Special Events

John Henry Newman’s classic book An Essay on the Development of Doctrine shows how doctrine isn’t stagnant but in fact develops over time, much like an acorn grows into a sprouting oak tree. In today’s episode, we share the first half of a talk Bishop Barron gave on the book and its influence.

Homily from the Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time. We often are a mystery…even to ourselves. But Christians must come to a place of self-knowledge so we can present our true self to the true God.

What’s actually happening when we pray? In this episode, Bishop Barron answers the deepest questions about prayer—not necessarily how to pray but what is prayer? A listener asks about the Rosary prayer and how it operates.

During the first part of this month's episode, the Rutten brothers reflected on the beginning of Lent and discussed their movie of the month: The Tree of Life. In the second part of the hour, they talked about an event called New York Encounter that Fr. John and Fr. Paul recently attended.

Jesus calls us to love our enemies. But how can we do that when we don’t even love the people we like? When we often don’t effectively love ourselves?

Bishop Barron reflects on the basic message of Christianity. Is it merely about justification or our own personal salvation? Or is there much more to it than that?

In this hour, Steve Splonskowski, RPR Executive Director, and Brandon Clark, Programming Coordinator, came to you live from the Capitol building in St. Paul, MN. They sat down with Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester to talk more about this day of prayer and advocacy. Steve and Brandon then visited with Nichole Heinrichs, also of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, about her role as a District Leader and the power of stories and how they can impact others.

In this hour, host Michael Wilde came to you live from the RiverCentre in St. Paul, MN. He previewed this year's Catholics at the Capitol event and its importance as he visited with Jason Adkins, Executive Director of the Minnesota Catholic Conference, and Bishop Andrew Cozzens of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

Hope is not a “soft” virtue. It is a fighting virtue. Hope is what enables us to live in the present with strength and conviction. It takes hope to take action.

Recently, Bishop Barron watched several YouTube conversations between Sam Harris, a well-known atheist, and Dr. Jordan Peterson, one of today’s most prominent and beguiling intellectuals today. We’ve talked in past episodes about Dr. Peterson’s reliance on Carl Jung, and his archetypal reading of the Bible, but today we explore Dr. Peterson’s similarities to Immanuel Kant, especially when it comes to the question of God. A listener asks why a Hindu should become Christian if Hinduism seems to have a more peaceful history.

There are some things in our lives (our decisions, our wounds, our weaknesses) that we wish and pray were gone. God calls you and I in our weakness; He doesn’t necessarily call us out of our weakness.

The recent confrontation between a grinning young high school student and a Native American elder has led to much anger and vitriol, especially on social media. But as Bishop Barron suggests, it also exemplified the “scapegoating mechanism” described by philosopher René Girard. How do we avoid this scapegoating? How can we bring more light to the online world? Bishop Barron has some advice. A listener asks whether our memories will transfer to Heaven.

There are many people who would look remarkably average on paper. Our stats would reveal that we are unqualified for being a part of God’s great work. But the Lord calls us to the greatest of these: love.

In this episode, Bishop Barron discusses a recent New York Times article by David Brooks titled “The Morality of Selfism: The Gospel of Saint You.” It’s a tongue-in-cheek affirmation of a culture that puts tremendous emphasis on self, self-care, and self-display. Bishop Barron explores some of the dangerous outcomes of such a culture. A listener asks whether it’s helpful or troubling that the Catholic tradition includes so many definitions of God.

Enjoy the 10th annual Know Your Faith Competition brought to you from Shanley High School in Fargo, ND. Frs. William Slattery and Kyle Metzger hosted this year's contest between Shanley, St. Mary's Central High School from Bismarck, Trinity High School from Dickinson, Bishop Ryan Catholic School from Minot, and Sacred Heart School from East Grand Forks, MN.

During this month's episode, the Rutten brothers discussed different aspects of prayer including: personal encounters with Christ, why prayer is hard, and ways we can improve our prayer life.

Enjoy the annual Men in Black Basketball Game at St. Thomas More High School in Rapid City, SD. Andy Shaw and Fr. Michel Mulloy provided this year's play-by-play and color commentary of this match-up between the priests of the Diocese of Rapid City and the STM students.

In Christ, your past might not be the thing that prevent you from being a part of God’s great work… It might be the thing that has prepared you.

Ross Douthat recently published an op-ed in the New York Times titled “The Return of Paganism.” He argues that maybe there actually is a genuinely post-Christian future for America, one that mixes pantheism with civic religion. Bishop Barron and Brandon Vogt discuss the article. A listener asks why God needed a second coming of Christ and couldn’t have accomplished everything during his first coming.

It is often very tempting to forget the heart of God. To forget that He notices us, delights in us, and rejoices in us. When the focus shifts from His love to our insufficiency and feelings of insignificance, He reminds us of the truth.