
Advertise on podcast: The Catholic Herald Podcast: Merely Catholic with Gavin Ashenden
Rating
4.7from
This podcast has
11 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Merely CatholicExplicit
No
Date created
2022/04/12
Latest episode
2026/10/09
Average duration
32 min.
Release period
14 days
Description
On the Catholic Herald's weekly podcast, Gavin Ashenden and guests will reflect on what's happening in the Christian world; and shed some light on the most important cultural, spiritual and moral issues of the day.
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Podcast episodes
Check latest episodes from The Catholic Herald Podcast: Merely Catholic with Gavin Ashenden podcast
The child-free lie and the real Catholic revival | In conversation with Pierpaolo Finaldi
2026/10/09
Andrew Cusack speaks to Pierpaolo Finaldi, who leads the Catholic Truth Society, about what raising seven children in London has taught him about generosity and service, and why so many young people are putting off marriage and family life. The conversation moves from hearing the Dies Irae for the first time in its proper liturgical setting to Britain's flourishing choral tradition, and from Cardinal Vaughan's founding vision for the CTS to why YouTube has become "the new parish rack". Finaldi also suggests where a newcomer to the faith might begin and explains why the society's sales of RCIA books, with its Evangelium course doubling, persuade him that the revival is real.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With UK | Episode #2
In Conversation With UK is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Andrew Cusack, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Andrew Cusack
Guest: Jacob Phillips
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
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Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
Defending Benedict's legacy and the state of Christian England | In conversation with Jacob Phillips
2026/09/18
Andrew Cusack speaks to Professor Jacob Phillips, about the theological legacy of Benedict XVI, from his lifelong engagement with history and the Second Vatican Council to where a reader might begin with his work today. The conversation moves from Newman and the German Anglophile tradition to whether England remains a post-Christian country, and from the ethics of assisted dying to migration and the balance between love of neighbour and love of nation.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With UK | Episode #1
In Conversation With UK is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Andrew Cusack, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Andrew Cusack
Guest: Jacob Phillips
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
Is Catholic education beyond repair? | In conversation with Dr Jonathan J Sanford
2026/07/15
Dr Jonathan J Sanford, president of the University of Dallas, joins Mary Margaret Olohan to discuss why he believes artificial intelligence can never replace a genuine liberal arts education, how the University of Dallas has produced 12 bishops and the US ambassador to the Holy See through its core curriculum and why he says the Catholic universities that broke from the Church in the 1960s Land O'Lakes movement traded away their excellence.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #8
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Claire Lai
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
The man China fears most | In conversation with Claire Lai
2026/07/08
Is one of the world's most prominent Catholic journalists being slowly broken in a Hong Kong prison cell? Claire Lai joins Mary Margaret Olsen to tell the story of her father Jimmy Lai — founder of Apple Daily, convicted under a law written to destroy him — and the remarkable faith that has held him through 1,927 days of solitary confinement. With Britain and the Trump administration now raising his case, she has one request: don't let him be forgotten.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #7
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Claire Lai
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
Is political cowardice keeping abortion legal? | In conversation with Chris Smith
2026/07/01
What does it actually cost to spend nearly five decades defending life on Capitol Hill? Mary Margaret sits down with Congressman Chris Smith, co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus, to trace a career built on hate mail, death threats, and legislation most Americans have never heard of. Smith authored the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 — the law used to convict Ghislaine Maxwell and nearly 5,000 other exploiters — and its follow-up bill has already died twice in the Senate. On abortion, he cites a study finding nearly 1 in 10 women suffer serious complications from the abortion pill, and argues the silence around it isn't caution, it's a cover-up nobody in power wants to answer for. After watching colleague after colleague abandon the pro-life cause once they reached higher office, Smith's conclusion is blunt: conviction, not caution, is the only thing that's ever actually held the line.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #8
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Chris Smith
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
Why the pro-life movement feels abandoned by Trump | In conversation with Marjorie Dannenfelser
2026/06/24
Is the pro-life movement winning the argument while losing the battle on the ground? Mary Margaret sits down with Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, to take stock of the movement in the wake of Dobbs. Despite 20 states passing strong pro-life protections, abortion rates have climbed, driven by an unregulated flood of abortion pills no one in power seems willing to restrict. Dannenfelser argues that the Republican silence on life isn't political prudence, it's political suicide: a base depressed is a base that stays home. With the 2028 presidential field already taking shape, she makes the case that courage on this issue isn't just a moral obligation. It's the only strategy that works.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #5
