Along "The Way"

I believe that Divine Mercy is the most important devotion to the world, because it goes beyond being just devotion and is more a lifestyle. To understand Divine Mercy you really need to understand the image and St. Faustina’s diary. From this casual conversation, I look at the image with renewed eyes. I hope it will be as eye opening for you as it was for me.

Joining me along the way is the founder of the Original Divine Mercy Institute is Daniel DiSilva.

To find out more about the Original Divine Mercy Institute go to; https://www.originaldivinemercy.com/

It is incredible the people that God will intersect our paths with. This episode is an amazing testimonial to the mercy of God. My guest in this episode is a former Pentecostal, former Satanist and professed Buddhist monk that has found his home in the Catholic Church. This self-proclaimed trouble maker found redemption when he came face to face with the Holy Eucharist. This is an amazing journey that I am happy to share with you. Please share this episode with someone who needs to hear about God’s mercy.  Joining me along the way is David Fisher.

 Each of us has a personal philosophy that guides us and shapes our perception of reality. I think that Philosophy without theology is misguided and leads to disordered thinking. This school of thought leads to the many ism’s that are plaguing this modern society.

What is your philosophy and what is it rooted in? Does it inspire you to grow in the faith? Joining me along the way is one of the hosts of Coffee Conversation’s Fr. David Stavarz

This episode was a long time in the making. For months I have been trying to contact my guest to make this possible. Technology had let me down as neither, he or I could contact each other. Thank God and our mutual persistence it was finally possible for this episode to become a reality.  In this episode I ask Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan, the Bishop of Waterford and Lismore Ireland and a known defender of the faith to help me understand the age old question…What is truth?

When Tan books reached out to me to talk to the author of one of their new titles, I jumped at the chance. Fr. Basil Cole is an academic that make Aquinas understandable to a common person such as myself. At the time of this interview I had not received my copy and I felt like I was at a bit of a disadvantage. That could not be further from the truth, this was a fascinating conversation.  In Father Coles new book  ”Angelic Virtues and Demonic Vices” he talks about a deeper understand of God through living a virtuous life and the viciousness of vice take that all away from us. Again making Aquinas understandable to a simple man with a simple theology; Me.

Discouragement, It may be a suggestion from the devil himself or It may come from the voice of someone else. Discouragement, it can even come from the self-talk we have with ourselves. Where ever this stumbling block to the journey God has called us upon it is important to have trusted friends that have your spiritual back. This episode is devoted to the guys that I call my Spiritual Band of Brothers. Joining me along the way is Dave Imhof, Jay Goodman, Eddie Trask, Pat King and the guy who became my friend in an hour of darkness and was a source of encouragement, Trace Chamberlain.

It’s no secret that I am proud of my Irish heritage. I close every episode with an old Irish blessing as a tribute to all of the wonderful things that the Irish have given the world. Poets and Scholars Ireland has delivered some of the best, and according to my guest only the best whiskey comes from Ireland.  So, as St Patrick’s day approaches and we celebrate everyone being Irish that day, I wanted to know more about the patron saint of Ireland. Joining me along the way is my good friend Fr. Gabriel Burke. In this casual conversation Father Burke dispels the myths that surround Saint Patrick only to reveal a man of such faith.

The Catholic faith is enormously rich in wisdom. For centuries sage men and woman have been sharing this wisdom, but as our culture moves away from the common language of the church these treasures of the faith risk getting lost. In this casual conversation I speak with a Roman Catholic priest about the work he is doing to translate these classic works. Along with Tan Books these treasures of wisdom are being preserved for a new generation. In this episode I talk with Fr. Robert Nixon OSB about his recent translation of a work that I was completely unaware of, Thomas A Kempis’s Meditations on Death. This conversation helped me the put meaning of death in a better perspective.

Please don’t let the length of this episode scare you away. This is one of my favorite discussions on the mystery of suffering. I met my guest Pat King at a Knights of Columbus conference on evangelization in New Haven. I was fortunate to be assigned to the same table as Pat and had a chance to really get to know him. Pat is a guy that really understands what it means to be Along “The Way”, and he is joining me in this episode to be a witness to the value of suffering in hardships. Like I said, please don’t let the length of this episode scare you away.

