Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

Dave “The Dutch Shnauzer” VanVickle and I (Michael “Gomer” Gormley), tell you how to start catalyzing parish evangelization and how not to make the kinds of mistakes we made when we were but young, eager, parish evangelization greenhorns. Snippet from the Show This is not the time for good priests, good bishops, and good Catholics; it is a time for heroic priests, heroic bishops, and heroic Cathol...

Have you ever wondered how to go about training Catholic lectors or how to inspire teens as they begin preparing for confirmation? In this special episode of_ Every Knee Shall Bow,_ hear two practical applications where Michael Gormley preaches first to Confirmation teens and then to lectors at his parish. Snippet from the Show "We shall not approach the text of the Word of God so casually when we...

Dave “The Angelic Doctor” VanVickle (he’s really uncomfortable with that one) and I break down ten things you need to know to go out into the world right now and start evangelizing your family, friends, coworkers, and the random people you meet on the street. We’ve made all the evangelization mistakes through our years of talking to people about Jesus and the Church so that you don’t have to. We w...

The phrase “personal relationship with Jesus Christ” has become so synonymous with Protestant spirituality that many Catholics seem to think it’s not that important. This is a huge problem. Dave “The Cheddar” VanVickle and I talk about why having a personal relationship with Jesus is absolutely vital for Catholics. It’s not about just having an emotional reaction, it’s about knowing the God we cla...

I’m your host, Mike "Gomer" Gormley but I am not joined by my illustrious co-host, Dave “The Bearded Fox” Van Vickle because of life. Yes, life. For two weeks we kept trying to record a show together, but my daughter ended up in the hospital (she’s home now) for a few days and threw everything off. Prayers appreciated! Dave was flying all over the country talking about Catholic spiritual warfare (...

There’s a lot more to being a Catholic speaker than what you see. Dave “Extreme Narcissist” VanVickle and I discuss the little-known problems and behind-the-scenes difficulties of people who talk about the Faith for a living. From bringing kids to RCIA to feeling guilty about a paycheck, we talk about balancing family life, parish life, full-time jobs, and time on the road. Snippet from the Show “...

Welcome to EKSB, your weekly Catholic podcast on evangelization. I’m your host, Mike “Gomer” Gormley, and I’m joined, as always, by my co-host, Dave “The Masked Pamphleteer” Van Vickle. Today we’re answering questions and handing out sweet sweet nicknames. We talk about how to make men’s groups less painful, what to do if your parish has little to no money, our essential reading list for people wh...

Dave “Wolfsbane” VanVickle is … not here today. It’s just me, Gomer, with a special episode where I recorded a talk I gave to my catechists about how to become excellent teachers of our Faith. This talk is the past two episodes of EKSB put into practice. If you are a catechist, thinking about becoming a catechist, or work with catechists in any way, this episode will be extremely helpful. Snippet...

CALLING ALL DIRECTORS OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION AND CATECHISTS! This one’s for you. Dave “Cucumber Melon” VanVickle and I talk about the qualities that make for bad catechists vs. great catechists and how to find the right people for your program. This is a huge issue for religious education that is so important because the immortal souls of kids depends on it. We also have storytime with Dave on why...

Dave “Biker for Christ” VanVickle and I are talking about Catholic schools again (because that worked out so well last time.) We received a lot of feedback from our episode on making Catholic schools evangelizing powerhouses, so we wanted to talk more about what teachers can actually do to be powerful witnesses for Christ. First we talk about hitchhiking for Christ (because that’s a thing) and the...

Dave “Velvet Fog” Van Vickle and I dive into history, culture, and politics (oh my!). We talk about three types of culture—pre-Christian, Christian, and post-Christian—and what Catholics can do to navigate the current political climate and evangelize in the culture without getting swept up in it. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or...

Dave “Milk and Honey” VanVickle and I are talking about Catholic education, and the opportunities we have to evangelize in and out of the classroom. We love Catholic schools, but so many students who attend leave without any inclination to practice the Faith. Dave and I attempt to identify the root of this problem and talk about what leaders, teachers, and parents can do to evangelize their studen...

