Faith Full Podcast

A cemetery in northern France tells us something about Catholicism in this country. I've been here many times over the last 15 years…a tiny slice of this village's lifetime, stretching to the 12th century. In 2013, broken crucifixes and stones littered the grounds of St. Martin church. Flowers and vegetation reclaimed many plots, and at least to me the site felt forgotten. But something changed, bringing some well-needed love and attention to St. Martin...at a time when there are some glimpses of hope for the faith in France. Pope Leo XIV has called for a missionary renewal in France, and baptisms are on the rise. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 YouTube: https://youtu.be/sjFA9QtxwEg Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv In society in general, coming to a cemetery like this is a sacred place. This is a place where people should show reverence. It's only natural that this is where loved ones and all of us can remember people we may have known, or at least acknowledge that fellow brothers and sisters in Christ existed. But over time some cemeteries face neglect. And in France especially, with a complicated history with its religion, we can ask why did it fall in disrepair? Was it part of a general turning away from the church, or from religion, that these places fell into disrepair? Or that people forgot, and didn't pay attention to cemeteries like this one at St. Martin, in the village of Mauregny-en-Haye. This village has only about 400 residents, and it's lost many of the staples of village life. Decades ago it had things you might expect in a village including two butchers, a market, and even a traveling clothing seller named “the carrier pigeon” would show up. But no longer..no bakery, no traditional grocery store, but farmers do sell fresh produce. And St. Martin itself isn't the hub it surely used to be. A pamphlet with some local history says big changes to St. Martin's operations began in the 1960s. At that time, falling parishioner numbers limited the number of priests regularly coming to the area, and thus reduced the number of church services, which thus reduced the number of Catholics, which reduced the number of services, etc. Even though the Catholic faith in France has changed a lot over time, and my most recent trip to France has proved that there's a general curiosity about religion. What happened? Why did Catholicism fall off so abruptly? As we learned in our episode about the nuns of Compiegne, it's a complicated history, often related to the revolution, but even before. The complicated relationship between the church and the monarchy, the rise of laicite within France. The changing of just how France operates through multiple world wars. What role does the church play amid such devastation? It's hard, it's a hard question to answer. But to pay respect in a cemetery like this just seems natural, it's what should be done. And there are people who have taken care of St. Martin. There was an effort to raise money for this place to restore headstones and dress it up a bit. But it doesn't change the larger trend against the church, against maintenance of places like this as a church as opposed to part of the patrimoine, collective heritage of France. And that's something that the faithful have to wrestle with, and people who are not particularly religious have to wrestle with. The French subscribe to a kind of hyper secularism as a social “religion” called laicite, extreme separation of church and state. And interesting enough, a desire to preserve civic history may have helped save St. Martin. Residents and officials worked to secure about 350-thousand-euros to repair the church roof, doors and other improvements in the name of preserving heritage, as opposed to preserving a House of God because it's a house of God. Some naysayers may not much care about this. “It is just a building,” one might say, or “why should religious groups spend money on property when they can feed the poor?” The physical church building can serve as a hub for feeding the poor, and act as a space for people to contemplate themselves, and God. It also serves as a cultural marker, and an historical marker. In May 2025 Pope Leo said France's “Christian heritage” … “still profoundly permeates [French] culture and remains alive in many hearts.” This came on the heels of a report that France's Catholic Church planned to welcome more than 10,300 adult catechumens at Easter, marking a 45% increase from 2024 figures. This is incredible news. Put simply I think it's a good thing to maintain churches and cemeteries. Yes for the religious part of it, and I happen to be Catholic so it's a holy place to me, but also as part of the fabric that holds the community together.

You may not realize it, but the Catholic faith was one of the great targets of the French Revolution, birthing martyrs and saints from persecution and bloodshed. Sixteen Carmelite nuns were beheaded in 1794 for remaining true to their vows, and nothing more. During the so-called Reign of Terror which saw revolutionaries sniffing out real and imagined conspiracies, these nuns were expelled from their monastic life and offered a choice: renounce their faith, and submit to extreme secularism, or be deemed enemies of the state. The prioress Mother Teresa of St. Augustine proposed the sisters offer their lives for the salvation of France, fulfilling a prophetic dream from another sister a hundred years before. The act of sacrifice was offered while the nuns sang hymns and prayed, guillotined in front of a crowd faced with the consequence of madness. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Jonathan O'Brien, author of "Called to Compiègne": https://www.amazon.com/Called-Compi%C3%A8gne-Jonathan-Michael-OBrien/dp/B0D72K2F5F Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/  Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811  YouTube: https://youtu.be/sjFA9QtxwEg  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv On a rainy night in Paris, the Catholic Bishop strikes the door of Notre Dame with his crozier, or staff, as French President Emmanuel Macron and mayor Anne Hidalgo look on. This ceremony on December 7, 2024, reconsecrated the Cathedral after the devastating fire in 2019. To a Catholic, Notre Dame is God's house. But to the French, it is part of the patrimoine, the collective French heritage and cultural identity of France. Yes, it's still God's house, but following the French Revolution France developed into a society governed by laicite—hyper secularism. During the Revolution, this Cathedral of Notre Dame was declared a temple of reason. Effigies were constructed on her floors. The traditional symbols and characteristics of true Catholicism, which is interwoven with France's history, were eyed with suspicion. Priests and nuns were forced to take oaths to the republic, and those who didn't were arrested.  I took a pilgrimage to France recently, and visited minor and major holy sites all over the country. I celebrated Mass at the cathedrals of Tours and Orleans, I prayed at the Marian apparition site of Pontmain, at the Abbaye of Mont Saint Michel, at Joan of Arc's birthplace of Domremy La Pucelle, and where she saw the Dauphin crowned king in the cathedral of Reims. These and many other sites were powerful reminders of just how Catholic France was, and is, if you know where to look. Americans often find a kinship in the idea of the French Revolution because a democracy emerged from the ruins of monarchy. But the story of the martyrs, now saints, of Compiegne, reminds us of the brutality. To learn more about these brave women religious I spoke with Jonathan O'Brien, a Catholic convert who was touched by the story of the nuns in Compiegne and wrote his book: Called to Compiegne. We spoke before Pope Francis formally declared the nuns as saints through what's called equipollent canonization: the Church believes these women are in Heaven, without reported modern miracles, as is usually required. I asked Jonathan what inspired him to dig deep into their history:

My house almost caught fire, and I had no idea of the danger until it was over, pieced together by burn marks on a wall and other clues around an old boiler system. I called a specialist to look at it, and he said bluntly: he's come to believe things happen for a reason, and our house is still standing for a reason. I always try to express gratitude to others and to God, but as we come into the holiday season I thought this story was especially worth bringing to you all. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. In this short episode we hear from Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB, translator of St. Aloysius Gonzaga's Meditations on the Holy Angels. Plus an excerpt from St. Thérèse of Lisieux's autobiography "The Story of a Soul." Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv When you know what you're looking for the clues are obvious: burn marks on a wall, a tripped electrical breaker, and a broken boiler. In hindsight it's easy. But in day-to-day life, it's not. About a month ago I started to run my heating system before winter to make sure everything was working well. My house was built in the 1950s and part of the house has radiant floor heating. Essentially a gas-fired boiler heats up water that is sent through pipes under the floor. When it works, it works well! The boiler pilot light was out when I went to run my test, so I cleaned around the boiler and relit the light. The system kicked on, and for about two days it seemed to work well, until it didn't. I played with the thermostat trying to get the system back on but it didn't work. Around the same time, randomly, an electrical plug in my garage stopped working. It wasn't clear the problems were related…(foreshadowing). Ultimately I decided to call the heating repair company first to do a tune-up on the system and figure out what's wrong. It took just a minute to see the problem. One of the burners was off its rack, and old fire-proofing material had crumbled. Flames had been shooting out the back of the unit onto the wall, ultimately hitting the wiring harness to the thermostat. “I'm not sure why they wired it like that,” the technician told me. “But it's good they did.” The melted wiring tripped the breaker and shut down the boiler, cutting the flow of gas and stopping the fire. The malfunctioning outlet must've been on an adjacent circuit or something. It's still sinking in, just how fortunate we are that our home wasn't taken in a fire, and the way the system was built in the 1950s kept us safe. As Catholics, this brought a few things to mind for my wife and me: one about St. Thérèse of Lisieux and the other about angels. I've been given the gift of seeing a stone moved from my path: the fire threatened my home, the place that my family considers safe and secure. Even if the fire had started, we have smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers–all things that would've likely kept us physically safe, but still would've lost property. I hope that in my journeying toward Heaven that I can use the time, talents and experiences God has given me to show my gratitude. It's a gratitude that extends beyond just the holiday season, of course, and is rooted deeply in what makes me, me. I'm just thankful to get to keep going, with a home that's intact. Thank you for listening to this short episode of Faith Full. Please share, like and subscribe if you find it worthwhile.

