We keep trucking along with our series reconsidering the fundamental pillars and principles of Catholic Social Teaching, the same first run of shows we started with when we began the UnCommon Good on Iowa Catholic Radio 8 years ago. Today we deal with the Dignity of Persons, and how that plays into things like the Imago Dei, Human Rights, and how t…

We are keeping it going with the reconsideration of our first run of shows on Catholic Social Principles we started out the show with 8 years ago. Today we talk about Marriage and Family life not simply as "lifestyle" choices, but as Social Goods with obligations for the society as a whole toward them. Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afr…

We keep rolling along with our Reconsideration of the first series of shows we started with 8 years ago when the UnCommon Good began! Today we explore the Preferential Option for the Poor, hopefully dispel the flat or of base understandings of the concept, and try to shine a light on the brilliance of this distinct principle in the consideration of…

Keepin' on keepin' on with our 8 year anniversary rewind, review, and renewal episodes about foundational Catholic Social Teaching Principles, we consider the twin giants of Solidarity and Subsidiarity on this episode. 8 years ago we focused on what we saw as shallow interpretations of these ideas, but this time we really focus in on how they are t…

We move right along with our reconsideration of the foundations of Catholic Social Teaching we started of the show with 8 years ago, this time diving into the concept of Justice, and what it means to give each person what they are owed. We talk about the three types of Justice, Justice and Mercy, and how this principle provides the bedrock to many …

It has been 8 wonderful years, and we are going back to review the themes of our first shows to reconsider the principles of Catholic Social Teaching. We start off with Peace, the Tranquility of Order, and how this first principle makes a world of difference! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now …

Next week marks our 8th year anniversary of the show, so this week we are "wrapping up" 7 years and 51 weeks, talking about the origins of the show, its goal when we began, and setting up what makes the Common Good such a fantastic topic to reproach year after year!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Wome…

The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, but the fact that it is a body means a lot. On one hand, no principle of Catholic Social Teaching stands except that it rest of the foundation of the "brute reality" of the Church. On the other, the members of the Faith become worldly, even in their best intentions, unless they rest their efforts on the fa…

The Feast of the Assumption always denotes the ending of summer and the fact that fall will start soon, but it also is a pivot point for many Protestants considering conversion to Catholicism. Bo and Bud talk about the factors that made the Assumption of Mary not only "make sense" from an Apologetics stand point, but grounded Catholicism both in th…

What does it means to do history rather than just read history? Bo comes up with a t-shirt pithy aphorism, Bud double and triple checks whether it makes any sense, and we are off to the races talking about history, eye witness accounts, means of communication in terms of how we understand past events, and yes...John Henry Newman on the illative sen…

Undoubtedly you have heard of the French fiasco in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games. How are Christians to process this event? We try to get underneath the surface level political tensions and ask about the nature of art and imagery, interpretation, etc., and ask ourselves whether Christians should be offended by mockery, or if they s…

Bo and Bud comment on some of the summer Catholic news, largely revolving around the National Eucharistic Congress and the Synod on Synodality, but are able to stuff all sorts of other relevant tidbits in there as well!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Fai…

We take another look at long time favorite Idea of a University by St. John Henry Newman!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll- Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen- Man Up! with Joe Stopulus- The C…

We are supposed to live in the present moment, but plagiarizing St. Augustine just a teeny bit...is that possible? Bo ambushes Bud with questions regarding Eternity's role in living in the present, and what that might mean for the spiritual life. Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Ma…

Reflecting on Leadership in a Christian Key once again, we take on the injection of St. Paul to boast in our weakness, by which the strength of the Lord is shown. But what does that look like practically? And how might we form young Catholic Leaders in this principle when so much of leadership studies seems to focus on strengths? We ponder all this…

Listen in as we talk to Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman, assistant professor of theology at Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island, and a senior fellow of the Principium Institute, as we talk about her new book on parenting (https://bakeracademic.com/p/Parenting-Holly-Taylor-Coolman/542805). Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with F…

