Catholic Connection – Dec 31, 2021 – Hour 1

Best of “Catholic Connection” with David Naglieri, Deacon James Keating and Katie Geary.

Segment 1 – Knights of Columbus documentary, ”St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father”
The newest Knights of Columbus documentary film, St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father, is available at kofc.org, to coincide with the end of the Year of St. Joseph. Produced to increase devotion to the foster father of Jesus, protector of the Holy Family and patron of the Church, the film premiered on ABC affiliates across the United States this fall. View it here! (Originally aired December 14, 2021)

David Naglieri is an Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker and television producer. His films have been distributed in more than 80 countries and garnered accolades at film festivals around the world. He is the Director and Screenwriter of “St. Joseph: Our Spiritual Father.”

Segment 2 & 3 – Configured to Christ: On Spiritual Direction and Clergy Formation
In his new book, Deacon James Keating shares what makes a priest or deacon peaceful, personally happy, and—to the extent he keeps receiving the love of God in prayer as a man of interiority and sacrament—a minister of God’s love to his people. (Originally aired October 21, 2021)

Deacon James Keating, PhD has nearly thirty years of experience in the area of clerical formation in the Catholic Church. He is currently Professor of Spiritual Theology at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St Louis, MO. Previously, he was Director of Theological Formation in the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) at Creighton University in Omaha, NE from 2006-2020. He also served as Director of Deacon Formation for the Archdiocese of Omaha. 

The book: Configured to Christ: On Spiritual Direction and Clergy Formation

Segment 4 – Religious Freedom Index results: Americans increase support for religious freedom with highest Index score yet
Becket has just released the third annual Religious Freedom Index, the only annual poll that tracks trends across the full spectrum of opinions on American religious freedom. This year’s Index reached a new high as Americans bounced back from a uniquely divisive year with revitalized support for religious liberty. In addition to the Index’s standardized annual questions, this year Becket also asked about Americans’ opinions on faith-based organizations, free speech, and the pandemic. (Originally aired November 23, 2021)

Katie Mumma Geary joined Becket in 2013. Katie focuses primarily on content writing, speech writing, and research projects. She is the writer and co-host of Becket’s podcast Stream of Conscience. Katie graduated with a B.A. in History of Art from Princeton University, with her senior thesis exploring the social and political context of a 12th century Moroccan mosque. Prior to joining Becket, Katie worked at a private school in New Jersey, where she helped launch a $12 million capital campaign, and in development and education in art museums.

Read more: Religious Freedom Index results: Americans increase support for religious freedom with highest Index score yet