Bridge Builder Podcast

In today’s episode we’re talking about living in truth and working ecumenically. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about a ruling in a Texas court and what it means for DACA recipients here in Minnesota and across the country. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action. In our bricklayer segment, what you can do to help...

In today’s episode we’re delving further in depth on an abortion case out of Mississippi going before the U.S. Supreme Court, “Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization” and what it could mean for the unborn and their mothers across the nation and here in Minnesota. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about taxpayer funding of abortion. And of course, we want to leave you with some prac...

In today’s episode we’re talking about pro-life apologetics. How you can start to have real dialogue with people who believe women should have a right to abortion. In our mailbag segment, we answer a question about an upcoming supreme court case that could provide protections against abortion to the unborn as early as 15-weeks gestation. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips...

In today’s episode we’re talking about new medical technologies, such as gene editing, and the ability technology gives us to mold our bodies at will. We discuss the principles needed for discerning the use of such technologies. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about peacetime states of emergency and the role of government. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on...

In today’s episode we’re talking about the rise in people thinking of themselves not in terms of our physical being but instead placing primary importance on their interior being. What impacts does it have on society if one’s thoughts and feelings define one’s humanity and can the Christians bring a more stable understanding? In our mailbag segment we answer a question about political controversy...

In today’s episode we’re talking about the correct way to correct a bishop. Social media has enabled people to openly and widely air their grievances about Church hierarchy, but did you know that Canon Law actually gives us the principles of how to correct our Church leaders? In our mailbag segment, we answer a question about Church teaching and what it means to be in communion with the Church. An...

In today’s episode we’re talking about bioethics in public policy and what should be considered when it comes to policies impacting the human body. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about special legislative sessions and why they seem to be so commonplace. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action. In our bricklayer se...

In today’s episode we’re talking about America in crisis and how focusing on truth, beauty, and goodness can help revitalize our country. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about the relationship between our government leaders and Church leaders. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action. In our bricklayer segment, what...

In today’s episode, we’re talking about thinking for yourself and what a lack of critical thinking says about the current state and future of American politics. In our mailbag segment, we answer a question about meeting the needs of parents who want more opportunities to choose the right school for their child’s needs. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can sta...

In today’s episode we’re talking about our roots – the places we come from – and why so many people end up needing to uproot themselves to pursue education or careers. Could changes to public policy help enliven communities facing “brain drain”? In our mailbag segment we answer a question about advocacy efforts and policy priorities now that our regular session will continue into a special session...

In today’s episode we’re talking about elites and the challenges that their ideologies pose for proponents of marriage and the family. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about building relationships with Members of Congress without ever going to D.C. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action. In our bricklayer segment,...

In today’s episode we’re talking about the Church and the State and what history can teach us about how the Church can engage with liberal democracy. We're speaking with Dr. Andrew Jones of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology and author of "Before Church and State" and "The Two Cities: A history of Christian Politics." See below for links to his books including a coupon code to use for order...

In today’s episode, we’re talking about the role of Catholic higher education in providing thought leadership that is confident, comprehensive, steady, and humble and what impact this can have on the public square. In our mailbag segment we answer a question from a new listener who is eager to learn more about advocating for life and dignity. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical...

In today’s episode we’re talking about the landscape of school choice legislation across our country and how COVID has made that need more clear. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about how Catholic education is being supported in Minnesota. In our bricklayer segment, we have an opportunity to be a public witness to the faith and pray for our elected leaders. Links: Catholic Education Pa...

In today’s episode we’re talking about why for Christians the end result of something – no matter how good it is – is not justified by the way someone gets to that result. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about an effort by the government to place a new fee on local churches. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action....

In today’s episode we’re talking about medical ethics and how it pertains to COVID-19 and other emerging bio-medical issues and how as Catholics we can apply our faith to decisions being made on these issues when it comes to policy. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about marijuana and what the church teaches when it comes to policies to regulate its use. And of course, we want to leave...

In today’s episode we’re talking about advocating in the public square and whether we are called to be “counter-cultural”. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about legislative efforts to decriminalize poverty. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action. In our bricklayer segment, how you can join in the fight against phy...

In today’s episode we’re talking about the transformative role of Christianity in the development of the Western mind and its enduring impact on science, secularism, and even atheism. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about building up the City of God. And of course, we want to leave you with some practical tips on how you can start to put your faith into action. In our bricklayer segmen...

In today’s episode we’re talking about the demand for equality from a Catholic perspective and how legislation such as the Equality Act play into the conversation about true equality. In our mailbag segment we answer a question about a bill that would provide undocumented immigrants the opportunity to become licensed drivers in Minnesota. In our bricklayer segment, we’ll have details on how you ca...

In this episode, we have another one of our great Catholics at the Capitol features in which we talk with a Catholic who is living out their call to faithful citizenship right here in Minnesota. We’ll be speaking with Mike Franklin, the new Mayor of Jordan Minnesota – a great small town in Scott County on the Minnesota River. Mike knows many sides of Government Affairs as he has organized projects...

In this episode, we discus the role of cloistered religious sisters in promoting the common good in the public arena. We are joined by Sr. Mary Bede of the Cistercian Order. The sisters live a cloistered life following the Rule of St. Benedict. The motto of Benedictine monasticism “Ora et Labora” or “Prayer and Work” sets the rhythm of their daily life. In our mailbag segment we answer a question...

In this episode we’re talking about the media, journalism, seeking to know and share the truth. We’ll be talking with one of our great Catholic communicators from the Diocese of St. Cloud about the role of Catholic media in forming and informing faithful citizens. We are joined by Joe Towalski. Joe is the Editor of The Central Minnesota Catholic magazine out of the Diocese of St. Cloud where is al...

In this episode we speak with Alejandra Chavez Rivas, a Minnesota mom and DACA recipient, about her own journey with the immigration system and what’s being done here in Minnesota to try to provide immigrants with access to some of the basic needs to provide for their families. Alejandra is a Catholic mom and a parishioner here in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and is a recent graduat...

In this episode we’re discussing why parents should pull their kids out of public schools. We are joined by Mary Rice Hasson co-author of Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child From Public School Before It’s Too Late. She is joining us from Washington DC where she is the Kate O’Beirne Fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Before joining EPPC, Mary worked as an att...

In this episode we are very excited to be joined by one of our great Minnesota Bishops. We’ll be talking about what it means to be a faithful citizen and live out the faith in the public arena. Bishop John Quinn will give us his perspective and reflect on his time as shepherd of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. We are joined on the line by Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester. The...