It's been 12 years since St. Kateri Tekakwitha ("The Lily of the Mohawks") was declared a saint by the Catholic church, in October 2012. She was a Mohawk/Algonquin woman who lived in the late 17th century in present-day New York and Quebec, declaring herself a virgin for Christ. Her sainthood has sparked both pride and soul-searching within and beyond Canada's First Nations. St. Kateri's earthly remains are entombed at the National Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine, in St. Francis Xavier Mission Catholic Church in Kahnawake, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. The church is not far from the Kateri school and Kateri Memorial Hospital—visible reminders that she lived here, or nearby, in a Catholic community before her death at age 24. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. In this episode we are not retelling St. Kateri's life story, but rather we're bringing you voices from a few members of the present-day Catholic community in Kahnawake: Beverly Anna Sky Dolormier, a volunteer named Marian, and Fr. Richard Saint-Louis. Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Before we explore St. Kateri, we need to be transparent: there are many serious issues that may cloud discussions involving the Catholic Church that we won't fully be able to explore. The Church has a complicated history and present here. Jesuits, known as the Black Robes, evangelized as European powers colonized North America. Over centuries, the systems put in place to govern these territories have wrested ancestral lands, water rights, and more, from the indigenous peoples. Church-affiliated residential schools separated children from their families and culture in the name of assimilation. Despite public apologies from Pope Francis, the reports of abuses committed at those schools have left societal wounds that, for some, may never fully heal. But for some Catholics, faith bears witness to their resilience.

What does it mean for a baby to be “incompatible with life?” Even before a baby is born, doctors are doing tests, reviewing ultrasounds, and monitoring the mother closely for unexpected results or problems. If the unborn baby has too serious a condition, parents might be told by doctors that their baby is “incompatible with life.” That's to say, it's not expected to live long, if at all, and parents can face a choice of life or death for this person they've not yet met. After doctors identified Trisomy 13 in John Paul Hauser, his parents were coached to consider having an abortion. Despite having this major genetic corruption, and a life that might last for minutes if at all, John Paul's parents chose to give him that life. And live he did. /// Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Tami and Tracy Hauser, and Barb Baxter, the parents and godmother of John Paul Hauser. Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv The reflection of John Paul Hauser's joy still radiates from cherished family videos. In one clip, he's sitting on his mom's lap as she claps his hands in tune with "The Hokey Pokey." "The Hokey Pokey" is one of those universal songs to get kids moving, and be silly and joyful. John Paul's condition meant he experienced the hokey pokey and so many things differently than most kids, but he still enjoyed them. He didn't speak, but he communicated in his own way. He played. He enjoyed music—Schubert's Ave Maria was a favorite. It's important we start with some details of John Paul Hauser the person, because there was a chance we would never have met him. Tami and her husband Tracy made the choice to give John Paul a chance to live, even though he would face great difficulty. "They noticed some some things looked abnormal on the ultrasound and then they sent us in for more testing," Tami says. "They told us that he had this condition called Trisomy 13, which is a corruption of all the chromosomes, and it's the most severe corruption, and that they considered it "incompatible with life." They told us that he wasn't probably going to make it to birth and if he did he would most likely only live like a few minutes or maybe at best a few hours after birth." Tami and Tracy faced this news with shock, devastation, and fear.  "The very next thing out of their mouth is that we should have an abortion. I just remember like thinking, I just I couldn't believe that they were telling us to have, they were coaching us to have an abortion. I was always like, I didn't realize it went like this. I just thought people left these appointments and then discerned and decided to have an abortion, but here were just being advised ... and more than once," Tami continues. "Finally we just said this baby is not going to die at our hands and you know for us it just wasn't even a decision, like it was just like no. This is…that we would never end our child's life."

