Ever Ancient, Ever New

75. Rev. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R. - 2009 Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award Recipient

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 2009 Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award recipient, Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R.

Fr. Michael Scanlan, T.O.R. was a priest of the Franciscan Third Order Regular Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Father Scanlan served as president of Franciscan University from 1974-2000, chancellor from 2000-2011, and became president emeritus in 2011.

Father Scanlan became president of the College of Steubenville in 1974 in the midst of turbulent times for Catholic higher education. Over the next 26 years, he transformed the College into Franciscan University of Steubenville and gained for it a worldwide reputation for both excellence in academics and its passionate Catholic faith environment.

His success helped spark a restoration of authentic Catholic education in the United States and beyond, with many colleges and universities renewing their Catholic identity and new schools imitating his emphasis on Catholic Church teaching.

Fr. Michael passed into eternal life on January 7, 2017, after an extended illness.

Today, we will be listening to Fr. Michael Scanlan's award acceptance speech at the 2009 National Meeting. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy! 

74. Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T. - The Power of a Healing Heart in the Jubilee Year of Hope

On today’s episode, we will be featuring a talk from our 2025 National Meeting by Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T. of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.

Sr. Miriam James Heidland is a former Division I athlete who had a radical conversion and joined the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT) in 1998. Her story has been featured on EWTN’s The Journey Home, SEEK Conferences, Steubenville Conferences and other outlets.

She holds a master’s degree in theology from the Augustine Institute and speaks extensively on the topics of conversion, authentic love, forgiveness and healing. She is also affiliated with Friends of the Bridegroom and the John Paul II Healing Center in leading healing retreats for priests and religious sisters across the nation.

Sr. Miriam’s talk is titled, " The Power of a Healing Heart in the Jubilee Year of Hope”. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy! 

73. FB Live Interview with Sr. Teresa Paul, OSF - Surrendering to God’s Will

On this week's episode, we're listening to a Facebook Live interview on “Surrendering to God’s Will” with IRL board member, Jesse Weiler, and Sr. Teresa Paul, OSF of the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis in East Peoria, Illinois. 

Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy! 

 

72. Rev. Edmund McCaffrey, OSB - 2003 Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award Recipient

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.

Father Edmund McCaffrey was born on January 9, 1933. He was the former Abbot Ordinary of the Benedictine monastery, Belmont Abbey in Charlotte, N.C. Fr. Edmund was well known as a Political Scientist, a Scholar, Writer, Lecturer, Retreat Master, Educator, Defender of the Faith, Promoter of Devotion to the Angels, a strong exponent of Marian devotion and extraordinary defender of the sacredness of human life.

Possessing the gift of a remarkably strong and vibrant voice, and a matching personality, Father Edmund would immediately cause an audience to sit up and take notice when he begins to speak. But his booming presentation was matched and exceeded by his eloquence in teaching the faith. His love for his heavenly Mother was beautiful and eye opening to the great gift that she is to us from God. His devotion to Jesus in the Holy Eucharist enlightens all to a deeper love and devotion to the Real, True, Eucharistic Presence of Jesus Christ; Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

Fr. Edmund passed into eternal life on November 13, 2016.

Today, we will be listening to a homily Fr Edmund gave at the 2009 National Meeting. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy! 

71. Affiliate in Focus with Carolyn Stegmann, AFC

On today's episode, we're listening to an interview with Carolyn Stegmann from the Apostolate for Family Consecration's Women's Catholic Corps in Bloomingdale, Ohio. 

While living a ‘consecration of life’ through private vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, the Catholic Corps was constituted within the lay apostolate of the Apostolate for Family Consecration and exists to help fulfill its mission of sanctifying and strengthening families by way of consecration to the Holy Family and in the Truths of the Catholic Faith.

The Catholic Corps has at the heart of its vocation the spiritual renewal of the Church and society through the renewal of the family. They serve the ministry of the Apostolate for Family Consecration which immerses families in the richness of the Catholic Faith through events, retreats, and catechetical and formation tools and programs, as they support families in their journey of growth in holiness.

Please make sure to also check out the Apostolate for Family Consecration's Men's Catholic Corps.

Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy!

70. Francis Cardinal George, OMI, - The Liturgical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI

On today’s episode, we will be featuring part one of a talk from our 2012 National Meeting by Francis Cardinal George. 

The son of a janitor, Chicago-born Francis Eugene George contracted polio at the age of 13, and, due to a developed limp, was rejected by Chicago's archdiocesan seminary, leading him to join the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1957. Making his solemn profession the following year, he underwent studies at St. Henry's Preparatory Seminary in Belleville, Illinois; Pine Hills Scholasticate in Ottawa, Canada; the University of Ottawa; the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.; Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana; and the Pontifical Urbaniana University in Rome.

Ordained a priest in 1963, in Chicago, he was appointed to the lecturing staff of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska; serving as Chairman of the Philosophy Department between 1970 and 1973. He was appointed Bishop of Yakima, Washington, by Pope John Paul II in 1990, and then to that of Chicago in 1997, following Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's death, he became the first Chicagoan to occupy the see of his native city and head of the archdiocese that once turned him away. 

Francis Cardinal George’s talk is titled, " The Liturgical Theology of Pope Benedict XVI”. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy! 

69. FB Live Interview with Rev. David Yallaly, SJC - Religious Life and Liturgical Renewal

On this week's episode, we're listening to a Facebook Live interview on “Religious Life and Liturgical Renewal” with IRL board member, Jesse Weiler, and Fr. David Yallaly, SJC of The Canons Regular of St. John Cantius in Chicago, Illinois. 

Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy! 

 

68. Francis Cardinal Arinze - 2024 Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award Recipient

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 2024 award recipient, Francis Cardinal Arinze.

Francis Cardinal Arinze was born on November 1, 1932 in Eziowelle, Onitsha, Nigeria. His vocation was greatly influenced by Blessed Michael Iwene Tansi, then a parish priest, later a Cistercian monk, who baptized Cardinal Arinze in 1941, heard his first confession and from his hands gave him his first communion. At the age of fifteen, Cardinal Arinze began his secondary studies at the junior seminary and was ordained in 1958 at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome where he eventually earned a Bachelors Degree in Theology, a masters degree and a doctorate degree, Summa Cum Laude.

In 1965, he was consecrated a bishop and later named Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Onitsha. He was the youngest bishop to attend the second Vatican Council. During the Nigeria/Biafra War (1967-1970), he administered, with the clergy and religious missionaries, the efficient distribution of relief materials.

He was elected president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria in 1979, a post which he held until 1984, when John Paul II appointed him as pro-president of the Secretariat for Non-Christians. He was proclaimed Cardinal by St. John Paul II in 1985 and was President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue from 1985 to 2002. Through it all, he remained himself— simple, hardworking, prayerful, humorous, methodical and precise.

For the Year of Consecrated Life in 2005, he wrote a book on the consecrated life called Radical Discipleship: Consecrated Life and the Call to Holiness., in which he said: “People in the consecrated state are called to be like leaven in society, to fulfill the prophetic role in radically calling the attention of society to the importance of following Christ…The consecrated life announces without words that nothing is too precious to offer to God.”

Today, we will be listening to a talk from Francis Cardinal Arinze for the 2024 National Meeting. He is introduced by Fr. Cassian Folsom, O.S.B. Thank you for listening! May God bless you and enjoy!