Ave Maria in the Afternoon

We know how smartphones affect our children’s brains – but what about their souls? John Melnikov joins us. Further Reading TikTok and the Noonday Devil Guest Info John Melnikov is a theology teacher based in Trumbull, CT. He has a BA in Religious Studies from Fairfield University and an MA in Christian Leadership from Liberty University. He is an active parishioner at St. Jude in Monroe, CT, and i...

New Jersey is considering a bill that could open the door to intentional legal undernourishment. Wes Smith has the details. Further Reading Would New Jersey Bill Authorize Slow-Motion Euthanasia of Dementia Patients? Guest Info Wes Smith is the Chair and Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute’s Center on Human Exceptionalism. He’s also the host of the Humanize Podcast. He’s the author of 13 book...

In today’s readings, Paul is dragged into the old courtroom of Israel, Jesus prays within the eternal communion of the Father, and in the psalms the voice of every covenant servant who has learned that God himself is our portion. The readings converge upon one urgent truth: the Church is born from the resurrection and sent into this public conflict of the world. Marcus has more. This is a public e...

Catholics celebrate May as the Month of Mary. Steve Ray joins us with some special terms we use to describe what our Blessed Mother means to us. Guest Info Steve Ray leads pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Rome and other sites. He converted to Catholicism in 1994 and is the author of “Crossing the Tiber,” “Upon this Rock” and other books, including a brand-new study on the Book of Genesis. He’s the ho...

This week, the Trump administration took a decisive step to safeguard religious freedom by reviving the Conscience and Religious Freedom Division at HHS — a federal watchdog tasked with defending healthcare workers and patients whose faith is increasingly under siege in American medicine. Andrea Picciotti-Bayer tells us more. Further Reading Why Trump’s revival of HHS Conscience Division is a win...

A new public campaign is beginning in Great Britain, where some members of Parliament are attempting to pass a bill legalizing assisted suicide. Joanna Bogle has the details. Guest Info Joanna Bogle is a British Roman Catholic writer and broadcaster based in London. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit avemariapm....

Fans of the musical “My Fair Lady” may recognize May 20 as “Eliza Doolittle Day.” The musical is build on the premise that our manners, speech, and actions reveal something about our soul. The Catechism teaches that human dignity requires education and virtue, because education and virtue teach self-mastery. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other su...

Marcus awoke on May 20, 2008 as a radical atheist who hated the idea of God. He went to bed as a Christian who finally understood that God loved him. On the anniversary of his conversion, Marcus shares what happened that day. 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

Just over two years ago, Adam Wright got a life-changing message from his doctor. He had been diagnosed with cancer. That night, he prayed a simple prayer: “I’m not ready, Lord. But You are. Let’s go.” He reflects on his journey of suffering. Further Reading Follow Adam’s Substack Guest Info Adam Wright hosts the Roadmap to Heaven on Covenant Network Catholic Radio. Follow his new Substack Don’t W...

Malcolm X was born on this day in 1925. He is one of many historical figures who have been either canonized or demonized by modern culture due to a simplistic, sentimental read of history. But as Catholics we have an obligation to look at history through the lens of the teachings of the Church, acknowledging how God has used broken men and movements to achieve great goods. Marcus has more. This is...

In today’s reading, Paul speaks to the presbyters of Ephesus. He addresses them as a father, and his ministry is a participation in the self-given love of Christ. He is entrusting to them the urgent call of the Gospel to shepherd the faithful. We are given the same call to become witnesses for Christ. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribe...

With Fulton Sheen’s impending canonization, we would be wise to revisit his writings on battling demons. Fr. Dave Tomaszycki joins us with more. Further Reading Book: Fulton Sheen on the Demonic Guest Info Father Dave Tomaszycki is the pastor of St Peter Parish in Mount Clemens, Michigan This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episo...

