Respect Life Radio

Debbie Perry-Smith: Combatting sex trafficking in Colorado

"A call came to me from the Lord to step into this," said Debbie Perry-Smith of S.A.F.E. Rockies, the Strategic Alliance to Fight Exploitation, which works with organizations combatting human trafficking and sexual exploitation in the Rocky Mountain region. "We actually have more illicit massage parlors in the state than we do Starbucks."

Kevin Knight: Subjecting everything, including the news, to Jesus Christ

"I've put together a personal feed of about 500 blogs and wire services," said Kevin Knight, editor, webmaster and founder of NewAdvent.org, a must-read website that presents Catholic news and commentary worldwide, as well as hosting The Catholic Encyclopedia and historic Church content. "I rely a lot on submissions by readers, as well. Some people really have a good eye for what's out there. I like to find quirky stories, too. It's fun to do that because, really, it's bringing all of this in, seeing it with the eyes of Christ and subjecting everything to Christ. That's the idea, and to have fun while doing it."

Fr. Donald Calloway: Now is the time for consecration to St. Joseph

In these crazy times, "We could really use a model of a man, and a head of a family, and a protector of the good, the true and the beautiful. So I thought 'St. Joseph is perfect,'" said Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, author of "Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father." "So that's the intention behind it, to bring some clarity to the confusion of our times."

The book, available in print or e-book download, guides readers — either as individuals or in a group — through a 33-day consecration to St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and earthly father to Our Savior Jesus Christ.

The phrase, "Now is the time for consecration to St. Joseph!" is from an endorsement of the book from Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers.

Calloway's conversion story, "No Turning Back," (available as a book, CD or DVD) describes his journey from "drugs, crime, and the Japanese Mafia, to the mercy of God" and his ordination as a Catholic priest in 2003.

Joe Condit: Redeploying the Catholic Speakers Organization in wake of COVID-19

"We started a series of conversations, which will be online, with our speakers" on InspireWord.com, said Joe Condit, whose Catholic Speakers Organization represent 400 Catholic speakers and others. "We are going to bring you into the living room," via social media platforms, of speakers offering "words of inspiration during these hard times, these challenging times, where folks' lives have been turned upside down due to this coronavirus."

 

 

Fr. Ed Broom: How to resist the attacks of the devil

St. Ignatius of Loyola presents our spiritual life as a "combat zone. We are in constant battle between the devil, the flesh and the world," said Fr. Ed Broom, OMV, the author of a recent article on Catholic Exchange, titled "Five Ways to Resist the Devil's Attacks."

 

Rusty Reno: Should Catholic politicians act on what the Church teaches?

"A lot of what the Church teaches about public affairs is really the common stock of Christian wisdom, so the sanctity of life is something that obviously we share with Evangelicals and thoughtful Christians of all stripes," said Rusty Reno, editor of First Things. "Catholicism, at least in the modern era, has really been characterized by — in this sense it shares with Judaism — a very strong concern about the common good. That's a distinctive mark of a Catholic political outlook."

Deacon Geoff Bennett, host of Respect Life Radio, asked Reno, "So are practicing Catholics who are running for office, or are already elected to office, are they obliged to believe everything the Church teaches on faith and morals?"

Listen to Reno's answer and the rest of the interview on Respect Life Radio.

Fr. Gallagher: Overcoming spiritual discouragement in a time of pandemic

Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, "there's a certain sense of just human helplessness" and also "anxiety, how long is this going to last, where is it going to go, will it affect anyone close to me? Those are just very natural reactions and they're very clearly in the air," said Fr. Timothy Gallagher, O.M.V, author of Overcoming Spiritual Discouragement: The Wisdom and Spiritual Power of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, and many other books.

 

Nicole Russell: Children vulnerable amid the transgender movement

"As the transgender movement has really increased, what you're seeing is a lot of lawsuits percolating through the lower courts" and spreading throughout the "workplace, our houses of worship, our schools," said Nicole Russell, based in Texas, who writes for The Daily Signal and other publications. "It's gotten to where no place is untouched..."

Terese Piccola: Interview with a woman who experienced exorcism (Part 3 of 3)

"It's always about God," said Terese Piccola. "It's not about us. It's about what He does through us — for ourselves and for others." Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of the Respect Life Radio interview.

Her story was recently recounted by the National Catholic Register in a blog post titled, "Wife and Mother of Four Describes Experience of Possession, Exorcism." You can follow her @terese_little on Twitter.

Terese Piccola: Interview with a woman who experienced exorcism (Part 2 of 3)

"I don't know why, as time went on, God allowed me to hear and witness things more than the average person might during an exorcism," said Terese Piccola. "And through that, was able to have these interactions with saints, too." Listen to Part 1 and Part 3 of the interview.

Her story was recently recounted by the National Catholic Register in a blog post titled, "Wife and Mother of Four Describes Experience of Possession, Exorcism." You can follow her @terese_little on Twitter.