Catholic in America

More than forty years after his death, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen continues to inspire Catholics around the world. In this episode of Catholic in America, Jason Adkins speaks with Bishop Louis Tylka, promoter of Sheen’s cause for canonization and leader of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Foundation, about the life, legacy, and enduring relevance of one of the greatest evangelists in American Catholic history. Known for his groundbreaking television program Life Is Worth Living, Archbisho...

Does America spend too much on its military? And is that spending actually making us less safe? In this sobering episode of Catholic in America, host Jason Adkins sits down with William D. Hartung, Senior Research Fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft and author of The Trillion Dollar War Machine, to explore how runaway military spending fuels global conflict, enables arms dealers, and undermines domestic priorities like healthcare, education, and infrastructure. They disc...

Is returning to the land just a romantic pipe dream, or a prophetic response to our disordered world? In this episode of Catholic in America, host Jason Adkins sits down with Michael Thomas, Executive Director of the Catholic Land Movement, to explore the growing desire among Catholics to reconnect with creation, live in community, and build lives rooted in place, prayer, and productive property. Drawing from Scripture, Church teaching, and his own journey from suburban life to homesteading i...

In this episode of Catholic in America, Jason Adkins sits down with Fr. Stephen Koeth, C.S.C., historian and professor at the University of Notre Dame, to unpack his groundbreaking new book, Crabgrass Catholicism: How Suburbanization Transformed the American Church. Together they explore how post–World War II suburban growth reshaped Catholic parish life, architecture, education, and community — decades before Vatican II. From the explosion of new parishes on Long Island to the rise of commut...

What does the USCCB actually do — and why does it matter to everyday Catholics? In this powerful conversation, Jason Adkins sits down with Anthony Granado, Associate General Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), for a rare behind-the-scenes look at how the bishops’ policy priorities are shaped, debated, and brought to Capitol Hill. They discuss the origins and mission of the USCCB, the role of Catholic lay leaders in influencing public policy, and how the Chur...

n this compelling episode of Catholic in America, host Jason Adkins is joined by Professor James O’Toole, historian and professor at Boston College, to explore the rise, and stunning decline, of one of Catholicism’s most defining and intimate practices: the sacrament of confession. Drawing from his acclaimed book For I Have Sinned: The Sacrament of Confession in American Catholicism (Harvard University Press), Professor O’Toole offers a vivid and fascinating portrait of how confession once sh...

Is modern life really secular—or are we just worshipping new gods? In this powerful episode of Catholic in America, theologian Dr. William Cavanaugh joins host Jason Adkins to discuss his latest book, The Uses of Idolatry. They explore how the things we worship today—nation, market, technology, and even sports—mirror the dynamics of religion. Drawing on Scripture, St. Augustine, and Catholic sacramental theology, Cavanaugh argues that our age isn't post-religious, but deeply idolatrous. Key t...

Fr. Philip Larrey, philosopher, theologian, and expert on AI ethics, joins Catholic in America to explore the rapid rise of artificial intelligence and what it means for humanity, morality, and the future of the Church’s witness. With decades of experience in epistemology and digital ethics, Fr. Larrey offers profound insight into the Vatican’s response, the philosophical limits of AI, the global AI arms race, and the moral challenges of labor, privacy, and dignity in a post-human age. Togeth...