The Catholic Morning Show

The walk through the Ten Commandments continues on The Catholic Morning Show as Ed Van Buskirk joins host Deacon Mark Campbell to explore the Eighth Commandment: "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor." Van Buskirk contrasts truth and lies, explaining how a single lie binds us, makes us a "slave to a lie," and — like a dandelion gone to seed — blows in the wind and multiplies, cre...

In this conversation on The Catholic Morning Show, guest host Sam Halligan welcomes canon lawyer Adam Storey to explore a subject many Catholics associate only with annulments or parish governance. Storey offers a big-picture view of canon law as a tool the Church uses to serve justice and order the community so it can respond to Christ's call to mission. He frames canon law as "applied theology"...

In this Gospel reflection segment of The Catholic Morning Show, Deacon Randy Kiel — a permanent deacon and licensed mental health counselor — prepares listeners for the readings of the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time, naming the abundance of God's grace as the week's theme. He recounts the prophet Jeremiah's confrontation with the priest Pashhur, his imprisonment and public torture in the stocks,...

Cristero War Martyrs — Relic Veneration in the Diocese of Des Moines Six Catholic priests martyred during Mexico's Cristero War (1926–1929) and canonized by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000, are making a pilgrimage through the Diocese of Des Moines this week. All six were Knights of Columbus. Monica Meredith, Hispanic Ministry Director at Sacred Heart Parish, and Antonio Banuelos, Knight of Colum...

What Happened on June 11, 2026 At the U.S. bishops' spring plenary assembly in Orlando, Florida, over 270 bishops prayed a formal act of consecration, entrusting the United States — its people, wounds, and future — to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This coincided with the feast of the Sacred Heart and the nation's 250th anniversary. The full prayer remains available on the USCCB website. Historical Co...

Who Are the Six Martyred Priests? During Mexico's Cristero War (1926–1929), the Mexican government effectively outlawed the Catholic Church — banning public Mass, expelling clergy, and desecrating churches. Six Knights of Columbus priests refused to stop ministering and were executed for their faith. Pope John Paul II canonized 26 martyrs of the Cristero War on May 21, 2000 — six of whom were Knig...

Iowa March for Life — Des Moines, Iowa | June 20, 2026 Maggie DeWitte, Executive Director of Pulse Life Advocates — Iowa's longest-standing statewide pro-life organization, founded in 1972 — joins the show to reflect on the pro-life landscape four years after the Dobbs decision. She discusses Iowa's heartbeat law, the reality of neighboring states like Minnesota and Illinois serving as abortion sa...

Marriage Works Ohio is a department of the Elizabeth New Life Center, a pro-life pregnancy center with over 36 years of history. Under Greg Schutte's leadership for the past 20 years, Marriage Works serves couples and youth through three primary avenues: Youth Education — School-based programs in high schools and middle schools covering healthy relationships, saving sex for marriage, and understan...

Pulse Life Advocates is the longest-standing statewide pro-life organization in Iowa, founded in 1972. Guided by the teachings of the Catholic Church, Pulse is an ecumenical organization whose mission is to educate Iowans on the sanctity of human life from fertilization to natural death — now 54 years into that mission. The Post-Dobbs Landscape: Four years after the Dobbs decision returned abortio...

Guest Host Sam Halligan & Co-Host Deacon Mark Campbell This week, Sam Halligan — Des Moines city director for Forge, a men's discipleship and small group organization — steps in as guest host alongside Deacon Mark Campbell. Bo Bonner returns to the studio June 29. Bo Bonner Calls In from London Bo Bonner joined the show by phone to share updates from a remarkable European journey. His stops includ...

Who Is Sam Halligan? Sam Halligan grew up in Urbandale, Iowa, attended Saint Pius X Catholic School K–8 and Dowling Catholic High School (Class of 2013), then went on to Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. After college, he spent ten years in full-time missionary work with Damascus Ministries — running youth and young adult camps, conferences, and retreats — before returning to Des Moines in...

Bo Bonner Live from London Iowa Catholic Radio's own Bo Bonner is currently in London completing pre-residency work for his PhD at Saint Mary's University — the only Catholic university in London. His formal residential program begins in just a few weeks. Before arriving in London, Bo made two significant stops: Rome — Vatican AI Conference & Pope Leo XIV's Encyclical Bo and co-authors of Catholic...

Beth Bubik, CEO of the Catholic Fasting Coach Company, joins Deacon Mark Campbell to introduce a uniquely Catholic approach to health, weight loss, and spiritual transformation — one built not on macros or calorie counting, but on the ancient rhythm of the Church year. The DeLay and Pray Method — Beth coaches Catholic women to delay sugar, flour, and alcohol to Sundays and solemnities, following a...

