Podcasts about archdiocese

Send us a textJesus, and the crowd around him, are standing in front of the Temple, but they are not seeing the same thing. The crowd are marveling at the costly stones, while Jesus sees that not one stone will be left upon another stone.This weekend at all the Masses, Archbishop Weisenburger is announcing the start of a multi-year reorganization process in the Archdiocese of Detroit. I have Mass on Sunday, November 16 at St. Isidore @ 7:30 am. live stream link: https://stisidore.church/worship-online/I have Mass at St. Andrew @ 5:00 pm.frjoedailey@gmail.com

Bill Scholl, Deacon at Archdiocese in KCK, On Immigration | 11-14-25See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mr. Kevin Smith shares how U.S. Military veterans, wounded or ill warriors, and their caretakers or companions can apply to go on the annual Warriors to Lourdes spiritual journey in May--all expenses paid, compliments of the Knights of Columbus and the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

We're joined by Johnny Hebert with a Gospel reflection. Sarah McDonald, Communications Director of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, gives us details on stories found in this week's Clarion Herald issue. Dr. Tom Neal, Chief of Evangelization and Mission Engagement of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee talks about the theology of reflecting on our death as Catholics.

We are delighted to welcome Sue Weishar, a lifelong immigrant advocate who lives in New Orleans, LA. She is the former director of Immigration and Refugee Services at Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of New Orleans and a former policy and research fellow with Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) at Loyola University New Orleans. Currently, she is the chair of the social justice committee at her local parish, St. Anthony of Padua. Sue talks about the positive impact of immigrants in the city of New Orleans, especially in the recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina. She shares stories of the way her parish and community have been impacted by increased immigrant enforcement, including the separation of families.Brian and Joe also share stories of families who are separated as a result of immigration policy. Joe shares the story of Amanda, a teenage girl at a shelter in Reynosa, who he connected with over a mutual interest in the writings of JRR Tolkien (although we will let you guess which one is the bigger fan!). Amanda was with her dad and siblings in Mexico, while her mom lives in Texas: a family separated, trying to decide how to reunite. Brian shares the story of Javier, who was picked up by ICE and deported after living two decades in the U.S., leaving behind his wife and kids. Brian was impressed to hear him look for the bright side of his difficult situation. Immigrant Workers' Critical Role in Rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina and Present Realities

What if the secret to transforming your parish isn't doing more—but praying more deeply and trusting God to lead? We've seen it happen. The Diocese of Green Bay started small, rooted everything in prayer, and asked the Holy Spirit to guide them. The results were beyond what they imagined: seminarians doubled, schools flourished, and parishes once half-empty now overflow. In this episode, I talk with Julianne Stanz—a nationally recognized leader in evangelization whose own encounter with God set her on this path—about the real ingredients for lasting renewal. Together, we explore how prayer, vision, relationships, and simple, steady steps can turn hope into a movement. It's not a program; it's a way of life that lets God bring new life to His Church. [01:04] Meet Julianne Stanz: From Ireland to Wisconsin [06:33] The Power of Pilgrimage [10:51] Hope and Renewal in Ministry [17:49] The Green Bay Transformation Story [26:01] The Role of Prayer in Discipleship [32:46] Reflecting on Parish Identity and Discipleship [39:27] Recognizing and Utilizing Gifts and Charisms [44:58] Inspiring Change and Overcoming Resistance [50:02] Embracing Poverty and Resourcefulness in Parishes [54:18] The Importance of Pastoral Planning [59:02] Witnessing the Church's Global Awakening [01:05:58] Final Thoughts and Blessings Check out Julianne's website (https://www.juliannestanz.com/) and download her infograph (https://equip.archomaha.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Managing-Complex-Change-at-the-ParishPDF.pdf) of how to minister through complex change at a parish. For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Living and Dying Well … GUEST Dr Charles Camosy … Prof at the Catholic University of America in the nation’s capitol … author of 7 books, incl “Beyond the Abortion Wars,” and “Resisting Throwaway Culture” … his most recent book is “Living and Dying Well: A Catholic Plan for Resisting Physician-Assisted Killing” … Charlie advises the Faith Outreach office of the Humane Society of the US & the pro-life commission of the Archdiocese of NY. Makers By Nature: Letters from a master painter on faith, hope, and art… GUEST Bruce Herman … painter, writer, and speaker … His art has been exhibited internationally and is in public and private collections worldwide … He taught studio art for nearly four decades at Gordon College, where he held the Lothlórien Distinguished Chair in Fine Arts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauretta hosts the program today with her cohost Joyce Duriga. Lauretta thanks all the Prayer Warriors and adds additional requests for prayer to their list, encouraging everyone to keep on praying! Lauretta and Joyce focus today on physician assisted suicide laws, what it is, how it impacts a state and the culture.  They touch on alternatives for caring for the sick. They recognize that life is precious and that the end of life is also an important stage of life stressing that we are not to interfere with God's plan.  She encourages the listeners to call the Governor's office at 312-814-2121 and tell him to veto the Illinois Physician Assisted Suicide Bill. They close the show talking about what's reporting in the Chicago Catholic paper and what is going on around the Archdiocese and the Vatican. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

