The Catholic Church designates October as the month of the Rosary, and Father Dave welcomes Grammy-nominated musician Laura Huval to discuss her latest project, “Sing the Rosary.” Laura’s new free album takes the prayers of the Rosary and sets them to music.

In honor of the feast day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Father Dave welcomes Father Michael-Joseph Paris of St. Thérèse, OCD to break down her autobiography, “Story of a Soul.” Father Michael-Joseph is a Discalced Carmelite priest and co-host of the “Catholic Classics” podcast from Ascension Press. His podcast dives into timeless texts from beloved saints, and season 3 featuring “Story of a Soul” is available now. 

Father Dave welcomes Church historian and friend of the show Mike Aquilina to discuss his latest book, “Rabbles, Riots, and Ruins: Twelve Ancient Cities and How They Were Evangelized.” Mike is Executive Vice President and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology in Steubenville, Ohio.

A listener named Chris asks Father Dave about forgiveness and death. Chris asks, “How do we ask for forgiveness from those who have passed away?”

September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Father Dave welcomes back Deacon Ed Shoener to discuss how the Church can best accompany those with mental health issues. Deacon Ed is the president of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, and the co-author of two books with Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix, called “When a Loved One Dies by Suicide” and “Responding to Suicide: A Pastoral Handbook for Catholic Leaders.”

A listener Will asks Father Dave about marriage and the diaconate. Will asks, “Why can married men older than 35 become deacons, but deacons cannot become married men?”

Church teaching can sometimes feel overwhelming, but Father Dave welcomes Father Daniel Mahan to help make the Catechism more accessible. Father Daniel is the first director of the USCCB’s Institute on the Catechism and the author of “A Journey through the Catechism: Unveiling the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness of the Catholic Faith.”

A listener named Siobhan asks Father Dave about traveling to religious sites. She asks, “What's the difference between a pilgrimage and just going to visit a holy place or church?”

We all long for deeper connections, and Father Dave welcomes Jason Simon to discuss cultivating friendship and faith in his new book, “Mission-Ready Friendship: A Blueprint for Deeper Relationships and Life-Changing Faith.” Jason is president of The Evangelical Catholic, a lay movement that seeks to build up the body of Christ through authentic relationships.

A listener named Brian asks Father Dave about a specific part of the Eucharistic Prayer. “The words of the consecration say that Jesus took the bread, said the blessing, gave it to his disciples, and it ends with ‘do this in memory of me,’” Brian begins. “My question is, if Jesus said the blessing, and I assume that blessing they referred to was something standard in the Hebrew tradition, why is that blessing not part of the Eucharistic Prayer?”

Some might think faith and science are mutually exclusive, but Father Dave welcomes astrophysicist and Jesuit priest Father Adam Hincks to debunk that mindset. Father Adam is an assistant professor in Science, Christianity, and Cultures at the University of Toronto, as well as an associate scholar with the Vatican Observatory.

Our temporary producer “Maternity Leave Matt” asks Father Dave about an upcoming event for the global Church. “One of my first days on the job here, I saw a headline for the upcoming Jubilee,” Matt says. “My question is, what is the Jubilee?”

As we encounter artificial intelligence in our daily lives, Father Dave welcomes professor and author Dr. Joseph Vukov to discuss his new book, “Staying Human in an Era of Artificial Intelligence.” Dr. Vukov serves as Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Associate Director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago.

A listener named Matt asks a question of faith about the varying tones present in the Gospel.  “The parables seem to span from God's Kingdom is awesome and kind; we’ll go out after that lamb that's lost and leave the 99 behind all the way to the other end of the spectrum of, if you don't have enough oil in your lamp, forget it.   You're not coming into the house. Just love to hear your thoughts on what could be driving that spectrum.”

Father Dave says that Jesus and the Gospel writers all use different imagery to convey their messages, including the descriptive and symbolic language Matt mentions in the parables.

LISTEN: Is the God of the Old Testament Angry?

“Jesus and the Gospel writers are intentional about that, because it's not all just warm and fuzzy,” Father Dave says.  “Gospel means ‘good news.’ It's good news that we can be saved and have eternal life with God, even if we're sinners, but it's not a free ticket. Jesus commands us to love one another, to wash one another's feet. He commands us to pick up our cross and to be other- centered and to pray for our enemies. All of this is part of his message. And so what you're saying is some of the parables and stories run that gamut — some sound warm and fuzzy, but others don't sound warm and fuzzy.”

Father Dave adds that this spectrum of parables, from God seeming vengeful to being an all-loving God, is meant to challenge us and our notion of God. When it comes to God, he is not either or, he is both.  

LISTEN: Encountering Jesus in the Gospels With Professor William Mattison

“The issue,” Father Dave says, “is that in our more finite human minds, it's hard for us to believe that it’s all true. We want God either to be mean or to be nice and brotherly, and it doesn't make sense that he can be, or we can be, held to a standard that includes both.”

“The Gospel message includes the idea that no matter how much we’ve sinned, God forgives us and offers us his grace. But the Gospel message also includes standards for living in the kingdom of God.  Christ will be our ultimate judge, particularly at the end of our lives and at the end of time,” Father Dave reminds us. 

A listener named Brad asks a question of faith: “Outside of Lent, if we choose the penance option, what are some examples of penance to choose from?”

Father Dave begins by explaining what Brad means by the “penance option.”  

“Prior to the Second Vatican Council in the ‘60s, Catholics would have been very familiar with abstaining from eating meat every Friday of the year. We celebrate Friday as the day that Christ gave up his life for us. Good Friday is the day he hung on the cross and died. And so Fridays, we try to recognize that a bit in our actual living of our daily life. There was a decision made at the Second Vatican Council that we should still recognize Fridays in some way. We should realize that it's a day for remembering Christ's death and do some sort of penitential act; some sort of sacrifice. So everybody used to just not eat meat.”

Father Dave explains that the Second Vatican Council confirmed that Catholics no longer have to abstain from meat on Fridays, but every Catholic is required to do some sort of penance to commemorate Christ’s death.  

So what are some examples of penitential actions Catholics can do? “It would be anything that might be a little bit of a sacrifice,” Father Dave says. “It doesn't have to be really difficult. It's not supposed to match the thing that we're remembering. We don't have to be hanging on the cross and dying for someone else. It could be something as simple as, Here's something that I usually do in my everyday life, but I'm gonna skip it on Fridays.”   

Father Dave goes on to say that a penitential act on a Friday doesn’t have to be a huge sacrifice. For example, it could be doing something charitable or adding more prayer to your day.  “I think the spirit behind why the Church invited us to be more broad and more creative with this is that some people might choose to do something like go to daily Mass if they don't normally go to daily Mass or pray the Rosary if they don't normally pray the Rosary every day. So the idea would be that on Friday, we're recognizing and memorializing the fact that it’s the day that Christ died for us. We should have a sense of gratitude for that immense gift, and it could either come in the form of some sort of sacrifice, some kind of service for others, or in the form of a spiritual edification.”

Our temporary producer “Maternity Leave Matt” has a few more days before Krista returns to work, so he’s squeezing in some last questions of faith for Father Dave:

Matt asks a two-part question, “Are there ever times when you don’t feel like being Father Dave, when you don’t want to be recognized as a priest? And has there been a time when you didn’t want to be a priest anymore?”

Father Dave responds to the second part of the question first, “No, in my 24 years of being an ordained priest, and then six years of discerning before that, I've never really had doubts that this is overall the right calling for me.”

LISTEN: Fatherly Advice: Discerning Priesthood

Father Dave shares that in any job or relationship, there are ups and downs, good times and bad, but even in very difficult times, he’s never had doubts. 

Father Dave discusses a particularly difficult time back in 2002, when the story broke of sexual abuse in the Church. Father Dave had only been a priest for two years, and had experienced the priesthood generally perceived as a virtuous and positive vocation, but after that, things changed. “That was the first time I was experiencing it not being universally perceived by others as a positive thing, like when people were like, ‘Oh, you're a priest, that means you're a pedophile, that means you're part of this Church that's covering up scandal. Of my entire priesthood and even seminary discernment, that was a time that I was given most pause about, Wow, this isn't what I was anticipating. And is this really what I signed up for? But even at that most difficult moment, there was never a thought of well, let me get my resume together or that sort of thing. So in that broader sense, I have never really not wanted to be father Dave and not wanted to be a priest anymore.”

