Vatican Insider

The interview segment of Vatican Insider this weekend features my conversation with celebrated Chicago sculptor Lou Cella and the story he tells of the statue he sculpted of the world’s beloved St. Frances Xavier Cabrini – Mother Cabrini – a statue now in Rome at the basilica of St. Paul. An American saint is back in her native Italy forever.

In the interview segment of Vatican Insider this week, I accompany you on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Anthony of Padua, describing this much-acclaimed shrine and looking at the life and times of this celebrated saint.

My special guest this week in the interview segment of Vatican Insider is Michael Heinlein, editor of Simply Catholic, a ministry of Our Sunday Visitor and he is a frequent contributor to OSV. Our focus is his captivating book “Glorifying Christ” on the life and times of Cardinal Francis George, the late archbishop of Chicago.

My special guest this week in the interview segment of Vatican Insider is Michael Heinlein, editor of Simply Catholic, a ministry of Our Sunday Visitor and he is a frequent contributor to OSV. Our focus is his captivating book “Glorifying Christ” on the life and times of Cardinal Francis George, the late archbishop of Chicago.

Join me on Vatican Insider this weekend as I offer a number of interesting stories and audiences the Pope had this week and then my special report in what is normally the interview segment on the College of Cardinals. On October 6 the Pope announced he would create 21 new cardinals on December 7 and so I look at the College they will join that day – its history and makeup and some interesting statistics.

I met Fr. Maher a few years back through a mutual friend, Irini de Saint Sernin, the Society’s Director of Philanthropy. We have become fast friends and I have to say, if you could just spend five minutes with Irini, you’d somehow believe, as I do, that her passion for the Bollandists played a role in the papal visit! So stay tuned after the news for Part II of my conversation with Fr. Maher.

Welcome to my first post-vacation edition of Vatican Insider as we start the busy news month of October with the Synod on Synodality in the Vatican and a number of interesting appointments for the Pope, including a canonization ceremony. But now, as I do every Friday, let me tell you about my guest in this week’s interview segment, Jesuit Fr. Michael Maher. He is an expert in the Belgium-based Societe des Bollandistes (Society of Bollandists) whose scholars, Jesuits and lay people, since the early 17th century, specialize in the study and research of hagiography, the writing of lives of saints and blessed.

As you know, because of the COVID-19 crisis and restrictions imposed on and by people for in person interviews – at least up to now – in recent weeks I have filled what is normally the interview segment of Vatican Insider with Specials. So far, I’ve explored 6 of the 7 Roman basilicas known as the Pilgrim Basilicas – St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, St. Paul’s outside the Walls, Holy Cross in Jerusalem, and St. Lawrence al Verano. Come with me this weekend as we go to the basilica of St. Sebastian that was built above the catacombs of the same name and is dedicated to the third-century saint who was twice martyred. Also we will actually take a mini pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii, a half hour south of Naples, which has a beautiful and even touching story. It is a shrine that has a special place in my heart.

VATICAN INSIDER: ST. JOHN CANTIUS, THE STORY OF A CHICAGO PARISH My guest this week in the interview segment of “Vatican Insider” is a longtime friend, Fr. Frank Phillips, former pastor for 30 years at Chicago’s well-known St. John Cantius Church. After a number of years, we met serendipitously over my vacation at a pre-investiture ceremony for the Order of the Holy Sepulchre that was held at St. John Cantius. I’ve always been intrigued by the rich history of this parish and you will be too as you hear Fr. Frank talk of his 30 years here, of his love of reverent and beautiful liturgy, of his founding of a religious community, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, and so much more. Thanks to Fr. Frank’s dedication, inspiration, as well as decades of both material and spiritual renewal, the current pastor, Fr. Josh Caswell and his staff offer many liturgies during the week, including morning, afternoon and evening prayers, vespers and high and low Masses in both Latin and English. Astonishingly enough, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius today work in 3 parishes in 2 dioceses in Illinois, offering 57 public Masses weekly and hearing more than 700 confessions each week! Yes, you read that right! First called the Society of St. John Cantius by Cardinal George, the name was later changed to the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. The reference is to St. John of Kenty, Poland! Here are some of the dozens of photos I took at the Holy Sepulchre liturgy on September 24. Some kind of technical glitch prevented me today from uploading all the pictures I took but when I finally make that happen, there are many photos and many stories to tell What you see is only a small representation of the main body of the church, the reliquary room and what I call the Polish chapel, a room in which Fr. Phillips had recreated to one-third original size the main altar of St. Mary Church on Market Square in Krakow. You’ll love the story of this Polish parish! (originally

