Fr. David Axtmann: A Mother Holds Her Son 37 Years After Burial (+ more) | The Catholic Morning Show - 08/06/2026

The Catholic Morning Show airs weekday mornings at 7 a.m. Central on the Iowa Catholic Radio Network. Listen live, catch full shows and individual segments, or download the app at IowaCatholicRadio.com. Baby Brian: An Incorrupt Infant and an Open Investigation Fr. David Axtmann — a senior priest of the Diocese of Sioux Falls who continues to assist in ministry at the Sioux Spiritual Center in Howes, South Dakota — walks through the full story of Brian Thomas Gallagher. Born June 16, 1982 at Fort Knox, Kentucky, the firstborn son of Shawn and Mary Pat Gallagher lived less than an hour and was buried a week later at St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery in Highmore, South Dakota. When the family arranged a reinterment in 2019 so they could one day be buried beside him at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis, a backhoe pierced the casket — and funeral director Tiffany Hofer opened it to find the body intact and lifelike 37 years later, with supple skin, full facial features, and no drying, odor, mold or disfigurement. Fr. Axtmann details how the story stayed inside the family for five years, how it went public after Mary Pat met author Bri Edwards, and how the Diocese of Rapid City notified the parents on May 27, 2026 that an active investigation had been opened with the intention of establishing its miraculous nature. Full testimony, photos and media coverage: babybrian.org — see also the media page, which includes the Dive Deep interview with Brian's brother Thomas Gallagher from the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Bri Edwards' book on the loss of her own infant son is A Thousand Pounds. More on the retreat center: siouxspiritualcenter.org. St. Catherine of Siena at Drake: Flooded Out, Not Shut Down On July 17 a sprinkler system was erroneously activated at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Student Center Parish, one block south of Drake University, causing extensive water damage. Fr. PJ McManus — the parish's new pastor and the Diocese of Des Moines' Vicar of Evangelization and Mission — is treating it as an invitation to go outward rather than inward. Megan Schultz describes celebrating daily Mass in a Drake academic building while football players looked on, and Tyler Dillon, in his second year as FOCUS team director at Drake after five years as a missionary, explains how Bible studies, pop-up coffee shops, study centers and game nights will move into campus spaces and missionary homes. Sunday Mass: 10 a.m. in the Sussman Theater, lower level of Olmsted Center, on Drake's campus (in effect since July 26). No Saturday or weekday Masses until further notice. Parking lot party + outdoor Mass: Sunday, August 23 — bring a blanket; grill-out with the Knights of Columbus and lawn games. Parish office: 515-650-8646 | 1150 28th St., Des Moines, IA 50311 Online: stcatherinedrake.org | Instagram @dubulldogcatholic | DU Bulldog Catholic links | FOCUS at Drake Sunday Readings Preview with Deacon Randy Kiel Deacon Randy Kiel opens the readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 9): Elijah fleeing Jezebel to the cave at Mount Horeb, where God is found not in the wind, earthquake or fire but in a tiny whispering sound (1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a), and St. Paul's anguish over his own people in Romans 9:1-5. Read along: USCCB readings for August 9, 2026. Gospel Reflection with Fr. Nick Smith Fr. Nick Smith, pastor of St. Patrick's in Perry, reflects on Matthew 17:1-9 — Christ's divinity unveiled on the mountain to strengthen the apostles for the cross, and the pattern God repeats in our own lives before every trial. A Study on Demoralized Young Men — and What the Church Can Do Deacon Mark Campbell brings up the second installment of the Institute for Family Studies' "America's Demoralized Men," a nationally representative YouGov survey of 2,000 men ages 18–29: 61% often feel they have little control over what happens to them, 54% say they never do enough to please others, and 43% agree with the statement "I am inclined to think that I am a failure." Bo and Deacon Mark talk through what radio and social media can and cannot do, and why in-person events matter. Read the report coverage. Dr. Marcus Peter takes up the same study on Ave Maria in the Afternoon at 3 p.m. Central, alongside the new Ignatius Press book First Line of Defense: The Catholic Man's Call to Heroism by Doug Barry and Daniel O'Connor. First Friday Mass — Friday, August 7, 11:30 a.m. Join us at the Chapel of St. Gabriel the Archangel inside the Iowa Catholic Radio studios, 1355 50th Street, West Des Moines. Fr. Tom Tucker celebrates. Details on the events page at IowaCatholicRadio.com. Iowa State Fair Grandstand Ticket Giveaway — Enter by August 9 Iowa Catholic Radio is giving away 15 pairs of Grandstand tickets — five pairs each for Rod Stewart (Friday, August 14), Alabama (Friday, August 21) and Josiah Queen (Sunday, August 23). Register at IowaCatholicRadio.com. No purchase or donation necessary; must be 18 or older; official rules on site. Entries close August 9 and winners are announced on The Catholic Morning Show, Monday, August 10. And come find the Iowa Catholic Radio tent at the Fair, August 13–23. iowastatefair.org Diocese of Des Moines News with Anne Marie Cox Fr. Augustine Clement Owusu of St. Michael Parish in Harlan marks his ordination anniversary today. St. Joseph in Des Moines hosts a garage sale Thursday and Friday 8 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturday 8 a.m.–noon. And the Catholic Mirror subscription appeal helps offset printing and mailing so the magazine reaches every registered Catholic household in the diocese: give here. Iowa Headlines and Sports Iowa is among six additional states tied to the multistate Cyclospora outbreak linked to recalled Taylor Farms shredded iceberg lettuce, with 226 Iowa cases reported as of July 30. The Iowa Utilities Commission adopted new rules for large-scale transmission projects. The Iowa State Fair slipped from second to seventh in USA TODAY's 10Best Readers' Choice ranking, prompting a response from Fair CEO Jeremy Parsons. Iowa HHS confirmed the state's first West Nile virus case of 2026. NASCAR announced a 2027 return to Iowa Speedway in Newton with $20 million in track upgrades, with the Iowa Corn 350 running this Sunday. And Hinterland announced its 2027 dates. On the diamond, the Iowa Cubs snapped a seven-game skid with a 5-3 win at Indianapolis, and return to Iowa next week with a series opener Tuesday, August 11 at the Field of Dreams Ballpark in Dyersville. Also on today's show: it's host Bo Bonner's mother's birthday, and Deacon Mark Campbell teases the Iowa Catholic Radio tent going up at the fairgrounds next week. #CatholicMorningShow #IowaCatholicRadio #CatholicPodcast #Transfiguration #BabyBrian #Incorrupt #CatholicNews #DioceseOfDesMoines #DrakeUniversity #CampusMinistry #FOCUS #SundayReadings #CatholicRadio #Catholic #IowaStateFair Credits: Produced, Edited, and Mixed by Ayden Pugh, Alexia Baker, and Brady Grimm. ENJOYING THE SHOW? Follow The Catholic Morning Show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you never miss an episode — and if this one was worth your time, please leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating. 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