Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell mark the Feast of Saint Louis IX with a deep dive into the Liturgy of the Hours, tracing its roots from the Jerusalem Temple to the Benedictines and explaining why Pope Leo XIV is calling Catholics back to this ancient rhythm of daily prayer. The hosts also reflect on a record-breaking 1.2 million visitors to the 2026 Iowa State Fair and send off summer intern Mary Stastny as she heads back to the University of Mary for her sophomore year. Plus Tuesday news, Iowa Cubs and MLB scores, a Friday night football season-opener preview, and central Iowa weather.
Bo Bonner and Deacon Mark Campbell open Tuesday on the Feast of Saint Louis IX, with Mass today at 8:30 a.m. at Saint Anthony in Knoxville (95.7 FM).
Deacon Mark Campbell, drawing on his own vow as a permanent deacon to pray Lauds and Vespers daily, walks through the history and structure of the Liturgy of the Hours — from its roots in the Temple in Jerusalem, through the Benedictine monastic tradition of praying eight times a day, to the streamlined 1970 reform still used today. He and Bo discuss Pope Leo XIV's recent call for families to bring the Liturgy of the Hours into their prayer life, and Bo shares how discovering the Psalms and the Church's ancient prayers helped shape his own conversion to Catholicism. For listeners who want to start praying the hours, the hosts recommend the Revised Grail Psalms commentary from the Benedictine Monks of Conception Abbey (translated by Abbot Gregory Polan), the free Universalis app, and physical prayer books available through Divine Treasures — with a new translation of the Liturgy of the Hours expected in 2027.
Before that, Bo and Deacon Mark reflect on a record-setting 2026 Iowa State Fair, which drew more than 1.2 million fairgoers over eleven days — shattering the 2024 record by more than 36,000 visitors, with four individual single-day attendance records and a record grandstand crowd despite Rod Stewart's canceled concert. The hosts unpack why the fair's growth points to a deeper human hunger for community and tradition, and thank the volunteers who staffed the Iowa Catholic Radio booth throughout the eleven-day run.
Summer intern Mary Stastny also joins the show before heading back to the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, to begin her sophomore year studying general communications. Mary reflects on two summers producing and editing for Iowa Catholic Radio, growing in her Marian devotion (including a recent pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin), and what she's learned about telling truth well through story.
Listen live weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio, or catch up anytime at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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