Upfront with the Archbishop

How do we reawaken the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives?  What should we pay attention to in the Pentecost Mass? Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion on the Pentecost Sunday liturgy, tongues of fire that landed on the Apostles in the Bibles, the Holy Spirit as the forgotten Person of the Trinity, and how to build a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit. Subscribe to our email list: Upf...

How do I vote as a follower of Jesus? Is there objective criteria for voting with a Catholic conscience?  Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about how to vote as a Catholic, as we get ready for the May 29th provincial election in Alberta. We discuss what it means to have a well-formed conscience, the principles of Catholic social teaching that need to inform our voting decisions, how governmen...

What is the "Domestic Church"? How should we teach kids to pray? What if my daughter doesn't want to go to mass? Join Archbishop Richard Smith this week in a discussion on how to treat your family life so that children grow to love the faith and continue it into their adulthood. Also included at the end is a special rapid fire question game inspired by a 5 year old Catholic! Subscri...

Have you ever walked into a Catholic Church and thought “this is ugly!?” Well, today we speak with Archbishop Smith about how to approach different opinions on church architecture, the principles that the building of Catholic churches, the need for beauty and transcendence in our places of worship and His Grace’s favorite church in the Archdiocese! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfr...

Can our clothing and behavior at Mass actually cause people to lose faith? Do we dress too casual for Mass?  Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about the "virtue of religion," the symbolic power of our clothing and the relationship between how we worship and what we believe. Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfront with the Archbishop is a podcast where we seek to bridge...

What have we forgotten about the 50 days of Easter?  Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about how to stay invested in the Easter Season and the many details Easter traditions and liturgies that we might miss. We speak about the Archbishop's favorite ancient Easter homily, the "propers" of the Mass throughout Easter season, the power of our baptismal promises to overcome evil in...

Have you ever been confused about what actually happens in the Sacrament of Confirmation?  On today’s episode Archbishop Smith shares about confirmation, “the sacrament in search of a theology,” Confirmation as the missionary sacrament, the traditional order for receiving the Sacraments of initiation and what it means to be commissioned as a Catholic.  Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates...

The Easter Vigil Mass is the longest Mass of the year: there is a bonfire, the Paschal candle, the Exultant, the dramatic contrast of candles in a dark church, nine different readings, and much more. Join us for a discussion with Archbishop Smith as he shares about the ancient meanings of the Easter Vigil traditions. We also speak about the theology of Christ’s wounds, the “necessary sin of Adam”...

There has been a lot confusion concerning the "Doctrine of Discovery." Today's bonus episode is a discussion to clear away confusion, discuss where this so-called doctrine came from, and clarify the Church's stance on the "Doctrine of Discovery." Today we hosted a conversation between Archbishop Richard Smith and Archbishop Donald Bolen of the Archdiocese of Regina in...

Sometimes we can miss the richness of a Mass, because we haven’t learned the symbolism that fills each liturgy. This week, Archbishop Smith walks us through some of the lesser-known details of three major liturgies that are coming up on our Catholic calendars: The Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday Mass and the Good Friday Service. We also talk about what to do when we are distracted or impatient during M...

Is it appropriate for priests to make jokes in their homilies?   How is Scripture meant to be preached in the Mass?  Join us today for the latest podcast episode of Upfront With The Archbishop for a discussion with Archbishop Smith about homilies! We talk about the process of writing a homily, the principles of a good homily, the differences between public speaking and homily preaching, and how to...

Join us for an in-depth conversation about different interpretations of Vatican II, "liturgy wars" in the Western Church, how to stay focused on Jesus amid political division, Dr. Weigel's concerns about the Synod on Synodality, whether or not the viral YouTube documentary the Mass of the Ages about the Latin Mass is worth watching or not, and Dr. Weigel’s lastest book: To Sanctify...

This week we are taking a break from our regular episodes but next week we have a special episode with George Weigel, one of Catholicism's most renowned journalists and authors. We'll be talking about some issues that are bringing division into the Church and how to stay focused on Our Lord, Jesus. Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events a...

What are Archbishop Smith’s top 3 favorite international travel destinations? His Grace has had the opportunity to travel all over the world and today he shares about the places that have impacted him most: The Holy Land (specifically the house of the High Priest Caiaphas where Jesus was held overnight before his death), the burial place of St. Peter in Vatican City and Lima, Peru, where he encoun...

Are we not taking fasting seriously enough? Join Archbishop Smith and Jenny Connelly as they discuss the ancient spiritual discipline of fasting. What is fasting? Why is it such an important part of our Catholicism? This episode speaks about how restricting our bodies can help our souls flourish, the relationship between fasting and joy, fasting and spiritual warfare, alternative ways to fast duri...

What happens when a group of bishops breaks unity with the universal church? Is the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops just another bureaucracy? Archbishop Smith was the president of the CCCB from 2011-2013 and on today’s episode our host jenny and Archbishop Smith have an in-depth conversation about conferences of bishops and how these conferences impact – for good and bad – Catholics in the...

Youth camps have been paused in the Archdiocese of Edmonton since 2019. What is the future of youth camp ministry in the Archdiocese? What communication issues and concerns regarding camps have arisen over the past five years – and how can we do better in the future?  Join Archbishop Smith, Camp Director Fr. Marc Cramer, Camp Coordinator Mike Landry and our podcast host Jenny Connelly for a candid...

We held our second LIVE recording event at St. Joseph's College on the University of Alberta campus this week and had an electric Q&A. His Grace dove into facing doubt in University, apostolic boldness, and holding on to our fundamental relationship with Jesus, especially during challenging times. Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and...

Today on the podcast Archbishop Smith is speaking about having a holy relationship with sensual pleasure.  Food, entertainment, sexuality - how do we exercise temperance towards the experience of pleasure?  How can pleasure draw us closer to Christ, rather than farther away?  Today we are on the third and final episode of our “Embrace Limit” miniseries.  There are many different parts of being a C...

“Being limited is something our current world is raging against.” There are many different parts of being a Catholic that can seem to limit our freedom, and therefore limit our happiness. But if we look a little closer, sometime the parts of being a follower of Christ that can seem most constraining are the parts that lead to the most freedom and joy!  Embrace Limit is a miniseries that explores w...

“Being limited is something our current world is raging against.” There are many different parts of being a Catholic that can seem to limit our freedom, and therefore limit our happiness. But if we look a little closer, sometime the parts of being a follower of Christ that can seem most constraining are the parts that lead to the most freedom and joy!  Embrace Limit is a miniseries that explores w...

"O Lord, give what you command, and command what you want." This week we explore one of Archbishop Smith's favourite saints, Augustine of Hippo! Discussing the different heretics and heresies he confronted in his day, we also look at how they still have an influence in today's culture. Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and...

"He was for me a constant point of reference." In this special bonus episode Archbishop Smith recalls the times he met and talked with the late Pope Benedict XVI, and reflects on what his enormous contribution to the church has meant to him as a priest and bishop. Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! Links: Pope Benedi...

"It's easy to fall into the trap, when a microphone is in front of you, to start thinking; what script am I supposed to be following? You risk becoming inauthentic." Archbishop Smith was in the media quite a bit this year! In our year end review He takes a look at how he approached the media, and reflects on the many historic events that occurred this year: The Canadian Papal Delega...

 "Fall on your knees, where salvation history finds it's fulfillment." Thanks to our listeners request, Archbishop Smith reveals the truth behind the many liturgies celebrated for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. Midnight Mass, Mass at Dawn, Christmas/Easter Catholics, and some funny stories about past Christmas's are all part of this joyous episode. Looking for Christmas...