Ask a Catholic Dude

Coming off of his talk at the Young Adult Liturgical Conference in Mundelein, the auxiliary bishop of Chicago, the Most reverend Joseph Perry, sits down and talks to That Catholic Dude. We talk about Bishop Perry's devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as why she is so important in directing us towards her Son. We also discuss the rich patrimony found in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, specifically how it has impacted young people in recent years.

In this episode, we find ourselves celebrating the great Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. There aren't too many people in the liturgical calendar who get a commemoration on the day of our birth (the greatest obviously being Jesus), so why are we commemorating John the Baptist today? Well, if we look and see what the Christians of the early Church did, we'll see that they regarded this a day to "not be passed over in silence". We dig into the Scriptural foundation of this feast, and delve in into the writings of the early Church Fathers to see what reasons the first Christians had to celebrate this occasion.

Coming off of the 2nd Annual Transfigured Young Adult Liturgy Conference at The University of Saint Mary of the Lake Mundelein Seminary, I had the chance to interview Dr. Denis McNamara. He's an associate professor at the Liturgical Institute in Mundelein, and we chatted a bit about the theology behind the architectural wonders found in many churches across the world. If you want to know more about why churches look the way they do, look no further!

We're at the 2nd annual Young Adult Liturgical Conference at the Liturgical Institute, where we've been "transfigured". Several young adults from all around the country join me as we talk about our experiences and what we learned during the weekend at this beautiful campus in Northern Illinois.

Today (Friday, June 8th) is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Catholics around the world celebrate the love Jesus had for humanity as He gave His life on the cross. But what's the story behind this devotion to the Sacred Heart? Why do we focus on just one aspect of our Lor'ds Body? What were the promises that Jesus made to Christians who would be devoted to the love present in His Sacred Heart? We talk about all that and more today.

Today I sit down with Byzantine Catholic priest, Fr. Tom Loya, and discuss the wonderful things that have happened in the life of the Church since the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima occurred 101 years ago. We talk about how Our Lady of Fatima has helped with ecumenism, and how both Byzantine and Roman Catholics share quite a bit in their devotions to the Mother of God.

It seems that many Catholics, and other Christians, live a very comfortable life in the Western world. Often, we forget that we were called to take up our own cross in following Jesus. How can we get back to a spirit of penitence? We take a look at penitential observances in the life of the Church, and how we as Christians in the modern world can "toughen up" and stop being lax in our religious practices.

After a short hiatus, that Catholic Dude is back with one last interview from the FOCUS SLS 2018 Conference in Chicago. This time it's with author Dr. Ralph Martin of Renewal Ministries. We talk about the new evangelization, a bit about the afterlife, and more!

Bishop James Conley of the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska sits down with That Catholic Dude to talk about the success with vocations and the passing down of the faith that is occurring in his jurisdiction. We also talk at length about the importance of retaining the traditions of the Latin Rite.

At the 2018 FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) Conference in Chicago, I was able to find some time to speak with Fr. Mike Schmitz, who also runs a podcast on Ascension Presents. We talk a bit about how he got started with social media, and delve into his new book, "Made for Love".

Today I sit down and talk with Byzantine Catholic priest, Fr. Thomas Loya. He briefly tells us about the importance of the Eastern Catholic Churches and expresses what he wants people to know about them.

I sit down with millennial nun Sister Bethany Madonna. We talk about how young people today can still be called to the spiritual life, and how they should go about pursuing it.

That Catholic Dude sits down with Fr. Larry Richards at the 2018 FOCUS Conference. Fr. Larry exhorts young men to grow up and act like men, and also tells us how we can deepen that relationship we have with Christ despite the pressure we feel from those around us to embrace worldly things.

Who can we look to when we make our "new year's resolutions"? Today's feast on the liturgical calendar gives us a clue. Look no further than to the Holy Family.

