Catholic Comments

On February 2nd the Church celebrates the feast of The Presentation of the Lord, which has been combined with the feast of the Purification of Mary.  The feast has also been known historically as "Candlemas." Dr. Eileen Burke Sullivan of the theology department at Creighton joins hosts John O'Keefe and Wendy M. Wright to reflect on the meaning and significance of this day. Photo: "Presentation of the Lord" by "Lawrence OP" from Flickr (Used under Creative Commons license)

Creighton professor Rusty Reno comes back to the program to discuss the life and legacy of Saint Thomas Aquinas. Thomas's feast is January 28th.

Dr. Tom Kelly returns to the program to discuss Pope Paul VI's landmark social encyclical Populorum Progressio. For those interested in reading the full text, it is available at the Vatican website.

Photojournalist Linda Schaefer speaks with host John O'Keefe about her book Come and See: A Photojournalist's Journey into the World of Mother Teresa. More information about Linda and her work is available here.

Program host Dr. John O'Keefe interviews Dr. John F. Haught about the New Atheism. Haught is Senior Fellow in Science & Religion at the Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University. He was formerly Professor in the Department of Theology at Georgetown University (1970-2005) and Chair (1990-95). His area of specialization is systematic theology, with a particular interest in issues pertaining to science, cosmology, evolution, ecology, and religion.

Creighton sociologist Rebecca Murray, Ph.D. discusses her work with The Innocence Project, which works for the exoneration of individuals who have been wrongfully convicted.  Murray, a Catholic, sees this work as a personal ministry.

Father Joesph Chorpenning joins host Wendy M. Wright via telephone to discuss the historical development of the feast of the Holy Family.  The feast grew in popularity along with the rise of the nuclear family in Western culture.

Catholic Comments co-host, Dr. Wendy M. Wright reports from Los Angeles on the Our Lady of Guadalupe Procession and Mass, which took place on December 6th. This procession demonstrates the incredible popularity of this feast, especially among Latino Catholics in America. Rocco Palmo at Whispers in the Loggiahas taken to calling all of the events surrounding the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe "American Catholicism's Super Bowl."

Teresa Monaghan, a faculty member in Creighton’s summer program in Christian spirituality, comes back to the show to discuss the Immaculate Conception of Mary.  The feast of the Immaculate Conception is December 8th. Photo: "Immaculate Conception Banner" by "LawrenceOP" from Flickr (Used under Creative Commons license)

Rev Larry Gillick, S.J. comes back to the program to discuss the symbols of Advent. Make a space in your heart for the Incarnation! Listeners may also enjoy our program on the music of Advent.

As we approach the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, Rev. Larry Gillick reflects upon gratitude and the Christian life. Listeners may also enjoy our conversation from 2007 with Rev. Roc O'Connor on the season of Advent.

Today is the twentieth anniversary of the murder of six Jesuits, their housekeeper and her daughter in El Salvador.  Our guest John Giuliano knew the victims and was a near witness to their murders. Today he reflects upon his memories of twenty years ago and upon his current ministry with the Tamarindo Foundation. Giuliano still lives in El Salvador. Listeners may also enjoy our interviews with Kevin Burke, S.J., and Laura Burke.

November 16 marks the 20th anniversary of the murder of six jesuits, their housekeeper, and their house keeper's daughter in El Salvador. The event galvanized members of the Society of Jesus all over the world and continues to remind many Christians of the possible costs of discipleship. Catholic Comments will devote two programs to the commemoration of this event. For this week's podcast, Rev. Kevin Burke, S.J. discusses the intellectual legacy of Ignacio Ellacuría, one of the six Jesuits killed.

Dr. Eileen Burke-Sullivan joins hosts John O'Keefe and Wendy M. Wright to discuss the Communion of the Saints. Listeners may also enjoy our previous podcasts on all Saints: Robert Ellsberg from 2007, and Eileen-Burke Sullivan from 2008.

Dr. Roger Bergman, director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton, comes back to the show to discuss the seminal papal encyclical, Rerum Novarum. Listeners may also enjoy Dr. Bergman's discussion of Catholic Social Teaching.