Ever Ancient, Ever New

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Fr. John A. Hardon's death, December 30th, 2025, the Institute on Religious Life will be launching a series of Fr. Hardon talks from our own archives! Father Hardon entered the Society of Jesus in 1936. He authored over 200 books, including The Catholic Catechism (1975) and was a consultant for the drafting of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He wrote countless articles, conducted numerous catechetical classes for religious and lay people, developed a series of full-semester courses and was a popular speaker and retreat master as well as a spiritual director and confessor to many. He also founded the Institute on Religious Life, Marian Catechists and Eternal Life. Father Hardon died on December 30, 2000. His cause for canonization has been opened. Today, we will be listening to his talk titled, "Happiness Only From Doing God's Will" Thank you and we hope you enjoy! May God bless you!

Today, we will be listening to a talk from our 2010 National Meeting from Mother Mary Assumpta Long, O.P. titled, In Pursuit of Perfect Charity. Mother Mary Assumpta Long, OP is the former Prioress General of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Mother Assumpta holds a S.T.L. in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, and has taught at the elementary, secondary and junior college levels. Mother Assumpta is the former Superior General of the St. Cecilia Congregation of the Nashville Dominican Sisters. In the early 1990s she was invited by John Cardinal O’Connor to assist with the initial formation of the Sisters of Life in New York. In 1997 she, along with three other Sisters, founded the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. The Sisters currently teach in elementary and secondary schools in Michigan and six other states across the country. Mother Assumpta was not only an IRL board member who served on the board for many years. She was also the Pro Fidelitate et Virtue Award recipient in 1993. Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy. May God bless you!

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Fr. John A. Hardon's death, December 30th, 2025, the Institute on Religious Life will be launching a series of Fr. Hardon talks from our own archives! Father Hardon entered the Society of Jesus in 1936. He authored over 200 books, including The Catholic Catechism (1975) and was a consultant for the drafting of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He wrote countless articles, conducted numerous catechetical classes for religious and lay people, developed a series of full-semester courses and was a popular speaker and retreat master as well as a spiritual director and confessor to many. He also founded the Institute on Religious Life, Marian Catechists and Eternal Life. Father Hardon died on December 30, 2000. His cause for canonization has been opened. Today, we will be listening to part one of a talk he gave titled, “The Sacrament of Matrimony”. Thank you and we hope you enjoy! May God bless you!

On this week's episode, we're listening to a Facebook Live interview featuring Brother Dominic Michael Heart of the Franciscan Brothers of Peace in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Franciscan Brothers of Peach are a community of Franciscan Brothers consecrated freely to Christ by the vows of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. They live an active life of prayer, brotherhood, and service, rebuilding the Dignity of Human Life through the works of mercy. They are a public association of the faithful, following the TOR Franciscan Rule and their Community Statutes, under the gracious care of their Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. Brother Dominic Michael’s topic today is “The Holy Spirit's Role in Evangelization” and he is interviewed by IRL Board member, Jesse Weiler. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy!

On today’s episode, we will be featuring a talk from our 2013 National Meeting by Mr. Mike Sullivan. Mike Sullivan is the president of Catholics United for the Faith and publisher of Lay Witness and Emmaus Road Publishing. He contributed to the most recent volume of the best-selling Catholic for a Reason series: The Mystery of Marriage and Family Life. He has also written for Our Sunday Visitor, This Rock, and National Catholic Register. Sullivan has appeared as a commentator on current issues in the Catholic Church on several television and radio programs. Sullivan has written and given talks on such topics as Christian marriage and family life, the teachings of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body,” the role of the laity in the Church, and devotion to Mary. Sullivan resides in Toronto, Ohio, with his wife, Gwen, and their eight children. Mike Sullivan’s talk today is titled, "Catholic for a Reason: Having Your Answers Ready". Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy!

Started in 1986, the Pro Fidelitate et Virtue Award is conferred each year at the Institute on Religious Life’s National Meeting to someone who has been outstanding in the support and promotion of authentic religious life. Today's episode is honoring our 2011 Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award recipient, Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J. Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J., is editor emeritus of the Homiletic & Pastoral Review, having served as editor from 1971 to 2010. He graduated from Gonzaga University, studied Theology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and translated Karl Rahner’s Primacy and Episcopate into English. After teaching for two years at Gonzaga University, he published his translation of Rahner’s Spiritual Exercises and received his Ph.D. from Marquette University. Returning to Gonzaga he became head of the Department of Theology in 1968, leading it faithfully through the turmoil surrounding Humanae Vitae. He then served as president of Seattle University. Fr. Baker has built and run three community television stations and was president of Catholic Views Broadcasting, Inc., which produced a weekly 15-minute radio program airing on 50 stations across the U.S. He is the author of a three-volume explanation of the Faith called Fundamentals of Catholicism. Today, we will be listening to Fr. Kenneth Baker's award acceptance speech at the 2011 National Meeting. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy!