Ave Maria in the Afternoon

Debates over issues such as marriage, infertility, divorce and adoption tend to consider the issue solely from the adult’s perspective and “rights.” But what about the Rights of the children? Stacy Manning joins us to flip the script on the conversation. Further Reading Them Before Us website Book: Them Before Us: Why We Need a Global Children’s Rights Movement Guest Info Stacy Manning is the co-a...

What distinguishes men from women? Many of the discussions around what it means to be a woman, or conversations around the significance of maleness and femaleness, fail to take into account the angle of the questions asked or misunderstand the position that another is coming from. A “3-D” reality is condensed to a “2-D” explanation. Kerri Christopher joins us to discuss more on the reality of woma...

It began on the shores of Galilee – Jesus called a man named Simon, later Peter, to follow him. Peter was far from perfect and he knew it, asking the Lord to depart from him for he was a sinful man. But throughout history God uses broken, sinful man for his plan for the world. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Is doubt the sign of a lack of faith? Can faith and doubt co-exist? Do people who have faith also have doubts? We know from the events of Holy Week that even the apostles had doubts, but the manner of their deaths also shows their faith. We discuss the nature of faith and doubt with Randall Smith. Further Reading Faith, Doubt, and the Dilemma of Being Human Guest Info Randall B. Smith is a Profess...

President Trump has invited the Vatican and several other European countries to join a “board of peace” to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. Matthew Bunson has the details, and also honors the late Vatican journalist John Allen, who passed away this week. Further Reading John Allen Jr., author and longtime Vatican reporter, dies at 61 Pope evaluating Trump’s invitation to join Board of Peace, Va...

Where do the threads that form the Western Tradition originate, and how were they woven together throughout the millennia? What are the sources of our modern ideas about science, freedom, equality, law, and good government? James Hankins has authored a massive volume exploring this history, and he joins us. Further Reading Book: The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition Picking up the...

Do you ever find yourself “hopping” from parish to parish in search of the one that will best suit your needs? While it’s important to search for parishes that will support you and your family, we cannot overlook the role the laity have to play in forming strong parishes. Jason Negri has more. Further Reading All Hands on Deck Guest Info Jason Negri received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees fro...

On Monday the Indiana Hoosiers football team – historically one of the worst programs in the country – completed a dream undefeated season by winning the National Championship. They’re led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a devout Catholic who’s never backed down from sharing his faith. Fr. Patrick Hyde, pastor of the Catholic Center at IU, joins us with more. Further Reading The Joy of Being a Ho...

The interruption of Sunday services at a church in Minnesota marks a watershed moment in the moral and religious imagination of the American Republic and the Western world. If even religious worship may be interrupted in service of political expression, then truly nothing is sacred. Marcus has more. Further Reading Desecration in Minnesota and the Ecclesiology of Public Worship This is a public ep...

Through his work at the Coming Home Network, JonMarc Grodi has talked with hundreds of people about their journeys to the Catholic Church. What has talking with converts taught him about the prospects of Christian unity? He joins us. Further Reading Coming Home Network Guest Info JonMarc Grodi is the Executive Director of the Coming Home Network and the Host of the Journey Home. This is a public e...

In the summer of 2024, thousands of Catholics flocked to Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. In the months since, the organizers have conducted research to try to quantify the effects of the Congress and make plans for the next one. Jack Figge has more. Further Reading ‘Let Jesus do the heavy lifting’ — Lessons of the National Eucharistic Revival report Guest Info Jack Figge is a j...

What role should our government play in the life and death choices we all face? Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is featured on an upcoming PBS series that will explore this question. She joins us. Further Reading Follow Andrea on X Watch Breaking the Deadlock Guest Info Andrea Picciotti-Bayer is a legal analyst for EWTN News. She also directs the Conscience Project. Follow her on Twitter @bayerpicciotti an...

