A Priest, a Van, and a Team: Lessons from Buffalo’s East Side

History of the Papacy Podcast

History of the Papacy

History

4.4 • 531 Ratings

🗓️ 20 March 2026

⏱️ 49 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steve welcomes Paul McCarthy, author of Don’t Lose Your Dignity, to share the story of Monsignor Leo McCarthy’s decades of coaching and quiet ministry in Buffalo. From a Depression era upbringing to building teams in the toughest neighborhoods, Father Leo used sports to teach discipline, respect, and a simple guiding rule: don’t lose your dignity, no matter what.

Note: This episode includes discussion of violence, murder, and allegations connected to the wider context of clergy abuse scandals.

Where to buy Don’t Lose Your Dignity: https://a.co/d/8Uxfs4K

#HistoryOfThePapacyPodcast #BuffaloHistory #CatholicHistory #SportsAndCommunity #Coaching #YouthMentorship #UrbanHistory #LocalHistory #Leadership #FaithAndCulture #FootballHistory #BasketballHistory #AmericanCatholicHistory

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Music Provided by:
"Sonatina in C Minor" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
"Funeral March for Brass" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
"Crusade Heavy Perfect Loop" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Agnus Dei X - Bitter Suite Kevin MacLeaod (incomptech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Want to keep God's word with you wherever you go?
0:03.2	The King James Bible Study KJV app by Salem Media makes it easier to read, study, share, and pray daily with a timeless KJV translation.
0:10.8	Enjoy features like offline access, audio Bible listening, smart search, and tools to highlight bookmark and take notes, all designed to keep your Bible studies simple and organized.
0:18.9	Best of all, it's free to download in the Google Play Store.
0:21.7	Growing your faith every day.
0:23.1	Search for King James Bible Study, KJV, and download the app today.
0:43.2	Welcome back to the History of the Papersi podcast, a podcast about the popes of Rome and Christian church.
0:48.4	Prepare yourself to step behind the ropes and leave the official tour of the story of the
0:53.4	popes and Christianity. I am
0:56.3	your host, Steve Guerra, and I thank you for joining me on this journey.
1:10.7	Welcome back, everybody.
1:12.2	I would like to welcome a very special guest, Paul McCarthy.
1:18.0	Offer of the book, Don't Lose Your Dignity, Bon Senior, Leo McCarthy's remarkable 20-year
1:24.8	battle for the hearts and souls of football fields and basketball courts in the inner city of Buffalo.
1:30.6	And I was connected to Paul through John Fagant, who was just recently on the podcast talking about Buffalo history,
1:40.4	who John was connected through another friend, Jerry Landry, of the presidencies of the United States
1:47.9	podcast. So we have a lot of connections here. But I wanted to interview Paul because he has a
1:54.7	fascinating book on a really piece of very interesting local history. And it doesn't fall necessarily in the time period
2:02.4	we're talking about in this series. But it all connects. And I think that it's a fascinating
2:07.6	story. So maybe, Paul, before we even dig into your uncle, Monsignor Leo McCarthy, maybe just
2:13.7	tell us a little bit about yourself and a little background on yourself.
2:22.5	Well, I'm a retired network engineer from the IT business.
	...

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