Lauretta hosts the program today with her cohost Joyce Duriga. Lauretta thanks all the Prayer Warriors and adds additional requests for prayer to their list, encouraging everyone to keep on praying! Lauretta and Joyce focus today on physician assisted suicide laws, what it is, how it impacts a state and the culture.  They touch on alternatives for caring for the sick. They recognize that life is precious and that the end of life is also an important stage of life stressing that we are not to interfere with God's plan.  She encourages the listeners to call the Governor's office at 312-814-2121 and tell him to veto the Illinois Physician Assisted Suicide Bill. They close the show talking about what's reporting in the Chicago Catholic paper and what is going on around the Archdiocese and the Vatican. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

Delivered by Jovinson Tansil, Sri Muliyani, Lukitananda Putra, and Stella Wijaya from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Ezekiel 47: 1-2.8-9.12; Rs psalm 46: 2-3.5-6.8-9; 1 Corinthians 3: 9b-11.16-17; John 2: 13-22.WE CLEAN THE DIRTYCHURCH Our meditation today isentitled: We Clean the Dirty Church. Today, the whole Church celebrates thefeast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica of Rome. This basilica is oneof the four largest churches in Rome, Italy. Until now the basilica was thecathedral of the Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. Just like otherimportant basilicas, the Lateran basilica looks so majestic and alwayswell-maintained and organized. One aspect of carethat is so particular should be on cleanliness. Even though this is an oldbuilding, cleanliness is so well observed. The visitors who always come everyday will feel comfortable and can enjoy the values ​​of Christian sacredness init. Actually not only aspects of cleanliness, but also orderliness, politenessand calmness. Visitors who are not modestly dressed will be put on a scarf, thenoisy will be reprimanded, those who use cell phones will be asked to turn off,and those who bring food will be asked to leave food outside the basilica. Our churches that aredirty can be seen from various aspects of perspective. Dirts like paper,plastic, dust, etc. can be found there, outside and inside. People who comethere with different type of clothes and the use of supporting instruments, canoften disturb the worship that is going on. Behaviors such as sharing stories,talking, cellular ringing, joking, fighting and violence can also happen there.Then the hearts, minds and souls of the believers can be also in the state ofdirty, because of sins that have not been forgiven, the type of spiritualimpurities that exsist in the believers. The house of God iscertainly not beautiful, comfortable, dignified, and holy if all types of dirtare always brought into it. Jesus sees all kinds of dirt there, inside andoutside the temple. He is burned by the demand to clean the house of worshipfrom all kinds of dirts, to be removed away, and He does His way with anger andpunishment. We, as His followers, are certainly burnt by the same demands whenwe know that our houses of worship are full with dirts as ellaborated above. Jesus also teaches usthat the house of worship is actually He himself. Likewise theologically, wewant to interpret the house of worship as ourselves, as today's second readingstates. Faced with all forms of desacralization whether by words or deeds, causingour bodies not worthy for God, for others or community and ourselves, we mustbe firm and burnt by the the demand to overcome those negative threats. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord, strengthen our faith, so that we can continue to preserve our ownpurity as the holy temple where You dwell. Hail Mary, full of grace ... In thename of the Father ...

