What Matters Most

This episode with Charles Gallagher, S.J . takes us into some dark history concerning Nazis and the Christian Front, a Catholic lay organization, in Boston and New York in the 1930s and 1940s just prior to and during the early stages of World War II.  The story of Frances Moran, head of the Boston National Front and his Nazi handler, the German consul in Boston, Herbert Wilhelm Scholz is a depress...

Dr Amy Lindeman Allen is an Associate Professor of New Testament at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) in Indianapolis and only a couple of weeks ago was appointed to an endowed chair, the Indiana Christian Church Chair in Biblical Studies at CTS. Amy is also an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Allen earned her doctorate in New Testament and Early Christian...

Today's guest on What Matters Most, Imam Dr. Abubakar Mohammed Marzuq, is from Ghana. Imam Marzuq introduces us in this episode to the country of Ghana generally and to the interfaith situation in the West African country specifically.  Imam Marzuq is the assistant to the Chief Imam of Ghana, Shaikh Dr. Osman Nuhu Sharubutu who is 104 years old. Marzuq belongs to the Tijaniyyah tariqa , or order,...

Our guest on this episode of What Matters Most , the second (new) episode of our second season, is Dr. Massimo Faggioli, a full professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University (Philadelphia).  Massimo is one of the most prominent Catholic theologians working today in North America and Europe.   Massimo is a friend and was a colleague of mine at the University...

Our first guest on the second season of What Matters Most is  Rev. Dr. Robert James , Associate Professor, Anglican Formation and Studies at VST .   Rob James is an Anglican priest who was ordained in the Church of England and worked as a parish priest in Gloucestershire and then as Canon Chancellor of Wells Cathedral , Somerset, before coming to Canada. Before he was a parish priest, he worked in...

As What Matters Most prepares to begin its second season in September 2023, I thought we should return to the first episode with Fr. Jim Martin, released on October 7, 2022. Many of you were not listening to the podcast when this episode was released, so to prepare you for the upcoming season, this is a taste of what's on offer. I will say that a number of tweaks have taken place since Fr. Martin'...

Welcome to What Matters Most.   On this episode I speak with the Interfaith Amigos, who are  Imam Jamal Rahman, Pastor Don MacKenzie, and Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan. Rabbi Laura replaced the recently retired Rabbi Ted Falcon as a part of this interfaith trio. When you listen to the episode you will notice that I did not start with saying, "A Rabbi, an Imam, and a Minister walk into a bar..." This is...

Today’s guest on What Matters Most is Sam Rocha , associate professor of philosophy of education at University of British Columbia. This was a wide-ranging conversation and as I say at in the intro to the podcast, I am still processing all of it because we covered so much territory.  Sam is the author of a number of books, including  A Primer for Philosophy and Education with Cascade Books,  Folk...

On this episode I speak with Sister Damien Savino , F.S.E., Ph. D., Dean of Science and Sustainability at Aquinas College in Michigan. Sister Damien Marie has a Ph. D in Civil (Environmental) Engineering from The Catholic University of America (CUA),  a M.A. in Theology  from CUA, a M.S. in Soil Science from the University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, and a B.S.  Biogeography (High Honors) from McG...

The guest on this episode is Nicholas Olkovich , my colleague at St. Mark’s College in Vancouver. Nick was just promoted to  Associate Professor at St. Mark’s and is the Marie Anne Blondin Chair of Catholic Theology at St. Mark’s. Nick has a Ph. D. in Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College (2009-2016), an S.T.L., Regis College (2009-2013), an M.Div., University of St. Michael’s Coll...

My guest on this episode of  What Matters Most is the Canadian biblical scholar Dr. Matthew Thiessen , an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at McMaster University and formerly an Assistant Professor  at St. Louis University . It was a fascinating conversation for me as Matt works in the same field, biblical studies and studies of Paul in particular, as do I. I was trained by a different gen...

Welcome to our episode with Dr. David Penchansky, professor emeritus in the Department of Theology at the University of St. Thomas, Minnesota.  This was a fascinating conversation. We learn about David growing up in Brooklyn in a family that were atheists and his own religious conversion on a "hippie commune," his words, in Washington State fifty years ago. He became an Assembly of God minister be...

