AS A PODCAST HOST and producer for OC Catholic Radio, Rick Howick kept listeners informed on pertinent happenings within the Diocese of Orange as well as on a broader range of issues relevant to all Catholics.
Jim Governale, radio program manager for the diocese, said Howick had the skill of a “great interviewer” coupled with the innate ability to “make our guests feel very comfortable.”
RICK HOWICK AND JIM GOVERNALE (RIGHT) POSE WITH A GUEST OF OC CATHOLIC RADIO, DR. VINCENT NGUYEN. PHOTOS BY THE DIOCESE OF ORANGE
After hosting more than 300 episodes over a 10-year span, interviewing compelling guests and delving into such front-and-center issues as immigration and anti-Semitism, Howick has moved on.
With 30 years of experience as a podcaster, educator and administrator Howick is now the director of the Fulton J. Sheen Excellence in Preaching Initiative at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
The initiative is designed to enhance the preaching skills of priests, deacons and laity through workshops, online certificate programs and a comprehensive preaching manual.
“I think it’s a great opportunity to do some really wonderful things in our dioceses,” Howick said. “Part of what my background does, it allows me to have a fairly good vision for what we’re looking to accomplish. I know how they should sound. I know how they should come across.”
The Excellence in Preaching Initiative recently held a weeklong seminar which welcomed more than 30 priests from across the nation to Catholic University to engage in workshops and seminars geared to elevate homilies from “good to great,” Howick said.
As a timely and final tribute to the quality of his contributions as a radio show host, Howick was named 2025 Podcaster of the Year by the Catholic Media Association, a 114-year-old organization of publishers and media professionals united to serve the Church.
RICK HOWICK IS PICTURED WITH THE LATE FRED SWANN, FORMER CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL ORGANIST WHO HELPED RESTORE THE HAZEL WRIGHT ORGAN; KEVIN CARTWRIGHT, CATHEDRAL ORGAN CURATOR; AND DAVID BALL, CATHEDRAL ORGANIST AND HEAD OF MUSIC MINISTRY.
“I was taken aback by that, because I didn’t realize I was even on the radar for that kind of thing,” he said. “I know some of the shows we did, all of us were really proud of. I mean, Jim Governale makes us all sound good. And he helps pull it all together.”
Howick also garnered Podcast of the Year honors in 2024 by the Catholic Media Association for a podcast titled,
“A Heart-Rending Pilgrimage Experience,” an episode that told a story about a pilgrimage to the Holy Land during a time of conflict.
Howick was also proud of podcasts produced during the COVID-19 pandemic that provided a platform for the Diocese of Orange bishops to reach out to the community during a time of fear and uncertainty.
Howick originally joined OC Catholic Radio after Patrick Mott, the first podcaster, stepped down after about 25 shows due to illness, Governale said.
“I knew Rick was going to be moving on at some time, because he’d been working away at advanced degrees and finally got his doctorate and he was on the hunt for a position to serve his family,” Governale said. “He was hoping he could stay local, but when it was all said and done, the ideal gig he found was in Washington, D.C. We were very fortunate to have him for as long as we did.”