Delivered by Calvin from the Parish of Hati Santa Perawan Maria Tak Bernoda in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Romans 16: 3-9.16.22-27; Rs psalm 145: 2-3.4-5.10-11; Luke 16: 9-15.IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE TO SERVE TWO MASTERS Our meditation today is entitled: It is notpermissible to serve two masters. There is a simple employee named Luke whoworks honestly every day even though his salary is not big. He refuses toaccept small bribes that could increase his income, because he wants to live inGod's providence. At first he was seen as stupid by his colleagues, but after afew years, his honesty earned him trust to lead a major project. Luke not onlyreceived a promotion, but was also respected for his integrity. Faithfulness insmall things brings great blessings, like God's own promises. Jesus says in the Gospel of Luke that no one can servetwo masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will beloyal to the one and ignore the other. "You cannot serve God andMammon" (Lk 16:13).  This expression rebukes people who often want to holdtwo things at once: serve God, but still maintain attachment to wealth,comfort, or ego. Jesus reminds that the direction of the human heart can onlylead to one center of love. If God is the center, then all life will bedirected to glorify Him. But if Mammon — the symbol of greed and worldly power— takes center stage, then life loses its spiritual light and meaning. Serving God means making His will the basis of everychoice, even in seemingly minor matters. Jesus affirms, "Whoever isfaithful in small things is faithful also in great." True loyalty does notwait for a great opportunity, but is proven through sincerity in simplematters: honesty in work, patience in the face of difficult people, andgenerosity towards others. God doesn't see how much work we produce, but ratherhow much love moves that action. Saint Paul also gave an example of this. In hisletters, he often expressed his gratitude to those who faithfully served himduring his Gospel preaching journey. They not only helped materially, but alsoprovided faithfulness, prayer, and support when Paul was suffering. Theirfaithfulness shows that service is not just a task, but a form of love that isconstantly given, even when no one is watching.  True faithfulness and dedication require a cleardecision: choosing God as the only source of life. The world may offer a lot ofinteresting things—power, money, and popularity—but all of that passes quickly.On the contrary, faithfulness to God produces inner peace and joy that cannotbe bought. A person who serves the Lord lives in the belief that every blessingand trial is part of His plan of love. Let us pray. In the name of the Father ... O Lord, strengthenour faith so that we can keep Your will first and be able to abandon allinterests that can distance us from You. Glory to the Father and to the Son andto the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Homily for the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, 9th November 2025 by Fr Mike Delaney, Parish Priest of the Kingston Channel Catholic Parish in the Archdiocese of Hobart, Australia

Get everything you need for your traditional home blessing — including the St. Benedict Medal, Holy Water Bottle, and more — from our friends at Holy Heroes today! https://bit.ly/TheDeep_HolyHeroesHBIn this episode of The Deep, Erika breaks down the recent study from the Catholic Project that shows a consistent shift among younger priests towards more conservative and traditional views. What do the numbers actually show? And does this shift reveal a hopeful future for the church?Timestamps:0:00 - Intro: A major shift among young priests1:57 - Priest numbers decreased but something else changed too4:05 - Difference in political and theological views6:30 - Difference in pastoral priorities7:40 - Though a bit behind, the laity is also changing10:01 - Two real challenges for young priests13:44 - Conclusion: what does this mean for the rest of us?Subscribe to the LOOPcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theLOOPcastSources:Associated Press. “‘A Step Back in Time': America's Catholic Church Sees an Immense Shift Toward the Old Ways.” Associated Press, May 1, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://apnews.com/article/7638fa2013a593f8cb07483ffc8ed487.Catholic Project. NSCP Wave 2 Final Report. October 2025. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://catholicproject.catholic.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/NSCPWave2FINAL.pdf.Catholic Vote. McKenna Snow, “Looking at Pew Numbers: ‘Baby Boomer' Catholics Have More Liberal Views Than Millennials.” CatholicVote.org, April 19, 2024. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://catholicvote.org/baby-boomer-catholics-have-more-liberal-views-than-millennials/.Florida Atlantic University News Desk. Gisele Galoustian, “The ‘Taboo' of Retirement for Catholic Priests.” Florida Atlantic University News Desk, July 7, 2016. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.fau.edu/newsdesk/articles/Catholic-Priests-Retirement.Georgetown University. Mary Gautier et al., “Average Priest Age Now Nearly 20 Years Older Than 1970.” Georgetown University News, June 1, 2012. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.georgetown.edu/news/average-priest-age-now-nearly-20-years-older-than-1970/#:~:text=Average%20Priest%20Age%20Now%20Nearly,studies%20about%20the%20Catholic%20Church.LifeSiteNews. “Archdiocese of New York Dismisses Increased Requests for Altar Rails, Claims No Need for Them.” LifeSiteNews, n.d. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/archdiocese-of-new-york-dismisses-increased-requests-for-altar-rails-claims-no-need-for-them/.National Catholic Register. “The Return of Altar Rails.” National Catholic Register, n.d. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.ncregister.com/features/the-return-of-altar-rails.National Catholic Reporter. “While Out of Sync: Lay Catholics Conservative, Young Priests Are Future U.S. Church.” National Catholic Reporter, n.d. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/while-out-sync-lay-catholics-conservative-young-priests-are-future-us-church.The Catholic Herald. “Bishop Bans Use of Altar Rail at Charlotte Catholic High School.” The Catholic Herald, n.d. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.catholicherald.com/article/bishop-bans-use-of-altar-rail-at-charlotte-catholic-high-school.