On this episode of what matters most I speak with Dr. Catherine  E. Clifford, a Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. She holds a PhD in Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto, and an STL from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Her teaching, research, and publications are in the areas of ecclesiology, ecum...

Welcome to part 2 of my conversation with Dr. Greg Kennedy. In the first epiosde we talked about ecology, animals, and spiritual direction.  In this, the second episode, we discuss his books the Reupholstered Psalms   and Amazing Friendships between Animals and Saints . What does he mean by  Reupholstered Psalms ? We talk about that title and how he is not rewriting” or “reconstructing” the Psalms...

I spoke to Dr. Steve Millies on February 6, 2023. Steve Millies  is a Catholic political theorist and the director of the Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, his hometown, and Professor of Public Theology. He has written Joseph Bernardin: Seeking Common Ground (Liturgical Press, 2016), a book which won first place in the biography category for the Catholic Press Associat...

Dr. Greg Kennedy is a doctor of philosophy and a Jesuit priest.  As we discuss in this episode, though, Greg is leaving the Catholic priesthood and has requested laicization. He is not, however, leaving the Jesuit life as he continues what he calls the "joyful disciplines of poetry, spiritual direction, retreat leadership and farming on the graceful land of the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph, On...

In 2012 Sister Nancy Brown received the Order of British Columbia. This is what was written about Nancy on her reception of the award: “ Sister Nancy Brown is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable in British Columbia: homeless youth and young people at risk for human trafficking and sexual exploitation." In this episode I speak to Nancy, who was born in Vancouver, about her life as a Sister...

Donna Naughton is an Ojibway and Cree from Biigtigong First Nation located in northern Ontario. Donna holds both a BSW and a MSW. With a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Donna has been helping Indigenous communities for almost 30 years. She is also the Executive Director of Kateri Native Ministry, a role she has held since 2016.   Kateri Native Ministry is based in eastern Ontario and has been comm...

Martin Strong is a veteran of radio in Vancouver, starting out as an announcer and writer in the 1980s at CFOX. He then moved to the Bro Jake Show at Rock 101 and hosting at Roundhouse Radio. He also wrote and hosted "Radio Shangri-La" for the CBC under the pseudonym "Marty Beaumont," which featured the best in cocktail lounge music (Frank, Dean, Sammy, etc.). The show ran nationally in various ti...

In this conversation I speak with Dr. Dawn Eden Goldstein about her new biography Fr. Ed: The Story of Bill W.'s Spiritual Sponsor .  We focus on the life of Fr. Ed, his own struggles to become a priest, his debilitating medical issues, and his indelible mark on AA and the founder of AA Bill W. I hope that when we talk again, we can discuss some of the other books she has written and her own spiri...

In part 2 of my conversation with Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, Professor of Jewish Studies and Director of Inter-Religious Studies at the Vancouver School of Theology, we speak about her book Mouth of the Donkey: Reimagining Biblical Animals , a book that rekindles wonder about animals and their place in human lives and in creation. Laura is also Professor Emerita of Philosophy at University of North...

In this episode I speak with Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan, a professor from Vancouver School of Theology, about her integrated life as a philosopher, rabbi, and professor of Judaism at a Christian school of theology. Rabbi Laura brings a thoughtful approach to the spiritual life, seeing God throughout creation and the natural world, an understanding of God inspired by kabbalah. We also talk about the...

Michael W. Higgins is an educator, professor, university President, author, and journalist. Most recently he was President of St. Mark's College at UBC. We talked about Pope Francis and his life in academia and as a journalist. Finally we turned to focus on the necessary role for the arts to shine a light on the truth and expose the darkness in the spiritual life. 

In this episode, I discuss with Fr. Jim Martin, a Roman Catholic priest based in New York City, his outreach to the LGBTQ community and his associated book  Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of  Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity.  We also talk about his pilgrimage to Israel and Jesus, which lead to his book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage .  Th...