Rise and Shine with Deacon Rick & Jenny Condon

2009-01-30T08:30:00.000-06:00

Rise and Shine

KWKY and the board of Directors would like to thank Deacon Rick and Jenny for their dedication and work on the Rise and Shine Morning Show during these past two years.

The management of KWKY has decided to move in a different direction for the Morning Program on Weekdays. KWKY has invited Rick and Jenny to do a morning show on Saturdays.

Again, KWKY would like to thank them and wish them well.

Sonrise Morning Show

The Sonrise Morning Show is broadcast out of Cincinnati, Ohio and Sacred Heart Radio. It is Nationally syndicated through EWTN Radio.

Brian Patrick, the host, runs a fast-paced interview-filled morning show with news, prayer, reflections on the saint of the day and the daily readings.

KWKY Local Interviews

Mary Pometto, the Production Director of KWKY Catholic Radio will be hosting local interviews every day, providing our listeners with information about local events or people of interest. These interviews will take place after the half hour.

January 19, 2009

2009-01-19T08:30:00.002-06:00

Guests: Judy Liston and Tom Quiner
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Fabian

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Judy Liston and Tom Quiner. Judy is heading the committee that planned the Mass For Life this year. The Mass for Life will take place on January 22, 2009 at St. Anthony's in Des Moines. It will be celebrated by Bishop Richard Pates. The evening begins at 6pm with the performance of the mini-musical "The Da I Lived Forever." They will also be praying a rosary before mass, which starts at 7pm.

Tom Quiner is the composer of the mini-musical, "The Day I Lived Forever." The musical takes place in the stage of the Mass. The two main characters are a young girl who is pregnant and wants Jesus to take her son back and a father who lost his son in Iraq and wants Jesus to give his son back.

There will be a reception following the Mass. For more informatoin you can call 244-4709.

January 19, 2009 Part 1

2009-01-16T15:01:00.002-06:00

In January 19, 2009's Rise and Shine Deacon Rick and Jenny will be speaking with Tom Quiner who wrote the Musical, "The Day I Lived Forever," which will be performed at the Mass For Life on Thursday, January 22, 2009. Below is a link to a youtube video of the premiere performance.

This song is called "Jesus, Are You Really Here?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jYHPskzYhM

The song sets up the conflict of the piece: a pregnant teenage girl grapples with faith issues and contemplates an abortion. A bereaved father grapples with faith issues and his hatred toward those who killed his son in Iraq.

January 16, 2009

2009-01-16T10:12:00.002-06:00

Guests: Fr. Chris Fontanini, Vocations Director for the Diocese of Des Moines
Fr. Jim Kubicki, Director of the Apostleship of Prayer
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Berard and Companions

Today, Deacon Rick spoke with Fr. Chris Fontanini, the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Des Moines. Fr. Chris told us that a focus of this year's efforts to encourage vocations is to get the priests involved in the process more. He told us that 77% of men in the seminary were influenced by priests that they'd known. To help with this, the diocese has been hosting Andrew Dinners, where the young men share a meal with other priests and the Bishop and talk about vocations. The next Andrew Dinner is January 26 from 6-8pm at St. Theresa's Catholic Church. There are thirteen young men in the seminary for the Diocese of Des Moines right now, Bishop Pates hopes to have thirty. Fr. Chris asks that we all pray for vocations as well as being bold and speaking with those who may have a call from Christ to come and follow him.

Deacon Rick and Jenny also spoke with Fr. Jim Kubicki, Director of the Apostleship of Prayer. Fr. Jim shared a bit of his vocation story, which started when he was introduced to religious life throught he Jesuit High School he had attended. Fr. Jim shed some light on Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI's intentions for the month of January.

Pope Benedict's general intention for January is "That the family increasingly be a place of formation in charity, personal growth, and transmission of the faith." Right now, members of the faithful are gathered in Mexico City for the World Meeting of Families. The World Meeting of Families was started in 1994 by Pope John Paul II and meets every three years. The topic of the meeting is "Family Teacher of Human and Christian Values." Our Holy Father's intention stems from this conference.

Pope Benedict's misison intention is, "That Christian denominations may strive for full unity so as to be a more credible witness of the Gospel to a world in need of a "New Evangelization." For the past 101 years the week of January 18-25 has been dedicated to prayer for Christian Unity. This stems from Christ's words in John 17, "May they be one as we are one, so that hte world may believe..." Wihtout unity, the world will dismiss Christians. The world needs the Gospel, so we must always strive for Christian Unity.

For more information you can go to their website: www.apostleshipofprayer.org
Or you can call them at: 414-486-1152

January 15, 2009

2009-01-15T08:37:00.003-06:00

Guest: Sr. Virginia Jennings, Sisters of St. Francis
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Paul the Hermit

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Sister Virginia Jennings of the Sisters of St. Francis. The Sisters of St. Francis started the Sister Water Project. St. Theresa's Catholic School is having a Social Justice week focusing on Care of God's Creation in particular Water. Students and their families as well as parishioners are participating in the H2O challenge, where they only drink water for the week and donate the money they would have spent on other beverages toward a common end. The beneficiary of this week will be the Sister Water Project.

The Sister Water Project was started four years ago as a response to the needs in the world. Through research, the Sisters of St. Francis tapped into many of the issues surrounding water. They chose to focus on the countries of Honduras and Tanzania. Through the financial support of the people of God they have been able to build wells and provide Simtanks in these countries for three years.

Buffalo Road Roundup

-The Winter Formal King and Queen candidates have been announced, one of which is our very own Dowling Correspondent, Miranda Taiber. The theme of this year's Winter Formal is Arabian Nights.
-On Martin Luther King Jr. Day there will be a display in the library including many new books.
-For those wishing to participate in helping with the Special Olympics there is a mandatory training clinic. Contact Mrs. Abler for more information.
-Several Dowling freshman were selected to perform in the Opus Honor Choir that will be held in Steven's Auditorium at Iowa State University.
-January 23 will be Pack the Gym Night for Dowling Basketball. It will begin with a Girls Varsity game at 6:15 and a Boys Varsity Game at 7:45

January 14, 2009

2009-01-14T08:09:00.002-06:00

Guests: Larry Olson and Hans Peterson of Dakota Road Music
Featured Saint of the Day: Servant of God John the Gardener

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spent an exciting morning with Larry Olson and Hans Peterson of Dakota Road Music. Hans and Larry are in Des Moines as the Artists in Residence for Social Justice Week at St. Theresa's Catholic School. Through their music, they engage their audience and teach them truths of the faith. St. Theresa's Social Justice Week is focusing on the Care of God's Creation, in particular, Water.

Dakota Road Music has been writing and producing songs for twenty years, as well as reaching out in ministry to schools and parishes across the country. They focus on God's forgiveness and healing. They hope that those who encounter their music will find the strength to reach out to others whether it be friend, stranger or enemy. Among the songs they played live in studio for us were "Child of the Water," "Praise the Great Creator," and an enthusiastic "My Brother Eats Bugs."

The concerts at St. Theresa's Catholic School that are open to the public include one on Friday from 1:30-3pm in the sanctuary of the Church. There will be two 45 minute concerts in this time, one geared toward the younger kids and one for those who are older. There is also an adult faith formaiton lunch today from 11-1pm, you can call the school for information.

To learn more about Dakota Road Music you can go to their website: www.dakotaroadmusic.com

January 13, 2009

2009-01-13T08:10:00.002-06:00

Guests: Ellen Stemler, the Principal of St. Theresa's Catholic School in Des Moines
Cindy Mumm, the parent of a student of St. Theresa's Catholic School
Grace Mumm and Hannah Torsdahl, students of St. Theresa's Catholic School
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Hilary

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Ellen Stemler, the Principal of St. Theresa's Catholic School in Des Moines as well as Cindy Mumm, a St. Theresa's Parent, as well as Grace Mumm and Hannah Torsdahl, students of St. Theresa's Catholic School about Social Justice Week. Social Justice week is an anual week dedicated to an awareness of the needs of those around the world. Last year's focus was on Hunger, this year they are focusing on "Our Care of God's Creation," more specifically, Water.

The students and their families as well as parishioners of St. Theresa's Catholic Church are all participating in the H2O Challenge. These students and families are challenged to drink only water for one week. Participants of the H2O Challenge are isued an H2O Challenge cup, where they put the money they would have spent on other beverages throughout the week. The challenge comes with an H2O Savings Scorecard so it's easier to figure out what would have been spent. At the end of the week the money saved will be gathered together and donated to the Sister Water Project. The Sister Water Project is run by a group of Franciscans in Dubuque, Iowa. These sisters will use the money to create wells in Honduras and Tanzania.

All of the classes at St. Theresa's school are focused on Water this week. The students will also be taking field trips to different places, like the Des Moines Water Works. There will be puppet shows, speakers, the students will be making banners as well as submitting entries to a poetry and art contest focused on Water. The goal of the week is to focus on the spiritual and the physical aspects of water. They've already had talks about Baptism as well as water in the Bible.

January 12, 2009

2009-01-12T08:17:00.002-06:00

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny shared a day with our listeners talking about life. Rick shared a few songs with us, including "We Will Follow You" performed by the Celebration Singers. We also listened to "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg and ended our day listening to Steven Curtis Chapman's "The Walk."

One of the items discussed was the dinner for the Youth that KWKY is hosting. KWKY and Bishop Pates is inviting youth ages 16-30 who would like to see KWKY produce a block of programming geared toward them to a spaghetti dinner. The dinner will be on January 19, 2009 at 6:00pm in Norwalk. If you or someone you know would like to attend with their ideas call the station at 515-223-1150 for more information.

January 9, 2009

2009-01-09T08:03:00.003-06:00

Guests: Al Donahoe, President of the Serra Club of Des Moines and Mike Downey of the Serra Club of Des Moines
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Adrian of Canterbury

Today Jenny was not feeling well, so Deacon Rick spoke with Al Donahoe and Mike Downey of the Serra Club of Des Moines. The Serra club is a lay group of men and women whose goal is to foster vocations to priesthood and religious life. They gather together under the banners of prayer, service and fellowship.

Under those banners there are many activities such as mass and adoration once a month, lunches with engaging speakers, and events to support those who have chosen a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. Those events include an appreciation dinner for seminarians, an appreciation dinner for priests, an appreciation dinner for the bishop and an appreciation dinner for religious sisters. The activities are spritually rejuvenating.

The Serra Club is looking for new members and anyone is welcome to attend their upcoming events. January 16, from 12-1:30pm there will be a luncheon at the Farm Bureau with the guest speaker being the District Governor of the Serra Club International. It is a perfect time to come with your questions.

You can get more information on the Serra Club through their website: www.dmserra.com

January 8, 2009

2009-01-08T09:09:00.004-06:00

Guest: Tom Quiner, composer of "The Woman at the Well" and "The Day I Lived Forever," mini-musical-dramas
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. Angela of Foligno

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Tom Quiner, composer of "The Woman at the Well" and "The Day I Lived Forever," mini-musical-dramas. The premiere of the musicals will be this Sunday at Holy Trinity.

Sunday, January 11th Holy Trinity will host a Musical and Chili Supper
Performance at 3:00 pm at Holy Trinity Church, two new mini-musicals: "The Day I Lived Forever" and "The Woman at the Well". The cast includes over 30 singers/musicians from ten different churches throughout the Diocese. Chili Supper at 4:00 pm. The price for the show and the chili supper is $15, children 12 and under are free. Tickets will be sold after the weekend Masses. Proceeds will go to Holy Trinity Catholic Church.

Buffalo Road Roundup:

-This Friday there will be a Jeans Day to benefit People-to-People. Students are required to bring $1.00 to wear jeans to school.
-There will be a pep-assembly on Friday at 2:30pm to celebrate winter sports: basketball as well as wrestling and boy's swimming.
-Seniors who wish to be retreat leaders will have one last chance at it with a workshop January 12 at 6:30 at St. Theresa's. Student's considering it are encouraged to turn in their application and go to the training.
-Dowling Choral Madrigal Dinners will be January 9-10. The doors open at 6:30pm and the concert begins at 7:00pm the event will be held at St. Francis Assisi Church.
-January 26-30 will be Catholic School's Week, there will be a Mass on January 27.
-The student council is working toward Winter Formal, which will be on January 31 with the theme of Arabian Nights. The King and Queen Candidates will be announced this afternoon.
-For those interested in Special Olympics Coaching there are sign ups on Thursday January 13 for previous coaches and for those who are new to the program the sign up will be on January 15 outside of room 401. There will be a training session on February 8 from 1-2pm at Dowling. If you can't make it to this session, wait to sign up as there will be another training session and sign up later.

January 7, 2009

2009-01-07T08:11:00.002-06:00

Guest: Jon Leonetti, Souly Walking Project
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Raymond of Penyafort

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Jon Leonetti co-founder of the Souly Walking Project. Souly Walking is an endeavor between Jon and his partner, Jesse Weiler to reach out to the youth through a journey across America. On March 1, 2009 Jon and Jesse will begin their trek from Ocean Park, California to Ocean City, New Jersey.

The purpose of their walk is to encourage young people to encounter Christ in a new way. They will be doing this by stopping at schools, churches and youth gatherings along the way. They wish to give the youth a new hope and drive home to them that they were created for love and created for heaven. Through encouraging them to turn away from the MTV generation that they live in today, they want each young person they encounter to discover the inate dignity and worth in who God created them to be. The best way to do this is through love, and what better way to discover love than to look to the one who is love, Christ.

Jon and Jesse will be walking 19.5 miles a day on average with two days of rest and prayer every week. They've partnered with Outside-da-Box a non-profit video production company based out of Illinois. They will be taking with them a push cart, a few essentials and a video camera to document their journey of faith.

The funding for this walk is through the generous donations of the people of God. Jon knows that if it is God's will that he walk across the coutnry for Him, that He will provide for all of their needs. Because they're partnered with Outside-da-Box, any financial gifts you make are tax deductable.

To donate you can go to: www.soulywalking.com and send an e-mail to soulywalking@catholic.org

You can also directly send donations to Outside-da-Box, checks should be made out to "Outside-da-Box" and the memo should state "Souly Walking Project":

Outside-da-Box
P.O. Box 3862
St. Charles, IL 60174

January 6, 2009

2009-01-06T08:39:00.003-06:00

Guest: Bob Ravenscroft, President of the Mercy Foundation
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Gregory Nazianzen

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Bob Ravenscroft, President of the Mercy Foundation. Bob shared with us some of the Mercy Foundation's goals for this new year. A big focus this year will be on obtaining scholarships for students attending Mercy College. Bob told us that 90% of students at Mercy College require financial assistance and many are parents who are also working while they are in school.

A project that Mercy is involved in is celebrating its 30th Anniversary. Once a year Mercy physicians go to Yucatan, Mexico and screen the children there. They then have to decide, from those children in need of open-heart surgery, which ones are fit enough to make the trip back to Mercy to receive care. Each year between 30-50 children receive open-heart surgery from this program. The children and their family are all transported to Des Moines for the procedure.

In this time of economic crisis, Mercy is determined to do God's will through their endeavors. Bob quoted Sr. Martina Wolfe who said, "If it's God's will, it will get done."

January 5, 2009

2009-01-05T14:25:00.002-06:00

Guest: Sally Proctor, President of Iowans for Life
Featured Saint of the Day: St. John Neumann

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Sally Proctor, the President of Iowans for Life. Sally reminded listeners to begin praying for the March For Life, January 22. Iowans for Life's buses are already full, but you can still join in prayer. Also the Prayer for Life will be on February 9, 2009 from 3:30pm-4:30pm. This event will take place in the Capital's Rotunda. It will be MC'd by Tom Chapman, with the Iowa Catholic Conference and will have special guests: Sonya Bates and Representative Steve King. Also the Virtue Media spots will be appearing on television oon, so keep your eyes peeled for them.

Sally also spoke about a document that Planned Parenthood submitted to Obama. It was a 55 page document of things that Planned Parenthood would like from Obama's administration. This woudl include $4.6 billion tax dollars as well as fewer regulations on abortions. Luckily the Catholic Church's bishops have been taking a strong stand in these matters. If you want to find a way to make your voice heard you can call Linda Sample at the Des Moines Diocese at: 515-237-5055. There is also an effort to have 10,000 masses said by the St. Michael the Arc Angel Organization.

December 23, 2008

2008-12-23T08:32:00.003-06:00

Guest: Jennifer Settle, Certification Course Manger for the Theology of the Body Institute
Featured Saint of the Day: St. John of Kanty

Today Deacon Rick spoke with Jennifer Settle, the Certification Course Manager of the Theology of the Body Institute and co-host of Theology of the Body on KWKY. Jennifer shared with us a refresher on Theology of the Body. It was developed by Pope John Paul II during his Wednesday Audiences from 1979-1984 through 129 different audiences. It focuses on living God's plan for the body and our sexuality. It is good to look into TOB, especially during Christmas, when Divine Life took on human flesh. By Christ becoming man, it elevates our humanity.

For Jenifer the discovery of how Thology of the Body relates to all areas of life and the Church stirred a great love of the theology within her. A beautiful concept she spoke of that touched her was the very unrepeatablity of the human person. So that when you fall in love or share a friendship with someone, that which is unrepeatable is what truly attracts.

For more information you can go to the Thology of the Body Intitute website:
www.tobinstitute.org

December 18, 2008

2008-12-19T09:19:00.003-06:00

Guest: Bishop Joseph Charron
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. Anthony Grassi

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Bishop Joseph Charron who returned in early November from a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Bishop Charron spoke of how each day of the pilgrimage was surrounded by prayer and scriptures. He celebrated mass at a different Holy Land sites each day. For him and many of those who journeyed with him on this pilgrimage, entering into the scriptures associated with each place had the most powerful impact on them.

Bishop Charron spoke about how on some of the different sites the traditions attached to them go straight back to the time of Christ, others have been destroyed several times through the strife of that part of the world, and others are general areas where it is believed important moments occurred. Bishop Charron and his companions began their pilgrimage at the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives is above the wall of Jerusalem and the mount affords a great view of the entire city. Bishop Charron was able to celebrate Mass on the traditional rock where Jesus prayed in his agony. Afterwards they were afforded a time ot sit quietly and pray, putting themselves with the suffering connected with that place and with the Eucharist.

Bishop Charron spoke of the unique gift of allowing people to be in the places of the Holy Land and ot place themselves in scripture. They also went to Bethlehem and celebrated mass in Shepherd's Field. In Bethlehem they visited the Church of the Nativity where a golden star on the floor marks the place where Christ was born.

Bishop Charron closed by speaking of his experience on the Sea of Galilee. They wen out on a boat into the sea and stopped the engines. From there, Bishop Charron read the scriptures of Christ calming the Sea. An Evangelical group who had joined their boat ride approached the Bishop afterwards and told him how much his reading the scriptures had touched them. They then celebrated mass on the Mount of Beatitudes. The Bishop was facing the people with the Sea of Galilee behind him as the sun was setting. After communion he left his people with these words "You know, my friends, we've spent all day walking where Jesus walked, but it only takes a moment to let him enter our hearts."

Buffalo Road Roundup:

-The Speech Debate 2008 Paradigm went very well for Dowling Catholic and there were people from eleven different states in attendence.

