St. Gertrude Parish Podcast

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker
With the arrival of fall (and a new seasonal shower curtain), Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on how we move through seasons of life just as we move through the seasons of the year. Some transitions arrive quietly; others come with clear events like engagement, marriage, a child leaving for college, or becoming a widow or widower. Some bring great joy, others great sorrow, and every one of them changes how our faith speaks to us.He offers two reflections. First, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and He walks with us through every change, as does the Blessed Mother, who knew so many seasons herself. Second, each season brings its own graces, opportunities, and calling from the Lord. Our prayer life and the way we lay down our lives for others will look different in each one, so we are invited to receive every change of season as a gift and give it back to God in love for our brothers and sisters.This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker
We live in a culture of comparison. Commercials, social media, and even life inside a parish can tempt us to measure ourselves against others, which leads either to pride or to a growing discontent that shadows how we think, act, and pray. Drawing on St. Paul, who learned to live both in humble circumstances and in abundance, Fr. John Paul Walker offers three ways to redirect that temptation toward something more holy.First, ask God for the grace to be content in the moment with a simple prayer: "Lord, let this be enough." Second, cultivate gratitude for the blessings we so easily take for granted, perhaps by writing down one thing each day for thirty days. Third, fix our eyes not on what others have, but on the gifts the Lord has given us and on Him, trusting that He gives us everything we need to become the saints He created us to be.This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul WalkerOn the Solemnity of All Saints, Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on the great multitude clothed in white robes: men and women from every time, place, and vocation who became children of God and children of the light, and who let that light shine in their own day. Our calling is the same. We become saints not by perfectly copying any one of them, but by imitating their virtues and their openness to God in the life He has given each of us.He then invites us to see the saints as members of our own household, companions we talk with every day: St. Martha while cleaning, St. Lawrence while cooking, St. Christopher on the road, St. Carlo Acutis online, St. Thomas Aquinas while studying. He closes with a moving true story of a young woman's lifelong friendship with St. Therese, the Little Flower, and a reminder to help those preparing for Confirmation choose a saint as a true friend who will help lead them home.This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker

Drawing on the readings' image of a vineyard that has every structure in place yet bears no fruit, Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on St. Gertrude's commitment to fruitfulness in ministry, from renewed baptism and marriage preparation to the recognition that the parish's lack of space is now holding its mission back. He announces the official launch of the Building for Mission capital campaign, stressing that the parish is not building for shiny new things but so it can serve the Lord more intensely and intentionally.

He invites every household to prayerfully discern a sacrificial gift as a decision of faith rather than finance, explains the small in-home gatherings to come, and, recalling St. Thérèse of Lisieux, patroness of the missions, asks the parish to pray daily for the campaign and for its priests and staff, so that Jesus Christ, not buildings or spreadsheets, stays first.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.

Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker

Fr. John Paul Walker takes up a sharp modern charge: the so-called “mortal sin” of intolerance. In a culture quick to condemn disagreement, he asks what true charity, truth, and moral clarity actually require of disciples of Christ.

This homily invites listeners to hold conviction without cruelty, and mercy without surrendering the Gospel.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.

Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker

Fr. John Paul Walker offers three examples of heroic forgiveness—stories that push past polite forgiveness into the costly mercy Christ asks of us.

Listen for what it means to forgive when it hurts, to release the debt we want to keep, and to let God’s grace do what our strength alone cannot.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.

Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker

In this homily, Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on the Gospel of Jesus and the Canaanite woman—an encounter that can sound “mean” at first hearing, yet reveals the Lord’s mercy, perseverance in prayer, and faith that will not let go.

Join him as he unpacks what this difficult exchange teaches about humility, persistence, and trusting Christ when the answer seems delayed.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.

Visit stgertrude.org for more information.

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker

On the Solemnity of St. Dominic, Fr. John Paul reflects on how this saint “shook up the Church” by founding a radically new form of religious life. Inspired by the words “Behold, I make all things new,” Dominic responded to the Albigensian heresy with itinerant friars who were well-formed in truth, lived in evangelical poverty, and preached with the authority of the Pope for the salvation of souls.

Drawing from those who knew Dominic personally, Fr. John Paul shares vivid portraits of his integrity, cheerfulness, constant study of Scripture, and wide embrace of charity. He also invites us to consider how the Lord desires to make each of us new today.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. 

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stgertrude.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information

Drinking with Dominicans (DWD) | Fr. Louis Bethea

In a world marked by deep polarization—from politics and sports rivalries to tensions within the Church itself—Fr. Louis Bethea asks the pointed question: “Whose side are you on?” Drawing on Scripture, current statistics, and the Dominican tradition, he explores what true polarization looks like: becoming entrenched in our positions, abandoning the search for truth, and dehumanizing those who disagree with us.

Fr. Louis offers practical principles for navigating this reality as Catholics: seeking wisdom to order our priorities toward salvation, honestly pursuing truth even through disagreement, and acting with charity, mercy, empathy, and humility toward others. The goal is not false peace at the expense of truth, but genuine unity rooted in the dignity of every person made in God’s image.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. 

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stgertrude.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information

DWD | Fr. Raphael Arteaga

In this Drinking with Dominicans talk titled “I Don’t Buy It,” Fr. Raphael Arteaga maps the modern landscape of skepticism—fake news, AI-generated images, deepfakes, and the philosophical currents (scientism, empiricism, Cartesian doubt, brain-in-a-vat theories) that feed our cultural distrust of truth and the senses. He then carefully distinguishes opinion, doubt, knowledge, and belief, showing that natural faith in the testimony of others is something we rely on every day and that supernatural faith is a reasonable, grace-enabled assent to God who is Truth Himself. The talk closes with an invitation to bring both intellectual and moral obstacles into the light of the Church so that the gift of faith can take deeper root.

This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. 

Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠stgertrude.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more information