In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais speaks with Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press and longtime contributor to the Catholic apologetics movement. Together, they reflect on the rise of Catholic apologetics in the United States during the 1980s and 1990s, a time marked by doctrinal confusion, limited catechetical resources, and strong evangelical critiques of the Catholic faith.

Brumley shares his personal journey from unaffiliated theism to evangelical Christianity and ultimately to Catholicism, highlighting how historical research, Scripture, and engagement with early Church writings led him to embrace the Catholic Church. The conversation explores the challenges Catholics faced before the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the impact of Catholic Answers, and the importance of clear, reasoned explanations of the faith.

The discussion then turns to contemporary apologetics, including the influence of digital media, responses to the New Atheism, the renewed interest in Christianity among young people, and the importance of presenting both rational arguments and the broader narrative of salvation. Brumley and Dauphinais emphasize that apologetics serves evangelization by removing intellectual obstacles and inviting people into a transformative encounter with Jesus Christ.

The episode concludes with reflections on faith and reason, the renewal of biblical literacy among Catholics, current cultural challenges, and the enduring mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel with clarity, confidence, and charity.

Resources:

Links to Mark Brumley's books

How not to Share Your Faith: https://a.co/d/04lPO6My

The Seven deadly Sins of Apologetics: https://shop.catholic.com/the-seven-deadly-sins-of-apologetics-digital/

Websites:

https://ignatius.com/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22959487649&gbraid=0AAAAAD_ZLxiTtemBbEjN2GDeUyZQM44VP

https://www.catholic.com/profile/mark-brumley

Catholic Mass Times App | Find Catholic Churches Near Me:

The most popular app worldwide for finding Catholic Mass times near me. Confession times. Adoration. 110,000+ churches. Updated in 2025:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...https://catholicmasstimes.com/

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Ave Maria University is committed to providing a liberal arts curriculum based on Catholic principles and thought. We strive to enlighten students intellectually and spiritually, to prepare them for a life well lived.

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais is joined by Dr. Paul Gondreau, professor of theology at Providence College, for an in-depth conversation on the full humanity of Jesus Christ and its implications for Christian anthropology, masculinity, femininity, and moral life. Drawing on St. Thomas Aquinas, Scripture, and the Catholic tradition, Dr. Gondreau explains how affirming Christ as fully human—and fully male—counters ancient and modern forms of docetism and defends the goodness of creation, embodiment, and sexual difference.The discussion explores Christ’s human emotions, passions, and affectivity, the scandal of particularity in the Incarnation, and why Jesus’ maleness matters without marginalizing women. Together, they examine how Jesus radically reorients relationships between men and women, elevates women as disciples, and calls men to moral self-governance, chastity, and rightly ordered aggression. The conversation also addresses contemporary cultural confusion around sexuality, masculinity, and femininity, showing how Christ reveals authentic human flourishing through virtue and grace.

Dr. Gondreau shares personal insights from his work in Catholic moral theology, his experiences as an extra on The Chosen, and his teaching on marriage and sexual ethics. The episode concludes with reflections on the beauty of the Church’s vision of marriage, the role of virtue in healing disordered desires, and how Christ fully reveals the human person by perfecting, not negating, our humanity.

Resources:

Links to Paul Gondreau's Books

https://a.co/d/01MM7FGg

https://a.co/d/08XpAmlC

Catholic Mass Times App | Find Catholic Churches Near Me:

The most popular app worldwide for finding Catholic Mass times near me. Confession times. Adoration. 110,000+ churches. Updated in 2025:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...https://catholicmasstimes.com/

▶ Help support Ave Maria University and this podcast by joining the Annunciation Circle: https://hubs.li/Q03312J80▶ Learn more about Ave Maria University: https://hubs.li/Q032PhpS0

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Ave Maria University is committed to providing a liberal arts curriculum based on Catholic principles and thought. We strive to enlighten students intellectually and spiritually, to prepare them for a life well lived.

