About Patrick
“I am Patrick, a sinner, most uncultivated and least of all the faithful and despised in the eyes of many.” *
Patrick Madrid
PATRICK MADRID is the author of numerous books and the host of the daily “Patrick Madrid Show” on Relevant Radio. The program airs nationally on 225 AM and FM stations and globally on the Relevant Radio app. It broadcasts live Monday through Friday from 8:00 to 11:00 am CT, with encore airings each evening.
He is active on X and also maintains a Telegram channel.
Patrick has been a practicing Catholic his entire life. Raised in Southern California, he was baptized at Saint Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church in Whittier. He graduated from the parish grammar school at Mission San Juan Capistrano. For several years, he served as an altar boy at the Mission’s daily Traditional Latin Mass in its historic Serra Chapel.
Work at Catholic Answers
From 1988 to 1996, Patrick worked at Catholic Answers, where he was eventually named vice president. His responsibilities included writing for the apostolate’s newsletter Catholic Answers (which ended in 1989) and serving as a contributing editor for This Rock Magazine, which replaced it in 1990.
(Read Patrick’s behind-the-scenes account of how he wound up working at Catholic Answers.)
During his time there, and for the next 30 years, Patrick maintained a demanding speaking schedule. He has delivered hundreds of seminars and answered tens of thousands of live audience questions on Catholic, biblical, and historical themes, in both English and Spanish, at parishes, universities, and conferences across the U.S. and internationally.
Ahead of Pope John Paul II’s 1993 visit to Denver for World Youth Day, Patrick co-authored the booklet Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth. Millions of copies have been distributed in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Arabic, and other languages. He also managed the translation, printing, and widespread distribution of the booklet in the Philippines during the pope’s 1995 World Youth Day in Manila.
His 2012 book Envoy for Christ: 25 Years as a Catholic Apologist is a memoir. It reflects on his intellectual and spiritual development over the decades. It includes stories and “man on the street” observations that document his public work in defense of the Faith (cover text).
In September 1994, he published his first book, Surprised by Truth. Encouraged by its success, he left Catholic Answers in January 1996. He then began a career as an author, speaker, publisher, professor, and radio host.
Books and Publications
Patrick has written or edited 26 books, including Why Be Catholic? (Penguin Random House) and Life Lessons: 50 Things I Learned in My First 50 Years (Ignatius Press). He has also contributed chapters, forewords, and introductions to many others. His books have sold over one million copies worldwide and appear in several foreign-language editions.
He has published articles on biblical apologetics, Church history, and the Church Fathers in various Catholic and Protestant periodicals. His scholarly work on apologetics also appears in the New Catholic Encyclopedia.
Public Speaking
Since the late 1980s, Patrick has spoken at countless events, in English and Spanish, across North and South America, Europe, and Asia. For 25 years, he taught apologetics at the Franciscan University of Steubenville’s “Defending the Faith” Conference.
He has long been a featured speaker at Legatus events nationwide. He also participated in a dozen formal, public debates with Protestant ministers—including Calvinists, Lutherans, Baptists, and non-denominational leaders—as well as Mormon and other non-Catholic representatives.
“For a quarter of a century, Patrick Madrid has been an outstanding apostle of the New Evangelization. . . . His clear exposition of the Catholic Faith and powerful witness of our doctrines and traditions have made a huge impact on Catholics and non-Catholics alike.”
— Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston (2012)“How do you bring a friend or relative back into the Church? First, you pray. Then, you follow Patrick Madrid’s advice in [his book] Search and Rescue.”
— Cardinal Edward Egan, former Archbishop of New York (2001)
After over 35 years of speaking worldwide, Patrick retired from public speaking at the end of 2022. He no longer accepts new speaking invitations.
Envoy Institute
In 1996, Patrick founded the Envoy Institute (formerly, Envoy Communications), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Ohio. That year, he also launched Envoy Magazine, a full-color Catholic journal. It ran from 1996 to 2011 and received numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association, including first place for “Magazine of the Year.”
As editor-in-chief, Patrick helped grow the magazine’s paid circulation to roughly 15,000 subscribers. The publication ended in 2011 when its funding source was discontinued. (See a full digital issue of Envoy Magazine.)
Today, the Envoy Institute continues its mission through occasional events like Catholic Apologetics Academy and Catholic Apologetics Summer Camp. It also supports Patrick’s annual pilgrimages and related work.
Television & Radio
Since the mid-1990s, Patrick has written and hosted several EWTN television series, including Pope Fiction, Search & Rescue, and Where Is That in the Bible? These shows aired for many years in the U.S. and internationally.
He was a frequent guest on other EWTN programs, including The Journey Home, EWTN Live, Bookmark, and Mother Angelica Live. In 2000, he provided live commentary during EWTN’s coverage of Pope John Paul II’s visit to the Holy Land, offering theological and historical insight.
In 2006, Patrick became the host of the Thursday edition of EWTN’s “Open Line” radio program, which he hosted for six years. He answered live apologetics questions from callers—many of them non-Catholics and atheists.
In 2012, he launched a one-hour daily show called Right Here, Right Now on the Immaculate Heart Radio Network. It aired nationally on hundreds of stations, SiriusXM, and shortwave radio.
As the show’s popularity grew, Patrick transitioned in 2014 to hosting the three-hour Patrick Madrid Show, which replaced his afternoon slot. That same year, Relevant Radio acquired 93-KHJ AM in Los Angeles, expanding the program’s reach across Southern California.
The Patrick Madrid Show now airs nationwide in most major cities—including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Miami, and many more—and worldwide on the Relevant Radio app. Highlights from the show are also available on its YouTube channel.
Education and Teaching
Patrick holds a B.S. in business management from the University of Phoenix, a B.Phil. in philosophy, and an M.A. in dogmatic theology (summa cum laude) from the Pontifical College Josephinum Major Seminary. He also studied theology at the University of Dallas (IRPS program).
His master’s thesis was titled “The Material Sufficiency of Scripture and the Role of Tradition as an Ecumenical Solution to the Problem of Sola Scriptura,” directed by the late Deacon Michael Ross, Ph.D.
Patrick has taught as an adjunct professor of apologetics at several institutions, including Franciscan University of Steubenville, Holy Apostles College and Seminary, Saint Patrick’s Seminary and University, and the Pontifical College Josephinum.
Service
Patrick has served on the board of trustees of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology and currently serves on the board of the Pontifical College Josephinum. He has been a theological advisor to national apostolates including the Coming Home Network and Catholics Come Home. In 1995, he was a founding board member of the Catholic Marketing Network and is a fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Studies.
He is a knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
In 2020, Christendom College honored Patrick with its Pro Deo et Patria award, presented when he delivered that year’s commencement address.
Family
Patrick and his wife Nancy were married on February 7th, 1981.
God has blessed them with 11 children and 32 grandchildren (so far). Their most important goal as a couple is to hear the Lord Jesus say to them one day, “Well done, good and faithful servants; you have been faithful over a little . . . now enter into the joy of your Master” (Matt. 25:21).
* St. Patrick of Ireland
