The Catholic Cafe

Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome their guest, Sister Mary Philomena of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, to the Luxurious Corner Booth. Sister shares her insights into both the charism of her order in Birmingham, Alabama and her own vocation to consecrated life as a Sister Servant.

Have you ever considered yourself an expert at art appreciation? Most of us do not. In fact, we usually feel unqualified to even comment on art. But, did you ever think that artists create art specifically for ordinary folks like me and you? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they welcome Scott Peck, the Director and Curator of the Museum of Biblical Art in Dallas, TX, and discuss at length the ins and outs of appreciating the beauty, significance and meaning of Biblical Art.

Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? Is he your Brother, Friend or your Savior? Is it enough just to know Him? As Catholics, we can learn some things from our Protestant friends about having a friend in Jesus...but we can also add so much more to the conversation! Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome Father Robert Barron to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss the fullness of the Catholic understanding of Jesus Christ as Priest, Prophet and King.

How do I get my kids to love Church? How do I get them to follow her teachings? Why don't they go to Mass anymore? More and more frequently, these are the questions many, many parents are asking themselves. Interestingly, the answer can be quite simple...but you really need to start when they're young. Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Doug in the Luxurious Corner Booth to find out what you can do as a parent to strengthen and lengthen your childrens' faith lives.

We all know someone who has left the Church. Maybe our child, or another family member. Maybe our close friend or a dear co-worker. Maybe even you have drifted away from the sacraments. Did you ever stop and think about why, or what caused the drift and what we can do about it? Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Doug as they explore the story of a recent family of reverts and try and shed a little light on the topic of coming back home to the Catholic Church.

Did you ever wonder if we were able - once we had accepted it - to lose God's grace? Or, to lose salvation? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the ins and outs of grace, free will and the permanence of salvation.

Did you ever ask yourself why Jesus was baptized by John? Jesus was certainly without sin, and yet, he insisted on being baptized by the Baptizer in the River Jordan. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the several beautiful reasons for Jesus' baptism.

Have you ever been accused of not truly praying because you were simply repeating a memorized or written prayer? Have you ever found yourself rattling off a prayer without giving any sense of meaning to the words? Is repetitious prayer the culprit? Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Doug as they discuss why Catholics should not worry about whether or not a prayer is repetitious, but whether or not it is heartfelt.

When St Paul tells the Colossians that in his flesh, he is completing what is lacking in Christ's afflictions, we might wonder what he could have meant. Didn't Christ do it all? What could possibly be lacking in Christ's salvific act on the Cross? Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Doug in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the important role Christ asks each of us to play in the Father's plan of Salvation.

When it comes to your faith, are you a professional student...someone who continually stocks up on knowledge, but may be too afraid to put it to use evangelizing? Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Doug in the Luxurious Corner Booth for an interesting discussion of ways that average, everyday Catholics can share the gospel message of hope to all those they encounter day-to-day.