These Are My Friends: A Catholic Slice-of-Life Podcast

I feel pretty bad for the click-bait-ey title.. but only slightly. This episode follows an article I found on The National Catholic Reporter titled A busy Catholic's guide to Advent: 10 tips for observing the season. This article contains some pretty simple but effective ways to elevate your Advent season and so I wanted to share them with everyone on the podcast. I added some tips of my own as well. Hope you enjoy!   Mentioned: Dynamic Catholic's Best Advent Ever The Little Blue Book Advent and Christmas Seasons 2018-2019: Six-minute reflections on the Sunday Gospels of Year C

"Retreat, hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction." -Oliver P. Smith Hello friends! In this episode, Marian and I share our recent retreat experience at St. Anne in the Mountains. Whether you're there as a retreat participant or as a volunteer, a weekend getaway can be just the spiritual boost you need. Join us as we talk about retreats!

Hello everyone! We are so back! And it's good to be back. :D So good, in fact, that we let ourselves loose with the tangents on this one. I guess that'll be your one and only warning. :-P Your mission, if you so choose, is to join Marian and I on a fairly lengthy but fairly interesting topic: Loneliness in young adults. Loneliness can be a common occurrence for the young Catholic trying to figure out what we're doing in our lives. Why are we going through this? What can we do to get out of a funk? What is God trying to tell us? All this and more in this episode!   DISCLAIMER time! We are not professional theologians or counselors on this podcast. If you're in a dark place, just know you're not alone. Marian and I are praying for anyone feeling especially lonely. Please reach out to someone. On the flip side, you may notice that someone needs help. Be the light of Christ to that person. There is also a 24/7 suicide prevention lifeline available: 1-800-273-8255.

We are back everyone! New episodes coming out every other Monday in November. See you in a few days!

The desires in your heart are placed there by God because He wants them to be fulfilled, just like you do, but in His time and in His will. Meanwhile, here's an episode about discernment... THROUGH THICK AND THIN~

With the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae, we wanted to cover a topic that, in our experience, doesn't get that much coverage in the young adult ministry circles: Natural family planning (NFP). We did our best to unpack a theologicaly dense subject starting with the encyclical itself. We then dive into the topic of NFP. Finally we talk about the fruits we can gain from practicing NFP. NFP is more than just peroidic abstinence. It is a means by which a Catholic family can increase or decrease their chances of pregnancy while still respecting God's will by not interferring with natural law. If you liked this or any of our episodes, please subscribe and rate us on iTunes, PodBean, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can find us on social media @TAMFpodcast. See you in two weeks! Books mentioned by Teresa: 1. Theology of the Body (Pope John Paul II)2. Theology of the Body for Beginngers (Christopher West)3. Love and Responsibility (Karol Wojtyla aka Pope John Paul II)4. Men, Women and the Mystery of Love: Practical Insights from John Paul II’s Love and Responsibility (Edward Sri)5. Adam and Eve After the Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution (Mary Berstadt)6. Confessions of an Ex-Feminist (Lorraine V. Murray)7. The Courage to be Chaste (Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel C.F.R.)

Hello hello! In this episode, Chris and I talk about the Sacraments of Communion and Reconciliation as well as our experiences with them. We also touch a little on the liturgy, the early church, and a tiny bit of philosophy. There may be a lot of tangents in this one but it always points back to the Eucharist and to Confession. Hope you enjoy!

Hello everyone! This week's episode is fairly different. I wasn't able to work out a co-host for this week's show so this ship is flying solo! Yes, it was awkward but yes, it was still fun. This week, I thought it was a good time to go over a little bit about myself, my personal testimony, and how I was called to start a podcast. It was a long time coming but I'm so glad God has entrusted me with a pretty fun way of spreading His Kingdom here on Earth. Finally, I dive into this episode's main topic: The importance of rest. We're constantly surrounded by things fighting for our attention that it's quite easy to get overloaded. I talk about why it's important to take a break and how silence can help you in your prayer life.   Here are a few links that I referenced in this episode: Stone to Flesh NY Times - Relax! You'll Be More Productive

Hello friends! Marian is back again this week for part 2 of #DateDifferently. In part 1, we talk a little bit about something called a "Level 1 date." The conversation continues in part 2 where we give some practical advice on Catholic dating. This is definitely an episode you don't want to miss out on! If you liked this episode, please share it with someone and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. We'll see you in two weeks!

Hello again friends! Marian joins me for these next two episodes as we talk about how to #DateDifferently. Our first episode is focused around the documentary film The Dating Project and The Dating Assignment. Thanks again for listening; be sure to spread the word to your friends! See you in two weeks. :D

Before I say anything else, I need to make a correction. It was bound to happen sooner than later. I state in the podcast that the Orange County chapter of Young Catholic Professionals is the only YCP chapter in SoCal but San Diego has a chapter as well! So sorry San Diego. :-( This year, we have a few fun coincidences between Catholic and secular holidays: Ash Wednesday/Valentine's day and Easter/April Fool's day. Since Ash Wednseday and Valentine's day are a few days away, Chris and I decide to tackle on both topics in this two-for-one special! As always, please recommend this podcast to a friend if you enjoyed it. Follow us @TAMFpodcast on Facebook and Twitter. Have a blessed Lent!

