St. Gertrude Parish Podcast

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker With the arrival of fall (and a new seasonal shower curtain), Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on how we move through seasons of life just as we move through the seasons of the year. Some transitions arrive quietly; others come with clear events like engagement, marriage, a child leaving for college, or becoming a widow or widower. Some bring great joy, others great sorr...

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker We live in a culture of comparison. Commercials, social media, and even life inside a parish can tempt us to measure ourselves against others, which leads either to pride or to a growing discontent that shadows how we think, act, and pray. Drawing on St. Paul, who learned to live both in humble circumstances and in abundance, Fr. John Paul Walker offers three ways to...

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker On the Solemnity of All Saints, Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on the great multitude clothed in white robes: men and women from every time, place, and vocation who became children of God and children of the light, and who let that light shine in their own day. Our calling is the same. We become saints not by perfectly copying any one of them, but by imitating their vi...

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker Drawing on the readings' image of a vineyard that has every structure in place yet bears no fruit, Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on St. Gertrude's commitment to fruitfulness in ministry, from renewed baptism and marriage preparation to the recognition that the parish's lack of space is now holding its mission back. He announces the official launch of the B...

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker Fr. John Paul Walker takes up a sharp modern charge: the so-called “mortal sin” of intolerance. In a culture quick to condemn disagreement, he asks what true charity, truth, and moral clarity actually require of disciples of Christ. This homily invites listeners to hold conviction without cruelty, and mercy without surrendering the Gospel. This podcast is brought to y...

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker Fr. John Paul Walker offers three examples of heroic forgiveness—stories that push past polite forgiveness into the costly mercy Christ asks of us. Listen for what it means to forgive when it hurts, to release the debt we want to keep, and to let God’s grace do what our strength alone cannot. This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, fea...

Homily | Fr. John Paul Walker In this homily, Fr. John Paul Walker reflects on the Gospel of Jesus and the Canaanite woman—an encounter that can sound “mean” at first hearing, yet reveals the Lord’s mercy, perseverance in prayer, and faith that will not let go. Join him as he unpacks what this difficult exchange teaches about humility, persistence, and trusting Christ when the answer seems delayed...

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

Drinking with Dominicans (DWD) | Fr. Louis Bethea In a world marked by deep polarization—from politics and sports rivalries to tensions within the Church itself—Fr. Louis Bethea asks the pointed question: “Whose side are you on?” Drawing on Scripture, current statistics, and the Dominican tradition, he explores what true polarization looks like: becoming entrenched in our positions, abandoning the...

DWD | Fr. Raphael Arteaga In this Drinking with Dominicans talk titled “I Don’t Buy It,” Fr. Raphael Arteaga maps the modern landscape of skepticism—fake news, AI-generated images, deepfakes, and the philosophical currents (scientism, empiricism, Cartesian doubt, brain-in-a-vat theories) that feed our cultural distrust of truth and the senses. He then carefully distinguishes opinion, doubt, knowle...

DWD | Br. Samuel Trecost In this Drinking with Dominicans talk, Br. Samuel Trecost explores “Yacht Rock and the Good Life”—using the smooth, leisure-loving music of the late 1970s and early 1980s as a window into our culture’s obsession with comfort and escapism. He contrasts that mindset with a rich theology of work drawn from Scripture, St. Paul, Genesis, and St. John Paul II’s Laborem Exercens,...

HOMILY | Fr. John Paul Walker In this homily, Fr. John Paul Walker marks the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, near the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne. Drawing on Pope Leo, he invites the elderly—and all of us—to see aging not as decline but as a unique vocation. He acknowledges the real fragility of later life: physical limits, loneliness, and spiritual questions. Yet he delivers a ho...

HOMILY | Fr. John Paul Walker Fr. John Paul Walker delivers a powerful and challenging reflection on the Parable of the Sower in this homily titled A Dangerous Parable . Though one of the most familiar stories Jesus ever told, Fr. Walker warns that this parable can be spiritually hazardous. We naturally place ourselves in the “rich soil” category and look down on the rocky, thorny, or path-side so...

