Practicing Catholic Show

Saint John Henry Newman is probably a familiar name to most practicing Catholics, but how much do we really know about his writings and sermons? A Minnesota native’s podcast – Newman on Tap – dives deeper into the works of this holy man. To help us better know Saint John Henry Newman and why his search for Truth hits home for many of us, host Patrick Conley spoke with Ron Snyder, president of the...

October is Respect Life Month, and in light of the 2023 Minnesota state legislature passing the most extreme abortion laws in the country, standing up for the dignity of every stage of life is even more important. Host Patrick Conley sat down with Cathy Blaeser from Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life to talk about pro-life efforts in the state and the “Save the 12,000” campaign. Learn more abou...

Technology connects us to the world every minute of the day, but are we really aware of what our sisters and brothers around the globe face daily? Sunday, October 22 was World Mission Sunday, where the Church unites through education and advocacy. Producer Kayla Mayer chatted with Kathleen Osberger about the importance of mission and her life-changing experiences in South America. Read more about...

You’ve heard of the Rule of Saint Benedict, but did you know there’s a Rule of Saint John Paul II, and it focuses on joy-filled marriages? Host Patrick Conley sat down with the founders of the Wojtyla Community and Institute, Peter and Theresa Martin, to discuss how they believe “one marriage can change the world.” Learn more about the Wojtyla Community and Institute and the Rule of Saint John Pau...

Godparents. Choosing them for your child is an important decision... right? But what does the decision really entail, and what does being a good godparent actually mean? Joining producer Kayla Mayer for some insight into this often overlooked and misunderstood part of the sacrament of Baptism is Father Ben Little, pastor at Saint John the Baptist in Savage. Like what you're hearing? Leave us a...

In case you missed it, Pope Francis gave the Church a new Apostolic Exhortation on October 4, entitled Laudate Deum , a follow-up to his encyclical Laudato Si , from eight years ago. Adam Fitzpatrick, who serves as the Social Mission Outreach Coordinator for the Archdiocesan Center for Mission, joined host Patrick Conley to talk about the contents of this new Apostolic Exhortation and about Cathol...

Regular Practicing Catholic listeners may know that host Patrick Conley is a liturgy nerd. And this is especially true of the liturgical calendar. But, when it comes to liturgical seasons, there are definite “feels” to Advent and Christmas, and to Lent and Easter, but what about Ordinary Time? How do you live out a season that is Ordinary? Joining Patrick to help us understand more about this litu...

Many of you listeners have a dedication to the Holy Rosary, and you may pray it daily. Perhaps you and your family pray the Family Rosary Across America with Fr. Rocky and Maggie every day at 7 p.m. on Relevant Radio. But as with all of our practices of prayer, there’s always an invitation to go deeper. Host Patrick Conley and Fr. Rich Simon, host of the Relevant Radio show Father Simon Says, talk...

For many of us, the immigration crisis at our southern border seems so far removed from our everyday lives here in the Archdiocese. Sure, we may read something online or in the paper or watch some news coverage on TV, but it’s hard to know what’s really happening with our sisters and brothers who are trying to immigrate to the United States. Producer Kayla Mayer got to sit down with "the Pope...

If you’re a regular listener to Practicing Catholic, you know we’ve been having some talk about relics recently on the show (and if you missed them, check out our interviews with Archbishop Hebda and Sean Pilcher). This time, host Patrick Conley chats with Fr. Leonard Andrie, pastor of the Church of St. Therese in Deephaven, to talk about some special family relics that are set to come to the Arch...

Most of our listeners either remember or are experiencing for yourselves the whirlwind of being in your 20s and 30s. With so many life changes occurring and having to navigate the world for the first time on your own, it’s good to have a Catholic community around you to empathize with you and redirect your eyes to the Lord. Our Lady of Grace in Edina has a vibrant example of one such community in...

What do you know about the women Doctors of the Church? Maybe you have a devotion to one or more of them. They’re certainly worth getting to know! Helping us do just that is DeAnn Brandel, the Office and Communications Manager for the Church of St. Patrick in Edina, who sat down with Patrick Conley to share a special opportunity for women to spend a day with these four holy women! Find out more an...

