about four o'clock

Fr. Andrew Walsh joins the podcast to defend himself against accusations of grumpiness and to explain his love for both St. Alphonsus Liguori and disc golf before sharing his vocation story. 

Today Fr. Michael Kerschen joins us to discuss the joys of non-monetary gambling, Fr. Garett's poor medical recommendations, and devastating seminary basketball losses that never go away. We eventually get to his vocation story in which the Lord used a difficult break up to lead him to seminary and ultimately an invitation to freely choose to unite to Jesus as His priest. 

Today we've got Fr. Luke Downing in the studio to talk with us about learning to fly planes, his love for both golf and French cooking before sharing his vocational journey through seminary, in and out of the monastery, and now as a priest of Jesus Christ. 

A special episode today as we join the universal Church in prayer for the Papal Conclave. We seek to shed a little light on the process of electing a new pope and how we can all strike the balance of enjoying the moment with understanding informed by faith, zeal for souls and free of anxiety. 

Today we began by chatting about what we were up to this past spring break before getting into our observations about a ministry called Christ in the City, which helped to illuminate why it is so important for every Christian disciple, seminarian and priest to have experiences serving and loving the poor. 

Today we are joined by Fr. Kyle Dugan. Listen in to enjoy mostly true stories of memories from high school with Fr. Drew and Fr. Garett, a fierce debate over golf push carts, and the story of one of the quickest discernments into seminary we've heard from any priest.

Join us for a wild ride with the one and only Fr. Hien Nguyen as he shares about how he escaped Vietnam as a child, made his way through seminary despite little formal education or English training, and now lives a life full of joy as a priest. 

Fr. James Schibi joins us today to talk about growing up in a large family and founding a Fourth of July baseball classic, his love for nicknames, and his experience as a substitute teacher. He then shares how the Lord called this good ol' boy to be His good ol' priest. 

We begin by recapping this year's seminary basketball tournament and deciding whether or not Fr. Garett is the right coach for the future of the St. Joseph Joey's basketball program. Then we share our reflections on a powerful passage from the Gospel of John recounting the Risen Lord's appearance to the disciples on the shore of the sea. 

It is an honor and a joy to sit down with Fr. Dan Spexarth to hear about how he got his name, what Fr. Chad was like as a 5 year old, and how he led a newly founded parish from no money, no building, and nights in his car to a faith filled community of over 1700 families. Finally he shares with us all how the Lord led him from being the son of a pig farmer to 40 years of priestly love and service. 

Today we are joined by two Sisters of Life: Sr. Maria Laetitia, S.V. and Sr. Lumen Gloriae, S.V. to talk about how the founding of their congregation flowed from a retreat at Dachau and a Help Wanted ad. Then they each share the story of how Jesus led them to their religious vocation as His bride and the call to give their life to protect and enhance the sacredness of every human life.

Today we are joined by Fr. Rick Kotrba to hear about his adventures in amateur mechanic work, including building a backyard ice rink and his marriage of two broken down trucks into one mostly functional vehicle. Then he recounts the story of how his vocation evolved and the wisdom he received to quit trying to discern on his own. 

We are excited to welcome in Mike Wescott, the Director of Development and Planned Giving for the Diocese of Wichita. First we discuss Mike's role and experience of fundraising in a Stewardship diocese before playing a game of Seminarian Price is Right. Finally, Mike shares the story of his vocation to marriage, his experience in ministry and the good work the Serra Club does in promoting and fostering vocations.  If you are interested in learning more about the Serra Club or supporting either a seminarian burse or the diocesan capital campaign, please contact Mike at wescottm@catholicdioceseofwichita.org

We are joined by the journeyman priest, Fr. Gabriel Greer, to discuss priest ski trips as well as the infamous seminarian "Fats vs. Skinnies" basketball game. Then Fr. Greer shares how his mother's faith, good priestly witnesses, and the invitation to learn how to pray led him to his priestly vocation. 

