Upfront with the Archbishop

"Am I stewarding my eyes? Am I stewarding my ears? What am I allowing into my thinking by what I choose to see and listen to?" This week Archbishop Smith speaks specifically to what our Catholic faith can bring to the conversation around anxiety. Can we find healing through the spiritual realities of our faith, most especially the Eucharist? Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to s...

"Being a Christian is an intentional reality today." In this special episode Archbishop Smith is joined by Bishop-Elect Gary Franken to talk about his upcoming episcopal ordination for the Diocese of St. Paul Alberta. Some of the topics in this broad interview include forming priests with emotional maturity, the difference in seminaries, and swimming against cultural currents. Click here...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! Visit our Advent Resource Page! Hurry up and Wait... "Advent is not just getting ready for the Christmas celebrations." This week Archbishop Smith sets the record straight on Advent, it's true meaning, and what modern day pitfalls to avoid leading up to Christmas. Record your q...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! Archbishop Smith Goes to Ireland! After a much needed break, Archbishop Smith sits down to to talk about his recent trip to Ireland. A great conversation on rediscovering cultural and family roots, trusting in God, and the joys of a pint of Guinness. Record your question/feedback for the Arch...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! Have a Complaint? Like any other public figure Bishop's are no stranger to criticism. But in the Church how does a disciple offer criticism to someone who has legitimate authority over them? We ask Archbishop Smith how he receives and processes feedback, and how he decides if a public re...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! A burden or a gift? In this week's discussion with Archbishop Smith we get into the why's, the objections, and the beauty of celibacy in priesthood. We talk about problems perceived with having mandatory celibacy in the Latin Rite Catholic priesthood, and His Grace speaks to why he...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! A follower of Jesus is always in the process of accepting death. Whether that be a spiritual death to self, or acceptance of our mortality, when ever we look at the cross we are reminded of our ultimate destination. This week, for November (the month of the dead), we get into the many questio...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! "The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist." This week we que up Halloween with a discussion on battling spiritual warfare, how to approach the secular culture that's been built up around Halloween, and whether our Archdiocese has an...

Still confused about what the synod was all about? Who responded? Will anything come of it?  This week Archbishop Richard Smith is joined by Dr. Eugenia Pagnotta-Kowalczyk, who was responsible for coordinating our local contribution to the global "Synod on Synodality". We examine the main takeaways from the Synthesis Report that Dr. Eugenia wrote, drawing from all the listening sessions...

Catholic Education, relations with the Eastern Orthodox, the apparent lack of a Youth Coordinator at the Archdiocese, and more where all asked during our Q&A with Archbishop Richard Smith. The first LIVE recording event started off with His Grace giving the Catholic young adults 3 points of wisdom, and then the question and answer period really tide things together in what turned into an excit...

LIVE Recording Event! October 5th (7pm) at Newman Theological College: https://fb.me/e/1RGCDQNqS "People are entrusting their wounds to you." That's how Fr. Philip Creurer describes his work in the tribunal, where they investigate whether or not a marriage was valid to begin with. This episode we get into specific questions around annulment, the process, and what about those very di...

LIVE Recording Event! October 5th (7pm) at Newman Theological College: https://fb.me/e/1RGCDQNqS Is divorce a legitimate option for Catholics? In the first part of a two part series, Archbishop Smith, with our Judicial Vicar Fr. Philip Creurer, tackle the intense subjects of marriage, the declaration of nullity, and divorce. Who defines marriage? What makes a marriage valid or invalid? What is an...

"I will not treat the gifts of God as pointless". Sunday as a day of rest is no longer culturally normative, and we often treat it as a second Saturday. As Catholics, what does it mean to actually rest on the Lord's Day? Do sports count as work? What if I own a business? This week we talk about whether we need to change our behavior to better witness to how we live out our Sundays a...

How much of your income should go to the Church? It's a fairly personal and direct question, and the answer may differ depending on the tradition you come from. This week we ask Archbishop Smith what Catholic's are obligated to to give, and why? Submit your question for the Archbishop at the link below using the SpeakPipe widget: www.caedm.ca/upfront Upfront with the Archbishop is a week...

Who are the voices that shape and inform your Catholic faith? Mostly contemporary speakers/celebrities, or traditional voices from the past? This week we react to the buzz around celebrity conversions, like Shia LaBeouf recently, and how much weight to give the countless voices available to us throughout the internet and Church history. Submit your question for the Archbishop at the link below usi...

Abortion is the hot topic. And even with the Church's teaching being crystal clear, it is often misrepresented. This week Jenny and Archbishop Smith are joined by Gabrielle Johnson, the Executive Director of the Alberta Life Issues Educational Society, to talk about abortion, the rhetoric around it, and what is being done locally to help women, and their babies, during a crisis pregnancy.  Ga...

The music played at mass can often become a lightning rod for disagreements. What instruments are most appropriate? Are hymns necessary? How do we navigate conflict? Archbishop Richard Smith is joined again by Roderick Bryce in tackling these practical questions on Sacred Music! Roderick Bryce is the Music Director at St. Joseph Basilica. Hailing from Edinburgh, Scotland, Roderick relocated to Ste...

Click here to sign up for Upfront Updates to stay in the loop on upcoming podcast events and new episodes! Very excited to share with you a special BONUS episode with Fr. Cristino Bouvette (Papal Visit Liturgical Coordinator), debriefing him on the Papal Visit liturgies. We take a deep dive into the decisions made around the Papal liturgies and the elements of indigenous inculturation that happene...

We finally sit down with Archbishop Richard (William) Smith to debrief Pope Francis' historic visit, and penitential pilgrimage, to Canada. His Grace discusses the highlights and key takeaways from his insiders perspective. To watch the lives streams of the Papal events visit: https://www.papalvisit.ca/archival-footage/ To read the texts of the Holy Father visit below: https://www.vatican.va/...

This week's episode on the Papal visit will be coming out in a couple days and we just wanted to send out this update on when to expect it's release! www.papalvisit.ca Watch us on YouTube here ! Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to strengthen the relationship between the hierarchy and the faithful through inform...

We get to know Archbishop Richard Smith a lot more this episode as he gives us his personal testimony on how he came to the faith and his call to the priesthood. Submit your question for the Archbishop at the link below using the SpeakPipe widget: www.caedm.ca/upfront Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast seeking to bridge the gap between the hierarchy and the faithful by discussing the...

For more information on how to donate or volunteer check out the website at: www.papalvisit.ca Leading up to the Papal visit to Canada next week, Archbishop Richard Smith wants to let Catholics know how they can and should engage with this historic moment in the life of the Church in Canada and the country. Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast seeking to bridge the gap between the hiera...

What music is appropriate for mass? Is there a right and a wrong to what songs and styles get played? Roderick Bryce joins us so that we can dive deep into what the Church teaches us about sacred music, and what makes it so sacred any way. In this part 1 of our discussion we get into the official teaching and principals, and it part 2 (to be released in a couple weeks) we go in to the practical qu...

Does God have one specific plan for my life? Or is it more like the LIFE board game where I get to choose between a few equally suitable options? Are these questions even helpful when discerning our vocation? So many questions, and this week we're joined again by Fr. Marc to help answer them! Fr. Marc Cramer has been the vocations director in the Archdiocese of Edmonton for 9 years, and curre...

What goes into deciding when and a where a priest is moved? When can a priest move be harmful for the life of a parish? What do priests think of being moved every few years? Listen to Fr. Marc Cramer, and as always Archbishop Richard Smith, in what turned into a frank and revealing conversation about priest moves and their impact on parishes. Fr. Marc Cramer has been the vocations director in the...