Am I Not Here

Join "The Communicators", Gerald "Jerry" Wutkowski and Tara Smith as they share in a weekly podcast journey that highlights the good news within the Church and the Diocese of Metuchen along with meeting the amazing people serving to transform souls and lives.

Are We Not Here? #86 06/22/2022

Are We Not Here? #86 Are we not here? Today as we say farewell to Tara Smith, we announce the end of this particular podcast journey of the friends in your head. As Tara and Jerry sit down for one last time, they openly discuss the change in the air for Catholic communications. Tara shares an update on her journey and Jerry gives some hints about what is next for the podcast. Fear not! We will still be here. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/23509271

Sharing Our Sacred Story #85 05/15/2022

Sharing Our Sacred Story #85 Tara and Jerry sit down with Tony Varas, Director of the Worship Office, as they give thanks to God for his ten years of service to the Church of Metuchen. Tony shares with us the impact of liturgical life and the sacred journey he has walked dedicated to the people of God in the Church of Metuchen. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/23113757

Stations of the Cross with Bishop Checchio #83 04/11/2022

Stations of the Cross with Bishop Checchio #83 As the Church enters Holy week we welcome the Most Rev. James F. Checchio, Bishop of Metuchen to lead us in a prayerful journey through the stations of the cross with the parish community of St. Cecelia, Iselin. Music is provided by the Cathedral Vocal Quartet. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/22751189

Songs of Healing and the Journey to Celtic Lent #82 # 04/04/2022

Songs of Healing and the Journey to Celtic Lent #82 # On March 19, 2020, as the world began to shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, Tara and Jerry found Nathan Bishop, a violinist, and Bridget Knodel, a classical and folk harpist in the choir loft of Saint Francis of Assisi Cathedral. In the loft, they recorded the newly composed piece ‘Song of Healing’ by Tim Keyes, and the two-year journey together to Celtic Lent began; their concert was initially scheduled just days before the pandemic shutdown. Two years later, they joyfully welcome them both to the podcast to speak on their journey, the healing of music, and how it plays a vital role through the lens of evangelization in an ever-changing world. This podcast episode includes two recorded pieces initially recorded on March 19, 2020, at the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi, Metuchen. 1. Algues, Bernard Andres 2. Song of Healing, Tim Keyes /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/22675943

Can you give up your Lenten sacrifice? #81 03/20/2022

Can you give up your Lenten sacrifice? #81 Can you swap out your Lenten sacrifice if it is not going by your plan? This week, Tara, Jerry, and Tiffany discuss how their lenten challenge is going and the true intention for this liturgical season. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/22504112

Our 40 Act Impact #80 03/13/2022

Our 40 Act Impact #80 Tara and Tiffany sit down with Julio Coto, LCSW, Executive Director of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Metuchen to discuss the importance of the works of mercy in our everyday life. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Metuchen, we invite you to make a commitment – a commitment to doing 40 works of mercy, a commitment to serving one another with the same love and mercy bestowed on us by the Father, and a commitment to the Lord to witness to His great love in the four beautiful counties of the Diocese of Metuchen. Find out more at /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/22429913

To Be A Listening Church #79 02/14/2022

To Be A Listening Church #79 As the Diocese of Metuchen prepares to enter into a period of listening sessions for the Synod on Synodality, Jerry invites each of us to reflect on the message from Msgr. John Fell, Director of Priest Personnel and the Director of Vocations on the importance of being a 'Listening Church' Msgr. John Fell's homily was recorded at the Parish of St. Bartholomew in East Brunswick during the diocesan eucharistic forty hours for the Synod on Synodality. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/22126481

Catholic Press Month #78 02/07/2022

Catholic Press Month #78 Tara and Jerry welcome their friend, Joanne Ward, Advisor to The Catholic Spirit, in honor of Catholic Press Month. Joanne shares her journey through Catholic communications and speaks on the importance of the Catholic press in our community. St. Francis de Sales, pray for us! /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/22051055

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 9 01/27/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 9 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21918863

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 8 01/26/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 8 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21903788

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 7 01/25/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 7 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21892286

Answering the Lord's Call #77 01/25/2022

Answering the Lord's Call #77 This week Tiffany, Tara, and Jerry open up and reflect on Bishop Checchio's newest pastoral letter, 'Answering the Lord's Call through Prayer, Works of Mercy, and Vocations' on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the Diocese of Metuchen. You can read Bishop Checchio's Pastoral Letter at www.diometuchen.org/our-bishop /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21887804

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 6 01/24/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 6 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21873446

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 5 01/23/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 5 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21861476

