Red-c Roundup

Host Pam Marvin interviews Deacon Mark Olivieri about his early life and call to the diaconate 5 years prior. Throughout the interview they wove in the virtue of humility,  how that plays out in both of their lives, and a practical tool to increase in our humility.  Deacon Mark spoke about the tsunami of grace that flooded his life when he said yes to his vocation as deacon. He also spoke about Ignatian Spirituality silent retreats, which he now leads at his local parish. Deacon Mark also spoke about his and his wife’s ministry of marriage preparation, his involvement in prison ministry, spiritual direction, and about his recent homily on the end times and preparing for our death by the way that we live.

Host Gene Wilhelm interviews Kevin Wells, speaker, author, and evangelist in this episode of RED-C Roundup. Gene spoke with Kevin about his early upbringing and his background in the Catholic Faith as well as sports broadcasting and journalism. They also visited about how we use the talents and gifts that God has given us, no matter our lot in life. Kevin draws upon examples in his own life of marriage struggles, dire medical challenges, various work and ministry callings, and challenging the priests and bishops of today to be who is so needed to save our Church.

Host Deacon Mike Beauvais visited with John Paci, Director of Catholic Charities of Central Texas and Mary Saladino, Case Manager for the St. Michael's Veteran Services Program at CCCTX.  John Spoke about the past year of accomplishments for their organization and what is in store for the year ahead.  Mary spoke specifically about National Veterans and Military Families month, the importance of serving veterans in our community, common issues that veterans and their families face, and how Catholic Charities meets their needs in our community.

Host Judy Comeaux interviews Paulist Father Bruce Nieli, CSP from the Diocese of Austin about his article in the Catholic Spirit, “May we be Spirit-filled Catholics pursuing a Spirit-filled America.”  They spoke about a potential religious awakening in our country as the most recent pandemic comes to an end. As it states in his article, “May we take the lead and accept the challenge and opportunity offered by Servant of God Father Isaac Thomas Hecker a century and a half ago, to pray and work for “a new awakening of the spirit of Christianity in America” - a truly Spirit-filled America: One Body, one Spirit, one nation, one creation!”

Host Thaddeus Romansky interviews Gary Michuta, author of the book, Revolt Against Reality.  We seem to be living in an age of insanity. Crimes against children, born and unborn; marriage defiled and redefined; the madness of transgenderism; the looming terror of trans-human-ism . . . the list goes on and on. And it’s getting uglier out there every day. Everywhere you look, the culture is twisting truth into lies and lies into truth.  In this interview, Gary Michuta explains how an army of liars, manipulators, and bad actors has conspired literally from the beginning to thwart God’s plan for man—a plan of order and peace, centered on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Host Gene Wilhelm visits with Ben Walther, his longtime friend, singer and songwriter, and campus minister at Walsh University in Ohio.  Ben shares his life path through his growing up in the Dallas, Texas area to his studies at Franciscan University, to his career as worship leader and singer/songwriter for Oregon Catholic Press, to his position as a Catholic campus minister at Walsh University.  Throughout Ben's stories, clear examples of he and his wife answering promptings of the Holy Spirit in family, career, and ministry decisions in their lives.  This is a great story of perseverance and courage to follow God's will in all things!

Deacon Mike interviewed Steve Weidenkopf about his book, Light From Darkness: Nine Times the Catholic Church was in Turmoil - and Came Out Stronger Than Before in this latest episode of RED-C Roundup. They address the question that Steve often gets from others, “Have things ever been as bad in the Church as they are today?”  As a historian he answers this with an emphatic, “No, things have actually been much worse!”  He reflects on how to learn from the lessons of history and apply this learning so as to bring about another great time of renewal in our day. 

