Chances are that you’re like many men who struggle to find time to add spiritual content to their lives outside of Sunday Mass. We know we should make the time, but we don’t or can’t. Worry not, for all’s not lost. One of the most convenient ways to nourish our spiritual lives out on the road and in the hustle and bustle of life is to tune in to Catholic radio and podcasts, and today, we’re featuring just that! If you’re a man and you need more holiness because you want more manliness, then look no further than The Catholic Man Show! It’s a show for Catholic men, which is very hard to find! But even though the title of the show says it all, we couldn’t help but want to delve a little bit further and interview the hosts and creators of the show, Adam Minihan and David Niles.
So, who are these guys behind The Catholic Man Show? When asked to give an introduction using exactly 30 words, unlimited commas, and just a single period, Dave, co-founder of the show said:
“I am a husband, father of two beautiful girls, cradle Catholic, apologetics junkie, whiskey/beer/pipe/cigar lover, and winner of every basketball game Adam and I have ever played.”
And, for his part, co-host Adam answered:
“I am a Roman Catholic, husband to Haylee, father to Luke, Jude, Angelica, and Anna, amateur woodworker, fedora wearer, and attempting to bring back the ways of a gentleman with a dram of whisky.”
So what you really have here are two young married men with young families, who love their faith and gentlemanly things!
Sometime early into 2016, Adam and Dave launched their first episode of The Catholic Man Show. However, their entry into the Catholic radio world occurred several years before the release of the show. According to Dave, their opportunity came randomly and rather unexpectedly.
“One evening I got an email from a guy I had only talked to once before on the phone, telling me that there was an opportunity to get a new Catholic radio station started in my area, but I had to call him that night in order to make it happen. It just so happened that Adam and I were hanging out together at the time, so we called him and before we knew it we had incorporated ourselves online and had submitted our application to receive the radio permit from the FCC. It quite literally just fell into our lap!”
Adam promptly added, “I think the reason why Jeff sent us the email to start a Catholic radio station is because he knew we were naive would say yes! We didn’t know what we were getting into or where it would take us. In actuality, we still don’t. We are just happy to be a part of it.” And thanks to their naivety, and perhaps generosity, their home of Tulsa, Oklahoma is blessed with Catholic Radio!
Fast forward a couple years. After analyzing data on listener demographics for their local station, the two realized that the vast majority of the listeners were female. And, when a need is recognized, a gentleman responds. Naturally, the idea of The Catholic Man Show was born!
Dave recalls, “Adam came up with the idea to start The Catholic Man Show in order to engage more men in our area. Little did we know that we would be tapping into something much bigger than just the Tulsa market!” “There is a grassroots movement of men which is sweeping through the Church of today.” Dave continued, “It is an uprising against the culture. It is a movement that is tired of allowing the politically correct to write the rules of engagement in the arena of Manhood. It is men who can no longer stand by and watch as authentic femininity is sacrificed on the altars of masculine effeminacy. It is a band of brothers who have embraced the cross as the fullness of their call to manliness, because they know that it is Christ who ‘fully reveals man to himself and makes his supreme calling clear.’ (JPII, Gaudium Et Spes, #22)”
Responding to the call of Manliness is no small demand, which is why each show begins with the manliness warning, a full disclaimer for the unmanly among us. “We actually did hear a report of a man not taking the warning seriously and he actually died,” Adam recounts, “………..died to self……….and then went home and served his wife and family exactly the way God intended. So be careful!”
When questioned if they thought it would be a good idea for us at Catholic Gentleman’s Guide to feature a manliness warning, Dave advised, “If an unsuspecting millennial were to accidentally stumble onto your website and, God forbid, read an article or blog that takes a stand on something that is actually true, he could become so triggered, micro-aggressed, and suffer any other number of snowflake syndromes that he could easily suffer a sensitivity overload and slip into some kind of emotional coma, requiring years of positive affirmation reparative therapy! That being said, you should really consider adding a warning, some people just aren’t ready.”
All joking aside, think of what manliness is. It only applies to men and is an attribute attainable solely by men. As men, we are always called by Christ to a higher standard of manliness. Finally, our manliness is always something that needs perfecting. The Catholic Man Show is playing a major part in the restoration of Catholic Manhood in our society.
For those of you who have not yet listened to an episode of The Catholic Man Show, you will quickly come to identify its unique and brilliant format. They do three things on every weekly episode: (1) Open, review, and enjoy a manly beverage, (2) Highlight and discuss a man gear, and (3) Engage in a manly discussion on a manly topic, touted to be one of the most manly discussions you’ll ever hear in your life! Not only that, but they have a sweet slogan and the most rockin intro/outro theme in the history of radio!
