Making it Personal with Bishop William Joensen

Bishop William Joensen, Jeanne Thill
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Bishop William Joensen of the Diocese of Des Moines gets personal with his guests discussing both their personal and spiritual life.

  1. 4d ago

    How to become a Catholic Priest: Answering the Call with Connor Lynch - 09/05/2026

    Bishop William Joensen and co-host Jeanne Thill welcome Connor Lynch, seminarian for the Diocese of Des Moines and a son of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianola, who is studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Connor is set to be ordained a transitional deacon on October 1, and this conversation catches him on the cusp of it. Bishop's Opening — Labor Day Weekend and the Week Ahead Bishop Joensen opens with a Labor Day reflection on the dignity of work, giving thanks for tradesmen, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, and linemen, along with teachers and students two weeks into the new school year. He notes several diocesan events on the calendar: Confirmation at Christ the King Parish on the south side of Des Moines Labor Day: a Mass marking 70 years of religious life for Sister Marilyn Jean Hagedorn, CHM (Congregation of the Humility of Mary) at St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale, honoring her witness to peace and justice and her call to poverty of spirit Tuesday, September 8 (the Nativity of Mary): the arrival of two missionary priests from Nigeria who will take up ministry in Shelby County and five other parishes, following an extended visa process An upcoming pilgrimage to Poland with 55 diocesan pilgrims The Bishop closes the segment on St. Teresa of Calcutta, reading from her private correspondence on the interior darkness she carried for decades — the hidden cross that became, as he puts it, the very spring of her sanctity. Segment Two — Cynicism, Wisdom, and the Turn Connor talks about returning to Rome as a senior brother to fellow Des Moines seminarians, including Michael Posegate, and about showing them the city's churches, shrines, and coffee bars. He names honestly the arc many seminarians travel: initial wonder, then a season of cynicism after his first year in Rome, then a turn toward wisdom. What made the turn possible, he says, was relationship — coming to know his formation faculty as people and building real friendships with his brother seminarians. Cynicism, in his framing, objectifies an institution; friendship restores the persons within it. Asked by the Bishop to define wisdom, Connor points to humility, a conscientious grasp of the human condition, and words that land as true because they are lived rather than abstract. Segment Two (cont.) — The Call Connor recounts a high school marked by soccer, his parents' hobby farm, and passing considerations of ag engineering, nursing, and the Air Force Academy. The first real jolt came when Father Chris Fontanini asked whether he had considered the priesthood — a question that, in Connor's words, rang through him like a bell. He ran from it spiritually for a couple of years. The turning point came on a mission trip to El Paso with STAT (St. Thomas Aquinas Teens), where the theme was God's Will for Your Life. Connor asked God for a sign and received an overwhelming experience of love at Mass the next day. When he spoke it aloud in his small group, the weight lifted. Over that week, ten to fifteen people independently asked him whether he'd thought about becoming a priest. Father Reed Flood was on the trip and coached him through making the phone call home. He also describes the value of manual labor — bagging groceries and working the bottle room at Hy-Vee, night stocking shelves, and a summer hauling concrete for a demolition crew in Ankeny alongside his cousin. Tangible work, tangible change. Segment Two (cont.) — Ordination Details The ordination will be an evening Mass at St. Peter's Basilica, celebrated at the Holy Spirit window, a newer custom for the North American College. Connor describes rounding the main altar afterward to find the basilica empty — an experience unlike any other. Eighteen men total will be ordained. Family, friends, and a diocesan pilgrimage group are expected to attend. Diocesan priests will be gathered for their annual workshop in Iowa City that day and will lift Connor up at Mass. Segment Three — Remembering Alex Connor speaks about his brother Alex Lynch, who battled cancer from age 16 and died May 8, 2026, at 23, at the family's farm home in Indianola. Alex graduated from Indianola High School, earned an Eagle Scout rank, and completed a finance degree from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas — receiving his diploma in a special ceremony less than a day before his death. His Funeral Mass was celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas in Indianola. Connor shares the family's conviction that God was working through Alex's illness: a cousin estranged from the family reached out to reconcile at the very hour Alex's first biopsy confirmed cancer. He describes a brotherhood that deepened through the disease — days spent beside Alex's hospital bed, shoulder massages Alex insisted on giving to relieve Connor's stress, and repeated occasions when Connor, in Rome or at seminary, felt an unaccountable weight on his heart, called home, and found Alex struggling. He calls the bond spiritual and Eucharistic. The Bishop notes there is more to the story — Connor's return home for Alex's final days and the support of the Benedictine College community under President Stephen Minnis — and invites him back to tell it another time. Connor begins studies in moral theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross (Santa Croce) this fall. Learn more about vocations in the Diocese of Des Moines: dmdiocese.org/vocations Learn more about the Pontifical North American College: pnac.org Listen to Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen every week on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network and the Spirit Catholic Radio Network, or stream anytime at IowaCatholicRadio.com   #CatholicPodcast #Vocations #Seminarian #CatholicPriest #DioceseOfDesMoines #IowaCatholicRadio #MakingItPersonal #BishopJoensen #NorthAmericanCollege #CatholicRome #StPetersBasilica #DiaconateOrdination #CatholicFaith #CatholicVocations #Discernment #CatholicIowa #FaithAndSuffering #CatholicYouth #Priesthood #CatholicRadio Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. Aug 29