On Wednesday, September 29, Thaddeus Romansky introduced listeners to Andrew Robison of Petrus Development, the creator of a new Catholic podcast, Holy Donors, about historical individuals who lived lives of radical generosity as witnesses of their Catholic Faith. RED-C Catholic Radio is collaborating with Petrus in producing this podcast and Dr. Romansky is one of the members of the Holy Donors team. Please check out this podcast anywhere that fine podcasts are hosted, subscribe, and offer a glowing review so that others will find out about it and give it a listen. You can learn more at www.holydonors.com and follow Holy Donors on social media for updates and behind the scenes views. Remember that when choosing between the values of heaven and the values of earth, always round up!

Part Two looks at how Catholics were a minority population viewed largely with suspicion and prejudice by their Protestant neighbors because of their ethnic, creedal, and worship differences. The challenging years of the World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II began to break that mould and put American Catholics on a path to greater participation in the nation’s cultural and civic mainstream.  Part two then looks at how American Catholicism has weathered the chaotic years following the Second Vatican Council and the contemporaneous cultural crisis in the wider society.

Catholic counselor Kelsey Johnson, MA, LPC, of Abide Counseling in College Station, joined Pam Marvin to talk about mental health during these difficult times in our world.  Pam and Kelsey spoke about coping mechanisms and skills that help people deal with depression, anxiety, fear, and addiction that often finds their root cause in not only the crisis of a pandemic and world events, but also in physical, mental, and emotional stressors that can lead to other mental health symptoms.

Host Gene Wilhelm visits with Joe and Cheryl Franklin about their life story and Faith journey. Both converts to the Catholic Faith, Joe and Cheryl have a remarkable story of love and endurance through many challenges, twists and turns along the way! The Franklins have been involved in a life of service and assistance to others in their spiritual lives.

On Wednesday, September 1, host Dcn. Mike Beauvais spoke with the founder and director of the Texas Alliance for Life, Dr. Joe Pojman. Dr. Pojman left a career in the aerospace industry to found the Alliance in 1991. He has lobbied tirelessly during that time at the Texas statehouse on behalf of the pro-life movement. He gave our listeners a status report on the achievements for life at the most recent Texas legislative session, most importantly the Texas Heartbeat Bill. He also discussed Texas's state money that goes to support alternatives to abortion and he outlined the potential changes in the national abortion regime due to the United States Supreme Court accepting a case out of Mississippi that could be decided in June 2022. Please enjoy this encouraging conversation and remember that when choosing between the values of heaven and the values of earth, alway round up!

On Wednesday, August 11, Gene Wilhelm talked with Fr. Sinclair Oubre about two American Catholics with a military background who are on the path to sainthood. He is the postulator for the cause of Brother Marinus, born Leonard LaRue, who was a Korean War hero who rescued over 14,000 Korean civilians from communist rule during Christmastime 1950–51. This incredible feat has been described by Richard Goldstein of the New York Times as the "largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship in human history." Our guest also spoke for a few minutes about the life and the path to canonization of Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Korean War soldier and chaplain who sacrificed his life in order to save the lives of many men in his prison camp. Fr. Oubre is the Pastor at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Community in Orange, Texas. Enjoy this journey into a fascinating corner of the American Catholic story! And remember when choosing between the values of heaven and the values of earth, always round up!

On Wednesday, August 4, Deacon Mike Beauvais talked with Dr. Mark Miravelle about his new book, Meet Your Spiritual Father: A Brief Introduction to St. Joseph. Dr. Mark Miravalle earned his Sacred Theological Doctorate at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He holds the Saint John Paul II Chair of Mariology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he has been teaching since 1986. Not only does he hold the title of Doctor, but also Deacon! Deacon Mike and Deacon/Dr. Mark had a great discussion about St. Joseph, and the significance of his adoption of Christ. They covered some different beautiful qualities of St. Joseph, despite the lack of any recorded commentary in scripture of Joseph. Check out Dr. Miravelle’s new book on St. Joseph here.  When  considering the many ways in which you might share your time, talent and treasure with the people of God, always round up!