To hear of a man crushed by a giant crucifix, it should rightly give us pause. Years ago I heard of a man who prayed before a statue of Christ on the cross every day, asking God's mercy for the man's wife who was battling cancer. His wife made it through, and after enduring the pain and emotional exhaustion of that fight, the man wanted to clean the statue in appreciation. Except, the statue fell on him, leading to his leg being amputated. The church raised money and donations for the man, but he ended up suing. /// Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features a news report from 2012, and reflections on what a falling crucifix might mean (if anything at all.) Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Before we get too deep into this wild story, I want to express sympathy for the people involved. To battle cancer, to believe prayers have been answered, to lose a leg in an accident with a falling crucifix—it's all a bit much and demands some thoughtfulness. The story from 2012 originally came from local TV station CBS 2 in New York, about David Jimenez. Jimenez's lawyer reiterates that his client believed his devotion to the crucifix was responsible for his wife being cured, so he asked permission to clean the crucifix since it was seen as having been neglected. The 600-pound statue was supported only by one screw in its base, the lawyer says. The church gathered donations of goods and money, but Jimenez filed suit to try to expedite a settlement from the archdiocese's insurance company, looking for 3-million-dollars. It's a wild story that not surprisingly attracted naysayers in the comments saying it was clearly a message or a bad omen. For me, it sparked a number of questions: is it accurate to say the man prayed to the crucifix, and that he felt the object had power? Does it mean something if a crucifix falls down? What is this story saying, or not, about faith, and about God? The headline proclaims Mr. Jimenez as “Deeply religious;” his devotion to the cross is mentioned throughout. Those faith-skeptics might proclaim: Ahh, see what good faith is? See what praying leads to? It did not help you? Where was God? I do not share those skeptical views of faith. But I did, briefly, go down a rabbit hole. While a crucifix is a holy symbol, it is not to be prayed to directly, similar to statues and icons. The crucifix is an object to remind the believer, or focus the believer's attention on God. By praying to an object, as the awkward syntax in the news story presents, the crucifix has itself become an idol. There's also a difference between showing reverence to an image of Christ, for example, and praying to an object—the reverence is shown in respect to Christ, and not because it's a thing. The cynical Christian might say, “Well, so the man prayed to an object, and thus was taught a lesson by God.” Despite graphic episodes in the Old Testament, I tend to think God's new covenant makes clear he is not in the smiting business, and he is a loving God. In the view of Christianity, it is through Jesus Christ's death and resurrection that man is saved, and provided the Holy Spirit to discern manifestations of God within us and others. If we take the news story at face value, that Mr. Jimenez is a ‘deeply religious' man, and he has chosen to be devoted to God, then why is his leg crushed? It may not be satisfying, but no one on this side of Heaven can know why this happened as it did. We do not know fully where we are going in life, the lessons we must learn, the spiritual growth we must experience. We do not know if opportunities for charity are at first blurred by pain and what we see as tragedy. And this goes for anyone, facing anything in life. Do I find it good that this man has lost his leg? No, of course not. But we cannot know why this happened. It is through faith we seek the strength to believe in the plan set out long before we came into existence on this Earth. And it is in faith that we seek strength to stay the course when met with epic sadness, or seemingly insurmountable pain. At times, I don't think we know how much we can handle, or how much more we must grow or experience. We do not know everything. Jesus recognized the difficulty of our having true faith in what cannot be known, referencing the power afforded by faith only as big as a mustard seed. It is in those darkest of nights, in the face of the most daunting tasks, that even the slightest bit of faith can give us the strength to push farther than our minds, hearts and souls believed to be possible. 

The chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (Our Lady of Good Help) is Montreal's oldest stone church, sitting for hundreds of years as a beacon of hope. It celebrates a special milestone this year, 250 years, having acted as a refuge for residents, pilgrims, sailors and travelers arriving by the St. Lawrence River and Seaway. Today we'll explore together a fascinating chapter of Catholic history in North America, and learn that key to the story of this chapel, and the Catholic community of Nouvelle France, is St. Marguerite Bourgeoys. She was the first teacher of the colony of Ville Marie, and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame, and was laid to rest on the site she worked so hard to consecrate for the Lord, with help of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Carole Golding, Pastoral Coordinator of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Montreal.  Learn more: https://margueritebourgeoys.org/en/history/  Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/  Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lWcx-_JhVv0  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M The Blessed Virgin Mary looks over Montreal's present and future, and stands as a beacon from its past…guiding us to her Son. The original chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours was founded by St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, building a foundation for this chapel and community that has survived war, fire, and the many difficulties of early colonial life. A statue of the Blessed Virgin overlooks the Old Port of Montreal, where sailors and settlers would arrive after facing the grueling path to the New World. This place represented peace. Refuge. And it still does, in a way. Montreal is a vibrant city, and the oldest quarter has its share of foot traffic: tourists, locals, pilgrims. The historic port, market, neighborhood, can feel quaint at times, and overwhelming at others. The chapel gives space for a quiet moment with God. You may remember our episode from the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, the site of the only Catholic Church-approved Marian apparition in the US. That site has since been renamed the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion to reflect the place where it occurred, but it doesn't take away I think from the original devotion to Our Lady of Good Help at that site, and the importance of the devotion here in Montreal. 

