The Open Door

This week on The Open Door (October 4th), panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer discuss arguments for and against the existence of God. We think that these arguments matter, and we want to think hard about them. After all, we want to know whether Christianity is true, and if God doesn’t exist then it isn’t! Our welcome guest is Patrick Flynn. He’s the author of the new book...

This week (September 20th ) on The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer will discuss religious freedom. Our special guests are Andrew Kubick and Nathaniel Hurd, both of the Religious Freedom Institute. Kubick is Deputy Director, National Center for Religious Freedom Education, and a Research Fellow in Bioethics and Medical Conscience. He has a Ph. D. in Bioethic...

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer discuss how to best respond to people who are devalued due to intellectual or physical impairment, mental disorders, age, and poverty. Our welcome guest is Jo Massarelli. She leads Social Role Valorization workshops both in the United States and internationally. She has also evaluated dozens of human se...

In this episode of The Open Door , without special fuss, and certainly without making a scene, we’ll explore the life and times of the man behind the scenes. Our welcome guest is our producer and, indeed, the producer of the full range of WCAT Radio & Television programs. The President of En Route Books and Media , the peripatetic Sebastian Mahfood, OP, Ph. D., will join us! Though his heart i...

In this episode of The Open Door , panelists Jim Hanink and Valierie Niemeyer interview Lauren Onak, the new vice presidential candidate of the American Solidarity Party. Lauren was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. She studied English Literature at Barnard College of Columbia University and received a Masters in Adolescent Education from Hunter College. Onak is a stay at home mom to thr...

In this episode of The Open Door (July 26th), panelists Jim Hanink and Mario Ramos-Reyes talk about children’s literature, writing for a popular audience, and Lady Philosophy. Our guest is Susanna Spencer. She has a Masters in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. Spencer is both a writer and the content and theological editor for Blessed is She . In addition, she co-authored the ch...

On this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer discuss “the prosperity Gospel” as the tip of an unholy alliance between individualism in theology and philosophy and capitalism in economics. This alliance reaches into the larger culture, including education, science, and the arts. We have a welcome and returning guest, Thomas Storck, to help us. He’s...

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer explore the relation between faith and science from the perspective of philosophy, especially Thomism. Our welcome guest is Prof. Paul Julienne. He is a groundbreaking quantum physics researcher long affiliated with the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland. He was recently elected a mem...

This week on The Open Door (June 14 th ), panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer discuss the ongoing pro-life struggle. There’s much to consider. We’ll explore the role of nonviolent direct action. In addition, we’ll tackle the question of the personhood of the pre-born human being. Of late, Pope Francis has commented on this question. Our special guest is Monica Migliorino...

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink and Mario Ramos-Reyes discuss racial reparations. Our special and returning guest is Daniel Philpott, Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He specializes in religion and global politics with a focus on reconciliation, the political behavior of religious actors, and Christian political theology. His books include Revo...

Next up on The Open Door (May 10th), we discuss a theology of disability and its philosophical commitments. How is it that we can best see and serve disabled persons? What lessons can they, in turn, teach us? Our welcome guest is Dr. Marc Tumeinski of Anna Maria College and Holy Apostles College and Seminary. His doctoral research brought together in ecumenical dialogue the writings of Joseph Ratz...

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Valerie Niemeyer interview Peter Sonski concerning his candidacy for the American Solidarity Party’s 2024 Presidential Nomination (April 26, 2023) This week on The Open Door (April 26) we advance our discussion of politics, America’s daunting needs, and the dynamics of the American Solidarity Party. Our welcome guest is...

This week on The Open Door (April 11) we discuss journalism and politics, bringing a Christian perspective to the Public Square, and the American Solidarity Party's presidential primary race. Our welcome guest is Chicago's Mike Vick, a candidate for the ASP's presidential nomination. Our questions will include the following. Mike, could you please tell us about your educational and professional ba...