So you’ve got the kerygma down … now what? Dave “I’m Kind of a Big Deal” VanVickle and I talk about how to mature in your faith after an initial proclamation of the gospel. The kerygma is not the end of evangelization, it’s just the beginning. It’s how someone takes the first step to becoming a disciple of Jesus, but we can’t stop there, we have to make sure that we’re preaching, but also teaching...

Dave “Thunderclap” VanVickle and I are talking to the one and only Mark Hart—author, speaker, and Executive Vice President of Life Teen. We talk about the struggles parishes have to organize a movement of evangelization and the difficulty of training and empowering individuals to spread the gospel. Instead of just telling people to evangelize, Mark is on a mission to teach people to evangelize wit...

Dave “Too Hot to Handle, Too Cold to Hold” VanVickle and I are focusing on the role of the laity in the Church when it comes to explicit word and deed evangelization. The Church needs the voice of the laity to speak up! Priests can’t go into your office and nuns can’t go into your friend’s house (probably). We are the ones that must carry the Gospel into our homes, schools, jobs, and public places...

Dave “Don’t Fear the Reaper” Van Vickle and I are talking about how to keep Jesus at the heart of your ministry and your life. Today’s totally made up middle name for Dave is brought to you by listener Lina., who also asks the questions that we are answering in this show - thank you Lina! We’re talking about the vine, the branches, and the backyard … (Dave bought a new house). We start with how to...

We want people to convert to the Catholic Church not because it’s a popular thing to do, but because they have a genuine experience of God’s love and truth through the Church. This means we can’t water down the gospel. Dave “Lay Assistant to Exorcists” VanVickle and I talk about this vital aspect of winning hearts for Christ, as well as the importance of repentance. On a practical note, we also ta...

Dave VanVickle (that’s right, no nickname today) and I are waking the dead! We’re talking about how to really reach people through evangelization. Not just a short moment of emotional connection that fades the next day, but a true conversion where a person reorients their life to God. Snippet from the Show “Taking someone’s heart of stone to a heart of flesh is a supernatural act. You are making t...

Public speaking to teens: a favorite pastime of … no one. But somebody has to do it, and with some prayer and preparation, your talk can be a great opportunity to change hearts and minds—just look at the fruits that come from Steubenville Conferences. Dave “Father of Wildlings” VanVickle and I go over how to prepare a talk for high school students that will bring the house down. We want to hear fr...

It’s difficult to spread the gospel if you haven’t read it. Dave “Too Hot to Handle, Too Cold to Hold” VanVickle and I talk about why it’s vital to regularly read Scripture and how to immerse yourself in the Word. We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave. Snippet from the Show “The most effective ev...

It’s hard to start proclaiming the kerygma, “God loves you and has a plan for your life”, when someone doesn’t believe in God. Dave “All Thriller No Filler” VanVickle and I wade into the world of apologetics as we address a listener's question about how to evangelize an atheist. Our faith is rational. Don’t fear questions about what we believe, because at some point over the past two thousand year...

There’s good news and bad news. Bad news: Gomer is out today, so no fun nicknames. Good news: this episode is all about equipping you for spiritual warfare and fighting the kingdom of evil. Spiritual warfare and evangelization go hand-in-hand. Turns out the devil doesn’t like it when you try to win souls for Christ. Acknowledging the reality of spiritual warfare is an important first step. Once we...

Today Dave “Open Book, Closed Heart” VanVickle and I talk about extraordinary and ordinary means of fighting the devil, which leads (naturally) into a conversation on evangelization and how to lead when you’re not in charge. Snippet from the Show “One person can bring about dramatic change at a parish.” We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or com...

We need leaders in the Church. If you want ministries at your parish, that aren’t happening (or aren’t going very well) this may be your que to step up as a leader in evangelization. In this episode, we talk about how priests, lay employees, and volunteers can be leaders in their own right, and you don’t have to wait for someone to formally empower you to lead others. We want to hear from you! Ema...

Dave “Thunderdome” Van Vickle and I are talking about the importance of digital evangelization. If we are trying to meet people where they are, we need to be online. We cover best practices for parishes and individuals to spread the Word on the web, as well as examples of things we’ve seen work really well (like this podcast). We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your...