Christian duty and panhandlers. What's the right thing to do? For a long time I've struggled when approached by panhandlers, people on the street asking for money. I want to help, but I don't want to be taken advantage of, or feed an addiction, or endanger myself. As a Catholic, as a Christian, I know helping the less fortunate is central to my faith. In one of the most famous passages from Scripture, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says in a parable ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.' ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.' Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Gary Sole, the CEO of Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Diocese of Cleveland, learn more at https://svdpcle.org/  Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M  When you really think about the Gospel of Matthew, and what Jesus says about the “least of these”…there's no waffling here. These are what are called the Corporal Works of Mercy, which the US Conference of Catholic Bishops says are “found in the teachings of Jesus and give us a model for how we should treat all others, as if they were Christ in disguise.” But does this mean if someone walks up to me I need to give money every time? When working in European city centers, or downtown Phoenix or Cleveland, I would try to have some food to offer instead of money, but is that enough? The US Catholic Bishops say giving alms to the poor is best done this way: “Donate money to organizations that have the ability to provide support and services for those in need. Do research and find organizations that put people in need first, rather than profit.” That seems sensible…and yet when I'm approached on the street I feel faced with a flesh and blood person asking me for help. But do they really need help? One reason I'm so torn on this is probably the effect of local TV news...

Just to mention aliens turns some people off, but to a Christian, to a Catholic, thinking about extraterrestrial life can hold tremendous value. If you replace the word “alien” with “the other” then we start down a familiar path. Does “the other” exist in the universe? Would “the other” mean us peace or harm? Should I will the good of “the other?” Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Paul Thigpen. The book is published by TAN Books: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/tan-books/pre-order/extraterrestrial-intelligence-and-the-catholic-faith/ Some of the greatest Catholic thinkers wrestled with this question of “the other.” Whether you're thinking about so-called aliens, people who live in the center of the earth, or maybe creatures at the end of the world, how we approach our theoretical brothers and sisters of the universe might tell us a lot about what our faith really means to us.  Introduction Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Many Catholic thinkers have explored this question of alien life, from an apologetics standpoint, to the Vatican observatory. And science fiction likes to return to this tension of space and religions every so often. In one classic episode of the original Star Trek series the crew finds a planet with Roman-era government, and a growing following of sun worshipers, thought to be primitive. But the sun SUN, was actually son SON. And we're left with this question of whether Christ would die again on some distant cross for the same path of salvation for another species. Star Trek's creator Gene Roddenberry also had a show called Earth Final Conflict, about a race of aliens who came to help out the humans. But in one episode a character blends images of Moses, Jesus Christ, and a few other historical figures and the image looks just like the alien. Have they been here before? Maybe our souls have a unique connection to other beings. God's grace is certainly abundant enough to spread beyond the stars, isn't it? In December 2022 Pentagon officials said there was no evidence to affirm the existence of space aliens, but the search continues. So our thinking about our faith and potential alien life continues with Paul Thigpen, author of Extraterrestrial Intelligence and the Catholic Faith from TAN Books.

