Saint Louis: The Story of Catholic Evangelization of America’s Heartland

Ep 3.35: Leo’s Demons and the Descent Toward War

As the 20th century barrels toward its darkest hours, this episode opens with a haunting scene: a St. Louis priest‑chaplain whispering the Prayer to St. Michael over the hood of a jeep while German artillery thunders in the distance. From that moment, we widen the lens to confront the century Pope Leo XIII foresaw—a century in which human dignity is assaulted on every front.
We trace the chain of upheavals that shaped the world between the wars: the preventable carnage of World War I, the vengeful Treaty of Versailles, the global economic collapse, and the ideological poisons that filled the vacuum. Communism, born of revolution and sharpened by famine and terror, spreads across continents. Racial pseudoscience and Social Darwinism take root in Europe and America. And in Germany, the writings of Count de Gobineau and the resentments of a broken nation help prepare the ground for Adolf Hitler’s rise.

Ep 3.34: The Radio Priest and the Roar of the 1930s

In this sweeping chapter of the turbulent 1930s, the spotlight turns to Father Charles Coughlin—the fiery “radio priest” whose voice reached millions and whose political thunder rattled even the Roosevelt White House. What began as pastoral concern for unemployed auto workers in suburban Detroit soon grew into a national broadcast phenomenon, complete with fan mail that outpaced the President’s and sermons that spilled from front porches across America. But admiration gave way to controversy as Coughlin’s critiques of the New Deal sharpened, his political entanglements deepened, and his influence collided with bishops, senators, and the Vatican itself.
From the Townsend Plan to Huey Long’s legacy, from Catholic social teaching to the high‑stakes drama of the 1936 election, this episode traces how Catholic voices—faithful, flawed, fervent—shaped and challenged the nation’s political landscape. And as Roosevelt’s landslide victory emboldens the administration to attempt a sweeping overhaul of the Supreme Court, the episode closes with the nation on edge, the New Deal under strain, and the world inching toward a new and darker storm.

Ep 3-33: The Year the Country Went Looking for Answers

As the Great Depression grinds on, the political landscape of 1936 turns strangely theatrical. With unemployment still painfully high and the New Deal reshaping American life, the midterm elections give President Roosevelt an overwhelming mandate—and unleash a wave of bold, bizarre, and sometimes dangerous ideas. From the Supreme Court’s pushback against federal overreach to the rise of rural Catholic critics defending subsidiarity, the nation wrestles with the limits of government power. Meanwhile, a parade of unconventional challengers steps onto the national stage: Huey Long’s populist “Share Our Wealth,” Dr. Townsend’s fantastical pension plan, Upton Sinclair’s socialist experiment, and the looming presence of Father Charles Coughlin. It’s a moment when desperation fuels imagination, and the country searches wildly for a way forward.

Ep 3-32: Charity in the Crucible: How St. Louis Catholics Faced the Great Depression

In the depths of the Great Depression, St. Louis Catholics mounted one of the most remarkable relief efforts in the city’s history. Monsignor and Teresa explore the extraordinary leadership of Archbishop John J. Glennon, whose Archbishop’s Emergency Charity Fund mobilized nearly $380,000 at a moment when few had anything to spare. Drawing from long‑hidden archival documents, they uncover the human stories behind the statistics—families surviving in basement rooms, neighbors feeding strangers, and the tireless work of Catholic Charities, St. Vincent de Paul, and religious communities who kept orphanages, hospitals, and schools alive. From the generosity of the Deloge family to the quiet heroism of ordinary parishioners, this episode reveals how St. Louis’ Catholic network became a lifeline for thousands when hope was in short supply.

Ep 3-31: The Hundred Days That Shook St. Louis

As Franklin D. Roosevelt steps into the White House amid the worst economic collapse in American history, St. Louis braces for the impact—and the possibilities. Monsignor and Teresa trace the opening months of the New Deal, from bank holidays and emergency legislation to the sudden surge of hope that swept across the nation. They explore how federal programs like the CCC, PWA, and FDIC reshaped daily life, how beer’s return on April 7 brought unexpected cheer to St. Louisans, and how massive public works projects left a permanent mark on the city’s landscape. Yet even as Washington mobilized, local Catholic leaders—especially Archbishop Glennon and the tireless Father Dempsey—stepped forward with their own bold initiatives. This episode sets the stage for the extraordinary Catholic response that would soon define St. Louis during the darkest years of the Depression.

