Catholic Review Radio

What is it like to take on leadership of a health care system during a global pandemic? This week on Catholic Review Radio, Christopher Gunty talks with two local Catholic health care system CEOs about the missions and values that drive the care they provide. Dr. David Maine of Mercy Health System and Ed Lovern of Ascension St. Agnes are both new to the top job this year, and they talk about how t...

On the Solemnity of All Saints, we talk with Father Jesse Bolger, pastor of St. Joseph in Fullerton, about what it means to be a saint and strive for holiness. We also talk about some of the saints and holy people who have served the Archdiocese of Baltimore, including St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, St. John Neumann, Blessed Francis X. Seelos, Blessed Michael McGivney, Blessed Stanley Rother, Father Dem...

Venerable Father Michael McGivney, who was ordained in the Baltimore Basilica and founded the Knights of Columbus in the 1880s in Connecticut, will be beatified Oct. 31. This week on Catholic Review Radio, Christopher Gunty talks with Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, supreme chaplain of the Knights, and Carl Anderson, supreme knight, about the life and legacy of this humble priest.

Author John-Mark Miravalle explores how Catholics look at the morality of recreational drug use and how it differs from using alcohol in moderation. John-Mark speaks of how true leisure isn’t escapism, but entering more fully into reality.

St. John Paul II was known for his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and for introducing the Luminous Mysteries to the rosary. In honor of the month of the rosary and the upcoming feast of St. John Paul II, George Matysek speaks with two guests about the Polish pontiff. Father Matthew Buening, chaplain of Catholic campus ministry at Towson University, talks about meeting St. John Paul II on two...

Priests can be very good at leading people to Jesus through Mary. Father Patrick Peyton, the internationally renowned “rosary priest” brought people together at huge rallies and crusades. Christopher Gunty talks with Father David Guffey, C.S.C., executive producer of the new documentary, “Pray: The Life of Patrick Peyton,” about the venerable priest’s motivation and challenges. George Matysek also...

Bishop James Su Zhimin spent 40 years as a political prison in China for his opposition to the Communist government. On this week’s episode, we speak with Trinitarian Father Stan De Boe, a human rights and religious liberty advocate, who met Bishop Zhimin and others in the underground Catholic Church in China. We also speak with Catherine O’Donnell, author of a highly-acclaimed biography of St. El...

Twelve new seminarians have begun their studies to become priests for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Father Steven Roth, vocations director, tells us about this year’s new crop of seminarians and how they will be formed for the priesthood. We also speak with Nathan Turska, a first-year seminarians, and Ben Oursler, who is beginning his second year of study at St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington...

Catholic Charities of Baltimore has never missed a day of serving meals at Our Daily Bread in almost 40 years. The coronavirus pandemic forced the agency – the largest nongovernmental service provider in Maryland – to charge the way it serves meals, works with volunteers and serves the poor and elderly. Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Bill McCarthy Jr., Catholic Charities executive director ab...

The summer of 2020 has seen racial strife, fueled by the deaths of several blacks at the hands of police. How do Black Catholics view this time in our history, and what is the Archdiocese of Baltimore doing to address systemic racism? Christopher Gunty talks with Sherita Thomas, interim director of the archdiocesan Office of Black Catholic Ministry, about the racism work group in the archdiocese,...

How do families and individuals deal with the stresses brough on by the coronavirus pandemic? What role does spirituality play in addressing the pressures so many people are experiencing these days? Dr. Robert J. Wicks, a clinical psychologist, bestselling author and professor emeritus at Loyola University Maryland, has some advice.

The new movie “Fatima,” scheduled for release Aug. 28 in theatres and for on-demand home viewing, looks at the historical events surrounding the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to three young shepherd children in Portugal in 1917. The apparitions have since been approved by the Catholic church and two of the visionaries have been canonized saints. The movie looks at the story through the eyes of 10...

Sean Dalton has been immersed in evangelization and discipleship for many years. He shares his witness of faith and how he invites others to an intimate friendship with Jesus Christ and the Catholic Church. Sean speaks about the numerous ways the Augustine Institute is a resource to help one grow in their own faith and how to reach out to others. He also speaks about their newly released videos ca...

George Matysek speaks with Sulpician Father Robert Leavitt, former president-rector of St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, about his new book, “The Truth Will Make You Free: The New Evangelization for a Secular Age.” Listen Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on WMET 1160 AM and 103.1 FM. The show is also available Sundays on WSJF in Sykesville/Eldersburg at 11:45 a.m. and 4 p.m., and on WVTO 92.7 FM...

Author George Weigel talks with “Catholic Review Radio” host Christopher Gunty about his new book, “The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission,” which discusses the challenges the next Roman pontiff will face. Weigel, distinguished senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is not handicapping any papal conclave or naming possible successors to Pope Francis, but looking...

Award-winning contemporary Catholic musician Matt Maher has gone from parish ministry to full-time performing and helping people worship. Host Christopher Gunty talks with Matt about his life, his music and coping with a global pandemic. Listen July 19 at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on WMET 1160 AM and 103.1 FM. The show is also available Sundays on WSJF in Sykesville/Eldersburg at 11:45 a.m. and 4 p....

As director of the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg, MD, Dawn Walsh shares with host Father Brian Nolan the gift of taking a summer drive and pilgrimage to the Grotto in Emmitsburg. Whether it would be your first time or you are a regular visitor, this scenic and spiritual refuge on the mountain is a place of beauty, prayer and peace. It’s a great post-quarantine opportu...

On the July 12 episode of Catholic Review Radio, Sean Callahan, president and CEO of Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services, talks with host George Matysek about how the U.S. bishops' international humanitarian relief agency is providing much-needed assistance in developing countries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. He also shares how you can fight global hunger. Listen Sundays at 9:30 a.m....

“Catholic Review Radio” joins the Sunday lineup on WMET, the Guadalupe Radio Network. Our guest for the first show is Archbishop William E. Lori, talking about a new auxiliary bishop for Baltimore, race relations and religious freedom. Listen Sunday, July 5, at 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on WMET 1160 AM and 103.1 FM. The show is also available Sundays on WSJF 92.7 FM in Sykesville/Eldersburg at 11:45...