Catholic Connection – May 27, 2024 – Hr 1
Best of “Catholic Connection” with Fr. Ray Atwood, Francis X. Maier and Trent Vecchiarino.
Segment 1 – Was the controversy over Humanae Vitae largely avoidable?
Fr. Atwood has concluded that “the controversy over Humanae Vitae was partly caused by the delay in presenting the teaching when new questions surrounding birth control arose.” He has written on this topic and joins us today. (Originally aired April 16, 2024)
Father Ray Atwood is a priest of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. He serves Sacred Heart Parish in Oelwein and Immaculate Conception Parish in Fairbank. He attended the Josephinum College in Columbus, Ohio, and was ordained in 1994. He is the author of the two-volume Masters of Preaching and Precious in the Eyes of the Lord.
Segment 2 – True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church
“Over the past decade Rome has been marked with sharp, and often unwarranted, criticism of the Church in the United States and American Catholic life. But very few of the critics have taken the time to talk, systematically, with a wide range of U.S. Catholics to understand their concerns. True Confessions is unique for its frank and in-depth interviews with 103 bishops, clergy, religious, and lay men and women from various backgrounds over a 17-month period, December 2020 through May 2022.” (Originally aired March 26, 2024)
Francis X. Maier is a senior fellow in Catholic Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, D.C. He served for 23 years as senior aide and special assistant to Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., in Denver and Philadelphia. He previously served for 15 years as editor-in-chief of the National Catholic Register newsweekly, and earlier still as a screenwriter and story analyst based in Los Angeles.
Segment 3 & 4 – Trent Vecchiarino’s journey from atheism to the Catholic Church
“For much of his adolescent years, Trent possessed a negative impression of God, reinforced by his early family experiences. He remembers constantly moving, evicted on an almost annual basis from houses they were renting. Many of his siblings were actually half-siblings, and favoritism toward certain ones created a somewhat segregated home. In addition, a constant cycle of live-in boyfriends treated his mother terribly, leading her to question God’s goodness. Her struggles with faith spread to her children.” He is now in the Catholic Church and joins us today! Read his story here. (Originally aired April 16, 2024)
After adolescent years filled with trauma, drug abuse, suicide attempts and a federal prison sentence, Trent Vecchiarino‘s journey to the Catholic Church has been a winding road, but it’s a destination he knows God has prepared for him after discovering the power of Christ’s forgiveness.
