Catholic-Link Podcast

Holy Week is the most sacred time in the Church's calendar. We commemorate the final days of Jesus' life leading up to his passion, death, and resurrection. During Holy Week, Jesus instituted the Eucharist and established the priesthood. Karen May, a Catholic speaker, author, and spiritual director, joins Fr. George to discuss her favorite moments during the Holy Week liturgies and how she and her...

Virtue is often defined as the median between two extremes. An overly academic definition, though, can make virtue feel remote and unachievable. Dave DiNuzzo, author of The Steep Upward Climb , joins Fr. George in this podcast to describe how virtue is both attainable and is a requirement to live the Catholic life. Our climb up the mountain of life aims at eternal life in Heaven and our journey up...

Carlo Acutis, the Millennial Saint, lived an ordinary life and loved the people around him in an extraordinary way. He shows the modern world that holiness is for everyone, we are all called to be saints. An upcoming documentary, The Boy from Milan , shows the personal testimony of those who knew him during his life. Emily Mentock, executive producer of Based on a True Saint , joins Fr. George. Sh...

Fitness and Nutrition are the tools for the modern ascetic. As humans, made of body and soul, we must take care of our bodies and that can be a means of self discipline. The goal is to become a total self gift to others. Exercise and eating well are means to help us love God more fully and those in our lives more fully. Chase Crouse of Hypuro Fit joins Fr. George to discuss how Catholics should ap...

Jubilee is an ancient tradition with roots in the Old Testament beginning with Moses and the Exodus. Dr. John Bergsma and Fr. George Elliot compare the ancient themes and practices to how we can live the Jubilee year well in the Catholic Church today. Pilgrimage is a key aspect of the Jubilee from the beginning where servants, set free from their service, return home to their family. Dr. John Berg...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Fr. Brice Higginbotham of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux joins Fr. George to discuss the Liturgy of the Hours. Also known as the Divine Office, it is the official prayer of the Church outside of the Mass. Priests and religious are required to pray these hours at set intervals throughout the day. The Second Vatican Council encouraged the laity to pray t...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Dr. Scott Hefelfinger, PhD of the Augustine Institute joins Fr. George. They discuss ways one should not observe Lent and ways one should observe Lent. Everyone experienced Lents with a lot of passion and other Lents with minimal attention and everything in between. Dr. Hefelfinger discusses How to Lent a new Lenten program. How to Lent is a new series...

In this throwback episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Fr. Rob discusses our journey through a spiritual desert during Lent. Lent is about how to live in paradise...now. It's a great rescue story, the story of us being pulled out of slavery and into the Promised Land (but to do that we must go through the desert). In this episode, Fr. Rob talks to us about what Fr. Rob is and maybe more specifica...

In this throwback episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Fr. Rob and Fr. George Elliot discussed a brief history of Lent. So, how we should not only think of Lent as a time for penance. But also think of Lent as a preparation in the Heavenly mysteries. Originally the 40 day fast was for the Catechumens, those coming into the Church at Easter. But, the Church saw a need for all the faithful to engag...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss how showing interest in conversations with other people is an act of charity. Charity is simply willing the good of the other for the other's sake. It is often synonymous with community service and volunteer work. But a simple conversation with another person is also an act of charity. Someone approaches you to talk about...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss how one properly responds to confessing the same sins in Confession. When we frequent the Sacrament of Confession / Reconciliation and we find we confess the same sins, we must not give into discouragement. Going repeatedly despite our shortcomings shows our humility and trust in God's grace to draw us closer to him. Fr....

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob discusses what lazy means and how it differs from despondency. Laziness is generally choosing pleasures or ease over a work or duty one knows they must do. For example, one may know that they need to take the trash out, but they choose to lie on the couch instead. Despondency is a state of low hope or courage. Laziness and despondency also need...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss again the Mental Health of Priests with a focus on how their experience of Catholicism shifts after ordination. Men become priests for a variety of reasons. All their lives until ordination they participate in the Sacraments just like a lay person in the pews would participate in the Mass. After ordination, they transi...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss reflection and contemplation upon God's work throughout the past day. In the Nativity story, we hear that Mary pondered the first Christmas in her heart. Fr. Rob and Fr. George call us to end our days with some reflection and contemplation about where God worked. It is easy to grow frustrated at the mundane work of the...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). They discuss why the name changed from RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, to OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Then they discuss some of the OCIA process and different rites candidates participate in. The entrance into full communion wi...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss why they produce a Catholic podcast. There are so many Catholic podcasts to choose from. Fr. Rob and Fr. George take a unique perspective on their podcast to provide listeners a fresh perspective. They are pastors in their respective parishes. With that experience they feel their podcasts can take a more pastoral appro...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss some of the mental health aspects of the priestly vocation as a means to help the laity better understand how to respect and care for their priests. There are many aspects of the priesthood that the laity understand. Though, a lot of the behind the scenes aspects are left unnoticed. Fr. Rob and Fr. George share some of...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss some traditions one can incorporate this Advent to help prepare our hearts and homes for the coming of the Christ child at Christmas. Fr. Rob says we first need an Advent Wreath and we must secondly light it. Advent symbolizes the darkness of the world before Jesus' coming. In the northern hemisphere, this time of year...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss The Three Comings of Christ to reflect on during Advent. The three comings of Christ are: 1) Christ's birth at Christmas, 2) Christ's coming into our hearts and souls every day, and 3) Christ's coming at our death and at the end of time. Advent as a preparation for Christmas is plainly understood. Even Christ's coming...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast, Fr. Rob and Fr. George Elliot discuss how the season of Advent is a preparation to celebrate the birth of Christ. One means of preparation for the Solemnity could be to practice fasting. Fr. Rob makes the distinction between the East's and West's view of fasting. St. Basil gave advice for those who are fasting and someone prepares a meal for them. He a...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss some tips and things to be aware of when having conversations about sensitive issues. Prudence is a key virtue in this regard. Firstly, it's important to discern if the topic in question is a topic we are qualified to address. If we chime in just so our voices are heard, we should do some deeper reflection into our mot...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss the connection between our mental health and spirituality. Once again we have the tension to hold two seemingly conflicting things. As Catholics, we understand that the human person is a union of body and soul. We must have mental health to take care of body and spirituality to take care of our soul. These two are also...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Conrad Murphy, host of the Habemus Papam podcast, joins Fr. Rob and Fr. George to discuss his new book Why Christians Can Wear Pants: Spiritual Lessons from Strange Stories in Papal History . This new book is the product of Fr. Murphy's podcast project. Over the course of six years, Fr. Murphy created short podcast biographies for each pope in chro...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss a Christians relationship to modern day celebrations of Halloween. Halloween originally, and still is, a day of observation of All Saints Day, originally known as All Hallow's Eve. In modern observations of Halloween, debates of the morality of the celebration arose. Fr. Rob and Fr. George address some best practices for...

In this episode of the Catholic Link podcast. Fr. Rob and Fr. George discuss the Synod on Synodality and how we ought to be governed. Right now, the Church engages in the second phase of the Synod on Synodality. There are three works of the Church in our world: sanctification, governance, and teaching. The Church holds these three works in tension to successfully fulfill Christ's mission. As the C...