Hello friends! Allyson joins me once again as we talk about trusting in God. We talk a little bit about our experiences with trusting God and all the goodness that comes from it. Warning: This episode has a few Hamilton references so if you've been dying to watch it... our apologies! Please share and subscribe! Thanks for listening!

Hello 2018! It's definitely good to be back from our (unintentional) hiatus. New episodes come out every two weeks so be sure to subscribe so you don't miss a single one! I guess it's a little cliche to talk about New Year's resolutions right after the new year but we really hope this episode can inspire you to do a little more with your resolutions and carry that momentum straight into Lent. After all, Lent really is just around the corner! Please share this podcast with someone if you enjoy it and also check out my friend's podcast: The Convo.

In typical TAMF fashion, we plan to talk about one thing and end up talking about something else. In this case, we were about to talk about the importance of doing the best you can in all that you do. It's a good message, right? Glorifying God by doing your best. Well, that's not what God had in mind for this episode. Somehow, we ended up talking about the importance of giving ourselves proper rest. Anyway, please enjoy this week's episode and see you next week!

Hello everyone! This episode comes to you all the way from New York! We're taking big risks here at TAMF because we're tackling such a rich, intricate aspect of Catholicism: the transcendentals. So, apologies in advance if we butcher the topic. We talk about the history of the transcendentals, go in depth with truth, beauty, and goodness, and talk about how the transcendentals play out in our lives. It's difficult containing such a huge topic into one podcast episode and we're sure we missed out on some important aspects of the transcendentals. In that case, let's continue the conversation on Facebook and Twitter @TAMFpodcast! I'll leave you with a photo I took from our podcasting location as well as a link to Charity, a Catholic pop-punk project hailing from Southern California.

This week we've got 20% less distracted podcasting, 100% more tacos, and just as much love for God and what He has done in our lives. Chris Michaels and I talk about our experience serving the Lord as musicians including our struggles and our blessings. This was a really fun epsiode to record and I hope it inspires you to better serve the Lord through your talents!

This week, Marian joins me in a brief but amazing conversation on charisms. We're still going through some growing pains here at TAMF and this episode is no exception. Lesson learned: Don't podcast after ministry events! Especially if both podcasters were part of the event and needed to help clean up!! This one has considerably more banter than my previous episodes but if you get past the randomness you'll find a really interesting topic at the core of this conversation: Charisms. We also talk a bit about one of the most recited prayers in Catholicism: The Sign of the Cross. Please enjoy this week's epsiode of TAMF!

Hello again! This is a special episode for me because my friend for the week is none other than my awesome girlfriend Allyson! We recorded this on the very night of her flight to New York where she's currently getting her master's in journalism. We talk about her move as well as a wonderful women's ministry that she started: Beloved. You can also find her blog, The Fem Genius, here. We also run into another of our friends, Marisa, who spontaneously joined our podcast.   Thanks again for listening! Please share this episode with a friend if you liked it. See you next week!

Hello again to another episode of TAMF! This week, I am joined by Chris and Kevin as we reminisce on our time spent leading our college's Catholic club. There are loads of good insights in this one and we had a general good time. Moral of the story? We discover the AMAZING power of a simple invitation. I'll leave you with a silly meme we reference later on in the episode:   If you like what we're doing here at TAMF, please share the podcast with at least one friend! It's the best way to help support this ministry. God bless!   P.S. If you're reading/listening to this and it's before October 21, 2017 please check out this event! In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Fatima, we are having a mass on the beach! If you're located in Southern California, check it out. I'll be there hanging out and podcasting so come say hi!

Hello again! A lot of people have been asking why I started with Episode 1. I'll explain that at the beginning of this episode. I'm sure starting at 2 must've bothered a few people. :-P There's a very very special announcement for an event this week. It's very important so keep your eyes (read: ears) out for that. Here's a link to the accompanying Facebook event! I'll probably be recording some podcasts on that day so if you ever wanted to get on this show... :D :D that might be a good time. Thanks again for listening! Please share this with someone who might enjoy this type of podcast. See you next week!

Hello everyone! Welcome to These Are My Friends, a Catholic slice of life podcast. In this episode I am joined by a very close friend, Chris, as we talk about our Catholic experiences while abroad. These range from experiencing Catholic culture in different countries to taking an elevator straight into a chapel, Hunger Games style, in the middle of mass. This podcast has been a long time coming and, as you can tell, I still haven't quite gotten it together. But that's alright, right? I hope you enjoy this episode. If you liked it, please recommend us to a friend because that's the only way a dinky litle podcast like mine can get around. We'll be on every Monday from October until the end of December! Feedback can be sent to ian.vergara(at)gmail.com. Thank you again for listening. See you next week!