FR. JOHN RICCARDO, missionary and ACTS XXIX Executive Director. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1996. In 2019, after 23 years in parish ministry, he founded Acts XXIX to proclaim the gospel in an attractive and compelling way and to equip clergy and lay leaders for the age in which God has chosen us to live. Fr. John is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Gregorian University, and the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.
Fr. John Riccardo has hosted 109 Episodes.
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Episode 53: A Pastor Responds to His Flock
January 24th, 2024 | 8 mins 27 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
I can just imagine the eyerolls among some people this coming Sunday as this passage is proclaimed at Mass. There goes the Catholic Church again. Why is she always so down on marriage and sexuality and the things of this world?!
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Episode 52: A Scene Change is Coming
January 17th, 2024 | 7 mins 6 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
The line that I am personally dwelling on this week is the last one: “The world in its present form is passing away.”
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Episode 51: Pondering God’s Word on the Body
January 10th, 2024 | 5 mins 52 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
I was fortunate after ordination to the priesthood to spend several years studying the theology of the body in depth.
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Episode 50: Remodeling the House
January 3rd, 2024 | 9 mins 24 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
I had a conversation with a young woman recently that I can’t shake. Hers is a rather common tale: she grew up in a strong Catholic family, went to Catholic schools, got to college and drifted away....
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Episode 49: Reading Scripture On Our Knees
December 27th, 2023 | 9 mins 35 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Fr. John reflects on Colossians 3:12-21.
"We have acquired something of a habit of excising those parts of Scripture we find uncomfortable, confusing, and problematic. Hans Urs von Balthasar was fond of saying we need to do theology on our knees, and not at a desk. In other words, we need to let God’s Word pick us apart, not us pick it apart." -
Episode 48: Veiling and Unveiling the Mystery
December 20th, 2023 | 10 mins 21 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
This was originally an entirely different article. And then Monday happened.
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Episode 47: On Being 'Hopeful Lamenters'
December 13th, 2023 | 8 mins 49 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
We in ACTS XXIX think of this mission of ours as priests as being “hopeful lamenters.”
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Episode 46: You Are What You Eat
December 6th, 2023 | 8 mins 20 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
Without clarity on the mission, all sorts of negative results can and usually do occur.
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Episode 45: Jesus’ One Homily
November 29th, 2023 | 9 mins 8 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
I would argue that at the root of every temptation is the accusation that God is not a good Father and He cannot be trusted.
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Episode 44: Thankful for All of You!
November 22nd, 2023 | 9 mins 29 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
“ACTS XXIX is the most fruitful apostolate I’ve ever seen and been around..."
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Episode 43: How Do You See Things?
November 15th, 2023 | 7 mins 19 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
How, as believers in Jesus, are we to live in this time of “already and not yet?”
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Episode 42: Grieving With Hope
November 8th, 2023 | 7 mins 14 secs
acts xxix, actsxxix, encouragement, faith, fr. john riccardo, hope, inspiration, mission, prayer, reflections, weekly
When I was a younger priest I used to think I knew a lot more than I do now. As I’ve gotten older, I am less and less sure about many things.