LISTEN: Father Dave Answers Questions on Priesthood From ‘Maternity Leave Matt’

In response to the first part of Matt’s question, “Is there ever a time when you don’t want to be recognized as a priest? Father Dave says, “I don't think you have to be a priest who's got a radio following to feel this way…I think it's a public enough role in general, even if you're just a small parish priest, that there's still a lot of expectations put on one in this sort of role. So yeah, it’s nice to have a little breather where there's not constantly that expectation, whether that means on vacation or maybe on a priest's day off.”

Even though it’s nice to have an occasional break, Father Dave has never wished to be anonymous.  

“It was just a few months ago that for the first time in my life, Matt, somebody actually spit in my face walking down the street. Even in a moment like that, it was not my first reaction to think, Oh, if only I hadn't been wearing the collar, or, Oh, if only I had chosen a different career path, or something like that. And this is only through the Holy Spirit's blessing, no great virtue of my own, that I was able to think that, you know, what has happened to that person in their life that has caused them to do that? As opposed to, hey, I'm really ticked off that you spit in my face. So, I mean in general, no, there isn’t a time when I don't want to be recognized as a priest.” 

A listener named Charles emails Father Dave with a question of faith.  “This weekend at our vigil Mass, the priest wasn't able to make it to Mass unexpectedly. What should we (the parishioners) have done? We have no deacon in our parish, and I was asked to lead a communion service. Was that proper?”

Father Dave explains that in the Catholic Church there is a protocol called “Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest.” These protocols were developed by the Church because in many places in the world there aren’t enough priests to cover all the churches and all the Catholics on any given Sunday.  ‘Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest’ states that a bishop may appoint a person other than a priest to lead this celebration.

LISTEN: Why Are There Multiple Eucharistic Prayers? 

“Sunday celebrations in the absence of a priest are commonly called a ‘community service,’” Father Dave says.  “Typically, what this look like is Mass minus the Eucharistic Prayer, and [the service] could be led by a deacon, an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion or another lay person, depending on who the bishop appoints.  There could be a choir, readings, communion, and if there is a deacon, even a homily — because a deacon can properly preach a homily.”

In order for Holy Communion to take place, there needs to be enough consecrated Hosts in the tabernacle to distribute to people.  Almost every parish has a fairly sufficient amount, and in places where these celebrations are a regular event, they prepare ahead for it.

Father Dave notes that ideally most parishes would have a contingency plan in case the priest could not make Mass unexpectedly, but admits that he knows very few parishes that do.

“So in Charles' case, it's much more likely that there wasn’t a contingency plan. So could somebody read the readings and go to the tabernacle and distribute communion? Yes. There's nothing wrong with that, particularly in an emergency situation. Nobody gets in trouble. It's not against Canon Law. It's not invalid. It's not a sin. It's none of that. The Church is not looking to penalize people for having a desire to receive the Eucharist. Why are we having a three- year Eucharistic Revival? This is the goal. This is what we want. We want people to desire the Eucharist.”

LISTEN: My Priest Cut Off Confession. Am I Still Absolved? 

Father Dave points out that this kind of emergency situation that happened at Charles’ vigil Mass highlights the need for more education and awareness for parishioners because, in the future, these types of situations are only going to increase.

“So Charles,” Father Dave says, “I don’t know exactly what you did. It was not wrong to do it even if it was not by the protocol of the ‘Sunday Celebrations in the Absence of a Priest.’ Thanks for stepping up.”

Father Dave welcomes back theologian, Catholic speaker and author, and friend of the show Dr. Edward Sri to discuss his new book “What Do You Seek?: Encountering The Heart Of The Gospel.” 

Dr. Sri explains how the book emphasizes the good news of the Gospel and is designed to help us think about the mysteries of God’s love for us so that we can deepen our relationship with Christ.  

The book breaks down the Gospel into five parts which Dr. Sri calls (The 5 R’s): relationship, rebellion, reconciliation, recreation and response.

LISTEN: Feeling Stuck in Prayer? Dr. Edward Sri Shares Inspiration for Spiritual Dry Spells

“Relationship is really the fundamental building block of being a Catholic,” Father Dave says.  “Many Catholics today have this approach to their faith where they think, I know a lot of the facts and I do a lot of the pious practices. “I pray, I read the Bible, I listen to the Busted Halo Show.  These are all good things,” Dr. Sri responds. “But sometimes we can look at these things as checking off a bunch of boxes, right? And God doesn't want us to check off boxes, he wants our hearts, he wants us to trust him, he wants a relationship.” He continues, “Think about all that God has created — the universe, earth, millions of people — then he chose to create you. God didn’t have to bring you into existence.  God freely chose to bring you, not just humanity, but you personally into existence. Why? Because he wanted to delight in you and to share his love with you and to share his life with you. And that's the marvelous message of the Gospel.”

Father Dave moves onto the second part of the book, rebellion. “We have to be realistic about the fact that we, as humans, turn our backs on God's love a lot.”

Dr. Sri points out that we all realize that there is suffering, alienation, and great hardship in the world and that the secular world tends to project these problems outward, whereas Christians turn inward and acknowledge that we are part of the problem. “This is what the Church calls Original Sin, the idea that that humanity as a whole has sinned, and we each individually have joined in that and that's caused a wound in us. We have to admit, I'm not perfect. I have a lot of weaknesses and sins and that prepares me to experience the good news, the Gospel.”

LISTEN: Encountering Jesus in the Gospels With Professor William Mattison

Father Dave skips ahead to one of his favorite parts of the book, recreation. “God doesn’t just reconcile us,” Father Dave says, “God promises to make all things new.”

Dr. Sri responds: “As Pope Francis beautifully says, ‘God doesn't just pardon us like a judge. He heals us like a physician.’ That means Jesus wants to fill his Spirit in our hearts to change us. There's a beautiful analogy the early Christians use. If you take an iron rod and you put it in fire, it becomes red, it becomes hot and it takes on the characteristics of the fire. The early Christians describe that as what happens with our soul. Our soul is like that cold iron rod, but when it's inflamed by the fire of the Holy Spirit, through the sacraments and prayer, then we begin to change, we begin to take on the properties of God Himself. We begin to love like him, to serve like him, to sacrifice, and to trust. We live in his peace. We are more forgiving. We love like Jesus loves, and that's what we want.”

Marie Miller is a folk/pop singer-songwriter and multi-faceted artist and speaker who weaves together music, humor, and storytelling to convey God’s love for us.  She stopped by the show to talk with Father Dave about her new EP, “The Way of Love.”  

Marie began making music as a teenager, and has enjoyed an almost-20-year career of radio, recording, and performing success, including opening up for The Backstreet Boys and the Wallflowers. She’s excited to be releasing her first Catholic album in a long time. “My heart just kept getting closer to Jesus,” Marie explains. “I want to talk about Jesus and who I love and what I love — the Lord, St. Thérèse of Lisieux — so the writing came very natural.”

RELATED: St. Thérèse of Lisieux: Inspiring Us to Share Our Faith Stories

Father Dave asks about the record being inspired by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.  

“She's the patroness of this album; she’s amazing“ Marie says. “The Way of Love,” which is the title track, is inspired by a quote of hers: ‘How sweet is the way of love.' St. Thérèse talks about how even in our brokenness, and even when we make mistakes, God uses even those mistakes to pave the way of love. So when I was considering creating a Catholic album, I thought I can't do this. Catholic artists and speakers — they're all super holy and perfect. How am I gonna do this? And reading that quote, to me was like, hey, even in your brokenness, God will use it; he will use everything he can on the way of love — and so she became the patroness and inspiration for this record.” 

