Conversations with Consequences

In the Catholic Church, everything was calm and placid until the Second Vatican Council…right? There’s the history of the Catholic Church and modernity that you think you know— modernity acts, Catholicism simply reacts— but there’s an “irony” in that history that you probably don’t know; one that turns the history of the Church on its head. How has the world’s largest religious body dealt with the...

The sexual revolution has created a crisis of identity - leading people to cling to identity politics in their primal quest to answer the question "who am I?” This week’s amazing guest is Mary Eberstadt, senior research fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C. She is a writer and essayist whose work has appeared in Quillette, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post,...

This is the second episode of our special series, “Church on the Ground: Going Forward in Joy.” This week, the TCA’s Grazie Christie, Andrea Piccioti-Bayer, and Maureen Ferguson are joined by Father Bill Byrne, pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac, Maryland. The hilarious Father Byrne talks about his own upbringing and Catholic formation, as well as his thoughts on the scandals and the ab...

On this special bonus episode of Conversations with Consequences, Dr. Grazie Christie and Andrea Piccioti-Bayer discuss Bishop Robert Barron’s new book, “Letter to a Suffering Church,” which addresses the abuse crisis head-on. Don’t miss Grazie and Andrea's timely and hard-hitting discussion from their perspective as lay women, working mothers, and concerned Catholics. Buy the book: https://order....

The abuse crisis has rocked the Church. Should we assume that any priest accused is guilty? The conviction of Australian Cardinal George Pell should give any Catholic and defender of the rule of law pause. An incredible allegation of abuse formed the basis of Pell's conviction and his accuser's perceived credibility was recently cited in dismissing his appeal. What about the overwhelming evidence...

Planned Parenthood will no longer receive Title X funds, after refusing to separate out abortion from the rest of what they do. Now what? Women in need can look forward to the expansion of federally-funded family planning clinics that truly support "positive birth outcomes and healthy families" — the primary goal of the Title X grant program.  TCA's Dr. Grazie Christie and Andrea Picciotti-Bayer a...

Is late term abortion ever medically necessary? Can the abortion pill really be reversed, or is that just a pro-life twisting of the facts? Our host Dr. Grazie Christie interviews another doctor, Dr. Mary Jo O’Sullivan, about late term abortion, pro-life bioethics and how Dr. O’Sullivan works to reverse medication (abortion pill) abortions. Helpful links: https://www.abortionpillreversal.com/ http...

What does “sex” mean? What about “gender?” There’s a lot of competing information out there about the ways in which men and women are different, and why it matters. Your host, Dr. Grazie Christie, sits down with the Catholic Association’s Ashley McGuire and Andrea Picciotti-Bayer to talk about Ashley’s 2017 book, “Sex Scandal: The Drive to Abolish Male and Female." We talk about what the breakdown...

Planned Parenthood: With revenues of over half a BILLION dollars a year from taxpayers, is this giant corporation a “healthcare” provider or a political machine? We argue that the recent firing of Dr. Leana Wen tells us Planned Parenthood is not interested in women’s health, but only in their bottom line and political clout. Dr. Grazie Christie and Ashley Mcguire of The Catholic Association drill...

Are we a suffering Church? A Church in crisis? Yes. But we are also a Church deeply alive. Parishes across the U.S. are vibrant and energetic, filled with luminous men and women who are busily doing their part to bring about the Kingdom. Our new series “The Church on the Ground: Going forward in Joy” will highlight some of these ordinary, extraordinary people and their marvelous work. Our inaugura...

Does your family have its own "family" culture? Are you reacting to the challenges of parenting or do you have a plan? This week's guests on Conversations with Consequences, Mike and Alicia Hernon, share their experience in running the Messy Family Project (messyfamilyproject.org). This dynamic husband and wife duo not only raised 10 kids, but also seek to help other parents become more "intention...

Is an abortion the best "care" for a child with limited life expectancy? Recent extreme abortion legislation has enshrined the "right" of New Yorkers to an abortion up until the moment of birth. Illinois took things one step further by stripping any regulation directed to the safety and well-being of women in the state. Are women well-served by "progressive" deregulation of abortion? This week's g...

Public education in America is in a sorry state; maybe it's time to "Get Out Now." The greatest threat to our children is not poor academic performance but the push for ideological conformity in the classroom. Promoting gender ideology, kicking God out of the classroom, and encouraging a victim mentality are pillars of today's "progressive" curriculum for public school students in America. Parents...

