The America Magazine Podcast

May 21 Podcast — Lifting Up the Lowly

americamagazine — Thu, 03 May 2012 20:49:15 +0000

Barbara E. Reid, O.P. talks about women prophets in the Bible and Elizabeth Johnson talks about the power of the Magnificat.

May 14 Podcast — From the President’s Office

americamagazine — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:03:48 +0000

John P. Schlegel, S.J., and Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., both served long tenures as presidents of Jesuit colleges. For our annual Jesuit education issue, they talk about the challenges facing Catholic colleges in a pluralistic society and how the implementation of Ex corde ecclesia affected the way Jesuit schools think about their Catholic identity. Fr. Schlegel, the current president and publisher of America, is the past president of the University of San Francisco and Creighton University. Fr. O’Donovan served as president of Georgetown University.

May 7 Podcast — ‘The Other America’ Then and Now

americamagazine — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:33:43 +0000

When The Other America was published in 1962, Michael Harrington only expected it to sell a few thousand copies. The book, a study of the “invisible” poor in America, went on to become a national bestseller and helped shape the government’s War on Poverty. Here Tom Landy of the College of the Holy Cross explains the impact of The Other America, and why we need someone like Harrington today. Holy Cross recently convened a conference on the legacy of Harrington’s seminal book. An audio archive of the talks can be found here. This podcast includes excerpts from the remarks delivered by Maurice Isserman, Harrington’s biographer.

April 30 Podcast — A Priest Behind the Iron Curtain

americamagazine — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:34:10 +0000

James Martin, S.J., joins Tim Reidy for a discussion of Walter Ciszek’s With God in Russia, which chronicles the imprisonment of an American Jesuit in the Soviet Union. The Vatican recently gave formal approval for Fr. Ciszek’s cause for canonization to proceed. The Pennsylvania-born priest spent five years in the notorious Moscow prison, Lubyanka, and later in Siberian work camps. He developed a deep reliance and belief in the providence of God, and risked his life ministering to his fellow prisoners.

April 16-23 Podcast — A Nation of Immigrants

americamagazine — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 20:17:32 +0000

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony discusses immigration reform at the L. A. Religious Education Congress. Interview by Kerry Weber.

April 9 Podcast — Where It All Begins

americamagazine — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:30:26 +0000

Thomas J. Scirghi, S.J., talks about his new book, Everything is Sacred: An Introduction to Baptism, on our Easter podcast. Fr. Scirghi explains why baptism is the foundation of the sacramental life of Christians, and addresses controversies surrounding “limbo” and infant baptism.

Special Podcast — A Visit to J Street

americamagazine — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:15:47 +0000

Excerpts from America’s interview with Jeremy Ben-Ami, founder of the Jewish lobby J Street. Read Fr. Raymond Schroth’s article on J Street.

April 2 Podcast — In Search of Simone

americamagazine — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:29:01 +0000

Producing “An Encounter with Simone Weil” was a deeply personal experience for Julia Haslett, who spent six years on the project. Here she talks with Associate Editor Kerry Weber about her journey and what she discovered about the French activist and writer. Haslett’s film premiers on March 23 at Quad Cinema in New York City. It will be released on DVD this summer.

March 26 Podcast — A Martyr’s Death

americamagazine — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 14:49:20 +0000

Associate Editor Kevin Clarke talked to Virginia Farris, a foreign policy adviser to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, shortly after the murder of Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani minister who was fighting the blasphemy laws in his country. Here we provide an excerpt from that interview, and an update on the promotion of Bhatti’s cause as a saint and martyr.

March 19 Podcast — From Libya to Syria

americamagazine — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 16:23:43 +0000

Thomas G. Weiss, the director of the Ralph Bunch Institute for International Studies at the City University of New York Graduate Center, explains how the international norm known as the “responsibility to protect” helped prevent humanitarian disaster in Libya, and how it might guide the international response to Syria.

March 12 Podcast — Young Jesuit Evangelists

americamagazine — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 15:56:39 +0000

How do you talk to young people about the Catholic faith in a way they can understand? For the editors of The Jesuit Post, the answer lies at the intersection of faith and popular culture. In this conversation, the Jesuit scholastics Paddy Gilger, Eric Sundrup, Jim Keane and Sam Sawyer explain the genesis of The Jesuit Post and how they hope to connect to young seekers via the Web.