Father Dave and Marie look back at some of the highlights of her career, including sharing a stage with Andrea Boccelli and in front of Pope Francis. “That was so special. I've been blessed to get to do some really cool things, but you know, you hunger for more. So you compare yourself to other artists and think, ‘Wait, why did she get that tour?’ Right? But St. Thérèse of Lisieux, she wasn't trying to be the star. She was trying to make Jesus the star. And I love that and that's why I'm trying to follow in her footsteps.” 

LISTEN: Andrea Bocelli on the Faith Influence Behind His Music

Father Dave asks if it is more challenging to have a humble connection with God when you get more accolades and fame. “I wonder. Jesus has not made me very famous,” Marie laughs.  

Father Dave points out that although Marie is not “very famous,” there is an intentionality to that — that fame is not necessarily her life’s desire or goal. Marie says that while she occasionally has thoughts about greater success, “God knows who needs to hear my music and there's kind of a freedom in that, because if you give your music to God and you work as hard as you can, he knows where it needs to go. It's not just about me all the time.”

A listener named Sara emails Father Dave a question of faith: “First of all, I have listened since 2006. I love you all. Now you may find this crazy but I have been thinking about becoming Catholic since then! I am concentrating on the Eucharist because I get completely overwhelmed by the rules. Is this a sin? I feel it keeps me from Jesus rather than closer. I am in RCIA (Rite of Catholic Initiation for Adults). I have a wonderful teacher. I probably would have come into the Church this past Easter but ran into an annulment problem.  So do you recommend me focusing on the Eucharist?”

Father Dave says that the teaching of the Church recommends that all Catholics focus on the Eucharist. “The Second Vatican Council, building on the teaching of 2000 years that came before that, referred to the Eucharist as the summit and source of our faith.” The summit is the peak of the mountain that we are all climbing towards, Father Dave explains, but it is also the source of our journey to the top of the mountain. “The Eucharist is not only the top of the mountain, it’s also the backpack filled with water and granola bars and what fuels us. It’s the summit and source.”

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Father Dave acknowledges that there are a lot of “rules” to Catholicism that can seem overwhelming but makes the case that the rules are there because of the human condition and original sin. “It's not a defect of Christ himself or the Church. It's just that we're like Adam and Eve, we tend to choose the wrong thing just by design. And so those rules are there to help us keep on the straight and narrow so that we can be focused directly towards the summit and source of our faith — towards the Eucharist.”

Most of the rules, Father Dave adds, are about how we live with one another. “On the subway, you can’t have your boombox blaring. It's not because I don’t want that person to experience the music, it's because all the other people on the subway may not want to listen to the same thing. So that's what almost all rules in any walk of life for humans are about. And I would say that's the case with the Church as well, that most of the things in the Catechism, most of the things in Canon Law are about how we interact with one another.”

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Father Dave wonders if it is not necessarily all the rules that are overwhelming Sara from converting to Catholicism but just one or two rules that might be a sticking point for her. He encourages her to focus on the Eucharist, but also to lean on others that have converted that can be good sources of wisdom and information. 

“So yes, as someone coming into the Church, focus primarily on the Eucharist. But like many things I think you'll hear in the Catholic Church, It's not either or.  It's not either the Eucharist or all the rules. It's you focus on the Eucharist, but we need the rules too. It's what we call ‘both and.’ It's both of those.”

A listener named Julianne writes to Father Dave with a question of faith.  “I’m a mom of two very active children who love playing and watching sports. Recently at a basketball game, my 11-year-old son turned to me and asked whether booing was a sin. I thought it was a really insightful question that recognized that the opposing team players (and referees/umpires!) are people, and that this is just a game; the booing or jeering is part of the performance of the sport. Or is it? As much as we may not want a team to succeed, we don’t actually wish ill will on them. This question is more directed toward behavior at a professional sports game versus a youth sports game (where spectators usually cheer for both teams, or at least keep things positive – can’t speak for everyone here, but that’s what we do). Could you help clear this up for us please?”

Father Dave points out that if you were to say derogatory things or jeer or boo at someone you don’t know, that would be uncharitable and therefore sinful. “Jesus gives us the big bullseye and that is, ‘Love everyone. Pray for your enemies. Do good to those that hurt you,” Father Dave says, “but is there a difference between genuinely meaning ill will, and kind of being swept up in the game?”

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Father Dave talks about how he’s been to college and pro sports games and heard fans yell terrible things at the players.  What he heard was sinful, but he acknowledges that context makes a difference. “I think it's different how we frame it for an 11-year-old,” Father Dave says.  “I think it's an important formative time to be teaching kids about good sportsmanship and morality, and Julianne's doing something right because if her son’s asking the question, he's getting some good moral formation either in the home or at church or wherever.”  

Father Dave also suggests fans can be just as passionate cheering positively for their team without ever having to jeer at or boo the other team. 

“Maternity Leave Matt,” who is a father of three kids, says that when it comes to his 7-year-old’s soccer and softball teams, kids are encouraged to cheer for their own teams, but some light “ribbing” is OK as long as it is not mean spirited or an attack on any other player. 

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Father Dave talks about the distinction between hoping the other team loses so your team wins versus attacking another individual. “In the Church, we'd use the Latin term, ad hominem,” Father Dave says. “Ad hominem means towards the person…so I think we can maybe draw the same analogy back here into this arena for Julianne. If the other team scores, and we let out a sound of disappointment, and it's a boo, I would be reluctant to call that a sin, versus somebody yelling out something personal about another player.”

Friend of the show, Jesuit priest, author, and editor-at-large of America Media Father James Martin stopped by Father Dave’s radio studio to discuss his recent meeting with Pope Francis, what it was like being at the Vatican with a number of famous comedians, and more. 

On Friday June 14, Pope Francis met with a number of comedians from multiple countries including Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Rock, and Jim Gaffigan to name a few.  The meeting, according to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, was intended to “establish a link” between the Catholic Church and such artists and aimed to "celebrate the beauty of human diversity ... [and] promote a message of peace, love and solidarity." 

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Father James Martin is a consultor to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication and explains to Father Dave how he became involved.  “I knew about the comedians thing about two months before they met with the pope,” Father James says.  “It was organized very quickly.  They wanted to do it before the Synod in October. The Dicastery for Culture and Education put it together, and I helped them out with the U.S. comedians.”

Father Dave asks, “So they are over there in Rome and they think to themselves, who knows comedians over in the states? Boom, Father Jim Martin.” “Pretty Much!,” Father Jim replies.

Father Jim explains that the Dicastery for Culture and Education initially sent him a long list of over 50 comedians and humorists and asked him to narrow it down. “I talked to Stephen Colbert and Jim Gaffigan, who I know, and I said help me pick the people who are really kind of the most respected among your peers because we had to narrow it down, and then the Vatican approved it.”

Father Jim adds that there was no litmus test for the comedians who were picked.  They did not have to be Catholic; it didn’t matter if they had said negative things about Pope Francis or the Catholic Church.  It was more about the biggest names who are most respected in their field. 

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Despite the gathering’s quick organization, Father Jim was very happy with how it all worked out. “One of the things that was very moving for me was everyone was really honored and happy to be there.  Comedians can be a little cynical sometimes, but they were really happy to be at the Vatican meeting with the Pope and were all quite moved.”

Father Jim also spoke with Father Dave about his one-on-one hour-long meeting with the pope while he was in Rome.  “We talked about two things which I can say. We talked about his comments about gay priests, which were very much in the news, and we talked about the U.S. Church.”  

Father Jim continues, “We had a very open and honest conversation about his comments about gay priests and one of the things I wanted to share was at the comedians meeting, everybody went up and shook his [Pope Francis’] hand and I went up to him, and I posted a video of this, and I said, thank you very much. And he pulls me back and he says, ‘Thank you for that conversation the other day. I really appreciated it.’ And I thought, now that's really unusual, like, thank you for a conversation that was difficult and challenging. He didn't have to say that. So I just think that's a sign of how open he is. He's learning. He listens.”

