Today, we celebrate Father's Day in the Year of St. Joseph and Bret Thoman, founder of St. Francis Pilgrimages in Loreto, Italy and author of many books about St. Francis of Assisi, calls in to the program to talk about a couple of ancient artifacts associated with St. Joseph. First up is the Holy House, which is located in Loreto, Italy. There's a long-held belief that angels miraculously transported the home from Nazareth to Italy in the 13th century three years before the Holy Land was ransacked by Muslim invaders. Forensic study has proven the wood and stones within the Holy House originate from the Middle East. The second item Bret discusses with Gus is Santo Anello, or the wedding ring of the Blessed Virgin Mary given to her by St. Joseph. It too is located in Italy at the Catheral of San Lorenzo in Perugia, Italy. Bret goes into detail at both and points out that these are Catholic traditions with a small "t" in that there is no irrefutable truth that either of these artifacts are absolutely authentic but belief has been passed down for generations and are useful in reinforcing belief in Jesus Christ and the Holy Family.
Later, Steve Wood, founder of dads.org and Family Life Center International calls in to the show. Much of Steve's ministry has centered around St. Joseph and he shares some of the resources that are available to fathers, and mothers, at dads.org.
Also, Gus is joined by Montse Alvarado, VP and executive director of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, to talk about their 9-0 Supreme Court victory which was handed down in the case of Catholic Social Services v. the City of Philadelphia. The court unanimously agreed that municipalities can't discriminate against religious organizations, because of their long-held beliefs, in cases of adoptions.
And it's Friday so that means Prayer Time and Friday w/the Fathers. Gus continues St. Irenaues' "Against Heresies."
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