Coffee with Kupke podcast brings history of diocese to life as it turns to 20th century

Has anyone seen Alice? Legend has it she was a ghost of a little girl who haunted the mansion of the former Bayley-Ellard High School in Madison, now the St. Paul Inside the Walls evangelization center.

Father Paul Manning, former St. Paul’s executive director, must have encountered Alice — right? Stay tuned for his answer on an upcoming episode of the podcast Coffee with Kupke, now in its second season.

In its 20-minute episodes, Father Manning, diocesan vicar for evangelization, engages in discussions with Msgr. Raymond Kupke, diocesan archivist, who leads the audience through the rich and exciting history of the Paterson Diocese.

But on special episodes, the two priests plan to add a twist by exploring some of the mysterious stories of the local Church, like the ghost of Alice. It will be titled The Weird Diocese of N.J. — inspired by the magazine Weird NJ.

“We will have fun talking about the myths and legends of the diocese,” said Msgr. Kupke, also pastor of St. Anthony Parish in Hawthorne and an adjunct Church-history professor at Im­maculate Conception Seminary in South Orange at Seton Hall University.

“Father Paul brings an interesting perspective to the subject. The podcast lets us give more detail to stories in the book or tell ones that didn’t make the book,” Msgr. Kupke said, referring to his book, Living Stones — which frames the episodes.

The current season of Coffee with Kupke just turned the page to the 20th Century — closer to the modern “lived history” of the diocese. Blessed with encyclopedic knowledge, Msgr. Kupke tells stories about the people, places, and events that shaped the local Church, starting with early Catholicism in New Jersey.

Living Stones, Msgr. Kupke’s 1987 history of the diocese, guides these discussions. The podcast is produced by St. Paul’s with Joseph Ginexi. Msgr. Kupke expressed shock that the podcast has been getting fan mail.

Father Manning added, “We hope that the podcast preserves the colorful history of the diocese in a digital form so that local Catholics can appreciate a story that is ours.” In future episodes, the priest said they will field questions from the audience.

St. Paul’s produces another podcast, The Paul Street Journal, about Catholic social teachings on economics and how to make financial decisions with the heart of the Church.

New episodes of both podcasts are released every other week. They are available on the evangelization center’s YouTube channel and all major podcast platforms.

The Beyond The Beacon podcast with Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney is available on his YouTube channel and all major podcast platforms.