DWD Trust the Vibes | Drinking with Dominicans Fr. John Paul Walker delivers a practical and profound talk on making good decisions through the lens of Catholic theology. Drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas and classical anthropology, he explores the three powers of the human soul—intellect, will, and passions—and how sin disrupts their proper ordering (with the classic charioteer and horses analogy). L...

Archbishop Cardone returns to St. Gertrude’s to celebrate Mass, marking his 40th anniversary as a Dominican priest and 25th as a bishop. He reflects on the profound lessons he learned here as a young priest in 1986 — faithfulness from elders, family commitment, and the joy of youth. Drawing from 37 years of missionary work in the Solomon Islands, he unpacks today’s Gospel: Come to Jesus, take up H...

Fr. John Paul Walker addresses the recent SSPX schism after their illicit ordination of bishops in defiance of the Holy Father. The Vatican has declared the Society fully schismatic, with excommunications and invalid sacraments. He explains the necessity of communion with the Pope ("Where Peter is, there is the Church") while acknowledging the desire for reverent liturgy, and urges retur...

Fr. John Paul critiques how modern culture—via TV ads, feminism, the sexual revolution, abortion, and gender ideology—portrays fathers as inept buffoons and erodes authentic masculinity. He calls us to reclaim God-given fatherhood modeled on the Heavenly Father, Jesus, and St. Joseph: loving, protective, and open to life in marriage. Includes a call to pray for priests as spiritual fathers. This p...

Fr. John Paul shares his powerful reconversion story: a college sophomore dragged to Mass experiences a life review and hears the piercing question, “What have you done for Him in return?” Drawing on the Gospel—“Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give”—he urges us to offer our lives, gifts, and blessings back to God. This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cin...

Fr. John Paul provides a vision for the new capital campaign and the future of St. Gertrude. This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.  Visit  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠stgertrude.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  for more information

With faith declining sharply (especially among Gen Z), Fr. John Paul urges us to move away from old “Christendom” thinking — the assumption that society supports faith automatically — and instead adopt an apostolic zeal: knowing Christ personally and actively making disciples. In this powerful Ascension homily, he explains Jesus’ Great Commission and our call to evangelize in today’s post-Christia...

Father John Paul reflects on us as “living stones” being built into God’s spiritual house. We must stay close to Jesus, the true Cornerstone, so His life can flow through us and strengthen the whole parish community. This podcast is brought to you by St. Gertrude Parish in Cincinnati, OH, featuring preaching and homilies by the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph.  Visit  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Fr. John Paul Walker's Easter Vigil homily connects the evening rain to Isaiah’s promise that God’s word will water the earth and bear fruit. He proclaims Christ’s victorious resurrection, conquering sin, death, and hell, and rejoices that 28 new Catholics will soon receive the sacraments of initiation. Inviting all to share the holy women’s “fearful yet overjoyed” awe at the empty tomb, he ca...

St. Gertrude Parish has a monthly bulletin feature called Meet a Parishioner. It's a way for parishioners to get to know one another, build community, and stay connected in Christ. This month, we put a spotlight on the Roberts Family! In this video, Daniel Roberts (parishioner and host of the St. Gertrude Parish podcast) talks with his wife, Lindsey, about how they became St. Gertrude Parish p...

We are excited to bring you the St. Gertrude Parish Podcast's first interview, featuring our Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) coordinator, Mary Beth Thiemann. In this conversation, podcast host and parishioner, Daniel Roberts, and Mary Beth cover the following topics:– What is CGS?– Who founded it?– Why does it work so well?– How to explain mortal sin to children? And much more! Thank you...

Fr. Leo Camurati, O.P., explores the unity of baptism in this Lenten homily, drawing from Ezekiel's vision of life-giving water flowing from the Temple—fulfilled in the blood and water from Christ's pierced side. Baptism incorporates us into Christ's body, makes the Dead Sea fresh, and unites all humanity under His headship, even those who never hear the Gospel but live righteously. He...