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 307 Episodes.
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Episode 30: Be Not Afraid: Jesus Didn’t Die for Crowds
April 7th, 2020 | 8 mins 29 secs
#benotafraid, #godwantshisworldback, #lent, #palmsundaythoughts, #youweremadeforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Do you know, really know, how valuable you are to God? You are worth dying for!
In this episode, Fr. John reflects upon his experience of celebrating Palm Sunday and invites us in these most holy days to ponder just how much we matter to God.
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Episode 29: A Holy Week Unlike Any Other
April 6th, 2020 | 45 mins 25 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #holyweek, #lent, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Looking for some ways to celebrate Holy Week at home? There’s a lot you can do to make the most of these great days.
In this episode, Father John, Nick, and Mary share resources and ways we can celebrate Holy Week in our homes and enter more deeply into the mysteries we're about to celebrate.
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Episode 28: Be Not Afraid: Hungry?
April 4th, 2020 | 10 mins 10 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #lent, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, deut 8:3, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Is the Lord awakening within you a renewed desire for the Eucharist? In these days of waiting, trust He will sate your hunger.
In this episode, against the backdrop of Deuteronomy 8:3, Fr. John talks about how the Lord is intensifying our hunger for the Eucharist as we walk through our own wilderness, offering us something practical to do in the holy days ahead.
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Episode 27: Be Not Afraid: Probing, Petition, and Praise
April 3rd, 2020 | 8 mins 44 secs
#benotafraid, #godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
What are you wrestling with in the midst of the pandemic? Bring your struggles before the Father and don’t forget to praise Him!
In this episode, Fr. John breaks open Jeremiah 20:10-13 and applies the Word to our lives in these days of trial and suffering, exhorting us to praise God, the One who rescues.
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Episode 26: Be Not Afraid: History and Tapestries
April 2nd, 2020 | 12 mins 8 secs
#benotafraid, #godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Wondering if God knows what’s going on and if He even cares? Even amidst a pandemic, God can and will bring great good from it.
In this episode, Fr. John opens up Sacred Scripture to show us how God steps onto the stage of human history in the Person of Jesus and by His death and resurrection releases us from sin and death and calls us to be agents of re-creation.
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Episode 25: Be Not Afraid: Repentance to Restoration
April 1st, 2020 | 10 mins 10 secs
#benotafraid, #godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
How is God’s restoration project coming along in your life in these late days of Lent? Remember, you’re a beautiful masterpiece and He wants to recreate you to be all you are meant to be.
In this episode, Fr. John returns to an image he shared early in Lent and talks about how the pandemic may be revealing the cracks, chips and flaws in our lives and reminds us that God is in the restoration business.
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Episode 24: Be Not Afraid: Jesus is Lord!
March 31st, 2020 | 8 mins 59 secs
#benotafraid, #godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
Looking for certainty in these uncertain days? Here’s a few questions to take to prayer. Just wait until you hear the answers!
In this episode, Fr. John poses a set of questions to us around who Jesus is and what He was doing on the Cross.
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Episode 23: Make Time For Real Conversations
March 30th, 2020 | 40 mins 35 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornwiththis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
How are you doing in this crisis? There’s never been a more important time to be honest and vulnerable with each other.
In this episode, Fr. John, Nick, and Mary speak honestly about how they’re doing in this pandemic and try to model some conversations we can have in our own lives.
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Episode 22: Be Not Afraid: Story time with Fleming Rutledge
March 28th, 2020 | 10 mins 39 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fleming rutledge, fr. john riccardo, gospel, holy week, parish renewal, priest
Does everything seem different this Lent? Perhaps it's because the Lent we receive is often far better than the Lent we choose.
In this episode, Fr. John shares a rich reflection from Fleming Rutledge’s book, “The Undoing of Death,” inviting us to prepare for Holy Week like never before.
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Episode 21: Be Not Afraid: A Lesson from Turkeys
March 27th, 2020 | 7 mins 55 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest
What can creation teach us about God and worship?
In this episode, Fr. John encourages us to find a way today to get in front of the Lord and render unto Him what He is due.
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Episode 20: Be Not Afraid: The Importance of the House Church
March 26th, 2020 | 13 mins 56 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #holyweek, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, holy week, house church, parish renewal, priest
Want to learn how families can celebrate the upcoming holy days together at home? These days are an opportune time to step into the role as the first teachers of the faith.
In this episode, Father John helps to equip parents to celebrate the upcoming holy days at home with their families.
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Episode 19: Be Not Afraid: Mary Wasn’t
March 25th, 2020 | 8 mins 50 secs
#godwantshisworldback, #youwerebornforthis, christianity, detroit, evangelization, fr. john riccardo, gospel, parish renewal, priest, solemnity of the annunciation
Want to be great? Reach out to someone today with kindness and let the Lord write history through you!
In this episode, Fr. John speaks about Our Lady on this Solemnity of the Annunciation and reminds us that Mary was born for her time and we were born for these times.