Rose from Lawndale, California, called Family Rosary Across America on a bittersweet anniversary: one year since the death of her husband, George.

Rose first discovered Relevant Radio on George’s first day of home hospice. Now, she shared the remarkable story of their nearly 45-year marriage and the dates that seemed to weave their lives together.

George was born on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the same feast day on which Rose was baptized. They met on All Souls’ Day, and Rose said it was “love at first sight.”

“I hit the husband lottery,” she told Father Rocky. George loved God, went to church with her, and served his country in the military.

On the anniversary of his death, Rose had just returned from Riverside National Cemetery. Her simple request was for prayers for the man she still loves so deeply.

Please join Rose in praying for the repose of George’s soul and for all the faithful departed.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

We know the Holy Rosary matters. We know the Mass is essential. But is there another kind of prayer that Christians need if they want to grow deeper in the spiritual life?

On The Inner Life, Patrick Conley and Fr. Eric Nielsen explored mental prayer, unscripted prayer in which we intentionally lift our hearts and minds to God.

Unlike vocal prayers, such as the Hail Mary, Rosary, or the Mass, mental prayer is not scripted. But that doesn’t make vocal prayer less important. As Fr. Eric emphasized, “All prayer should come from the heart.”

Mental prayer creates space for a personal encounter with the Lord. Sometimes that means having a conversation with God. Other times, it can mean simply contemplating Him or a truth of the Faith.

And in a world overflowing with distractions, setting aside that time is especially important.

“We can't just be rushing through the day, you know, saying our rosary and going to bed,” Fr. Eric explained. We need time deliberately set apart to allow the Lord to work in our hearts.

He offered a sports analogy: “The Rosary is kind of like, you know, working out in the gym, and the Mass is the game. But mental prayer is the practice.”

Just as an athlete practices so he can perform when the game begins, mental prayer prepares us to enter more deeply into the Mass and encounter Jesus there.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Sometimes, trying not to hurt your spouse can actually create more distance.

On Marriage Unhindered, Doug Hinderer speaks with Ellie, a wife of five years and mother of three, who says she and her husband tend to keep frustrations and criticisms to themselves. They worry their feelings might be unfair or irrational, so they stay quiet.

But that silence has a cost.

“I don't want to share the bad stuff. I don't really want to share the good stuff either,” Ellie explains. “And then we just start to operate in a coexistence.”

Doug encourages Ellie to change the way she views difficult conversations. Instead of seeing criticism as proof that she is a bad spouse, she can see her husband's feedback as an opportunity to love him better.

“The only way I can be the best is if I know where I'm kind of messing up,” Doug says.

That requires both spouses to communicate gently. Rather than attacking or blaming, Doug recommends explaining how something makes you feel and asking your spouse for a specific change. The goal isn't to prove who is right. It's to help each other become better husbands and wives.

Doug also suggests a practical habit for busy couples: a brief “stress-reducing conversation” at the end of the day. Each spouse takes a few minutes to share what went wrong, while the other listens, offers affection, and expresses appreciation.

For Ellie and her husband, raising three children makes finding time together difficult. But even a few intentional minutes can keep the day's frustrations from piling up.

Marriage isn't strengthened by pretending everything is fine. When spouses create a safe place for honest, charitable communication, even frustrations can become opportunities for deeper intimacy.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Could the heavens themselves have marked the Death of Jesus?

On The Drew Mariani Show, Drew welcomed Father Chris Corbally, S.J., a research astronomer with the Vatican Observatory, to explore the fascinating intersection of Scripture, history, and astronomy surrounding the Crucifixion.

Astronomical calculations show that a lunar eclipse occurred on April 3, A.D. 33, one of the dates scholars have proposed for Christ’s Crucifixion. During a lunar eclipse, Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon, while red light passing through Earth’s atmosphere can give the moon a striking blood-red appearance.

That brings to mind St. Peter’s words at Pentecost about the moon being turned to blood before the coming of the day of the Lord.

But could an eclipse also explain the mysterious darkness described in the Gospels from noon until 3pm?