Ep 3.30: The Bonus Army and the Breaking Point

In this gripping chapter of St. Louis Church History, Monsignor and Teresa trace the cascading crises of 1932 as the Great Depression deepens and desperation spreads across the nation. What begins as a small group of unemployed veterans in Portland swells into the 25,000‑strong “Bonus Army,” descending on Washington, D.C. to demand early payment of their promised wartime bonus. Their disciplined encampments, the sympathy they receive across the country—including a memorable stop in St. Louis—and the tragic confrontation that follows reveal a nation fraying at the seams. Monsignor unpacks the political fallout for President Hoover, the shifting loyalties of Black voters in St. Louis, and the rise of Franklin Roosevelt as a unifying force for a divided Democratic Party. Along the way, we glimpse the early days of Homer G. Phillips Hospital, the quiet dignity of Depression‑era apple sellers, and the looming collapse of banks that would soon shake St. Louis families to their core. It’s a sobering but essential look at the forces that shaped both the city and the Church on the eve of the New Deal.

Ep 3.29: The Bottom Falls Out: St. Louis Meets the Great Depression

In this sobering chapter of the story, Monsignor walks us through the cascading forces that brought the American economy to its knees in 1929. From overproduction on farms and in factories to the fragile international debt cycle left behind by World War I, the stage was set long before Black Thursday sent Wall Street into freefall. As the stock market collapsed and banks failed, St. Louis families faced repossessions, shuttered businesses, and staggering unemployment—especially among African Americans, whose joblessness soared to 80 percent. Yet even in the bleakest moments, the seeds of hope were already sprouting. Monsignor highlights the first heroic responses from Catholic institutions, especially Father Timothy Dempsey, whose tireless work fed millions and embodied the Church’s mission of mercy. This episode sets the scene for the extraordinary Catholic relief efforts still to come.
 

Ep 3.28: Fear Itself: Al Smith, Anti‑Catholic Fury, and the Road to Crisis

In this episode, Monsignor and Teresa step into the political firestorm of 1928, when Catholic candidate Al Smith faced a tidal wave of anti‑Catholic prejudice, cultural suspicion, and the full force of the Ku Klux Klan. Monsignor traces Smith’s rise from Brooklyn’s streets to the New York governor’s mansion, his doomed presidential bid against the wildly popular Herbert Hoover, and the deep anxieties that shaped the nation on the eve of the Great Depression. As Hoover’s engineering mindset meets the fragile economic realities of the late 1920s—overproduction, collapsing farm prices, and dangerous international debt—listeners watch the stage being set for the crash of 1929. It’s a gripping look at fear, faith, and the forces that reshaped America.

Ep 3.27: Building the Catholic Mind: The Rise of St. Louis’ High Schools

In this episode, Monsignor takes us into the formative years of Catholic secondary education in St. Louis—a story far richer and more complex than most realize. At the turn of the 20th century, high school was still a rarity, and Catholic options for boys were almost nonexistent. We follow Archbishop Glennon’s ambitious push to change that landscape, the creation of the first archdiocesan high schools, and the surprising challenges that came with convincing families and pastors to support them. From the founding of Rosati-Kain and McBride to the dramatic fire that reshaped Christian Brothers College, this episode traces how religious orders, immigrant communities, and determined clergy built the network of Catholic high schools that would shape generations of St. Louisans. It’s a story of vision, grit, and the unmistakable Catholic commitment to education.

Ep. 3.26 - Building Faith in a Changing World: Knights, Cars, and New Parishes

In this episode, Monsignor takes us into the early 1920s, a decade when the Catholic Church in St. Louis found itself navigating a rapidly changing America. The Knights of Columbus emerge as major players on the world stage—honored in Rome, funding schools, defending religious liberty, and standing firm against the rising hostility of the Ku Klux Klan. At the same time, the automobile revolution reshapes daily life, prompting the Archdiocese to expand outward with new parishes, mission churches, and creative pastoral outreach. From High Ridge to Chesterfield, from Kinloch to the Hill, we watch the map of Catholic St. Louis grow—and we hear the remarkable story of how the people of St. Ambrose rebuilt their church by hand, brick by brick, dime by dime. It’s a portrait of resilience, ingenuity, and faith in motion.