Delivered by Evelyn from the Parish of Holy Spirit in the Archdiocese of Singapore. Romans 15: 14-21; Rs psalm 98: 1.2-3ab.3cd-4; Luke 16: 1-8.INITIATIVE OFBELIEVERS The title for ourmeditation today is: Initiative of Believers. In a village settlement, the roadto the primary school is always flooded for several days even though the rain alreadystopped. As a consequence, people always take off their sandals or shoes, thenroll up their trousers so they don't get wet and dirty. The teachers who passby there, always took off their shoes and rolled up their trousers. Studentsalso do the same. But there occurs something special. Rio, a grade 4elementary school boy, collected several stones he found around the place. Heput a stone along the puddle. As a result, anyone who passes there after Rio,can stand and walk on these stones, without having to take off the shoes androll up the trousers. Rio made an initiative that nobody else thought of. The word"initiative" comes from the Latin "itiare" or"initium" means starting or beginning. For a job or work, theinitiative means to take or make the first step and make a breakthrough. In theGospel passage we have just heard, the Lord Jesus explains that the rich masterpraises his clever employee, even though he is dishonest because he manipulatesthe data of his master's debts. This"clever" attitude is interpreted as the ability to forsee the future.The employee represents many of us who often worried about tomorrow. There arepeople who save a lot in the bank. The other invest many in the form ofproperties. Still others want to guarantee their future by sending theirchildren and grandchildren to the best schools and universities. These are allforms of initiative. People can do some initiatives through dishonest ways likethat employee of the rich master, or vice versa in true and honest ways. Wewill be pleased by God for being able to count for our future, for a better andjoyful life. For the spirituallife, we need spiritual initiatives. Saint Paul describes his future as brightas Jesus Christ, so that he could serve other nations, especially the Romans asexpected. They were promised a glorious spiritual dwelling in the future as childrenof light, to enjoy happiness in the Kingdom of God. Initiative in faith teachesus to take the first step to enlighten those who are confused, anxious,hopeless and lost in their faith journey; being a peacemaker in the midst ofhatred and anger; become the creator of justice rather than the ghost ofinjustice; become a bearer of truth rather than spreading lies and deception.And much more. This is the future that God wants.Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Lord Jesus Christ, enlighten us always in the path of our lives day byday, that we may walk without barriers toward you. Glory to the Father and tothe Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Maria Morera Johnson and Inés Mersch talk about transitions and change in our lives. Inés Huber Mersch is a faithful Catholic wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Mobile, Alabama. Her strong attraction to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led to her being invited to participate in the steering committee that brought Perpetual Adoration to the Archdiocese of Mobile and continues as one of the schedulers. She has also been a guest writer at Catholic Mom. Links in Show: Broken By Me by Inés Huber Mersch Read all articles by Maria Morera Johnson

