The Good Catholic Life

Today’s topics: Vocations and the Bl. John Paul II Society Summary of today’s show: Fr. Dan Hennessey returns to update our listeners on his work as vocations director for the Archdiocese of Boston and the men of all ages he’s working with in formation for the priesthood—more than 70 at last count! Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines then ask Fr. Dan about a new group for high school and college men who are discerning their vocation, called the Society of Bl. John Paul II. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Fr. Daniel Hennessey Links from today’s show: Office for Vocations Society of Bl. John Paul II Email Fr. Dan Call him at his office 617-746-5459 or on his mobile

Today’s topics: An Inside Look at the Life of a US Air Force Catholic chaplain Summary of today’s show: Last year, we said goodbye to Fr. Tom Foley as he entered the US Air Force chaplaincy at the age of 50 and he’s come back to tell us what his first year was like, including commissioned officer training, chaplaincy training, and entering active duty in South Dakota, as well as counseling airmen, working with people of all faiths, preparing to be deployed overseas some day, and spending his free time in the great outdoors of the Badlands, including taking up ranching as a hobby. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Tom Foley, priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and active-duty US Air Force chaplain Links from today’s show: Air Force Chaplain Corps Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA Chapel at Ellsworth Air Force Base

Today’s topics: An Inside Look at Parish Life across the US Summary of today’s show: What does parish life look like in the Catholic Church across the United States? The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate has done a series of studies to look at parishes, parish leadership, and the views of parishioners about their parishes. Fr. Paul Soper and Sr. Pat Boyle of the Archdiocese’s Pastoral Planning office join Scot Landry to discuss the results and compare them to the Archdiocese of Boston, especially as we enter into the multi-year and unprecedented Disciples in Mission pastoral plan. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Paul Soper and Sr. Pat Boyle of the Office of Pastoral Planning of the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today’s show: Views from the Pews: What U.S. Catholic Mass Attenders Say about their Parishes Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership The Changing Face of U.S. Catholic Parishes Perspectives from Parish Leaders: U.S. Parish Life and Ministry Views from the Pews: Parishioner Evaluations of Parish Life in the United States Discples in Mission

Today’s topics: News Headlines of the Week Summary of today’s show: Our usual Thursday panel examines the news headlines of the past week, including Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Living by the Light of Faith,, Fr. Roger Landry, The Anchor, July 12, 2013 “In first encyclical, pope celebrates faith as the light of human life”, CNS, 7/5/13 “Encyclical illustrates continuity of two papacies, officials say”, CNS, 7/5/13 “Pope clears the way for the canonizations of John Paul II, John XXIII”, CNS, 7/5/13 “News of canonizations has ‘gladdened hearts’ of faithful, cardinal says”, CNS, 7/8/13 “Popes put personal stamp on World Youth Day celebrations”, 7/10/13 “Comfort makes us indifferent to suffering of migrants, Pope says”, CNA/EWTN News, 7/8/13 Pope’s Homily at Mass in Lampedusa, Zenit.org, 7/8/13 HHS Final Rule Still Requires Action In Congress, By Courts, Says Cardinal Dolan, USCCB.org, 7/3/13 “Immigration and the Next America: Renewing the Soul of Our Nation” by Archbishop Jose Gomez

Today’s topics: Pope Francis’ encyclical Lumen fidei (Light of Faith) Summary of today’s show: Pope Francis issued his first encyclical, called Lumen fidei, last week, building on the work Pope Benedict had already completed in his encyclicals on charity and hope and in the first draft of this encyclical that he wrote before stepping down. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams discuss this new encyclical with Michael Lavigne and Donald Smith of the Office of the Episcopal Vicar for the New Evangelization of the Archdiocese of Boston. As we journey through this Year of Faith, this exposition of faith explains how the light of faith guides us through the journey of life, in both good times and times of suffering. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Michael Lavigne and Donald Smith Links from today’s show: Encyclical Letter Lumen fidei of the Supreme Pontiff Francis