Fr. Nick Smith, pastor of St. Patrick's Parish in Perry, Iowa, makes his debut appearance on The Catholic Morning Show — long overdue, as Deacon Mark points out, given Fr. Nick's nearly three years producing daily Gospel reflections for Iowa Catholic Radio. The Daily Gospel Reflection Podcast — Currently ranked #2 for "Gospel Reflections" on Apple Podcasts, Fr. Nick's reflections offer bite-sized...

Deacon Randy Kiel from Christ the King Parish in Des Moines joins Deacon Mark Campbell for a special bonus segment, returning a second consecutive morning to complete his reflection on the upcoming Sunday Gospel from Matthew 9–10. Key highlights from this conversation: The Greek Word No One Had Before — When Jesus was moved with pity at the sight of the leaderless crowd, the Gospel writers faced a...

This Friday's Catholic Morning Show brings together three inspiring conversations at the intersection of faith, Scripture, and everyday Catholic living. Deacon Randy Kiel from Christ the King Parish in Des Moines returns for a second consecutive morning to complete his reflection on the Sunday readings from Matthew 9–10. He unpacks the rarely discussed Greek word splagchnizomai — a term the Gospel...

On this storm-interrupted Thursday, Deacon Mark Campbell and Brady Grimm power through severe weather alerts across Iowa to deliver a full, faith-filled Catholic Morning Show. The episode opens with Deacon Randy Kiel unpacking the Sunday Ordinary Time readings — tracing Israel's covenant at Sinai in Exodus, Paul's message of new identity in Romans, and the unifying thread of God's faithful love th...

Ed Van Buskirk, founder of IfYouLoveMe.com, joins Deacon Mark Campbell for week eight of the Ten Commandments series with a rich exploration of the Seventh Commandment: You Shall Not Steal. Ed opens by reframing the commandment entirely — rather than simply a rule against taking, it is an invitation into the greatness of generosity . When we look past what we shouldn't do and ask what we should do...

Detective Craig Vasquez of the Des Moines Police Department sits down with Deacon Mark Campbell to talk about faith, prayer, and the power of public witness. After experiencing profound personal grief — the loss of his nephew Ari — Detective Vasquez felt called by Our Lady to take up the rosary daily. That personal conversion became the seed of a community-wide Rosary Rally now held annually outsi...

J. Stephen Russell, retired professor of medieval literature and Catholic author, joins The Catholic Morning Show to share the story behind Angel of the Eucharist , his English translation of the writings of Marie Estelle Harpin (1814–1841). Who Was Marie Estelle Harpin? Born in 1814 in Santos, France, Marie Estelle was a middle-class young woman who apprenticed as a seamstress. As a teenager, she...

John Gaffney, Director of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Des Moines, joins The Catholic Morning Show to unpack one of the most significant changes in sacramental preparation in the diocese in decades. Why the Change? The conversation began with a direct question from Bishop Johnson: is tenth grade the best place to confer confirmation? A diocesan task force — including clergy and laity from ru...

The Catholic Morning Show opens with a reminder of an upcoming community prayer event: join Catholic Des Moines police officers on Saturday, June 13, 2026 at 1:30 PM at the Des Moines Police Department (25 East First Street, Des Moines) for a Rosary and Litany of the Sacred Heart for the State of Iowa, honoring city leaders, police officers, firefighters, EMS, medical personnel, and clergy. In the...

Vermont-based historian Jeb Smith joins The Catholic Morning Show to discuss his provocative new book Missing Monarchy: Correcting Misconceptions About the Middle Ages, Medieval Kingship, Democracy and Liberty , published by Sensus Fidelium Press. Jeb argues that the medieval period — which he re-defines as roughly 600–1300 A.D., the era of Anglo-Saxon England and feudal Europe — was characterized...

Maria Palma Smith joins The Catholic Morning Show to illuminate the life and legacy of Father Dolindo Rotolo, a Neapolitan priest born in Naples in 1882 and a figure of remarkable spiritual depth. Father Dolindo is perhaps best known as the man to whom Jesus gave the prayer that would become the beloved Surrender Novena — a text that originated as a letter to one of his spiritual daughters and spr...

On June 9, 2026, Deacon Mark Campbell and Alexia Baker host two compelling conversations on The Catholic Morning Show. First, Maria Palma Smith joins to discuss her spiritual biography Jesus, I Surrender Myself to You , co-authored with a devoted niece of Father Dolindo Rotolo. Father Dolindo was a Neapolitan priest born in Naples in 1882, a mystic deeply loved by Saint Padre Pio, and the man to w...