Delivered by Vivian from the Parish Saint Thomas the Apostle in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Romans 14: 7-12; Rs psalm 27: 1.4.13-14; Luke 15: 1-10.BEING GOD'S PEOPLE Our meditation todayhas entitled: Being God's People. The teenager and adult catechumens arepreparing themselves for baptism in the coming Holy Week. They hold regulardiscussions at every meeting during learning activities. There was a veryinteresting discussion session, and a young man who participated in this sessionthen shared his reflection. At that time theydiscussed on the consequences one should face after the baptism. In general,they understand that all rules and teachings in the Catholic Church must bediligently followed. For this young man, those general guidelines andinstructions are very normative. That means, each and every member of theCatholic Church must obey and practice them. The focus of his attention is hispersonal commitment to be responsible for his own faith. He is very seriousabout that commitment. This has abackground. Before choosing to be baptized Catholic, he had gone throughperiods of conflict and suffering. He involved in many types of crimes in thesociety, and had spent two years life in prison. Reflecting on his way of life,he then made a conclusion, that if God had created him, God certainly will takecare and guide him, even though he is a very sinful person. In short, he cannotrun away from God. God will catch him anywhere and anytime. The young man reallyrealizes that he belongs to God. This belief then led him to the decision tochoose to come close to God, through baptism in the Catholic Church. The youngman's experience is a reflection of what is said in the first reading of today,that is, whether we live or die, we remain belong to God. As God has good andrighteous people, this is something very natural. They always reveal the faceof God in the world through their real lives. They are the light of God for theworld. But this does notmean that God closes His eyes to those who are sinners or who are weak infaith. A husband and wife never give up on their children who do not praydiligently, do not attend the Holy Mass regularly every Sunday, and are notactive in Church activities. They believe that their children still belong toGod. Even though it seems they are far away and outside the circle of theChurch, they also never forget and negate God. They still pray individually andentrust their lives into God's hands. In fact, God isguiding them and many others who are living like the lost sheep, who in propertime will return to the sheepfold, the Church. Everyone has his or her own timeto become again the good sheep. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O tender and kind Lord, make us Your true shepherds who will find the manylost sheeps in whatever place in this world, and to bring them back to You.Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit ... In the name ofthe Father...

*Why isn't “promoting vocations” enough to help young people discover God's call? * Because so many can't even hear Him right now. Their faith feels distant, the noise of the world is loud, and what they crave most isn't another program—it's a real encounter with Jesus and people who truly care. In this episode, I talk with Fr. Scott Schilmoeller, Vocations Director for the Archdiocese of Omaha, about what it takes to awaken a generation to God's voice. We don't need to push vocations—we need to till the soil: to build trust, community, and spaces where faith can take root again. If your heart breaks for the young Church and you long to see them come alive in their calling, this episode is for you. [01:05] Father Scott Schilmoeller's Background and Personal Story [05:41] Discovering a Vocation: College Experiences and Spiritual Growth [08:42] The Role of Community and Family in Faith [14:55] Understanding Vocations: Lowercase and Uppercase V [18:28] Challenges in Vocational Discernment [21:46] Addressing the Vocations Crisis [23:33] Discerning Your Vocation [24:24] Community and Evangelization [25:15] Youth Groups and Initiatives [28:30] Engaging Young Kids [30:06] Middle School and High School Faith [32:10] Supporting Vocational Discernment [34:11] Practical Steps for Leaders [39:47] Encouraging Vocations [42:41] Final Thoughts and Resources Check out OmahaVocations.org (https://omahavocations.org/)! For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

If you noticed your local Catholic parish suddenly asking for support through GoFundMe, think before you donate. The GoFundMe company has recently created about 1.4 million pages to collect donations for nonprofit organizations without their consent or knowledge. “Unfortunately, this has impacted some parishes, schools, and ministries within the Archdiocese of San Antonio,” said the archdiocese in a recent statement. The archdiocese does not use GoFundMe to collect donations for any purpose. To make sure donated funds support parishes, schools, Hope for the Future, the Archbishop's Appeal for Ministries, or other archdiocesan agencies, give through the official and secure online...Article Link

Delivered by Alice Budiman from the Parish of Salib Suci Cilincing in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Romans 12: 5-16a; Rs psalm 131: 1.2.3; Luke 14: 15-24.THE HOUSE OF GOD MUSTBE FULL Our meditation todayhas the theme: The House of God Must Be Full. Today,the Church commemorates Saint Charles Borromeo. He came from a wealthy noblefamily and enjoyed high social standing as the nephew of Pope Pius IV. He washighly educated, becoming a lawyer, both civil and Church at the age of 21.Charles certainly had the potential to become a prominent and important figure. But his life's pathled him to become a diligent, pious, and dignified servant of the Church, sothat until his death he was an Archbishop and Cardinal leading the Archdioceseof Milan. He worked diligently and humbly in all the tasks entrusted to him bythe Church. Within the Church, he became the patron saint of priests. Charlesgave up all desires and activities in the social and political world because ofhis great intellectual ability and influence, and followed God's invitation tobecome a servant of the Church as a shepherd of the people and a wise teacherof God's people. God invites with theintention that all of His creations be saved. Why do people deliberatelydecline invitations to be saved? In a sense, we can understand that ourpractice of faith is sometimes incomplete and not serious. It is easy forpeople to say "yes" with their faith and membership in the Church.But in reality they do not come to strengthen unity among the faithful, to beactively involved in the Church activities, to sacrifice themselves for theirsuffering fellow-men, and offer themselves voluntarily in the service andmission of the Lord Jesus in the world. We need to continueto believe that the Church and the Kingdom of God that the Lord Jesus hasentrusted to us, still need to be developed and perfected, and if necessary beable to rule the entire world. We are the ones who must fulfill ourselves inaccordance with the scriptures and teachings of the Church. The emphasis mustbe on the role of each person as believer, and not merely on any organization,institution or movement from outside. About this, SaintPaul gives us an advice: if each of us makes use each of his personal gifts: asa preacher, office employee, teacher, farmer, businessman, servant and so on,and to be strengthened by the Christian spirituality, we can feel sure tofulfill the invitation to the kingdom of God. The principle is: none of us comeand join as an empty self. The gifts in every person should  not remain in vain. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O God and mercyful Father, strengthen us to develop and make use of everygift in each one of us, so that we can build together the unity in the Churchand in this world. Hail Mary, full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...