We take the classic approach to problem solving, as famously seen in Pope Francis's Laudato Si, of See, Judge, Act, and connect it with several themes listeners of our show will be familiar with! Good fodder for Catholic Leaders to reflect--and act--on!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Ch…

June is the month of the Sacred Heart for the Catholic Church, and we explore the ramifications of this devotion not only for the inner life of the individual, but for the Social Life of the Church. Leo XIII shows up quite a bit as well!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and…

The whole world wants to make a game of anything and everything important, INCLUDING your Faith! Fight back against "gamification," and listen to how you might do so in this episode! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno a…

https://osvcatholicbookstore.com/product/citizens-yet-strangers-living-authentically-catholic-in-a-divided-america?ga_ref_list_id=undefinedga_ref_list_name=Search%20Results Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows: Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll …

Join us as we talk to "Elder Statesman of Vatican Insiderism" Christopher Altieri, digging into his experience as a Journalist covering the goings on with the Holy See and Vatican City, as we clear up misunderstandings and delve into confusions about the reality on the ground at the heart of Roman Catholicism!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be …

We talk to Dr. Jeffrey Morrow (check out all his work here: https://stpaulcenter.com/dr-jeffrey-morrow/) about his recent work, the veracity of the Resurrection, and what Biblical criticism is. A very informative show!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Fait…

It's a touchy subject, but it is right in our wheelhouse, so we need to comment: What's the deal with A.I. Chatbot Priests? We take on the controversy regarding Catholic Answer's "Fr. Justin" AI Chatbot, try to suss out why the response was as swift and heavy (and almost in complete unity!), and hopefully point to learning moments we can all share …

We take a somewhat crazy Tweet about expertise in biblical translation and try to get at the root of a big debate: should you trust experts? What is an expert? Is that different than the "masters" of old? Do they both have their place in society? With a Faith like ours that believes in the Master/Disciple relationship, what ramifications does that …

I don't know where you were if you didn't hear: there is a new DDF document in town! On the Infinite Dignity of the Human Person...well that is something worth unpacking!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll-…

It's Eastertide friends! We hope you are doing your job and having as much mirth and joy as possible! In this episode, we consider the Emmaus Road readings from the Easter week liturgy, and ponder what it means to rest with the Resurrected Lord during Eastertide. We end up talking about how to "hear" Scripture best, and talk about the role of heari…

Continuing the theme from Part 1, we talk about how the goal of Lent leading into the Holy Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday and then the glory of Easter is a long practice of learning to engage in rest as perfect activity. We dive into the full implications of the Sabbath, how at the end of our lives we enter into a Sabbath …

As we barrel through Lent--ever closer to Easter--there were two things that happened this past week to the fellas that made them reflect on the fact that in God, rest is perfect activity. They presented at the Benedictine Conference talking about Catholic education and medical professional instruction, and then Bo attended last rites for his dying…

This one is a wild rollercoaster of Theological Cultural commentary! We start with an article that points out the resurgence of Occult and "Pagan" worship in formerly very Catholic Italy, take a detour through the tidal shifts throughout history of devotion vs. regression of belief, move on to why in a consumerist world people might think all of th…

Join us as we parse out the difference between Truth and Certainty, why it matters not only for personal Faith and a more peaceful inner life, but its ramifications for the Church and Society as a whole!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with…

Dr. Bud Marr is giving a Lenten Feast of a retreat here in Des Moines, and we are serving up an appetizer version of those themes here on the show to give Bud a warm up and include you, our listeners, in on the Nebraska-formed wisdom the good people of St. Anthony's in Des Moines will/have got to hear 02-25-24 through 02-27-24. It is about the eter…

Continuing on themes of the last few shows, we talk about what it means to freely choose to submit oneself to the coercive authority outside of oneself, be that fasting laws, Church authority, or even the social contract of a State. Much more fun was had than the serious subject matter seems to imply!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afrai…