Father Chris said no. A lunar eclipse would only become visible after sunset, while the darkness mentioned in the Gospel occurred during the afternoon.

So, what happened?

Father Chris acknowledged that scholars can debate how the Gospel accounts should be understood, but he also left open another possibility: “Why not a miracle? Yeah, God does miracles.”

Drew pointed to the extraordinary significance of the timing as well. Jesus died around Passover, when lambs were sacrificed, while Christ Himself was offering His life on the Cross as the true Lamb of God.

Astronomy cannot prove the divinity of Christ, and the exact year of the Crucifixion remains debated. But historical evidence and accounts reminds us that the Gospel is rooted in history. Jesus lived, suffered, and died at a real moment in time.

And on that day, Scripture tells us, even creation testified that something extraordinary was happening.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Sister Katie Flanagan knew she wanted to be a teacher. Becoming a religious sister? That wasn’t even on her radar.

Speaking with Mark on The Mark Swartzberg Show, she recalled how friends first introduced her to the Salesian Sisters, whose charism of loving and educating young people immediately resonated with her.

Then, during prayer near the end of college, an unexpected thought entered her mind: “Maybe you're supposed to be a nun.”

She resisted. For six years, while teaching, the possibility kept returning in prayer. Eventually, a friend convinced her to visit the Salesian Sisters in New Jersey.

On the flight, Sister Katie offered God an unusual prayer: “Dear God, please let me get there and hate it.”

She knew God would not call her to a life in which she would be miserable. But when she arrived, joined the sisters for prayer, meals and chores, the opposite happened.

“I felt at peace. I felt at home.”

Even then, fear remained. After several visits, Sister Katie finally decided to request an application. Weeks later, before daily Mass, she texted the vocations director to say she was ready.

Then Mass began.

The priest announced that it was January 31 – the Feast of St. John Bosco, founder of the Salesians.

“I just started crying,” Sister Katie recalled. “I was like, okay, Lord, this is it.”

Her story is a beautiful reminder that discerning God’s call does not always happen instantly. Sometimes He patiently works through our desires, fears and circumstances until we become willing to say yes.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Sandra called The Patrick Madrid Show with a simple request for the people listening: Pay attention to the people around you.

During an Amtrak trip to Orange County, California, Sandra, who is hearing impaired, struggled to find help or even a seat. Eventually, a young woman moved her belongings and gave Sandra a place to sit.

Patrick Madrid turned Sandra’s experience into a reminder for listeners: “Do the right thing and get up and give your seat to somebody like Sandra. Because they need it. They appreciate your help.”

But the conversation soon became about something much deeper.

Sandra told Patrick that although she is not currently practicing the Catholic Faith, she listens faithfully to Relevant Radio and even supports pledge drives. What keeps her listening?

“What I get from Relevant Radio is I get the Christian perspective on life,” she explained. More than that, she appreciates hearing what is right rather than simply what is popular.

Sandra had been baptized Catholic and shared that throughout her life, she continued entering Catholic churches to pray. She still turns to St. Anthony when something is lost. What she lacked, she said, was someone to help her find her way back.

“The only thing that's missing is someone to show me how to come back to the faith.”

Patrick offered exactly that. He arranged to connect Sandra with someone in her area who could help her explore returning to the Church.

“I feel like God's grace is moving in a particular way through your phone call,” Patrick told her.

Sometimes an ordinary act of kindness can open the door to an extraordinary movement of grace.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Parents often ask whether a movie or show is appropriate for their children. But what if simply avoiding objectionable content isn’t enough?

On The Tim Glemkowski Show, Tim and his wife Maggie discussed how their family approaches media choices, beginning with a simple priority: limiting screens and encouraging reading. Books give children room to “imagine and create and wonder at the characters they’re encountering,” Maggie explained.

When the family does choose movies or shows, they look beyond whether the content is merely harmless. Tim summarized the approach in two steps: “The first step is: Is the content ethical, moral, anti-Christian? Then the second step is: Is it art?”

In other words, parents can ask whether a piece of media has purpose. Does it stretch a child’s imagination? Does it communicate something good, beautiful, or meaningful? Or is it simply filling time?