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais speaks with Immaculée Ilibagiza, survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and author of A Blessing in Disguise: Miracles of the Seven Sorrows Rosary. Drawing from her harrowing experience of hiding for three months while much of her family was murdered, Immaculée reflects on how suffering became a place of encounter with God rather than abandonment. She shares how meditation on the Passion of Christ and the sorrows of Mary sustained her hope, preserved her dignity, and anchored her faith amid profound darkness.The conversation centers on the Seven Sorrows Rosary and the Marian apparitions at Kibeho, Rwanda, officially approved by the Church. Immaculée explains how this devotion leads believers more deeply to Christ by contemplating His suffering through the heart of His mother. She emphasizes the distinction between accepting suffering and approving the evil that causes it, showing how forgiveness and prayer freed her from hatred, healed her mind, and restored her capacity to love. Together, Dr. Dauphinais and Immaculée explore prayer as a living relationship, the dangers of faith without ongoing prayer, and Mary’s role as a spiritual mother who guides souls toward healing, hope, and redemption. The episode offers a profound meditation on suffering transformed by grace, rooted in lived testimony and Catholic theology.Resources:Link to Immaculee's Book: Left to Tellhttps://a.co/d/0hE6penS The Power of Faith in Suffering w/ Immaculée Ilibagiza | Ep. 92https://youtu.be/dh8YOvoZ018Why Do We Need Marian Consecration? with Dr. Mark Miravalle:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=603zUdzyYmY&pp=ygUlbWFyayBtaXJhdmFsbGUgY2F0aG9saWMgdGhlb2xvZ3kgc2hvdw%3D%3DCatholic Mass Times App | Find Catholic Churches Near Me:The most popular app worldwide for finding Catholic Mass times near me. Confession times. Adoration. 110,000+ churches. Updated in 2025:https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sourc...https://catholicmasstimes.com/

In this episode of The Catholic Theology Show, Dr. Michael Dauphinais is joined by Dr. Gerald Boersma, professor of theology at Ave Maria University, for an in-depth conversation on St. Augustine’s City of God. Together they explore Augustine’s historical context, writing in the aftermath of the sack of Rome, and his enduring vision of the two cities: the City of God and the City of Man. The discussion highlights Augustine’s critique of pagan religion, political power, and the illusion of earthly peace, as well as his response to Pelagianism and Donatism.

Dr. Boersma explains how Augustine understands history, politics, virtue, and grace through the lens of love, contrasting the self-centered love that defines the earthly city with the love of God that animates the heavenly city. They examine Augustine’s insights into pride, domination, and false notions of justice, as well as his insistence that true righteousness and peace are gifts of grace rather than human achievements. The conversation also addresses why The City of Godremains especially relevant today, in a cultural moment tempted to seek ultimate meaning in politics, technology, or human progress.

The episode concludes with a reflection on Augustine’s powerful vision of heaven, particularly his teaching on the resurrection and the beatific vision at the end of The City of God. Drs. Dauphinais and Boersma emphasize Augustine’s call to hope, humility, and perseverance, encouraging listeners to rediscover heaven as the true end of human life and the key to understanding both personal history and the destiny of the world.

Catholic Mass Times App | Find Catholic Churches Near Me:The most popular app worldwide for finding Catholic Mass times near me. Confession times. Adoration. 110,000+ churches. Updated in 2025.

https://catholicmasstimes.com/

▶ Help support Ave Maria University and this podcast by joining the Annunciation Circle: https://hubs.li/Q03312J80

▶ Learn more about Ave Maria University: https://hubs.li/Q032PhpS0

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Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, psychiatrist and author, discusses his upcoming book "Teach Me Your Suffering" and shares insights on how contemplating Christ's passion can transform our experience of personal suffering. The conversation explores the prayer "doce me passionem tuum" (teach me your suffering) as a spiritual practice that helps people move from isolation to communion with Christ during difficult times. Dr. Kheriaty explains how Christ suffered throughout his entire earthly life, not just during the crucifixion, making him relatable to all human experiences of pain. The discussion covers practical approaches to prayer, forgiveness, and finding meaning in suffering, emphasizing how focusing on Christ's wounds can provide healing for our own wounds. The conversation also addresses how to experience Mass more deeply as a participation in Christ's sacrifice and offers guidance on accepting suffering without approving of it, while still seeking appropriate treatment and remedies.

▶ Help support Ave Maria University and this podcast by joining the Annunciation Circle: https://hubs.li/Q03312J80

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Ave Maria University is committed to providing a liberal arts curriculum based on Catholic principles and thought.

