Lino Rulli moves home and infuses hit radio show with Minnesota flavor

By Christina Capecchi For The Catholic Spirit

Lino Rulli launched his media career in Minnesota, offering popular segments on WCCO-TV as the “Soul Man” and hosting an Emmy-winning cable show called “Generation Cross.” In 2006, he was offered a dream job: to host a Sirius XM Radio show. The gig required Rulli to relocate to New York City. He packed his bags.

“The Catholic Guy Show” became a hit, and Rulli, 51 — a graduate of Hill-Murray School in Maplewood and St. John’s University in Collegeville — assumed he’d live in New York for the rest of his life.

But he felt the pull back to Minnesota, and in 2020, Rulli bought a house in a St. Paul suburb and settled in with Jill, his wife of seven years.

Q What brought you back to Minnesota?

A I never thought I’d return to Minnesota. But the more time I spent away from Minnesota, the more proud I was to be Minnesotan. Jill and I had come back to Minnesota for Thanksgiving one year, and just being with my family and my friends made me wonder, “What if we ever came back here?”

With the biggest decisions of my life, it seems like I’m not sure where they came from and I don’t even see them as my idea. When it’s something I’d never planned on, it’s like, “Maybe God is doing something.”

Q And you had the freedom to host the show anywhere?

A Right. I’ve done the show from five different continents and 30 different states.

A month before the move, I panicked. What have I gotten myself into? Am I making a horrible decision? Am I ready to bump into old friends from high school and college, people who really know me? There’s a sense of anonymity in New York, which was awesome.

Q What did you see as the upsides to returning?

A One of my best friends said, “New York tries to kill us every day.” Minnesota is just easier. It’s better living. Being close to my parents as they get older was a big motivation. Two days ago, I went over because Mom has a few light bulbs out in the kitchen and I don’t want her on stepladders.

I spend three or four months of the year out of the country, so when I’m home, it’s nicer to have a real home and have life be here versus the chaos and energy of New York.

Q Do you see Minnesota with fresh eyes?

A Yeah! All the snow and cold is fun again. A bunch of my college buddies chipped in and bought us a grill. In New York, we couldn’t grill. All of the simple pleasures in my life that I never enjoyed — on a Sunday, now we go to church, we go pick up some meat and then we grill and watch the Vikings lose.

Q You’ve got to have tons of content for your show.

A My gripe in media has been that things are too New York or LA-centric. When I did the show for all those years, I didn’t talk to New York because I didn’t think anyone could relate.

But once I moved to Minnesota, I talk about Minnesota every day. People can relate to a rural or suburban average life. I name the wild animals outside. “Hey, Carl, the coyote was walking by last night.” I got a telescope. I’m looking out at the moon now, because we couldn’t see the stars in New York.

I had no idea it would offer so much content! On the other hand, when I’m sitting at home in rural Minnesota, there’s literally nothing going on. So, the content is different, but it’s more relatable.

Q Nothing going on and two hours a day to fill!

A It’s always hard to fill the time because I care a lot. Our radio show isn’t built on guests or caller segments. Anybody can do that, but that isn’t honoring what God gave me — or reaching someone who wouldn’t otherwise be reached. I can’t do a Catholic radio show just for Catholics — then it would no longer be evangelization. And I wouldn’t be broadcasting. I’d be narrow-casting.

Q Your reach is wide.

A A priest called in once and asked me a question about my musical taste. I said, “I’m a big Foo Fighters fan, but I’ve never been a Rolling Stones guy — that old bag of bones, Mick Jagger. The next day a friend called and said, “Hey, that line you had was funny, and you know who else thought that was funny? Mick Jagger!”

Q How’s married life?

A I was always a huge commitment-phobe. I have no explanation as to how I’m married or why I’m married. I’m surprised that it feels as natural to me as it does. You could call it a grace from the sacrament or you could just credit the vodka. It seems to work.

Q Would you ever have guessed that you’d build a career at this intersection of Catholicism and broadcasting?

A It’s a bizarre path. I get to be a part of other people’s lives — which means there are people out there who are just as warped as I am. I’m a sinner, and I’m a big mess, but I’m still the guy that you can relate to, or the guy you go to a bar with, and those voices are almost non-existent when it comes to religion. It’s weird to have somebody talk about — not the beauty of the sacrament of reconciliation but somebody who can find the humor and anxiety in it all. I’ve heard people say, “If Lino can be Catholic, almost anybody can,” so I give people a lot of hope.

Q How many countries have you been to?

A I’ve got this app that says I’ve been to 63 countries. But that’s only 25 percent of the world!

Q What’s next for you?

A I know I’ve got another book that I want to write. Five or six times a year, I bring my listeners to my favorite places. That’s another thing that God is asking me to do that I never expected. When God is doing something and it was not a plan, I’m happy to do it — but I’m also confused.

Q How many pilgrimages have you led so far?

A I’ve probably done only 50. I’ve been really lucky to have these experiences, and at a certain age comes wanting to give back. This is one way I give back. One time I was in the empty tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, and I remember asking, “Why me? Why do I get to have these experiences?” It felt like part of the answer was: to bring this to other people. Now I feel more of a responsibility.

Q How does your love of travel tie into your faith?

A One of my favorite things in the world is to go to a church that has a piece of art that’s centuries old and to think about all the people who have come before me, to stand and pray in front of that same piece of stained glass or marble.

I love being connected to the history of the Church, but I also like being connected to the people, knowing they were just as filled with doubts or fears as I am and going to Mary or Jesus and begging for help. I like that feeling of being a part of that. That rock of Catholicism gives me some stability in my unstable life.

Q Humor is part of your spirituality, too.

A To me, everything is funny. And the more it’s not supposed to be funny, the funnier it is.

If you’re not going to laugh about it, you’re going to cry about it. I’ve used humor as a defense mechanism, and it helps me so as to not completely give up on myself or my faith. Laughter, for me, is essential because otherwise there’s no way forward.