Father Dave welcomes author John Stansifer to the show to talk about Father Emil Kapaun, the most decorated chaplain in U.S. military history. John has written over 20 screenplays, specializing in biopics and historical true stories. He spent six years in the Kansas Army National Guard as a mortar gunner and served alongside Vietnam War veterans, whose stories further developed his interest in military history. His latest book is called “No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun.” 

“No Bullet Got Me Yet” is a collection of letters written by, to and about Emil Kapaun, a Catholic priest and army chaplain in the Korean War. Archived by the Father Kapaun Guild, the letters comprise the record of Kapaun's heroism in the 1st Cavalry Division in Korea in the summer of 1950, and the sacrificial service he provided fellow POWs after he was captured by Chinese troops in November. He died at POW Camp in 1951 and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama in 2013.

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Father Kapaun, John explains, had been a priest for about a year when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941, and joined the Chaplains Corp in the aftermath. He served as an auxiliary chaplain at a military airbase in the United States for two years, and after D-Day, June 6, 1944, decided he wanted to serve overseas alongside American soldiers. He was sent to the China-Burma-India Theater of the war in 1945. 

Father Dave asks, “What do you think, having investigated his life, was so compelling for him about serving in the military as a chaplain? Why was he so attracted to that?”

“He felt like he needed to protect his boys in a spiritual way,” John responds. “And he was aware of martyrs and proto-martyrs, and he had been training for the Church since age 7, so it was obvious where his life was going to lead.”

After World War II, Father Kapaun obtained a master’s degree in education at Catholic University before rejoining the military as a chaplain in 1948. He was eventually sent to Korea in 1950. “It was the rise of communism that spurred him on," John says, “He thought the Nazis were nothing. He thought that communism was going to be the bigger threat. Turns out he was correct.”

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John goes on to discuss Father Kapaun’s capture, heroics, and time in a Chinese POW camp in the winter of 1951 before his death. “The survivors that knew him,” Father Dave comments, “describe him as a joyful, faithful presence during those dark times.”  

“He never stopped.” John says. “He got up before dawn and scrounged for food — never for himself, it was only to share with other people.  He constantly offered prayers, helped other POWs with their wounds and sickness. He was tireless with it.”

Father Dave asks John about the title of the book, “No Bullet Got Me Yet.” 

“Father Kapaun was a frequent letter writer,” John says, “and in one of his last letters Father Kapaun actually wrote- ‘No bullet got me yet, although machine gunners sprayed us with bullets, but the prayers of our loved ones helped us escape.’ When I heard that phrase, ‘no bullet got me yet,’ I knew that was the title of the book — that represents to me a philosophy that you keep the faith until your enemy kills you, and you keep going until you achieve your goal.”

While Busted Halo Show producer Krista LePard is out on maternity leave, our temporary producer, “Maternity Leave Matt” has some questions of faith for Father Dave:

Matt asks, “When you became a priest, did you stop being Dave Dwyer and become [solely] Father Dave? Do your friends or family call you Father Dave or are you still Dave to some people?”

Father Dave first answers this question from a broader theological perspective. “The Sacrament of Holy Orders is for a deacon, a priest and a bishop; you'd have Holy Orders for all those three. We believe that, like the Sacrament of Baptism, it does make an indelible change.  So we would call it an ontological, meaning at the very essence of a human person, an ontological change, which cannot be undone or reversed.”

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In other words, even if someone leaves the priesthood or if a layperson decides to leave the Catholic Church, the Sacrament of Holy Orders and the Sacrament of Baptism cannot be undone.  Father Dave adds, “The sacraments leave an indelible mark on the souls when we talk about Baptism and when we talk about Holy Orders; it’s an ontological change. So in some ways, yes, I ceased being the prior version of me and I'm now a different me.”

Father Dave is still, however, Dave to good friends and family members.  “In fact, my sister and my mother were really the only people in my adult life who called me David, because that's leftover from back when we were all much younger.”

Matt’s second question is, “What brought you to be a Paulist – and what’s the difference between Paulists, Jesuits, etc.?”

Father Dave responds, “The jargony word we would use in the Catholic Church is called “charism:” Each of the different orders have a slightly different way, mission, approach, origin story, and all that kind of stuff. In the same way that you might say, ‘What's the difference between all the superheroes?’ They all like fight crime and save the world, but they each get a little different origin story and a different uniform, and, you know, that kind of thing.”

RELATED: What Is a Charism? Understanding Our Holy Traditions

Father Dave gives a few examples of some of the different orders but reminds us that these are broad brush strokes.  Franciscans are living out the vow of poverty, Dominicans are the Order of Preachers and tend to be fairly academic and intellectual, and Jesuits usually work in universities and tend to also hold other roles, like professors, physicists, or astronomers, in addition to priesthood.   

The Paulist Fathers are missionaries who take a vow of stability, meaning they're going to stay in one place and stay connected and rooted there. Father Dave was drawn to the Paulists because of their reputation of working in media.  He’d been working in television and radio and wanted to continue doing that when he became a priest. 

Father Dave reiterates, “The charisms are really different ways in which people can serve the Church; different ways in which people can live out their Catholic faith. In the same way that Catholics who have not joined a religious community might prefer parish A over parish B, because parish A has a lot going on with social justice and serving the poor and parish B has a great music ministry and a Latin Mass – there are always going to be different things that are under the big tent of Catholicism that will connect or be more attractive to someone, whether you're talking about just a Catholic in the pews, or someone that's living out there life.”

At the start of a recent homily, Father Dave addresses two things from the Gospel of St. Mark that Catholics and non-Catholics alike often have questions about.  

In the Gospel of St. Mark and in a few other places, we hear about Jesus’ brothers and sisters. Father Dave explains that those who translated Gospel texts from the original languages wanted to keep  faithful to the language. In the culture of Jesus' time, immediate and extended family were considered almost the same, to the degree that they would actually use the same word for “brothers” and “cousins” – two family members that we would have distinct names for in today’s culture.  

RELATED: Learning About Sacrifice, With the Help of St. Mark

The Greek term Adelphos used The by St. Mark in his Gospel is an ambiguous word that could mean either brother or cousin. This passage could actually say that Jesus had blood brothers and sisters, or it could refer to cousins or more distant relatives, common parlance in Near East family descriptions. 

“So we're left with a big shrug, right?” Father Dave says. “Which is why many of our Christian brothers and sisters would adhere to the fact that Mary was a virgin when she gave birth, but not necessarily after that, whereas we, from our sacred Tradition, have always believed and always taught that Mary is blessed Mary ever virgin, and that she did not give birth to any more children. So for us, our faith always comes with a balance of Scripture and Tradition. And tradition isn't simply, well, we've always thought that so I guess it must be right. It is, we believe, Holy Spirit- inspired sacred Tradition, in a similar way, that the Scriptures are inspired.  So for us, if we take those two together, we know that we must be talking about cousins, and not literal brothers and sisters here.”

The second question Father Dave answers comes from the Gospel of St. Mark when Jesus refers to the ‘Unforgivable Sin.’’  He begins with Jesus’ own words, “All sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness.”  

LISTEN: Are Any Sins 'Unforgivable’?

“What does that mean?” Father Dave asks.

Father Dave notes that St. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical about the Holy Spirit specifically addresses this concept.

“Scholars and official Church teachings have been unable to really pinpoint exactly what Jesus means by that. St. Pope John Paul II said that it really emanates from God's gift of free will –that God desires that all be saved and offers forgiveness. But he doesn't ever force it down our throats. So in that sense, John Paul II defined this ‘blaspheming the Holy Spirit’ as a complete, utter rejection of God with our own free will. So it's not that God can't, but that God won't force it on us.” 

Father Dave goes on, “So is there an unforgivable sin? Is there some secret list somewhere, like the secret menu at a fast food place? No. There's not something that you can utter by mistake or even intentionally that will cast you away from God if you seek God's forgiveness, which is what we're encouraged to do all the time. There's also not one particular thing you or I could ever do, that God wouldn't forgive if we asked.”