-The Dowling performing arts Magical Dinnners of 2009 will be held January 9-10 at 6:30pm at St. Francis. The Dinners are first come-first serve admitance and will be catered by Christiani's. Call Denise with questions at 222-9047.

-At the November 23 open house there were 403 perspective students on the grounds of Dowling.

-This year's Christmas baskets project speareheaded by the Senior Class was very successful this year. They reached out to many families with the necessary food for a Christmas Dinner, toys, clothes, and Christmas trees with decorations.

-The next We Believe Capital Campaign evenings will be January 12 and January 28 at 5pm. To RSVP or take part you can call 222-1044.

December 17, 2008

2008-12-17T08:06:00.003-06:00

Guest: Mike Coughlin, Managing Partner of the Sacred Mint
Featured Saint of the Day: Lazarus

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Mike Coughlin, Managing Partner of the Sacred Mint. The Sacred Mint is an on-line resource for Christian Gifts. They were recently very generous with KWKY Catholic Radio and provided many of the stunning gifts we were able to use as incentives for our Mini-Pledge Drive.

Sacredmint.com is a new endeavor and was launched this year. Planning for the website began in January of 2008 and products were introduced to the website in August of this year. The partners of the Sacred Mint, including Mike, wanted to help further a revival of hope in our society. With all the negativity in our culture and media, they wanted a way of reaching out to those in need of hope. Sacredmint.com is a business and a ministry a unique place where you can see images and find gifts that have meaning in your life.

On sacredmint.com you'll find a variety of different offerings. They have beautiful crosses, reliefs, statues, and jewelry as well as gifts for special occassions like Baptisms. They are hoping ot expand their offerings to include special gifts for other Sacraments. In 2009, they hope to begin feeding the soul as well as providing material gifts. They're brain-storming ways they can reach the community and offer them something spiritually uplifting.

The Sacred Mint is a source for unique Christian Gifts. In this season of Christmas Mike encouraged our listeners to take hope in the celebration of Christ's birth.

To check out some of the Sacred Mint's beautiful and unique offerings you can go to:
www.sacredmint.com

December 16, 2008

2008-12-16T09:52:00.003-06:00

Guest: Fr. Jim Kubicki, President of the Apostleship of Prayer
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. Honoratus Kozminski

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Jim Kubicki, the President of the Apostleship of Prayer about our Holy Father's Prayer intentions for the month of December.

DECEMBER

Culture of Life. That, faced with the growing expansion of the culture of violence and death, the Church may courageously promote the culture of life through all her apostolic and missionary activities.
Fraternal Witness. That, especially in mission countries, Christians may show through gestures of kindness that the Child born in Bethlehem is the Hope of the world.

Fr. Jim spoke of the importance of examining ourselves in these weeks of Advent on how our choices foster a Culture of Life. To look at our priorities and ask if they truly promote life. To promote life we must be careful not to dehumanize anyone. It can be hard, Fr. Jim shared with us, when we are faced with people that we do not like or who annoy us. It is easier in our thoughts of those people to see them as more of a problem and less as a person. Fr. Jim asked us all to look at those relationships in our lives and reevaluate how we approach them.

When speaking of the Holy Father's Mission Intention, Fr. Jim spoke about Hope. Hope is how God came to save the world, through a tiny child, our beacon of Hope, Christ. Something to ask ourselves, is do we believe that? Do not let the fear of death hold us back from experiencing the hope of Christ. We must see past this life into our eternal destiny. Jesus' birth in Bethlehem points us toward the eternal, it is a promise of new life, and the well of hope that comes with his birth gives us the strength we need to stand against this culture of death in our daily lives.

For more resources from the Apostleship of Prayer you can go to their website:
www.apostleshipofprayer.org

December 15, 2008

2008-12-15T11:49:00.002-06:00

Guest: John Putbrese, President of KWKY Catholic Radio
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. Mary Frances Schervier

Today John Putbrese, President of KWKY Catholic Radio, joined Deacon Rick and Jenny for Rise and Shine. He wanted to thank all of the faithful listeners of KWKY Catholic Radio for supporting us during our Mini-Pledge Drive last week. It was very successful and we met our overall goal for the drive thanks to all of your help. It was beautiful because with four hours of the drive left we were $10,000.00 short of our goal and within those last four hours due to the generosity of many of our listeners we were able to meet our goal.

There are a lot of exciting things going on at KWKY including the announcement of a new studio on the ground floor of the Diocesan Offices on 6th and Grand in downtown Des Moines. We are beginning to plan our Faith Matters Conference for next year as well as anticipating Bishop Pates doing a show with us. The studio in Des Moines will need some work before it is ready, so keep the endeavors of KWKY in your prayers.

The Staff and Board of KWKY feel very blessed to be serving the community of Iowa and we thank all of our listeners for making what we do worth-while.

December 5, 2008

2008-12-05T08:13:00.002-06:00

Guests: Sharon Banstra, a Catholic Charities Counselor and Wendy Solawetz with Catholic Charities' A New Beginning Adoption Agency
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Sabas

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Sharon Banstra, a Catholic Charities Counselor and Wendy Solawetz with Charities' A New Beginning Adoption Agency. Wendy shared with us the two facets of A New Beginning. There is the pregnancy counselling side, where they work with women who are deciding whether to parent their child themselves, or if it might be best to put the child up for adoption. Once the decision is made for adoption Catholic Charities encourages the mother to make an open adoption plan.

Wendy gave us some of the details of what an open adoption plan entails. An open adoption enables the mother and her family to hand-select the couple who will be caring for the child. It ensures that the mother and her family will still have contact with the child once it has been placed. The Adopted family retains authority once the adoption has been made, but welcomes visits with the birth family. Having an open relationship between the birth and adopted families allows the child to grow up with a full sense of self, knowing where he came from as well as where he's going. Together, they all love the baby.

Deacon Rick and Jenny also spoke with Sharon Bandstra a Catholic Charities Counselor. Sharon and the counseling staff keep very busy. Sharon spoke of the need for counseling. She said that when people get anxious or stressed, they sometimes can get tunnel vision. With a counselor, they are afforded the perspective necessary to start looking toward the source of their anxiety. Counselors can offer an objective look on life's problems. From there, Sharon helps people discover methods of calming down or broadening their thoughts to see the whole picture when they encounter stress in their daily lives.

For those who maybe have a negative reaction to the idea of counselling, Sharon said that anytime we're struggling it is hard to talk about it. The question becomes, how do we think and process things? Sharon tries to look at the steps that led to where you are, and then discover how to work at it differently. She focuses a lot on finding your strengths and using them to help you deal with some of the things that life throws. Sharon has been working with Catholic Charities for thirty years and has done so because Catholic Charities makes its services available to everyone. It meets them in their need and finds a way to enable them to partake in the counseling services.

December 4, 2008

2008-12-04T08:44:00.002-06:00

Guests: Nancy Galesi, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, and Sam Chambers the Co-Chair of the No Room at the Inn Events
Featured Saint of the Day: St. John Damascene

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Nancy Galesi, Executive Director of Catholic Charities and Sam Chambers, the Co-Chair of the No Room at the Inn Events. Sam was very eager to share all of the exciting events that are planned for this weekend.

Friday Night the Pastoral Center will be transformed to house the music, food, fellowship, nativities and the silent auction during their Gala Event. To get tickets you can call 237-5078. The tickets are $38 a person or $76 for a couple.

Sunday will be the family friendly event where all that you need to get into the door is a free-will donation of money or personal care items. There will be cookies from the Highland Bakery as well as Nativity Scenes on display from around the world. There will also be choirs and ensembles who will play and sing throughout the day. A special appearance will be made by Bishop Pates who will be reading the Christmas Story at 1:30pm.

In 2007, there were 15,000 people at the event on Sunday as well as over 250 people at the event on Friday. Between the two, the weekend raised $60,000 for St. Joseph's Emergency Family Shelter. Friday is sponsored this year by St. Jude Health Care and Sunday is sponsored by Mercy Medical Center.

Nancy updated us on how things are going at some of Catholic Charities' other outreaches. Their immigration program is in full swing with educational presentations. Everyone is keeping an eye on the situation in Postville as well, where St. Bridgette's is providing food as well as coming up with money to help people with their rent. There will be a Social Justice Consortium forming to help integrate all the different issues that are prevelant in our society.

For More Information you can Visit Catholic Charities on line.

December 3, 2008

2008-12-03T09:11:00.004-06:00

Guests: Joe Hrdlicka, Chair of the Marketing Committee for Catholic Charities
Arvid Huisman, Salvation Army Development Director
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Francis Xavior

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny first spoke with Joe Hrdlicka, the Chair of the Marketing Committee for Catholic Charities. Joe spoke of the great that St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter serves in the Des Moines Community. St. Joseph's Emergency Family Shelter helps approximately 60 families every year, touching the lives of over 500 people.

Joe encouraged everyone to partake of the "No Room at the Inn" Catholic Charities events this weekend. For those who are looking to contribute to Catholic Charities, these events are a fun and easy way to do it.

There is an gala-type event on Friday, December 5 that requires some level of financial contribution to get in the door. The event is from 5pm-8pm. To buy a ticket, call Trish Radke at 237-5078.

On Sunday, the "No Room at the Inn" even runs from 1pm-5pm. Bishop Pates will be there, so if you haven't gotten a chance to meet him, this would be a nice opportunity. Also there will be many different choral groups performing: St. Pius X's Celebration Singers, Dowling Choirs, St. Francis Choirs, Ankeny Community Chorus, as well as John Hannah. Admission is a free-will donation of money or personal care items.

For more information on any of this, you can call Catholic Charities: 237-5078

Also featured this morning on Rise and Shine was Arvid Huisman, the Development Director for the Salvation Army in Des Moines. The Salvation Army raises half of their operating budget from November 1st to January 15th each year. What they need right now are volunteers to ring bells for the red-kettle campaign.

To give of your time to help ring the bells you can go to: www.ringbells.org
Or you can call 282-3599

December 2, 2008

2008-12-02T08:24:00.002-06:00

Guest: Tom Ludwig, who works with the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. Rafal Chylinski

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Tom Ludwig, who has been working with the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter since 1990 when it opened. This weekend's No Room at the Inn 2008, a fund raising reception and open house Friday, December 5 and Sunday, December 7, will benefit St. Joseph's Emergency Family Shelter.

Tom described the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter as a place where they are able to provide a safe and caring place for people who are homeless to get back on their feet, particularly those with children. The St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter is unique because it it accepts mothers and fathers with their children, as well as fathers with children and mothers with children. Most family shelters only accept women and their children.

The St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter is a house in the middle of a residential area, it's homey in that it has a living room, dining room and kitchen. The families who benefit from the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter have a maximum stay of 30 days, but extensions are made for those who are on the cusp of finding a new place. Families are admitted on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter is always looking for donations, particularly of diapers and usable furniture, as well as phone cards, personal care items, and bus tokens.

Be sure to attend the Catholic Charities, No Room at the Inn this weekend to help support the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter. You can go to find the Catholic Charities Website here.

December 1, 2008

2008-12-02T08:05:00.002-06:00

Guest: Rachel Mabrey, Volunteer and PR Coordinator of the Phoenix House
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. John of Vercelli

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Rachel Mabrey, the Volunteer and PR Coordinator of the Phoenix House, a Catholic Charities outreach in Council Bluffs, IA. The Phoenix House is a woman's shelter geared toward those who have experienced domestic abuse. The Phoenix House holds eight women and their children at a time and serves the Council Bluffs area as well as some overflow from Nebraska. There are seven full-time staff at the Phoenix House as well as many volunteers who help them man their 24-hour crisis hotline.

When a woman comes to the Phoenix House, she is shown to her room and a basic assesment of the situation is taken, as far as what their immediate needs are. Generally, the woman will then sleep for 24 hours, now that they are in a safe environment. Once a woman has rested, she will work with Catholic Charities to form a plan, setting goals each week of her stay. The women attend classes during the week on parenting and personal economics as well as attending a support group along with the other women at the Phoenix House. Stays are started at thirty days, but are taken on a case-by-case basis. On average the women remain at the Phoenix House for three months.

The Phoenix House's business line is: 712-256-2059
To Volunteer call: 712-256-2059
Their Crisis Hotline is: 888-612-0266

November 26, 2008

2008-11-29T13:27:00.003-06:00

Guest: Brother Dominic McManus
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Catherine of Alexandria
Congratulations to the Winner's of Hasbro's Family Game Week Games: Heather Ward and Tamera Knupp

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny enjoyed another day off while Mary Pometto, the Production Director of KWKY and Jon Leonetti, host of Martyrs of the Third Millennium manned the show once again. Today Jon and Mary spoke with Brother Dominic McManus, a native of Des Moines and a graduate of Dowling High School.

Brother Dominic spoke of his strong sense of call from an early age. Whe he got to high school priesthood was still on the radar, but it took root his second semester in college where he joined the Loras College Seminary Program. When he was out of college he joined the Dominicans.

Brother Dominic spoke a little about the difference between a diocesan priest and a consecrated religious. He spoke of the solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He told us of how Chastity dierects human love outward in brotherly charity. Poverty helps them live a simple life as Christ did. Obedience enables them to pour themeselves out as Christ did as a libation for our sins.

Brother Dominic is stationed at the University of Indiana where the Dominicans help run the Newman Center. When speaking of community life, Brother Dominic spoke of journeying together toward God. Sin divides the self, but in community the rough edges of sin are rubbed down by your brothers in Christ.

With Education as a primary focus of the Dominicans many of the brothers get several degrees and even go on to get their PhD. With this in mind, their formation is longer, so that they can better serve higher education.

In closing, Brother Dominc said, "No one discerns anything in a vaccuum." He encouraged listeners who are struggling with discernement to go visit a community and put themselves in the life for a time.

November 25, 2008

2008-11-25T08:09:00.003-06:00

Guest: Aaron Stryzeski, Music Teacher at St. Joseph's Indian School
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Columban
Congratulations to Family Game Week's Winner of Cranium: Jeannie Bishop
Congratulations to Family Game Week's Winner of Operation: Julie Dohrmann

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny enjoyed another in a series of days off. In their place you were joined by Mary Pometto, production Director of KWKY and Jon Leonetti, host of Martyrs of the Third Millennium. Today Jon and Mary spoke with Aaron Stryzeski, a Music Teacher at St. Joseph's Indian School in South Dakota.

St. Joseph's Indian School is a private boarding school for Native Ameircans with troubled backgrounds. They're found in Chaimberlain, South Dakota and are run solely on donations. They're celebrating their 80th anniversary this year. The school was founded by the Priests of the Sacred Heart who had a burden for the Native American culture and wanted to give back to them. One of the first things they did was start the St. Joseph Indian Schol.

Aaron is one of the music teachers at St. Joseph's and shared with us a song that his 8th grade class wrote, performed, recorded, edited and mastered. The students had only been playing their instruments for five months. Aaron offers his students hands on experience, hoping that they will truly grip into what he's teaching them, finding their particular strengths. He offers lessons on fourteen different instruments including Lakota Drums. Aaron hopes through his program to teach kids to love music and for ability to be a bi-product of that love.

For more information or to donate to St. Joseph's Indian School you can go to:
www.stjo.org

November 24, 2008

2008-11-24T08:22:00.004-06:00

Guest: Sally Proctor, President of Iowans for Life
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions
Congratulations to the Winner of Hasbro's Monopoly: Charles Hughes

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny enjoyed a few extra winks of sleep to celebrate the week of Thanksgiving. In their absence Rise and Shine will be hosted by Mary Pometto, the Production Director of KWKY along with Jon Leonetti, host of Martyrs of the Third Millennium. Today Jon and Mary spoke with Sally Proctor, president of Iowans for Life.

Sally shared with us some of the issues relevant to the pro-life movement. In the coming months, Sally urged listeners to pay attention to what is happening with the Freedom of Choice Act, which, if passed, would obliterate any and all regulations on abortion. Along with encouraging senators and congressmen to fight against this act, Sally asked that we turn to the Rosary. The arms of Our Lady are open to all, and when we entrust our intentions to her Motherly care we know that her Son pays particular heed.

Sally also let us know that Iowans for Life will not be accepting any more applicants to join the pilgrimage to the March for Life. They have two full buses and due to the proximity of the inauguration that week, all the hotels are booked. She encouraged those who still want to attend the March to discover an alternate way of going to DC. Sally also mentioned that the prayers for Life rally will be taking place in February this year.

To be pro-life is to have a true appreciation for the human person, from conception to natural death. That includes anyone who may oppose the inalienable right to life. We, as a pro-life people must strive to encounter this opposition with a smile, truly seeing the person before us and proclaiming our message with a smile and with love. For with love we can change hearts and when hearts and minds are changed, then will we see society stop and take notice.

November 21, 2008

2008-11-21T08:14:00.002-06:00

Guests: John Gaffney with Erin Kelly, Sarah Kelly, Da'Shawne Smiley and Sam Kouri: Students of St. Theresa's Catholic School in West Des Moines
Featured Saint of the Day: Feast of the Presentation of Mary

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Erin Kelly, Sarah Kelly, Da'Shawne Smiley and Sam Kouri, sixth graders at St. Theresa's Catholic School. These students wanted to share the news of an exciting event: the 6th Grade Charity Basketball Tournament. This is the events 10th Anniversary. The event begins tonight at 5:30 with the first round of basketball games. The tournament continues on Saturday from 7am-5pm. The Championship will be played on Sunday starting at 1pm-5pm.

The sixth grade class at St. Theresa's planned and orchestrated the entire event. It started when they went to the St. Francis Service Fair where twenty-seven different non-profit organizations gathered to give information to the kids. The sixth graders of St. Theresa's narrowed their choices of who to benefit with this event down to the Salvation Army and the Mircale League. Through a class vote, that first resulted in a tie, they decided to give the proceeds of this event to the Salvation Army. Some of the things these students like about the Salvation Army were that htey helped all age groups as well as helping people in many different aspects of care.

The sixth graders will be running this event. The basketball tournament will be between ten different schools. The sixth grad basketball teams will be participating as well as some junior high teams. At the event there will be a concession stand with food provided by the families of the sixth grade class, including three gallons of chile from the Drake Diner. There will also be a raffle for things like gift cards and sporting tickets. In other rooms around the gym there will be games and crafts for the kids that aren't as interested in basketball, including a Wii game room. The sixth graders also designed a t-shirt that is on sale for $15. There will be a $5 entry fee to the event, but you can also buy a weekend pass for your family. There will be Salvation Army Kettles at the event as well as after all the Masses at St. Theresa's this weekend. Park near the jungle gym on the play ground.

November 20, 2008

2008-11-20T08:20:00.002-06:00

Guest: Tom Chapman, Executive Director of the Iowa Catholic Conference
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Rose Philippine Duchesne

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Tom Chapman, the Executive Director of the Iowa Catholic Conference. The Iowa Catholic Conference works to advocate public policy that is in the interest of the common good.

One of the things that Tom is working on is the passage of regulations in the health and human services department. The regulation in motion builds on a law that states that those in the medical profession do not have to get involved with abortion if they don't want to. These regulations strive to make the implications of the law crystal clear.

Tom is also working towards combating the Freedom of Choice Act, an act that would wipe out all restrictions on abortion. A good deal of this struggle against FOCA is still in our hands, we need to make our stance known. Tom is optimistic that this act can be fought, most people want more restrictions on abortion. He encouraged listeners with John Paul II's first words as a Pope, "Be not afraid."

