Inside Catholicphilly.com

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's new Arise podcast series, Father Richard Owens, O.F.M. Cap., Father Eric Banecker, and Gina Christian present the truth, beauty, and goodness of the Catholic faith to Catholics, fellow Christians, and all those who seek something more. The first episode features a two-part interview with Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson Pérez, who shares his insights on faith amid the pandemic, his return to Philadelphia and his love of pizza and Star Trek. (Music by Johnny Markin, taken from the "Instrumental Acoustic Hymns Project," owned by Essential Christian under the imprint Elevation, with an arrangement copyrighted by Music Services. For more information on the Arise Project, visit archphila.org/arise.)

The coronavirus pandemic has moved Catholic Masses online, but should parishes try to set up last-minute livestreamed liturgies for Holy Week? Digital theologian Father Thomas Dailey and media consultant Dan Kearns share with Inside CatholicPhilly.com why Mass through a cell phone may not be the best option, and how parishes can develop a long-term approach to livestreaming.

In the tragedies and hardships of life, we often feel alone. Jesus knows this isolation well: despite his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, he quickly found himself misunderstood, abandoned, and hated. Christopher Massaro, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania shares how Christ enters into our suffering and ultimately transforms it through His passion, death, and resurrection.

The coronavirus pandemic has become a global lesson in medical ethics, as health care professionals struggle to treat patients amid shortages of equipment and hospital beds. Bioethicist Steven Bozza of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how doctors can meet the challenges of the current crisis while upholding the sanctity of human life.

The coronavirus pandemic has led thousands of families to seek help from Catholic Social Services (CSS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Demand at some CSS food pantries is up by 100%, but donations are down due to grocery shortages and strict stay-at-home orders in the Philadelphia area. Sarah Hanley, president and CEO of the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how her team has created an emergency fund to enable CSS frontline workers to help those in critical need.

Even though he restored Lazarus to life, Jesus allowed himself to enter deeply into the sorrow of loss. Seminarian Andrew Auletta of St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how it's all right to cry during the sad parts, even when you know the story has a happy ending.

Although we may have the gift of physical sight, we are all born blind -- blind to our pride, our sinfulness, and above all, to our true dignity as beloved children of God. Andrew Lane, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania shares how Christ's miraculous healing of a man born blind invites us to let ourselves be healed by God's love, that we in turn might help to heal others and the wounded world in which we live.

With social distancing and church closures, the coronavirus pandemic has forced the faithful to find new ways to keep holy the Lord's day. Oblate Father Thomas Dailey shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how livestreamed Masses and other digital devotions can sustain our relationship with God and with each other.

A woman with an empty jug and an even emptier life meets Jesus at the town well, and she finds herself completely transformed. Instead of judgment, she encounters mercy and true fulfillment. Ricardo Tobar, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, shares how Jesus awaits us at the point of our greatest need -- and once we have received his love, it will overflow into the lives of those around us.

Stories connect us to each other, and to the past, present and future. Father Thomas Dailey shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how the power of stories draws us closer to God, who reveals himself in the greatest story of all: the Word made flesh.

During the journey through Lent, we read in the Scriptures how Christ is transfigured before Peter, James, and John prior to his crucifixion. Henry Graebe, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how Christ's transfiguration prepares us for his Passion, giving us hope that new life transcends suffering and death.

Lent starts off with a call to confront temptation, as Christ enters the desert to be tested by the devil. Eric Tamney, a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, shares how focusing on our intimate relationship with God can help us face anything that would seek to draw us away from his love.

A 17th-century bishop might not seem like the best source of advice on how to celebrate Valentine's Day, but St. Francis De Sales -- nicknamed "the gentleman saint" -- knew what true love was, and he wants to let you in on it as well. Father Thomas Dailey, OSFS shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how St. Francis De Sales' love for Christ, along with devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, can help us to transcend the world's narrow definition of "love" and discover real joy.

Grab your popcorn and settle in for a look at this year's Academy Award contenders with John Mulderig, a longtime movie critic for Catholic News Service. John shares his insights on the Oscars shortlist, as well as his reflections on faith and film.

Composer Tony Manfredonia brings his deeply held Catholic faith to his work, whether he's writing music for Mass or for video games. Inside Catholic Philly.com producer Gina Christian caught up with Tony, who lives in northern Michigan, for his take on the rise of video game soundtracks, the quality of modern Catholic hymns, and the ways in which music -- regardless of style -- can build community. Listen for clips from Tony's original compositions, including "Kharon's Crypt," "The Ambassador," and "Call of Sarengar," as well as a setting of "Ave Maria."

Christmas in a consumer society may evoke a jumble of images, from angels to antlers, but the Nativity scene takes center stage in the hearts of those who long for a God they can see and touch. Father Thomas Dailey shares with Inside CatholicPhilly.com how the Christmas crèche, which traces its origins to St. Francis of Assisi, reminds us that the Lord wants to be part of the human story -- including yours.

Religion and politics can be volatile topics in themselves -- and when combined, the results can be explosive. Father Thomas Dailey shares how it's possible to live out the Catholic faith in both the spiritual and political contexts, and how you can "stand for what you believe without running over other people."

What does charitable giving look like in the digital age -- and in a Catholic Church wounded by scandal and secularization? Sarah Hanley, president and CEO of the Catholic Foundation of Greater Philadelphia, shares how she and her team work to steward their clients' gifts with diligence and transparency, while encouraging donors to give from the heart to the ministries and causes that inspire them the most.

Holiness can seem out of reach for those living in the ordinary realm of home, office, shopping mall and traffic jams. But in this episode of Inside CatholicPhilly.com, Father Thomas Dailey, O.S.F.S. shows how the cloistered Visitation Sisters (who live on one of the busiest roads in Philadelphia) embody a spirituality ultimately intended for, and ideally suited to, people living “in the world.” As part of a jubilee year, these women religious are welcoming visitors to experience the peace inside their monastery walls -- and to bring that serenity back to a world that needs it more than ever.

Are adjectives unholy, or just unhelpful? Father Thomas Dailey, O.S.F.S. shares how Pope Francis recently asked the faithful to delete the descriptive terms (such as "authentically Christian"), which can actually intensify the divisions in our polarized culture. Instead, says the pope, simple language better communicates the reality of life in Christ. More than a grammar lesson, the pope's insights show that our words have power to open others' hearts to the love of God.