A deacon in charge of seminary formation recently told Greg Popcak that “we no longer assume Catholics know how to pray – including applicants to the seminary. They know how to say prayers, but have no personal prayer life.” Greg joins us with some simple steps to starting personal prayer. Guest Info Dr. Greg Popcak is the founder of CatholicCounselors.com Together with his wife Lisa, he’s the aut...

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Christians are once again debating the moral significance of the American Founding. Was the American Revolution an act of justified resistance, or a failure of obedience? Romans 13 commands us to “be subject to the governing authorities” and Jesus famously told us to “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” We talk more about it with Mitchell Bahn...

Pope Leo’s first encyclical will be published on May 25. Entitled Magnifica Humanitas, it will address the protection of human dignity in an age of artificial intelligence. Matthew Bunson has more. Further Reading Vatican to Publish Pope Leo XIV’s First Encyclical May 25 Guest Info Matthew Bunson is Vice President and Editorial Director of EWTN News and a Senior Fellow at St Paul Center for Biblic...

A movement at a Catholic University calling itself the Coalition of Catholics Against Jewish Supremacy claims that Catholics have no Jewish roots and that Jews exist purely and entirely in opposition to Christ. The church gives us the answer to this so-called Jewish question. The answer is salvation in Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham. Marcus has more. This is a public episode. If you wo...

The cause of canonization has opened for Pedro Ballester, an engineering student from England who died in 2018 at the age of 21. Could he be the first Gen Z saint? His friend Jack Valero joins us. Further Reading Diocese bids to make student first Gen Z saint Learn more about Pedro Guest Info Jack Valero serves in the UK Communications Office of Opus Dei and was a close associate of Pedro Balleste...

Recently, there has been a notable upsurge in adult conversions to the Catholic faith, even amidst a long-term decline in religious affiliation. Heartening as it is, this glimmer of hope raises a question for those already devoted to the practice of the faith: what can we do to collaborate with the Holy Spirit to assist souls in finding their way to the fullness of the truth? We’ll talk about it w...

God made us for communion with Him. Sin fractures that communion. Christ restores it by His blood. Our political life will never replace that covenant. But political life can be healed by citizens who live in virtue. 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

Today, political conflict in the United States is more than a social crisis—it is a cultural mirror. A considerable portion of the population thinks violence is justifiable to achieve political goals, debate has gone out the window, and our elected officials seem more interested in verbal sparring than actually accomplishing anything. At the heart of this trend is a civilizational challenge: a ste...

The final report of the Synod on Synodality’s Study Group 9 has drawn widespread criticism since its publication last week — not least for what its authors wrote about Courage International. The organization’s Executive Director Fr Brian Gannon joins us. Further Reading Courage Director: Synod Report ‘Wounds the Church’ Courage website Guest Info Fr. Brian Gannon is the Executive Director of Coura...

In today’s First Reading, Paul enters Ephesus and finds men who had received John’s initial baptism of repentance, but had not been baptized in the authority Christ proposed. He baptized in this manner, and they began to prophecy. The church needs sons and daughters who will boldly and seriously live out every aspect of our baptismal promises. Do not take the graces of your baptism for granted! Ma...

The Virgin Mary’s part in history doesn’t begin and end with her yes to God. She is at the center of history from creation to the end of time and everywhere in between. Mike Aquilina joins us to explore the many ways the mother of humanity has left her mark on the great events of time, not only as we see them in the Bible, but also in pivotal events such as Fatima, the battle of Lepanto, and the p...

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension. Throughout the readings, we see a constant theme of the Enthronement of Christ. We unpack the readings with Rob Corzine. 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

God made man in His own image and likeness. God Himself, then, is the primary reference point for man’s self-understanding. Accordingly, when man loses sight of God, he loses sight of his own humanity. Stephen White has more. Further Reading A Light Shines in the Darkness Guest Info Stephen P. White is executive director of Saint John Paul II National Shrine and a fellow in Catholic Studies at the...