This week on The Open Door (March 22, 2023), panelists Jim Hanink and Mario Ramos-Reyes discuss the Christians in Need Foundation (CINF). Its mission is to preserve ancient Christian traditions so that they may continue to inform the communities to which they belong, especially in the Middle East and Caucasus. Its special focus is the Armenians in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh that lies...

WCAT TV is an en air wing of En Route Books and Media working with WCAT Radio to share the joys of the Catholic faith. To support the station, please visit our Patreon account at https://www.patreon.com/wcatradio Next up on The Open Door (March 1st) we discuss the life and legacy of Brother Andrew, the co-founder with St. Mother Teresa of the Missionaries of Charity Brothers. Our welcome and speci...

This week on The Open Door (February 15) we discuss the phenomenon of boredom. We’re especially interested in its effects on education. Our special guest is Kevin Hood Gary, a professor of education at Valparaiso University. He is co-founder of the North American Association for Philosophy of Education. The Association provides a forum for scholars working at the intersection of philosophy and edu...

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink and Mario Ramos-Reyes talk with Dr. Thomas Sheahen and Dr. Thomas Storck on Everywhen: God, Symmetry, and Time (February 8, 2023) Welcome to The Open Door . On our next program (February , we explore the relationship between faith and science. Our welcome guest is Thomas P. Sheahen. He holds a Ph. D. degree in physics from the Massachusetts In...

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink and Mario Ramos-Reyes discuss the ongoing tragedy of clerical sexual abuse. They examine its contributing factors and its consequences. Our special and welcome guests are Jane F. Adolphe and Robert Fastiggi. They are co-editors of Clerical Sexual Misconduct: An Interdisciplinary Analysis. Adolphe is Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law,...

On this episode of The Open Door, Jim Hanink discusses with Dr. George Mychaskiw and Rene Trabanino the ambitious plans for a greatly needed new Catholic Medical School. The Mission of the St. Padre Pio College of Osteopathic Medicine is to treat the sick, relieve suffering, and in doing so announce the Good News. Dr. Mychaskiw is the College’s founding president and chief executive officer. The q...

Welcome to The Open Door. Coming next, Wednesday (12/14), we discuss theology, history, and politics. Our welcome guest is Alan Fimister, Assistant Professor of Theology at Holy Apostles College and Seminary. He read Modern History at Oxford University and took his PhD at the University of Aberdeen, writing on the influence of Thomistic political theory on early European integration. Dr. Fimister...

This week (November 23rd) on The Open Door we will introduce and explore the work of Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–1988), widely considered one of the most significant theologians of the century. His major multi-volume theological works are The Glory of the Lord, Theo-Drama and Theo-Logic. Our welcome guest is the psychologist, Richard Clements. He is the author of The Meaning of the World Is Love:...

Today (November 9th) on The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink and Mario Ramos-Reyes discuss an extraordinary murder mystery! Virgil Gheorghiu’s La Condottiera is the tale of a heinous crime set amid the terrible suffering of the Romanian people under Communism. Gheorghiu’s language is starkly poetic as he charts the circles of a modern hell. With her translation of this powerful work, Inez Fitzgeral...

In this episode of The Open Door, Professor Callum Scott on being a Catholic Philosopher in South Africa (November 2, 2022) This week (November 2nd) on The Open Door we’ll discuss Thomism and…South Africa! Context counts, so we’ll also be talking about Catholicism in South Africa. We’re looking forward to our first virtual visit to this beautiful and fascinating country. Our welcome and special gu...

This week on The Open Door (Oct. 19th) we explore two crises in higher education. The first is affordability for students. The second is federal interference in colleges and universities. But crises call for thoughtful responses. One such response is the development of Great Books colleges. Our special guest is Thomas M. Ward, a professor of philosophy at Baylor University. He is also the author o...

This week (October 5th) on The Open Door we discuss parish management in light of the Catholic intellectual and spiritual tradition. Our welcome guest is Michael Brinda, successful entrepreneur and author of Parish Management and Operations: The Buck Stops Here (En Route Books and Media, 2021). He founded New Horizons Computer Learning Centers in 1982 and franchised New Horizons around the world....