Their family has another practical rule: Everyone watches together. That means choosing something that can work for both an 11-year-old and a 3-year-old. More importantly, watching together makes media “more of a relational encounter” rather than an isolated experience on a personal device.

For Catholic families navigating a screen-saturated culture, that offers a helpful standard. Don’t just ask whether something is permissible. Ask what it is forming in your children and whether it brings your family together.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

A new study suggests young adults haven’t given up on marriage. That's the good news. The bad news? Many young adults aren’t dating.

On Trending with Timmerie, Timmerie examined the State of Our Union 2026: A Dating Recession, which surveyed more than 5,000 unmarried Americans ages 22-35. Nearly nine out of 10 expect to marry someday, yet only about one-third are actively dating.

So, what’s stopping them?

Money tops the list, with a majority of those individuals not dating citing finances as an obstacle. Timmerie points to both economic pressures and unrealistic expectations about what dating should look like. A meaningful date doesn’t have to resemble an expensive, perfectly staged social media post.

But money isn’t the only problem. About half of those surveyed cited a lack of confidence, and roughly half pointed to bad previous dating experiences.

Those struggles, Timmerie argues, can involve genuine wounds and fears. That’s why a Catholic understanding of relationships can offer something important: a clear purpose.

Dating isn’t just about romance or finding someone who fits an ideal. The Catholic view of dating involves discerning a potential spouse and building a relationship rooted in friendship, chastity, and ultimately, God.

Timmerie contrasts seeing marriage as a “capstone” – something pursued only after education, career, travel, and financial success – with seeing it as a “cornerstone” of adult life.

For Catholics, marriage is a vocation, and the Sacrament of Matrimony is ordered toward the unity of the spouses, openness to life, and the formation of children in the Faith.

The encouraging news is that young adults still desire marriage. The challenge is helping them move beyond fear, wounds, and unrealistic expectations so they can pursue relationships centered on God and authentic love.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Nancy from Chicago called the Family Rosary Across America with prayers for her cousin Jim, who has pancreatic cancer, and for her son, Jacob, on his birthday.

Father Rocky remembered Jacob from the Walk to Mary, where his mother helped push him in a wheelchair. Nancy shared the hopeful news that Jacob’s talking is getting better. “We’ve been praying for it,” Father Rocky said.

Then came a birthday surprise. Father Rocky sang “Happy Birthday” to Jacob, who thanked him. Even Jacob’s dog, Tenor, joined in. Nancy said Tenor prays the Rosary with them, prompting Father Rocky to joke, “All right, Tenor, wag your tail.”

It was a joyful reminder of the love, prayer, and community that unite the Relevant Radio family.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.

Marriage offers something the human heart deeply desires: to be fully known and still deeply loved.

On Marriage Unhindered, Doug Hinderer reflected on the extraordinary promise a husband and wife make to one another. Out of all the people in the world, each spouse says, in effect, “I choose you.”

Your spouse comes to know your “strengths, your weaknesses, your dreams, fears, your history,” Doug explained. And after seeing the virtues as well as the flaws, that person can still say, “I’m still here. And I want to be here.”

That faithful love came alive when Nikki from Indiana called to share her marriage story. She married her high school sweetheart, Robbie, and the couple eventually faced six difficult years of infertility.

Nikki said they remained committed to Catholic teaching while pursuing fertility treatments, even when doing so was difficult. They later pursued adoption, only to have an adoption fall through.

In the midst of their struggle, they consecrated their marriage to the Eucharist. Nikki watched Robbie grow into a stronger spiritual leader in their home, particularly through prayer.

Then came joyful news: Nikki and Robbie are expecting a baby boy in October.

“After six years of trying and praying, we just surrendered finally,” Nikki said.

Their story beautifully illustrates Doug’s reflection: marriage is a commitment to keep choosing and loving one another through whatever comes.

The best way to catch Best of the Week is on our #1 Free Catholic App. It’s free, and always will be! To get and share the Relevant Radio app, check it out here.