Catholic Review Radio

What does authentic Catholic male spirituality look like? Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talked with two experts on the topic to get their take on how best to encourage and support men looking to develop and enhance their Catholic faith, so they can be better men, able to serve others, whether as husbands, fathers, priests or single lay men. Our guests this week are Deacon Harold Burke-S...

Are you comfortable sharing your faith with family and friends? What about people you might encounter on the street? St. Paul Street Evangelization grew out of encounters Steve Dawson had with people at a street festival in Portland, Ore., detailed in the book “Catholic Street Evangelization: Stories of Conversion and Witness.” Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Bob Wilson, who no...

As pro-life supporters prepare to gather in Washington Jan. 24 for the 52nd annual March for Life, the March for Life organization is preparing to welcome Jennie Bradley Lichter as its new president. Lichter, who takes office in February, will be among those speaking at this year’s march. She previously served as deputy general counsel at The Catholic University of America in Washington and oversa...

As the United States prepares to swear in a new president, Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty takes a look at the state of politics and elections. His first guest is Peter Sonski, who was the American Solidarity Party nominee for president in 2024. Sonski talks about how his party’s platform is more fully aligned with the spectrum of Catholic social teaching than the two main parties, and ho...

Rev. Johnny Shelton serves as the official team chaplain for the Baltimore Ravens. He joined the Ravens in 2013 after serving in fulltime ministry with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in North Carolina (he was team chaplain at Elon University) and Virginia Tech (he was team chaplain at Virginia Tech). Rev. Shelton was ordained by Bishop George W. Brooks, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church in...

As we come to the end of 2024, Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty sits down with Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori to look at the year that is ending, which included the World Synod of Bishops, lots of activity around the Seek the City to Come initiative that reshapes ministry in Baltimore City with an emphasis on evangelizing communities, the upsurge in vocations and more. Archbishop Lor...

With the holidays upon us and all the many expectations that come with them, many people can feel overwhelmed at this time of the year. In this encore episode of Catholic Review Radio, Paul Jarzembowski offers inspiration and some practical advice for celebrating the holidays in a meaningful, hope-filled way. Jarzembowski, a parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Crofton, is the author of a boo...

Have you ever felt the call to pray with your whole heart, soul and voice? On this episode, we dive into charismatic prayer – a powerful and expressive form of worship that’s just alive in the Catholic Church as it is in some Protestant faith traditions. What is it? How does it connect us more deeply with the Holy Spirit? And how can it transform your faith? Benjamin Oursler and Jack Morris, two s...

Jubilee years are a tradition from the Old Testament. In the church today, jubilees are declared every 25 years, with some special jubilees in between. Pope Francis has declared 2025 as a Jubilee of Hope, and that will be an opportunity for celebrations in your home parish or diocese and by visiting Rome to walk through specially designated Holy Doors. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty sat...

It’s time for holiday movies on TV and all your favorite streaming services, with some stations running Christmas films 24 hours a day. Are you ready for the classics and the new movies? Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Jason Cherubini, an executive-in-residence at Loyola University Maryland about the business behind holiday movies and why there are so many of them. It’s good bu...

St. Thomas Aquinas, a doctor of the church, was known for being able to make the teachings of the church clear to anyone who asked. Known as “The Common Doctor” because he could address all people and any topic, St. Thomas is considered one of the greatest thinkers of all time. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Dominican Father Ambrose Little about a new online program offered by...

Two Daughters of St. Paul have published new books geared to children. In our first segment, we talk with Sister Orianne Pietra René Dyck about “Dive Deep: Forty Days with God at Sea,” a children’s devotional that traces salvation history from creation until today through Bible stories that take place at sea. In our second segment, we talk with Sister Allison Regina Gliot, author of “Eli’s Quiet F...

From humble beginnings serving a small Catholic health dispensary in Baltimore, Mercy Health Services has grown over 150 years to a full-service system serving thousands of people each year, continuing with a special effort to serve women and those who are poor. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talked with Sister Helen Amos, RSM, chair of the executive chair of the Mercy board, about how t...

In a world where noise seems to reign supreme, what’s the value of silence? How do we make room for silence in our lives? And how can silence help us in our spiritual journey? George Matysek talks about it with Dominican Father Dominic Koester. Father Koester is the associate pastor of Ss. Philip and James in Baltimore and the assistant chaplain for the Catholic Community at The Johns Hopkins Univ...

Where can you go these days to find movies that lift up human values of goodness, truth and beauty? Look no further than Family Theater Productions, a ministry of the Holy Cross fathers, inspired by the legacy of Venerable Father Patrick Peyton, famous for the axiom, “The family that prays together stays together.” Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Holy Cross Father David Guffey,...

Delegates from all around the world are gathered this month in Rome for the second session of the World Synod of Bishops on Synodality. Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori is among them, participating in the prayerful discussions about how the Holy Spirit moves in the Church and the World. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talked with Archbishop Lori while he was in Rome. The archbishop ex...

Catholics may be in a quandary as they approach the voting booth this season, because there are no candidates who are completely in line with Catholic social teaching and the values the church holds. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, about how Catholics are “homeless” in today’s political landscape. She also ta...

Listeners of Catholic Review Radio get their chance to ask Baltimore Auxiliary Bishop Adam J. Parker whatever questions are on their mind in this first-ever “Ask a Bishop” episode of the program. Bishop Parker was ordained to the priesthood in 2000 by Cardinal William H. Keeler. From 2001 to 2005, he served as associate pastor of three parishes in Allegany County and in 2005 was named pastor of Ch...

Beginning Oct. 1, Ascension Press offers a 28-day podcast designed to guide listeners through a reading of “Story of a Soul,” the much-loved spiritual autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. George Matysek talks about the project with one of the hosts of the new podcast, Carmelite Father Michael-Joseph Paris of St. Thérèse. Father Michael-Joseph is a native of the Archdiocese of Baltimore who gre...

Earlier this spring, the Sexton’s Lodge Café opened at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. Blessed by Archbishop William E. Lori in April, the café is envisioned as a place where people from throughout the region can gather for fellowship over free coffee. It is especially geared toward welcoming people experiencing homelessness who live o...

In June, Archbishop William E. Lori ordained six men to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Baltimore at the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen. The year before, he ordained eight to the priesthood, which was the biggest class of new priest in the Baltimore Archdiocese in more than four decades. And in 2022, there were five new priests. George Matysek talks with Father Steven Roth about the increasing...

Why should parents make the investment in Catholic education? Christ-centered values, excellent academic instruction and safe places to learn are some of the elements highlighted by Gregory Farno chancellor of education for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and his counterpart on the academic side, Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty caught up with the duo just b...

Did you know that Catholics were influential in starting the first parades to commemorate laborers, back in the 1880s? Or that we celebrate a secular Labor Day in September and a Catholic Labor Day May 1 on the feast of St. Joseph the Worker? Catholic Review Editor Christopher Gunty talks with Bill Droell, author, teacher and longtime editor for the National Center for the Laity about the origins...

The cross and medal of St. Benedict is considered one of the most powerful sacramentals of the Catholic Church. But where did this spiritual object come from, and how did it derive its power? George Matysek talks about it with Benedictine Father Robert Nixon, a monk with the Abbey of the Most Holy Trinity in Western Australia. Father Nixon is the author of a new book by Tan Books called “The Cross...

Mark Viviano has covered everything from the Orioles and Ravens to high school sports - breaking the story of the move of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore in the 1990s. Recently, the five-time winner of Maryland Sportscaster of the Year made the decision to step away from the camera to focus on family, community service and his Catholic faith. He officially retired as sports director of WJZ last...