“We don’t do any editing for our show, making it very raw and conversational. We hit the record button and go, which I think makes it relatable to the listeners,” notes Adam.
He and Dave grew up childhood friends since the age of 5 and boast an intimate understanding of one another and what the other is going to say. What types of things do these two say on air, you may be asking? Well, Catholic and manly things of course! Adam shares, “Each segment of the show we try to promote virtue. In today’s world there’s a lost art of living virtuously. If we can encourage men to live virtuously, we will see a much needed change in our culture.”
And when asked about the reception of the show, they confess they did not anticipate that it would be as successful as it has been. “We were really just trying to get a show started for our local Catholic radio community,” Dave admits, “But almost immediately we started getting responses from all over the country and now all over the world. I think it is a testament to how thirsty the men are in today’s society for a more authentic portrayal of manhood.”
The inspiration for each episode simply comes from their daily lives. Both have young families, day jobs, and other everyday ordinary obligations people have throughout the week. “If we pay attention,” says Adam, “We can find all kinds of materials we can use for the show.”
When asked if they think they may ever run out of gear to feature on the show, Dave admits, “If you had asked me this question before we launched the show, I may have expressed some worry about how many “man gear” items we could come up with. But now, having done the show for over a year, I realize that we have barely scratched the surface of the “man gear” universe.”
Now, what about the possibility of running out of manly beverages to enjoy? So far, their scope of beverage sampling has been diverse and showing no signs of exhaustion yet. Of course, the pleasure of a manly beverage is always paired with the manly virtue of moderation, as the two hosts are diligent to remind us.
You may be thinking that men who have the gall to create The Catholic Man Show must be Catholic men beyond precedent. You may accuse our hosts as living saints who set the bar impossibly high for us ordinary men. Dave and Adam are, in fact, ordinary men. But the two share the following about what every Catholic man needs right now: (1) Prayer, (2) the Sacraments, (3) A sense of his vocation – “Without this he is lost,” Dave says, “Because he does not know where to focus his energies and his service”, (4) Turning the screens off – you know, those backlit pixelated rectangles on your phones, televisions, and computers, (5) followed by prayer.
To support the show and to join an exclusive group of other amazing men, you can join The Catholic Man Show’s ‘The Council of Man’! “To join ‘The Council of Man,’ head on over to TheCatholicManShow.com and sign up to donate at least $10/month. As a thank you,” adds Dave, “we will send you a Glencairn glass and invite you to join our private Facebook group where you will get access to all the extra content we produce!” “Yup,” chimes in Adam, “Become a member of The Council of Man! We love the extra content and our private Facebook group. That’s probably been the biggest blessing of starting the show… getting to meet and become friends with other like-minded men!”
Finally, we were compelled to judge the manliness of these two by asking them to respond to the scenario of going camping in the wilderness with just the clothes on their backs, but each could bring only 3 additional things. Dave quickly listed “A multi-tool pocket knife, a pot to boil water, and a hammock (depending on what part of the country).” Adam said, assuming it wasn’t a “Bear Grylls” scenario where he’d have to hunt for his food, “A Leatherman or hatchet, a lighter, and my trusty pipe.” Now, if I was to join them, I’d come with an axe, rope or paracord, and a large canvas tarp. Since none of us brought food, I don’t know how long our wilderness adventure would last, and without a compass, I don’t know if we’d get out of the wilderness again, but to be in the midst of these two guys, Adam Minihan and David Niles, would likely prove to be a very manly time! (If you’re a genuine man, feel free to pipe in the comments below as to what three things you’d bring in this scenario!)
Without a doubt, you certainly don’t want to miss an episode of The Catholic Man Show! You can find them on Facebook, go to their website, or you can even subscribe to their podcast on iTunes or catch all of their past episodes here!
Radio is a fantastic medium for evangelization and we applaud the efforts of The Catholic Man Show in its task of inspiring Catholic Masculinity! Please check them out and do your part to spread the word and share this show with all the gentlemen you know on Facebook, Twitter, and in real life too: Just grab the phones of all your fellows and subscribe them to the podcast without delay!
A special thanks to Adam and Dave for taking the time to chat with us! May the Lord bless you and the spread of the important message of your ministry. We’re glad you’re on the Lord’s team! You’re undoubtedly on the winning side! Here at Catholic Gentleman’s Guide, we raise our glass to you! #CheersToJesus!
~ The Catholic Gentleman's Guide