The Catholic Cafe

Mary "kept all these things in her heart" as Scripture tells us regarding Jesus' birth on Christmas morning. Scripture also tells us that she "pondered" or reflected upon them. How often do we ponder? Do we ever really slow down to think about just how much God loves us and what He calls each of us to do? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the Solemnity of Mary...

Merry Christmas from The Catholic Cafe! Did you ever stop and think about the origins of many of our common Christmas traditions? Even the "non-religious" signs and symbols of our holiday celebrations? Did you know that most all of them find their true origin in our Catholic Faith? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they welcome Deacon Jeff's daughter, Mary, to discuss all t...

Who are the "unchurched"? Who are the "nones"? Who are we evangelizing? We can all agree that we are called to evangelize in the Great Commission, but WHO are we evangelizing and exactly what does that population look like? They actually look a lot like you and me! Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they welcome their guest, Bruce Downes, known throughout Australia and over...

Are you a little frazzled this holiday season? Did you just now realize that Advent is almost over and Christmas is right around the corner...and you're NOT ready? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they rattle of 10 easy ways to recapture the spirit of Advent so that you reach the Christmas season feeling blessed and fully prepared. It's not too late!

Have you made your New Year's Resolution yet? Did you even know that Advent starts the new "liturgical" year for the Catholic Church? In fact many Catholics can be a tad confused as to WHY we even have a Liturgical Year in the Church to begin with. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss Advent and the meaning and purpose of the Church's Liturgical year.

Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of The Catholic Cafe as they welcome as their guest, Father Nathan Cromly. Father Nathan is a priest of the Congregation of St. John and the President and Founder of Saint John Institute in Denver, Colorado. Together they discuss how the organizations Eagle Eye Ministries and Saint John Institute are helping young folks today live out the New...

Are you ready for the holidays? Well, ready or not, here they come! Every year we seem to get a little (or a lot) more stressed as we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holidays. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they try and offer a little perspective in finding the right balance of secular fun and spiritual holiness as we pass through Thanksgiving, prepare thro...

When Jesus told us to repent and believe in the Gospel, he called us to truly undergo change...metanoia in the Greek. But what does this really mean? How do we know if we are really undergoing change in our life? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss what true metanoia in your life looks like. And, through taking a brief look at a haunting selection from Dante's In...

Do you remember the story of Zacchaeus, the tax collector who climbed a tree to see Jesus? Most of us vaguely remember the story, but might have missed the significance of his climbing the sycamore tree and, ultimately, the challenge it poses for us in our modern world. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they show us ways in which we can climb trees for Jesus as well...and w...

Sometimes when we do the things we feel are right, especially when we feel we are following God's plan for our lives, we experience pain, affliction, friction and sadness. The Church calls this redemptive suffering. But, it's still hard. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they answer an email from "Amy" who is going through RCIA and is experiencing great difficulty in reconc...

Have you ever attended an Episcopal Installation? It is truly a sight to behold. Join Deacon Jeff, his wife Bess and their youngest, Mary Regina, as they recount their recent participation in the Episcopal Installation of The Most Reverend Martin D. Holley as the Fifth Bishop of Memphis!

Have you ever noticed that some of the most blessed moments in our lives tend to be the ones we didn't plan and orchestrate? That's the way the Holy Spirit works in our lives, and as the crew at The Catholic Cafe point out, how He has always worked in the world. Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Deacon's wife Bess as they discuss the movement of the Spirit in their lives as God interrupts our day to day c...

Have you ever thought about how we tend to "segment" our lives? We like to separate our work life from our Church life from our family life. What would it look like if we connected all those areas of our life so that our faith interacted and affected each environment we entered? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome Alanna Boudreau, a talented young singer/songwriter in the secular world who al...

We've all heard it said that the youth are the future of the Church. But, how can the youth or the Church have a future if the culture of the world continues to act against God's plan? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome Jimmy Mitchell, a young singer/songwriter, speaker, evangelist and "serial Catholic entrepreneur", to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss how through God's grace and the gi...

Are you a Catholic looking to deepen your faith and learn more about your Church? Where do you go? What can you do? Have you thought about going to RCIA? "But, I'm already Catholic!" you say. Well, join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the benefits that many good and faithful Catholics receive when they attend RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes...

Do you pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious? You may not realize that there are as many as 10,000 young men and women who have said yes to God, but have student loans that are preventing them for following through. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome Bill Lemire from the Laboure Society to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss how this group helps these future pri...

Have you ever told someone you'd pray for them...and then life happened (job, kids, distractions) and you forgot to do it? It happens to a lot of other folks as well. Even Deacon Jeff has had trouble following through with promised prayers - until he made some changes in the way he prayed. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss some quick and easy ways to make your...

Have you ever wondered if there was a list of simple things that pretty much any Catholic family could do that would help them stay rooted in their faith on their journey through life? Not hard, complex and multi-faceted things...but simple and easy-to-accomplish things. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they present one of their famous "top ten lists": ten simple things yo...

So are you a Catholic parent or student getting ready for the college experience? Are you wondering who, what, when, where and why as it relates to ensuring a robust Catholic faith on a college campus? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome Fr. Mike Schmitz, well-known podcaster and chaplain of the Catholic campus Newman Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth, to the Luxurious Corner Booth...

Do you believe the Devil is at work in the world? Many people don't. And, those that do can easily mistake just HOW the Devil might be involved and what that looks like. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth of The Catholic Cafe as they welcome Deacon Dominic Cerrato, PhD, a Permanent Deacon from Steubenville, Ohio and Director of Diaconal Ministries, to discuss diabolical activit...

We've all heard of (and maybe have had first-hand experience with) gangs and those men and women who live and die in that difficult and tragic lifestyle. How are we to understand them and so minister to them? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom as they welcome the Founder and Executive Director of Homeboy Industries, Fr. Greg Boyle, to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss how his unique ministry brings hope...

Did you ever wonder if all the various people, places, situations and events you've experienced in your lifetime (good and bad) might actually be drawn together to reveal some great "master plan" God has for you? Has God been preparing you for some great and divinely inspired task? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they ponder the plans and preparations God leads us through...

Have you ever wanted to grow your prayer life, but thought it was going to be complicated and challenging? Are you already living a complicated and challenging life and you don't know how you can carve any more time out of your life to devote to prayer? The Jesus Prayer may be just what you need! Join Deacon Jeff and Fra Tom as they welcome Fr Michael to the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Ca...

How do we best minister to the people in the Holy Land who are caught up in a land torn apart by religious conflict, land disputes and governmental instability? Join Deacon Jeff in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the French Catholic Cafe as he welcomes his guest, Stefania Gudrunerdottir, a volunteer for the Order of Malta's Representative Office for the Holy Land, to discuss a unique and effective w...

Are you confused at all about the Catholic teaching about Mary? Where in the Scriptures and in Church history do we find this teaching? What about all the different devotions? Well, you've tuned in to the right show! Join Deacon Jeff in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the French Catholic Cafe as he welcomes his guest, Fr. Andrew Fisher, a priest of the Diocese of Arlington in Virginia, to discuss Ma...