    From Storm Chaser to Shepherd: Fr. Ross Caniglia on Weather, Music, and the Call to Priesthood - 08/29/2026

    Bishop Joensen and Jeanne Thill open with high school football underway across the diocese — Valley and Dowling played the night before — and September weather moving in. The Bishop previews the Bishop's Celebration of Education, held that evening at the Catholic Pastoral Center in downtown Des Moines, lifting up all 16 Catholic schools in the diocese alongside the Catholic Tuition Organization (CTO). Father Ross Caniglia is the evening's honored speaker. The Bishop also runs through his week: confirmations at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Indianola and Sacred Heart Parish in West Des Moines; a deanery gathering of priests at St. Edward Church in Afton, near Creston; another deanery meeting at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish in Atlantic; and Catechesis of the Good Shepherd programs underway there and at St. Mary Parish in Shenandoah, where Father Jason Lee is pastor. He shares a lunch conversation with Bishop Ambrose Puthenveettil of the Diocese of Kottapuram in Kerala, India, and notes the Dowling Catholic All-School Mass, where students recognized Father David Polich on his 50th anniversary of ordination — Father Polich was ordained for the Diocese of Des Moines in 1976. On the memorials of Saints Monica and Augustine, Bishop Joensen reflects on Monica's wisdom despite little formal education, and her consolation for parents whose children have wandered from the faith: those who are seeking and have not yet found are not without God. He closes the segment with Augustine on preaching — that the words of any preacher sound empty unless the inner Master, Christ himself, is teaching within the listener. Segment two: Council Bluffs, weather, and a chalkboard forecast Father Caniglia was born in 1988 and raised in Council Bluffs, one of four children, including an identical twin brother now living in the Omaha area. His mother worked as a nurse; his father practiced law in Council Bluffs. Both parents remain active in their parish and in Serra vocations work. His parents, Phil and Rena, are described by Bishop Joensen as pillars of the faith in the Council Bluffs community. His mother — a former All-State violinist who grew up in Boone — introduced him to the family piano, which had come from his grandmother's house. He sang in show choir and concert choir at St. Albert in Council Bluffs under a longtime Council Bluffs music teacher who had built the vocal program from the ground up, and he continued piano lessons through college. The weather obsession started in fifth grade, watching WOWT 6 News in Omaha. He kept a chalkboard in his bedroom, drew Iowa and Nebraska with fronts and high-pressure symbols, and delivered forecasts to his patient parents. Classmates asked him for snow-day predictions. After graduating from Creighton University in 2010, he went storm chasing with a graduate student and watched a large tornado pass roughly a quarter mile away. He worked as a television meteorologist in Sioux City from 2010 to 2013, hired into the weekend weather shift while also doing news reporting midweek and filling in on weekday shows. He explains the newsroom hierarchy — weekday evenings first, weekday mornings second, weekends last — and notes that weather has migrated to the top of newscasts because ratings show it is the number one reason people tune in. The voice injury and the turn toward God Late in his senior year of high school, after years of heavy singing, Father Caniglia developed voice issues affecting both speaking and singing. He describes it plainly as a season of suffering — physical and mental — that carried into college and left him unable to sing as he once could. He still deals with it to a degree today. The disruption cracked open the plan he thought he had: meteorology, settled and certain. In its place came questions about God's existence, the purpose of life, and what he was actually for. Segment three: Augustine at Creighton, Trinity Heights, and seminary The turn came in a philosophy class at Creighton, where he read Augustine's Confessions as a sophomore — a spiritual awakening he credits as the impetus for taking a possible priestly vocation seriously. Bishop Joensen shares his own connection: he once led a January-term course to Sicily and Rome, always stopping at Ostia to read aloud, from a window ledge, the passage where Monica and Augustine speak of ultimate things and Monica sets aside her fear of death. Living and working in Sioux City shaped which diocese was calling him. He points to the example of good preaching and evident love for the faith among the priests around him, including Father Gary Snyder, and to his parents' steady insistence on doing the small things and persevering. A turning point came at Trinity Heights in Sioux City, where a colleague from the television station — someone who had drifted from his faith — first brought him. The beauty of the place moved him, and he asked someone there for the name of a spiritual director. He entered seminary in 2013. Bishop Joensen offers a direct invitation to listeners: if that Augustinian restlessness is stirring in your own heart, it may be God inviting you toward priesthood, religious life, or another form of service to God's people. Composing the Mass of the Epiphany Father Caniglia composes as time and inspiration allow, usually beginning from a text — scriptural, or from the Church's own liturgical texts — and then finding chords and vocal lines at the piano. His Mass of the Epiphany, published by GIA Publications, began by accident while he was practicing for a Mass in seminary and a melody surfaced out of a music theory exercise. It took six years to complete, and was his first composition. Bishop Joensen praises the brass writing in the Great Doxology. Learn more about Father Caniglia's Mass setting at GIAmusic.com Diocese of Sioux City: scdiocese.org Diocese of Des Moines: dmdiocese.org Catholic Tuition Organization: ctoiowa.org Listen anytime at IowaCatholicRadio.com   Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen is made possible by Serra Vocations Ministry, and by the Serra Clubs of Central Iowa and Council Bluffs — whose prayers, witness, and encouragement continue to bear fruit in vocations to the priesthood, religious life, and the diaconate. Learn more at JoinSerra.org   #CatholicPodcast #Vocations #CatholicPriest #BishopJoensen #IowaCatholicRadio #MakingItPersonal #DioceseOfDesMoines #DioceseOfSiouxCity #CatholicMusic #SacredMusic #MassSetting #Meteorologist #StormChasing #SaintAugustine #SaintMonica #CatholicEducation #CatholicSchools #Discernment #CatholicConversion #Priesthood #CouncilBluffs #CreightonUniversity #IowaCatholic #SerraClub #CatholicRadio   Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. Aug 22

    Freer Men: Duncan Kyhl and Parker Corwin on Silence, Sacrifice, and Saying Yes to the Call – 08/22/2026