To get more information you can go to the Iowa Catholic Conference's website:
www.iowacatholicconference.org
To stand against the Freedom of Choice Act you can go to their website and click on the Action Center and go to FOCA Alert.

Buffalo Road Roundup:
-November 23, there will be an open house from 11am-2pm at Dowling. Perspective students will be given a tour of the campus including the renovations. For more information you can call the school.
-November 24, there will be a Jazz Ensemble concert at the Adventureland Inn. They've been invited to perform by the Des Moines Big Band and the Des Moines Big Band will be playing after the Dowling students.
-December 10, there will be a Dowling Christmas Band Concert at 7pm. The guest conductor will be Dr. Thomas Lee from Los Angeles, California. Dr. Lee used to direct the band at Dowling and is now directing at UCLA.
-Dowling Renovations are moving along. They've recently moved the math department into new classrooms that will begin to be used after the Christmas Break.

November 19, 2008

2008-11-19T08:12:00.003-06:00

Guest: Sr. Rosemary Flannigan
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Agnes of Assisi

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Sr. Rosemary Flannigan. Sr. Rosemary is an 82-year-old Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet. In 1992 she joined the staff of a bioethical institute. One of the messages Sr. Rosemary wanted to leave with our listeners was that in every hospital there is a group that is prepared to help them think through not what can health care do for them, but what ought they ask their health care to do for them. She also spoke of detachment for our earthly life. Sr. Rosemary impressed the point that man was created for God and at the end of life, death is the means by which we return to Our Father. Sr. Rosemary encouraged our listeners to talk about end-of-life issues within our families before they become an issue.

November 18, 2008

2008-11-18T08:21:00.005-06:00

Guest: Brendan Flannery, co-Director of Crossroads
Featured Saint of the Day: Dedication of St. Peter and Paul

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Brendan Flannery the co-Director of Crossroads. Crossroads is a movement that was started in 1995 by several students from Franciscan University. These students had been to World Youth Day in 1993, when it was in Denver, and took Pope John Paul II's challenge of taking the word of God into the streets literally. Crossroads walks with the intentions of the Pro-Life movement in mind and the walks in America end in Washington, DC for a Pro-Life Rally.

There are three different walks through America and one in Canada. The Northern Walk is from Seattle, Washington to Washington, DC. The Central Walk is from San Francisco, California to Washington, DC. The Southern Walk is from Los Angeles , California to Washington, DC. Each summer there is a group of about 50 young people ages 18-30 who participate in these walks. The groups walk monday through friday and on the weekends they pray at Abortion Clinics as well as visit Youth Groups and different Parishes across the coutnry.

In a story that Brendan shared with us, the group on the Southern Walk was in El Paso, Texas. They had been praying at an abortion clinic and later that weekend were at a church. A man approached them and asked if they had been the group at the clinic. When they told him that they were, he said that he had seen them because he was taking his daughter in for an abortion. Through their witness, both he and his daughter knew that they couldn't go through with it. The father took his daughter that day to the hospital to get a check-up and sonogram. The man found out that he was the proud grandfather of twins. While many of the fruits this pilgrimage bears aren't seen by the walkers, they know that God puts all things to His use.

For more information on Crossroads or to get inovled you can go to their website:
www.crossroadswalk.org

November 17, 2008

2008-11-17T08:14:00.003-06:00

Guest: Stephen Tatz, Vocations Specialist for the Diocese of Des Moines
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Elizabeth of Hungary

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Stephen Tatz, Vocations Specialist for the Diocese of Des Moines. Stephen challenged our listeners to promote vocations. He told us that vocations are everyone's business and that we need to do things to foster them. In daily application, if you encounter a young man who exemplifies traits that point to a possible vocation you should ask them if they've ever thought about it. Regardless of their answer, you should encourage them by letting them know what traits you see in them that led you to ask the question.

There will be a Second Vocation Evening Wednesday, November 19. It will be held at the Tavern II. Stephen and Fr. Chris Fontanini will be there to speak with young men from 5:30 p.m. to around 7 p.m. It is for men who are over 21 and is open to anyone who is still thinking about priesthood as a second vocation.

Stephen asked listeners to pray for Vocations in our diocese and in the world. Bishop Richard Pates has a goal of 30 Seminarians for our diocese. To help with this, he will be having "Andrew Dinners." The reference to Andrew is attached to the Biblical text wher Andrew brought Simon Peter to Jesus. Through these dinners, Bishop Pates will meet with candidates in a relaxed dinner setting.

For more information on Vocations in the Des Moines Diocese you can Contact the Vocations office: 515-237-5014 or on line at: www.vocationsonline.com

November 14, 2008

2008-11-14T08:08:00.002-06:00

Guest: Patricia Bucalo, Co-Founder and President of Laity for Life
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Gertrude

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Patricia Bucalo, the Co-Founder and President of Laity for Life. Laity for Life is based out of Naples, Florida and strives to provide support for the Pro-Life Movement.

Patricia shared with us the three legs of Laity for Life. The first is that of providing support for those in the Pro-Life movement through looking to the graces available through the Mass. Much of their efforts are geared toward having as many Masses said in as many different states and countries as they can. At this point the movement is in nineteen states and three countries.

Their second focus is on the Youth. Laity for Life sees the importance of ensuring that the Youth are well-informed as well as able to express themselves eloquently on Pro-Life issues. While they have been unable to start their own training program for this, they have begun fund-raising for those already in existence.

The third leg of Laity for Life is encouraging support from the Church for the Pro-Life movement, whether that is financial or spiritual.

Patricia stressed the importance of having Masses said for the Pro-Life Movement. You simply go into your Parish and request to have a Mass said for the Pro-Life Movement. Then once the Mass date is set, to attend with your friends. Laity for Life asks that you mention them in your intentions as well as all those involved with the Pro-Life movement including any local organizations as well.

For more information on Laity for Life you can go to their web-site:
www.laityforlife.org
or e-mail them at: info@laityforlife.org

November 13, 2008

2008-11-13T08:13:00.004-06:00

Guest: Ronica Stromberg, Author of "The Time-for-bed Angel"
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Ronica Stromberg, the author of "The Time-for-bed Angel." Ronica grew up in Southeast Iowa and attended the University of Iowa. From there a series of turns led her to become an author based out of Lincoln, Nebraska.

The book was inspired by her oldest son, Josiah. When Josiah was three, Ronica had a hard time putting him to bed. She would try several times a night and still he would not go to bed. Finally she asked him once "What about your guardian angel? Don't you think he needs a rest?" While of course that sparked a conversation that led away from bed-time, but it also inspired Ronica with an idea for a children's book. She had been reading stories about friendly monsters, geared toward easing a child's fear of the dark, but hadn't found any that speak of angels. Ronica couldn't think of a more soothing idea for a child than that of being watched over by their guardian angel day and night.

Thus, "The Time-for-bed Angel" follows a very active little boy named Andrew and his guardian angel, Sam. Andrew gets into all kinds of messes and scrapes before bed, but Sam is always there with him. In the end, Sam has the joy of hearing the beautiful sounds of Andrew snoring after a long and busy day.

Ronica also spoke of the struggles she had publishing her story. She first made a list of all the publishers in America she would want to work with. She ordered them from her dream publisher on down to those she would try if she had to. After six years of rejections from the publishers on her list she reached the end of it and a final rejection. Her husband asked her what she would do next, and she simply replied that she would try overseas. She sent the book to two different publishing houses in Brittain. It was picked up by Lion, the largest independent publisher of inspirational book sin the UK. It was released first in the UK and then came to America on September 30, 2008.

Ronica will be in Des Moines for the next few day signing books:

Friday, November 14, she will visit St. Pius X School's kindergarteners as well as kindergarteners from St. Augustine Catholic School.

Friday, November 14, 7:30 p.m.

Pajamarama reading

Barnes & Noble

4550 University Avenue

West Des Moines, IA

Saturday, November 15, 10 a.m.

Reading to children

Borders

4100 University Ave., Ste.115
West Des Moines, IA 50266

Saturday, November 15, 1-3 p.m.

Meet-and-greet book signing

The Learning Post

2761 100^th Street

Urbandale, IA 50322

Buffalo Road Roundup:

-Christmas Basket Project has begun: The Senior Class is connecting with 55 families in need this Christmas. The program will serve 150 kids this year. The greatest needs is coats, hats, and gloves of all sizes. You can contact the Senior Class Moderators for more information.

-Congratulations to the Dowling Swimmers who participated in State: there were two individual swimmers as wella s a relay team.

-Congratulations to the Coaches and Players of Dowling Football on a great season.

-December 5, 2008 will be the Dowling Christmas Luncheon, the location has been moved to the

Hyperian Field Club

7390 NW Beaver Dr
Johnston, IA 50131

November 12, 2008

2008-11-12T08:14:00.004-06:00

Guest: Jennifer Miller, Executive Director of Bioethics International
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Josaphat

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke again with Jennifer Miller, the Executive Director of Bioethics International. Bioethics International is a non-profit organization geared toward empowering responsible health care through helping them delve into the Ethics of Health Care.

Jennifer shared some exciting news about Bioethics International today. Bioethics International has been asked to design a training program for a major pharmaceutical company that employs over 80,000 people. They will stick to the framework they already have in place and gear it toward the questions in the pharmaceutical realm. Bioethics International uses six points to guide trainees toward making decisions that are person-centered and for the common good of humanity.

Jennifer also spoke about the necessity to build their training on a consensus as well as common language. Once they are all on the same page, then they can better walk together toward discovering what is most beneficial for the individual and humanity.

She gave us an example of a Diabetic. Seven percent of the population is diabetic and of that seven percent, seventeen percent of them require an amputation, usually foot-related. In her example a woman was prescribed an amputation by a doctor. The woman, became hysterical and refused the amputation. The doctor backed down by reason of respecting her wishes. If the doctor had dug a little deeper into why she had become hysterical, he would have discovered a lot of fears within this woman. She was afraid of being a burden to her family, of being alone, that she wouldn't be able to keep her job as well as other issues. With Bioethic training, the doctor would have been able to delve into those fears and help the woman come to grips with the amputation.

For more information you can go to the Bioethics International Website:
www.bioethicsinternational.org

November 11, 2008

2008-11-11T08:18:00.003-06:00

Guests: Fr. Jonathan Fassero OSB, Associate Spiritual Director for St. Meinrad Seminary in Southern Indiana and Stephen Tatz, Vocations Specialist for the Diocese of Des Moines
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Martin of Tours

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Jonathan Fassero OSB, Associate Spiritual Director for St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana and Stephen Tatz, Vocations Specialist for the Diocese of Des Moines about the upcoming "Thinking About Priesthood Day" this weekend. The "Thinking
About Priesthood Day" will be November 15, from 9:30am-5:00pm. The event will take place in Cedar Falls at St. Stephen's, so transportation is being orchestrated by the Diocese.

Fr. Jonathan is a Benedictine Monk who comes to Iowa twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall, for the "Thinking About Priesthood Day." He enjoys coming to Iowa for this day, because all four of our diocese pool together for this event. It is an uplifting, cooperative effort to foster vocations. The goal of this event is to help young men find Brothers in discernment: others who are asking themselves the same questions. One of the things that Fr. Jonathan mentioned today was that just because a young man doesn't know if he'll be a priest or not doesn't mean that he shouldn't go to Seminary. Seminary helps young men become more self-aware and grow deeper in their faith.

Something that events like the "Thinking About Priesthood Day" are good for is giving these young men the information they need to further their discernment. They are given the opportunity to ask questions they maybe haven't asked yet about priesthood. A goal of the event is that with the information these young men receive, that any fears they have about the Seminary may dissipate. Something that Pope John Paul II was fond of saying was, "Do Not Be Afraid!" Fear is often the enemy of a lot of wonderful possibilities.

Fr. Jonathan left us with words of encouragement. He told young men that if they want to make a difference in the world in a unique way, they maybe should explore the possibility of the priesthood. He also told young men that spending a day "Thinking About Priesthood..." would not be a waste of time, and possibly the beginning of a new adventure.

Stephen assured young men that no one was going to try to talk you into priesthood. Men who walk away from this day and feel as though Priesthood is not for them still means that the day was a sucess. Stephen also reminded listeners that if they want to take advantage of this great event they ought to contact the Vocaitons Director of their Diocese.

For Des Moines, you can call: 515-237-5014 or go to: www.vocationsonline.com

November 10, 2008

2008-11-10T08:31:00.003-06:00

Featured Saint of the Day: St. Leo the Great

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke about St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. The basilica was first built in the fourth century on land donated by the Lateran family. The basilica has grown and changed over the years due to earth quakes, fire, and the ravages of war. Its present structure was commissioned in 1646 by Pope Innocent X.

November 7, 2008

2008-11-07T08:17:00.003-06:00

Guest: Jennifer Settle, Certification Course Manager of the Theology of the Body Institute
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Didacus

Today, Jenny was under the weather, so Deacon Rick spent the morning with us. Deacon Rick spoke with Jennifer Settle, the Certification Course Manager of the Theology of the Body Institute. Jennifer recently moved to Pennsylvania from Iowa for this job, she is the co-host on the ever-popular "Theology of the Body" here on KWKY and was the DRE at St. Augustin's before accepting this position. Jennifer spoke with us about all Theology of the Body as well as her new position there.

As the Certification Course Manager, Jennifer orchestrates the courses that take place at the Theology of the Body Institute. They offer Theology of the Body 1 and 2, taught by Christopher West. They also bring in other Theologians to teach other related courses. For example they recently had Dr. Janet Smith to offer courses on "Love and Responsibility" by John Paul II. The only courses that need to be taken consequentially are Theology of the Body 1 and 2, the others you can sign up for without prerequisites. Jennifer is busy planning a Theology of the Body 1 course that will take place January 4-9. They welcome 100 people at a time for these immersion courses.

Jennifer also spoke about the joys of working with the Theology of the Body Institute. Jennifer enjoys watching the light of the truth of Theology of the Body illuminate the hearts of those who experience it for the first time. Once in the light of truth the discovery of the lies that our society feed us about Theology of the Body come to the forefront. The lies of this culture are abounding, they've confused what sex is and also what true freedom is.

Some of the truths that Jennifer shared with us this morning were that our sexuality is not just an ad-on to our existence. We will remain male and female for all eternity. It's who we are, we find our identity as a daughter or son of God through our sexuality. Through this we can then discover who we are in our relationship with God.

For more information, you can visit the Theology of the Body Institute website:
www.tobinstitute.org

November 6, 2008

2008-11-06T08:46:00.001-06:00

STUDENTLOANTRUTH.ORG

Guest: Paul Simino, Founder of "studentloantruth.org"
Buffalo Road Round Up: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Nicholas Tavelic and Companions

Today, Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Paul Simino, founder of "studentloantruth.org." Paul started the website as a response to laws that congress changed which triggered a mass exodus of 160 banks from the student loan program. The website has free information and resources about student loans and college payment. There's an FAQ section where Paul answers inquiries directly. Paul's outlook is that there are solutions to every challenge, the goal of his website is to get the students the information and direction they need when they find themselves faced with the question of paying for higher education.

As many of our listeners know, Jenny is working toward her Master's degree in Adult Learning Education. Rick was very interested to discover what helpful hints Paul might have for those in Grad School. Paul said if you're not ahead on student loans when you graduate with a Masters, it might be wise to pitch to a potential employer to add a specific benefit to the employment package. He is currently employing a young lady who asked if he would pay 20% of her student loans every year she worked there if she stayed for five years. This aids both the employer and the employee as the employee gets their student loans paid off and the employer has a steady employee for five years.

Advice that Paul left for listeners was to be informed. Paul told us that wisdom is the application of knowledge, and so it is in our best interest to be and remain informed.

For more information you can check out his website:
www.studentloantruth.org

Buffalo Road Round Up:

-Dowling's Christmas service project will be launching soon. Dowling asks for donatoins of toys and clothing for the 150 children in the program. They are in particular need of coats, mittens and hats.
-Congratulations to the State Cross Country Winners!
-The Liturgy Committee was pleased with the way the All Souls Day Mass went on November 4.
-Dowling is also in need of donations of Dowling t-shirts that they will use the logos from to make a t-shirt quilt for the Dowling auction.

November 5, 2008

2008-11-05T08:23:00.003-06:00

Guest: Brad Matsen, author of "The Further Adventures of Shadow Divers, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler: Titanic's Last Secrets"
Featured Saint of the Day: Venerable Solanus Casey

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Brad Matsen, the author of "The Further Adventures of Shadow Divers, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler: Titanic's Last Secrets." "Titanic's Last Secrets" is a book about the untold story of the men and women who built the Titanic. It uncovers an elaborate cover-up by those who built the Titanic. Thomas Andrew, who designed Titanic, orginally mapped out that it would be built with thicker steel and more lifeboats. When these original drafts were presented to the ship-building company they were changed using the Board of Trade Regulations for ship-building, which at the time were twelve years old.

The stimulating factor between uncovering the myth that Titanic sank in one piece was uncovered in 2005 by John Chatterton adn Richie Kohler. They went to the wreckage of the Titanic searching for something different, and discovered two pieces of the bottom of the boat that hadn't been discoverd yet. By taking pictures of these pieces of the Titanic and later studying them, they discovered through the edges of the steel that hte ship had bent into a V one way before inverting the other direction. This caused the whole bottom of the ship to fall out. The Titanic, did then, break in teh middle adn go down in two pieces. This also solves some mysteries as to why it sank so quickly.

The shipping companies at the time had held that the Titanic had gone down in one piece, mostly to save the reputatoin of Brittish ship-making. Because this cover-up passed, there were no charges against the building company for faulty structure. Also the building company was then able to settle the insurence claims for much less than it would have been with these charges.

When Brad was asked to write the book, he asked what the survivors had to say about the sinking. Through his search of a database of inquiries and diving into the words of the survivors, he discovered that many of them said that the Titanic went down "without a ripple." That began this search for the truth, an adventure shared between Brad Matsen, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler. Brad spoke of the rewards of research, to sit down and discover the deeper truth. He phrased it as a "wonderful pusuit that rewards you as you're going along."

While the story of the Titanic doesn't directly correlate to our Catholic Faith, we can draw life from this search for Truth. We as Catholics need to take the intiative in our daily walks of faith to dive deeper into the truth. When we submerse ourselves in the richness of this Faith of ours we become more fully ourselves and are able to see rhyme to the mysteries of life.

November 4, 2008

2008-11-04T08:12:00.003-06:00

Guests: Rita Lepeska, Director of Mercy Hospice in Des Moines and Bob Ravenscroft of the Mercy Foundation.
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Charles Borromeo

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Rita Lepeska, Director of Mercy Hospice in Des Moines and Bob Ravenscroft of the Mercy Foundation about Mercy Hospice and how the community can support its ministry. Rita shared with us the joy she has found in working with Mercy Hospice. Hospice is a program for those patients who have illnesses without a cure. When a patient doesn't have a cure that doesn't mean you stop treatment. Hospice provides care for a patient's comfort as well as their spiritual and psychological suffering. Hospice also allows the family to focus on their loved one during their final days by taking care of their physical needs.