On Wednesday, July 28, host Judy Comeaux spoke with RED-C’s director of education and development, Dr. Thaddeus Romansky, for the first of two conversations covering the historical experience of American Catholics. In this first installment, Dr. Romansky covered the initial arrival of English Catholics to the colonies and their subsequent settlement and later participation in the American Revolution. This period set forth a longstanding pattern for American Catholic life that would last into the twentieth century. Catholics were a minority population viewed largely with suspicion and prejudice by their Protestant neighbors because of their ethnic, creedal, and worship differences. The challenging years of the World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II began to break that mold and put American Catholics on a path to greater participation in the nation’s cultural and civic mainstream. Check back next month when Judy will have Thaddeus return to talk about how American Catholicism has weathered the chao

On Wednesday, July 21, 2021, host Pam Marvin welcomed back Donna Hanus, a registered nurse and naturopath, who is also a dear friend. Donna and Pam talked about how you can take control of your health and wellbeing through attention to nutrition, hydration, and exercise. Donna also explained how fasting can unlock spiritual fruits and lead to better overall health. But for what purpose do we take care of our bodies? Donna and Pam explained that it is not for vanity or personal physical prowess, but rather so that we can be at our best to cooperate with God in his plan for our lives. Become a member of the Immaculata Recurring Gift Society and you can listen to this episode's RED-C Extra, which is all about the importance of GI health for our mental and physical acuity. We hope you enjoyed the show and, please, go out and love your neighbor!

On Wednesday, July 14, Gene Wilhelm talked with Nathaniel Binversie, Director of Content for Exodus 90, which is a 90 day spiritual exercise based on prayer and fraternity. The exercise teaches men to live more like Christ each and every day through different practices, and should be a life-changing experience. They discussed Nathaniel’s experience with his Catholic Faith, which he drifted from for a time, and later was encouraged to come back home by his high school priest. Nathaniel graduated from the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota where he spent two years in formation at St. John Vianney Seminary. He and Gene reflected on the hand and role God has played throughout Nathaniel’s life, and talked about how and when he ended up at Exodus 90. Go to exodus90.com to learn more about this spiritual exercise. Remember when choosing between the values of heaven and the values of earth, always round up!

On Wednesday, July 7, Deacon Mike Beauvais talked with Dave and Dorothy Hargrave about a recent experience they had that can only be described as miraculous. Dave and Dorothy live in Waco, Texas, and have been married for 5 years. Their faith shines bright and it is evident in this interview. We don’t want to give the miracle away in the summary so you’ll have to listen for yourself! You won’t regret it. Remember when considering the many ways in which you might share your time, talent, and treasure with the people of God, always round up!

On Wednesday, June 30, Pam Marvin talked with Julia Mishler and Misty Poe about Catholic School education. Julia will be the new St. Joseph Catholic School Principal in Bryan, Texas this upcoming school year. Julia has been involved in the public school system for about 15 years, and is excited to jump into her role in a Catholic School. Misty Poe is the Austin Diocese Catholic Schools Superintendent. Julia, Misty, and Pam discussed the importance and beauty of a Catholic school education, as well as their plans to help make St. Joseph Catholic School the best it can be, and help to form the students into academic and Faith scholars! Their main goal is to make disciples, so that once the students leave the school, they will boldly go out into the world and evangelize. We are excited to have her join our tight-knit Catholic community here in Bryan! Now remember to go and love your neighbor!

On Wednesday, June 23, host Judy Comeaux interviewed Michele Faehnle, one of the authors of a book to boost women's spiritual connection, The Friendship Project: The Catholic Woman's Guide to Making and Keeping Fabulous, Faith-Filled Friends. Along with her co-author, Emily Jaminet, they delve into the cardinal and theological virtues as aids toward friendship. They also draw on Church teaching, recount friendships of their own, and draw on the lives of saints and biblical women. You can get the book here. And remember, go out and love your neighbor!