The Good Catholic Life

Today’s topics: The Last Show Summary of today’s show: After more than 3 years and 750 shows, The Good Catholic Life has come to an end. Scot Landry and most of the team who have brought the show to our listeners each day come together to relive the best moments of the show, to talk about the impact of the show on them and on listeners, and on the future of Catholic radio in Boston, especially future local programming to pick up where The Good Catholic Life leaves off. Thank you to all our faithful listeners and supporters. May God bless you and may you have a Good Catholic Life. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Chip Hines, Michael Lavigne, and Domenico Bettinelli Today’s guest(s): Fr. Mark O’Connell, Stacia Morabito, Chris Kelley, and Rick Heil We’d also like to thank: Fr. Chris O’Connor, Fr. Matt Williams, George Martell, Anna Johnson, Karla Goncalves, Fr. Paul Soper, M.C. Sullivan, Gregory Tracy, Fr. Roger Landry, WQOM and The Station of the Cross, our listeners, and our colleagues and families who have been so supportive of our efforts.

Today’s topics: New Springfield Bishop; John Paul Relic Visits Boston; Hispanic Ministry; Corpus Christi Summary of today’s show: Our Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Dom Bettinelli, Gregory Tracy, and Fr. Roger Landry consider the headlines of the week, including the appointment of a new bishop for Springfield; a major relic of Pope St. John Paul II visiting Boston; a special honor for Pilar LaTorre of a symposium on Hispanic ministry; and the 750th anniversary of the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, and Domenico Bettinelli Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today’s show: A Special Message from Scot Landry as posted on : On Friday June 20, The Good Catholic Life will air its 750th new episode. Those of us who have collaborated on this new evangelization outreach consider it a great milestone. We are so grateful that so many Catholics have tuned in to hear The Good Catholic Life over these past 39 months to hear us interview Catholic leaders, promote Catholic events, discuss Catholic news, and share experiences living our Catholic faith. This 750th program will also be its last. Because of a tight budget situation at iCatholic Media, and also at the Archdiocese of Boston and at WQOM, there is no longer the funding for a producer for The Good Catholic Life. From the initial launch of The Good Catholic Life on Ash Wednesday 2011, it has been a partnership: WQOM provided the airtime, the Archdiocese provided space for the studio, benefactors paid for the cost of the equipment and studio wiring, and iCatholic Media paid for the salary of the show producer. The producer has been the MVP of our team, because he selects topics, invites guests, prepares materials for the hosts to read, develops a show schedule (typically six weeks out), technically engineers each show, and then distributes the podcast and show notes through email and social media. We’ve been blessed to have had two superb producers for The Good Catholic Life - first, Rick Heil, and now Dom Bettinelli. We accept the situation of the budget constraints and express gratitude for the funding and the partnership that has allowed 750 shows to be broadcast. All 750 episodes and podcasts for The Good Catholic Life will continue to be available on TheGoodCatholicLife.com. In July, Dom will be joining the staff at the Walpole/Sharon collaborative led by Father Chip Hines, host of our Friday shows. Dom and Father Chip hope to continue to chart a course of innovation in the use of media communication tools in the new evangelization. Catholic radio programming changes lives, as the many testimonials WQOM has received attest. Local programs like The Good Catholic Life have added a strong component to Catholic radio programming. Leaders of WQOM care deeply about local programming. We hope that through increased contributions to WQOM that it eventually will be able to fund new local programs, perhaps even a relaunch of The Good Catholic Life. The Good Catholic Life would never have been able to make the 750 episode milestone were it not for the commitment of so many: Fr. Chris O’Connor, Fr. Matt Williams, Susan Abbott, Fr. Mark O’Connell, Fr. Chip Hines, Michael Lavigne, Fr. Roger Landry, Gregory Tracy, George Martell, Karla Goncalves, Anna Johnson, Stacia Morabito and Rick Heil. All are invited to tune in for the final broadcast on June 20. Thank you so much for listening. Scot

Today’s topics: Deacon Chris and Jen Connelly Summary of today’s show: When a man becomes a permanent deacon, it’s a calling not just for him, but also for his whole family. Scot Landry is joined by Deacon Chris Connelly and his wife, Jennifer, to discuss the life of a permanent deacon, how it affects their family life, and their life together that led to the call to the diaconate. They also give their advice to couples who may be considering this path and are discerning whether this is their call. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Deacon Christopher Connelly and Jennifer Connelly Links from today’s show: A Special Message from Scot Landry as posted on : On Friday June 20, The Good Catholic Life will air its 750th new episode. Those of us who have collaborated on this new evangelization outreach consider it a great milestone. We are so grateful that so many Catholics have tuned in to hear The Good Catholic Life over these past 39 months to hear us interview Catholic leaders, promote Catholic events, discuss Catholic news, and share experiences living our Catholic faith. This 750th program will also be its last. Because of a tight budget situation at iCatholic Media, and also at the Archdiocese of Boston and at WQOM, there is no longer the funding for a producer for The Good Catholic Life. From the initial launch of The Good Catholic Life on Ash Wednesday 2011, it has been a partnership: WQOM provided the airtime, the Archdiocese provided space for the studio, benefactors paid for the cost of the equipment and studio wiring, and iCatholic Media paid for the salary of the show producer. The producer has been the MVP of our team, because he selects topics, invites guests, prepares materials for the hosts to read, develops a show schedule (typically six weeks out), technically engineers each show, and then distributes the podcast and show notes through email and social media. We’ve been blessed to have had two superb producers for The Good Catholic Life - first, Rick Heil, and now Dom Bettinelli. We accept the situation of the budget constraints and express gratitude for the funding and the partnership that has allowed 750 shows to be broadcast. All 750 episodes and podcasts for The Good Catholic Life will continue to be available on TheGoodCatholicLife.com. In July, Dom will be joining the staff at the Walpole/Sharon collaborative led by Father Chip Hines, host of our Friday shows. Dom and Father Chip hope to continue to chart a course of innovation in the use of media communication tools in the new evangelization. Catholic radio programming changes lives, as the many testimonials WQOM has received attest. Local programs like The Good Catholic Life have added a strong component to Catholic radio programming. Leaders of WQOM care deeply about local programming. We hope that through increased contributions to WQOM that it eventually will be able to fund new local programs, perhaps even a relaunch of The Good Catholic Life. The Good Catholic Life would never have been able to make the 750 episode milestone were it not for the commitment of so many: Fr. Chris O’Connor, Fr. Matt Williams, Susan Abbott, Fr. Mark O’Connell, Fr. Chip Hines, Michael Lavigne, Fr. Roger Landry, Gregory Tracy, George Martell, Karla Goncalves, Anna Johnson, Stacia Morabito and Rick Heil. All are invited to tune in for the final broadcast on June 20. Thank you so much for listening. Scot P.S. WQOM will begin airing Kresta in the Afternoons at 4pm on 6/23. We encourage you to continue to listening to Catholic radio during the 4pm hour.

