The Catholic Café

Did you ever wonder why there are two Testaments in the Holy Bible? Why do we need both? Shouldn't the New Testament have totally replaced the Old Testament? How can the Old Testament still be relevant to us today? So many questions...but we have the answers! Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth as we welcome our guest, Dr. Pete Brown, Academic Dean of Catholic Distance University. Dr. Brown, a Scripture Scholar and expert in Biblical Languages walks us through the importance of reading...

Sometimes the best path to something new is one that was blazed first by ancient journeymen. That's what happened to Durant Fleming, MDiv, DMin, a Presbyterian minister for 25 years who made his way into full communion with the Catholic Church. Join Deacon Jeff, Tom and Durant in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss his journey home and his accompanying memoir, Following The Ancient Paths (available on Amazon).

Do we just assume that anyone who shows up at Mass already knows what it means to be Catholic? Do we really ever reach outside our property line to evangelize or do we wait for them to come to us? Does our parish have an easy "on-ramp" or introductory way to find out more about our faith? These are all good questions we should be asking ourselves as Christians. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they take on the topic of welcoming the stranger.

We all agree that we need to evangelize. In fact, in the Great Commission, Jesus commands us to do so. The problem is that when we encounter those with whom we are attempting to share the Good News, we inevitably get bogged down in the hot-button issues of the day. So what do we focus on? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss what (in their humble opinion) evangelization truly boils down to.

Do you ever pray to the Holy Spirit? We certainly have no problem asking God the Father or God the Son for divine assistance...but, God the Holy Spirit? Most people can use the reassurance of the accompaniment of the Holy Ghost in their attempts to carry out the New Evangelization. Join Deacon Jeff and "sit-in sidekick" Bobby John as they discuss the Person of the Holy Spirit, his attributes and how they enhance and empower evangelization.

When you wake up in the morning to start your day, do you see a day filled with the opportunity to share the Gospel, or do you see nothing but a great big wall? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they discuss the many obstacles of evangelizing and the way around (or through) them.

What do you do when your child, who you have raised to be a good Catholic kid, comes up to you and announces, "Mom, Dad...I'm leaving the Catholic Church." More and more Catholic parents are hearing this as the number of "nones" (those with no particular religious affiliation) grows in our modern culture. Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they share their thoughts on the Do's and Don'ts of addressing your children's decision to leave the Catholic faith.

"Awwww...do we HAVE to go?" As a parent, we hear this from time to time (or maybe all the time) from our kids on Sunday mornings as we head to church. Or, maybe we hear ourselves asking it. Either way, what is the answer? Why do we go HAVE to go to Mass? Join Deacon Jeff and Tom in the Luxurious Corner Booth as they welcome Msgr. John McArthur, pastor of a local parish, to help us answer the common questions about the obligation of Mass attendance on Sundays and Holy Days.

Many people (thankfully) agree that porn is bad...but, in reality, not enough people realize just how bad it is. Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth as Deacon Jeff and Tom welcome our friend,Tiffany Leaper, founder of Girls Against Porn and Human Trafficking to discuss what parents, grandparents, teachers and others charged with the care of children need to understand about the destructive nature of pornography.

Sometimes we run into folks who have trouble relating to Jesus in his divinity, and sometimes we run into folks who have trouble relating to Jesus in his humanity. The true and right relationship with the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity requires us to relate to both Jesus' humanity and divinity, because they cannot be separated. Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth as Deacon Jeff and Tom tackle the great mystery of the Christ as fully God and fully man.

Have you ever wanted to just give up? "Lord...take me now!" How is it that we are able to carry on? If you read the story of Elijah in the Book of Kings, you see that even he, a prophet, was ready to give up. Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth as Deacon Jeff and Tom discuss how our journeys in many ways resemble that of Elijah and how the supernatural food of the Euchartist empowers up to go on.

We all know a little about why we go on pilgrimage, or retreat or any occasion of blessing. But, do we know what to do next? What do we take with us? How do we apply the grace we have received to the remainder of our lives? Join Deacon Jeff and Robert in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as they wrap up this year's pilgrimage to Lourdes, France and what happens next in "life after pilgrimage."

Major disasters - natural and otherwise - take place all over the world and no one knows when they will strike. But, it's good to know that the Order of Malta is on the case. Join us in the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as we welcome Dominic de la Rouchefocauld-Montbel, the Grand Hospitaler for the Order of Malta, as he discusses how the Order brings hope and healing to the people who need it most in the lands far and near that are laid low by disaster.

Our pilgrimage to Lourdes, France continues and we welcome to the Luxurious Corner Booth an old friend to the Cafe, Frank Ryan, a Knight of Malta. Frank tells us about his incredible journey walking across America and helps us to see that the Church is really doing very well!

Not long ago, we had a man named Paul Hennesy, a landscape artist suffering from cancer, on our program. He spoke of his journey of faith and his finding God in beauty and art. He passed away recently, but not before he experienced the miracle of coming back home to his Catholic faith. Join us in the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as we welcome Fr. Andrew Fisher, a Pastor, and Laura Meade, a parish Director of Religious Education, to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss miracles that are not...

Have you ever wondered what Ignatian Spirituality was about but you were afraid to ask? Does it sound too deep, too "theological" or just plain over your head? Well, now is your chance to get a brief, entry-level introduction to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius from an expert in Ignatian Spirituality. Join us as we welcome a Knight of Justice of the Order of Malta, Fra Richard Wulff, to the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe.

What would you do if you received what you considered a miraculous healing of a life-limiting ailment? Would you go back to your regular state of life? Or, would you feel the need to offer yourself in Christian service to others? Well, the latter is exactly what a young woman named Megan Bean did. Hear her incredible journey of healing and service as Deacon Jeff welcomes her to the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe in a place known for spiritual and physical healing,...

Join us in the Luxurious Corner Booth of the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as we welcome once again Knight of Malta and Professor of History, Dane Munro of Malta. Dane joins us to enlighten us about the great Siege of Malta, one of the all-time greatest military victories of Christianity.

Lourdes, France is known for the miracles associated with Our Lady's appearance to St. Bernadette many years ago. Many of us have heard of them. But, not many of us have MET them. Join us in the The FRENCH Catholic Cafe as we welcome Dr. William McGarry, a Knight of Malta and a noted oncologist, to the Luxurious Corner Booth to discuss his fight with cancer and his unlikely - perhaps even miraculous - prognosis.

The Order of Malta is a religious order that is over 900 years old. The members of this order are knights and dames who have devoted themselves to caring for the sick and the poor and defending Christ's Holy Church. Because it is a religious order, some of these knights have taken solemn vows. So how were they called? And do you think you might be called to this vowed religious life? Join us in the FRENCH Catholic Cafe as we welcome His Most Eminent Highness Fra Matthew Festing, Prince and...