Eric Groth, president of ODB Films and executive producer of “Wildcat” stops by the show to talk about the film about the late Catholic author Flannery O’Connor. ODB Films is an award-winning not-for-profit Catholic film company whose mission is to foster an encounter with Christ through artfully made, spiritually rich films.  Their newest movie, “Wildcat” was written and directed by Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke and details O’Connor’s struggle to publish her first novel. 

Flannery O’Connor was a devout Catholic living in the Jim Crow Era south in the 50s and 60s.  When she was 23 years old, she began writing, hoping to leave her home in Georgia and see the world. At age 25, she was diagnosed with Lupus. Over the next 14 years O’Connor wrote “A Prayer Journal,” more than 30 short stories and two novels. 

Eric explains why he believes her writing was so important.  “She was addressing a very contentious, racist south.  As a Catholic, she was really calling out a lot of Protestant brothers and sisters -- she was calling out the church that would be worshiping Jesus on Sunday and wearing the Ku Klux Klan hoods on Monday, and the culture of white supremacy that was masked as Christian ethics.”  

“She wrote a lot about grace and her stories were tough, because we want heroes in stories and in her stories, [we wonder] ‘Who's the protagonist? Who's the antagonist?’” Eric continues. “But she showed how God delivers grace, however God wants to deliver grace, and we as humans often resist grace because it can be painful.”

Father Dave and Eric discuss the origins of this movie and how it began 10 years ago with Ethan’s daughter, Maya Hawke.  “This really started with her,” Eric says. “She was 15 and going to Catholic school in New York and she read Flannery’s “A Prayer Journal” and fell in love with this woman.” Maya would later go on to ask her dad to write and direct a movie about O’Connor that she could star in.  Eric and ODB films were eventually approached for financing and a producing partnership.  Eric tells Father Dave what attracted him to the film: “I love my Catholic Faith. I Love our stories and telling great stories and she [O’Connor] was a bit of a mystery.”

“This film was super special for a lot of reasons,” Eric says. “Flannery was a devout Catholic, so we could bring the beauty of the Catholic faith naturally and organically in telling the story without ever having to force it in any way.”

Father Dave welcomes Clare McCallan, founder and creative director of St. Joseph’s Home for Artisans, TV and podcast host, and spoken word poet, to the show to discuss her new book, “Courage to Create: Unleashing Your Artistic Gifts for Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.”

In her book, Clare and her artist friends ask the question, “How do you own your identity as an artist for Christ?” Through a series of stories and lessons, they share their wisdom for overcoming obstacles in the creative life to help artists fulfill their callings and serve the Lord.  

Clare begins her discussion with Father Dave by highlighting the final three words in the title of her book: “Truth, Beauty and Goodness.” Clare defines each term by posing a reflection question. “Truth – is something in accordance with reality? Beauty -- does it point to the divine and eternal? And goodness - "does something accomplish its purpose?”  She goes on to say, “Art as just mere self expression is really the lowest kind, but art that meets those metrics of truth, beauty and goodness, are really the only thing worth accepting in and outside of religious spaces.” 

RELATED: How Artwork Opens Me Up to God’s Handiwork

Father Dave invites Clare to share a little bit of her own journey as an artist and asks what ultimately led her to writing this book.  She explains that she went to school at Franciscan University and ended up in Calcutta with the Missionaries of Charity.  While in India, she became very sick.  While she was bedridden, she discovered spoken word poetry and decided that when she returned to the United States, she would move to New York City and give it a shot. “And so I moved to New York,” she says, “I got on the scene, and you’ll find in the book a lot of my stories of starting out as a fledgling artist with no guidance, no roadmap, which is really what this book is intended to be - the roadmap that I needed at 22.”

Father Dave says, “Maybe some of our listeners are thinking, ‘Sounds like a book for artists - I know some artistic people, but that’s not me.” Clare responds, “You're a craftsman made in the image of the creator, and so if you are created in the image of God, you have those creative qualities and talents, and so it's up to you to find it. You don’t need to be fantastic at painting or writing. It's much larger than that.”

Father Dave points out that often in society, artists are not looked upon the same way as a doctor or lawyer, and we often get messages that suggest having a backup career or only pursuing art as a hobby.  “How do you address those that have felt discouraged from using their gifts?” Father Dave asks. 

RELATED: Using Art as a Path to the Holy Spirit

Clare responds, “I think that that's going to be a paradigm shift that we're going to see, especially as Catholics start to mourn a culture that maybe used to serve us in our beliefs, but doesn't anymore. And we can see that we really need to be making active changes in the culture. And those shifts in culture that we want to see are going to come from arts, and so it's very important that we're basically missionaries to truth, beauty and goodness.”

Father Dave asks if every Catholic who is an artist needs to produce exclusively Catholic or ‘Gospel-ly’ looking or sounding art. “No,” Clare says, “I would actually say that in the current climate, it's probably more powerful and effective to create allegories and to dabble in storytelling.  What I tell everybody is if you are regularly receiving the sacraments, it will be infused in your work.”

Do you remember the last conversation you had that challenged your way of thinking or inspired you to act? A conversation that changed your mind, your heart, or maybe even your life?  To help us have more meaningful conversations more often, Father Dave welcomes Dr. Christopher Reed to the show.  Dr. Reed has a Ph.D.. in human communication and believes that dialogues that transform hearts and strengthen relationships are sacred and he shares a blueprint for having more meaningful interactions in his new book, “Sacred Conversations: How God Wants Us To Communicate.”

Dr. Reed begins by explaining his “Sacred Conversations Model to Father Dave:” The model itself is laid out like an Ikea set of instructions, do step 1 before you do step 2 and the components are invitation, we can open ourselves to those invitations, we can open ourselves to the spirit, invite people into them. Intention, what is the aim of the conversation.  Inquiry, very powerful, Jesus was a master of inquiry.  Illumination and integration. And at the center, the sixth component is love. It all starts with love and compassion for the other person, the face of Christ that we see in them right in front of us. If we start with love, we can't go wrong.”

RELATED: 7 Steps for Navigating Crucial Conversations

Dr. Reed explains that part of the reason he wrote the book is because there are many secular books on having tough conversations, but there haven’t been any simple, accessible, well-researched books on Catholic dialogue and how Christians should engage in dialogue with one another.  He says, “Sacred Conversations” is a “blending of science and Scripture” that can be used for all of life’s moments. 

Father Dave points out that the book is also drawing on the Word of God, sacred traditions and Jesus’ model of living.

Father Dave and Dr. Reed go on to discuss the chapter called “Rules of the Road” which highlights some of the rules of sacred conversations, like having compassion and not forcing a conversation. Father Dave asks about the rule, “follow through on your good intentions.”

LISTEN: Jonathan Merritt on Sacred Language

“Commit to the process,” Dr. Reed responds. “See it through. A sacred conversation is a ‘helping’ conversation; it’s a build-your-brother or- sister-up conversation…and so all other intentions beyond that should be questioned and reflected upon, and then once we commit to that ‘helping’ or ‘seeking’ conversation, follow the process through, see what emerges, ask for guidance (which is another rule).  Then, when we get to that moment of grace, follow it through - what do you want to do with that? What small steps could you take toward a better outcome, a better version of yourself, a better relationship?

Father Dave wraps up by wondering what happens if the other person in the conversation doesn't want to give anything, “Doesn’t it take two to tango?” he asks.

“This is a conversational dance. It's like improvisational jazz,” Dr. Reed explains.  “But we have to learn how to play our scales before we can truly gracefully improvise together. You know, we have to learn the basic steps of a dance before we can, chacha and Samba and move fluently together.”

Anna-Lissa from Texas calls in to ask Father Dave a question of faith: “There are two specific times in the Mass that we bless ourselves, and that is at the beginning of Mass and then at the end. And so I have heard that those are the only two times we’re to bless ourselves; that we're not to bless ourselves any other time during the Mass. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Father Dave responds.  “Those are the two proper times that we bless ourselves, but I would also say that it is not some great violation to make the sign of the cross at other times.” Father Dave explains that in the 1950s and 1960s, there would have been more times that even the priest who’s leading prayer would have made the sign of the cross.  This practice was revised in the early 1970’s after the Second Vatican Council when the Church took out all those extra blessings and changed it to, a blessing on the way in and make a blessing on the way out. 

