Kresta in the Afternoon

17 Christian missionaries have been kidnapped and threatened with death in Haiti. Today, their families released a letter asking for prayer and reflecting on how their loved ones may be soon called to imitate Christ in death. Al discusses and also looks at the “letter Pope Francis wants every seminarian to read.”

The American Freedom Law Center has filed suit against Attorney General Merrick Garland, alleging that Garland’s recently announced policy to effectively criminalize public criticism of local school boards by parents violates the First and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Rob Muise tells us what’s going on.

In an effort to explain Pope Francis’ vision for the Synod on Synodality for his flock, Cardinal Timothy Dolan has outlined seven “non-negotiables” for the Synod. We talk this and other church news with Matthew Bunson

In the past, upper-class Americans used to display their social status with luxury goods. Today, they do it with luxury beliefs. These are ideas and opinions that confer status on the rich at very little cost, while taking a toll on the lower class. Al takes a look

There are many Protestant writers, such as CS Lewis, NT Wright, and Lee Strobel, whose writings have enriched the lives of Catholics for years. But it does beg the question – what keeps people of such profound Christian faith from coming into full communion with the Catholic Church? Al discusses.

Early in Mark’s Gospel Jesus calls us to repent – or, in the Greek, Metanoia. But the word “repent” doesn’t capture the full meaning of Metanoia – because it isn’t a one-time event. It’s an ongoing process that takes our entire lives to complete. We’ll talk about living Metanoia in our daily lives with Fr. Dave Pivonka.

Our culture has a fascination with the paranormal. But how do we distinguish between reality and unreality when it comes to these things unseen? Dr Richard Gallagher is a psychiatrist who has devoted his career to investigating possessions, diabolic attacks, and the paranormal. He joins us with what he has discovered over the last 25 years of looking at demonic foes.

On October 19, 1984, three members of Poland’s secret police arrived at Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko’s door. He knew this day had been coming, for he had been speaking out against the Communist regime. Over the next several hours, he was beaten to death and dumped into a river. Why was he deemed such a threat? We discuss his life with Paul Kengor.

A group of Catholic lay leaders has launched an ambitious project to open a spiritual oasis in South Carolina. It will be a place of welcome not just for Catholics, but for people of all faiths to expereince the beauty of Catholicism. Jordan Roberts explains how it's going.

The baseball playoffs are in full swing (no pun intended), as Boston, Houston, the LA Dodgers, and Atlanta battle it out for for the right to go to the World Series. Although the NFL has risen as the most popular and profitable American sports league, baseball still holds a special place in the American imagination. What many people don't know is that is has deep Catholic ties. Andrew Fowler expla...

Abortion has become the defining Civil Rights issue of our time. The pro-life community of Ann Arbor 40 Days for Life is partnering with Ave Maria Radio for a Jericho March on Sunday, October 31, where Al will be speaking. We talk about it with Sandie Weathers.

For decades, the New York Times has been known as the "paper of record" in the US. As the face of the American mainstream press, it's arguably the most powerful news outlet on earth. And it doesn't just cover the news - it creates it. What happens when ideology takes precedence over reporting the truth? Ashley Rindsberg joins us. Tell us what we know about Amess’ faith, family, and policies.

It’s the Feast of St Luke. He’s the author of the longest book in the New Testament and the Gospel, combined with the book of Acts, comprise nearly half the New Testament. We discuss his life with Steve Ray.

It’s a challenging time to be Catholic. But in his early years, the man who would become John Paul II faced extraordinary challenges as well. And he answered these challenges to build a ‘network of friendship’ that would transform not just Poland but the entire world. We discuss it with Tom Hoopes.

Remember the old workout mantra “no pain, no gain?” The same idea can apply to this weekend’s Gospel or, in other words, No Cross, No Kingdom. But if you know the Cross, you will know the kingdom. We’ll talk about it with Carl Olson.

Lindsay and Chad Gloede were expecting another baby a few years ago when they received some scary news: the baby had cysts on the brain, a sign of Trisomy-18, and problems with the umbilical cord. She reached out to a priest friend, who recommended she ask for St. Gerard Majella intercession. Before long, hundreds of people had joined in on the prayers for Lindsay’s baby. And at the next ultrasoun...

British Member of Parliament David Amess was fatally stabbed on Friday during a meeting with his constituents. Amess was a pro-life Catholic who supported Catholic education and animal welfare. KV Turley tells us more about the case.

Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh is responsible for translating the complete works of St. John of the Cross and St. Theresa of Avila. He joins us on St. Theresa’s feast day to discuss the spirituality and impact that the Spanish mystic continues to have on the Church.

After years of lukewarm religious life, St Teresa of Avila finally encountered the Lord who suffered out of love for her. Her spirituality is not about what one experiences, but about what one becomes. She does not promise any achievement of inner peace, but a relationship that this life is too small to contain. Today’s her feast day and we’ll talk with Dr Anthony Lilles

The Gospel is much more than news- it’s good news. It’s extraordinary news. And once we understand that, we’ll never be the same. How can we be transformed by the Gospel to do God’s work? We’ll talk with Fr John Riccardo about this unexpected, extraordinary news of the Gospel.

Fr. Hans Zollner, a top Vatican adviser on sex abuse, is expanding studies of abuse to include both the sexual and the spiritual abuse of adults. He told the Associated Press last night “we cannot look only at individual problems anymore. We need to look at the institutional conditions that promote abuse.“ Matthew Bunson looks at this and other Church news.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima. What happened that day? What effects did the events of Fatima have on the greater world? Al discusses.

Detective J. Warner Wallace listened to a pastor talk about Jesus and wondered why anyone would think Jesus was a person of interest. He was skeptical of the Bible, but he’d investigated several no-body homicide cases in which there was no crime scene, no physical evidence, and no victim's body. Could the historical life and actions of Jesus be investigated in the same way? He decided to find out....

There was a time when Michael Nazir-Ali was tapped as a potential future Archbishop of Canterbury. But last month, he came into full communion with the Catholic Church. Gavin Ashenden can relate; he is a former Anglican vicar and honorary chaplain to the Queen who was received into the Church in 2019. Gavin joins us.

In Colossians 1:10 St Paul tells us to walk worthy of the Lord and increase in the knowledge of God. What happens to our lives when we do this? Al discusses.