Beyond The Beacon
Join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Communications Director Jai Agnish of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., as they discuss current events and topics relevant to the local Church in Paterson and the global Catholic Church. Bishop Sweeney answers questions from listeners, interviews guests, and shares reflections and insights helpful for all striving to live a life of faith, hope, and love.
Episodes
67 episodes since 2023
Join: The March For Life is coming to NJ
Any Catholic deeply involved in the pro-life movement has likely attended a March for Life in Washington, D.C. during its 50-year history. For those in New Jersey, the movement is coming to the Garden State on Sept. 26 in Trenton for the first ...
September 05, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 67
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43:13
Catholic higher education in the mainstream secular world
Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, the president of The Catholic University of America, joins Bishop Kevin Sweeney to discuss the challenges of leading a Catholic university in an increasingly secularized culture. Born a Methodist, he also talks about his f...
August 30, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 66
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45:05
Sacerdote regresa a Cuba para un año de misión
El Padre Dailon Lisabet es oriundo de Cuba y emigro a los EE.UU. cuando tenia 19 años. Llego a Nueva Jersey, donde fue ordenado sacerdote para la Diocesis de Paterson en el 2019. Las semillas de su llamado al sacerdocio comenzaron a germinar cu...
August 22, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 65
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11:52
Priest returns to Cuba for a special mission year
Father Dailon Lisabet left Cuba for the United States when he was 19 years old and found his way to New Jersey where he was ordained a priest of the diocese in 2019. In many ways, the seeds of his priestly calling began as a teenager in Cuba wh...
August 15, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 64
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33:58
Exploring the diocesan archives for the first time
Bishop Kevin Sweeney tours the diocesan archives for the first time in a special simulpodcast episode of Beyond The Beacon and Coffee with Kupke. With the help of historian, archivist, and pastor Msgr. Ray Kupke, the bishop unearths some of the...
August 09, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 63
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51:29
The National Eucharistic Congress has concluded. Now what?
On Beyond The Beacon episode 62, meet two couples, who recently returned from the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. Tobi and Anne Ippolito, who are parents of three grown children, are parishioners of Holy Family Church in...
August 01, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 62
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48:21
What are the old and new ways Franciscans pass on the faith?
Each of our guests is a priest. One is a doctor and educator, another a future immigration lawyer, and the other has a heart for social justice at the border, on death row, on the streets, and in his suburban backyard. They are Father Chris Van...
July 18, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 61
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43:54
Future priests discover their unique call at Quo Vadis retreat
Where are you going? In Latin, it translates to “Quo Vadis” and in Beyond The Beacon episode 60 learn what that means as we travel again on location to Shiloh Bible Camp in West Milford, N.J. for the 2024 Quo Vadis discernment retre...
July 09, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 60
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30:22
Addiction stole his big league career but sobriety gave him a new life
Former Major League Baseball pitcher and Paterson native Michael Jackson shares his remarkable story of making the big leagues, overcoming addiction, and going on to assist others as a counselor. Also joining Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Jai Agnish...
June 20, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 59
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48:08
58: 'Hollywood priest' ministers to the stars and makes films
Paulist Father Tom Gibbons, a New Jersey native, joins Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney and Jai Agnish to discuss ministering in Hollywood while producing and directing films of his own with Paulist Productions. His new documentary "Hollywood Priest: Th...
June 13, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 58
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46:59
57: A lifetime of saving babies and caring for mothers
On Beyond the Beacon episode 57, co-founder of Good Counsel Homes Christopher Bell speaks about the pro-life efforts of he and his wife Joan Andrews Bell for nearly 40 years. Joan is a legendary advocate for life, recently sentenced to 27 month...
June 06, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 57
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41:48
56: Vibrant college for religious sisters transforms the world
“Teach a sister, touch the world!” This is the motto of Assumption College for Sisters, an accredited college sponsored by the Sisters of Christian Charity (SCC), which educates religious sisters called to consecrated life from the Paterson Dio...
