FR. JOHN RICCARDO, missionary and ACTS XXIX Executive Director. He was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit in 1996. In 2019, after 23 years in parish ministry, he founded Acts XXIX to proclaim the gospel in an attractive and compelling way and to equip clergy and lay leaders for the age in which God has chosen us to live. Fr. John is a graduate of the University of Michigan, the Gregorian University, and the Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.
Father John Riccardo has hosted 328 Episodes.
-
Episode 329: Jesus Has Risen,There’s Work To Do!
April 21st, 2025 | 23 mins 45 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Fr. John and Mary begin a new series for the Easter season focused on the urgent task of reclaiming and going about the mission of the Church.
-
Episode 328: The Sacrifice That Makes Holy
April 14th, 2025 | 29 mins 25 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this final episode of their Lenten series on Psalm 51, Fr. John and Mary reflect on how David’s acknowledgement of the need for a broken and contrite heart can prepare us to better understand and marvel at what Jesus is doing for us on the cross.
-
Episode 327: Are We Missionaries of Mercy?
April 7th, 2025 | 23 mins 55 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In their ongoing Lenten series on Psalm 51, Fr. John and Mary concentrate on how David is not only desperate to receive God’s mercy but to announce that He is merciful to others who are likewise in need of it.
-
Episode 326: Take Not Your Spirit From Me
March 31st, 2025 | 22 mins 55 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Continuing their Lenten series on Psalm 51, Fr. John and Mary linger with verses 11 and 12, highlighting David’s humility and self awareness that everything he has and is is a gift from God that could be taken away…and yet isn’t because of God’s great mercy.
-
Episode 325: Good But Not Safe
March 24th, 2025 | 19 mins 59 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
“Our God is a consuming fire,” Hebrews tells us, and so it is not safe to draw near Him. And yet God is Goodness itself and invites us into His presence. In this episode, as Fr. John and Mary continue to reflect on Psalm 51 they focus their attention on David’s cry, “Create in me, O God, a clean heart!”
-
Episode 324: No Excuses
March 17th, 2025 | 34 mins 38 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary continue their reflection on Psalm 51, reflecting this week especially on David’s tearful, no-excuse act of repentance and how he serves as a model for us.
-
Episode 323: Of All the Masters I Have Known, You Are the Kindest
March 10th, 2025 | 28 mins 18 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary continue their reflection for Lent on Psalm 51 and go deep with the unexpected and shocking love of God.
-
Episode 322: Can Sparks Set Fire to the Ocean of God’s Mercy?
March 3rd, 2025 | 32 mins 46 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary discuss how and why for Lent they’re going to be doing a series on Psalm 51. Today’s episode breaks open the background of this most hopeful Psalm of David.
-
Episode 321: Sticks, Stones, and Names
February 24th, 2025 | 37 mins 10 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary continue the conversation from last week’s episode on speech and consider how we as disciples of Jesus can be agents of recreation in our culture by how we speak, text and post.
-
Episode 320: Do Not Harm the Lord’s Anointed
February 17th, 2025 | 29 mins 44 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary reflect on how convicted they are by David’s extreme reticence to harm King Saul, a man who is actively trying to kill David, and offer an examination of conscience to consider focused on how we think and speak of others.
-
Episode 319: Putting Down Roots
February 10th, 2025 | 34 mins 18 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary discuss the parable that Jeremiah puts before us this Sunday and how we can move from being a barren shrub in the desert to a lush tree planted beside a river with deep roots.
-
Episode 318: Why Do Saints See Themselves as Sinners (and vice versa)?
February 3rd, 2025 | 27 mins 7 secs
christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
In this episode, Fr. John and Mary discuss the call of Isaiah and an unexpected reality all of the saints experience as they encounter the majestic and glorious God.