March 5 Podcast — A Catholic Look at ‘Downton’

americamagazine — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:08:05 +0000

James Martin, S.J., and Tim Reidy discuss the hidden themes of grace, suffering, love and forgiveness in the PBS’ series “Downton Abbey.” And why the word “Abbey” is important.

February 27 Podcast — Deconstructing Oscar V

americamagazine — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 20:17:21 +0000

For the fifth year in a row, Bill McGarvey of CathNewsUSA and James Martin, S.J., join Tim Reidy for a discussion of the Oscar contending films. Among their favorites, “The Tree of Life” and The Descendants,” two films with spiritual themes that treat them in very different ways.

February 20 Podcast — A Mentor’s Legacy

americamagazine — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:17:41 +0000

In 1968, shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., John Brooks, S.J., of the College of the Holy Cross set out to recruit a group of African Americans to attend the small Catholic college in Worcester, Massachusetts. Among those he would bring to the school were Clarence Thomas and Theodore V. Wells, Jr. In the new book Fraternity, author Diane Brady follows five of the young men Fr. Brooks recruited to Holy Cross, a group that also included the respected novelist Edward P. Jones. In this panel discussion Diane Brady joins Mr. Wells, Fr. Brooks and Dr. Malcolm Joseph, class of 1971.

February 13 Podcast — Assessing the Council

americamagazine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 22:08:01 +0000

In an archive interview from the 2010 Los Angeles Religious Education Congress, Richard Gaillardetz examines the successes and the still yet unrealized goals of the Second Vatican Council. Should Catholics today focus anew on implementing the Council’s vision, or instead turn outward to evangelize the culture? Or perhaps, fifty years after Vatican II, is a followup council needed to address the questions–like the role of lay ministers and women in the church–not taken up by the Council fathers?

January 30-February 6 Podcast — Witnesses to Injustice

americamagazine — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 19:37:48 +0000

Timothy A. Byrnes talks about his new book Reverse Mission, which looks at three religious communities and the unique ways they have shaped U.S. foreign policy. Byrnes, a professor of political science at Colgate University and a panelist on the Ivory Tower Half Hour, focuses here on the story of the six Jesuits who were killed in El Salvador by military forces and the coordinated response of Jesuits in the United States.

Special Podcast — The Continuing Mission

americamagazine — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:41:08 +0000

There’s been a change of leadership this month at Catholic Relief Services, the relief and development arm of the U.S. Catholic Church, but will that mean a change of direction? Kevin Clarke recently spoke with Catholic Relief Services new CEO Carolyn Woo. Ms. Woo comes to CRS after a lengthy tenure as dean of The University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business. View a slideshow highlighting the work of CRS.

January 16-23 Podcast — Children in Wartime

americamagazine — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:05:50 +0000

This week we spoke with Mary Meehan, a freelance writer and public speaker, who is sought after to give talks about life issues at universities and other locations across the country. Her recent article for America, “In Harm’s Way,” looks at the effects of war on children, both born and unborn. Mary spoke to us by phone from her home in Maryland. Her writing and reporting on life issues can be found at meehanreports.com.

January 3-10 Podcast — Signs of the Spirit

americamagazine — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:19:11 +0000

Rev. Brendan Leahy, professor of theology at St. Patrick’s College in Maynooth, Ireland, talks about his new book, Ecclesial Movements and Communities, which traces the origins and significance of movements such as L’Arche, Focalare, Communion and Liberation and the Community of Sant’Egidio. Fr. Leahy discusses the unique charisms of these communities and the ways in which they were shaped by the Second Vatican Council. He also explains how they serve as an important form of church life for both priests and lay people at a time when vocations are dwindling and parishes attendance is in decline.

December 19-26 Podcast — Feeding the Hungry

americamagazine — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:09:52 +0000

The Rev. David Beckmann, the president of Bread for the World, discusses the plight of hungry people in the United States and abroad, and how his organization works to lobby Congress to maintain financial support for those less fortunate. He also explains how government support is essential to fighting hunger—charities alone are not sufficient—and how U.S. aid for the poor has had a real impact during these difficult economic times.