We strive to enlighten students intellectually and spiritually, to prepare them for a life well lived.

In this episode of the Catholic Theology Show, host Michael Dauphinais interviews Father James Mason, pastor and vicar of clergy for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, who has been giving Ignatian retreats for seventeen years. Father Mason shares his personal conversion story as a late vocation who entered seminary at thirty after a career in law, describing his spiritual struggle as fighting God until he finally surrendered. The conversation explores the four stages of Saint Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises: beginning with recognizing God's love and the reality of sin, journeying through Christ's life, contemplating the passion and death, and finally the resurrection. Father Mason emphasizes how these exercises are universal tools for spiritual growth, not just for religious but for all Catholics seeking deeper union with Christ. The discussion covers practical aspects of prayer, dealing with suffering redemptively, the challenge of evangelizing family members who have left the faith, and living with holy indifference to God's will. Father Mason concludes by sharing his daily spiritual practices and reflecting on how his understanding of faith deepened from a superficial teenage concept to a total surrender to Christ. ▶ Help support Ave Maria University and this podcast by joining the Annunciation Circle: https://hubs.li/Q03312J80▶ Learn more about Ave Maria University: https://hubs.li/Q032PhpS0▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ FIND ANSWERS ON SOCIAL:▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬🔔 SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE: https://youtube.com/@AveMariaUniversityFL▶ WEBSITE: https://www.avemaria.edu▶ INSTA: https://www.instagram.com/avemariauniv/▶ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/avemariauniv/Ave Maria University is committed to providing a liberal arts curriculum based on Catholic principles and thought. We strive to enlighten students intellectually and spiritually, to prepare them for a life well lived.

How can faithful Catholics reclaim the healing mission of medicine in an era of ideological pressures and fragmented care?

Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Dr. James Breen, family physician, author of Benedict Medicine: A Catholic Response to Rescue the Profession's Healing Mission, and founder of the Benedict Medicine practice in Fort Myers, Florida, to explore the tensions between Catholic anthropology and contemporary medical systems. During their conversation, they also discuss practical solutions like independent primary care models and the vital role of physicians in accompanying patients through suffering, illness, and end-of-life decisions.

Resources:

Annunciation Circle (Ave Maria University Monthly Giving Community):https://www.avemaria.edu/annunciation-circle/

Ave Maria University website: https://www.avemaria.edu/

Dr. James Breen’s Website, including access to his recent book, Benedict Medicine: A Catholic Response to Rescue the Profession's Healing Mission:

https://www.jamesobreen.com/benedict-medicine-book

Dr. James Breen's profile on Doximity, which includes details about his professional background, publications, and affiliations such as the Catholic Medical Association:

https://www.doximity.com/pub/james-breen-md-e2417e72

Benedict Medicine website, founded by Dr. James Breen, offering details on his family medicine services and Catholic approach to healthcare in Fort Myers, Florida:

https://www.benedictmedicine.com/

▶ Help support Ave Maria University and this podcast by joining the Annunciation Circle: https://hubs.li/Q03312J80

▶ Learn more about Ave Maria University: https://hubs.li/Q032PhpS0

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Ave Maria University is committed to providing a liberal arts curriculum based on Catholic principles and thought. We strive to enlighten students intellectually and spiritually, to prepare them for a life well lived.

How can Catholics address the challenges of sexual addiction and pornography in a culture that often normalizes these behaviors?

Dr. Michael Dauphinais sits down with Rachael Killackey, founder and executive of Magdala Ministries and author of Love in Recovery, to explore the complexities of sexual addiction, particularly among women. And how faith in God’s mercy offers guidance and a path to healing. They discuss the importance of integrating faith and compassion in the healing process, the benefit of support groups, the impact of early exposure to pornography, and the need to move beyond shame-based approaches to foster authentic recovery.

Resources:

• Annunciation Circle (Ave Maria University Monthly Giving Community)

• Ave Maria University website

• Magdala Ministries, which provides details about their programs for women's healing from sexual addiction, podcast episodes, speaker bookings, and support groups.

• Love in Recovery: One Woman's Story of Breaking Free from Shame and Healing from Pornography Addiction by Rachael Killackey, published by Ave Maria Press

• Healing Women from Sexual Addictions w/ Rachael Killackey | Ep. 53