Today we begin by creating a safe space in which to process the Chief's recent Super Bowl loss and to share how we watched the Big Game. Then we discuss all things spiritual direction: what is it, who needs it, and what are the benefits and misconceptions around it. 

Today we are happy to welcome in one of the retired priests of the diocese, Fr. Floyd McKinney, to talk about his wide variety of pastoral experiences and how he got the nickname "Fr. Lazy." Finally he tells the tale of the Lord leading him from life as a poor farm kid to a priest of Jesus Christ. 

We've got a birthday! Fr. Drew's birthday is coming up, so we discuss how we like to celebrate those festive occasions and the difficult question of what gift to get a priest. Then we discuss how to appropriately view and discuss the liturgy as priests and seminarians so as to maintain its primacy in our lives without causing division or a lack of charity. 

Today Fr. Andrew Meng joins us to clarify any confusion regarding his ethnicity and rub in his high school football state championship to Fr. Drew. Then, he shares the story of God leading him from the despair of new atheism to the joy of the priesthood.

Today Fr. Ed Pelrine from the Archdiocese of Chicago joins us to share about life in Chicago, Bishop Barron asking him to serve in the seminary, and his vocation story, including how his grandma knew on the day of his baptism that he'd be a priest. 

Fr. Jim Weldon joins the studio today to share his vocation story, why he and his brother, Fr. Eric, are so different, and how he sees himself as making the priesthood more accessible for young men: If he can do it, anybody can. 

We are excited to collaborate with the SEEK Podcast for this episode in which we discuss our Spotify Wrappeds for the past year before talking about how to take advantage of large Catholic conferences as a discerner. 

Today we welcome in Sr. Diana Marie of the Hawthorne Dominicans to discuss Hallmark movies and Christmas in the convent before hearing how she converted to the faith and decided to get her life to Christ and the service of the dying as a Dominican sister.

We chat with Sr. Alma Marie of the Hawthorne Dominicans to discuss her order's founding and apostolate, how religious sisters never seem to age, and the gentle and ever mysterious way that the Lord led her to give her life to Him and the mission of caring for the sick and dying. 

Fr. Andrew Bergkamp joins us today to talk about learning to work hard growing up on his family's farm, how he received his vocation to priesthood, and God providing him the words to preach after his younger brother's death. 

We are to be joined by a Wichita native and a monk of St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, KS: Br. Leven Harton, OSB. We chat about his unique vocation and community, he and Fr. Chad's high school shenanigans, and how the Lord led him to give his vocation from a desire for deep intimacy with Christ. 

In this episode, we're getting the band together! We talk through plans for our future diocesan clergy rock band and which priests will fill in each important role. Then we discuss the vocational synthesis, which will soon be implemented as the final stage in seminary formation, and how it will help to bring about healthy, holy priests. 

Fr. Drew takes over the studio and talks with two members of the Society of Our Lady of the Trinity (SOLT) to hear about their order's founding and mission before hearing Fr. David Brokke's vocation story. 

In a very special episode, we compiled clips from several priests of the diocese sharing their cherished memories of priests who have passed on from this world to the next. They are equal parts inspiring, humbling, and ridiculous. We thank God for all of the priests who have gone before us. May they rest in peace. 

Today we do some group processing of the ups and downs of Fr. Drew and Fr. Chad's recent golf outing. Then we share our experiences of Stewardship as a way of life in the Diocese of Wichita and shed light on how that encourages a spirit in young people that is ready to say yes to their vocation from God. 

We had a bunch of fun talking with Fr. Trevor Buster about how God called him from the fame of our favorite southeast Kansas punk rock band and the luxurious life of meter reading to lay down his life as a priest of Jesus Christ. 

We had a great time talking to Paula Duling, mother of Fr. Daniel Duling. She helps us shed light on the blessings and struggles a family goes through as their son and brother discerns God's will and lives out his priestly vocation. Our families know us best and are always there to support us...and to keep us humble. 

Today Fr. John Lanzrath joins us to share his love of statistics, his devotion to the Kansas City Chiefs, his interactions with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, and how Jesus called him to be a priest of Jesus Christ.