Today’s topics: Understanding Pope St. John Paul II Summary of today’s show: Pope St. John Paul II was one of the greatest minds of history, not just the 20th century, and was a great philosopher and theologian. Dr. Richard Spinello joins Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor to discuss the saint’s teachings, especially his personalist philosophy from before he was elected pope, most clearly found in the book “Love and Responsibility”. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Dr. Richard Spinello Links from today’s show: A Special Message from Scot Landry as posted on : On Friday June 20, The Good Catholic Life will air its 750th new episode. Those of us who have collaborated on this new evangelization outreach consider it a great milestone. We are so grateful that so many Catholics have tuned in to hear The Good Catholic Life over these past 39 months to hear us interview Catholic leaders, promote Catholic events, discuss Catholic news, and share experiences living our Catholic faith. This 750th program will also be its last. Because of a tight budget situation at iCatholic Media, and also at the Archdiocese of Boston and at WQOM, there is no longer the funding for a producer for The Good Catholic Life. From the initial launch of The Good Catholic Life on Ash Wednesday 2011, it has been a partnership: WQOM provided the airtime, the Archdiocese provided space for the studio, benefactors paid for the cost of the equipment and studio wiring, and iCatholic Media paid for the salary of the show producer. The producer has been the MVP of our team, because he selects topics, invites guests, prepares materials for the hosts to read, develops a show schedule (typically six weeks out), technically engineers each show, and then distributes the podcast and show notes through email and social media. We’ve been blessed to have had two superb producers for The Good Catholic Life - first, Rick Heil, and now Dom Bettinelli. We accept the situation of the budget constraints and express gratitude for the funding and the partnership that has allowed 750 shows to be broadcast. All 750 episodes and podcasts for The Good Catholic Life will continue to be available on TheGoodCatholicLife.com. In July, Dom will be joining the staff at the Walpole/Sharon collaborative led by Father Chip Hines, host of our Friday shows. Dom and Father Chip hope to continue to chart a course of innovation in the use of media communication tools in the new evangelization. Catholic radio programming changes lives, as the many testimonials WQOM has received attest. Local programs like The Good Catholic Life have added a strong component to Catholic radio programming. Leaders of WQOM care deeply about local programming. We hope that through increased contributions to WQOM that it eventually will be able to fund new local programs, perhaps even a relaunch of The Good Catholic Life. The Good Catholic Life would never have been able to make the 750 episode milestone were it not for the commitment of so many: Fr. Chris O’Connor, Fr. Matt Williams, Susan Abbott, Fr. Mark O’Connell, Fr. Chip Hines, Michael Lavigne, Fr. Roger Landry, Gregory Tracy, George Martell, Karla Goncalves, Anna Johnson, Stacia Morabito and Rick Heil. All are invited to tune in for the final broadcast on June 20. Thank you so much for listening. Scot P.S. WQOM will begin airing Kresta in the Afternoons at 4pm on 6/23. We encourage you to continue to listening to Catholic radio during the 4pm hour.

Today’s topics: The “Chosen” Confirmation Program Summary of today’s show: The Sacrament of Confirmation is the last of the sacraments of initiation, but it has also become a sort of “graduation” from Catholic faith formation for young people. Chris Stefanick discusses the reasons for that with Scot Landry and Michael Lavigne, as well as the new confirmation program he helped develop called “Chosen”, a comprehensive multimedia program consisting of video presentations by charismatic speakers followed by in-class materials and discussions. Chris says that more than just conveying facts, Chosen tries to make the case that a relationship with God leads to filling up the desire for fulfilment and happiness and that it tries to accommodate the declining attention spans so common at all ages now. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Michael Lavigne Today’s guest(s): Chris Stefanick Links from today’s show:

Today’s topics: A Catholic Chaplain at Harvard Becomes A Chaplain to Marines in Afghanistan Summary of today’s show: For the past three years Fr. Matt Westcott has been a full-time chaplain to the Catholic student association at Harvard University, providing spiritual guidance to some of the best and brightest intellectuals from around the world. Now he is turning to a very different mission field as he prepares to deply to Afghanistan as a US Navy chaplain serving with the US Marines in that country. Fr. Westcott joins Fr. Chip Hines and Dom Bettinelli to discuss his experience at Harvard, including the recent response to the planned Black Mass, and his decision to volunteer to go to Afghanistan as a chaplain. Also, a special message from Scot Landry regarding the future of The Good Catholic Life. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Fr. Chip Hines and Domenico Bettinelli Today’s guest(s): Fr. Matt Westcott Links from today’s show: A Special Message from Scot Landry as posted on : On Friday June 20, The Good Catholic Life will air its 750th new episode. Those of us who have collaborated on this new evangelization outreach consider it a great milestone. We are so grateful that so many Catholics have tuned in to hear The Good Catholic Life over these past 39 months to hear us interview Catholic leaders, promote Catholic events, discuss Catholic news, and share experiences living our Catholic faith. This 750th program will also be its last. Because of a tight budget situation at iCatholic Media, and also at the Archdiocese of Boston and at WQOM, there is no longer the funding for a producer for The Good Catholic Life. From the initial launch of The Good Catholic Life on Ash Wednesday 2011, it has been a partnership: WQOM provided the airtime, the Archdiocese provided space for the studio, benefactors paid for the cost of the equipment and studio wiring, and iCatholic Media paid for the salary of the show producer. The producer has been the MVP of our team, because he selects topics, invites guests, prepares materials for the hosts to read, develops a show schedule (typically six weeks out), technically engineers each show, and then distributes the podcast and show notes through email and social media. We’ve been blessed to have had two superb producers for The Good Catholic Life - first, Rick Heil, and now Dom Bettinelli. We accept the situation of the budget constraints and express gratitude for the funding and the partnership that has allowed 750 shows to be broadcast. All 750 episodes and podcasts for The Good Catholic Life will continue to be available on TheGoodCatholicLife.com. In July, Dom will be joining the staff at the Walpole/Sharon collaborative led by Father Chip Hines, host of our Friday shows. Dom and Father Chip hope to continue to chart a course of innovation in the use of media communication tools in the new evangelization. Catholic radio programming changes lives, as the many testimonials WQOM has received attest. Local programs like The Good Catholic Life have added a strong component to Catholic radio programming. Leaders of WQOM care deeply about local programming. We hope that through increased contributions to WQOM that it eventually will be able to fund new local programs, perhaps even a relaunch of The Good Catholic Life. The Good Catholic Life would never have been able to make the 750 episode milestone were it not for the commitment of so many: Fr. Chris O’Connor, Fr. Matt Williams, Susan Abbott, Fr. Mark O’Connell, Fr. Chip Hines, Michael Lavigne, Fr. Roger Landry, Gregory Tracy, George Martell, Karla Goncalves, Anna Johnson, Stacia Morabito and Rick Heil. All are invited to tune in for the final broadcast on June 20. Thank you so much for listening. Scot P.S. WQOM will begin airing Kresta in the Afternoons at 4pm on 6/23. We encourage you to continue to listening to Catholic radio during the 4pm hour.

