When it comes to the Coffee with Kupke podcast, Msgr. Raymond Kupke might get all the glory. His name is in the title after all. And he’s the one giving away encyclopedic anecdotes like Halloween candy. But if it weren’t for his co-host and good friend Father Paul Manning, the podcast wouldn’t quite be the same.
The magic of their life-long friendship was on full display Wednesday, Sept. 24, during a special live recording of Coffee with Kupke at the St. Paul Inside the Walls evangelization center in Madison.
Father Manning and Msgr. Kupke fed off the energy of an intimate audience that hung on every word and laughed at all the jokes. Their wit and charm, and Father Manning’s mastery of the pregnant pause, were center stage. The occasion offered a moment of comic relief at just the right time in life.
During the audience portion at the end, they discussed the origins of their relationship. As Msgr. Kupke puts it, “We’ve been having this conversation for a long time.”
For 40 years, in fact.
Here’s how it started. Back then, they worked at nearby parishes in Morris County. Father Manning was a new priest assigned to Saint Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany, and Msgr. Kupke was 12 years his elder and assigned to St. Pius X Church in Montville. They started working on Search retreats together in 1985.
It was after a contentious meeting between priests, a year later, in which Msgr. Kupke suggested that what was being proposed by some younger men of the collar might not be such a bad idea. Father Manning immediately took a shine to him.
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In time, the two would end up living across the hall from each other at St. Peter’s in Parsippany. Father Manning was a parochial vicar there 35 years ago, and Msgr. Kupke was pursuing his doctorate.
As their friendship blossomed, Father Manning grew familiar with Msgr. Kupke’s “steel-trap mind,” as he put it. Msgr. Kupke is a marvel with a photographic memory ready to recite the names of the United States presidents or the parishes of The Diocese of Paterson at the drop of a hat – each exercise something he demonstrated on Wednesday before Father Manning redirected him.
It’s this gentle leading of the conversation that Father Manning does so well as co-host of the podcast. He also has a knack for tossing in random anecdotes during Msgr. Kupke’s spirited historical tales, such as “My aunt used to be the secretary at that parish.”
And like any long-time friendship, they know just how far to push each other’s buttons. After one such anecdote, Msgr. Kupke joked, “You always have an angle, Paul.”
And when Father Manning said, “Wow, that’s such a great story. How do you remember that?” Msgr. Kupke’s response was, “How could you forget a story like that?”
Father Manning has no qualms about the fact that he doesn’t remember things to the degree that his good friend can. He can certainly handle the light-hearted ribbing from his co-host and turn it into podcasting gold.
The live recording was broken up into two episodes. Watch or listen to part 1 titled “Coffee with Kupke LIVE! Part 1 | Priestly Pets & Poker Games” on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. It’s a lively two-part episode in the “Weird Diocese of Paterson” category, where the two step out from the usual narrative of Msgr. Kupke’s historical book, Living Stones: A History of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Paterson.
“Part of the reason I agreed to do the podcast is that it gives me the opportunity to talk about anecdotes that didn’t make the book,” Msgr. Kupke said.
For this episode, they discuss amusing stories about priests and pets from the past, as well as the mysterious relocation of some historical patrimony from one church to another. There’s the 100-year-old parrot. The story of how Bishop Frank Rodimer’s dog ran away, the dog that wrote its own bulletin column, and more.