To be admitted to Hospice, it requres a physician's order, but a family member can seek the order out. Usually the patients have been given six months or less to live. There are insurences that have Hospice benefits included, and for those who don't have hospice in their plan the Mercy Foundation is there to help. There are twelve rooms available at the Des Moines Mercy Hospice, but a majority of Hospice work is done in the homes of those who need care. Each of the rooms available have a family room adjacent to it.

Mercy Hospice in Des Moines has 65 employees and around 100 volunteers. Volunteers do anything from groundskeeping to sitting with the patients while their families run errands. The act of presence in the ministry of hospice, sometimes means more to the patient then doing something for them.

November is National Hospice Month, and Bob encourages families to talk about the care that they want while they're well before end-of-life decisions must be made. To volunteer you can go to: www.mercydesmoines.org/hospice or get a hold of Mary Kay Casey the Volunteer Coordinator at: 515-643-6147

To donate to Hospice or any of Mercy's ministries you can go to:
www.mercydesmoines.org/foundation

November 3, 2008

2008-11-03T08:11:00.003-06:00

Guest: Fr. Jim Kubicki, Director of the Apostleship of Prayer
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Martin de Porres

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Jim Kubicki, Director of the Apostleship of Prayer. Fr. Jim illustrated for us Pope Benedict XVI's prayer intentions for the Month of November.

General: “That the testimony of love offered by the saints may fortify Christians in their devotion to God and their neighbor, imitating Christ who came to serve and not to be served”.

Mission: “That the Christian communities of Asia, contemplating the face of Christ, may know how to find the most suitable ways to announce Him, in full faithfulness to the Gospel, to the people of that vast continent so rich in culture and ancient forms of spirituality”.

When diving into the General Intention, Fr. Jim highlighted that the Holy Father drew on the lives of the saints to help us live out the Great Commandment to love God with all of our heart mind and strength and to love others as we love ourselves. The question Fr. Jim asked us to consider is: "Who are the heroes in our lives?" The saints are those who lived life with heroic virtue, the kind that we ought to look at and model our own lives on. Fr. Jim also looked at the Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves. Fr. Jim points out that Jesus never said we had to like all of our neighbors, but simply to will their good. To pray for them and act in charity toward them.

Looking at the Mission Intention, Fr. Jim pointed out that Jesus was Asian. The phrase, "contemplating the face of Christ" points to God's gift of Christ as the human face we can look at. St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face asked to add "and the Holy Face" to her name. To draw upon the strength of the suffering face of Christ. Fr. Jim drew out also that in contemplating on the suffering face of Christ, that the Christians in Asia would be made strong in the midst of persecution.

Fr. Jim encouraged all of us during the month of November to pray for the souls of the Faithful Departed, even those of whom you might have struggled with. He also encourages us to read the lives of the saints and let their example of heroic virtue inspire us.

October 31, 2008

2008-10-31T08:07:00.002-05:00

Live Remote From: Divine Treasures: 5701 Hickman Road
Guests: Lisa Fulscher, Author of "My Guardian Angel from Heaven Above", Jannelle Kennedy, Manager of Divine Treasures, and Sr. Lois Burkheart, Owner of Divine Treasures
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Wolfgang of Regensburg

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny broadcast live from Divine Treasures during their 16th Anniversary Sale. They spoke with Lisa Fulscher who will be in Divine Treasures signing her book, "My Guardian Angel from Heaven Above." Her book is dedicated to her daughter, Natalie. If you purchase the book you can also download an audio file of someone reading the book on-line. Lisa has always collected angels and throughout her life has always felt God and the Angels near her. Leading up to her writing this story, she was looking for a bed-time story for Natalie about Angels. She wanted something biblically based and soothing, but she couldn't find anything. The minute she decided to move forward in writing the book, she couldn't get to her computer fast enough to write it out. The artist who illustrated the book made the little girl in the story look like Natalie, Lisa's daughter.

Rick and Jenny also spoke with their daughter, Jannelle Kennedy, the Manager at Divine Treasures. Jannelle reminded us that Tony and Eileen Valdez will be live from Divine Treasures to help kick off the second day of the sale. There are plenty of gift-items for sale right now such as rosaries, saint medals, books and movies. There are also two grand prize drawings going. One is for a bust of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Another is for a three-dimensional plaque of the baptism of Jesus.

Sr. Lois Burkheart, the Owner of Divine Treasures, also spoke with Deacon Rick and Jenny. Lois is still discerning whether to join a new community that is being formed in St. Louis by Sr. Rosalind Moss. The Community is called, "The Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope."

October 30, 2008

2008-10-30T11:36:00.005-05:00

Guests: Fr. Michael Amadeo from Holy Trinity Catholic School
Tom Chapman, Executive Director of the Iowa Catholic Conference
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Alphonsus Rodriguez

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Michael Amadeo. Fr. Michael is the priest at Holy Trinity. Holy Trinity Catholic School is one of fifty Catholic Schools nationwide to receive the 2008 Blue Ribbon School Award. Holy Trinity's commitment to quality education is showing through its offerings of foreign language classes as well as algebra. Holy Trinity was ranked in the top 10% of Basic Test Scores in Reading and Math which is one of the qualifications for the Blue Ribbon School Award.

Holy Trinity will be having an awards ceremony today at 2:00pm. There will be several speakers as well as an appearance from the State Fair Blue Ribbon. Congratulations to Holy Trinity!

Rick and Jenny also spoke with Tom Chapman, the Executive Director of the Iowa Catholic Conference. Tom recently conducted a Faithful Citizenship Presentation Tour. In this tour he encouraged Catholics to get involved with politics. He encouraged them to delve into the issues through seeking the resources to form their consciences. Then once their consciences are formed and to act on what their conscience dictates.

Tom also spoke about the benefits of donating to Catholic Tuition. There is a Tax Credit Plan in act where you get 65% of your donations as credit for your taxes. These donations go to those students in need across Iowa. They are looking toward expanding these benefits to the corporate level.

Miranda Taiber brought us the Buffalo Road Roundup this morning as well, here's what's going on at Dowling:

-The Dowling Parents Guild Pancake Breakfast is this Sunday, November 2 at the Polk County Convention Center.
-The Fall Play begins tonight and will run through Saturday. The play opens at 7:30 every night and is being held at the Catholic Pastoral Center. There will also be a matinee on Staurday at 2:00pm.
-Congratulations to the Dowling Football team who won the first round of the play-offs against Fort Dodge with a score of: 49-0
-Congratulations to the nine choral students who made it into All State.

October 29, 2008

2008-10-29T08:37:00.003-05:00

Guests: RyAnne Folck, Jenny Witt, David Daro and Craig Sanger, the FOCUS Missionary Team at Loras College
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Narcissus of Jerusalem

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny were joined in studio by the FOCUS Missionary Team at Loras College: RyAnne Folck, Jenny Witt, David Daro and Craig Sanger. Craig is from Newton, Kansas. He went to school at Benedictine College before going to Conception Seminary College and then Mount Saint Mary Seminary. He decided to take a temporary leave from the Seminary and was encouraged to check out FOCUS during this time of further discernment. David is from David City, Nebraska. He was introduced to FOCUS through his final year at college. His final year of college was FOCUS's first year there. RyAnne is from Peoria, Illinois and went to Illinois State for college. She became involved with the missionaries there and was planning on becomign a Junior High teacher. After visiting a friend who was a FOCUS Missionary she changed her plan a little. This is her second year as a FOCUS Missionary. Jenny is also from Peoria, Illinois. She worked as a nurse for two years before visiting her friend, RyAnne, and falling in love with the mission of FOCUS.

FOCUS was started by Curtis Martin in 1998. The first FOCUS Missionary team was at Benedictine. It started with two staff members and now, ten years later, there are over 200 Missionaries. FOCUS has a presence on 39 College Campuses across 29 different States. The Missionaries give two years of their life to FOCUS and are sent to campuses in teams of 4. As a team they have a strong commitment to prayer, they come together for holy hours, mass, as well as praying a daily rosary.

Jenny spoke of her FOCUS experience. Their first priority is their personal relationship with Christ, because you can't give what you don't have. The most work they do is during their daily holy hour. As a nurse before becoming a missionary she often struggled with her daily prayer life. Loras offers Eucharistic Adoration, and Jenny finds her joy before the Blessed Sacrament. "To go before the Lord and draw souls there with us," as she phrased it.

Craig told us about the variety of students they encounter at Loras. Loras has 1,500 sudents adn is an NCA division 3 school. A lot of the students go to Loras for athletics, not necessarily because it is a Catholic Campus. FOCUS helps these students recognize the treasures found in their faith. His favorite experiences are to watch the light turn on within the students as they realize that there is hope. When they meet their peers who they can find support from the deception of our culture fades to the background and they are able to draw closer to Christ.

In Dave's experiences as a FOCUS Missionary he finds joy in the gift of bringing students into a relationship with Christ. Teaching students a vision for life that includes Christ. One of his favorite Bible verses is 1Thessalonians 2:8 "Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us." Through living life with students, taking interest in them, he hopes to lead them to choose greatness.

RyAnne spoke of FOCUS's mindset as they approach a college campus. The goal of a FOCUS Missionary is to find two people they can invest in. Jesus had twelve disciples adn three that he took deeper with him. Through FOCUS Bible Studies they find two people they want to invest more time in. Inviting them to spend an extra hour a week with them as Accountability Partners. Through this they build solid friendships based in Christ. These two that the FOCUS Missionaries take time with are then sent out to draw others deeper into the Life of Christ. The Bible Quote of FOCUS is: 2 Timothy 2:2 "The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. "

FOCUS has already impacted the nation. Over 3,000 young peopel gathered for the FOCUS Nationwide Conference this summer along with six Bishops and over 100 Priests. Focus has brought 142 Men to Seminary and 42 Women into Religious Life: both from the Staff and the Students.

To learn more about FOCUS or to get in touch with the Loras FOCUS Missionary Team you can follow the links below:
www.focusonline.org
www.loras.edu

October 28, 2008

2008-10-28T08:16:00.004-05:00

Guest: Fr. Gan Nguyen, Redemptorist Missionary
Featured Saint of the Day: Sts. Simon and Jude
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "Catholics in the Public Square" by the Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted: Dan Rovy

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Gan Nguyen, a Redemptorist Missionary who is speaking this week at the St. Pius X Parish Mission. The Mission will be every night through Thursday. Each evening Fr. Gan and Fr. Tony Judge focus on different aspects of the faith.

Fr. Gan shared with us the top ten reasons to become a priest:
1. You don't have to scream when you talk-you always get the microphone.
2. If you're late to Mass you always get the best seat in the house.
3. You'll always stand out in a crowd because you look good in black.
4. You don't have to worry about your wardrobe because one-size-fits-all.
5. You have your own house with no curfew.
6. You have your own bed and no one will complain if you snore.
7. You won't have to wake up in the middle of the night to feed the baby or change a diaper.
8. You don't have to worry about a mother-in-law.
9. You won't get laid off or fired, this job is for life.
10. The benefits are out of this world.

He told us that in all of life's struggles he encourages people to have faith and trust in God that he will take care of them. He also tells people to take it one day at a time. For those he speaks with you maybe do not understand the importance of scripture he tells them that the word Bible stands for: Basic Information Before Leaving Earth.

October 27, 2008

2008-10-27T08:26:00.005-05:00

Guests: Fr. Tony Judge, Redemptorist Missionary speaking at the St. Pius X Parish Mission
Sally Proctor, President of Iowans for Life
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. Bartholomew of Vicenza

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny first spoke with Fr. Tony Judge a Redemptorist Missionary in town for the St. Pius X Parish Mission. The mission will be taking place every night through Thursday. Thursday night there will be a mass as well as the concluding talk of the mission. The theme of the week is "Welcome Home, Be Renewed in Christ."

Fr. Tony shared a bit of his talk from Sunday with us. He told us that in all families we need to be reminded of who we are. Simple things like getting together to tell stories around the dinner table. These stories are part of who we are and we need to be reminded of their importance in our lives. It is the same way with the Bible, the Word of God is full of the stories that make us who we are. There are two truths that we can discover in the Word of God. One of these is the truth about who God is. The other is the truth about who we are as God's people.

Deacon Rick and Jenny also spoke with Sally Proctor, the President of Iowan's For Life. If anyone would still like to accompany Iowans for Life to the March for Life in January, they have two full buses but would love to take a third. They're wait-listing anyone who calls to sign up for now, but as soon as there are enough people for a full bus, they'll make arrangements.

Sally today, a little spoke about the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA.) The Freedom of Choice Act is a bill that people have been trying to pass since the Clinton Administration. The new version of this Act is the more earth-shattering than any of the versions before it. If passed, it will wipe out all pro-life laws that are in place in all of the 50 states. There will be no enforced waiting period before a girl has an aboriton. There will be no rules as to parental consent. The tax-dollars of the people will be used to fund abortion and hospitals will be forced to perform abortions if asked to. Those backing this bill advocate that it is going to help women. The basis of this law will in fact strip women of the safeguards and help that are available to them at this point.

Women are walking wounded in our society: they've been wounded body, mind and spirit by abortion. Abortion not only robs them of a child, it puts their bodies at risk for Breast Cancer. They live with the mental guilt of their abortion, they know exactly how old their child would be. Over 90% of women regret having their abortion, which is why we see groups like "Silent No More" where women are stepping up to speak out against the tragedy of abortion. These women need to be cared for, they need to be able to forgive themselves, and rebuild the pieces of their lives.

Our society is experiencing the effects of abortion. This economic crisis stems from the 50 million children who have been aborted since Roe-v-Wade. Those aborted in the first years after Roe-v-Wade would be around 35 years old. They would have had families of their own and been contributing to society. These children would have been in their teen years, working and paying taxes. There is less demand on baby supplies and other amenities which puts people out of jobs. There are scientific studies out that prove that when a population is growing the economy booms.

Iowans for Life along with the Gabriel Project have recently provided a young mother with a car seat, a youth bed, and lots of diapers. The Gabriel Project has a phone number that will connect you with people who volunteer to help women through their pregnancy: connecting them with resources and support.

For more information about Iowans for Life you can go to their website:
www.iowansforlife.org

October 24, 2008

2008-10-24T08:17:00.003-05:00

Featured Saint of the Day: St. Anthony Claret
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Kevin Akers
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Five Issues that Matter Most: Catholics and the Upcoming Election.": Kathy Wynn
Congratulations to the Winners of the Christ the King Auction Tickets: Pam and Virginia Moore as well as Patricia Stone and Mary Kaye Sampson

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny shared a quiet morning with our listeners. We listened to songs from Steven Curtis Chapman and George Burns.

Deacon Rick shared some reflections on Faithful Citizenship. When thinking about Faithful Citizenship, Deacon Rick asked the question: what is it about creation that causes us to have a conscience? He used Salvation History to highlight some reasons. We see in the Fall of Adam and Eve and consequently mankind that God gives us the supreme gift of free will. He allows us to choose to follow him. Because of this we can make good and bad decisions and our consciences play a role in that. Another reason for conscience that Deacon Rick looked at was in Revelation. The presence of Lucifer and his demons on earth who "know their time is short," leads us to form our consciences so as to discern what is evil.

October 23, 2008

2008-10-23T08:22:00.002-05:00

Guest: Susie Paloma, Manager of St. Mary Family Center
Fill with Phil: Phil McGrath
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Julie Tull

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Susie Paloma, Manager of the St. Mary Family Center in Des Moines. The St. Mary Family Center is one of the two Catholic Charities Organizations that will benefit from KWKY and Dowling's First Annual Diaper Dash. Friday, October 24th, bring donations of Diapers: sizes 4-6, Baby Wipes, and Milk-Based Infant Formula with Iron to Dowling's last home game against Johnston. The donations wil be loaded into trucks and transported to the St. Mary Family Center as well as the St. Joseph Emergency Family Shelter.

Susie shared with us a little of the mission of the St. Mary Family Center. The St. Mary Family Center serves an average of 850 families a month. They give out 25-26,000 food items monthly. As well as food items they give out diapers and formula. To receive diapers a family must register their baby with the St. Mary Family Center. At this point, St. Mary's Family Center has over 1,000 babies registered. These families can then receive a week's worth of diapers once a month to help them get by. So help the St. Mary Family Center and the St. Joseph Emergency Center by brining your donations to Dowling's home football game on October 24, 2008.

We also had an installment of Fill with Phil.
Phil's opening joke was in the spirit of Halloween:

-"What do you call three intoxicated ghosts on Halloween?"
-"Three sheets in the wind."

Phil also spoke with us about the St. Pius X Parish Mission which will be taking place from Sunday, October 26-Thursday, October 30. Two Redemptorist Missionaries will be coming in for the occassion: Fr. Tony Judge and Fr. Gan Nugyen

The mission has different topics every night with the general focus being to renew the parish's commitment to proclaim the good news. Everyone is welcome to this Parish Mission. There will be a social every night after the Mission. The Mission will kick off on Sunday, October 26 with a Potluck at St. Pius X at 5:30.

Phil left us with one final joke, which may not be as funny in print:

"An elderly man was at a party with some of his friends and he began to complain a little. 'Well, I've sure gotten old: my back hurts, I've got doctors poking around my colon, my right eye twitches when it rains, I've lost my hair and my gut's sticking out. I may need a hip replacement, my knee is acting up, and I can't feel my right foot anymore. From day to day I don't know if I can walk, let alone move my arms. It takes me twice as long to go anywhere and if I hear what you have to say you're lucky....

But at least I still have my Iowa Driver's License.'"

October 22, 2008

2008-10-22T08:28:00.006-05:00

Guests: Bob Perron, Executive Director of the St. Thomas More Youth Center and Terry Clark, Program Coordinator of the St. Thomas More Youth Center
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Peter of Alcantara
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Jean Heger
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Five Issues that Matter Most: Catholics and the Upcoming Election.": Todd Clancy

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Bob Perron, Executive Director of the St. Thomas More Youth Center and Terry Clark, Program Coordinator of the St. Thomas More Youth Center. The St. Thomas More Youth Center will be hosting the Des Moines Diocesan Youth Rally this weekend. The theme for the weekend will be "Jesus, the Ultimate Deliverer." Saturday, October 25 will be the Junior High Youth Rally and Sunday, October 26 will be the High School Youth Rally. There is still room for more to sign up for this event. Bob and Terry only askd that if you would still like to come, you sign up soon so they can arrange for enough food.

The keynote speakers for the event will be Apex Ministries, jugglers who share Catholic Truths as they entertain. The other keynote speaker is Joia Farmer, a singer with a beautiful conversion story. A song that Joia wrote has been chosen for the theme song of the 2009 NCYC. Also Saturday, Bishop Pates will be with the young people.

The day's schedule includes Music, Prayer, Mass, Keynotes, Lunch, and Workshops. The workshops this year are on Apologetics, Evangelization, the Eucharist, Saints and Angels and Service and Social Justice.

Check out the St. Thomas More Youth Center website to stay up-to-date on all their exciting endeavors: www.stmcenter.com

October 21, 2008

2008-10-21T08:08:00.003-05:00

Guest: Tom Peterson, Founder of Virtue Media
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Hilarion
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Mary Kluesner
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Five Issues that Matter Most: Catholics and the Upcoming Election.": Maureen Little

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Tom Peterson, Founder of Virtue Media. Virtue Media has created pro-life commercials that share the pro-life message in love to touch the heart. Deacon Rick opened the interview by asking about a quote that is on the Virtue Media website:

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed.."
- Abraham Lincoln

Tom spoke with us about how the media effects the public sentiment. The messages in the media reach millions of people. The average person in America will spend 14 years of their life watching television and 4 years of that is watching commercials. Tom understands the importance of getting messages into the media that can change lives.

