Bishop Kalabat and Fr. Jaddou hope to use technology to draw community closer to God's word through daily reflections
SOUTHFIELD — In an ongoing effort to make God’s word more accessible to the community, Chaldean priest Fr. John Jaddou and Bishop Francis Y. Kalabat, eparch of the Southfield-based Chaldean Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle, have launched a new daily podcast, “Chaldean Diocese Bible in a Year,” inspired by Fr. Mike Schmitz’s chart-topping podcast, “The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz).”
Fr. Jaddou, parochial vicar at St. George Chaldean Catholic Church in Shelby Township, has long considered starting a podcast that encourages the community to delve deeper into the word of God.
“I was a little hesitant at first because I was like, ‘Lord, do I really have the time for this’” Fr. Jaddou told Detroit Catholic.
“I really love reading the Bible for my own personal prayer, but I was asking if the Lord was calling me to do this," Fr. Jaddou told Detroit Catholic. "I kept getting the affirmation from Him, and I knew He would provide the grace to get through it and deliver it to the community.”
Although Fr. Jaddou initially thought he would do it alone, he felt called to open the idea up to his fellow priests and Bishop Kalabat, who responded immediately and enthusiastically.
Beginning Jan. 1, Fr. Jaddou and Bishop Kalabat have released a daily episode of 20-30 minutes. Fr. Jaddou said that while the two alternate hosting episodes, they plan to record some episodes together.
The goal is not to replicate Fr. Schmitz’s podcast, Fr. Jaddou said. Unlike Fr. Schmitz, who uses the Great Adventure Catholic Bible as his guide, Fr. Jaddou and Bishop Kalabat use the Augustine Institute Bible as their framework.
“(With the Augustine Institute Bible), every day you read the Old Testament and the New Testament, whereas with Fr. (Schmitz), it will be like we are going to go through the book of Job and then a few verses of a Psalm,” Fr. Jaddou explained.
The Augustine Institute Bible comes with reflections; however, Bishop Kalabat and Fr. Jaddou are coming up with their own heartfelt reflections. Fr. Jaddou said the two balance one another.
“Bishop has a much more theological and biblical approach, whereas I am a bit more like, ‘How is this word striking me?’ and maybe a little more practical, in a sense,” Fr. Jaddou said.
Feedback from the Chaldean community has been extremely positive, Fr. Jaddou added.
“What we heard from the community is, ‘Father, we just love that it’s our own bishop and priest,’” Fr. Jaddou said. “It does not necessarily have a Chaldean flavor, even though maybe we thought it would; the community loves it because it’s the Scripture and a reflection from their own bishop and priest in the Chaldean diocese.”
Fr. Jaddou said while they are taking the word of God seriously, he and Bishop Kalabat have fun doing the podcast together.
“The Bishop makes a joke, ‘It’s so good to follow you, John.’ And I am like, ‘No, no, I am following you,’” Fr. Jaddou laughs. “We both love talking about the Bible and about how God is speaking to us through his word and so in that sense, we have definitely gotten closer. We always say that when Jesus is the center of a relationship, it is going to be a beautiful relationship, so I just feel honored that I get to do this with my bishop, and he desired to work with me.”
Fr. Jaddou hopes the podcast will encourage people to dive deeper into the word of God and allow it to truly transform their lives.
“If someone desires to hear God’s voice, then they need to read His word,” Fr. Jaddou added. “Whether that is reading or listening to a podcast that is a bit more accessible, praise the Lord. We are going to use technology to our advantage to preach and allow God to transform lives.”
Subscribe and listen to Bishop Kalabat and Fr. Jaddou's podcast, "Chaldean Diocese Bible in a Year," on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other podcast-hosting platforms.