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Marjorie Dannenfelser
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
How Christians should speak in a culture of lies | In conversation with Fr Gregory Pine
2026/06/17
Is telling the truth the most countercultural act in an age of lies? Mary Margaret sits down with Fr Gregory Pine OP, Dominican priest and author, to examine the moral and spiritual weight of speech. From the algorithms that quietly corrupt Christian witness online, to the sins of gossip and detraction that substitute for genuine communion, Pine argues that every word we speak is either an investment in relationship or a foreclosure on it — and that truth-telling, however inconvenient, is the only foundation on which a shared life can be built.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #4
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Fr Gregory Pine
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
The moral case for good manners | In conversation with Alison Cherperdak
2026/06/11
Can etiquette and faith actually change minds — or just smooth over conflict? Mary Margaret sits down with Alison Cheperdak, etiquette author and former White House staffer, to examine what good manners are really for. From her Irish Catholic upbringing and time in the Trump West Wing, to navigating conversations about abortion and the quiet return of younger women to tradition, Cheperdak argues that etiquette is not about performance but about respect — and that it may be the one thing AI can never replace.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #3
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Alison Cheperdak
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
Can Ireland be Catholic again? | In conversation with Declan Ganley
2026/06/03
Is Ireland's Catholic revival real — or is the establishment determined to bury it? Mary Margaret Olohan sits down with Declan Ganley, Irish entrepreneur and political campaigner, to examine the true state of Catholicism in Ireland. From the rigging of the 2018 abortion referendum and the blocking of a pro-life presidential candidate, to the iconoclasm of a president who stripped Saint Patrick of his title, Ganley speaks candidly about what Ireland has lost and what may be returning. He also addresses mass migration, the withholding of crime statistics, children missing from state care, and why he believes the alternatives to the Gospel have been tried, tested, and found wanting.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #2
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Declan Ganley
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
Can faith still shape America? | In conversation with Rick Santorum
2026/05/27
Is faith returning to American public life? Mary Margaret Olohan sits down with former Senator Rick Santorum to discuss the changing place of Catholicism in American politics. From the rise of more outspoken Catholic voices in politics to the battle over marriage, education, family life and moral truth, Santorum reflects on what has changed in the United States, and what is still at stake. He also speaks candidly about homeschooling, faith in public office, the loss of his son, and why he came to see his public witness as inseparable from his Catholic faith.
🔴 THIS SERIES
In Conversation With | Episode #1
In Conversation With is a Catholic Herald podcast hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan, featuring candid discussions on politics, culture, faith and the Church.
🔴 CREDITS
Host: Mary Margaret Olohan
Guest: Senator Rick Santorum
Film Crew: Cavern Collective
Production Team: Arcadia Digital
🔴 SUBSCRIPTIONS
Since 1888, the Catholic Herald has been one of the leading voices of Catholic thought, reporting, and commentary around the world.
As a subscriber, you’ll gain full access to our journalism—offering serious analysis, faithful reporting, and informed perspectives on the issues shaping the Church and the world.Join us here: https://thecatholicherald.com/subscribe
🔴 SOCIAL MEDIA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catholic.herald/
X: https://x.com/CatholicHerald
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicHeraldMagazine
🔴 WEBSITES
For more content, visit our website: https://thecatholicherald.com/
🔴 SUBSCRIBE
Subscribing to this channel helps us to grow and reach more people. It's simple and free, and we'd greatly appreciate it.
TRAILER: In conversation with Rick Santorum
2026/05/27
This is a new video series by the Catholic Herald titled In Conversation With, hosted by Mary Margaret Olohan. Each episode features in-depth discussions with leading voices in politics, culture, and the Church, exploring the defining moral, spiritual, and social questions of our time. With a focus on clarity, conviction, and the renewal of faith in public life, the series offers thoughtful, candid conversations rooted in the Catholic tradition. New episodes are released fortnightly on Wednesday at 7pm.
Podcast reviews
Read The Catholic Herald Podcast: Merely Catholic with Gavin Ashenden podcast reviews
jennygrimes 2024/04/19
Intelligent AND accessible
Wonderful podcast on current issues affecting the Church and Western culture. Intelligent without being arrogant and very accessible to the thoughtful...
Seaching for Truth and Light 2024/03/08
Thank You
As a Protestant Christian my entire life with a newfound interest in Catholicism, and an even bigger interest in understanding truth, I’m thrilled to ...
Captain Chris Thomas 2024/02/02
Snob who is still Protestant at heart
Occasionally an interesting interview. Still a Protestant no matter what he says.
TruthStanding 2023/09/06
So thankful for this podcast!
Thank you for your articulate voice of reason, and for your powerful testimony.
Native Kentucky Son 2023/05/09
Thoughtful, well done podcast
I listened to Gavin Ashden for the first time today, and it won’t be the last.
Joseph Hromy 2022/05/24
Interesting and unique podcast
This is a really great podcast. Very different in the topics discussed on Catholic issues. Highly recommended
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