RELATED: Learning About Unity Through the Three Cross Prayer

“The rule of thumb,” Father Dave says, “is if we hear the priest sing, ‘In the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit,’ that’s the time we would bless ourselves because we're being led by the priest.”

Father Dave adds that he’s barely old enough to remember that prior to Vatican II, it was very common for the priest giving the homily to make the sign of the cross at the beginning and end of the homily.  “Part of that was the theology that the homily was sort of an interruption of the Mass therefore outside of the Mass; part of it was because the rest of the Mass was in Latin, and oftentimes the homily was in the language of the people . . .Vatican II, sort of corrected that aberrant notion that the homily is not outside of the Mass.  We don't sort of take a commercial break and then come back in.”

LISTEN: Why Are There Multiple Eucharistic Prayers?

Father Dave also mentions there is one version of the Eucharistic Prayer where the priest personally has the option to make the sign of the cross multiple times.  He explains this is an ancient prayer held over from Vatican II.  

Father Dave clarifies that he is talking about the typical Roman Catholic experience . . .”in other Eastern churches within the universal Catholic Church, as well as Orthodox Christians; they make the sign of the cross a lot more times throughout their liturgies.”  Anna-Lissa points out that often she sees people bless themselves after they receive the Eucharist.  “I did that when I was a kid,” Father Dave says, “and honestly, when I receive communion in line, I still revert to being a kid and I do that myself.”

On Intinction: What Are the Rules Around Dipping the Consecrated Host into the Precious Blood? 

A listener named Alan asks Father Dave if he did something wrong at Mass the other day when he ‘dunked’ the host into the wine. He says, “I don't know why I can't do it. . . I thought when I was getting communion in the 70s and 80s they had these things (Intinction Sets consisting of a plate or bowl with a matching cup) made just for that, so I'm calling you to ask, what's the proper protocol? Are there rules against it?”

Father Dave responds by saying there was a time in the past, as recently as 2010, when the act of dipping the host into the consecrated wine was an accepted practice.  “The term that we use with respect to the Eucharist is called intinction,” Father Dave explains, “which is just a fancy word that means you take the host and dip it in the consecrated wine.” 

Father Dave explains that intinction was broadly used from the time after the Second Vatican Council until recently, when changes were made, but is no longer allowed to be done by the communicant (the person receiving communion). He clarifies that priests, however, are allowed to intinct the host.

Alan explains that he was scolded by the Eucharistic minister at Mass for doing this and told he can’t do it because his hands are dirty and they shouldn’t touch the precious blood.  

Father Dave explains that the Eucharistic minister was correct in telling him he is not allowed to dip the host into the wine, but was wrong in his reasoning. “The danger that the Church would like to avoid is that if you intinct the host into the chalice with the precious blood, there's still a fair likelihood that a drop of the precious blood would hit the floor. That's what we don't want. That's why that's not allowed.”

One other reason Intinction is not allowed, Father Dave continues, “is because many parishes these days are more concerned about somebody just not consuming the host right there after you've received it from the communion minister – because of the possibility of somebody taking it back to their pew or taking it home for sacrilege or whatever . . . I've even seen parishes where next to the communion minister is an usher, making sure somebody consumes right away.”

It’s confirmation season, and perhaps you or someone you know are struggling with coming up with a confirmation saint name! So, we asked friend of the show, Catholic speaker and author Meg Hunter- Kilmer to help us out.  Meg was an itinerant missionary for 12 years, currently works in campus ministry at the University of Notre Dame and has written several books about saints, including, “Saints Around the World,” and “Pray For Us: 75 Saints Who Sinned, Suffered and Struggled on Their Way to Holiness.”

Meg begins by explaining what she does when helping kids pick a confirmation name, “I say, okay, tell me what kind of saint you're looking for. What are some of your passions? What are some of your hobbies? Do you have an idea of what kind of career you feel like the Lord might be calling you to? What are your family difficulties, your mental illness you struggle with, or chronic illness that you struggle with or disability? Anything that you're like, you know, what, here's a significant thing about me. And some kids come with a list of things that matter to them, and I can say, well, here's the saint who checks a couple of those boxes.”

WATCH: Sacraments 101: Why We’re Confirmed

Meg recommends doing some research on saints to see if there is a saint that really sticks out to you or has some attributes that you identify with. Meg goes on to say, “But if you've got a saint you just love and there's no good reason, that's a pretty good reason to pick them for your confirmation.”

Father Dave shares his experience of choosing a confirmation name when he was 13 years old., “Meg, I have to tell you, that when I was 13, and had to pick my confirmation name, I did not have the resources at my disposal . . .so here was my whole discernment:  At the time, I wanted to be a doctor and I heard that Thomas Aquinas was a Doctor of the Church, so I picked Thomas Aquinas.”  

RELATED: A Year in the Word: Journaling With the Bible With Meg Hunter-Kilmer

The Busted Halo’s Show’s producer, Krista, and co-host, Brett go on to share their silly reasons for picking their confirmation saint names.  Krista picked St. Angela Merici because she liked the way it sounded in her name. Brett chimes in, “Mine is even dumber and I wish I had the opportunity to go back and change it. . . at the time, people kept asking me what Brett was short for and I would tell them that it was short for Bartholomew, so I just chose St. Bartholomew.”

Meg responds by saying, “Here’s the beautiful thing, you can pick a confirmation name for a real dumb reason and you're still going to end up with someone awesome.” 

A listener named Mark asks Father Dave, “How do you keep your faith when a parent’s health gets worse and looks to be permanent?”

Learning lasts beyond our days in school, and Father Dave welcomes Angela Santomero, creator of seven award-winning children’s educational shows, including “Blue’s Clues” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.” They discuss her new book for adults is called “Life Clues: Unlocking the Lessons to an Exceptional Life.”

A listener named Darby asks Father Dave if those with mental or intellectual disabilities are permitted to receive the Eucharist. She says, “I was told it's up to the priest to make that decision…I have also been told that [those with low cognitive ability could be denied] because of their non-understanding of the concept and importance.”

A listener named Jim asks Father Dave about the Last Supper and the Eucharistic Prayer. Jim says, “In the Eucharistic prayer it says, ‘He took bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples.’ Why doesn’t it say apostles? I always envisioned the last supper the way Leonardo da Vinci painted it. Were there more disciples there than the apostles?”

As the world loudly clamors for our attention, Father Dave welcomes Father Boniface Hicks, OSB to discuss the role of silence in our faith. Father Boniface’s new book is called, “The Hidden Power of Silence in the Mass: A Guide for Encountering Christ in the Liturgy.”

Editorial note: The following podcast contains a discussion of pregnancy/infant loss.

We cling to our faith in times of joy and sorrow, and Father Dave welcomes Dr. Abigail Jorgenson to discuss her new book “A Catholic Guide to Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Infant Loss: Compassionate Answers to Difficult Questions.” Abigail is an assistant professor of sociology and healthcare ethics at Saint Louis University, as well as a certified doula and childbirth educator.

A listener named Christina asks Father Dave about a difficult situation regarding a blessed item. She asks, “What do you do with an engagement ring that's been blessed when the engagement ends?” Christina continues that her former fiance ended their relationship and will no longer speak to her. She says, “We had a priest bless us and the ring when we got engaged, which was such a beautiful moment. I'd prefer to return the ring to him, but am struggling to figure out the best way to proceed.”

There are many inspiring vocation stories, and Father Dave welcomes Sister Julia Walsh to discuss her unlikely path to becoming a nun as detailed in her new book, “For Love of the Broken Body: A Spiritual Memoir.” She is a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and hosts the “Messy Jesus Business” podcast and blog.

A listener named Laurie asks Father Dave a question of faith about baptism. She asks, “Can an individual who is a faithfully practicing Catholic be a godparent if they have recently become divorced due to their spouse cheating on them? This individual has not been in any other relationships and currently remains single since the divorce.” Laurie notes that this person is currently going through the annulment process.