That Catholic Dude was asked why we have to go to church on Sunday. Is it really that important? A lot of Catholic Christians today don't think it is. Let's talk about why such thinking is incorrect.

People seem to think Pope Francis is calling for the Our Father, or Lord's Prayer, to be changed. Once again, the media gets it wrong and takes His Holiness out of context. Let's back things up and see what's actually happening...

What is the Immaculate Conception. What is it NOT? We also look into why this day is so important not only for Catholics, but for all people, especially young people, in our culture.

A caller asks whether or not purgatory is a painful place and if it is like hell. Clearly, the answer is that purgatory is fundamentally different from hell. We unpack what exactly Catholics believe about purgatory, providing references from Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church.

Today, Nov. 21st is the feast of our Lady's entrance into the Temple. What significance does this feast day have for Christians today? It turns out, a lot.

After hearing a rousing homily this Sunday something was mentioned all Christians should reflect on: the season before Christmas is of a penitential nature. Are we offering our sufferings up to Christ

Recently, in the wake of several violent attacks, some people claim that they are fed up, or that even God is sick an tired of two things: thoughts and prayers. A rebuttal to these claims.

That Catholic Dude is still alive, but will be on hiatus for a while.

Many Christians have, at one time or another, been approached by Jehovah's Witnesses at their doorstep. How do we respond to their claims that Jesus is not God, and that the Trinity is a false notion?

Last Sunday, the Gospel reading came from Matt 15, which is the story of the Canaanite woman. A new "interpretation" has popped up and it says that Jesus was prejudicial to this woman. Is it true?

Hollywood and mainstream TV usually don't understand what takes place in the confessional during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We clear a few things up and answer a question on where it can happen.

That Catholic Dude was asked, "How Does One Become Catholic?" What steps would an inquirer to the faith go through on the path to conversion? Also what does the Church teach about pets after they die?

Following the despicable attacks in Charlottesville, we thankfully celebrate the feast of a saint who gave his life up for those that were being attacked by real Nazis. His name is St Maximilian Kolbe

Here's an interview with Fr. and he Davey on the "Lim of truth" found in J.R.R. Tolkien's middle earth. Fans of the series might be interested to know that Tolkien was a devout Catholic.

For Roman Catholics, there are multiple ways to conduct the liturgy. Two of these ways are the Extraordinary Form (Tridentine Latin Mass) and the Ordinary Form. Exploring how they enrich each other.

On the feast of St. Alphonsus, we take a look at the Doctors of the Church and how they've contributed to Christendom.

As Christians have done from Apostolic times (and as Jews did even before), Catholic and Orthodox Christians pray for the dead. Why? See how this tradition explains purgatory, with Scriptural proofs.

Talking with Anchor FM host and non-denominational Christian Kurt Smock on Christian unity and who ultimately safeguards the truth.

Many people will be surprised to know that Catholics venerate many OT figures, including one who's feast day we just celebrated. Also talking a little bit about Scripture in the Mass and why it unites

How do Catholic Christians view death? What happens at a funeral? One of the best homilies, from Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's funeral, is included.

Blessed Miriam Teresa Demjanovich was a twenty something who was born, raised, and died in New Jersey. During the 1920's, she wrote a series of spiritual essays before she died at 26. Insightful stuff

Diversity is talked about a lot today, and with over 20 different ways to be Catholic, there is no Church more diverse than the Catholic Church. Find out how the Church can breathe with both "lungs".

Question: How Do You Teach Newbs to Pray? • REPLAY: Look to the Example of Young Saints!

Reviewing Eastern Catholicism • From the Archives: Not All Catholics Are Roman • Caller Answers the Question: Why Are (or Aren't) You Catholic? • Similarities Between Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christians • The Ukrainian Catholic Catechism Part 1 • The Ukrainian Catholic Catechism Part 2 • The Ukrainian Catholic Catechism On the Pope • The Ukrainian Catholic Catechism Part 4 • The Ukrainian Catholic Catechism Part 5