May 31, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 56
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47:56
55: Military chaplains explain the special significance of Memorial Day
Two priests join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Jai Agnish to discuss what life is like as chaplains for the United States Armed Forces. Bishop Kevin also offers a special Memorial Day blessing.Guests Father Michael Parisi and Father Matt Paw...
May 25, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 55
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47:42
54: How students connect faith and technology in high school
Seven students from Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta discuss producing their podcast, technology and the impact of artificial intelligence, leading spiritual retreats, and their student-led Bible study. Accompanied by Fath...
May 16, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 54
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43:24
53: Miracles in Lourdes: love and healing to the sick
While every Catholic pilgrimage site offers a journey of spiritual wonder, the mission of a Lourdes pilgrimage is specific: bringing love and healing to the sick.On Beyond the Beacon episode 53, Bishop Kevin Sweeney discusses with Jai A...
May 09, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 53
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40:48
52: The Catholic annulment: when love isn't happily ever after
Sometimes, when a man and a woman enter a marriage with the best of intentions, it may still end badly. Thankfully, the Catholic Church has a process to determine if a marriage that ended badly may be declared invalid. The process is called an ...
May 02, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 52
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44:22
51: Bishop Kevin responds to new email and social media comments
What is the right age for confirmation? Why was my priest assigned to a different parish? Should parish pastoral councils be mandatory? Is it OK to wash the feet of people in jail? Bishop Kevin Sweeney responds to these questions, critiques, an...
April 18, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 51
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51:12
50: The beautiful gift of faith-filled friendships
What role does faith play when building friendships? This week on Beyond the Beacon’s 50th episode, a group of students, along with Colette Geraghty, campus minister, from Villa Walsh Academy (VWA) in Morristown, join Bishop Kevin ...
April 12, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 50
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52:28
49: Now we journey with Jesus during Holy Week
The Easter Season is an opportunity to renew our baptismal promises and recommit ourselves to Christ. For episode 49 of Beyond The Beacon, Bishop Kevin Sweeney reflects on the significance of Holy Week. Learn what it's like to experience Holy W...
March 27, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 49
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33:38
48: Sisterhood ministry brings love and hope to women after miscarriage
What does “I am 1 in 4” mean? There’s a population of women who know exactly what this means firsthand. It means they lost a child through miscarriage. On Episode 48 of Beyond the Beacon, Jennifer Nelson joins Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney an...
March 21, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 48
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43:18
47: A beautiful faith breakthrough for a teen and his dad
What's the secret to passing on the faith? A father and teenage son explore the nuances of this question and more with Bishop Kevin Sweeney and co-host Jai Agnish for episode 47 of Beyond The Beacon. Dennis Dalelio and his oldest son, Eli, -- c...
March 14, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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43:42
46: How church history inspires our faith now
How can history inspire our faith? Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Jai Agnish visit Our Lady of the Magnificat in Kinnelon, N.J., for a remote podcast episode. On display in the church narthex is a giant museum-quality photo exhibition of the Shroud o...
March 07, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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41:44
45: New synod listening sessions welcome everyone to the conversation!
How do you have a "spiritual conversation?" Father Paul Manning and Maria Moncaleano join Bishop Kevin Sweeney and Jai Agnish to discuss the interim phase of the Synod on Synodality and new listening sessions. All are welcome to listeni...
February 28, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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41:06
44: Confession. What's the big deal? Do I really need to go?
Lent -- and any time, really -- is an opportunity for us to consider the sacrament of reconciliation. Not only does penance free us from our sins, but it also challenges us to have the same kind of compassion and forgiveness for those who sin a...
February 23, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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49:14
43: Love beyond words. What a Christian marriage really looks like
Have you ever asked: How can I be a better husband? How can I be a better wife? We attempt to answer those questions and more. This week's guests are Brian and Eniola (Eni) Honsberger, a loving Catholic couple celebrating 15 years of ma...
February 15, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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50:23