    Segment 1: Iowa State Fair send-off, diocesan roundup, and welcoming the guests Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill send off the final weekend of the 2026 Iowa State Fair (Aug. 13–23), highlighting the Iowa Catholic Radio booth and the availability of confession from priests and deacons on-site. A look at the week's saints leading into this Aug. 22 broadcast: St. John Eudes (Aug. 19), St. Bernard of Clairvaux (Aug. 20), and St. Pius X (Aug. 21), followed by today's feast of the Queenship of Mary — secondary patroness of the Diocese of Des Moines. Bishop Joensen previews the formal installation of Father Rodrigo Mayorga Landeros as pastor of Christ the King Parish this Sunday, Aug. 23, plus confirmations at Sacred Heart Parish in West Des Moines, and next week's Bishop's Celebration of Catholic Schools, which will honor Father Ross Caniglia of the Diocese of Sioux City — a Council Bluffs native — as speaker. Duncan Kyhl and Parker Corwin join the show having just finished the Propaedeutic Year. Parker opens with his story: growing up in Des Moines, K–8 at St. Francis of Assisi, Dowling Catholic High School, and a period away from the faith at the University of Iowa before landing at St. Theresa Parish as an adult. Segment 2: Two paths to the seminary Duncan shares his roots: St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale, Dowling Catholic High School (where he ran cross country with Parker), a degree in accounting and computer science from Creighton University, and several years working in downtown Chicago before entering seminary. Both men discuss discerning their vocations out of serious relationships and the difficult, grace-filled process of letting go to answer God's call. Parker recounts four and a half years as a sales consultant at Wells Fargo in Des Moines, and how conversations with coworkers planted early seeds of his vocation. Duncan opens up about his family's faith, his three brothers, and his brother John, who works at the Hy-Vee in Urbandale and has been a joyful witness to him. The two describe the Propaedeutic Year itself: human formation, group therapy and counseling, a six-day "tech fast" cycle, and the house motto agere sequitur esse — do what you're doing. Bishop Joensen connects the theme of digital disconnection to Pope Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, on preserving human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. Wednesday morning silence and four- to five-day silent retreats round out a rule of life aimed at deeper prayer and fraternity. Segment 3: Serving the poor, in Phoenix and in Des Moines Duncan spent January and the first half of the summer at the Andre House of Hospitality in Phoenix, a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross named for St. André Bessette, serving hundreds of meals a night to people experiencing homelessness. Learn more at AndreHouse.org. Parker completed a summer internship with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Des Moines, working alongside CEO Steve Havemann and visiting parish "conferences" that provide direct home-visit assistance across the metro. Learn more at SVdPDSM.org. Duncan reflects on a 30-day retreat and the decision to begin with a new spiritual director as he moves into major theology studies at the University of St. Thomas. Bishop Joensen closes with a blessing over both seminarians as they continue toward the priesthood for the Diocese of Des Moines. Learn more at dmdiocese.org/vocations. #MakingItPersonal #BishopJoensen #JeanThill #DioceseOfDesMoines #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicPriesthood #Seminarian #PropaedeuticYear #CatholicVocations #DiscernmentStory #SaintPaulSeminary #CatholicPodcast #QueenshipOfMary #IowaStateFair #FaithJourney Episode Contributors Host: Bishop William Joensen, Jeanne  Thill, Duncan Kyhl, Parker Corwin       Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. Aug 15