Today’s topics: Mideast Peace Prayer; Singing Italian Sister; US Bishops Meet; Phoenix Priest Killed; Regina Cleri; Pentecost Summary of today’s show: Our usual Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Gregory Tracy, and Fr. Roger Landry consider the headlines of the week, including the gathering of Israeli and Palestinian presidents in the Vatican with Pope Francis to pray for peace; the elevation of Italian Sr. Cristina as the lead voice of the New Evangelization; the US bishops meeting in New Orleans to discuss family and freedom issues; the murder of a priest in Phoenix and critical injury to another; the Diocese of Cleveland waiving fees related to annulments and marriage dispensations; 50th anniversary celebration of Regina Cleri; and Cardinal Seán’s celebration of Pentecost with ecclesial movements. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Fr. Roger Landry, pastor of St. Bernadette Parish in Fall River Links from today’s show: Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links.

Today’s topics: Preparing for the Permanent Diaconate Summary of today’s show: The preparation for the permanent diaconate is long process involving discernment of a vocation, years of education and formation in the Catholic faith, and a culmination in ordination to Holy Orders. Mike Curren, Fran Burke and Franklin Mejia are three of the men preparing to become deacons in September and they join Scot Landry to discuss their individual calls to ordination, their discernment along with their families, and the commitment they make to the Church on top of their commitments to family and careers. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Mike Curren, Fran Burke, and Franklin Mejia Links from today’s show:

Today’s topics: New Prospects for Catholic-Orthodox Unity Summary of today’s show: When Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew met in Jerusalem in May, they were commemorating the 50th anniversary of a similar meeting between Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras, which was itself a groundbreaking historic event. In anticipation of this latest meeting, Cardinal Seán and Metrpolitan Methodios of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis in Boston issued a joint letter to the faithful highlighting just how significant this meeting would be for the future re-unification of the Church in both East and West. Vito Nicastro of the Archdiocese of Boston’s Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs joins Scot Landry and Domenico Bettinelli to discuss these significant events, the declaration of the pope and patriarch, and the outcomes from this visit and gatherings. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Domenico Bettinelli Today’s guest(s): Vito Nicastro Links from today’s show:

Today’s topics: Three Catholic Dads of Young Families Summary of today’s show: As Father’s Day approaches, Michael Lavigne and Domenico Bettinelli are joined by Eric Landers to talk about being Catholic dads of young families, the joys and challenges, involved in maintaining their relationships with Christ, with their wives, and with their children; maintaining a prayer life alone and with their wives and children; and how to provide for, protect, be present to, and prepare their children to be virtuous Christians and valuable contributing members of society. Plus strategies for late-night wakeups and the Brotherhood of the Vestibule. Listen to the show: Today’s host(s): Michael Lavigne and Domenico Bettinelli Today’s guest(s): Eric Landers