Today’s topics: Tom Peterson of Catholics Come Home Summary of today’s show: God has a custom-made plan to fulfill the deepest longings of your heart and Tom Peterson wants you to discover it. The founder of Catholics Come Home has a new book of the same name that lays out God’s extraordinary plan for your life and joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines to discuss his new book as well as the unique program he developed to allow dioceses to reach out to inactive Catholics through compelling television commercials. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Tom Peterson of Catholics Come Home Links from today’s show: Catholics Come Home “Catholics Come Home: God’s Extraordinary Plan for Your Life” Catholics Come Home - Epic (Boston version) Catholics Come Home “Movie” Commercial

Today’s topics: Catholic bioethics Summary of today’s show: MC Sullivan is a trained nurse, attorney, and bioethicist who works for a Catholic healthcare system in Massachusetts. She joins Scot Landry to give an overview of bioethics, and specifically Catholic bioethics; how she became a Catholic bioethicists; what her typical workday is like and the issues she confronts; and the most topical issues confronting Catholic bioethics today. With science and technology advancing at a rapid pace every day, Catholic bioethicists help the Church keep up, applying natural law and God’s Law to the latest advances. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): MC Sullivan Links from today’s show: Mass. Catholic Conference Healthcare Committee Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services

The Good Catholic Life is marking the Independence Day weekend with shows highlighting the service given to our nation by our priests and others who have served in the Armed Forces. Today we bring you an encore presentation of an interview with Fr. Darin Colarusso. Fr. Colarusso was an Air Force aviator serving in Korea when he heard God unexpectedly calling him to the priesthood. Now he sits down with Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines to talk about that call and what’s it been like to transition first to seminary life—at a time when the Church was undergoing great trials—and then into the priesthood and eventually his first pastorate. He says he has discovered the priesthood is the greatest excuse to love every person you meet. Fr. Darin also speaks about the future and his work with the archdiocesan pastoral planning commission and presbyteral council, advising Cardinal Seán on how the Church should organize herself for the next 50 years. Complete shownotes may be found on the original airdate’s show page.

The Good Catholic Life is marking the Independence Day weekend with shows highlighting the service given to our nation by our priests and others who have served in the Armed Forces. Today we bring you an encore presentation of a show that originally aired on Memorial Day, 2012. We hear from a number of different voices, including the words of Fr. Paul Hurley, serving with the 101st Airborne Division; Beirne Lovely, archdiocesan general counsel who was a young Marine lieutenant during the Vietnam War; and Fr. Stephen Rock, pastor of St. Agnes in Reading who was a Navy chaplain for 34 years. Scot also talks to Mary Doorley and Michelle Huntley about a video they helped produce highlighting the service of the priests sent by the Archdiocese of Boston to serve as US military chaplains over the years and how the annual Catholic Appeal supports that ministry to servicemembers all over the world. Complete shownotes may be found on the original airdate’s show page.

Today’s topics: Missionary Bishop from Boston in Honduras Summary of today’s show: Bishop Maurus Muldoon, OFM, the retired bishop of Juticalpa, Honduras, joins Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams to talk about growing up in Dorchester, becoming a Franciscan, and then being sent to Central America in 1966 where he served until retiring as bishop in 2012. Bishop Muldoon tells our listeners about traveling with Pope John Paul II on his first pastoral visit around Central America soon after the bishop’s episcopal ordination and thereafter always being known to the Pope as “the Franciscan bishop from Boston in Honduras”; the tense political and social conditions in Honduras and El Salvador that several times required he leave an assignment for his own safety; and the development of the Church in Juticalpa from near non-existence to relatively thriving with priests and seminarians, religious orders, a hospital, schools, and other institutions when he left. Along the way, we also hear some anecdotes about Christopher Columbus High School in Boston and Pope John Paul II’s pastoral opinion on a dispute over First Communions at St. Joseph Parish in Holbrook. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Bishop Maurus Muldoon OFM, retired bishop of Juticalpa, Honduras Links from today’s show: Wikipedia article on Juticalpa, Honduras Facts about the Diocese of Juticalpa The partnership between the Dioceses of Fort Worth, Texas, and Juticalpa Bishop Muldoon in Cardinal Seán’s Blog The Immaculate Conception Province of the Order of Friars Minor newsletter profile of Bishop Muldoon, April 2012 (PDF)