Virtue Media has been making strides in reaching out nationally. It has recently begun airing ads on MTV and BET channeling pregnant women to www.pregnancyline.com. From there they are given referrals to the pro-life outreaches and clinics in their area. These ads generate around 1,000 responses a day. These women don't know that the ads are pro-life, all they know is that they are pregnant and need help.

Tom also works with Catholics Come Home, an organization inviting Catholics to return to their faith, non-believers to ask questions, and Catholics to dive deeper through the media. There have been 300,000 people recorded to come back to the faith through these commercials since they began airing. The goal is to begin airing the aids nationally, frequently and consistently.

Tom attributes all of the success of these endeavors to living the spiritual life. He stated that if he didn't strive to maintain a spiritual regime from day-to-day he would not have the creativity necessary for these ideas to work. Any triumph is by the grace of God.

In both of these endeavors, Tom shared that the goal is for consistency. To enter into the national markets with the help of financial support. He realizes that with the economics as they are that charities are usually the first thing to get pushed out of a budget. With Virtue Media and Catholics Come Home, these products have been proven to succeed and he hopes that those in the community with the resources will help the growth of these outreaches.

For Virtue Media you can go to: www.virtuemedia.org
For Catholics Come Home you can go to: www.catholicscomehome.org
For both you can send mail to: PO Box 1802, Roswell, GA 30077

October 20, 2008

2008-10-20T08:19:00.003-05:00

Guest: Fr. John Kuehner, of the Redemptorist Missionaries
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Darrin Casey
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Five Issues that Matter Most: Catholics and the Upcoming Election.": Mary Kluessner

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. John Kuehner, of the Redemptorist Missionaires in Chicago. The Redemptorists will be coming to St. Pius X Sunday, October 26-Wednesday, October 30 to preach a Parish Mission. The priests who will be in town for that are Fr. Tony Judge and Fr. Gan Nguyen.

Fr. Kuehner shared with us the importance of rituals and symbols in the Catholic Faith. It is for that reason that the Redemptorists use rituals and symbols when they preach. For example, next week at St. Pius' Parish Mission the symbols will be: the Bible, the Crucifix, the Paschal Candle, the Break, and the Altar. These symbols then are used to deepen the parish's understanding of the mysteries of faith.

Fr. Kuehner also gave us some information on how the Redemptorists were formed. They were founded in 1732 by St. Alphonsus Liguori in Naples, Italy. In the city of Naples at the time there were 5,000 priests. St. Alphonsus went into the country to get away from the city for a few days of retreat. When he was in the hills he met with people who had no priests and had never heard of the Gospel. St. Alphonsus founded the Redemptorists to care for those who had been overlooked. Now there are over 5,000 Redemptorists.

There are three basic formats to the Redemptorists' Parish Missions: One that focuses on Conversion, one that focuses on the Sacramental Life of the Church, and one that focuses on the Normative Role of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church. Fr. Kuehner spoke of the importance of constant conversion. He said that we can think that we know our faith, but without a renewal of our spirit and seeking to constantly convert our hearts, it fails to take root. The Redemptorists see Parish Misisons as a tool for Revival and Evangelization.

The schedule for the St. Pius X Parish Mission is:
October 26: Symbol: Bible Topic: God's Plan of Salvatoin and our Response Goal: To deepen our awareness of God's love for us.
October 27: Symbol: Crucifix Topic: Who is Jesus for us? Goal: To grow in our faith in Jesus.
October 28: Symbol: Paschal Candle Topic: Sin, Reconciliation and healing
October 29: Symbol: Bread Topic: Jesus as nourishment for the journey of faith. Goal: To enrich our celebration of the Eucharist and to be Eucharist.
October 30: Symbol: Altar Topic: Our Mission to share in the work of Jesus and the Church Goal: To renew our commitment to proclaim the Good News.

October 17, 2008

2008-10-17T08:49:00.005-05:00

Guests: H.B. London with Focus on the Family and Jon Leonetti host of Martyrs of the Third Millennium on KWKY
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Ignatius of Antioch
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Trisha Pietig

H. B. London

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with H. B. London of Focus on the Family. H.B. spoke to us to promote Clergy Appreciation Month. H.B. stressed that if it weren't for priests and pastors who stand up for righteousness in America the world would be a lot worse off. H.B. also spoke of the hard work that pastors put into their jobs. In particular those who are bi-locational pastors.

There will be a Pastors Appreciation Dinner at the Hilton Garden in Johnston on October 27, 2008. H.B. encouraged any clergy to call them and join in an event where the Clergy's dinners will be free. There are only a few spots left, so the number to call is 515-274-9296: ask for Cheryl. The first Church of the Open Bible is hosting the event.

H. B. also invited listeners to take time to encourage your pastors and priests.

Jon Leonetti

Deacon Rick and Jenny also spoke with Jon Leonetti, host of a new show on KWKY: Martyrs of the Third Millennium airing at 2:30pm on Saturdays.

Jon is also going to be Walking across the country in March. A ministry that is in response to the Year of Saint Paul. He and his friend Jesse are going to take a push cart and walk from Ocean Park, California to Ocean City, New Jersey. This trek will take them around seven and a half months. Jon and Jesse will be speaking with those they encounter about the power of prayer: to enter into an "intimate friendship with Christ." (St. Theresa of Avila) In these months leading up to the Walk they are working on raising money to help get them from coast to coast. They've signed a contract with Outside the Box Media, which give them non-profit status and makes donations tax deductible. To learn more about how to help them in their mission you can go to their blog: soulywalking.com They will be launching a web-site soon and there will be a link on the blog to it.

Jon told us a little about his Radio Program on KWKY. It's called "Martyrs of the Third Millennium." The show is geared toward youth ages 18-30 and speaks to them about the freedom and power in prayer. It challenges young people to be martyrs in a spiritual sense. To be willing to die to themselves and put on Christ in their daily lives. The show will include nationally renowned Catholic speakers as well as going out to the youth and allowing them to ask questions about matters of faith and prayer.

Jon is also spearheading an event for the youth: M.3.M. (Martyrs of the Third Millennium). This event consists of prayer, adoration, music and words of inspiration. This event is to help the youth begin a revolution of prayer, to encounter Christ and cast into the deep. John Paul II was asked once by a Spanish Newspaper why he wanted to start World Youth Day. His response was, "I come to greet the Martyrs of the Third Millennium." This event is designed to help youth embrace the call through living a life of prayer.

M.3.M. Night
For youth 18-30
October 19, 2008
7:30-9:00pm
St. Pius X Catholic Church
Urbandale, IA

October 16, 2008

2008-10-16T08:22:00.004-05:00

Guest: Brandon Harvey, DRE and Coordinator of Youth Ministry for St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sioux City
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Marguerite d'Youville
Buffalo Road Round Up: Miranda Taiber, Dowling Catholic Correspondent
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Beverly Whitlatch

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Brandon Harvey, DRE and Coordinator of Youth Ministry for St. Michael's Catholic Church in Sioux City. Brandon shared about his journey of faith, and how when he started working with CCD and with the youth, he began noticing that a lot of the youth weren't present at Mass. He and a friend decided to volunteer their services to their parish as Youth Ministers. Brandon is now the DRE and Coordinator of Youth Ministry at St. Michael's in Sioux City.

When asked about the youth and their take on the political races, Brandon noted that most kids don't understand why the Church is so pro-life. Brandon tries to teach them about the Church's pro-life stance by taking their text books and discovering what defines life through what they can understand. Once they understand what life is, they want to get involved.

Brandon noted how kids these days are falling victim to Moral Relativism, or the belief that nothign matters. Brandon strives to answer their questions, which once he does it opens gates to more questions. He commented on how the Youth often ask intense questions.

The exciting thing is that Brandon has discovered a propensity to lead within the heart of the youth. Once they discover and embrace the riches of our Catholic Faith they step up and make things happen. He has a student who started a Girl's Bible Study of her own accord, another who began a Music Ministry Group, some are CCD teachers, and he's working with another student who wants to give the youth a safe environment where they can hang out after football games. He sees youth that are discovering vocations and finding a new appreciation for marriage and family life.

Brandon is working on three books that will be released within the next year. The first one will be out by Christmas on Sacramental Theology.

Buffalo Road Roundup:

-Dowling in conjunction with KWKY will be having the first annual Diaper Dash at the last Dowling home game of the season. October 24, 2008: they need diapers sizes 4-6, baby wipes and formula.
-The VIP Service Club is collecting pink Yoplait Yogurt Caps in support of Breast Cancer research.
-The Fall Project at Dowling went well last Saturday. 370 students showed up to help with ground maintenance.
-Ticket sales for the Pancake Breakfast on November 2 has begun. The Pancake Breakfast will be from 7:30-1pm. You can buy tickets at Dowling or through any Dowling Student.
-The Fall Play, MacBeth will be October 30-November 1

October 15, 2008

2008-10-15T08:17:00.003-05:00

Guest: Jennifer Miller, Executive Director of Bioethics International
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Theresa of Avila
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Jim Hawkins

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Jennifer Miller, the Executive Director of Bioethics International, a non-profit organization aimed toward empowering responsible ethical decisions in the medical field. Jennifer began her journey toward Bioethics as Physicist. She was invited to Rome to attend a conference entitled, "Stem Cell Dilemma: for the Good of All Mankind." This gave rise to questions about ethical decisions in the medical profession. She later decided to take one year off from Physics to study Ethics. This year turned into many years and has grown into a great zeal for bioethics.

Now Jennifer travels around the country to train doctors and hospital staff on how to make ethical medical decisions. Her particular focus is disaster preparedness. A situation that she is trying to prepare hospitals for is the possibility of an influenza pandemic in America. The flu that they are concerned about is one that exists in birds. The medical profession is monitoring it to guard against it mutating into something that will become communicable. This flu takes root on a cyclical basis. The flu itself attacks the lungs to a point where those suffering from it need to be put on a ventilator to help cure them. The problem is that there are not enough ventilators in America. The question from that problem is if there are not enough ventilators, who do you allocate them to when crisis hits?

Triage is a medical term for people who take into consideration a person's chance of survival with their need for the medication. For this job there is a need for balance between the common good of the community and the dignity of the individual person. It is, in fact, a search to discover the truth of human dignity. There is a battle between deciding who receives care in light of Ethics against making decisions in light of Social Goods. To focus on Social Goods a person's dignity relies upon the level of their contribution to society. This strips a person of their God-given, fundamental dignity. The goal of Bioethics International is to help those in the medical profession to discover what human dignity is, so that they might be able to make tough decisions through sound ethical formation.

For more information or to donate to this cause you can go to Bioethics International's Website:
www.bioethicsinternational.org

An Election Prayer to Mary

2008-10-14T08:38:00.002-05:00

O Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy, at this most critical time, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. Most Holy Mother, we beg you to reclaim this land for the glory of our nation, we cry to you from the depths of our hearts and seek refuge in your motherly protection. Look down with mercy upon us and touch the hearts of our people. Open our minds to the great worth of human life and to the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Free us from the falsehoods that lead to the evil of abortion and threaten the sanctity of family life. Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim that God's law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. O Merciful Mother, give us the courage to reject the culture of death adn the strength to build a new Culture of Life.

Trusting in yoru most powerful intercession, we pray...

Remember O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that ayone who fled to they protection or sought thy intercession was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, our Mother. To thee do we come, before thee we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not our petititions, but in they mercy hear and answer us. Amen.

October 14, 2008

2008-10-14T08:17:00.002-05:00

Featured Saint of the Day: St. Callistus I
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Lisa Nigrett and Tammy Bainbriege

Today we listened to a few songs and shared a few laughs with Deacon Rick and Jenny Condon. We also gave away a some Veggie Tales DVDs, The Pirates who Don't Do Anything Movie.

Some events that Jenny promoted included:

M.3.M. (Martyrs of the 3rd Millennium)
An event organized by Jon Leonetti who will be joining us on Friday to speak about it.
Sunday, October 19th
7:30-9:00pm
St. Pius X Catholic Church in Urbandale
For Young Adults ages 18-30
Prayer, Adoration, Music and Inspirational Words

What is Evangelization
Saturday, October 18
9:00am-2:30pm
All Saints Parish Center in Stuart
Bishop Pates will be speaking about Evangelization.

KWKY's Diaper Dash
Final Dowling Home Game: October 24
Donations of Diapers sizes 4-6, Baby Wipes, and Infant Formula
Proceeds will benefit Catholic Charities Organizations: St. Joseph Emergency Family Center and St. Mary Family Center.

October 13, 2008

2008-10-13T08:28:00.003-05:00

Guest: Mark Houk, President and Co-Founder of The King's Men
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with President and Co-Founder of The King's Men, an organization built to reach out to men and give them the tools to embrace authentic masculinity. The King's Men was started on August 28, 2006, on the Feast of St. Augustin. The organization strives to foster manly virtues and challenge men to be leaders, protectors and providers. Fundamentals that stem from the biblical priest, prophet, king.

The King's Men strives to call men on to take their faith into action. The King's Men combats the issue of pornography as well as encouraging men to fight against abortion and homosexuality. One of the most important aspects of The King's Men is that of healing. Mark told us that five out of ten men in the Church struggle with pornography. He realizes, though, that this addiction often stems from trauma experienced in the past. Mark told us that The King's Men strives to heal the wounds these men carry first before they progress toward forming a cure.

Part of the success of The King's Men is that not only are they reaching out to hundreds of men, but these men are taking initiative in their families. Reaching out to and mentoring their sons and protecting their daughters. Mark sees in the men he works with a thirst for these fundamental truths and he sees men coming alive.

To start a group in your area, Mark says that there need to be two or three men who will take ownership of the program. Finding the right resources and letting the spirit lead them to discover how often to meet. Mark encourages groups to meet more than once a month. These meetings should focus mostly on formation although it is important to foster fellowship as well.

Mark spoke about the two events he spoke for this weekend. One of them was the Pure Fashion Father-Daughter luncheon. He spoke of the importance for women to understand authentic femininity. To challenge men to be men, women must also understand what it is to be woman.

Mark also spoke at Christ the King, he gave a talk titled "Unleashing the Warrior Within." The focus of the talk was to help men understand their identity in Christ. Part of the talk was to encourage men to lead through their weaknesses. To overcome weakness it is first necessary to acknowledge it. He also spoke of the four archetypes of men: Men as warrior, lover, king and wise counselor. Each of these areas has their positive and negative sides. It is necessary to focus on the noble virtues of these archetypes in order to truly understand what it is to posses them. Mark spoke of how men must always be warriors, to fight to be a man: to give of themselves fully so as to understand what it is to sacrifice, what it is to love, and what true wisdom is.

Resources that were mentioned during the show:
-The Catechism of the Catholic Church
-"Boys to Men" by Curtis Martin
-"Sign Post" a 52 week scripture study
-"Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge

-Podcasts found on The King's Men's website: www.thekingsmen.org
-Articles written by apologists and speakers as well as pastoral letters found at The King's Men's website: www.thekingsmen.org

October 10, 2008

2008-10-10T10:20:00.004-05:00

Guest: Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, President of Human Life International
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Francis Borgia

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with the President of Human Life International, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer. Fr. Euteneuer will be speaking tonight at an event sponsored by KWKY Catholic Radio at St. Augustine's Church in Des Moines. It is a Free Event that will begin at 7pm. Tonight Fr. Euteneuer will speak on the global aspect of the Pro-Life movement. He will touch on how important it is to vote during this election season as the president has the power to touch nations internationally. To foster life internationally it is necessary to first have leadership in America that understands the value of life.

Fr. Tom was born in Michigan and grew up in Florida. He's from a good Catholic family is the middle of seven children. He was reared in Palm Beach, Florida, and that is where he received his vocation. A priest took him aside at his eighth grade graduation and asked if he'd ever considered becoming a priest. It planted a seed which sprouted and stayed with him through high school and college at Notre Dame. One of his summers at Notre Dame he went through marine corps training and graduated at the top of his class. After college he entered seminary. He attended the North American Seminary in Rome, and found that the discipline of a seminary was harder than that of a marine in many ways. Discovering internal discipline and self-reflection was harder than boot camp. He was ordained a Deacon in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and a priest in Palm Beach, Florida.

Fr. Tom spoke today of the ripple effect Roe v. Wade has had upon other nations in the world. Fr. Tom spoke of the international dimension to politics. For example, the president is the one who appoints the ambassadors to other countries. In the Clinton administration alone, someone who was publicly pro-choice, many strides were made backwards internationally on the issue of life. For instance the Population Conference that was held to make abortion an international right. If it weren't for the Vatican, and a few Catholic and Muslim countries who stood against it, that right would have been enacted and abortion would have spread like wild fire.

There is hope, though, and Fr. Tom sees it in the youth. He sees it when he attends the March for Life every year where most of the participants are under the age of 25. When events like these are internationally acclaimed it gives other nations the hope they need to continue to fight for life. The Right to Life is written in the human heart and legalizing abortion isn't going to get rid of that.

For more resources, prayers, and information you can go to the Human Life International website:
www.hli.org

October 9, 2008

2008-10-09T08:40:00.003-05:00

Guest: Danny Abramowicz, co-host of the show "Crossing the Goal"
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Denis and Companions
Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber: Dowling Catholic High School Correspondent

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Danny Abramowicz, one of four hosts of the new show "Crossing the Goal," found on EWTN and on-line. Danny shared with us his journey of faith through football. He told us that when he was first drafted to the New Orleans Saints he was one of the last to be drafted after they had already told him to go home. He phrased it as being through determination and God's grace that he got into professional football. He played football for many years and then became a coach. After a while the fame and glory of his position got to his head and he eventually hit a wall at which point he found strength in God.

In this new show, "Crossing the Goal," Danny along with: Peter Herbeck, Brian Patrick, and Curtis Martin gear the show toward men. Through making this a fast-paced show much like that of football announcers, they aim to hold men's interest and talk to them on their level about issues that are important to face in our day and age. They strive to vere past the world's view of what makes a man and into the value of spiritual virtue, being the head of the household, and leading your family to Christ.

The show airs on EWTN on: Sunday at 6:30 PM Eastern, Monday 6:30 AM Eastern, Friday 9 PM Eastern, and it is also streamed on line at their website:
www.crossing thegoal.com

Buffalo Road Roundup
Dowling Congraulates Mr. Rob Reynolds in the Math Department who recently received his Masters Degree from Iowa State University.

Dowling also congratulates Mr. Ryan Lensing of the Science department who recently defenced a grant proposal to create a prairie classroom for Dowling High School. Mr. Lensing's proposal was selected and plans for the prairie classroom are being made.

The Pancake Fundraiser's pre-ticket sales has begun. If the school raises enough pre-ticket sales they will be awarded a day off of school.

The Fall Play, "Macbeth," by William Shakespeare will be held on October 30, 31 and November 1.