9 Days for Life Novena - Day 4 01/22/2022

9 Days for Life Novena - Day 4 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21857342

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 3 01/21/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 3 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at www.respectlife.org. Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at www.diometuchen.org/aminothere. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21843053

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 2 01/20/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 2 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. The 9 Days for Life Novena is prayed annually each January for the protection of human life. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. All the faithful of the Diocese of Metuchen are invited to join Jerry Wutkowski, Assistant Director of the Office of Communications and Public Relations and Co-Host of the diocesan podcast ‘Am I Not Here,’ in praying this novena for the protection of the gift of life in our state, nation, and world. This resource is generously provided by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and can be found at . Recordings of the novena will be made available daily from January 19 - 27, 2022 at . /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21835274

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 1 01/19/2022

9 Days for Life Novena 2022 - Day 1 As the Church in the United States prepares to commemorate the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, the Diocese of Metuchen invites the faithful to join in a prayerful novena for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death, as part of their local participation in the 9 Days for Life Novena. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21824120

#Feeling2022 01/16/2022

#Feeling2022 Tara and Jerry celebrate the New Year 2022 with their new co-host and communicator, Tiffany Workman. After over ten years of experience in radio, television, and film. Tiffany shares more about her journey and how she transitioned from being a radio producer and on-air personality for 94.5 WPST to serving our local church. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21789491

Am I Not Talking Catholic in 2021? #75 12/20/2021

Am I Not Talking Catholic in 2021? #75 In our second annual crossover podcast, Tara and Jerry sit down with their friends and co-hosts of the Diocese of Camden's official podcast 'Talking Catholic.' /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21546188

Season of Renewal 2.0 12/13/2021

Season of Renewal 2.0 This week Tara and Jerry honor the patroness of the podcast, Our Lady of Guadalupe, with a time of prayer, reflection, and renewal. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21466841

Advent Nuggets #73 12/06/2021

Advent Nuggets #73 As the Christmas Season looms over our heads this week, Jerry invites you to reflect with him as he shares his 'Advent Nuggets' on the importance of focusing on the purpose of the Advent Season. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21393005

Eucharistic Revival #72 11/22/2021

Eucharistic Revival #72 As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) concludes their Fall General Assembly, Tara and Jerry discuss the big plans for the Bishop's upcoming national eucharistic revival and give their picks on other topics that did not get that much coverage. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21243518

You have a Vocation! #71 11/15/2021

You have a Vocation! #71 As the Church concludes National Vocation Awareness Week, Tara and Jerry discuss the importance of proper discernment while reflecting on their discernment journeys and sharing how encouragement may lead to a transformation within the Church. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/21160502

Taking Care of All Souls #70 10/31/2021

Taking Care of All Souls #70 As the Church marks the celebration and commemoration of the Solemnity of All Saints Day and All the Faithful Departed (All Souls Day), Jerry and Tara sit down with Mary Ellen Gerrity, diocesan director of the Office of Cemeteries. Mary Ellen shares insights on what happens daily in the care of our departed loved ones, stories of the pandemic, and her overall goal to place the family first in God's care as her ministry. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/20998490

Our Multilingual Mission #69 10/24/2021

Our Multilingual Mission #69 Tara and Jerry dedicate their time this week to pray the rosary for the synod, our local church, and for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on our missionary work. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/20918741

Our Synodal Journey Begins! #68 10/17/2021

Our Synodal Journey Begins! #68 As the Church throughout the world officially opens the diocesan phase of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission, Tara and Jerry give an update on what is taking place in the Diocese of Metuchen how we can prepare to respond to the spirit, who is already moving in our local Church. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/20844125

Crossing the Bridge #67 10/10/2021

Crossing the Bridge #67 In honor of Hispanic Heritage month, Tara and Jerry welcome Luz Escobar and Allan Caballero of the diocesan Office of Hispanic Evangelization and Pastoral Ministry to discuss the importance of building a bridge between cultures and crossing the bridge together in faith. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/20770583

The Blue Mass #66 09/26/2021

The Blue Mass #66 At 10:30 AM on September 29th – the Feast of Ss. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, Archangels – Bishop James F. Checchio will celebrate the 19th Annual Blue Mass at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/20602985

Say the Word! #65 09/19/2021

Say the Word! #65 Say the Word! As we celebrate Catechetical Sunday, Tara and Jerry welcome John Kobiernicki, Parish Catechetical Leader (PCL) at St. Mary's Parish in South Amboy, NJ to discuss the life and journey of the PCL. /episode/index/show/dioceseofmetuchen/id/20524733

Am I Not Here

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