    From Dominican University to the Vatican: Dr. Donna Carroll on the Future of Catholic Colleges – 08/15/2026

    Segment 1 — A New School Year Begins Bishop William Joensen and co-host Jean Thill open the show marking the start of a new academic year, offering encouragement to students and families and reflecting on the importance of keeping faith life active from day one on campus. The Bishop shares reflections on the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe (Aug. 14) ahead of an upcoming diocesan pilgrimage to Poland with Jon Leonetti departing Sept. 13, 2026, which will include a visit to Auschwitz and Kolbe's cell. He also marks the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug. 15), a recent Eucharistic procession following 9 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Church in Earling, an upcoming Confirmation Mass at St. Boniface Parish in Waukee, and a full slate of back-to-school convocations and opening Masses across the Diocese of Des Moines. Segment 2 — Meet Dr. Donna Carroll Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill welcome Dr. Donna Carroll, President of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) and President Emerita of Dominican University, IL, where she served for 27 years — the university's first lay leader and one of the youngest college presidents in the country at the time. Dr. Carroll shares her journey from Brooklyn and Long Island, through Wellesley College, a doctorate at the University of Cincinnati, and roles at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Mount Vernon College, and Fordham University before arriving at what was then Rosary College — sponsored by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters — where she became president. The conversation covers how mission-driven language has been adopted across higher education, the co-patrons of Catholic education (St. Thomas Aquinas and St. John Henry Newman), the legacy of women religious — including St. Katharine Drexel's founding of colleges for Black and Native American students — and the ongoing work of building trust between bishops and Catholic college presidents on today's most pressing issues, from immigration to institutional sponsorship transitions. Segment 3 — A Visit with Pope Leo XIV Dr. Carroll recounts ACCU's 2026 Rome Seminar, which brought roughly 20 Catholic college and university presidents to the Vatican for a private audience with Pope Leo XIV — during which the delegation presented the Holy Father with a gift of over 5,000 hours of service performed in his name. She reflects on the Pope's recent apostolic letter, Drawing New Maps of Hope, and his encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, both shaping conversation across Catholic campuses, and notes that the Land O'Lakes Statement will mark its 60th anniversary in 2027. The conversation touches on Pope Leo's ties to Villanova University — his alma mater, led by Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA — before closing out the show. Learn more about the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities at accunet.org. Read Pope Leo XIV's full apostolic letter, Drawing New Maps of Hope, at vatican.va. #MakingItPersonal #BishopJoensen #CatholicPodcast #CatholicHigherEd #DonnaCarroll #ACCU #PopeLeoXIV #CatholicEducation #DominicanUniversity #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicLeadership #FaithAndEducation #CatholicCollege #DioceseOfDesMoines #AssumptionOfMary #SaintMaximilianKolbe #CatholicChurch #VaticanNews #JeanThill #CatholicFaith     Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. Aug 8