Veneration of relics of saints is something unique for Catholics, and it has been a fall filled with relics here in the Archdiocese. First, a large relic of Saint Jude was here recently, and coming up in a couple of weeks, relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and her parents – Saints Zelie and Louis Martin - will be touring the area.   Our shepherd, Archbishop Hebda, joined producer Kayla Mayer to h...

Hundreds of people involved in the world of Restorative Justice are about to descend on the Twin Cities for their biannual national conference. If you’re not familiar with the term "restorative justice", you may be familiar with some of its practices – like bringing offenders, victims and the community together – with the ultimate goals of accountability and the repairing of harm. Fr. Da...

Big-box home goods stores are easy to come by around the Twin Cities metro, but what if you could shop small for your home goods at a place that embraces a Catholic way of thinking? Turns out, you can! MarySarah Stokman, proprietor of The Olive Branch, a home goods shop in the Mac-Groveland neighborhood in St. Paul, sat down with host Patrick Conley about how her store can invite you to find grace...

What’s your devotion to relics of the saints? What role do they play in your spiritual life? Here on Practicing Catholic, we're still learning. That’s why host Patrick Conley sat down with Sean Pilcher, the director of Sacra: Relics of the Saints, an apostolate established to restore, authenticate, and promote the veneration of sacred relics.  To contact Sacra: Relics of the Saints or find out...

If you’re looking for rich history, beautiful art, amazing food, and animated people, certainly Rome has got to be near the top of your list of places to go. Dr. Liz Lev is an art historian transplanted from the US, now living in Rome herself, where she does tours and teaches at Duquesne University’s Italian campus and “the Ang”--the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas. She joined produc...

How is a faithful, young Catholic supposed to navigate the peaks and pitfalls of dating in the 21st century?  That's what Our Lady of Grace in Edina is trying to answer for our local young adults with their event series, "Call Me: A Catholic Young Adult’s Guide to Dating, Discernment, and I Do". Ryan O’Hara, a guest presenter in the series, joined host Patrick Conley to share some of...

We hope you already know, but just in case you don’t, around the Archdiocese, we take our Catholic schools pretty seriously. Just how seriously? Well, you’ll get a taste of that as host Patrick Conley talks to Dr. Emily Dahdah, the Director of Educational Quality and Excellence for the Archdiocesan Office for the Mission of Catholic Education. Find the new and improved website for the Catholic sch...

Some of our listeners know that last year, host Patrick Conley's wife became the principal of their small, local Catholic school. And boy, oh, boy, they learned quickly that the principal of a school has to wear many hats: from substitute teacher, to disciplinarian, to accountant, to maintenance engineer, to... Well, you get the idea. For our back-to-school show, we wanted to take a look at a...

Well, fall is definitely in the air. The state fair has come and gone, kids are back in class, and college students have returned to campus. But for producer Kayla Mayer, back-to-school season at the University of St. Thomas meant one thing: the Saint Paul’s Outreach hog roast. Kayla relived part of her college experience with Josiah Klas, a chapter leader for Saint Paul’s Outreach at the Universi...

We all like stories of redemption. Look at the books we read, the movies we watch, and most memorable stories we’ve heard. Host Patrick Conley sat down with Kelly Lester – who accepted God’s forgiveness in a most radical way – and talked about her winding journey to becoming the dedicated pro-life advocate she is today. **CONTENT WARNING** This episode contains mentions of women's experiences...

A quick Google search will show you that Saint Drogo is the patron saint of coffee. But for a Northeast Minneapolis coffee roaster, it’s definitely John Paul II. As a coffee lover and big fan of JPII, Patrick was excited to chat with Nate Whipple – founder of Karol Coffee – named after Karol Wojtyla, the man who would become a pope and saint. Purchase your own Catholic cup of joe at https://karolc...

Did you attend the Burn Revival in Minneapolis this summer? If not, don’t worry, you can still hear all about it. Our good friends over at Blessed Is She are hosting Burn Revivals across the country, including one that happened recently here, in our Archdiocese. Producer Kayla Mayer sat down with Beth Davis, the Director of Ministry Advancement for Blessed Is She, to talk more about the community...

Well, kids, there’s no denying it. Back to School season is here. It’s not all bad though: this is an exciting time of beginnings and facing challenges that will help you grow. Back for his monthly segment, Archbishop Bernard Hebda joined host Patrick Conley to share his own words of encouragement for students and parents.  Like what you're hearing? Leave us a review and follow us on social me...