Bishop Robert Barron

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Theo Von (0:30)

Today's guest is a Catholic bishop. He's one of the leading voices in the Catholic faith today. He started Word on Fire Ministries, and he's written many books on theology. I'm so excited to sit down and have a conversation with Bishop Robert Barron.

Bishop Robert Barron, nice to see you.

Robert Barron (1:06)

Thank you. Great to be here.

Theo Von (1:07)

Yeah. Thank you so much for your time today.

Robert Barron (1:09)

I'm delighted.

Theo Von (1:10)

You live in Minnesota. I do. Right. And you're a Catholic bishop from there.

Robert Barron (1:15)

Right. So I'm the bishop of the Diocese of Winona–Rochester, which is the southern part of Minnesota. And I live in Rochester right near the Mayo Clinic. I'm like five minutes away from there.

Theo Von (1:24)

Oh, nice. So you probably get to take a lot of visits to like visit with children and their families and stuff like that?

Robert Barron (1:28)

Yeah. I visit a lot of, you know, sick people there. And so it's, you know, probably the leading hospital in the world. And people come from all over the place there.

Theo Von (1:36)

Oh, and you're right there then.

Robert Barron (1:37)

I'm right there.

Theo Von (1:38)

You should start a drive-through even. That'd be nice.

Robert Barron (1:40)

Yeah.

Theo Von (1:40)

Just bless out the window, maybe. I don't know. Yeah, maybe. Okay. That's one bad idea for me.

You started Word on Fire Ministries?

Robert Barron (1:50)

It's a media ministry. So it's an evangelical ministry to proclaim the Catholic faith. And I started just with a sermon show on the radio in Chicago 25 years ago. And it's grown now. You know, we use all kinds of things in publishing and podcasting and films now. And so it's just been blessed, thank God.

Theo Von (2:09)

And how does somebody become a bishop?

Robert Barron (2:11)

Well, you got to be chosen by the Pope. So you really got nothing to do with it. I was the rector of the seminary in Chicago. So I was head of the seminary, right? And then one day out of the blue, you get a phone call and it came from this guy we call the Apostolic Nuncio, who's like the Vatican ambassador to the US.

And he says, the Pope has appointed you Auxiliary Bishop of Los Angeles. That was my first bishop appointment.

Theo Von (2:34)

So that's like the NFL draft almost. Is it kind of like that energy, like you're like waiting for this thing?

Robert Barron (2:38)

No, because you're not waiting at all. You have no idea it's coming. It was a Sunday afternoon and I'm lying on the couch watching golf. I have my shorts on and a t-shirt and the phone rings.

And it's this little Italian voice saying, the Holy Fathers appointed you. And then he says, do you accept?

Theo Von (2:54)

Did you think it was a scam or something?

Robert Barron (2:56)

No, because I recognize his name and everything.

Theo Von (3:00)

OK, so you know it.

Robert Barron (3:01)

But you have no idea it's coming. Because if you're under consideration, no one tells you. It's not like, oh, I might get it. You have zero idea. And so just like that, out of the blue, and not worth thinking about appointing you, is he's already appointed you. Now, you can say no. You can say, look, I'm not going to do it. But unless you've got a super good reason, you have to say yes to it. And then uproot your entire life, move away from everyone you know. I moved to LA., Archdiocese. I lived in Santa Barbara, which is pretty good.

But I had zero idea. And then four years later, or five years later, another phone call comes. Holy Father has appointed you Bishop of Winona–Rochester, Minnesota.

So off you go.

Theo Von (3:44)

So when the call comes, it's kind of like a call from God kind of coming, and you go and take it.

Robert Barron (3:48)

Yes. And for years, I used to preach to people, your life's not about you. It's about God, what God wants. Unless you've got a really good reason, you follow God's will. So how could I then stand and say no?