‘Beyond The Beacon’ podcast takes listeners somewhere new

A newly launched podcast lets Catholics of the Paterson Diocese and beyond get to know Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney — and soon other dynamic Catholics in the local Church — from the convenience of their laptops, tablets, mobile devices, or TVs.

Faithful everywhere can get more acquainted with the spiritual leader of the diocese — and his down-to-earth style — and other prominent diocesan Catholics by tuning into his new weekly podcast, “Beyond The Beacon,” which debuted earlier in March.

The podcast includes reflections on current events and topics relevant to the local and universal Church and insights to help listeners strive to live a life of faith.

Bishop Sweeney also discusses personal passions like sports and reveals his favorite Saints. He remarks on some of the daily activities as an active bishop with a full calendar.

“Beyond The Beacon” is available on all major podcast platforms, including a video version on YouTube. The third and latest of its 30-minute episodes was released last week.

Already, “Beyond The Beacon” is gaining in popularity. That’s because viewers and listeners can drop in on a lively conversation between Bishop Sweeney and Jai Agnish, diocesan Com­munica­tions director, in the podcast studio in Clifton.

“Beyond The Beacon” examines stories and issues not covered in The Beacon and delves more deeply into the diocesan newspaper’s recent coverage. Agnish is the editor of The Beacon, and Bishop Sweeney is its publisher.

“I hope the podcast helps us reach an audience who may not be reading The Beacon on a weekly basis and share with a wider audience the Good News of the Gospel and our diocese,” Bishop Sweeney said. “Hopefully, for Christians, it’s always about Jesus and his message first. If there is something personal I can contribute to sharing his ‘Good News,’ I will be happy to share personal thoughts and experiences.”

Audience members also are invited to be part of the dialog of the podcast. They can email questions to the bishop at [email protected]. Recent questions were about the Latin Mass and the Novus Ordo and the dispensation from the obligation to eat meat on St. Patrick's Day.

“I believe that the podcast can be ‘synodal’ in the sense that I hope it becomes a ‘conversation,’ letting people know that the Church, locally and universally, is truly listening. I would like to ‘listen’ to questions submitted by the listeners and be able to hear what topics they would like for us to discuss,” Bishop Sweeney said.

Soon, “Beyond The Beacon” will showcase other prominent Catholics from the diocese — from parishes, schools, social-service agencies, and other institutions — to share their stories of faith and service in the local Church with the podcast audience.

The bishop’s podcast will soon be joined by two new podcasts by the Evan­gelization Center at St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison in late spring or early summer. They will be: “The Paul Street Journal” about Catholic Social Teaching in economics and “Coffee with Kupke” about the history of the diocese by Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist.

In the latest “Beyond The Beacon” episode, Bishop Sweeney talks about his Beacon column last week that puts a spiritual spin on sports in light of the current NCAA basketball’s “March Madness” tournament. He also praises the joyful ministry of Sister of Charity Merris Larkin, principal of Assumption School in Morristown, featured in last week’s Beacon — and encourages all the dedicated school staff of the diocese.

“It’s been an absolute delight working on the podcast, and it’s an honor to sit across from Bishop Sweeney every week and ask him questions and converse,” said Agnish, who produces the podcast. “Bishop Kevin is down to earth, and his language is accessible, and he has much spiritual wisdom and insight to offer his flock as the Shepard of the diocese. The podcast is a key channel of the diocese now and ties in well with our social media outreach and other communications efforts.”

Agnish said the feedback on the podcast has been positive. While he turns the knobs and hits “record,” Agnish credits Beacon staff and an advisory team of diocesan staff, family, and friends for helping him launch the podcast.

One of those who assisted was Brian Honsberger, St. Paul’s executive director and diocesan director of mission and technology integregration.

“Through the podcast, Bishop Sweeney addresses events and issues on national and local levels and celebrates the stories of the local Church. It’s a brief and relevant way for people to connect to him,” Honsberger said.

Get caught up on past episodes and listen to future episodes on your favorite podcast service by searching “Beyond The Beacon.” Or visit beyond.beaconnj.org. The video version of the podcast is available on Bishop Sweeney’s YouTube channel. Be sure to like, subscribe, and rate the podcast to help it grow and reach a wider audience.