This episode is living proof to me that finding interesting people to have a casual conversation with can be found anywhere. My guest in this episode was a table mate at a recent conference that I attended. He is a self-proclaimed regular guy is how he sees himself but to those that meet him he far surpasses such a simple description. My guest in this episode is truly a gentle and caring soul and yet has a true warrior’s faith. He is the author of the book “The Rosary For The Regular Guy or Girl” Sean Burlile.

It’s no secret that I am proud to be a member of the Knights of Columbus and when my good friend David Imhof was asked to by our State Deputy to serve a newly created position within the State Council, I was so happy for him. Dave Imhof is one of the hardest working guys I know. Using the Knights of Columbus principals of “Charity, Unity and Fraternity along with an strong devotion to Fr. McGivney to evangelize the Gospel, Dave Imhof was the perfect choice to lead this new initiative by the supreme council.

Joining me along the way to discuss this game changing project is the man responsible for implementing this pilot program into twenty one different areas of the United States and Canada, The Vice President of Faith and Evangelization for the Knights of Columbus, Damian O’Connor.

Just because your name is McGivney, it’s not a given that putting faith first will come easy. For my guest Joe McGivney a distant relative of Blessed Michael McGivney holding on to the faith was not the It seems like the foundation that was given to him as a child growing up in South Chicago remained but on that foundation was a structure of anxiety and selfishness that led to a period of addiction that would eventually be almost life altering if it were not for an aunt, a wife and the intercession of Blessed McGivney himself. Joining me along the way is Joe McGivney to show me how he found a new direction in life.

For me this casual conversation was truly eye opening.  I never really looked at the importance of penance to the advent season. It was my plan to release this episode in December, but the message is just too important. I hope and pray that you will get out of this episode as much as I did. Thank you as always to my good friend Dave Imhof, Jay Goodman and Joe McClane for the wisdom that has enlighten me to the true meaning of the season.

Please check out Joe McClane"s new video at https://vimeo.com/774519436

In all things I love simplicity. Real genius can take the very complex and break it down into simple terms. All of St. Thomas Aquinas’s Suma can be broken down to simple terms, just look to The Little Flower. She demonstrated the power of simple living to the world and never left her convent. This is the power of simplicity. Joining me along the way is Deacon Donald Prendergast. He is former New York City police officer and member of the Catholic Cross Bearer’s Motorcycle ministry. Deacon Don is a wonderful speaker that uses social media to evangelize the message of the gospel simply without being simplistic.

I am amazed at the people that God has me meet along the way. This episode is the result of a chance meeting. In season six we are focusing on the importance of stories and how theycan have life changing effects. My guest in this episode titled “Homeless Like Me” spent nine day on the homeless streets of Connecticut. He did it not to prove a point but to understand the plight of so many unfortunate human being that just go unseen or worse…ignored. Joing me along the way is Walter Finneran CEO of the Brian O’Connell Homeless Project.

To find out more, and how you can help please visit www.brianoc.org

Glen Lewerenz is veteran radio guy that is one of the hosts of Relevant Radio’s “Morning Air”. Each morning Glen masterfully tells the stories of others, the news stories that affect us and asks the questions of this wonderful morning shows guests. However this episode Glen sits on the other side of the microphone and shares his personal stories and some advice Along The Way.

In every generation God raises up saints. The brutal  twentieth century was no exception, with the likes of St. Faustina, Maximillian Kolbe, St John Paul II and a humble Romanian sister that would make a great difference not only in the streets of Calcutta but around the world. In her lifetime Mother Teresa would be held as an Icon of God’s love and mercy as she carried out her mission with humility. Joining me along the way to discuss the importance this twenty first century saint is David Naglieri . David is the writer and director of the new documentary titled “No Greater Love”.

