In the spirit of Super Bowl LIX, Gus is joined by Fr. Greg Shaffer, the team chaplain for the Washington Commanders of the NFL and the pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation in Darnestown, Maryland. He shares his vocation story, which contains two starts and stops in the seminary and then talks about his experiences ministering to professional athletes.
Later, Bob Dunning calls in to talk a little football with Gus, especially with the Super Bowl coming up this Sunday. They talk about the Hail Mary pass and how it got its name and then give their predictions for who will win the big game. And since the Super Bowl is one of if not the biggest gambling event, they also talk about the Catholic Church’s teaching on gambling.
Also, Dr. Matthew Bunson of EWTN News calls in to talk with Gus about several news items of Catholic interest, including the Trump administration’s temporary freeze on outgoing federal dollars in the effort of rooting out wasteful spending. Catholic Charities is among one of the affected organizations. They also talk about the Executive Order President Trump signed yesterday banning from biological males from participating in women’s sports at any school or university that receives federal dollars. They also talk about a bill in the State of Washington that, if passed, would require priests to report any instances of sex abuse of minors they hear about in the confessional. The bishop of the Diocese of Spokane, Thomas Daly, is urging Catholic voters to oppose it.
Afterward, Gus talks more about this proposed bill in Washington. Canon law stipulates that any priest who deliberately violates the seal of confession is automatically excommunicated. This isn’t the first time a government has tried to force priests to violate the seal, so Gus opens up the phones to listeners to get their takes on the subject.
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