The Episcopal Podcast

S2EP17

In Episode 16, Bishop Richard speaks with Fr. Don Richardson, Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. They discuss Church Architecture and Fr Don's new book, Beauty and Light with Faith. Fr Don Richardson has been Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral since 2016, but his association with the cathedral goes back further. He regards St Mary’s as his spiritual home, a sanctuary where people are given a glimpse of the divine even in the midst of life’s worldly cares.  As a young working man Fr Richardson worshipped regularly at St Mary’s. He became an acolyte there, and in 1985 he worked full-time as the sacristan. It was then that he began to make notes on the cathedral’s stained glass windows. A trip to see the great cathedrals of Britain, and his seminary studies from 1986, helped enrich his appreciation for St Mary’s. For several years each January, during the seminary summer breaks, he returned to the cathedral to conduct daily guided tours.  Ordained a priest in St Mary’s in 1992, Fr Richardson went on to serve successively in the Sydney parishes of Mount Pritchard and Menai. Then, appointed Assistant Priest at the cathedral by Cardinal Clancy in 1997, he remained there until the end of 2003. Fr Richardson subsequently took up the pastoral care of the parish of Dulwich Hill until, in 2009, Cardinal Pell asked him to do postgraduate studies at the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein, near Chicago, in the United States. This study further deepened his appreciation of how the cathedral’s stained glass windows can draw people towards God.  Fr Richardson returned to Sydney in 2010 to serve as Parish Priest of Woollahra and as Director of the Archdiocesan Liturgy Office, and he remained at Woollahra until his appointment back to the cathedral as Administrator and Dean by Archbishop Fisher in 2016. He thinks he has the best job in the whole Australian Church.

In Episode 16, Bishop Richard speaks with Fr. Don Richardson, Dean of St. Mary's Cathedral in Sydney. They discuss Church Architecture and Fr Don's new book, Beauty and Light with Faith. Fr Don Richardson has been Dean of St Mary’s Cathedral since 2016, but his association with the cathedral goes back further. He regards St Mary’s as his spiritual home, a sanctuary where people are given a glimpse of the divine even in the midst of life’s worldly cares.  As a young working man Fr Richardson worshipped regularly at St Mary’s. He became an acolyte there, and in 1985 he worked full-time as the sacristan. It was then that he began to make notes on the cathedral’s stained glass windows. A trip to see the great cathedrals of Britain, and his seminary studies from 1986, helped enrich his appreciation for St Mary’s. For several years each January, during the seminary summer breaks, he returned to the cathedral to conduct daily guided tours.  Ordained a priest in St Mary’s in 1992, Fr Richardson went on to serve successively in the Sydney parishes of Mount Pritchard and Menai. Then, appointed Assistant Priest at the cathedral by Cardinal Clancy in 1997, he remained there until the end of 2003. Fr Richardson subsequently took up the pastoral care of the parish of Dulwich Hill until, in 2009, Cardinal Pell asked him to do postgraduate studies at the Liturgical Institute at Mundelein, near Chicago, in the United States. This study further deepened his appreciation of how the cathedral’s stained glass windows can draw people towards God.  Fr Richardson returned to Sydney in 2010 to serve as Parish Priest of Woollahra and as Director of the Archdiocesan Liturgy Office, and he remained at Woollahra until his appointment back to the cathedral as Administrator and Dean by Archbishop Fisher in 2016. He thinks he has the best job in the whole Australian Church.

In Episode 15 Bishop Richard Umbers is joined by Dean of St Pauls College Sydney, Dr Antone Martinho-Truswell and Dr Michael Elias from the CSIRO, to discuss the relationship between the theory of evolution and the Catholic faith. Dr Antone Martinho-Truswell is Dean of St Pauls College Sydney and Research Associate of the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford, hiscontinuing research is focused primarily on learning and cognition in birds, primarily using mallard ducklings as a model. Dr Michael Elias has a PhD in Systematic Entomology and Phylogenetic, and currently works for the Australian National Insect Collection at Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). 

S2EP14

S2EP13

In this episode, Bishop Umbers, Silvana Scarfe and Matt Tan discuss the Four Last Things in an episode on "Eschatology". Eschatology, Joseph Ratzinger

Bishop Umbers and Silvana chat with guest, Thomas Wilson, the Director of Music for St Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. In this episode, Thomas speaks about the importance of Sacred Music and it's place in the Liturgy, what the day-to-day life of a Director of Music for the Mother Church in Australia looks like, and some tips for those not familiar with sacred music. Thomas's suggested composers to check-out: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Thomas Tallis William Byrd Listen to Thomas' podcast Staved Off. For more information on St Mary's Cathedral Choir, including hearing recordings, click here. To view online livestreams of Holy Mass and other Liturgical celebrations from St Mary's Cathedral, check out their YouTube page here.