Angels seem mysterious and familiar all at the same time. Angels are by definition different than you and I are—they're spiritual beings, without bodies, but can be present in our world. St. Augustine says “angel” is the name of their office, or what they do: they are servants and messengers of God. In this episode we hear about what another saint, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, thought about angels in his newly translated Meditations on the Holy Angels. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB. The book is published by TAN Books: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/Meditations-on-the-Holy-Angels/ Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M In the Gospel of Matthew at one point Jesus tells us that angels that watch over us, the Guardian Angels, also “always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which explains what Catholics believe, says, “From its beginning until death, human life is surrounded by their watchful care and intercession.” === When think you might die, you tend to lean more heavily on your deepest beliefs, and for me, a Catholic, that means prayer for God's protection. For years I rode a motor scooter to work, similar to a Vespa. One day, in an instant I'm no longer on my scooter, and I put out my hands to try to catch myself from the fall that I can't avoid. I roll onto the tree lawn just a short distance from parked cars that I narrowly missed. I didn't know what was wrong, only that my body wasn't working right. I had a separated shoulder, a fractured wrist, some road rash on my leg and other soft tissue damage in my arm. The adrenaline and maybe shock began to take over, but I knew that I was alive. I prayed as the EMTs got me into the ambulance, thanking God I was still alive, and had more time with my wife and children. And as I said Our Fathers, Hail Marys, and even portions of Hail Holy Queen, I began contemplating all that led me to that crash. How did it happen? And could it have been worse? Was my Guardian Angel helping me arrive at the point where I would make it out alive? I spoke about this and many other issues of angels and faith with Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB, who translated St. Aloysius Gonzaga's Meditations on the Holy Angels.

War and Catholicism. On today's episode we'll hear from a Catholic Bishop and a former member of the British armed forces talk about how our duties as Christians, striving to walk the path to Heaven, square with the hell of war? Our conversation is driven by a powerful scene in the movie Kingdom of Heaven. This episode features Bishop Neal Buckon of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, and Catholic and military veteran Rebecca Clemenz. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/your-quality-known-among-your-enemies/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/ex2Fd1f1Gv4 Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M This is a big topic, with many twists and turns, so we'll attempt a somewhat narrow conversation today driven by a single line of movie dialogue: “Your quality will be known among your enemies, before ever you meet them.” For me there is so much packed into this line from a movie called Kingdom of Heaven. A newly-minted Christian knight during the Crusades named Balian—played by Orlando Bloom—had just released a Saracen, Muslim fighter on account of his quality, when the man, Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani delivers this line. Balian had inherited his estranged father's nobility as Baron of Ibelin, and was shipwrecked while journeying to Jerusalem. A lone surviving horse from the wreck runs to an oasis on a desert plot of land owned by what we're told is al-Isfahani's master. Balian refuses to give up the horse, and al-Isfahani's master fights for it…and loses. Balian spares al-Isfahani's life, and orders him to take him to Jerusalem, and once there he releases him and gives him the horse. Al-Isfahani is stunned, saying Balian could have made him his slave, which Balian rejects—he had been near to a slave in his life and would never hold someone in bondage. And then we hear it: “Your quality will be known among your enemies, before ever you meet them.” A Catholic military perspective on quality, honor, and war—on this episode of Faith Full.  As I record this, we're still seeing the devastation of the war in Ukraine, just as we've seen devastation in Afghanistan, Iraq, Ethiopia, Yemen, the list is as long as the existence of humanity. But really where is humanity in war? What about mercy? Honor? Nobility? This topic is huge, and I want to say at the outset I can't cover it all. St. Augustine's thoughts on Just War, and the Catholic Church's teachings on self defense and preservation of life and peace, cannot be discussed comprehensively, at least by me, in a single session. I'm also not a veteran, but I've interviewed many in my years as a journalist, and have friends and family in the service. You may remember talking through some of these issues in our episode with Fr. Cirilo Nacorda who was held hostage by terrorists in the Philippines at one time, and later began carrying a gun and working to help villagers defend themselves. I've always struggled with this tension between being called to love our enemies, and having the armed forces needing to face our enemies. 

This episode is the third connected to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode talks about needing to take mini-pilgrimages in our everyday life, and not just wait for big trips. You can stop for a moment of prayer anywhere, anytime. This episode features again Fr. Edward Looney, Fr. John Broussard, Fr. Carlos Esparza, and Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-wayside-chapels-and-everyday-pilgrims/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Standing on the shore of a mountain lake at sunrise, you may not think you're necessarily on a pilgrimage, but then you're drawn toward a prayerful moment. You gaze into the raspberry and amber skies, as the lapping waves try to sing you back to sleep. But you're called to be present and aware of the awe. Or maybe you hike toward an Alpine peak when you're serenaded by birdsong; nature's hallelujah. Again you're very present in the moment; thankful and introspective, like a pilgrim. And then on the trail you literally see Christ on the cross. A traveler, a pilgrim, before you thought to install a wayside chapel—a small, wooden structure to draw you even further toward God. These things are common in Europe, and in Wisconsin chapels created by European immigrants still pepper the countryside. This brings us to the idea of wayside chapels, or roadside chapels. In Wisconsin, are literally down the road from the Champion apparition site.