October 8, 2008

2008-10-08T08:12:00.003-05:00

Featured Saint of the Day: John Leonardi
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Sally Proctor

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny shared the story of how they met. As yesterday was their anniversary, they were reminiscing. A man named Jerry Morin was inspired to go to Medjugorje in 1988. While there he had a beautiful experience with Our Lady. He was further inspired to write and produce a song as a tribute to his visit to the hills of Medjugorje. The song is called, "The Lady of Medjugorje," and since it's recording has been heard world wide. Jenny worked with Jerry and Rick was asked to produce the CD.

For those who don't know much about Medjugorje, it is a site of Marian Apparitions. The Church has not taken a stance on the authenticity of these visions as Mary is still appearing there. The apparitions began in 1981 when Our Lady, Queen of Peace appeared to six children from the village of Medjugorje: Ivanka Ivanković, Mirjana Dragićević, Vicka Ivanković, Ivan Dragićević, Ivan Ivanković and Milka Pavlović. Several of the visionaries still see Our Lady daily, others receive visits from her on special occasions such as their birthdays.

Our Lady encourages prayer and sacrifice to bring peace to nations. At one time Our Lady said, "Dear children, I invite you for your individual conversion. This time is for you! Without you God's plan canot be realized. Dear children grow day by day closer to God through prayer." To aid in our spiritual battle she said, "I give you the weapon against your goliath, here are your little stones: 1. Prayer with the heart: Rosary 2. Eucharist 3. Holy Bible 4. Fasting 5. Monthly Confession."

While the Church has not taken a stance on the apparitions, it does not dissuade pilgrims from tavelling in droves to the small town of Medjugorje to partake in a richness of prayer that atmosphere provides. As the messages of our Lady have all been in line with the teachings of the Church, a bascilica was even built from which to minister to the flocks of the faithful.

October 7, 2008

2008-10-07T08:23:00.005-05:00

Guests: Tara Connolly, Executive Director for Development of the Mercy Foundation and Todd Beveridge, Director of the House of Mercy
Featured Saint of the Day: Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Theresa Dowd

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Tara Connolly, the Executive Director for Development of the Mercy Foundation and Todd Beveridge, the Director of the House of Mercy. Todd shared with us about the services the House of Mercy offers and Tara focused on how the needs of the Mercy Foundation and the House of Mercy can be met.

The House of Mercy is an organization dedicated to assisting pregnant, parenting/non-parenting and adolescent/adult women in developing personal responsibility and independence through counseling, education and medical care in collaboration with other caring individuals. Its goal is to give these women the opportunity ot turn their lives around and become self-sufficient.

When speaking about the House of Mercy, Todd told us that it has eleven programs that it coordinates. To name some of them: they offer transitional housing for up to two years for women who want to be on the road to recovery. They have an on-site day care, medical and dental clinics, they have a homeless outreach as well as a drug rehab program, as well as other programs.

The House of Mercy came to Des Moines in the mid-80's when there was a significant rise of women seeking rehabilitation from drug addictions. At that time the area where the House of Mercy settled had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. Bishop Drumm had left its building and it had been standing vacant for a while. The Sisters of Mercy in Des Moines wanted to reach down into their roots and use the Bishop Drumm building for something useful. Their founder, in Ireland, came into some money and used it to start the first House of Mercy in Dublin. Using this as their model the sisters began the House of Mercy in Des Moines.

Todd spoke about the joy it has been for him to watch people change and find support in the community and also to see the childrenof these women take pride in their mother's progress. He affirmed that there is hope for people with drug dependency. They can turn their lives around and discover themselves again.

The House of Mercy helps women get their GED and into secondary education. They work with the women to give them the skills they need to find employment, which can be hard when they've run into legal toruble as well. They also develop skills to deal with life in the absence of drugs.

Tara spoke of the Mercy Foundation, which is the fundraising arm of all of Mercy's endeavors. The Mercy Foundation is always in need of monetary contributions as well as contributions of time from those willing to volunteer.

For example the Mercy Foundation is always in need of diapers, and baby wipes. As it gets colder they will also be in need of boots, gloves and jackets. The House of Mercy's bill for food alone this year is around $300,000, not to meantion utilities etc. Any little bit counts and can go a long way. They can also use volunteers. The House of Mercy welcomes all volunteers especially small groups of people who come for a few hours or so to help with painting, grounds maintenance and other necessities.

Tara menioned that there will be a fundraiser in April named "Helping Lives Bloom" and they are always looking for sponsors and attendees. This event includes dinner, entertainment, as well as silent and live auctions.

To Contact the Mercy Foundation call: 515-643-8027
Or you can go to their website: www.mercydesmoines.org/foundation

October 6, 2008

2008-10-06T10:37:00.004-05:00

Guest: Deacon Joe Cortese
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Bruno
Congratulations to Today's Winner of "The Pirates who Don't Do Anything, A Veggie Tale Movie": Mary Tice

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Deacon Joe Cortese. Deacon Joe shared with our listeners his homily from this weekend. Deacon Joe was kind enough to allow us to post the text of his homily:

"Today is Respect Life Sunday. This theme ties in quite well with today's Gospel reading from Matthew. In today's Gospel, the tenants who lease the vineyard do not respect the landlord, so they decide they do not have to give him what he is owed.

First the landlord sends his servants to collect the rent. The tenants mistreat the servants and even kill some of them. Then the landlord sends his son to collect the rent and the tenants kill the son.

The landlord in the story represents God, who is the author of human life. The landlord's son represents Jesus, God's Word made Flesh who lived among us. God creates us in His image and likeness. We are the crown of all creation. When we fail to respect God's handiwork, when we fail to respect all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, we fail to respect God Himself, the Landlord of the vineyard, which is the world in which we live.

In 2005, a judge in Florida ordered the removal of a tube that provided food and water to sustain the life of Terri Schiavo, a 41-year-old brain-injured woman. Terri died a painful death from dehydration thirteen days after the tube was removed. Her death was ordered because her husband claimed she once said she did not want to live as a burden to anyone. Terri's death was ordered even though her parents offered to bear the full burden of allowing her to live.

While Terri Schiavo lay dying, another judge in Florida convicted a rancher fo the crime of starving his cattle. The rancher went to prison for animal curelty. How is it our legal system treats failing to feed animals as a crime, but allows the denial of food and water for a human being with severe disabilities?

How have we become a society in which some incapacitated and terminally ill people are not only prevented from living to the fullest extent possible, but are acutlaly made to die sooner, sometimes with the help of the family?

How is it so many of our citizens believe it's okay to kill living human embryos to harvest their stem cells for speculative research? And that it's okay to force tax-payers to pay for it? This is despite the fact that using stem cells harvested from adults wihtout causing harm hsa shown far more promise than using stem cells taken from embryos which must be killed.

Standing as the backdrop for all of these developments is the United States Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe vs. Wade which legalized abortion in the United States throughout all nine months of pregnancy for any reason whatsoever. Since 1973, over 45 million children in the United States have died form abortion.

How did we get to this point? In his 1995 encyclical, The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II called these trends part of the uclture of death. He said the culture of death is caused by three attitudes: one is radical dindividualism, anohter is the belief that some lives are not worth living, and the third is the desire to avoid suffering at all costs. Reflecting on these three things, we see that our society has become hostile to life without even realizeing it.

With regard to radical individualism, many people believe the question of what is morally right depends on their own preferences and circumstances. They believe there is no objective moral yardstick, such as the Ten Commandments, to judge whether something is right or wrong. In the name of telerance, it is said people have a right to make up their own personal morality, except in the most extreme cases like torturing children or flying jets into occupied buildings. After all, who has the right to impose their own moral values on others?

In 1992, the Supreme Court reaffirmed Roe vs. Wade using precisely the attitude of "anything goes" as long as it's chosen by the individual. In Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, the Court declared: "At the heart of liberty is the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life." Ino ther words, the Supreme Court says that we have a constitutional right to play God with the lives of others.

We must recognize that the best thing for society is to uphold the dignity of every individual. Respecting the lives of the weak and defenseless, including unborn children, human embryos in laboratories, the disabled, the terminally ill, and victims of violence, contributes to a just society where all can floursih.

With regard to the idea that some lives are not worth living, some people believe the value of human life is not a given, but depends on the extent to which a person is conscious, capable of exercising his or her autonomy, and also capable of performing actions which benefit society. Using this theory, some prominent ethicists have actually argued that the killing of infants should be a legal option for paretns who do not watn the burden of raising a child with a disability. Ours is a culture which values efficiency and productivity so much that the idea of eliminating the so-called "unproductive" and "burdensome" sounds reasonable to some people.

This utilitarian ethic explains why some people want to allow scientists to create human embryos solely to destroy them, to use their stem cells in research to develop treatments for diseases. It also explains why a federal appeals court ruled in favor of a so-called "right" to assisted suicide, and why some approve of causing helpless individuals to die by withhodling food and water from them.

With regard to the desire to avoid suffering at all costs, many view death as a reasonable alternative to sacrifice, hardhsip and even inconvenience. Some people object to teh sacrifice involved in loving and caring for a family member who needs special assistance. Some children who are simply unplanned are aborted to escape the disruptions and sacrifices involved in raising a child. And when we can no longer enjoy life the way we one did, like the boxer in the movie "Million Dollar Baby," who could not endure life without the crowds chanting her name, some people see death as a way to eliminate emotional suffering.

At his installation Mass in April, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI said, "We are not some casual or meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed and each of us is loved because each of us is necessary."

In 1993, Pope John Paul II put it this way, "Our dignity is based on the intimate bond that unites every one of us with our Creator. We are a sign of God's love, we are a trace of his glory."

From the moment of conception to the moment of natural death, and then on into eternity, each of us lives in relation to God, the Lord and Author of Life. The value and dignity of human life do not change according to health or other circumstances. a person, even if serioulsy ill, or disabled in the exercise of his or her highest funcitons, is, and always will be, a human being and will never become a vegetable, or an animal, or a second-class creature.

The journey away from a culture of death and toward following Christ to eternal life goes by way of the cross, which requires us to love others to the point that we die to our personal pride, our selfishness adn our tendency to view other people either as obstacles blockign our access to what we want, or as things to be used to obtain whatever we desire.

When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, he said we must love God withour whole heart, our whole soul and our whole mind adn we must love our neighbors as ourselves. This is the model God has given us, a model of love and solidarity with those entrusted to our care adn with everyone we meet as we go through this life.

By witnessing to this model in our own lives, by holding fast to the moral truth perserved by the Catholic Faith, and by going outside ourselves for others, we can inspire those around us to do the same. Only then are we doing our part to build a world where every human life is always loved and defended adn where every form of violence is banished.

As Catholics, we are called to study and to embrace all of the teachings of the Church, even those we find difficult to accept. We have a special obligation to embrace Church teaching regarding the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death becuase it is one of the very foundations of our faith.

The Church's teaching on the sanctity of life is the basis for all of the Church's teachigns on social justice adn morality. Whether we are talking about unborn children, the poor, the disabled, the marginalized, immigrants, refugees, and even those who are imprisoned for committing terrible crimes, all people have a God-given dignity that never should be denied.

The right to life is foundaitonal, it is basic adn undeniable. It is the right out of which all other human rights flow. If the basic right to life is not upheld, every other right is placed in jeopardy. Without the right to life, there are simply no other human rights.

In this election year, we must study the issues, we must learn all we can about the candidates, and we must support those running for public office at all levels of governmetn who are committed to upholding the sanctity of human life and the dignity of the human person.

Jesus tells us repeatedly in the Gospels that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. We treat God with disrespect when we resfuse to live in keepign with the teachings of Jesus. Only when we show proper respect and defend all human life, from teh moment of conception until the moment of natural death, do we respect God, the author of life, who is the Landlord of our vineyard.

By: Deacon Joe Cortese
Sunday, October 5, 2008
27th Sunday in Ordinary Time-Year A
Respect Life Sunday 2008
Resources: Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

October 6, 2008 -Part One

2008-10-06T09:43:00.003-05:00

This Sunday Des Moines participated in the Life Chain. Deacon Rick and Jenny were out along with many others lining Merle Hay Road in peaceful protest. Here are some pictures of Grandpa Rick and his grandson, Conner.

October 3, 2008

2008-10-03T10:14:00.004-05:00

Guests: Mark Houck, President of The King's Men
Monsignor Frank Bognanno, Pastor of Christ the King Parish
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Mother Theodore Guerin

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny started their morning show by speaking with Mark Houck, the President of The King's Men. The King's Men is a non-profit, full time, lay-men's ministry based out of Philidelphia. The focus of The King's Men is to build and unite men to uphold authentic masculinity and to become protectors of the women in their lives.

Before the King's Men, Mark was heavily involved in the Pro-Life movement. He noticed, by going to the different conferences, that there were not a lot of men actively involved in the movement. Through discovering his own authentic masculinity, Mark knew that all men were beign called to battle. The missing link to their involvement was simply that the men of our times are not being called into action. Mark knew that someone needed to raise the bar and give the men of society hope for something better. Mark and his co-founders began The King's Men and serve the Philidelphia diocese as well as giving presentations in other states across America.

On October 12, Mark will be speaking the Pure Fashio Father-Daughter Luncheon, which is targeted solely to those participating in Pure Fashion.
Also on October 12, Mark will be speaking at Christ the King Parish in Des Moines in an event that is open to the public at 7:00 pm. The topic of this talk will be "Authentic Masculinity."

We also had Monsignor Frank Bognanno of Christ the King Parish on to speak about Faithful Citizenship. Monsignor Bognanno drew upon Pope Benedict XVI's words calling Catholic's to get off the side-lines and actively seek the truth about politics. Monsignor shared with us some of the Cahtolic Prinicpals to keep in mind while preparing to vote.

Monsignor said that the idea of forming your conscience before voting stems from reason guided by faith. The Church is a non-partisan organization, so it cannot tell you who to vote for, it can only tell you in what light to view the issues.

Now Monsignor likened the issues themselves to pillars which hold up human dignity. Each pillar is a different right that contributes to the dignity of the human person. When you begin pulling out the pillars, human dignity toples down. The thing to realize is that not all of these issues are of equal value. Monsignor suggested that voters make a pyramid of human rights to discover for themselves what the basic human right is.

For example, educating children is all well and good, but in order to educate them they need to be healthy. So health care can be placed before education, but in order for children to be healthy they need proper nourishment. And then in order for these children to receive proper nourishment they must first be given life. So the Right to Life becomes a fundamental issue on which all other issues stem from.

Monsignor said that an important thing to remember is that laws are made for the common good. So too, voting should be done in light of the common good. Each voter should consider the candidates and their stances on different issues. Looking at their philosophy, integrity, and performance on the different issues before making decisions.

In closing, Monsignor implored us to pray to the Holy Spirit for this election and to study the issues. Discovering for themselves the truth and voting in clear conscience.

If you would like to read the document put out by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops on Faithful Citizenship, you can go to: www.faithfulcitizenship.org

Ocotber 2, 2008

2008-10-02T08:19:00.003-05:00

Guest: Fr. Jim Kubicki, National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer
Buffalo Road Round Up: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: Feast of the Guardian Angels

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny launched what will become monthly interviews with Fr. Jim Kubicki, the National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer. Fr. Jim Kubicki will help our listeners join themselves to the monthly intentions of Pope Benedict the XVI. This month the intentions are:

General:

That the Synod of Bishops may help bishops and theologians as well as catechists and pastoral workers engaged in the service of the Word of God transmit with courage the truth of the faith in communion with the entire Church.

Mission:

That in this month dedicated to the missions, through the promotional activities of the Pontifical Missionary Works and other organisms, the Christian may feel the need to participate in the Church’s universal mission with prayer, sacrifice and concrete help.

Fr. Jim also spoke about the power of the Word of God. He gave the statistic that the average Christian spends more time in one evening watching television than they do the rest of the week reading the Bible. Fr. Jim encouraged listeners to begin their day by saying the Morning Offering and to end their day by looking back upon the day and asking themselves, "What did I offer God today?"

Tune into KWKY to hear Fr. Jim Kubicki at the beginning of every month as well as for his daily reflections on the saints.

Buffalo Road Round Up with Dowling Catholic Correspondant, Miranda Taiber:
-There is a Hope for Africa meeting tonight from 6:30-7:30.
-The first Fall Choral Concert will be on Wednesday, October 8 at Drake University
-Grandparents Mass is at 9am on Thursday, October 9. A shuttle will be available since parking will be sparce.
-Dowling extends their gratitude to those students and faculty who volunteered their time and help to Cedar Rapids. Dowling was able to raise over $700 for this cause.
-Monday October 27, and November 2: there will be meetings for the parents to discuss the Capital Campaign and the construction on Dowling High School.
-The Pancake Breakfast ticket sales open on next Friday October 10.

Ocotber 1, 2008

2008-10-01T08:36:00.002-05:00

Guest: Lois Berens, of Birthright
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Therese of Lisieux

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Lois Berens, a Thursday volunteer for Birthright in Des Moines. Lois has been working with Birthright for 17 years. Lois expressed that the focus of Birthright is on the woman. The goal is to approach the woman with love and to present to her the other options to abortion without judging her.

One of the things that Lois said today was that there will always be crisis pregnancies. The question is do we focus on the laws regarding these pregnancies on what they are allowed to do? Or do we focus on the woman and those options which are better for her than abortion? An important spirit to impart on the woman is that her pregnancy is not an impossible situation. That there are resources that make her pregnancy possible.

In a visit to Birthright while the girls are waiting for their test to come back, the volunteers speak with her to find out where she is in her life and what her thoughts are toward the possibility of pregnancy. If the pregnancy test is positive they give the girl a Baby Bundle for them and their baby. This bundle contains a baby blanket, a onsie, some diapers and whatever else they have available to give.

Birthright is a self-supporting organization that does not rely on any government funding. They rely on donations and on volunteers. The only thing they ask of volunteers is that they come ready to love. Volunteers work 3-4 hours a week. If you'd like to help Birthright but can't volunteer they always need donations of gender neutral baby's blankets, onsies, and they have a particular need for diapers in sizes 3, 4 and 5.

To donate or contact Birthright:

Birthright
5806 Hickman Road
Des Moines, IA 50322

515-633-2133

September 30, 2008

2008-09-30T08:24:00.002-05:00

Featured Saint of the Day: St. Jerome

Today we were unable to reach Danny Abramowicz, host of a new show on EWTN called "Crossing the Goal." Rise and shine will however, reschedule the interview. Deacon Rick and Jenny promoted the movie "Fireproof," a pro-marriage film that is in theaters. We also listened to some Sandi Patti as well as Michael Franks. Rick and Jenny wanted to remind everyone to participate in a Life Chain near them!

September 29, 2008

2008-09-29T08:15:00.005-05:00

Guest: Bishop Richard Pates of the Diocese of Des Moines
Featured Saint of the Day: Feast of the Archangels: Gabriel, Raphael and Michael

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Bishop Richard Pates of the Diocese of Des Moines about the document issued by the Conference of Catholic Bishops on Faithful Citizenship. Bishop Pates outlined the document for us this morning.

Bishop Pates told us that there are two main aims to this document. The first being to stress the importance of solemnly forming your conscience. This is done through the Natural Law, the Ten Commandments, the teachings of the Gospels, and through the ongoing teaching of the Magisterium. The second aim of the document is to address the question "How does my conscience affect my vote?"

