EWTN television and radio host, author and devoted teacher Dominican Father Brian Thomas Becket Mullady died on the evening of Tuesday, April 22, following health complications. He was 78. 

Father Mullady will be remembered for his strong media presence teaching the Catholic faith in an understandable and relatable manner. Throughout his career, he hosted seven television series on EWTN and published seven books with EWTN Publishing. 

The priest hosted several programs centered on Christ and the Church, including God’s Blueprint for a Happy Life with Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers. The show was created to “provide a step-by-step guide for getting the most out of the Ten Commandments and to show how faithfully following them leads to a rich and rewarding life in Christ.”

Father Mullady’s many articles and books explored a wide range of topics and theological questions, from Grace Explained: How to Receive — and Retain — God’s Most Potent Gift to St. Thomas Aquinas Rescues Modern Psychology.

The priest also personally connected with everyday people to spread the Catholic mission on his popular EWTN Radio show Open Line Thursday with Father Brian Mullady. During the program, people called in to ask Father Mullady faith-related questions, and he would answer and discuss the topics in real time.

Prior to his media work, Father Mullady was committed to several other jobs, including working as a parish priest, high-school teacher, retreat master, mission preacher and professor at colleges and seminaries. He entered the Dominican order in 1966 and was ordained in 1972.

“Father Mullady was one of my favorite hosts when I used to watch EWTN before coming to work here, and I was very proud of the fact that I brought him back to do additional TV and radio programs for us,” EWTN President and COO Doug Keck wrote on social media.

“He had a marvelous gift of conveying the faith in an interesting and understandable way and had a great sense of humor. He will be greatly missed,” Keck said.

EWTN Chaplain Father John Paul Mary, of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word, reflected on a retreat Father Mullady held that he attended prior to becoming a priest. He said he remembers and appreciates how Father Mullady discussed the topic of grace.

He said Father Mullady “really wanted to know what grace does when we cooperate with God’s grace. That grace can transform us. It transforms in nature when we live the virtues.”

“For me, as a priest and as a friar,” Father John Paul said, Father Mullady “influenced the way that I think about God’s grace, how I experience it, and how I want to live according to the grace of God.”

“Throughout nearly my entire 20 years at the Register, it was a blessing and privilege to know Father Mullady, who I consider one of the foremost authorities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and their implementation,” Tom Wehner, the print editor for the  Register, told CNA. (Read Father Mullady’s columns for the Register here.)

Wehner described Father Mullady as “a straight shooter” and said he “didn’t sugarcoat his remarks about the hits and misses on the implementation of the Council.”

“And those who were the recipients of his wisdom during the many Lenten missions and retreats he gave received an immeasurable gift.”

“On a personal note,” Wehner added, “when we would share a meal during his semesters at nearby Holy Apostles College and Seminary, our long conversations were just as formative as they were a dialogue between friends.”