Episodes

Host Jack Socha welcomes local cuisine expert Cathy Cooper to discuss how people cooking for one or two during the pandemic can break out of a “same old” routine without complicated shopping. Cooper shares practical ideas using pantry and freezer staples, including jambalaya-style meals with sausage, beans and rice; salmon patties with quality canned seafood; quick steamed mussels; simple desserts like blender chocolate mousse, melted-chocolate fruit, and mocktails. They emphasize food safety—wa...

Host Jack Socha welcomes Fr. Conrad Targonski, OFM, Viterbo University chaplain and campus minister, who explains the meaning of OFM (Order of Friars Minor), the symbolism of the Franciscan habit, and his work on campus and in the community. They discuss how COVID-19 has been a time of grace, adaptation, and spiritual deepening for students and the wider community, including continued masks and precautions even after vaccination. Fr. Targonski shares his 22 years as a Navy chaplain serving Marin...

Host Jack Socha interviews Sister Karen Lueck, a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration and author of "Cheering for the Good: Leading When It Matters," about leading by recognizing goodness in oneself and others. Lueck shares stories from her high-school cheerleading and how it shaped her approach to uniting people’s energy toward shared purpose, emphasizing her belief that “there’s a leader in every chair.” Drawing on her background in pastoral counseling and a Doctor of Ministry focused on w...

Jack Socha hosts a “reporter’s notebook” episode of Connecting the Diocese, reflecting on the pre-inauguration and inauguration, including excerpts from Jesuit Fr. Leo O’Donovan’s invocation and comments from Bishop William P. Callahan on faith, life, evangelization, and hope. The program features updates from Monsignor Joseph Hirsch at Casa Hogar Juan Pablo Segundo in Peru, with interviews of boys describing pandemic life and a 17-year-old student balancing studies, breadmaking, and music at Ma...

Host Jack Socha introduces a “patchwork” episode of Connecting the Diocese amid a fast-changing national climate, winter weather, and COVID-19, urging prayer for the country and even those causing unrest. Bishop William P. Callahan explains how to begin a prayer life as simple, ongoing dialogue with God—starting with a greeting, practicing small acts of reverence, speaking honestly in any circumstance, and growing trust—while drawing parallels to how talking helps people work through problems. A...

Host Jack Socha welcomes Bishop William Patrick Callahan for a New Year episode of “Connecting the Diocese” focused on hope and resilience amid COVID-19 disruptions. They discuss how the Diocese of La Crosse has served parishioners through livestreams, print, and radio, and encourage vaccination while addressing fears about needles and noting medical advances. Jack offers a COVID-19 update about a more transmissible variant and warns that overwhelmed hospitals affect all emergencies, urging mask...

Host Jack Socha welcomes Viterbo University servant-leadership professor Tom Thibodeau for the first show of 2021, reflecting on timeless principles amid the pandemic. Thibodeau describes Viterbo’s safety adaptations, the frontline sacrifices of nursing students working as CNAs, and the broader “collective transition” or “life quake” described in Bruce Feiler’s Life in Transition. He shares three lessons: technology’s benefits, the irreplaceable value of face-to-face trust, and cultural vulnerab...

Jack Socha and Bishop William Patrick Callahan share Christmas greetings on Connecting the Diocese (Dec. 26–27) and reflect on the season as the beginning of Christmas, thanking delivery workers and local merchants for help during the pandemic. The bishop explains key days in the Christmas Octave and beyond, including St. Stephen, the Holy Family, the Holy Innocents, St. Sylvester, and Jan. 1 as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (a holy day of obligation), emphasizing that Jesus is God and th...

In this Fourth Sunday of Advent episode of Connecting the Diocese, host Jack Socha speaks with Bishop William Patrick Callahan of the Diocese of La Crosse about checking parish and cathedral Christmas Mass times as schedules are moved up. The bishop describes a quieter Christmas Day, a scaled-back dinner with savings donated to the Hunger Task Force, and encourages support for food pantries as pandemic hardship grows. They discuss screen fatigue and share nostalgic seasonal media, including Adve...