The Catholic Cafe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How often should you go to the sacrament of Confession? When is it "too much"? Do you know what scrupulosity is? Many people suffer from this distorted understanding of self-examination. Listen in as Deacon Jeff and Tom discuss how to get the most out of your Reconciliation experience and how to avoid the pitfalls of scrupulous behavior.

Have you ever wondered if the spiritual goals you may have set for yourself can be problematic? Are you concerned with how many Rosaries you've prayed, or how many hours of Adoration you've accomplished, or how many Masses you attend weekly? Sometimes we can get caught up in the numbers game and lose sight of the real "big" picture...growing in holiness. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome a...

Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they welcome their guest, Caroline Brennan of CRS, as she shares first-hand experiences and offers some great insights into the emergency needs of people around the world who suffer from persecution, poor living conditions and natural disasters.

Why is the concept of "intercession" so important to the Catholic Church? What does it mean for us? How do we do it? Where did it come from? Who did it first? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as we answer these and many other questions about the significance of praying for others and interceding on their behalf.

Increasingly, the Church is seeing the importance of ministering to young adults in their 20's and 30's. With ever-growing concerns and focus on new careers, first mortgages and young children, this vital part of God's Church finds itself transitioning from living under the supervision of parents to managing their own households. And the Church can sometimes seem less relevant to their day-to-day...

You've certainly heard of Pentecost, that all important time in the beginning of the Church's life when the Holy Spirit descended upon the people of God and gave them His very life, to empower them to live out their baptismal call to grow in holiness and to go forth to evangelize. But, have you heard of the call for a "New Pentecost"? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome EWTN show host and Vic...

How many times have you heard someone tell you, "That's a Mortal Sin!" ? Did you ever wonder if the were right? What makes a Mortal Sin mortal? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they take on the basic yet all important topic of Mortal and Venial Sins.

Have you ever noticed that Mass attendance during the summer seems to drop off...sometimes rather significantly? Are people taking summer-long vacations that cause them to be gone from your parish ALL summer long? Well, some folks may just be taking "sacramental vacations." Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss balancing the beauty of the vacation alongside the con...

Do you remember your first pair of cleats when you were a kid? How they helped you in your ability to play the game? Well, interestingly, there are a lot of connections to be made between a good pair of cleats, and the Paraclete that Jesus promised to send us...the Holy Spirit. Intrigued? Want to hear more? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth to find out why the game of life is...

So...do you know what an Oratory is? Do you know why St. Philip Neri started them way back in the 1500's? Well, if you want to know (and believe me...it's quite fascinating!) you need to tune into the final pilgrimage episode of The FRENCH Catholic Cafe. Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom Mulligan as they welcome their guest, Fr. Richard Mullins, Oratorian in Formation for the Oratorian Community of St....

Have you ever wondered why Catholics love the Crucifix? What does suffering have to do with Salvation? Welcome to the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe! Join host Deacon Jeff Drzycimski as he and co-host Fra Tom Mulligan welcome their guest, Fr. Dave Caron, OP, President of the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis Missouri. Together, they discuss the beautiful devotional pra...

Welcome to the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe! Join host Deacon Jeff Drzycimski as he and co-host Fra Tom Mulligan welcome their guest, Geoff Gamble, KMob, a Knight of Malta in Obedience. Together, they discuss the developments that led to the appearance of the Order of Malta in North America. You may be surprised at some interesting connections between the founding of America...

Welcome to the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe! Join host Deacon Jeff Drzycimski as he and drop-in co-host Father Andrew Fisher welcome artist Paul Hennesy, an accomplished landscape painter. Together, they discuss how we can sense the divine in creation and actually come to experience...and know...God through the beauty of His creation.

Is Mary leading YOU to Jesus? Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as Deacon Jeff welcomes his guest, His Most Eminent Highness Fra Matthew Festing, Prince and Grand Master of the Order of Malta. The Grand Master shares his thoughts on a number of topics including the Catholic teaching on the Blessed Mother, his personal devotion to her and the Rosary, and the Order of...

Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as Deacon Jeff and sidekick Fra Tom Mulligan welcome their guest, Deacon Johannes Van Voorst, a transitional deacon from Holland who is preparing for his ordination to the priesthood. Deacon Johannes presents his thoughts on vocations in his country and around the world, and also he shares why he answered the call to Holy Orders. Yo...

Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as Deacon Jeff welcomes his guest, Dr. Richard Feely, DO, a doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Deacon Jeff and the good doctor, also a Knight of Malta, discuss amazing advances and positive results in partnering with the Lebanese Association of the Order of Malta in working with children with Cerebral Palsy.

Have you ever wondered if men and women in the active duty military have the same obligation for attending Mass as ordinary Catholics do? Did you know that the military has their own archdiocese? Join Deacon Jeff in the Luxurious Corner Booth as he welcomes The Most Reverend Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA to the FRENCH Catholic Cafe. The Cafe is open...