Do women make important contributions to the world of work? Yes, absolutely! In this week's podcast, Grazie is joined by Ashley and Andrea to talk with two Catholic women who are making their mark on the media. Meg McDonnell, editor-in-chief at Verily magazine, discusses her professional ascent and Verily's purpose to "elevate what is honest, real, and beautiful for the modern woman." And Susanna...

Is abortion good for minority women and minority communities? Is it possible to be a woman of color and be pro-life? How does an abortion culture affect the disabled? "Big Abortion" is inherently racist, from its inception by the infamous eugenicist Margaret Sanger to today, with most Planned Parenthood clinics located in minority neighborhoods. Today’s guests Gloria Purvis and Notre Dame Professo...

In this very special bonus episode, the TCA's Grazie Christie, Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and Ashley McGuire bring you the latest on an important Supreme Court decision: the Bladensburg Cross. Don't miss this helpful analysis of a significant religious freedom case that happened just this week. https://thecatholicassociation.org/tca-statement-on-bladensburg-peace-cross-supreme-court-ruling/

TCA’s Grazie Christie, Maureen Ferguson and Andrea Picciotti-Bayer welcome Christopher Scalia to speak about “On Faith: Lessons from an American Believer.” This gem of a book edited by Chris and the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Ed Whelan compiles speeches and opinions by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia on his Catholic faith and the role of faith and religion in America. Chris gi...

Our host Grazie is joined by our TCA colleges Maureen and Andrea for a fascinating conversation with two of the founders of Canavox.com. Dr. Ana Samuel and Ana Victoria Bethencourt talk about this dynamic, locally-based reading group program for today’s woman. Marriage is a big topic for Canavox study groups! You don’t have to grapple with the complex cultural issues of the day all alone. Helpful...

Your TCA hosts Grazie Christie, Ashley McGuire and Andrea Picciotti-Bayer are joined in studio by Montserrat Alvarado, Vice President and Executive Director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. A lively discussion about why Catholics and Americans are defending religious freedom— including how the Church's teaching can be helpful in defending liberty— as well some of the current attacks on th...

Our host Dr. Grazie Christie is joined by TCA colleague Andrea Picciotti-Bayer and George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, to discuss the highly suspect conviction on charges of the child sexual abuse of Australian Cardinal George Pell and the pending appeal that will be heard next week. And, as always, Father Roger Landry offers a preview of Sunday’s hom...

We discuss the persecution of Christians in the Middle East and around the world with Father Benedict Kiely, an expert on the topic who has visited Iraq many times and runs a charity to help Christians rebuild their lives after suffering unimaginable persecution. Helpful links: https://www.nasarean.org/ https://www.nasarean.org/Driver-has-new-taxi http://usccb.org/bible/readings/052619.cfm Links r...

Author and noted commentator Mona Charen joins the podcast to discuss her book "Sex Matters: How Modern Feminism Lost Touch with Science, Love, and Common Sense." Then Mary Hasson of the Ethics and Public Policy Center is on to talk feminism, marriage, life, and love. Helpful links: https://www.amazon.com/Sex-Matters-Modern-Feminism-Science/dp/0451498399 https://eppc.org/author/mary_hasson/ Links...

This week your hosts Grazie and Andrea discuss adoption and foster care with Kathryn Jean Lopez, an expert on the topic and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute, who joins us all the way from Rome. Then, Father Roger Landry offers a preview of this Sunday's homily to get you ready for Mass. Finally, Grazie takes you through a collection of news clips, curated by the Catholic Associatio...

Our most important relationship is with “the One with whom we hope to spend eternity.” In this episode Grazie and Andrea speak with Father Roger Landry about his book “Plan of Life: Habits to Help You Grow Closer to God.” Father Landry suggests concerted steps to center our life on God. He also inspires our embrace of God’s Mercy as we prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday and beyond.

Welcome to Conversations with Consequences, a weekly hour of thoughtful dialogue with the movers and shakers in our society. Our inaugural episode is dedicated to introducing the women of the Catholic Association. We are mothers, professionals, and faithful Catholics. In this episode we share a little about ourselves and the work we do to offer a faithful Catholic voice in the public square. We ar...