To find out more about the documentary go to; https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/articles/no-greater-love.html

On May 28th2022, Men of the Knights of Columbus from Connecticut put on an “In to the Breach” day of reflection for the men of Whitechurch in County Cork Ireland. The day was an early one for the men from Connecticut, but it was rewarding, being able to serve our brothers in Christ across the Atlantic Ocean. In this episode Fr. Gabriel Burke (one of the day of reflection organizers) joins me to discuss the importance of men’s group today.

My guest in this episode is Fr. David Michael Moses. I have been following him on Facebook for a while for the simple fact that he is so joyful. In fact his joy is so infectious that it reminds me to find joy in my own life.  Recently Father David Michael has been transferred to a new parish. Father took graciously took some time out of his busy schedule to share his expectations of his new assignment and more all the while sharing the joy that make him such a wonderful priest.

I never really thought that I would do a show on prolife issues. Because there are people out there that are more educated on the subject than I am I felt it would be better to leave it to them. Since the overturning of Roe vs. Wade many pro-life organization and missions have been celebrating this victory for life. I too am glad the side of life has taken the battlefield of ideas. However, I don’t feel that the Supreme Court’s decision has changed anyone’s mind if abortion is right or wrong. Honestly, the battle is not over! It is time to pray for a change of heart. It is time to stop making abortion a political issue and pray that it be seen as a human rights issue. When we change the hearts of people we will change the minds of politicians. Let us remain united in prayer for a change of heart.

The Blessed mother was so important to my return back to the Catholic Church. Praying the Rosary in order to support someone else turn out to be the best thing I could have ever done. It was in those simple prayers that I asked Mary be my mother and to raise me as she had raise Jesus. From the public apparitions at Fatima, Lourdes, and Knock to the private graces of knowledge that Mary is active in our lives only to bring us closer to Jesus. Joining mealong the way is a Marian theologian Fr. Edward Looney.

To find out more about Fr. Edward Looney go to; https://www.edwardlooney.com/

Ask any director or organizer of a Catholic conference, retreat or parish mission and they will all tell you that the most important part is getting good speakers. These events are judged by the quality of the speakers and they are not necessarily always the the most well known. Sure its great to have a headline speaker to draw in the crowds, but it is those diamond in the rough that really have a significant impact on attendee’s. Joining me Along The Way is the C.O.O. of the Catholic Speakers Organization Joe Higgins.

To find out more about the Catholic Speakers Organization go to; https://catholicspeakers.com/

Padre Pio said “That worry is useless. That may be so true, but it is real. So how can we avoid those sleepless nights and live our lives worry free. I don’t know but my friend Gary Zimak who is the author of a number of books on the subject of worry and anxiety joins me along the way to discuss some helpful strategies.

Gary is an author speaker and fellow podcaster. If you want to find out more about Gary Zimak’s ministry go to https://followingthetruth.com/

Season 5 promises to have something for anyone that has struggled in life and faith. Hardships have the ability to break us or make us better. Joining me along the way to discuss how his Lenten sacrifice was both a hardship and the experience of a lifetime is my good friend Jay Goodman.

To Contact David Imhof about having a Day of Reflection at you parish Email him at imhofda@aol.com

This is the forty seventh episode of Along The Way. Each one of them has been very special to me. Dave Imhof and I have been fortunate to have great guests, and I am eternally grateful to every one of them. It is because of them that this show is growing in popularity.

I have to say however this casual conversation to date is one of my favorite. My guest was so easy to talk to. I am searching for words to describe this interview, but they escape me. Please give this a listen as Father Anthony Federico shares his journey from his darkest moment with vulnerability and trust to where he is today.

Is there a difference between Traditional Catholic and Catholic tradition? Is Catholic tradition the anchor or the sail of our faith? These are question I have been asking myself for years. I was never satisfied with the answers I got from those that represented Traditional Catholics I had met along my way. So when I hear that so many so many young people are drawn to the Traditional Latin mass, I was intrigued. In this episode I am joined by David Dashiell, the editor of the new book “Ever Ancient Ever New” to discuss the real meaning of the Traditional Latin Mass.