Bishop Pates told us that the Conference of Catholic Bishops drew upon seven themes for this election to consider. The first and most fundamental theme is that of the Right to Life. From this issue all others find their value. The second theme is that of the Family through community participation. The third theme is that of Rights and Responsibilities. This theme is based on the dignity of the human person, and that all persons ought to have their rights preserved. The fourth theme is that of service to the Poor and Vulnerable of our society. Bishop Pates called upon the words of Pope Benedict XVI who in Deus Caritas Est said, "Love for the (poor) is as essential as preaching the Gospel." The fifth theme is one of the Dignity of Workers and the Right to Work. Bishop Pates reminded us that the economy exists for human need, not the other way around. The sixth theme is that of Soliderity with our brothers and sisters around the world. The final theme is that of caring for God's Creation.

These themes reflect our Christian identity. Bishop Pates noted how politicians these days draw their votes from what people think they need. He said that there is a need for politicians to move toward a more selfless approach to lobbying for votes. This document from the Conference of Catholic Bishops points to the hope that change is possible. It is a document that reflects on our falues of a common good, and as such it is a document meant for all. In this document the Bishops don't tell you how to vote, but merely how to consider the issues through divine light.

If you would like to read the document or find out more on voting you can go to:
www.faithfulcitizenship.org

This weekend October 5, 2008 is the Life Chain. To find a Life Chain near you you can go to:
www.lifechain.net

Upcoming Guests

2008-09-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

Monday, September 29: Bishop Pates will be calling in to talk about Faithful Citizenship

Tuesday, September 30: Danny Ambramowicz, Host of EWTN's new show "Crossing the Goal"

Wednesday, October 1: Lois Berens from Birthright

Thursday, October 2: Fr. Jim Kubicki, National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer

Friday, October 3: Monsignor Bognanno of Christ the King will share his thoughts on Faithful Citizenship

September 26, 2008

2008-09-26T08:19:00.003-05:00

Guest: Sol Varisco-Santini: Program Coordinator of Migration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities in Des Moines
Featured Saints of the Day: Sts. Cosmos and Damian

September 25 was the Night of 1,000 Conversations, an event organized in DC to promote conversations about immigration across the country. Last night 1,000 conversations went on in different towns across the country. One of them was Des Moines.

Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Sol Varisco-Santini the Program Coordinator of Migration and Refugee Services for Catholic Charities in Des Moines. Sol co-hosted the Night of 1,000 Conversations in Des Moines with Naomi Sea Young Wittstruck of the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Ever since the Raid that went on in Marshalltown in 2006, Catholic Charities has been preparing the immigrants of Des Moines for the possibility of raids. Both how to be sure that they have their paperwork in order as well as how to provide for any kids that get shuffled and forgotten by the autorities. Through organizing Des Moines they will help duplicate the procedures in other cities in Iowa.

Sol shared that a scary aspect of these raids is that people who only want the right to work are being criminalized. There are 56,000 Visas available in our country for immigrants who want to work seasonally. There are only 5,000 Visas in the country for those immigrants who are non-professional.

Sol encouraged listeners to step up for those most vulnerable in our society. The need to reach out to these people and to discover them as individuals is great. Every person deserves to live their life with dignity. Sol encouraged people to look toward a solution and to continue to talk about this subject in society.

September 25, 2008

2008-09-25T09:17:00.004-05:00

Guest: Angela Pometto: Assistant Coordinator of Youth Ministry of St. Mark's Catholic Church in Virginia
Buffalo Road Round Up: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Elzear and Bl. Delphina

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Angela Pometto, Assistant Coordinator of Youth Ministry of St. Mark's Catholic Church in Virginia. Angela originated from Iowa and after attending Franciscan University she moved to DC. She worked with the Arlington Catholic Herald for a time as a staff writer and photographer before stepping into Youth Ministry.

As a Youth Minister she has participated in Work Camp. In Work Camp the youth are split into crews of people they've never met before. In these crews they not only learn how to make lasting friendships, but they offer their services to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it. They do anything from painting to maintenance for the house on their site. Angela has been privileged to play piano at the youth rallies for these events in the Music Ministries and on several occasions has played with Steve Angrisano. Angela has been involved in Music Ministry since she was in 5th Grade. The importance of music in the mass, and moreover, music that compliments the mass has been a daily discovery for Angela. She enjoys finding songs that coincide with the readings and the liturgical seasons of the Catholic Church.

Angela has also been attending the March For Life for many years. She started going with Franciscan University while in college and has continued to participate through her years in the DC area. While she worked for the Arlington Catholic Harold she would often cover the different events of the March for Life. Angela always enjoys joining the throngs of people who gather to share in and celebrate the values of Life in DC. Including a Youth Rally and Mass at the MCI Center that can house 20,000 people. Last March For Life Angela snuck into the mass with her group since they arrived late. With the help of an inside friend, they became honorary volunteers at the Mass. She is always impressed by the mass amounts of youth present at the March for Life. It bodes well for the future of America that so many youth hold true to the values of life.

Angela shared that the biggest thing that helped her become who she is today is praying the rosary daily. She grew up in a strong Catholic Family in Iowa and they prayed the rosary together daily. And while she skipped beads and sped the prayers along with the best of them, over time those times of family prayer are what has helped shaped her life. Her family also introduced her to the Steubenville Youth Conference where she experienced first hand the reality of Christ in the Eucharist. Once she discovered for herself that Jesus was truly present in the Eucharist and he desired a relationship with her, her faith took off and solidified. She encourages the youth of our age to truly take the time to discover Christ in the Eucharist and to allow Him to have the personal relationship He desires with you.

Buffalo Road Round Up:

Miranda Taiber hosted the Buffalo Road Round Up to tell us the exciting things going on with Dowling. Here are some of the things she shared with us:

-Dowling came in 5th in the Valley West Mall Cash Competition and received a $500.00 check. Dowling appreciates all its shoppers.

-There are three dowling students who received special commendation with the National Merit Scholars for their scores in the PSATs.

-The Art Club finished their Peace Pinwheels, a project that has been going on since 2005 as a non-political statement about peace.

-Dowling congratulates its Entreprenual Studies Class for its recycling efforts. They have recycled 100 tons of home improvement material that would have otherwise polluted the environment.

-Dowling's VIP Service Club is planning a Service Trip to Cedar Rapids September 27, 28, and 29.

-Dowling's 2008 Fall Project will take place on October 12, 2008.

September 24, 2008

2008-09-24T08:27:00.003-05:00

Guest: John Putbrese, President of KWKY Radio
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Pacifico of San Severino

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny had some fun with John Putbrese, the President of KWKY Radio. John shared with our listeners his gratitude for their support during the Fall Pledge Drive. It is clear that Catholic Radio is flourishing in Iowa through its listeners. He also wanted to share a few things that are coming up in the KWKY calendar.

Fr. Thomas Euteneuer, the President of Human Life International is coming to Des Moines on Friday, October 10. This free event will take place at St. Augustin's in Des Moines at 7:00pm. His topic for the evening will be "The Fight for Life Around the World."

On Saturday October 11, the Saints John and Paul Knights of Columbus will be holding a Fish Fry to benefit both KWKY Radio and their St. Vincent de Paul fund. The Fish Fry begins at 4:30pm and will go until 7:00pm. The cost for a meal of: baked or fried fish, choice of potato, salad, and ice cream is:
$10 for Adults
$5 for Children
$30 for Families

KWKY is also announcing a New Schedule that can be found on their web-site. The changes made are:
Fr. Corapi; 9:00am, 2:00pm, 12:00am
Christ is the Answer with Fr. John Riccardo; 11:00am
Heart Mind and Strength: will no longer be airing on KWKY
Local Programming; Has been moved from 2:00pm to 1:00 pm

You can call the station with your questions. 515-223-1150

September 23, 2008

2008-09-23T08:06:00.005-05:00

Featured Saint of the Day: St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke about many different facets to our Catholic Faith. One of which was to commemorate this the feast of St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina. St. Padre Pio was an Italian friar who bore the wounds of Christ, known as the Stigmata. He first received the gift of the Stigmata while praying before a Crucifix in the choir loft of his monastery in San Giovanni Rotondo. The Crucifix came to life in a horrifyingly real vision of the Crucified Christ. When Christ departed an angel pierced St. Pio with the wounds of Christ. St. Pio was a humble man and was known to tell those who would come in droves to see him that he only wished to be a Catholic Friar who prayed all day. St. Pio was given many gifts from God during his ministry where he touched thousands in his small monastery. The wounds of Christ that St. Pio bore, though painful, were said to smell of roses, another gift was St. Pio's gift to read consciences in the confessional. A more extraordinary gift was that St. Pio was known to bilocate on different occasions. He is also credited with miraculous healings for those who pray to him. St. Pio was born in 1897 and died on September 23, 1968: he was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. In March of 2008 he was exhumed from his tomb and found to be incorrupt. Above is a picture that was taken of St. Pio after this discovery.

Also today Deacon Rick lead us through several minutes of reflection with Steven Curtis Chapman through his music. We listened to "The Journey" and then to "Be Still and Know." It was a calming way to center yourself on God for the coming day.

Also discussed was the success of Catholics Come Home who have produced radio and television ads to encourage Catholics to come home and embrace their faith. You can go to their website to view some of the commercials or listen here on KWKY to hear them throughout the day. www.catholicscomehome.org

Deacon Rick then spoke to us about some of his homily from the weekend. Saying that not only are we to seek Christ in our daily life, but as Christians we know that Christ also seeks us. Christ seeks us in the Gospel, in the Sacraments, and through the Magisterium of the Church. This lead him to talk about Bishop Pate's request that all priests and deacons preach this coming weekend on "Catholic Citizenship." More importantly on how to form your conscience as a Catholic in terms of voting. The document that was issued was formed by all the committees of bishops in America. They then voted on the document and it was overwhelmingly supported. The document focuses on the importance of the life issues when discerning how to vote.

Jenny wanted to encourage anyone who is interested to participate in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk that is taking place this Saturday, September 27. It begins at 9am. Jenny invites anyone interested to join her team on the walk, "Helen's Angels." You can e-mail her at riseandshine@kwky.com

September 22, 2008

2008-09-22T10:30:00.005-05:00

Guest: Mike Patin
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Lawrence Ruiz and Companions

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Mike Patin after a busy week for the Fall Pledge Drive. Mike Patin is going to be at St. Joseph's in Des Moines this week for a Parish Mission Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Mike's talk this week are going to stem from Reality TV and the question of whether TV reflects or creates reality. On Monday his talk will be entitled "Amazing Race" a study on Prayer. Tuesday's talk will be called "Extreme Makeover" focusing on Relationships. Wednesday's talk he calls "The Apprentice" which will encourage people to become Jesus Christ's apprentice.

On today's show one thing that he said in response to what God has taught him in his life was to kill the automatic pilot. To not go through life out of habit. To live in the moment and choose to live for God in each moment of your life. In the future look for a book that will be coming out by Mike Patin a compilation of his favorite prayers entitled "A Standing Invitation."

For more information on Mike Patin you can go to his website: www.mikepatin.com

September 11, 2008

2008-09-11T08:09:00.003-05:00

Guests: Christine Kirkman and Stephanie Becker heads of Pure Fashion in Des Moines
Buffalo Road Round Up: Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Cyprian

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with the heads of Pure Fashion in Des Moines, Christine Kirkman and Stephanie Becker. Pure Fashion is an international faith based program designed for girls 14-18 to help young women re-discover and re-affirm their innate value and authentic femininity. Girls who sign up spend a year with Pure Fashion, meeting once a month to talk about style, modesty, etiquette, and the beauty of being a woman. At the end of the year the girls have a fashion show to highlight the things that they have learned during the year. Christine and Stephanie spoke of the changes they have seen Pure Fashion make in the lives of the young women they've worked with.

Applications for this year's Pure Fashion program are due by September 24, 2008. To apply or to look at sponsoring Pure Fashion you can go to : www.purefashion.org
or you can call Stephanie Becker at 515-371-6996

In the Buffalo Road Roundup with Miranda Taiber, we learned:
-The VIP Service Club along with the Mercy Foundation are planning a service trip to Cedar Rapids to help those still in need.
-Dowling Boys' Golf won the Ankeny Invitational this week.
-Operation Smile and Habitat for Humanity have recently made donations in the community.
-The Dowling Fall Project will take place on October 12. Dowling students will help with the upkeep of playgrounds as well as bush removal.
-The Dowling Drumline placed 7th recently in a competition and one of the snare-drum players placed 1st for a snare drum solo.

Visit Dowling on line to learn more: www.dowlingcatholic.org

September 10, 2008

2008-09-10T08:02:00.005-05:00

Guest: Dave Durand, President and Owner of Pro Balance Inc.
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Thomas of Villanova

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Dave Durand, the President and Owner of Pro Balance Inc., and author of best-seller "Perpetual Motivation: How to Light Your Fire and Keep It Burning in Your Career and in Life." Dave told us that although he had been intent on discovering how to perfect Time Management, he did not discover the fullness of Time Management until his conversion experience. He had grown up Catholic, but in his younger years labeled himself as a "cosmetic Catholic." After his conversion experience he discovered that the Church has the playbook for human nature, which filled in the gaps of his research.

When looking at the question of what makes someone a "Top Performer" Dave saw that Top Performers had balance. He described it as six plates spinning at once: faith, family, finance, physical health, social life, and continued education/vocation. Top Performers are able to keep all of the plates spinning at the same time without thinking about it. To achieve this sort of balance, Dave encourages people to work on all these areas of our lives separately until it becomes part of our daily routine to keep all of them spinning at once. A habit to the point of being uncomfortable when you neglect one of the plates.

To help with that Dave developed what is called a "Balander." The Balander is a mix between Balance and Calander, it integrates all of the plates that we are trying to spin at once. It also has a unique feature of the a "Tomorrow to do list." This list is where you write down those things which occur to you as you are working, so that you do not have to stop your current task to do something else. Then by the end of the day you have a list of things to do for the next day. While it only takes a few minutes to learn how to use a Balander properly, it will have an impact on your organization, time management and subsequently, your life.

Dave left us with these words, "Faith is not merely another file for a cabinet, faith is the cabinet that contains all the other files of life."

For information or resources on Time Management you can go to Dave's website:
www.davedurand.com

September 9, 2008

2008-09-09T08:09:00.003-05:00

Guests: Linda Echelmeyer of the Mid-Iowa Council of Boy Scouts and Kevin Akers, Assistant Scout Master for Troop 71
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Peter Claver

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Linda Echelmeyer of the Mid-Iowa Council of Boy Scouts and Kevin Akers, Assistant Scout Master for Troop 71. Linda informed us that Boy Scout recruiting nights will begin soon and that boys should be getting flyers for a troop in their area at their schools. If your son has not received a flyer and you are interested in learning more about Boy Scouts you can call their office at: 515-266-2135.

Kevin spoke of the joys of going through the Boy Scouts with his son. He expressed that through gaining knowledge, fun, comraderie, and the outdoor experiences the Boy Scouts offer young men a well-rounded experience. He mentioned that Eagle Scout Projects are a response to anywhere in the community that has a need. The intended Eagle Scouts do all the planning for these projects, as well as ordering supplies, and executing it with the help of their troop.

Both of our guests were sure to remind us to keep our eyes open for the coming Popcorn Sale from the Cub Scouts and the Boy Scouts.

To learn more about scouting you can go to: www.bsa-ia.org

September 8, 2008

2008-09-08T08:02:00.004-05:00

Feast Day: The Birth of Mary

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny had a laid back morning of music and laughter. To help us enter into the feast of the Birth of Mary, Deacon Rick played "Ave Maria," "The Bells of St. Mary's," and "Mary Queen of Peace.

Jenny spoke of the upcoming "Thinking about Priesthood" night, for young men who want to learn more about the priesthood. This will take place on September 17 at 5:00pm at the Catholic Pastoral Center on Grand Avenue in Des Moines. For more information you can call Stephen Tatz: 515-237-5061.

Deacon Rick was inspired to end the show with a surprise song by the Beatles, "Eleanor Rigby."

September 5, 2008

2008-09-05T08:02:00.002-05:00

Guests: Tom Chapman: Director of the Iowa Catholic Conference and Christopher and Ophelia de Serres: Founders of (Wo)men Speak Out
Featured Saint of the Day: Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Tom Chapman the Director of the Iowa Catholic Conference and Christopher and Ophelia d Serres the founders of (Wo)men Speak Out. Tom spoke with us about the political plan that the Iowa Catholic Conference is working on during this political season. Tom said that they want to promote adoption funds in a pro-life effort as well as a focus on flood relief for those who are still not back in their homes after the floods of 2008. There are resources on their website on how to form a Catholic Conscience so as to vote well in this next political season. Also on October 9, Bishop Charron will be joining Tom Chapman and they will be giving talks at St. Francis about forming your conscience as well as the politics involved in this election.

Christopher and Ophelia de Serres spoke with us about (Wo)men Speak Out. They are a non-profit organization that started a year ago, and they are focused on educating people about sexual abuse. Ophelia dn Chris said that at the root of abuse is fear. It is becaus people are afraid if it that they are not well informed about the statistics. (Wo)men Speak Out works to combat ignorance. Ophelia and Chris also gave us some helpful information for parents whose children are off to college. They said that parents should know and be sure that their kids are informed of campus security. They also said that if something doesn't sit well with you regarding campus security, to break the silence and let the college know.

For more information on the Iowa Catholic Conference you can go to: www.iowacatholicconference.org

For more information on (Wo)men Speak Out or to read their minizine you can go to: www.everytwominutes.com

September 4, 2008

2008-09-04T08:02:00.005-05:00

Guests: Miranda Taiber with the Buffalo Road Roundup and Chaplain Graham Glover advocate of America United in Prayer
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Rose of Viterbo

Buffalo Road Roundup: Miranda Taiber gave us an inside look at Dowling Catholic High School. Friday September 5 is the celebrated Dowling vs. Valley game to be held at Valley. The Maroon Crew is advocating a "White Out" where all spectators rooting for Dowling wear white to the game. The new library and media center was dedicated this week. The drama department at Dowling has selected their fall play and will be performing Mac Beth on Halloween. The Dowling art department is creating custom photo boxes to raise money for a new kiln. Each box will be unique and original. In athletics, Dowling has experienced victory in Swimming and Diving, Boy's Golf and Volleyball. The celebrated pancake breakfast as been set for November 2, 2008 from 7:30am-1:30pm.

Chaplain Graham Glover stationed at Ft. Stuart in Georgia with a Field Artillary Unit is advocating days of prayer for our soldiers and for this country. These days of prayer will be on Sunday September 7, 2008 and again on September 11, 2008. The goal of this day of prayer is to unite the peole of this country in prayer, all religions and beliefs. For the people of this country to appreciate the sacrifices soldiers and their families have to make in order for them to enjoy the comforts America has to offer.

You can go to America United in Prayer's website to find a prayer that Chaplain Graham wrote for these days of prayer: www.americaunitedinprayer.com

September 3, 2008

2008-09-03T08:08:00.004-05:00

Guest: Mary Pometto, Production Director for KWKY
Featured Saint of the Day: Pope St. Gregory the Great

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Mary Pometto the new Production Director. Mary shared her faith journey which started with a summer camp called Eagle Eye Summer Institute. This camp in Illinois with the Brothers of St. John sparked her zeal for Christ which carried through her college years at Franciscan University.