This week, we continue to pray for Christian unity. And in the eyes of the Church, no Christian unity can be achieved without considering the Jewish people. Andre Villeneuve joins us. Guest Info André Villeneuve (PhD, Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is associate professor of Old Testament and biblical languages at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan. He received his Licentiate in Sacr...

On January 21, 1793, the guillotine fell upon the neck of French King Louis XVI. The execution of the French monarch was a symbolic moment then because the revolt ceased to be rhetorical. At that point, it became a public declaration of warfare. Unlike the American Revolution, which sought continuity with inherited law, custom, religious conviction, natural law, the French revolt pursued rupture,...

This week the Franciscan University community was rocked by the sudden death of two of its students. Luke Reimer and Mary Mich were found inside of a car in a campus parking lot and investigators believe they died from an engine gas leak. In times of such tragedy, we grasp to understand why God allows this to happen. The Catholic faith offers the only honest approach to death because it integrates...

This week, Catholics and many other Christian denominations are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Dr. Charlie Self joins us with a look at Jesus’s words in John 17 and other scriptures, discussing the hope and promise for Christian unity. Guest Info Dr. Charlie Self is an author, adviser, pastor and professor with more than 40 years of experience connecting Faith and the Common G...

The mission, plantation, pioneer homestead, immigrant colony, mission farm, and remote job-homeschooling homestead―this is the story of the American Catholic Land Movement. Jared Staudt joins us to talk more about it. Further Reading Book: The American Catholic Land Movement: Past, Present, and Future Guest Info R. Jared Staudt is a teacher, writer, and speaker committed to helping others enter in...

Many Christians struggle with confidence because we’ve absorbed the world’s definition of it. The culture tells us that confidence means believing we’re strong, capable, and talented enough to handle whatever comes our way. If we don’t feel competent or certain, we assume something is wrong with us. But the Theology of the Body offers a radically different—and deeply freeing—understanding of confi...

Tomorrow night, Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Plymouth will host a Rose Ceremony during Mass to remember all the lives lost to abortion. Monica Miller joins us with the details. The Mass begins at 6:00 pm. Further Reading Abandoned: The Untold Story of the Abortion Wars Guest Info Dr Monica Miller is the Director of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and the author of many books including “The A...

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees accuse Jesus and His followers of breaking the Sabbath. God commands us to keep the Sabbath holy and observe the day of rest - but we can only join in that Sabbath rest if we take our Sundays seriously. Going to Mass is not an obligation. It is an invitation to be elevated into the divine intimacy and life of our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Marcus has more. This...

January 15 was the 25th anniversary of the first edits on Wikipedia and many consider the date to be the website’s “birthday.” Wikipedia has grown from the website your teachers warned you never to cite as a source, to one of the most widely-used resources on the web. But while it can provide us with knowledge about countless topics, it cannot give us wisdom. Knowledge is valuable, but wisdom is i...

In his iconic “I have a dream” speech, Martin Luther King shared his vision and understanding of Justice in America. We discuss it with Nathan Schlueter. Further Reading One Dream or Two?: Justice in America and in the Thought of Martin Luther King Jr Guest Info Nathan Schlueter is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Hillsdale College. He’s the author of many books, including One Dream or Two?...

Pope Leo’s official papal mosaic is complete and will soon be installed at St. Paul Outside the Walls Basilica in Rome, where the mosaics of every other pontiff are displayed. Art historian and expert Liz Lev joins us to talk about the history and symbolism behind these mosaics. Further Reading Mosaic bearing Pope Leo XIV’s portrait readied for St. Paul Outside the Walls Book: The Silent Knight: A...

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is asked why His disciples do not fast, while the followers of John and the Pharisees do. Jesus’ answer is key to understanding the covenantal relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com

A group of anti-ICE agitators stormed Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota yesterday during Sunday services. We look at the story with Doug Keck. Guest Info Doug Keck is the host of EWTN Bookmark. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm.substack.com