This time we begin by talking about our thoughts on state fairs (and some unexpected tension over the Goo Goo Dolls). Then we dive into how to combat the temptation towards perfectionism in prayer and formation. 

We finally convinced Linda Schmidt and Tracy Winslow to join us, and we had a blast. Linda and Tracy have served for years with the priests and seminarians through their jobs at the parish level and the diocesan chancery. Plus, both have sons who spent time in the seminary. From all of this experience, they have a unique perspective and wisdom...as well as plenty of dirt on many of the priests. 

In this episode we have a great time chatting with Fr. Matt Siegman about his love for Italian food as well as his Squidward-like persona. Finally, he shares how he was called away from a job at Learjet to his life as a priest. 

We are joined by Fr. Dwight Birket to discuss his time in seminary and priesthood, including the experience of serving in the missions in Venezuela. It is a blessing to hear him share what helped him persevere faithfully through over 50 years of priesthood when many of his classmates left. 

Today we welcome on one of our newly ordained priests, Fr. Jesus Bañuelos. We discuss his theories on where to find the best tacos before he shares about how the Lord used his love of music to take him from guitar player in a Mexican norteño group to his calling as a priest. 

Today we begin by sharing our greatest dreams of game show stardom. Then we discuss Pope Francis' recent letter on the role of literature in formation and how reading good books shaped our time in seminary and now our life as priests and evangelists. 

We are pumped to welcome Fr. Seth Arnold to the studio to share about his love of running and his excitement to run the Boston Marathon. Then, he explains how a few moments of grace, including a providential encounter with a man in need, gave him the confidence to surrender his life to God as a priest. 

After calming rising tensions between Fr. Drew and Fr. Chad, we discuss the start of the school year: our traditions as kids, experiences returning to seminary each fall, and our practices now as we enter a new academic year as priests. 

Sitting down once more with Bishop Kemme, we begin by talking about memories of road trips and travel before discussing the power of pilgrimage in aiding our growth in prayer and discernment. 

We are blessed to welcome back Bishop Kemme to discuss his own discernment of the Diocesan Capital Campaign.    Also, for the first time, we simultaneously recorded this episode as a video podcast. You can check that out on the diocesan YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/dioceseofwichita). 

We begin by chatting about different trends amongst priests or seminarians, bringing to the surface Fr. Drew's disdain for basically all animals. Then we discuss the importance of "grit" in prayer, discernment and formation. 

We are joined by Fr. Dan Duling to chat about his parish and recent church building project as well as Fr. Drew's hot take about lake trips being too stressful. Then Fr. Dan shares how his vocation grew and flourished, even through a showdown with a nun. 

Seminarians beware: today we come up with some ideas for good, just punishments for guys who break a House rule. Then we jump into a good conversation about the inevitable and often difficult experience of watching someone decide to leave seminary. 

Today we are joined by Fr. Matt McGinness. Before hearing about his journey to the priesthood, we chat about his gift for hospitality, his affection for gin and tonics, and his experience as Vocations Director for 17 years.  

This week we begin by sharing experiences of our ordination weekends and which priests we invited to preach at our first Mass and to vest us as a deacon and priest (while also throwing out some hot takes for the diocesan Office of Worship to consider). Then we discuss what it means to be a mentor to young people discerning their vocation. 

We are joined by Sr. Rosie of the Missionary Catechists of the Poor, a community of religious sisters based in Monterrey, Mexico who serve here in the Wichita diocese. We discuss the beauty and difficulty of learning a second language before hearing how the Lord called Sr. Rosie to give her life to Him as a religious sister.

We chat about our practices of preparing for homilies before sharing our experience of the Liturgy of the Hours, the daily prayer of the Church, which sanctifies the entire day to God. 

We talk with Fr. Jacob Carlin to hear how the Lord brought him to the priesthood through the trials of discernment, four knee surgeries, and, worst of all, living in England for five years.