    From the New Age to the Sacred Heart: Michael Paul Hart's Conversion Story - 08/03/2026

    Segment 1: Bishop's Opening Monologue Bishop Joensen shares diocesan news and reflections as August unfolds: Preparing to join the diocese's permanent deacons — both ordained and in formation — for their annual gathering at Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri Congratulations to Fr. Paul Sheller, OSB, elected the 11th Abbot of Conception Abbey on July 11, succeeding Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB. Abbot Sheller will be formally installed by Bishop James Vann Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City–St. Joseph on August 31 A reflection on Elise Ann Allen's new book, Pope Leo XIV: The Biography A rundown of August's feast days: St. John Vianney (patron of parish priests), St. Dominic (Aug. 8), St. Clare (Aug. 11), St. Maximilian Kolbe (Aug. 14), and the Feast of the Assumption (Aug. 15) A preview of the annual convocation of Catholic educators in Des Moines and Council Bluffs ahead of the new school year Segment 2 & 3: Interview with Michael Paul Hart Bishop Joensen and Jean Thille welcome Michael Paul Heart, retired CNA and author of Could You Push Me in the Toilet? Stories from Hospitals, Nursing Homes and Personal Home Care. Heart shares how he mentored Fr. Stan Asjes, now at St. Patrick Parish in Council Bluffs, in the years before his seminary formation, including a formative conversation on the meaning and purpose of life A recommendation of Arthur C. Brooks' The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness Heart recounts his upbringing as a Protestant, his time in the New Age movement, and his eventual conversion — informed in part by Fr. Mitch Pacwa's Catholics and the New Age The turning point: a vivid, profound vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus while bicycling home late one night, and the middle-of-the-night phone call to Fr. Gordon Gittins that followed Over 40 years of experience as a CNA, including his approach to physical strength training to safely lift and care for patients A reflection on the difference between evangelization and proselytization, illustrated through stories from his caregiving career The story behind the book's memorable title Learn more about Serra Vocations Ministry at JoinSerra.org, and find more episodes at IowaCatholicRadio.com. #MakingItPersonal #BishopJoensen #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicPodcast #CatholicConversion #SacredHeartOfJesus #CatholicFaith #CNA #Caregiving #NursingHomeStories #CatholicMemoir #NewAgeToCatholicism #ConceptionAbbey #SerraVocations #CatholicAuthors #FaithStory #CatholicWitness #HealthCareMinistry #EvangelizationNotProselytization #CatholicBookClub     Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Aug 1

    Encountering Our Lady of Guadalupe: Giovanna Redondo on the Story Behind the Pilgrim Mother – 08/01/2026

