Today on Kresta - January 28, 2011

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Jan. 28

4:00 - Sports Faith Hall of Fame
The legendary George Halas, the founder of the Chicago Bears and the coach for forty years, referred to God as the Divine Coach. His family described him as a man who didn’t always talk about his faith but lived it very strongly. Today his grandson follows in his traditions and as a board member of the Bears ensures the great traditions of faith and sportsmanship, initiated by George Halas, continues to flourish as part of the very essence of the Bears organization. Pat McCaskey is co-owner of the Bears and Founder & Chairman of Sports Faith International. He is here to tell us about this years’ Sports Faith Hall of Fame inductees and the new Catholic High School Hall of Fame.

4:20 – Affirming Love, Avoiding AIDS: What Africa Can Teach the West
In the fight against AIDS, abstinence-based programs that focus on changing behaviors rather than handing out condoms simply work better, says an AIDS expert. Matthew Hanley has been a HIV/AIDS technical adviser at Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for the last seven years and is the co-author of Avoiding Risk, Affirming Life: Science, Love, and AIDS. He is here to look at the programs and principles that have led to dropping rates of HIV prevalence in Africa.

5:00 – The End of the Bernardin Era
Cardinal Joseph L. Bernardin died on November 14, 1996, after a moving and profoundly Christian battle with pancreatic cancer that edified Americans across the political and religious spectrums. Bernadin was the first general secretary of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops (NCCB) in 1968. It was Bernardin who, more than anyone else, defined the structure’s bureaucratic ethos, which deferred to “the body’s” authority while establishing a conference “process” that gave its bureaucracy significant power and influence in U.S. Catholic affairs. As the conference’s voice increased, that of individual bishops tended to decrease. But George Weigel argues that with the election of Archbishop Timothy Dolan as President of the USCCB, the Bernardin era is over. George is here to help us understand what that era was about, what that machine embodied, and why we now have a different pattern of Episcopal leadership in the Catholic Church.

5:20 – Catholic Controversies: Understanding Church Teachings and Events in History
A new book entitled Catholic Controversies gives Catholics and others seeking the truth a valuable resource for correcting the most common misunderstandings and myths perpetuated by the media, university professors and the uninformed. It collects the very best articles addressing most of the “hot-button” issues used to undermine both the authority of the Church and the faith of Catholics, especially young people. The topics range from proofs of God’s existence to the Spanish Inquisition to human cloning and stem-cell research. Author Stephen Gabriel joins us.

5:40 – “The Rite”
Inspired by true events, “The Rite” follows skeptical seminary student and Deacon Michael Kodak (Colin O'Donoghue), who reluctantly attends an exorcism seminar at the Vatican. While in Rome, he meets an experienced exorcist, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the reality of spiritual warfare in its most extreme form. Nick Thomm has attended the junket for the film and has a review as well as some background from the cast and crew.