Kristin's essay "The Dark Kenosis of Medical Education:" https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2024/02/92580/ The Second Chapter to Philippians, where we hear of Jesus's kenosis ("He emptied Himself...): https://bible.usccb.org/bible/philippians/2 Our episode where we talk about Kenosis and Christian Leadership: https://theuncommongood.simplecast.com/…

On this episode we consider Jesus's description as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and realize that the "counterfeits" of these truths too often sold to folks are a notion of the spiritual life as a Checklist, done for the sake of a Certainty, in hopes of a Jackpot, all of which never come. More fun is had than the title suggests--there's even si…

Dr. Ben Reinhard is an Associate Professor of English at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he teaches courses in medieval literature, mythology, and the Western literary tradition. He received his B.A. from Purdue University and his M.M.S. and Ph.D. from the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame. His articles have appear…

We answer an email from one of our wonderful listeners! Bo received an insightful email regarding questions about how to start either a discussion or accountability group. Bo asks Bud if he approves of Bo's answers. Bo then springs an entire theory about ethics and grace on Bud, and radio magic ensues! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afr…

It is Epiphanytide, and as we live into the season after Christmas and before Lent, we can take lessons from those observant fellows who saw the grace of the star, but were both prepared and willing to follow it when it came about, thus uniting nature and grace. They didn't call them wise for nothing!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afrai…

Happy New Year! The Church is Ever Ancient and Ever New, so what does it mean for something a couple thousand years old to have new beginnings? We explore that and more in this FRESH new episode! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon…

Merry Christmas folks! Exploring the glory of the Incarnation, and intertwining observations we have come to these last few months as we have journeyed with John Henry Newman!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina …

We had the opportunity to have frequent UnCommon Good All-Star and expert on Newman Studies Dr. Dave Delio come back on the show to discuss his article in a new book (https://www.amazon.com/Guide-John-Henry-Newman-Thought/dp/0813235855), discussing Newman and his stance on the "Liberalism" of the modern world.Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be …

Advent reflections with the help of St. John Henry Newman's sermons on the subject!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll- Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen- Man Up! with Joe Stopulus- The Catholi…

We dwell on the reality of Christ the King in honor of His feast day, all with the help of St. John Henry Newman's numerous sermons where he speaks on the topic! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll- Making …

Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll- Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen- Man Up! with Joe Stopulus- The Catholic Morning Show- The Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud Marr- Faith and Family…

We have a lot to be grateful heading into Thanksgiving week, and chief among those reasons is getting the chance to talk to the well known Augustine expert Dr. John Cavadini (check out everything they are doing at the McGrath Church Life Institute of Notre Dame, which he directs https://mcgrath.nd.edu) as a final wrap up of our Radio Reading Round-…

Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll- Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen- Man Up! with Joe Stopulus- The Catholic Morning Show- The Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud Marr- Faith and Family…

Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie Nelson- Faith of Trial with Deacon Mike Manno and Gina Noll- Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen- Man Up! with Joe Stopulus- The Catholic Morning Show- The Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud Marr- Faith and Family…

The Radio Reading Round-up on John Henry Newman comes at you again! This time, we talk about how events in St. Newman's life lead him along the path of considering knowledge in general, and more particularly, how eduction works. You will LEARN A LOT with this episode! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic W…

Our John Henry Newman Radio Reading Round-up rolls along, this time talking about how the Saint's life and concerns animated his major Theological considerations, most famously of all his understanding of Church History, the development of Doctrine, and the offices of the Church!Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus-…

We embark on our newest Radio Reading Round-up adventure, this time with St. John Henry Newman! We will touch on briefly some of the context of his life and major works before getting down to the nitty gritty of reading along with some of his greatest works: his sermons! For today, we utilize the fact we have DES MOINES'S MOST FORMIDABLE NEWMAN SCH…

Iowa Catholic Radio has wrapped up their Fall Fundraising, and we here at the UnCommon Good consider all things Stewardship, Almsgiving, Being Grateful, and the Temptations inherit in how we approach wealth and the spreading thereof! Iowa Catholic Radio Network Shows:- Be Not Afraid with Fr. PJ McManus- Catholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Ju…