Let Me Be Frank | Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Podcast | Diocese of Bridgeport, CT

It's our 2025 year in review... the three biggest takeaways in the Catholic Church, in the Diocese of Bridgeport, and in the personal life of Bishop Frank Caggiano. A recurring theme in all three: hope vs discouragement. Plus, Bishop Frank's resolutions for 2026. Enjoy! Pax Christi, Steve Lee The other guy on Let Me Be Frank Email List: https://www.veritascatholic.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube...

Gladiator. I can’t believe I forgot to mention Gladiator. Bishop Caggiano and I were at St Joseph’s High School to take student questions for this episode of Let Me Be Frank, and they asked some excellent questions, like: “When someone says the Holy Spirit revealed something to them; how do we know they’re telling the truth?” “In God’s eyes, is the Pope holier than I am?” “How do you stay open to...

Merry Christmas! As you celebrate today (and throughout the Christmas octave), Bishop Caggiano's suggestion is to take some time in front of the image of the nativity... ponder that image in silence and realize the enormity of God's love for you. To help, he offers his reflections on the mystery of God's incarnation. And... why does Christmas feel different?  In the second segment, Bishop Frank lo...

Original broadcast 12/25/2024... In the dark days of the reign of Herod, the descendants of King David lived under the radar in humility even as they awaited the imminent arrival of the Messiah. A (probably young) man named Joseph lived in the town of Nazareth and would become the earthly father of Jesus - the child of Mary & the Holy Spirit. Mike Aquilina has written a book that places us in...

Since the mailbag was getting fuller than Santa’s sack of gifts, we thought Bishop Caggiano should answer some listener questions. Among them are some serious ones, like:   …can someone who has committed suicide still go to Heaven? …why do priests wear different colored vestments throughout the year? …what was the most important question that Jesus asked in the Gospels?   And there were a couple t...

Blessed Advent to you! Pope Leo XIV just wrapped up a visit to Turkey & Lebanon. Bishop Caggiano reflects on the trip and the Holy Father's meetings with Orthodox patriarchs.   Is there hope for reconciliation and reunion with the Orthodox Churches? What is the history of the split, and what are the main points of disagreement? All of that is on this week's Let Me Be Frank.   Also... this is p...

Happy Thanksgiving! St Gianna Beretta Molla said that "the secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness."  That is a key to living a fulfilled life, and Bishop Caggiano reflects on gratitude before we talk about Thanksgiving... a history of the holiday, plus stories from Thanksgivings past for Bishop and for me. We had some fu...

Some folks today hear the word "immigration" and immediately take sides and prepare for a fight... But the conference of US bishops, at their fall meeting, issued a comprehensive and balanced "Special Pastoral Message" with near unanimous unity... on immigration - looking at human dignity and the orderly regulation of borders. Bishop Caggiano walks us through the important statement by the USCCB o...

Bishop Caggiano & Steve visited the campus of the school where Steve is known as “Coach”. They opened the floor to all the students of Cardinal Kung Academ so they could ask the Bishop whatever is on their minds and in their hearts. And we got some excellent questions, like:    …how can young people discern their vocations? …what is the Church’s actual teaching about the death penalty? …do our...

Bishop Frank Caggiano & Steve Lee discuss during this episode of Let Me Be Frank, Bishop Caggiano's recent pilgrimage to Greece, where he followed in the footsteps of St. Paul, as well as the life of St. Paul itself. Ultimately, they focus not only on the biographical info of his life, but the messages and lessons found along Paul's Journey detailed in the New Testament. Let Me Be Frank is a p...

In this episode of 'Let Me Be Frank', Bishop Frank Caggiano and Deacon Tim Bolton discuss the ministry of accompaniment, exploring its significance in the church and the personal journeys that shape their understanding of faith. Deacon Tim shares his life experiences, including the challenges he faced with his daughter and late wife, which deepened his faith and understanding of active love. The c...

There are hundreds of thousands of frozen embryos -tiny, frozen babies- in the world today. What to do with all of these human lives? Catholic bioethicist Elizabeth Rex joins Bishop Caggiano to talk about this question, as well as: ...why is contraception immoral? ...what would Bishop Caggiano say to a cohabiting unmarried couple? ...what is IVF and what does the Church teach about it? For any cou...

A lot of people talk about Truth and Beauty, but there’s not as much talk about Goodness. On Let Me Be Frank, Bishop Caggiano dives into this less-discussed of the transcendentals, asking: …how do you define “goodness”? …how do you know that your heart is leading correctly? …what is the difference between good works and Christian good works? …how does this tie in with Pope Loe XIV’s exhortation Di...

The past few weeks have brought some meaningful feast days in the Catholic calendar... the archangels & guardian angels... Francis of Assisi... Cosmas & Damian... Vincent de Paul... Wenceslaus... Jerome... and, of course, Therese of Lisieux. But, instead of just going through these saints' biographies, Bishop Caggiano talks about specific lessons we can learn from each of these saints. Wha...

Imagine your father brought your family to the US from India, so that he could study to become a Baptist minister. And then, as you grew older, you left the Baptists to become a Catholic. That's the story of Suan Sonna, the new Director of Apologetics for the Diocese of Bridgeport. What is apologetics? Why is it important? In a society where people believe everyone has their own truth... how do yo...

"Parochial and Practical Essays" is NOT a very compelling title for a book.   Luckily, the publishers convinced Michael Pakaluk to instead title his latest book "The Shock of Holiness"... and he joins Bishop Caggiano to talk about:   ...the simplest truths of the Catholic faith that show us that sanctity is closer and far more beautiful than we think, ...the levels of friendship and what friendshi...

Heather Foucault-Camm, Program Director of the Science & Religion Initiative at the McGrath Institute for Church Life, speaks with Bishop Caggiano about: space ethics, the implications of artificial intelligence, the question: "What do you believe more: science or theology?", and more. Email List: https://www.veritascatholic.com/ Other shows The Tangent: https://thetangent.podbean.com/ Daily G...

This week on Let Me Be Frank, Bishop Caggiano and Steve go through the mailbag and answer more listener questions!   Email List: https://www.veritascatholic.com/ Other shows The Tangent: https://thetangent.podbean.com/ Daily Gospel Reflections: https://dailycatholicreflection.podbean.com/   The Frontline With Joe & Joe: https://thefrontlinewithjoeandjoe.podbean.com/ Restless Catholic Young Adu...

In the 300s, "the whole world groaned and was astonished to find itself Arian", as St Jerome put it. And the brilliant and courageous Athanasius replied, "Is the world against Athanasius? Then Athansius is against the world." Athanasius contra mundum! It's a remarkable story... the secular ruler of the world convening the Church's bishops... a charismatic and influential bad guy rousing half of th...

Bishop Frank sits down with Steve Lee to answer some of your listener questions. Included in this episode. Why can't women be ordained to the diaconate? How should someone deal with anger and annoyance? Do you believe the Shroud of Turin is authentic? How about the St airs of the Sisters of Loreto? Where is the Immaculate Conception in the Bible? and more! Email List www.veritascatholic.com Social...

Every night at Auschwitz, after a draining and exhausting day, Fr Maximilian Kolbe would go quietly from bunk to bunk to care for the other prisoners, whispering: "I am a Catholic priest. Is there anything I can do for you?" His witness, courage, and faith at the notorious prison camp were the culmination of a lifetime of heroic and groundbreaking work in the service of the Lord. It is a story of...

"All roads lead to Rome," they say. The Diocese of Bridgeport's 34 seminarians, Bishop Caggiano, and some special guests recently went to Italy for a pilgrimage to Rome & Assisi. Today, Bishop Frank takes us on a tour of both cities - the history, the major sites, the life of St Francis, and... the museum of pasta! It's an audio summer getaway on Let Me Be Frank. Buon divertimento! Email List:...

Sophia Institute Press has recently published God's Influencer , a book about Carlo Acutis written from interviews with his parents! Mary Beth Bracy joined us from Sophia Institute Press to tell us about Carlo's short but holy life, the miracles attributed to him on the road to canonization, how we can begin following his extraordinary example, and more! Funnily enough, on an episode focused on a...

Join Bishop Frank Caggiano and Steve Lee as they delve into pressing societal issues, from the Educational Choice for Children's Act to the ethical implications of genetic engineering, IVF, and artificial intelligence. Explore the intersection of faith and modern challenges, and discover how the Church can guide us through these complex times. Also discussed are The Educational Choice for Children...

How did the Mass come to be, as we know it today? How do you explain who the Holy Spirit is? What is behind the movement to rename "BC/AD" to "BCE/CE"? Those are some of the fantastic questions Bishop Caggiano answers on this week's mailbag episode. Also... Have you ever been in a helicopter? Tune in to Let Me Be Frank for these and many more listener questions answered this week! Pax Christi, Ste...