The Catholic Cafe

Did you ever wonder when and where the concept of the"hospital" was developed? You may be surprised to learn that our modern healthcare system owes a great debt of gratitude to the Knights of Malta who made it their charism to care for the sick who were making pilgrimage nearly a thousand years ago. Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom as they welcome Dane Munro, a Knight of Malta from the Island of Malta...

Did you know that there was an approved Marian apparition site in the United States? Many people are unaware that The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a young girl named Adele in Champion, Wisconsin, only a year after Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes. Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom as they welcome the Most Reverend David Ricken, Bishop of Green Bay, to the Luxurious Corner Booth as they dis...

Suffering is never fun. In fact, by definition, suffering is awful. And, the only thing that makes it worse, is when the suffering we experience seems meaningless. But, is suffering supposed to be meaningless? Can there ever be a good purpose to suffering? Jesus seemed to think so. Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as they welcome their guest, F...

Why are Catholics always using candles in the Church, in the Liturgy, in our homes? What do they mean? Are they simply a source of light when the power goes out? Join Deacon Jeff in the The FRENCH Catholic Cafe as he welcomes Father Richard Mullins to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss the beauty, the meaning and the symbolism of the cadle in our Catholic faith.

So, what does the Order of Malta actually DO to alleviate the suffering of the poor and disenfranchised? Join Deacon Jeff in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe in Lourdes, France as he welcomes his guest, Barbara Laughlin, a Dame of the Order of Malta. Together, they discuss the many corporal works that the Order does to assist the ministries and agencies that bring hope to tho...

We have all heard that prayer can be powerful, but, how is this accomplished? What are the ways in which we can significantly enhance our prayer life? Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe in Lourdes, France as they welcome their guest, His Most Eminent Highness Fra Matthew Festing, the Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta. Together, they d...

It's sometimes so easy to forget about those who are incarcerated...especially those who are serving life sentences or sitting on Death Row. We say, "Justice has been served" or "They got what they asked for" or "TWe can't help them anymore." But, what did Jesus say? It is quite challenging and very counter-cultural. Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic...

The world is full of skeptics and it's hard to believe in miracles sometimes. But, do "unexplainable medical outcomes" really exist? And are these really a journey into the miraculous? Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the French Catholic Cafe as they welcome their guest, Dr. Bob Springer, a radiologist from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bob describes not only his time a...

Have you ever been on pilgrimage? Did you know why a pilgrimage differs from a tour or vacation? Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom Mulligan, a religious brother in the Order of Malta, as they open up their annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, France by discussing the meaning and significance of spiritual pilgrimages. They welcome as their guest Abbot Placid Solari, Abbot of Belmont Abbey and Chancellor of Bel...

Parenting is definitely tough these days, especially if you want your kids to grow up Catholic. There are so many challenges to raising kids in a traditional, holy family. So, Deacon Jeff and Tom, themselves having 14 kids between their 2 families, offer their thoughts on the matter, and send some advice your way on the methods of modern Catholic parenting that have worked in their families.

Have you ever started praying a traditional Catholic prayer, but found that you were just rattling off words from memory without really paying attention to their meaning? When we do this (and we all do this at times), sometimes it's good to slow down and study the words of the prayer. Take, for example, the Act of Contrition, a beautiful prayer of penance we pray in the confessional. Join Deacon J...

A lot of folks have had painful and difficult encounters with cancer. It's a horrible, insidious disease. But, many people don't realize that EVERYONE has to deal with the cancer of sin in their lives. Just like cancer, if we don't deal with our sin, it can overtake our life...and eventually take our life. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the timely and import...

Are you wondering how to get that "fire" back into your day to day existence? So many Catholics struggle to live a life of vibrancy and joy. Perhaps you need a dose of the Holy Spirit! Do you want to increase the Holy Spirit's presence in your life, but you don't know how? Then, you've come to the right place! Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they walk you through ten EASY ways to increase the effectiv...

Many folks feel like maybe the Holy Spirit went "dormant" after their Confirmation...as if He suddenly took a long nap and was nowhere to be found. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they talk about the recent Confirmation liturgy of Deacon Jeff's son, and how it caused him to ponder the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives and to further explore how we can invite the Holy S...

In a conversation with a couple discerning whether or not they were being called into full communion with the Catholic Church, the question of "emotion" and "feelings" almost lead them to change their mind and find a church more suited to their "worship style." Find out what Deacon Jeff shared with the couple...and how this topic might even be affecting many of today's Catholics as he and Tom tack...

What if they announced the discovery of Jesus' burial remains? What if we found out that Jesus was a real person, but the Resurrection was just a made-up story? Would it change his message? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of The Catholic Cafe as they ponder the importance and effect of believing in the Resurrection of Jesus.

Growing up, we all had heroes. Unfortunately, we stop looking to heroes more and more as we get older. Now, more than ever, men need a good role model to improve their lives as husbands, fathers, sons and brothers. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of The Catholic Cafe as they discuss what Scripture tells us about St. Joseph, and why he makes an excellent hero to model for tod...

Why did God send an angel to Joseph in a dream as he was planning on leaving Mary behind? Did you ever wonder about that? Could it be that God had plans for Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a family? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they delve into Joseph's dream and reveal why God sent Joseph back to Mary.

Life is tough these days...and it's really toughest on the family. It seems that nothing is under attack more than the traditional family unit which has always been the basis for a stable...and holy...society. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss how men can regain a sense of spiritual direction in their families.

When's the last time you fasted? No...REALLY fasted? It's not something we do a lot anymore and it tends to be very counter-cultural. And, even though we pray and give alms, perhaps we've gotten a little lax in those areas as well. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of The Catholic Cafe as tackle the (sometimes uncomfortable) topic of the power of prayer, fasting and almsgiving...

Is your Lenten experience a little stale? Are you tired of just giving up chocolate or colas and calling it Lent? Maybe you need to ramp things up a bit, but you feel like you have to wait until next year since Lent is already underway. Well, it's not too late. You can still make this the best Lent ever! Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious corner Booth as they compile and discuss a list of t...

Do you really KNOW Jesus? Lots of folks say they do, but who is Jesus referring to when he says many will call out to him saying "Lord Lord!" and tells them he never knew them? We hope and pray that is not us. So how do we come to truly know him? Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth as Fr. John Riccardo tells us how he and his parish have used a program called Alpha to truly encounter the Risen L...

Today, many folks find it difficult to make time in their busy schedules to attend funerals. Do you have a problem with attending a funeral? Do you create excuses...or find you just don't have time? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they run down their top ten list of why they think you should make attending a funeral - any funeral - a priority in your life.

Is your prayer life a little stale? Or is it non-existent? This happens more than you might think...even to those you perceive to be the holiest of people. So what's a soul to do when they feel God is not present to them in prayer? Should you just give up? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they share ten of their favorite, sure-fire, highly recommended ways to improve your...

Many times when we read the stories and events presented to us by Sacred Scripture, we fail to realize they aren't just stories and events that happened in a vacuum of time. We should try and picture ourselves in these events and see how we would have responded and what we would have learned. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss Saul's encounter with Christ on the...