In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Father Donald Haggerty, priest at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York and the author of a number of fine books including The Hour of Testing: Spiritual Depth and Insight in a Time of Ecclesial Uncertainty.

We're talking about taking the temperature of society and responding to crises both in the world and within our very own Catholic Church. It's a great episode. We talk about the need for abandonment to God, the importance of prayer, and how to evangelize, understand, and live within a world (and a Church!) that is sometimes limping along from crisis to crisis.

Not a depressing, downtrodden take, but an uplifting and hopeful perspective – this week in my wonderful conversation with Father Haggerty.

For more from Father Donald Haggerty check out his fine books from Ignatius Press.

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Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

Through meaningful interviews and heartfelt conversations, Friar Time, hosted by Fr....

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In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by one of my all-time liturgical heroes Chris Carstens to talk all things liturgy – and the centrality of Christ at Mass.

What is the liturgy? What is it meant to do and how are we meant to do it? Why do we worship liturgically? And how can we do it better?

Plus, we talk about the future of the liturgy (and how the liturgy used to be) and Chris brings all kinds of hope and good thoughts with him on this visit by unpacking what he's seeing, on the ground, in the liturgical formation classes he teaches.

It's a wonderful episode all about how we worship God, why, and how we can do it better.

For more from Chris check out Adoremus Bulletin.

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For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

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Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

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In this special episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined, from Rome, by Fr. Haig Chahinian, a priest in the Armenian Catholic Church, and the CEO of Salt and Light Media, to talk about the importance of a pope, the papacy, and papal conclaves for the Eastern Catholic Churches.

While Fr. Haig was originally scheduled to talk about Eastern Catholicism our plans were completely up-ended by the passing of the Holy Father and the calling of the conclave – so, a very special episode is being dropped here, in your feeds, instead.

I hope you enjoy!

For more from Fr. Haig and to check out their coverage of the Papal Conclave head over to Salt and Light Media.

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

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For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

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Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

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In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Brian Jacobson, a former Protestant pastor and a convert to the Catholic faith, to unpack his incredible story and the reasons why he absolutely fell in love with the Catholic faith.

From the initial realization – at an ecumenical Bible study – that him and his fellow Protestants couldn't agree on the "essentials" of the faith, Brian's journey into looking for the source and authority of Scriptural interpretation takes a number of wild twists and turns before arriving in the arms of the ancient Catholic faith.

It's an amazing story and Brian is not only a passionate storyteller but a good one, at that! You can tell he spent years preaching.

I truly hope you love this episode!

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.

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Please consider financially supporting this show!

For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.

Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

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In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend author, podcaster, and former Episcopalian priest Andrew Petiprin to talk unpack one of the biggest misconceptions about the Catholic Church: that Catholicism is simply another Christian denomination.

With aplomb, charity, and with Scripture and the history books in hand, Andrew explains exactly what's wrong with thinking of Catholicism as just another denomination, why that matters, and why it's abundantly clear from history and Scripture that the Catholic Church is unique in a sea of Christian choices.

Plus, we unpack the danger of thinking of the Church as an institution, the notion of the "rules" of Catholicism, and so much more.

For more from Andrew listen to his complete conversion story way back on Episode 69 of the podcast.

You can find Andrew's book, Faith Unboxed at Catholic Answers or any fine bookseller. And make sure to visit the Spe Salvi Institute.

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.

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For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.

Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

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In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Hugh Owen, the founder and director of the Kolbe Center for the Study of Creation to talk about the Catholic perspective on the literal story of creation.

Can Catholics believe in a literal reading of Genesis? Has the Catholic Church officially adopted the theory of evolution? What does the science actually say? And what is lost is the typical discussion between science, evolution, and creation?

Hugh joins me to unpack these questions and more with some pretty fascinating perspectives to questions and concerns that – I know – are on the minds of many Protestant Christians who are considering Catholicism – and many Catholics looking to reconcile the literal reading of the Bible with Science and the Catholic faith.

For more from Hugh Owen visit the Kolbe Center of the Study of Creation.

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.

To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.

Please consider financially supporting this show!

For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.

Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

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In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Matthew Becklo, writer, editor, and Publishing Director for Bishop Barron's Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, to talk about the Catholic "both/and" paradigm that uniquely defines the Church that Christ founded.

Neither "earthbound" or too "heavenly-minded," Becklo shows how, time and again, the Catholic Church walks the line between being too worldly and being too disengaged with the world. In how the Church worships, the role of the sacraments, Christology, the nature of the Church, and the Protestant Reformation. Becklo demonstrates how throughout history the Catholic Church has paved the way which balances both the role of Scripture and the place of tradition.

This is such a deep and fascinating conversation. I hope you love it!

To check out Matthew's great new book head over to Word on Fire.

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.

To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.

Please consider financially supporting this show!

For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.

Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

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In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by the one and only Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, PhD in a conversation that aims to turn the conventional tropes about Faith vs. Science on its head and to talk about areas where faith fills in the gaps left by science.

The host of EWTN's Father Spitzer's Universe, the author of over 18 books and many scholarly articles, and the President of the Magis Center of Faith and Reason and the Napa Institute Fr. Spitzer, has the credentials coming out of his ears to tackle this kind of topic and he brings his enormous wealth of experience and insight to our humble little podcast this week.

We tackle topics of the origins of the universe, the soul, beauty, Eucharistic miracles, out-of-body experiences, and many more areas where science simply fails to offer an explanation – but faith has had one all along!

It's an amazing conversation; I hope you enjoy it deeply!

For more from Fr. Spitzer check out the links above in the shownotes and be sure to check out his latest book from Sophia Institute Press.

Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com.

Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.

To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.

Please consider financially supporting this show!

For more information visit the Patreon page. All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.

If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.

Thank you to those already supporting the show!

Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music,

A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.

Support the show

Find and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:

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