September 2, 2008

2008-09-02T08:58:00.003-05:00

Guests: Bob Ravenscroft, president of the board of directors for the Mercy Foundation, and Tom Eggum, President of Hope for Kids International.
Featured Saint of the Day: Bl. John Francis Burte and Companions

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Bob Ravenscroft, the president of the board of directors for the Mercy Foundation and Tom Eggum, president of Hope for Kids International. Bob Ravenscroft shared with us the different services the Mercy Foundation offers to the community. His visit shall be the first of monthly visits from members of the Mercy Foundation. Bob told us that the Mercy Foundation was an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus Christ, rooted in the heritage fo the Sisters of Mercy.

Tom Eggum, president of Hope for Kids International talked with us about his ministry. Hope for Kids international is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year. It is a missionary effort focused on kids and what they need to survive. The biggest problem Tom sees in places like Africa is the need for clean water. Hope for Kids International strives to raise money to build wells and to gain supplies to care for the needs of these children. Tom has also recently co-authored a book with his sister, Rachel Eggum, "God, Why Don't You Hear Their Prayer."

For more information on the Mercy Foundation go to: www.mercydesmoines.org
For more information on Hope for Kids Internaional go to: www.hope4kidsinternational.org

August 29, 2008

2008-09-02T08:44:00.003-05:00

Guest: Fr. Gregary Ketcham
Featured Saint of the Day: Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Gregary Ketcham, the director and head chaplain of St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois. Fr. Gregary shared with us some of the exciting things going on at St. John's Catholic Newman Center in this their, 80th year of campus ministry. Fr. Gregary told us that they just finished building the Catholic Residence Hall pictured above. This residence hall has 600 rooms on site, food service, house keeping, maintainance, computer labs, a fitness center, choir rooms and 24-hour acces to the main chapel. Fr. Gregary also spoke about the three doors into the ministries of the Newman Center. the first is the FOCUS missionaries that are present at the Newman Center. The second is the retreat program they have started. The third is through the orthodox liturgy presented. It is encouraging to know that when your kids go off to college, if there's a Newman Center, they will be taken care of.

For more information on St. John's Catholic Newman Center at the University of Illinois:
www.sjcnc.org

August 28, 2008

2008-08-28T08:13:00.003-05:00

Guest: Patty Armstrong: editor of "Amazing Grace for Families"
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Augustine

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Patty Armstrong, editor of "Amazing Grace for Families." Patty shared how the stories in the "Amazing Grace" series although like "Chicken Soup for the Soul" go deeper than that as they are stories of God's Grace. She said that God's grace can transform us if we let it. In "Amazing Grace for Families" Patty went to the families in the book and interviewed them, and from there the stories were compiled. When asked how she finds stories, Patty answered, "God brings them to me."

Patty shared a few stories from the book with us and encouraged readers to find her book at Divine Treasures in Des Moines or on-line. In one story, a woman was visiting her parents in Colorado with her family. They were on their way to Hot Springs and had stopped to look at a cabin Joy's parents were interested in. While the kids waited in the car it popped into gear and began rolling toward the edge of a cliff. Joy and her father saw what was happening and ran for the car. Joy got there first and put her body in front of the car to try to stop it. Being a small woman, the car pulled her underneath it and she was run over by the car and she subsequently lost all feeling in her legs and blacked out. What she didn't see whas that when the car rolled over her the bump was enough to open the driver side door that hadn't clicked all the way shut. Her father dove into the driver's side and was able to stop the car three feet from the edge of the cliff. Joy thought she was going to die and in the darkness she heard a voice that told her that she could choose to live or die, but to live would take a lot of work. It was the voices of her children calling out to her that helped her choose to live and to this day she is in a wheelchair. Her family, though, was changed forever. (This story was paraphrased from the interview with Patty Armstrong. To experience the original flavor of the story, find the book "Amazing Grace for Families" at Divine Treasures or a Catholic Bookstore near you.)

August 27, 2008

2008-08-27T08:18:00.002-05:00

Guest Host: Lisa Bourne
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Monica

Today Deacon Rick was gone, so Jenny Condon co-hosted this morning with Lisa Bourne from the Communications Department at the Diocese of Des Moines. Jenny talked with Lisa about her background in communications and found that communications came after her love of theater. Lisa and her family participate in the Nutcracker as well as other shows with the Iowa Dance Theatre.

Jenny and Lisa also spoke about the John Michael Talbot Flood Relief Benefit Concert that is to be held September 1, 2008 at St. Boniface Church in Waukee. More information is found below:

John Michael Talbot Iowa Flood Relief Benefit Concert
September 1, 2008
7:00PM
St. Boniface Catholic Church
1200 Warrior Lane, Waukee, IA

For more information call: 515-987-0258
or go to: www.stbonifacechurch.org

August 26, 2008

2008-08-26T08:11:00.002-05:00

Guest: Fr. Dennis Wilde, Priest Associate with Priests for Life
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Joseph Calasanz

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Dennis Wilde, Priest Associate with Priests for Life about the different facets of the issues connected to the Right to Life. Fr. Wilde emphasized that fighting for life is not simply a Catholic or Christian effort, it is a HUMAN issue. He explained that true medicine does not attempt to destroy what is naturally good in a person. Fr. Wilde said that the two questions the people of today's Culture of Death ask are 1. Is it human? 2. May I kill it? or Do I need to protect it in law? The answer to the first question has been proved scientifically, human life begins at conception, it is a fact. As to the second, there are 50 million unborn babies who have been killed since the passage of Roe v. Wade. The other facet of this question is those who are "Pro-Choice." Fr. Wilde explained to us that the term Pro-Choice is the result of an aborted sentence. "We believe that the woman has the right to choose." To choose what? That's the question. Deacon Rick added, that it's their way of trying to change the choice they have already made, not necessarily make a new choice.

Fr. Dennis is coming to Des Moines the weekend of September 6-7, he will give the homile at all the masses for that weekend at St. Agustine's. He will also be giving a talk on Sunday, August 7th, at 1:30 at St. Agustines.

For more information on Priests for Life or as a resource for any question you have regarding Life, their website is:
www.priestsforlife.org

August 25, 2008

2008-08-25T08:19:00.003-05:00

Guests: Participants of the Bishop Charron Catholic Charities Golf Classic
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Louis of France

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny broadcast live from the Bishop Charron Catholic Charities Golf Classic. They spoke with many of the participants of this Golf Classic during the course of the show including Joe Teeling, the president of St. Gabriel Communications and John Putbrese, the president of KWKY.

Filling in with Phil: this morning included Phil as a "Mulligan Man." He was selling Mulligans, which are freebies on the golf course.

Trish Radke: the PR and Volunteer Coordinator for Catholic Charities stopped by to tell us a little more about the event. The fundraising done in this outing goes directly to the programs that Catholic Charities offers to help serve the 20,000 + people that Catholic Charities helps every year.

Bishop Charron spoke about the event and the good that it does the people in the community. We also listend to Bishop Charron's prayer of blessing to start the event.

We also spoke with Nancy Galeazzi, executive director of Catholic Charities. Who spoke of the fun that balances out the stresses involved for the workers at Catholic Charities. Rick and Jenny also spoke with ohter people involved with the work that Catholic Charities does in the community.

Upcoming Guests

2008-08-22T14:34:00.004-05:00

August 25: Deacon Rick and Jenny will be broadcasting live from Echo Valley Country Club.
August 26: Fr. Dennis Wilde with Priests for Life
August 27: Chuck Goodman will co-host the show with Jenny.
August 28: Patti Armstrong, the Co-Editor of "Amazing Grace for Families"
August 29: Fr. Gregory Ketcham, who runs the largest Newman Center in America: St. John's Newman Center at the University of Illinois.

August 22, 2008

2008-08-22T08:19:00.008-05:00

Guest: Ed Vizenor, Producer, Motivational Speaker
Featured Saint of the Day: The Queenship of Mary

Today Jenny was home with the flu. Deacon Rick spoke with Ed Vizenor, who worked on the film, "Bella." Today Ed shared with us the power of media in changing lives. He told us that in his own life the media is what sparked his conversion, first through praying the rosary with his grandmother, and then through EWTN. The Blessed Mother continued to have her hand on Ed's shoulder through life. For instance, Ed spoke at the St. Joseph Communication Conference in California in 2004. After he was done speaking, Eduardo Verastegui approached him about getting involved in "Bella." It was the Feast of the Assumption, August 15th. Then Ed moved to California to help with "Bella" on the Feast of the Annunciation.

He read for us the words of Pope Benedict XVI regarding Our Lady, "Dear young people, we too must remain faithful to the "yes" that we have given to the Lord's offer of friendship. We know that he will never abandon us. We know that he will always sustain us through the gifts of the Spirit. Mary accepted the Lord's "proposal" in our name. So let us turn to her and ask her to guide us as we struggle to remain faithful to the life-giving relationship that God has established with each one of us. She is our example and our inspiration, she intercedes for us with her Son, and with a mother's love she shields us from harm."

"God works all things unto good for those who love Him." - Romans 8:28

Ed has also recently returned from World Youth Day. Where he found joy in experiencing Christ along with Pope Benedict XVI and youth from around the world. He shared with us some quotes from World Youth Day given by the Holy Father: Saturday evening vigil July 19^th: "Let us invoke the Holy Spirit: he is the artisan of God's works (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 741). Let his gifts shape you! Just as the Church travels the same journey with all humanity, so too you are called to exercise the Spirit's gifts amidst the ups and downs of your daily life."

Which tied into the Year of St. Paul. Ed spoke about how the Year of St. Paul is ayear of great grace. That this will invoke the Holy Spirit to return us to the Pauline spirit through preaching and evangelization. He shared the joys of diving into Paul's letters and experiencing the ups and downs of St. Paul's life. This should give us hope and confidence: to know that suffering and joy are all part of the ride of life. St. Paul shows us that God wants us to pray to him in confidence. Ed closed with encouragement that God calls all of us and we really can be saints.

Ed asks that we keep Hollywood in our prayers. To ask God to send missionaries there to help further the movement of many others who are already there making a difference.

To get involved with the evangelistic ministry of "Bella," you can go to: www.BellaHero.com to donate a "Bella" DVD to a Crisis Pregnancy Center.

Also, watch for a video that that Ed is working on about World Youth Day. Keep your eye on: www.YouthInEurope.com

Also, Ed's personal web site can be found here: www.Edventures.TV

August 21, 2008

2008-08-21T08:10:00.004-05:00

Guest: Fr. Bernard Gorges, Founder and Director of Totus Tuus
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Pius X

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Bernard Gorges, the Founder and Director of Totus Tuus. Fr. Bernard spoke about the spirit of Totus Tuus and what he offers the youth of America. Fr. Bernard started Totus Tuus while he was still in the Seminary. A priest told him that the two things to remember while in the seminary were "to be honest with yourself and your God, and to be obedient at all cost." When Fr. Bernard was asked to relinquish his management of Totus Tuus eight years ago, in obedience to his Bishop, he did. Little did he know that once he did this, his program would then spread across 11 states and 18 diocese.

Fr. Bernard said that the five pillars of Totus Tuus are:
1. Eucharistic Adoration: Daily Mass and Adoration with the Kids
2. Marian Devotion: Staying close the Blessed Virgin
3. Catechetical Instruction: 2 Hours of Class Every Day
4. Vocational Discernement: 4 Hours of Formation, including Personal Testimonies
5. Having FUN while you do these things.

From the Wichita Totus Tuus, Fr. Bernard has seen 7 religious sisters, 2 religoius brothers, and 32 priests spring from the program.

To contact Fr. Bernard or learn more about Totus Tuus go to: http://totustuusofwichita.org

August 20, 2008

2008-08-20T11:21:00.003-05:00

Guest: Phil Mc Grath
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny had another hilarious installment of "Filling in with Phil." Phil Mc Grath woke us up with his humor and peppy attitude. The jokes for today were:

A guy walks into a bar with two huge ferocious doberman pincers. The bar tender looks up and asks "What'd ya call 'em?" The man says, "Rolex and Timex." The Bar Tender looked from the man to the dogs and asked "Why that?" The man answers, "Because they're Watch Dogs."

What did Jesus say to his Disciples at the Last Supper?
--"If you want in the picture, you better get on this side of the table."

On a more serious note, Phil shared with us that St. Mary's food pantry is in need of plastic sacks that they use to send food with people. If you have plastic bags around the house, please bring them to the St. Mary's Food Pantry.

August 19, 2008

2008-08-19T08:21:00.002-05:00

Guest: Mark Hart
Featured Saint of the Day: St. John Eudes

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Mark Hart, Executive Vice President for Life Teen International. Mark shared about his new interactive Bible study, "T3: The Teen Timeline." T3 takes teens and young adults through the narrative story of the Bible. Mark said, "If you understand the big story(of Scripture), you can better understand how your story fits into it." In studying the nuances of the story of the Bible, it makes the rest of scripture come to life for the reader. Deacon Rick and Mark also spoke about the joys of being prepared for Mass by reading and praying the readings before hand.

Mark has resources on his website: www.biblegeek.com
including his podcast "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday"

There are other great resources at the Life Teen website as well: www.lifeteen.com

August 18, 2008

2008-08-18T10:54:00.002-05:00

Guest: Jeannie Shupe
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Jane Frances de Chantal

Today Deacon Rick and Jennie talked with Jeannie Shupe, KWKY's Volunteer Coordinator. Jeannie shared some exciting information about an upcoming KWKY event. This Saturday, August 23, 2008 at 5:00pm, KWKY will be holding a Movie Night Social at Haines Park in Altoona.

The evening will start with a free hotdog dinner provided by KWKY, Mc Donalds, Applebees, and the Knights of Columbus. There will also be various games for the kids to play after the meal. When the sun goes down we will enjoy popcorn and a movie, equipment provided by H&R Block. The movie we'll be showing is "Cheaper by the Dozen 2." We do ask that the public bring blankets and lawn chairs so that they can watch the movie in comfort.

Haines Park is located in Altoona, if you mapquest "Altoona, Iowa" you can zoom in enough to see where Haines Park is featured on the map.

August 15, 2008

2008-08-15T08:05:00.003-05:00

Guest: Bill Riley Jr.
Featured Saint of the Day: The Assumption of Mary

Today John and Debbie Putbrese filled in for Deacon Rick and Jenny who are on vacation. They talked with Bill Riley Jr. Bill runs the talent show at the Anne and Bill Riley Stage, just as his father did before him. He shared fond memories of growing up with the State Fair and of his father. The Talent Show Semi Finals will be going on through Saturday and the Final Talent Show will be on Sunday. Bill explained that there are 110 talent shows across Iowa and the winners of these shows compete at the State Fair.

KWKY has been fortunate to have our State Fair booth nestled near the Anne and Bill Riley Stage. So when you go see the talent show, stop by and say hello.

Upcoming Guests

2008-08-14T08:26:00.004-05:00

August 18: Jeanne Shupe, KWKY's Volunteer Coordinator will be speaking about KWKY's upcoming events including our Movie Night which will be on August 23rd.
August 19: Mark Hart, will be speaking about "The Teen Timeline" the teen version of the "Great Adventure Bible Timeline."
August 20: Amanda and Aaron Huey, will be joining us again to talk about Theology on Tap and their exciting guest.
August 21: Fr. Bernard Gorges, the founder and president of Totus Tuus camps, will be sharing the spirit of Totus Tuus and why it was formed.
August 22: Ed Vizenor, who worked on the film, "Bella," will be speaking to us about his adventures at World Youth Day as well as The Year of Saint Paul, and The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

August 14, 2008

2008-08-14T08:16:00.003-05:00

Guest: Judy Johnstad
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Maximilian Kolbe

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spent their last day live from the fair. They are leaving for their family vacation today. Debbie Putbrese will be filling in for them tomorrow. Today they spoke with Judy Johnstad who is part of the "Re-Image" conference that will be held in Des Moines this weekend by Iowa Religious Media Services. One of the guests of the weekend will be Noelle Garcia who was on the show last week. There will aslo be two bookstores at the conference including "World Library Publishing."

Judy let us know that if you still want to register you can, so long as you call today so that they can put their food order in.

You can call: 515-277-2920
Or Toll Free: 800-777-8661
Or go to their website: www.irms.org

August 13, 2008

2008-08-13T08:04:00.003-05:00

Guest: Sally Proctor, President of Iowans for Life
Featured Saint of the Day: Sts. Pontian and Hippolytus

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke about the Iowans for Life Booth at the State Fair with Sally Proctor. The Iowan's for Life booth is in the Varied Industries Building. They have a wealth of information available to anyone who stops by. Iowan's for Life's main goal in this booth is to educate the public on the risks of abortion as well as other options. They have life size fetal models to hold as well as a 3-D ultrasound picture.

Sally also informed us of Iowan's for Life events that are coming up. The 40 Days for Life is coming up, which is 40 days and 40 nights of praying in front of Planned Parenthood, a silent witness to the hope found in life. Also the March for Life is approaching and Iowan's for Life is already receiving applications for the trip.

For more information go to: www.iowansforlife.org

August 12, 2008

2008-08-12T08:26:00.003-05:00

Guests: Alex Baranosky and Miranda Taiber
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Louis of Toulouse

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with former Dowling Catholic High School Correspondent, Alex Baranosky, along with the new Dowling Correspondent, Miranda Taiber. Alex is heading to St. Thomas for college in the fall and Miranda is stepping up to take over the Buffalo Road Round Up. Alex and Miranda had a lot of information to share about Dowling's summer activity.

At the beginning of the summer some Dowling Students accompanied Fr. Kirby to Casa Hogar for a mission trip. Dowling is having a Speech and Debate Camp: August 12-13, to help students prepare for the coming year. Volleyball camp started this week as well as Football practice. This year Dowling will begin wearing school uniforms, which can be picked up on August 15. The school year kicks off on August 21.

August 11, 2008

2008-08-11T11:57:00.004-05:00

Guest: Fr. Albert Breucken
Featured Saint of the Day: St. Clare

Deacon Rick and Jenny are broadcasting live from the State Fair this week. Today their guest was, Fr. Albert Breucken, a monk from Conception Abbey in Missouri. Fr. Albert Breucken teaches math and science that Conception Abbey's Seminary. This summer he has been investigating the cause for sainthood of Fr. Stan Rother, a priest from Oklahoma, who was martyred in Guatamala. If Fr. Breucken remains on the project after the summer ends, he will go to Guatamala to investigate further.

August 8, 2008

2008-08-08T08:20:00.003-05:00

Guest: Fr. Darrin Piere O.P.
Saint of the Day: St. Dominic

Today Deacon Rick and Jenny spoke with Fr. Darrin Piere, the prior of the Dominican Community at St. Gertrude's in Cincinnati, Ohio. Fr. Darrin shared the story of how St. Dominic formed the Dominican Order. St. Dominic held to the maxim, "contemplata tradere," in English, "Contemplate and share the fruits of your contemplation." The order of St. Dominic strives to enrich and enlighten their minds so that they may then share it with the world around them. St. Gertrude's Parish in Cincinnati is unique as they also house the Dominican Novitiate where the men who are in their first year of study go to learn the life of St. Dominic. Fr. Darrin shared with us that today several brothers will be taking their habit. Pray for the Dominicans everywhere.

To learn more about the Dominicans you can go to: www.op.org