This episode is the second about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. This episode features Fr. Edward Looney, and Fr. John Broussard. We also learn about the Peshtigo fire on 1871. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-blessed-virgin-mary-appears-in-champion/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M There's a crisp hint of Autumn in the air when a young Adele Brise first catches sight of the mysterious figure. It's October 1859. Adele carries her bag of wheat toward the grist mill, in a wooded patch of Northern Wisconsin, when she freezes, frightened. There, between a hemlock and maple tree stands a beautiful woman clothed in dazzling white, wearing a yellow sash and crown of stars atop her flowing golden hair, until...she's gone. The vision of the woman fades, and Adele all alone, continues on her way. A second encounter with the mystery woman a few days later is just as startling, compounded by the fact this figure doesn't say a word. On counsel from a priest, Adele is prepared for her next encounter and says to the figure: In God's name who are you and what do you want from me? I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, the woman says, and I wish you to do the same. The Queen of Heaven—the Blessed Virgin Mary—proceeds to explain to Adele what she's being called to do: teach the children of this wild country what they should know for their salvation, while also encouraging Adele, that she's not going to have to do it alone.

This episode is the first of three about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. In 1859 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Belgian immigrant, Adele Brise. Mary identified herself as “The Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners,” and told Adele to teach children their catechism, how to make the sign of the cross, and how to approach the sacraments. And then Mary said, “Go and fear nothing, I will help you.” Our next episode will go a little deeper into the apparition, and the miracles at Champion, but today we're preparing for that pilgrimage with the help of Jesuit priest, Fr. Carlos Esparza. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-a-pilgrim-seeks-a-guide/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Switcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M  

Switzerland is one of the world's wealthiest countries, and poverty doesn’t manifest itself in the same way as in other places. The numbers of people needing food and shelter are exponentially less, even when considering Switzerland’s size. But there can be another kind of poverty, a spiritual poverty. In this short episode of the Faith Full Podcast we talk a little about the poor in spirit, and the need for a bit more compassion in our approach to each other. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/11-spiritual-poverty-and-helping-hands/  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ 

When you think of Legos, you no doubt envision the small bricks that ignite children’s imaginations by their possibilities. You sift through a box of tiny pieces looking for one to make that spaceship just right, or house a little more functional. John Kraemer takes that to a different level. He doesn’t just build a church, it’s a working model of parish life for a Lego world not unlike our own. You can pray in many ways, and for John, building these Lego parishes and communities are a prayer. Find pictures and more on the episode page. Donate to Faith Full. Learn more about John and The Lego Church Project.  

"The Church hasn't always been good at dealing with people who are, quote unquote different. It's difficult." Fr. Jamie Dennis is one of what he estimates are only 10 Catholic priests in the U.S. He's a fascinating person, who lives in a train caboose, and runs his own railroad, on his family farm near Owensboro, KY. He talks to us about why the Latin Mass and Byzantine Liturgy are more accessible than the Ordinary Form of the Mass, and he talks about the challenges he faced growing up while losing his vision. “It's a difficult world we live in. But it can be dealt with,” he says. "With God, lots of things are possible." Please visit the episode page for text and pictures! Support Faith Full!

For some Catholics who are blind, the experience of the Mass can be very different than for sighted people. In normal times, it can be a tactile experience. But not during the pandemic. In Scripture, Jesus is recorded as saying where two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in the midst of them. And that goes for times when the two or three need to be two or three meters apart for social distancing. As with many Catholics, those who are blind have found technology as a way to continue to express their faith even when so much of life is disrupted. Many are also helped by an organization in New York, the Xavier Society for the Blind, which for 120 years has kept coming Catholic and inspirational materials in Braille and audio formats. We learn about that, and hear from a number of Catholics who are blind about their experience of the pandemic. Visit the full episode page for pictures and more. Donate to Faith Full.

The world remains gripped by a pandemic; an unseen, but very present coronavirus has caused us to rethink a lot of things: how we work, how we spend time, how we show respect and communicate. I’ve been sitting on a fun anecdote for a while, and thought these dark days are as good a time as any to share. So coming up: the story of a giant Jesus Christ (in hot air balloon form) and the two German monks, in this short episode of Faith Full. Find a full transcript on the episode page!