    Segment 1 — Bishop's Reflections Bishop Joensen opens the show on the feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, honoring the presence of Fr. Bob Dufford, SJ — member of the influential St. Louis Jesuits and resident at the Creighton University Retreat Center in Griswold, Iowa — and looking ahead to the August 1 feast of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, patron of moral theologians. He reflects on St. Ignatius's own spiritual conversion and the founding of the Society of Jesus. Looking ahead, Bishop Joensen shares that he'll celebrate baptism and Eucharist at Saint Peter Vietnamese Church, and previews his upcoming trip to the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention in Denver, hosted by Archbishop James Golka, August 3–6, 2026. Segment 2 — Interview with Giovanna Redondo Giovanna Redondo, general coordinator of the Pilgrim Mother pilgrimage, joins Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill to discuss the six-year journey of the Our Lady of Guadalupe statue across the United States. Redondo traces the project's roots to a 2006 visit to Chicago and shares how the pilgrimage — now marking the 495th anniversary of the Guadalupe apparitions in 2026 en route to the 500th in 2031 — was born from the devotion of lay Catholics working in communion with the Church. She details the statue's creation by Mexican sculptor Jorge Ismael Rodríguez, including its prosthetic eyes and donated human hair, and describes the roughly 45-minute bilingual devotional experience — including a narrated retelling of the apparition, music, and a ribbon-petition tradition connecting parishes to a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. She also previews the pilgrimage's next stops in California, and its eventual conclusion at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Des Plaines, Illinois, under Rector Very Rev. Esequiel Sanchez. Segment 3 — Wrap-Up and Local Schedule Bishop Joensen closes with the full schedule for the Pilgrim Mother statue's visit to the Diocese of Des Moines: Saint Ambrose Cathedral, Des Moines — through August 4 Immaculate Heart of Mary, Ankeny — August 6–13 Saint Boniface, Waukee — August 15–21 Saint Bernard, Osceola — August 23–September 2 Corpus Christi, Council Bluffs — September 4–11 Full schedule details: https://www.dmdiocese.org Bishop Joensen closes with reflections drawn from Archbishop Luis María Martínez's Am I Not Your Mother? Reflections on Our Lady of Guadalupe, and shares thoughts on Mary's presence in the lives of the faithful. Support for Iowa Catholic Radio and Making It Personal is provided by Serra Vocations Ministry. Learn more at JoinSerra.org and IowaCatholicRadio.com. #OurLadyOfGuadalupe #PilgrimMother #CatholicPodcast #BishopJoensen #DioceseOfDesMoines #IowaCatholicRadio #MakingItPersonal #VirgenDeGuadalupe #CatholicFaith #SaintAmbroseCathedral #MadrePeregrina #CatholicVocations #FaithJourney #JuanDiego #CatholicNews Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Jul 25

    Faith, Science, and the Search for Truth: Dr. Laura Upenieks on Bridging the Divide – 07/21/2026

    Segment 1: Meet Dr. Laura Upenieks Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill welcome Dr. Laura Upenieks, Associate Professor and Undergraduate Program Director at Baylor University, whose research centers on religion and health, aging and the life course, and quantitative methods. She traces her path from a quantitative health sociology background at the University of Toronto to a faculty position at Baylor, where her Catholic faith and scholarly work intersect daily. The conversation was inspired by her recent presentation to U.S. bishops. Segment 2: The Sociology of Faith and Science Dr. Upenieks unpacks her February talk, delivered at a national conference at the University of Notre Dame titled "The Relation Between Science and Faith as a Pastoral Issue in an Age of Disaffiliation," co-sponsored by the USCCB Committee on Doctrine and the McGrath Institute for Church Life, held in collaboration with the Society of Catholic Scientists, running February 23–25. She discusses how the "conflict" between faith and science is a socially constructed boundary rather than an inherent one, referencing sociologist Christian Smith's critique of the discipline's secular assumptions. She also outlines three models of clergy engagement with science — critical, disengaged, and "engaged/hospitable" — and connects the conversation to Pope Leo XIV's May 2026 encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence. Segment 3: From the Classroom to the Culture The discussion turns to how Catholic schools can model integration between faith and science, with a nod to the work of Dr. Chris Baglow, who leads the Science & Religion Initiative at Notre Dame's McGrath Institute for Church Life, and Heather Foucault-Camm, the initiative's program director. Dr. Upenieks also references her published research with Dr. Brandon Vaidyanathan, a sociologist at the Catholic University of America, on awe, spirituality, and wellbeing among academic scientists. The episode closes with a cautiously hopeful look at recent conversion trends and what it will take to rebuild trust between the Church and the scientific community. This episode is brought to you by Serra Vocations Ministry. Learn more at JoinSerra.org. Listen to new episodes of Making It Personal with Bishop William Joensen every week at IowaCatholicRadio.com. Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Jul 18

