is hosted by the Diocese of Lansing's Director of Communications, David Kerr. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #21

Bishop Carl Mengeling was the Bishop of Lansing from 1996 until 2008. This week witnessed a Mass of Thanksgiving offered in Saint Mary Cathedral to mark the 25th anniversary of Bishop Mengeling ordination to the episcopate and, also, his 90th birthday. Ad multos annos! In the hours beforehand, Bishop Mengeling sat down with the diocesan Director of Communications, David Kerr, to look back over his life including: 

* His upbringing in Indiana within a family of immigrant German Lutherans. 

* His conversion to Catholicism at the age of nine. 

* His journey to the sacred priesthood and his ordination. 

* His role as a page at the Second Vatican Council in Rome. 

* His surprise at being named a bishop at the age of 65 and to a diocese he had never visited. 

* His happiest memories from his years as the Bishop of Lansing.  

Recorded Wednesday, December 9, 2020. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #20.

This week has seen the launch of Bishop Earl Boyea's Year of the Bible. Over the next 12 months, Bishop Boyea is inviting you and your family to join him in reading Sacred Scripture each day -- but how do parents and grandparents do that with their children? In this podcast, Tim Carpenter, the Diocese of Lansing's Director of Catechesis, answers just some of the following questions: 

* Why read the Holy Bible with your children?

* How to read the Holy Bible with your children? 

* What resources is the Diocese of Lansing providing to help families take part in the Bishop's Year of the Bible? 

Asking the questions is David Kerr, Director of Communications, Diocese of Lansing. 

Diocese of Lansing Podcast #19. Recorded November 30, 2020, Feast of Saint Andrew.

Pete Burak is a popular Catholic evangelist, speaker and writer. He is the Director of the Ann Arbor-based i.d. which exists to form young adults into intentional disciples of Jesus Christ. He is also married to Cait. They have two daughters, Grace and Erin, and two sons, Donovan and Zeke. In this Diocese of Lansing Podcast, the Diocesan Director of Communications, David Kerr, asks Pete:

• What are the hallmarks of those young adults – Millennials and Generation Z – in terms of what they believe and how they live? 

• What are the questions and stumbling blocks that young adults have when faced with the Christian proposition? 

• How do Catholics – clergy and lay faithful – best respond to those questions and stumbling blocks in order to help young adults grow closer to Jesus Christ? 

Diocese of Lansing Podcast #18 Recorded November 25, 2020

Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing would like to invite you to join him in reading the Holy Bible over the span of 365 days starting on the First Sunday of Advent, November 29, 2020. But why? In this podcast Bishop Boyea discusses: 

* Why he felt drawn in prayer to declare a Year of the Bible. 

* Why you should consider joining him in this Year of the Bible.

* Why he has chosen the books of the Bible he has.

* How to read the Bible prayerfully.

* What he hopes the parishes of the Diocese of Lansing will gain from this Year of the Bible.

Asking the questions is David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing. For more details on Year of the Bible, go to: www.dioceseoflansing.org/byob 

Recorded November 19, 2020. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #17

The Diocese of Lansing presently has 31 young men studying for the sacred priesthood. 30 of them are in seminaries in the United States. One is in Rome: Peter Ludwig. 

A native of Dimondale, Peter is a seminarian at the Pontifical North American College and studies at Rome's Gregorian University. In this Diocese of Lansing Podcast, Peter discusses:

* What it's like to live and study in Rome.

* Peter's meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican. 

* His own vocation story.

* And why he is excited about the prospect of becoming a priest.

This podcast coincides with National Vocations Awareness Week. Asking the questions is David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing.

Recorded Thursday, October 29, 2020. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #16. 

This Saturday, October 31, will see the 19th century founder of the Knights of Columbus, Father Michael McGivney, beatified at a ceremony in Hartford, Connecticut. 

• Why should we celebrate the beatification of Father Michael McGivney? 
• What is the relevance of Father McGivney and the Knights of Columbus to the challenges faced by Catholic men today?  
• And what is the miracle attributed to Father McGivney’s heavenly intercession that has seen the Vatican approve his beatification? 

They are just some of the questions asked by Diocese of Lansing Director of Communications, David Kerr, to the Deputy Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Patrick Kelly, who is also a son of the Diocese of Lansing. 

Recorded October 28, 2020. Diocese of Lansing Podcast #15.

This week saw Lansing Catholic High School celebrate the feast of their heavenly patron, Pope Saint John Paul II. 

But why is the saintly Polish Pope so important to the school? What relevance is he to young people today? To what extent does the life and legacy of Pope Saint John Paul provide a blueprint for the future of the school? They are just some of the questions asked by David Kerr, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lansing, to his special guests: 

• Dominic Iocco, the new President of Lansing Catholic High School who, amongst other things, was formerly Provost and Professor of Business and New Media at John Paul the Great Catholic University in San Diego, California. 

• Krystyn Schmerbeck, the new Principal of Lansing Catholic High School who, amongst other things, was formerly a Latin teacher at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School in Dumfries, Virginia.   

Providentially, the appointment of the new team at the helm of Lansing Catholic High School was announced on May 18, 2020, the centenary of the birth of Pope Saint John Paul II.