Easter is more than just one day, and Father Dave welcomes back Catholic speaker Mari Pablo to share how she is celebrating all 50 days of Easter.

Many students and teachers are on spring break this time of year, and Father Dave welcomes middle school teacher and author Amy Cattapan to discuss her new book, “A Saint Squad for Teachers: 45 Heavenly Friends to Carry You through the School Year.”

The latest English translation of the Roman Missal was introduced in 2011, and one listener asks Father Dave about one particular change to the prayers at Mass. Derek takes issue with the latest translation and says, “What I dislike the most is the change of the words during the Consecration. In the old version, Jesus tells us ‘this is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.’ The new translation says that Jesus' blood was shed for many. Since ‘many’ is not ‘all,’ and I was always taught that Jesus suffered and died for all of us, who is being excluded?”

Father Dave welcomes back Catholic composer and singer-songwriter Francesca LaRosa to help prepare our hearts for Holy Week with a live music performance.

Lent is a fitting time to reflect on life’s struggles, and Father Dave welcomes Dr. Mark Giszczak to discuss his new book “Suffering: What Every Catholic Should Know.” Dr. Giszczak is a professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology.

Father Dave welcomes former U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Mary Ann Glendon to discuss her new book, “In the Courts of Three Popes: An American Lawyer and Diplomat in the Last Absolute Monarchy of the West.”

Friday, March 8 is International Women’s Day, as well as the release date of a new movie all about the Italian-American saint, Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini. The film “Cabrini” portrays the immigrant’s mission to secure housing and healthcare for New York City’s most vulnerable and stars Cristiana Dell'Anna, David Morse, and John Lithgow. Father Dave welcomes producer and screenwriter Rod Barr to discuss bringing Mother Cabrini’s life’s story to movie theaters nationwide.

A listener named Barbara asks Father Dave for clarification regarding the “seven deadly sins.” She says, “I have a question about the seven deadly sins and how they relate to mortal versus venial sins. I usually consider pridefulness, for example, a venial sin, in that I confess it but don't abstain from receiving Communion for this sin – otherwise, I guess I would never receive Communion! But when does pridefulness become mortal or deadly? Is it only when pridefulness causes me to commit another mortal sin?”

Father Dave welcomes back speaker and author Eric Clayton to discuss his new book “My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars.”

Some people focus on physical fitness during Lent, and Father Dave welcomes back Colleen Scariano and Deanne Miller, the founders of SoulCore, to discuss integrating soul and body in our Catholic faith. Soulcore began in 2012 as a Catholic fitness apostolate that combines the prayers of the Rosary with core strengthening, stretching, and other functional movements. 

If part of your Lenten promise is to spend more time with Jesus, you’ll enjoy Father Dave discussing Eucharistic Adoration with Father Tim Anastos! Father Tim is the assistant chaplain at the St. John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois–Chicago and author of “Jesus, Make Me Fully Alive: 30 Holy Hour Reflections.”

A listener named Phillip asks Father Dave a question about guilt while grieving the death of a loved one. He says, “My grandpa Oscar passed away a couple months ago. I administered chest compressions, and it did not help. I feel guilty. He was 92, but I really tried to save his life. My question is, if it's God's will, why do I feel guilty?”

As Lent approaches, a listener named James asks, “Ash Wednesday falls on the same day as Valentine's Day this year. How do I observe the fast while still celebrating the holiday? I'm not just talking about dinner out with my spouse, I'm a big fan of chocolate too. Can I just start my Lent a day later?”

If you’re looking for personal retreat inspiration this Lent, you’ll be excited to hear journalist and papal biographer Austen Ivereigh discuss his new book, “First Belong to God: On Retreat with Pope Francis” with Father Dave. Austen is the author of two biographies of Pope Francis, and he and the pope co-wrote a book called, “Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future.”

A listener named Susan asks Father Dave a question about personal prayer. She wonders, “What’s better: praying for something specific, or praying for God’s will?”

Father Dave welcomes Catholic professor and author Dr. Jim Papandrea back to the show to discuss a different approach to prayer in his new book, “Praying the Psalms: The Divine Gateway to Lectio Divina and Contemplative Prayer.”

In this recent Deep Dive segment, Father Dave examines the wording and usage of Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation II during Mass. He explains how this prayer is not used often, but he felt compelled to choose it for daily Mass on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

While we often avoid thinking or talking about death, having open and honest conversations about mortality is essential to prepare for the end of life. To help others navigate this  challenging topic, Father Dave welcomes Dr. Stephen Doran to the show.  Dr. Doran is a permanent deacon and bioethicist for the Archdiocese of Omaha, and highlights hope in his book, “To Die Well: A Catholic Neurosurgeon’s Guide to the End of Life.”

A listener named Lenny asks Father Dave about the Church’s teaching of transubstantiation. “I went to Catholic High School, and we learned that God is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient,” he begins. “[Regarding] transubstantiation, we understand that the priest is bringing God or Jesus into the host. My comment, or my ignorant question is, wasn’t he already there? Like if he’s omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, isn't it already that way?”

As we enter into Ordinary Time, a listener Karen asks Father Dave about these weeks. “We just went over the liturgical calendar in RCIA, and I'm wondering why there are two ordinary time periods. It's confusing to go from one holy period, to Ordinary Time, to another holy period in such a short time toward the early part of the year,” she says. “I can understand the big Ordinary Time period, but the few short weeks thrown in elsewhere seem like a letdown to get ready for the next time.”

As the world navigates new developments in artificial intelligence, Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show and ethicist Dr. Charles Camosy. In his new article for The Pillar, Dr. Camosy explores the pros and cons of Artificial Intelligence, and explains how AI is not necessarily something to fear. 

A listener named Terrie asks Father Dave about the vestments he wears at Mass. “I’ve recently watched the livestream during the week from St. Paul the Apostle, and I noticed that your vestment is not as decorative as the other priests who have celebrated Mass during the week,” he says. “Do you all have your own vestments to wear?”

Recently, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released a new declaration titled “Fiducia Supplicans” which, in part, states that any same-sex or unmarried couple can receive a blessing from a priest or deacon under certain conditions. Father Dave explains this news and clarifies some misconceptions about what it means.

Father Dave welcomes back New York Times bestselling author and broadcaster Raymond Arroyo to discuss a new project: a Christmas album! Raymond sings along with jazz band The NOLA Players on the new album, “Christmas Merry & Bright.”

As Christmas quickly approaches, a listener named Rachel asks, “Why is Advent so short this year? It feels like we only get three weeks.”

As we journey through Advent, who better to help us prepare for Christ’s birth than the man who plays Jesus on “The Chosen”? Father Dave welcomes Catholic actor Jonathan Roumie, who stars in the highly popular TV series about the life and ministry of Jesus. He is also a prominent voice on the Hallow prayer and meditation app, where you can hear him and Liam Neeson in the “Advent Pray25 with C.S. Lewis” prayer challenge.

Father Dave and Associate Director of Busted Halo Ministries Father Evan Cummings welcome Catholic speaker and author Bobby Angel to discuss his new book, “Gaming and the Heroic Life: A Quest for Holiness in the Virtual World.”

A listener asks Father Dave about watching live streamed Masses online. Cara says, “Since COVID, I have been to an in-person Mass a handful of times, preferring to attend online. I especially enjoy the Masses from St. Paul the Apostle. The music and sermons inspire me spiritually. How is this viewed? Should I be making more of an effort to go to Mass in person?”

A Christian listener named Jennifer asks Father Dave for clarification regarding who can receive the Eucharist in a Catholic Church. She explains that she is a lifelong Methodist, but periodically attends Catholic Mass and struggles with the Catholic Church’s teaching on receiving the Eucharist.

The holiday season is filled with joy, but can also be a difficult time of year for many people. Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show and USCCB Associate Director for the Laity Paul Jarzembowski to discuss his new book, “Hope for the Holidays: Finding Light at the Darkest Times of the Year.”

