Hope, Vaccines, and Moral Compass in a Turbulent New Year

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 masks, distancing, and hygiene. They reflect on religious figures who died in 2020, including Latin scholar Fr. Reginald Foster, and explore mentors who act as “moral compasses,” highlighting youth ministry. Bishop recaps Christmas liturgies at the cathedral under Monsignor Richard Gillis and shares encouragement about new priests and seminarians. The show also features stories of community ingenuity and compassion, commentary on fast-moving news and reporting, a closing prayer and blessing, and a final reflection on hate as rooted in pain.

00:00 Show Intro

00:21 New Year Greetings

01:11 Church Outreach During Lockdowns

03:08 Choosing Hope in 2021

04:48 Vaccines and Needle Fears

07:51 Winter Beauty and Hoar Frost

09:51 Remembering Faith Leaders Lost

14:46 Moral Compass Mentors

21:32 Weekly COVID-19 Report

23:33 Christmas Season Recap

24:26 Cathedral Updates and Young Families

27:18 New Priests in a Tough Year

28:29 Checking on Seminarians

30:13 Finding Home in La Crosse

31:41 Generosity in a Snowstorm

34:51 Pandemic Help Through Charities

36:53 Ingenuity and Moral Compass

39:49 Hope After DC Chaos

45:34 Media Decline and Critical Thinking

49:58 Vaccines and Staying Hopeful

52:11 Prayer Blessing and Signoff

53:17 Final Reflection and Closing Hymn