Deacon Mark Campbell and Ayden Pugh open the week on the Memorial of Saint Carlo Acutis, the first millennial saint and patron of the internet, as Pope Leo XIV prepares for surgery to remove an early-stage growth from his lung. Fr. Donald Haggerty unpacks Cardinal Robert Sarah's new book 2050: Prospects for the Church and why the Church needs to be purified and sanctified rather than reconstructed, while Indianola mom Mary Wolf shares her experience of miscarriage and invites listeners to join the global Wave of Light on October 15. Plus Joe Stopulus previews a Man Up deep dive on Saint John Henry Newman, with Monday news, NFL and MLB playoff scores, and central Iowa weather.
Deacon Mark Campbell and Ayden Pugh open Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time on the Memorial of Saint Carlo Acutis, with today's Mass from Fr. Dominic at Assumption Parish in Granger (105.5 FM). Saint Carlo, canonized September 7, 2025, is the patron saint of youth, the internet, and computer programmers. Deacon Mark also shares the story behind Friday morning's 105.5 FM outage and the customer service rep who stayed on the line for his entire drive to the tower site near Granger.
Fr. Donald Haggerty, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and author of The Hour of Testing, joins to discuss Cardinal Robert Sarah's new book, 2050: Prospects for the Church (Ignatius Press). Fr. Haggerty explains why Cardinal Sarah insists the Church needs to be purified and sanctified, not reconstructed; why holiness, the sacredness of the Mass, prayer, and faithful transmission of tradition are the keys to the Church's future; and why the book closes with real hope, including Cardinal Sarah's optimism about the pontificate of Pope Leo XIV. Get 2050: Prospects for the Church from Ignatius Press, and Fr. Haggerty's The Hour of Testing at Ignatius Press or on Amazon.
For Respect Life Month, Mary Wolf of Indianola, a homeschooling mom of three children on earth and two in heaven, shares her experience of miscarriage and how her family keeps the memory of their babies alive through daily prayer. She invites listeners to join the global Wave of Light on Thursday, October 15: at 7 p.m. local time, light a candle for one hour to remember babies lost to miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant loss, whether at home or together with your parish. Families and friends looking for ways to support grieving parents can find guidance at Catholic Miscarriage Support.
Also in this episode: Iowa Catholic Radio's Eucharistic Miracle banners, displayed at the Christ Our Life conference, are available for parishes and organizations to host. Learn more at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
Coming up today: Man Up at 9 a.m., Be Not Afraid at 9:30 a.m., the local rosary at 10 a.m., a local Mass at 10:30 a.m., and Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo. Bo Bonner returns tomorrow, when the show will pray for Pope Leo ahead of his surgery.
Listen live weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio, or catch up anytime at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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