Extraordinary Time is the Catholic Courier‘s seasonal podcast for the church’s liturgical seasons. The third season of the podcast — Advent 2026 — will accompany listeners through Lent with weekly Scriptural reflections.

Episodes will feature the insights of priests, deacons, women religious and others from around the Diocese of Rochester.

The first episode of Lent 2026 will launch on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, and episodes will be released each Wednesday through April 1. There will also be a special Easter episode on April 5.

To learn more about the Extraordinary Time podcast and other Catholic Courier podcasts:
https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Music: Joseph DiJames

Extraordinary Time is the Catholic Courier‘s seasonal podcast for the church’s liturgical seasons. The second season of the podcast — Advent 2025 — will accompany listeners through Advent with weekly Scriptural reflections.

Episodes will feature the insights of priests, deacons, women religious and others from around the Diocese of Rochester.

The first episode of Advent 2025 will launch Nov. 30 and episodes will be released each Sunday through Dec. 21.

To learn more about the Extraordinary Time podcast and other Catholic Courier podcasts:
https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Music by "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" for the harp (Storyblocks)

Extraordinary Time is the Catholic Courier‘s seasonal podcast for the church’s liturgical seasons. The first season of the podcast — Lent 2025 — will accompany listeners through Lent with weekly Scriptural reflections.

Episodes will feature the insights of priests, deacons, women religious and others from around the Diocese of Rochester.

The first episode of Lent 2025 will launch Feb. 26 and episodes will be released each Wednesday through April 16.

To learn more about the Extraordinary Time podcast and other Catholic Courier podcasts:
https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Music by Joseph DiJames

In the final episode of Extraordinary Time: Lent 2026, Bishop John S. Bonnici shares a message of Easter joy with the faithful of the Diocese of Rochester.

To view the video version of Bishop Bonnici's reflection: https://youtu.be/T9MkYS-1nv4

Extraordinary Time is a podcast from the Catholic Courier, the newspaper of the Diocese of Rochester. For more Extraordinary Time, visit https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/ and stay up-to-date with Holy Week resources from the Catholic Courier at https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Guest: Bishop John S. Bonnici
Announcer: Robert DiJames
Music by Joseph DiJames

Special Guest: Bishop John S. Bonnici.

In episode 7, Don Smith, coordinator of sacramental catechesis and family life for the Diocese of Rochester, helps us prepare for the Easter Triduum with an explanation of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil. Smith explains that he finds it helpful to understand both the totality of how the three days flow into one another, as well as the individuality of each specific day’s traditions and rituals.

For Holy Week and Easter Masses in Monroe County: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/2024-holy-week-and-easter-masses-in-monroe-county/
For Holy Week and Easter Masses in Southern Tier: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/2024-holy-week-and-easter-masses-in-the-southern-tier-region/
For Holy Week and Easter Masses in the Finger Lakes region: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/2024-holy-week-and-easter-masses-in-the-finger-lakes-region/

For the Catholic Courier's Lenten section (which includes the seven-part series on Jesus' Seven Last Words on the cross): https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Extraordinary Time is a podcast from the Catholic Courier, the newspaper of the Diocese of Rochester. For more Extraordinary Time, visit https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/ and stay up-to-date with Holy Week resources from the Catholic Courier at https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Guest: Don Smith
Announcer: Robert DiJames
Music by Joseph DiJames
Edited by Gina Capellazzi

Special Guest: Don Smith.

In the sixth episode of “Extraordinary Time” season three, Sister of St. Joseph Donna Del Santo leads an imaginative contemplation of a pair of Gospel readings for Palm Sunday. Imaginative contemplative prayer, also known as Ignatian contemplation, invites the participant to use their imagination and senses to enter a Gospel story. Sister Del Santo is the vocations director for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Rochester.

For the text of the readings and Gospel for March 29, 2026: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032926.cfm
For Holy Week and Easter Masses in Monroe County: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/2024-holy-week-and-easter-masses-in-monroe-county/
For Holy Week and Easter Masses in Southern Tier: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/2024-holy-week-and-easter-masses-in-the-southern-tier-region/
For Holy Week and Easter Masses in the Finger Lakes region: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/2024-holy-week-and-easter-masses-in-the-finger-lakes-region/

For the Catholic Courier's Lenten section (which includes the seven-part series on Jesus' Seven Last Words on the cross): https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

What Palm Sunday means: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/what-palm-sunday-means/
Palms are lasting reminders of Jesus' passion, resurrection: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/palms-are-lasting-reminders-of-jesus-passion-resurrection/

Extraordinary Time is a podcast from the Catholic Courier, the newspaper of the Diocese of Rochester. For more Extraordinary Time, visit https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/ and stay up-to-date with Holy Week resources from the Catholic Courier at https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Guest: Sister Donna Del Santo, SSJ
Announcer: Robert DiJames
Music by Joseph DiJames
Edited by Gina Capellazzi

Special Guest: Sister Donna Del Santo, SSJ.

In Episode 5 of “Extraordinary Time” season 3, Father Edison Tayag, pastor of St. Patrick Church in Victor, offers a reflection on the Gospel reading for the fifth Sunday of Lent, which in 2026 recounts the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Father Tayag notes that this miracle previewed Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead, an event that forever changed the understanding of the meaning of death for those who believe in Him.

For the text of the readings and Gospel for March 22, 2026: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032226.cfm
For the Day of Penance and Mercy in Monroe County: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/day-of-penance-monroe-county/
For the Day of Penance and Mercy in Southern Tier: https://catholiccourier.com/articles/day-of-penance-southern-tier/
For the Day of Penance and Mercy in the Finger Lakes:https://catholiccourier.com/articles/day-of-penance-finger-lakes/

For the Catholic Courier's Lenten section (which includes the seven-part series on Jesus' Seven Last Words on the cross): https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Extraordinary Time is a podcast from the Catholic Courier, the newspaper of the Diocese of Rochester. For more Extraordinary Time, visit https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/ and stay up-to-date with Lenten resources from the Catholic Courier at https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Guest: Father Edison Tayag
Announcer: Robert DiJames
Music by Joseph DiJames
Edited by Gina Capellazzi

Special Guest: Father Edison Tayag.

Sister of Mercy Theresa Rutty reflects on the Gospel reading for March 15, 2026, the story of Jesus healing a blind man on the Sabbath to the Pharisees’ chagrin. Sister Rutty discusses the concept of the “freedom of the children of God” and what freedom truly means in this context.

For the text of the readings and Gospel: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031526.cfm

For the Catholic Courier's Lenten section (which includes the seven-part series on Jesus' Seven Last Words on the cross): https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Extraordinary Time is a podcast from the Catholic Courier, the newspaper of the Diocese of Rochester. For more Extraordinary Time, visit https://catholiccourier.com/podcasts/ and stay up-to-date with Holy Week resources from the Catholic Courier at https://catholiccourier.com/special-sections/lent-and-easter/

Credits:
Host: Gina Capellazzi
Guest: Sister Theresa Rutty
Announcer: Robert DiJames
Music by Joseph DiJames
Edited by Gina Capellazzi

Special Guest: Sister Theresa Rutty, RSM.