In this episode, Bishop Umbers and Silvana speak with Professor Tracey Rowland about her forthcoming book titled Beyond Kant and Nietzsche: the Munich Defence of Christian Humanism (2021). Each of the key figures covered in Prof Rowland's book is someone who was influential in Munich in the years between the end of the First World War and the end of the Second World War, and impacted a young Josef Ratzinger (Benedict XVI). In this episode of the podcast, we look at the life and writings of Servant of God, Romano Guardini.

In this episode, Bishop Richard and Silvana speak with Dr Paul Morrissey, President of Campion College Australia, about the ins and outs of the liberal arts, the benefits of studying a liberal education and what Campion College offers, as Australia's first Liberal Arts college. To find out more about Campion College, click on this link: https://www.campion.edu.au/

In this episode, Bishop Umbers and Silvana are joined by Anna Krohn to discuss the life, writings and philosophy of Dietrich von Hildebrand (1889-1977). To find out more about research, conferences, reading groups,  discussion and on-line news in the promotion of the thought and life of Dietrich von Hildebrand - the Hildebrand Project - based at Franciscan University Steubenville is a great one-stop spot: http://www.hildebrandproject.org/

In this episode Bishop Umbers chats with Richard Sharpe and Jeremy McLellan about all things humour, wit, and stand-up comedy in light of the phenomenology of the human person. Richard Sharpe is a Latin Tutor at the Lyceum Institute. An American and cradle Catholic, his undergraduate and graduate studies in philosophy brought him to a study of the phenomenology of the human person, especially the nature of humour and its role in our lives. He’s also had an on and off addiction to performing at open mic comedy nights. Jeremy McLellan is an American stand-up comedian and Catholic convert. He was recently awarded a Teaching Fellowship at Word on Fire Ministries and was named a “New Face of Comedy” at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. Before the pandemic Jeremy completed sold-out tours in the US, Canada, UK, and Pakistan.

In this episode, Bishop Umbers and Silvana chat with Michael Harazin, who is about to commence post-graduate studies in Assyriology and Archaeology, about the cultures which shaped the Ancient Near East and Mesopotamia.

Bishop Umbers and Silvana dive into the world of architecture with Kamila Soh - a postgraduate student and tutor of architectural history and theory at UNSW.

In this episode, Bishop Umbers and Silvana chat with Bishop Daniel Flores, Bishop of the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas, about St Thomas Aquinas\'s Commentaries on Sacred Scripture. \r\n

In this week\'s episode, Bishop Umbers, Silvana and Tom Gourlay dive into the world of Christopher Dawson, a twentieth-century British scholar. \r\nResources:\r\nProgress & Religion: An Historical Inquiry by Christopher Dawson\r\nThe Dawson Society\r\nMacrina Magazine\r\n

In this episode, Bishop Umbers and Matt Tan discuss the works and thought of Canadian philosopher, Charles Taylor, with our guest, the Bishop of Wagga Wagga, Bishop Mark Edwards OMI. \r\nResources:\r\nCharles Taylor\r\n

In this episode, Bishop Umbers and Silvana Scarfe discuss post-modernism with Natasha Marsh, lecturer and tutor. What is post-modernism and what are its defining features? What can we learn from post-modernism as Catholics? Resources: Jean Francois Lyotard A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens

In our final episode for the season, Bishop Richard and Matthew discuss Buddhism with Ben Moretti, a data scientist who has been involved in Buddhism for 30 years and was President of the Buddhist Society of SA.   Who was the Buddha? What do some of the Buddhist catchphrases actually mean? Are there things that Catholics and Buddhists can learn from one another?

In this episode, Bishop Richard and Matthew Tan interview Fr Harrison Ayre, half of the famous Clerically Speaking podcast, to discuss the thought of Joseph Ratzinger or Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. We find out the influence of Augustine, the importance of bureaucracy and the centrality of the heart. Resources Harrison Ayre & Michael Heinlen's new book on the pandemic, Finding Christ in the Crisis: What the Pandemic can Teach Us.