This week on Vatican Insider, the interview segment is a repeat but it features a compelling storyteller and fascinating guest, Fr. Bill Petrie. At the time of our conversation, Fr. Bill, a priest of the Order of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (SSCC), was pastor of St. Damien parish on the Hawaiian island of Molokai’i. We’ve been friends for a number of years and usually met at Kalaupapa on Molokai’i to talk about Sts. Damien, SSCC, and Marianne Cope and their work there with victims of leprosy. We met at the home of some mutual friends in Honolulu on the island of Oahu to talk about his 25 years of work with St. Mother Teresa! 25 years! Tons of insight and remarkable stories about this holy woman, whose feast day we celebrated recently. I cannot find my photo of our Honolulu encounter but there was a rainbow over Fr. Bill’s head as we finished our talk! Fr. Bill now lives on Oahu. I have been focussing on St. Teresa recently, as you know from my recent interview segment when my guests were the producer and stars of the film, “Mother Teresa and Me.” The film was released by Fathom Events in select U.S. theaters for one night only on Oct. 5 2023. (Originally aired on 9/30/23)

My guest this weekend and next in the interview segment of “Vatican Insider” is Samuel Gregg, research director at the Acton Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We spoke when he was in Rome to talk about his latest book, Reason, Faith and the Struggle for Western Civilization. (Originally aired on 11/15/19)

In the interview segment this week and next, I feature a conversation I had with Tony Clark, a scholar of all things Chinese, an historian, and writer who has authored dozens of books, articles, and other publications. He is a professor of Chinese history at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Tony has lived and travelled extensively in China and tells many wonderful, riveting stories. We have a mutual passion for all things Chinese, especially the Catholic Church in mainland China (the “underground” Church and the government approved one) and the Church in Taiwan. Much of what Tony says will surprise and delight you. We also look at the 2018 accord signed – and renewed twice – between the Vatican and the Chinese communist government. And we talk at length about Taiwan. Both of us have visited mainland China and Taiwan. I also share with Tony an amazing job offer I received in Taiwan! We had met days earlier over dinner with a mutual friend, Jesuit Fr. Michael Maher, and probably could have talked until breakfast given our mutual love of and interest in all things Chinese. IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

In the interview segment this week and next, I feature a conversation I had with Tony Clark, a scholar of all things Chinese, an historian, and writer who has authored dozens of books, articles, and other publications. He is a professor of Chinese history at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Tony has lived and travelled extensively in China and tells many wonderful, riveting stories. We have a mutual passion for all things Chinese, especially the Catholic Church in mainland China (the “underground” Church and the government approved one) and the Church in Taiwan. Much of what Tony says will surprise and delight you. We also look at the 2018 accord signed – and renewed twice – between the Vatican and the Chinese communist government. And we talk at length about Taiwan. Both of us have visited mainland China and Taiwan. I also share with Tony an amazing job offer I received in Taiwan! We had met days earlier over dinner with a mutual friend, Jesuit Fr. Michael Maher, and probably could have talked until breakfast given our mutual love of and interest in all things Chinese. IN THE UNITED STATES, you can listen to Vatican Insider (VI) on a Catholic radio station near you (stations listed at www.ewtn.com) or on channel 130 Sirius-XM satellite radio, or on www.ewtn.com. OUTSIDE THE U.S., you can listen to EWTN radio on our website home page by clicking on the right side where you see “LISTEN TO EWTN.” VI airs at 5am and 9pm ET on Saturdays and 6am ET on Sundays. On the GB-IE feed (which is on SKY in the UK and Ireland), VI airs at 5:30am, 12 noon and 10pm CET on Sundays. Both of these feeds are also available on the EWTN app and on www.ewtnradio.net ALWAYS CHECK YOUR OWN TIME ZONE! For VI archives: go to www.ewtn.com/radio/audio-archive and write the name of the guest whom you are searching in the SEARCH box. Below that, will appear “Vatican Insider” – click on that and the link to that particular episode will appear.

Welcome to Vatican Insider on the weekend after ferragosto, the Italian name once associated with pagan games in the month of August but now referring to the solemnity of the Assumption! It also refers to the usually quite long August period of holidays. In fact, the lazy, hazy days of ferragosto is the title of the Special that will appear in what is normally the interview segment of VI. This is August like you’ve never experienced or even imagined! I did this Special a couple of years ago and when speaking of the Assumption mention it was on a Monday. This week the feast fell on Thursday. In any case, I think you’ll be fascinated by August in Italy! Italians all seem to take their vacation in August as you will see by all the places that are closed (chiuso) for short or long periods: stores, offices, pharmacies, gas stations, even some restaurants and coffee bars!

My guest this week in the interview segment is Anthony di Mauro. We talk briefly about his time this summer as an intern in the Rome EWTN office and then focus on something amazing he has started called The Relic Project. That is the main focus of our conversation. What is a relic? Have you ever seen on? Does your family have one? What about your parish? Perhaps it even has a few relics. Are they on display? If not, why not? Listen closely to learn the difference between first class, second class and third class relics! Stay tuned for that conversation after the news highlights. Relics come in many forms. Relics that are old, even ancient, and/or very rare are usually preserved in some precious metal container, be it small, medium or very large.