In times of struggle for the institution of the Catholic Church, some look for inspiration and intercession from the Saints. St. Jean Vianney is said to have faced regular attacks by Satan, yet his ministry in the face of those attacks positioned him as the Patron Saint of Parish Priests, having walked the Earth during a time of great difficulty for the Catholic church in France. The incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney is touring the U.S. during another time of trial in the Church. More on that, and the young man traveling with the relic in this episode of Faith Full. We meet Evan Holguin, custodian of the relic and a manager-in-training with the Knights of Columbus. And Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes, O.P. of St. Patrick Priory in Columbus, Ohio talks about the life of St. Jean Vianney, and faith. Find more pictures at the episode page. If you feel inspired, you can support Faith Full.

Hundreds of years ago a man dressed as a bear murdered a Catholic freedom fighter in Switzerland. The details of the crime are somewhat important, but more so are the details of a Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism on account of his idea of authority and power. The crime stemmed from a time fraught with religious division during which moderation seemed extinct. It's a sharp contrast to today, of course, where it's not uncommon for Christian denominations to pray together, and discuss the faith from their own perspectives. In this episode we explore the life and death of Swiss pastor and fighter Joerg Jenatsch, and think a little about praying together nowadays. Full episode with pictures and text 

If a loved one dies, it’s natural to want to hang on to something to remind you of them—maybe a ring, maybe a favorite book or picture. That’s the same idea, in a very basic way, behind the relics of the saints held in high esteem by many faith traditions. And in Pittsburgh, oddly enough, there is said to be the largest Catholic collection of relics outside of Rome.  Join us for a visit to Saint Anthony’s Chapel in this episode of Faith Full. Find the full story at http://www.faithfullpod.com/4-of-relics-saints-and-solace/

Even if our grief and heartache have sapped our strength, as Sirach said, the Catholic faith teaches that God provides love and support and grace, that we desperately need.   Our last episode followed the story of Fr. Cirilo Nacorda who had been captured by Jihadist militants. His story was relayed to Faith Full host Tony Ganzer by his grandfather before his death. In this half-episode we hear a little about that backstory, and what Ganzer's Grandfather wanted shared about his faith. Visit the episode page at http://www.faithfullpod.com/3-5-a-grandfathers-faith/

The story of Fr. Cirilo Nacorda is one layered with nuance, spirituality,  and humanity. Over the course of two decades, the Catholic priest has lived through two hostage situations; has helped organize Christian militias uniting against Jihadist militants, and armed himself because of the perceived hopelessness of the situation; and has faced what he saw as deep corruption in the Philippines. The trials led Fr. Nacorda to a deeper layer to his faith, but not before seriously challenging it.  And even still he's challenged, just as a chaplain in an Ohio hospital. "My hands were tied with chain and padlock...and there were four terrorists guarding me inside that small hut, but I managed to kneel down, and I was able to pray...if this is now the moment, just give me the strength, the faith, the courage to face my death." Visit the episode page at http://www.faithfullpod.com/3-facing-terror-finding-hope/

"How many slaves work for you?" It was the provocative, uncomfortable start to Sister Anne's Victory's TEDx talk a few years ago.  If you were to judge her by her looks, you might think she was a grandmother or retiree.  But Sister Anne is at the forefront of a major effort to shine light on the practice of human trafficking.  She's a member of the Catholic Sisters of the Humility of Mary, and also the director education for the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, in Northeast Ohio. She talks about how faith influences her work, even if it's not obvious. Visit the episode page for links, and transcribed quotes

Episode 1 of the Faith Full podcast brings the story of a late-night Denny's encounter bringing together blackjack and a random theology exchange. We share what we believe about God and about Christianity, glancing over ideas like Sola fide and Once Saved, Always Saved. By the end of the exchange, I realize that a large part of the restaurant has been listening to our exchange, and appreciated the honesty and respect shown. PLUS the story of Switzerland's short-term friar who agree to give up modern life to find something more enriching. “When I am outside I see a lot of people who is a little bit unhappy,” Brother Fridolin says seriously, but with compassion. “And I am thinking, people must thinking about why we are unhappy, and what can we do against it. Not everybody can go to the monastery, that is also clear, but this could be a possibility to give to your life a new change.” Visit the episode page for pictures from outside the monastery