Catholic Forum

Deacon Jim is joined by Dominic Ford, director of the Baraga Film Festival, and the 1st and 2nd place winners of this year's competition, which invites youth to produce videos that focus on aspects of the Catholic faith.

Deacon Jim and our guest tackle the pervasive philosophy of relativism, particularly considering how to address younger people about its limitations and the intellectual and moral laziness it nurtures.   To learn more about our work, visit our web site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Our guest draws on his personal experience as a student at a less-than-orthodox Catholic university as well as his experience as a high school teacher and youth minister to discuss what young people can do to protect their faith while in an increasingly diverse and hostile environment. To learn more about our work, visit our web site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Our guests join host Deacon Jim to reminisce about their experiences of being among the hundreds of thousands who traveled to Rome to witness the canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II.   To learn more about our work, visit our web site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Scott Harvey, Chairman of the Grand Rapids Catholic Community on Scouting, details the interesting relationship that has existed between Catholic parishes and scouting organizations through the years and how young people can integrate their Catholic faith into the values promoted by scouting.

Our guests from Sacred Heart of Jesus Academy share about the process of transitioning from a typical contemporary educational curriculum to one informed by the "classical" model in order to focus on the school's Catholic identity.   To learn more about our work, visit our web site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

This second part of our hour-long conversation with Dale Anderson, Fr. Tom Simons, and Kathryn Nunsio features a powerful testimony to the powerful graces that reside with holy relics, as well as a brief tour of an extensive collection of relics.

This second part of our hour-long conversation features a powerful testimony to the miraculous graces that reside with holy relics, and a brief tour of an extensive collection of relics.   To learn more about our work, visit our web site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

In the first part of an hour-long conversation, Dale Anderson, Fr. Tom Simons, and Kathryn Nunsio discuss with host/producer Alan Dunst the definition, history and purpose of relics as a part of the Catholic devotional life.

Our guest describes his life's journey and its shift in focus from the pleasures of the material world to the pleasures contained and promised in the simple materials of Eucharistic bread and wine.   To learn more about our work, visit our web site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Our guests share about their experiences partaking in the ancient practice of going on pilgrimage, both as pilgrims and as organizers of pilgrimages to various locations around the world.   To learn more about our work, visit our we site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Our guests discuss how entering into a "sister" relationship with other churches in Haiti have enhanced their passion for being of service to brothers and sisters in Christ who practice their faith in extreme poverty.    

Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the diocese of Grand Rapids, MI discusses the myths and realities of Common Core and the degree to which the new standards impact Catholic education.   To learn more about our work, visit our we site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

The leader and members of the youth group from St. Michael's Parish in Muskegon, MI describe their experiences participating in the March For Life in Washington, D.C.   To learn more about our work, visit our we site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Our guest this week describes his journey from being raised as a Jehovah's Witness to finding his spiritual home in the Catholic Church. To learn more about our work, visit our we site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

Singer/actress Linn Maxwell-Keller discusses how her career took an unusual turn as she wrote and began performing a one-woman play about St. Hildegard of Bingen. To learn more about our work, visit our we site, catholicforuminc.org, or share our page on Facebook (facebook.com/catholicforuminc).

This week we highlight the upcoming Baraga Film Festival, a competition held in West Michigan that encourages young people to dig deeper into their faith then seek creative and innovative ways to express their new understanding, particularly through the process of filmmaking.

Members of the planning committee of a local Catholic men's conference discuss the need for and the power of such conferences, reflecting on the benefits they've received both in attending and in organizing these events.   keywords: Catholic, Catholic Forum, Men's Conference, Faith formation

Director of Religious Education discusses the devotion known as Marian Consecration and, in doing so, shares the Catholic perspective of the Blessed Mother's role in salvation history and in the Church.

Our guests reflect on their association with the Pepetual Adoration Chapel at St. Isidore Church in Grand Rapids, MI as it celebrates its 20th anniversary.