Upfront with the Archbishop

Upfront with the Archbishop

Upfront with the Archbishop is a podcast where our goal is to strengthen the relationship between the hierarchy and the faithful through informal conversations about our Catholic faith. Featuring Archbishop Richard Smith (Archdiocese of Edmonton, AB) and our host Jenny Connelly. Produced by Matthew Bodnarek and Jenny Connelly.

Episodes

December 31, 2024 26 mins

We're talking about our Blessed Mother today! Having just celebrated the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God we get the Archbishop to give a crash course in how to have a relationship with Our Lord's mother. What does that look like? How is it possible? Are their limits?

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Join Archbishop Smith for our Christmas episode where we discuss the virtue of joy, the Christmas liturgies and the prophet Isaiah as the “5th Gospel,” Christmas-only Catholics and the ancient promises of God that he keeps to every one of us through the arrival of Jesus.

Show notes:

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To prep for Advent we're sharing this previous episode on this great liturgical season: What have we forgotten about Advent?

Join Archbishop Smith as he shares about Advent as a season of penitence, the purpose of the liturgical year vs. the secular year, Advent as a season of being shook out of our apathy and the irregularity of the fourth Sunday of Advent being the same day as Christmas Eve this year.

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What is the mission of married couples? 

Join Archbishop Smith as he discusses the sacrament of marriage in Scripture, divorce and annulment, how marriage is meant to be a witness to communion in an era of division, and his thoughts on what a couple can do when their relationship is struggling. 

On September 14, the Archdiocese of Edmonton launched its new pastoral priorities and our third priority is “Formation for Service to Famili...

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Today, Archbishop Smith is talking about Catholic education and the urgent need to proclaim the Gospel in our Catholic schools, especially with the widespread presence of anxiety and depression among young people. 

In anticipation of Catholic Education Week (Oct. 19-25), the Archbishop also speaks about what it means for Catholic schools to be “authentic” and “distinct,” the relationship between educators and parents, and ...

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What kind of missionary am I called to be? 

Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about our second pastoral priority of “Forming Confident Witnesses,” the universal call to share the Gospel, what it means to be a missionary parish or diocese, Archbishop Smith’s favourite experiences in northern Canada and our covenant with the northern Canadian diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith. 

Show Notes 

Learn about ou...

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How do I know if I am in a state of grace?

What do Catholics actually believe about receiving the Body of Christ in the Eucharist?

Join Archbishop Smith for our first episode back after summer break, for a discussion about Eucharistic theology, reverence in the Mass, being in a state of grace and the launch of our three, brand-new pastoral priorities for the Archdiocese of Edmonton!

To learn more about...

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Is The Chosen worth watching as a Catholic? Does it portray Jesus as he should be?

Join Archbishop Smith for his review of Season 4 of The Chosen, as we discuss how Judas is portrayed, the bold soundtrack choices that the director made for the series, the difficultly of portraying Jesus has fully God and fully man, and how depictions of the disciples can inspire us to our pursuit of becoming saints.

Watch us on YouTube here...

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Will the Catholic Church change its teaching on marriage? On female priesthood?

Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about how to define, dogma, doctrine and the Magisterium, about whether the Church will change some of its most-discussed moral teachings, the gift of certainty and consistency that the Catholic Church offers, and how all of these matters always come back to the person of Jesus Christ.

Shownotes:

D...

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Today’s episode is the 100th episode of Upfront with the Archbishop and we’re talking about themes from our most viewed episodes over the past two years: What is appropriate to wear to Mass, how to respond to division over Marian apparitions and the Catholic Church as the one, true religion.

We are also speaking about the mysterious theology of the Sacrament of Confirmation, which Archbishop Smith calls the “sending forth”...

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What is the mission of men?

Join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about his advice for men, the fatherhood of St. Joseph, the suffering of having an absent father and the response of God the Father, and what it takes to be an excellent man. 

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Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to strengthen the relationshi...

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Maria Goretti was just 11 when she forgave her would-be rapist and the man who killed her. How does a person do that? How do we grow in our ability to have mercy and forgive?

Join Archbishop Smith to hear his advice on growing in the virtue of radical forgiveness, the story of St. Maria Goretti, Pope Francis’ call for a “revolution of tenderness,” how to respond to the modern “culture of outrage” and the how the Sacrament ...

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Did you know Archbishop Smith used to lead music (with his guitar!) at Mass as a young adult?

Join Archbishop Smith as he tells the story of how he started to pray as a child, the challenges of being a Catholic “nerd” in high school, his experience with liturgy and the implementation of Vatican II as a young adult, the moment he realized he was called to be a priest and his advice for anyone who wants to grow more courageo...

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Join Archbishop Smith for a conversation with Dr. Lauren Girard, a palliative care and family medicine doctor from Edmonton, Alberta as they discuss why palliative care is an answer to the rise in euthanasia and assisted suicide, the sophistication of modern pain management, experiences with accompanying people in the last moments of their life, how to accompany someone who is suffering from dementia, including Archbishop Smith’s e...

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As we near her feast day (April 17), join Archbishop Smith for a discussion about St. Kateri Tekakwitha and lesser-known facts about her life, including her Catholic formation in a Mohawk women’s community, her relationship with radical forms of penance, her vow of perpetual virginity, her love of the Eucharist and how her story can give hope to those who are being persecuted or dismissed for their commitment to following Jesus.

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Are we striving to be “good” people? Or virtuous people?

Join Archbishop Smith and host Jenny Connelly for a discussion about virtue ethics, the virtues that Archbishop Smith learned from his parents, the cardinal virtues and what it means to be a “good person.”

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Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to streng...

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Will our bodies rise again?

Join Archbishop Smith and host Jenny Connelly for our Easter episode on evidence for Christ’s Resurrection, the theology of the resurrection of our bodies, the relationship between wisdom and doubt, and why Catholics venerate relics.

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Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to strengt...

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What is happening in our nation?

Join Archbishop Richard Smith, Deacon Larry Worthen and host Jenny Connelly for a discussion about the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying in Canada, how Christi calls us to respond to this culture of death, practical ways that people of good will can fight the expansion, and legality, of assisted suicide and euthanasia in Canada and stories of both tragedy and hope that shed light on...

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Join Archbishop Smith for his annual Lent episode! We discuss why we fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, the theology of sacrifice, why young men are committing to the Exodus 90 program, and why asceticism is part of our Catholic tradition.

Shownotes 

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Subscribe to our email list: Upfront Updates

Upfront with the Archbishop is a weekly podcast where our goal is to str...

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February 6, 2024 57 mins

Join Archbishop Richard Smith for a discussion about what it means to be in crisis as a Church, why we must respond to crisis with obedience and repentance, the call to defend our family, the Church, and what it means that the Church has “lost her visibility.”

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