    The Doctor and the Eucharist: Dr. Diana Marar on Faith, Medicine, and Ministry in Council Bluffs – 07/18/2026

    Segment 1: Diocesan News & Community Updates Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill open with news from around the diocese and beyond: The Archdiocese of St. Louis celebrates its bicentennial this weekend, with Bishop Joensen joining Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski and fellow Midwest bishops for vespers at the Old Cathedral and Mass at the New Cathedral. The National Biking for Babies ride passed through Des Moines this week, stopping at St. Francis of Assisi Parish for Mass with over 200 gathered. The ride, founded nearly two decades ago, has raised more than $2.5 million for pregnancy resource centers, including those in central Iowa. A special Mass for Our Lady of Mount Carmel marked the arrival of the Pilgrim Mother statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, touring the Diocese of Des Moines ahead of the 500th anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe's apparitions in 2031. The statue's diocesan tour stops include St. Ambrose Cathedral, Our Lady of the Americas, Our Lady of the Immaculate Heart, St. Boniface in Waukee, St. Bernard in Osceola, and Corpus Christi in Council Bluffs. A special Mass at Our Lady of the Americas featured Auxiliary Bishop Silvio Báez of Managua, Nicaragua, who has been living in exile due to political persecution in his home country and currently teaches at a seminary in Miami. Segment 2 & 3: Conversation with Dr. Diana Marar Dr. Diana Marar, an internal medicine physician practicing at West Broadway Clinic in Council Bluffs and a member of St. Patrick's Parish, joins Bishop Joensen and Jean Thill to share her story: Raised in a Melkite (Byzantine) Christian family in Jordan, Dr. Marar became Catholic after marrying her husband, also a physician. She and her husband came to the U.S. on a J-1 visa, serving an underserved community in Oakland, Iowa, before settling in Council Bluffs, where they've raised five children. Dr. Marar describes how she integrates faith into her medical practice, encouraging patients toward prayer and the sacraments alongside clinical care. She shares the story of how she overcame cultural hesitation about touching the Eucharist as a woman, describing a conversation with Bishop Joensen that helped affirm her call. After training with a fellow parishioner, Dr. Marar began a weekly ministry distributing Holy Communion to patients at Mercy Hospital and later Methodist Hospital in Council Bluffs. This episode is sponsored by Serra Vocations Ministry of Council Bluffs and Des Moines, supporting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Learn more at Serra Vocations Ministry. #MakingItPersonal #BishopJoensen #CatholicPodcast #IowaCatholicRadio #CouncilBluffs #DiocsseOfDesMoines #CatholicFaith #Eucharist #EucharisticMinister #CatholicDoctor #FaithAndMedicine #OurLadyOfGuadalupe #PilgrimMother #BikingForBabies #CatholicNews #SaintPatricksChurch #CatholicConversion #Evangelization #ProLife #SilvioBaez Listen Live · Program Schedule · Our Stations LINKS You can follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok! More on our website. If you would like to support Iowa Catholic Radio you can donate Here! More from Iowa Catholic Radio: Sunday Dive with Katie PatrizioMan Up! with Joe StopulosCatholic Women Now with Chris Magruder and Julie NelsonThe Uncommon Good with Bo Bonner and Dr. Bud MarrBe Not Afraid with Fr. Fabian Moncada and Fr. Bruce RiebeBe Not Afraid en Español con el P. Fabián MoncadaMaking it Personal with Bishop William JoensenFaith and Family Finance with Gregory WaddleThe Great Men of the Bible with Joe Stopulos Liturgy & Devotions The Daily Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick SmithThe Daily Mass from St. Francis of AssisiThe Daily Mass from St. Pius XThe Daily Mass from St. TheresaSunday Mass from the Basilica of Saint JohnWant to support your favorite show? Click Here Iowa Catholic Radio - Connecting People to Christ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

See All (325)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Bishop William Joensen of the Diocese of Des Moines gets personal with his guests discussing both their personal and spiritual life.

Information