Aiming to save souls one podcast at a time

Dominican Fathers Louis Bertrand Lemoine, left, and Gregory Pine stood in front of St. Louis Bertrand Church, 1104 S. 6th St., where they produce the podcast “Kentucky Thomism.” They also serve as associate pastors at the Old Louisville parish. (Record Photo by Ruby Thomas)

By Ruby Thomas, Record Staff Writer

“Kentucky Thomism,” a podcast produced by Dominican priests at St. Louis Bertrand Church, responds to the order’s more than 800-year-old call to preach the faith — only through a more modern means.

Dominican Fathers Louis Bertrand Lemoine and Gregory Pine, associate pastors of St. Louis Bertrand Church in Old Louisville, are the creators and administrators of the podcast. A podcast is a digital audio file stored on the Internet for download to computers or other gadgets, such as smartphones. 

The young Dominicans said during an interview April 6, that the podcast is a way of living out the Dominican Order’s charism of “preaching for the salvation of souls.”

They were inspired to start the podcast last fall after listening to one created by fellow Dominicans in Washington, D.C. That podcast was aimed at an “academic audience,” said Father Lemoine. He thought it would be good to do something similar for parishioners of St. Louis Bertrand and everyday individuals — thus the name “Kentucky Thomism.”

“Thomism” refers to the theology and teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th Century Dominican friar and theologian whose “vision informs” who the Dominicans are and what they do, explained Father Pine.

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote in Latin and is usually associated with “scholasticism,” yet his teachings can be “applied in every time and place,” said Father Pine.

“It’s a Thomism that applies to people in Kentucky, It’s not elitist. It’s accessible. St. Thomas Aquinas had a profound understanding of God and man,” said Father Pine.

People are still asking the same questions that St. Thomas Aquinas’ theology addressed hundreds of years ago, he noted: “ ‘How do I know and love God?’ His insights are well-timed in this age where people are starved for truth.”

Fathers Pine and Lemoine presented and recorded a series of lectures during St. Louis Bertrand’s Advent offering entitled “The Heights: Dominican Theology in the Heart of Louisville.” 

“The Heights” featured discussions on topics including death, judgment, heaven and hell. Listeners of the podcast can download these lectures as well as presentations on apologetics, homilies and the parish’s entire Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), they said.

Father Pine noted the podcast has proved helpful to individuals preparing to enter the church. They were able to keep pace with their formation, even when they were unable to attend an RCIA class, he said.

Father Lemoine said the podcast is another outlet through which to evangelize and reach people who would otherwise not attend church.  It also gives the faithful a means of “continued evangelization,” he said. “It’s also a way to build up the church.”

The podcast has developed a following at St. Louis Bertrand. Parishioners have come up to the priests to thank them for their efforts, saying the podcast is now part of their commute, said Father Lemoine.  Their listeners also tune in from across the country and internationally, as well, noted the priest.

“It’s our prayer that the podcast will bring people to a closer relationship with the Lord and that they’ll know their faith,” said Father Lemoine.

Listeners can find “Kentucky Thomism” on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/user-38387843 and on iTunes.

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