The holidays are fast approaching, and Father Dave welcomes Father Agustino Torres, CFR to discuss his new devotional to help center ourselves for Christmas. His new book is called, “Prepare Your Heart: A Guided Advent Journal for Prayer and Meditation.”

We all encounter suffering in life, and Father Dave welcomes Joni Eareckson Tada to offer hope in difficult situations. She is an author, radio host, and worldwide advocate for those with disabilities who became a quadriplegic at age 17 as a result of a diving accident. Her latest book is called, “The Practice of the Presence of Jesus: Daily Meditations on the Nearness of Our Savior.”

With Advent a few weeks away, Father Dave welcomes the writer and director of the new Christmas movie-musical “Journey to Bethlehem” hitting theaters Friday! Adam Anders is a four-time Grammy Award nominee and two-time People’s Choice Award winner who spent many years as the executive music producer of the TV show “Glee.” His film “Journey to Bethlehem” retells the story of the Nativity through song and stars Fiona Palomo, Milo Manheim, and Antonio Banderas.

A listener asks Father Dave a question about penance during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. James wonders, “How did something as wonderful as prayer become a Confession punishment?”

As war between Hamas and Israel continues, Father Dave invites back Rabbi Brad Hirschfield to help bring context to this complicated world issue.

While the birth of a new child brings immense joy, the first few months of parenting can also be daunting. Father Dave welcomes author and liturgical minister Jessica Mannen Kimmet to discuss her book for new moms, “Groaning in Labor, Growing in Hope: Scripture Reflections for the Hard Days of Early Motherhood.”

Earlier this year, the surgeon general called loneliness a public health crisis and underscored its devastating impact in our society. Father Dave welcomes Regina Boyd, Catholic licensed mental health counselor and marriage and family therapist, to discuss this and her new book, “Leaving Loneliness Behind: 5 Keys to Experiencing God's Love and Building Healthy Connections with Others.”

Father Dave welcomes back actress, producer, and New York Times bestselling author Roma Downey to discuss her new children’s book, “A Message in the Moon.”

Have you heard about the Synod currently going on in Rome, but aren’t exactly sure what it means? Father Dave explains the history and discusses some aspects of the current Synod on Synodality.

Prayer is a key component of our faith lives, but it does not always come easily. Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show Dr. Edward Sri to discuss his new book and online study, “When You Pray: A Clear Path to a Deeper Relationship with God.”

Father Dave answers a question of faith about one listener’s experience at Mass. Lance asks, “I've recently started attending a Catholic Church. I was raised Pentecostal, and this has been one of the biggest adjustments: Everything sounds so monotone and somber. I keep wanting to ask people, ‘You're on the winning side, why so sad?’”

Have you ever tried reading a classic work written by the saints, but needed help understanding it? Father Dave welcomes back Dominican friar Father Gregory Pine to discuss the latest season of the Catholic Classics podcast, which breaks down “The Confessions of St. Augustine.”

A listener asks Father Dave for help for some prayer struggles during Adoration. Geraldine asks, “I feel a call to take more time for Eucharistic Adoration. When I listen to the tug from within to go to Adoration, I find once I get to the church I feel a restlessness within me. I'm often at a loss on how to pray and wonder why praying at Adoration is different from praying at home if God is always with us.”

Father Dave welcomes writer Lillian Fallon to discuss how our personal style can connect with our Catholic faith. A veteran of the fashion industry, Lillian currently works for the Catholic women’s clothing label Litany NYC and is the author of “Theology of Style: Expressing the Unique and Unrepeatable You.”

Father Dave welcomes José Hernández, former NASA flight engineer and the first migrant farm worker to travel to space. “A Million Miles Away,”  a new Amazon Prime movie based on his life, follows José and his devoted family on a decades-long journey, from a rural village in Mexico, to the fields of California, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station.

Whether you read the Bible daily or only hear Scripture proclaimed on Sundays, there are always fresh ways for us to connect more deeply to God’s word. Father Dave welcomes Notre Dame theology professor and author William Mattison to discuss his new book, “Follow Me: Walking with Jesus through the Gospels.”

A listener asks Father Dave a Mass Class question about the gospel. David asks, “I know it’s probably a sign of reverence, but what started the procession of the gospel book? It's usually on the altar, and they usually process it around the front of the sanctuary.” He also attended a Mass recently where the congregation bowed and some near the altar touched the book.

Brett recently found his childhood religious education assignments and recalls how he thought the Our Father began, “Our Father, go-kart in heaven” while growing up. Father Dave invites listeners to share the prayers or religious phrases that their kids have misheard.

Friend of the show and Jesuit priest Father James Martin stops by Father Dave’s radio studio to discuss his new book, “Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus’s Greatest Miracle,” which explores the miracle of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead, as told in John’s Gospel. 

Students and teachers are heading back to school, and Father Dave welcomes back friend of the show and experienced catechist Joe Paprocki to give his top 10 formation tips for religious educators. Joe has served as National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press since 2002 and has more than 40 years of experience in pastoral ministry. The tips are based off of his book, “The Catechist’s Toolbox: How to Thrive as a Religious Education Teacher.”

A listener named Darby asks Father Dave about a recent issue she experienced during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. She shares, “I went to Confession the first time in a couple of years this past weekend. I had a lot of sins to confess. As I was stating my sins to the priest, I started with an internal battle I'm having right now. He cuts me short, and he gives me the blessing and my penance. So those sins that I couldn't verbally tell the priest – are those still going to be forgiven?” She notes that she’s heard sins a person purposely withholds are not forgiven, and wonders if this would be a similar situation.

Looking for ideas to deepen your faith? Father Boniface Hicks, OSB, joins Father Dave to discuss new resources on Marian consecration and prayer. A Benedictine monk of Saint Vincent Archabbey, Father Boniface recently released his book, “The Fruit of Her Womb: 33 Day Preparation for Total Consecration to Jesus” as well as “Personal Prayer,” an online course from Emmaus Academy.

As we grow in our faith, it’s important to also consider those with different needs in their spiritual lives. Father Dave receives a question from Ignatz who says, “Being autistic, some of my perceptions of spirituality and religion are limited. I find that the way my mind works does not allow me to genuinely believe or practice something that is not tangible. Is it still possible for me to try or be included in religious spaces?”

Days after performing multiple shows at World Youth Day in Portugal, friend of the show and Catholic speaker and musician Joe Melendrez shares his experience from this inspirational event.

World Youth Day, recently held in Portugal, showcases how the Church is alive with young adults celebrating their faith, but what about those who have fallen away? Father Dave welcomes friends and co-authors Patti Maguire Armstrong and Roxane Beauclair Salonen to discuss this topic and their book, “What Would Monica Do?"

Praying for others is an important part of our faith life, but one listener asks Father Dave what to do when the list of intentions feels too long. Elisa says, “Every day, I pray different intentions for people with cancer or people who have died. My intention lists are getting longer and longer! People ask me to pray for them, sometimes people I am not close to, but I add them to the lists…I feel guilty [removing them] but, I am not sure when to take them off the lists.” She also wonders when to stop praying for the repose of one’s soul after they pass away.

Father Dave welcomes New York University Professor and contributing writer for the New York Times, Rachel Swarns, to discuss her book, “The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church.”

Father Dave and Brett joined Lino Rulli and Tyler Veghte of “The Catholic Guy Show” on SiriusXM’s Catholic Channel for the “We’re on a Boat Pilgrimage,” a cruise on the Danube River. They traveled with 150 listeners to famous Catholic Churches and cities across Eastern and Central Europe, including Regensburg, Salzburg, Vienna, Bratislava and more.

Many celebrate milestone birthdays in a special way, and Father Dave welcomes Catholic speaker Mari Pablo to talk about how she’s commemorating age 33 as her “Jesus year.”

Addiction and substance abuse affects a staggering number of people in the United States, and Father Dave welcomes Keaton Douglas, founder and executive director of the iTHIRST Initiative, to offer resources from a Catholic perspective. The program focuses on spirituality in the prevention, treatment, and aftercare of those suffering from substance use disorders, while also providing support for their families. Keaton is also the co-author of a new book called, “The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction.”