Christina Bagaglio Slentz is Associate Director for Creation Care for the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Learn about how her diocese prioritizes climate action here.In this episode, we often refer to Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si' and the ways that faith communities are living out its stated goals. We also discuss the theme “seeds of peace and hope,” the official theme for the 2025 ecumenical Season of Creation.Many thanks to Christina for sharing her wisdom in this conversation!Christina SlentzTRANSCRIPTChristina Slentz I think this really can help us understand the way that the cry of the Earth, these environmental climate extremes, or the variability that we're experiencing, leads to greater exposure—but how one community can face that exposure and adapt or bounce back fairly quickly and another may not really have that capacity.Debra Rienstra Welcome to the Refugia Podcast. I'm your host, Professor Debra Rienstra. Refugia are habitats in nature where life endures in times of crisis. We're exploring the concept of refugia as a metaphor, discovering how people of faith can become people of refugia: nurturing life-giving spaces in the earth, in our human cultural systems, and in our spiritual communities, even in this time of severe disturbance. This season, we're paying special attention to churches and Christian communities who have figured out how to address the climate crisis together as an essential aspect of their discipleship.Today, I'm talking with Dr. Christina Bagaglio Slentz, Associate Director for Creation Care at the Catholic Diocese of San Diego. Christina has a background in sociology, with a PhD in international studies and global affairs. She's also a Navy veteran. Today, she serves a diocese of 97 parishes, helping to guide and empower people in their creation care work. The Diocese of San Diego is a microcosm of diverse biomes and diverse people, and it's a fascinating example of refugia, because as a diocese, they are doing all the things. Christina and I talk about Laudato si', solar energy, economics, eco spirituality, environmental justice advocacy, the centrality of the Eucharist, and the mutuality between caring for neighbor and caring for the Earth. Let's get to it.Debra Rienstra Christina, thank you so much for being with me today. I really appreciate talking to you.Christina Slentz Thank you, Debra, for having me. I'm really excited to be here.Debra Rienstra So I am eager to hear more about the Diocese of San Diego, because it seems that you have been very intentional and thoughtful and ambitious about your creation care agenda, and we're going to get into the details of that in just a minute, but I want to start with you. So tell us your hero origin story. How did you get into faith-based environmental work and into your current position?Christina Slentz Well, to be honest, I never saw it coming in many ways. I was working in the global affairs area, looking at sources of conflict and cooperation and how political economy intersects with those dynamics, and that was my academic area of focus. And at the same time, I've always been a catechist in the Catholic church since the 90s, and my church life was pretty comfortable, I would say, and active. But I didn't really see those two things coming together until Laudato si', the encyclical written by Pope Francis on the care of our common home, was released in 2015, and this really started to bring more overlap between these two areas in my life. And I would say, increasingly, then there was a lot of interplay between those focus areas for me. And eventually this position became available in the Diocese of San Diego, and a friend mentioned it to me, and I thought that is actually the perfect vocation for me. And I really feel like I understood it to be a vocation, not just a job.Debra Rienstra Yeah, I think I can relate to everything you just said. I think we came to this work from different areas of specialty, but yeah, like you, I feel like we've had these mid-career shifts where suddenly our area of specialty—in my case, literature and creative writing—has become energized by—in your case, Laudato si', in my case, other documents as well as Laudato si',—and we've sort of taken this fascinating and yeah, I would agree, vocational, turn. So let's talk a little bit more about Laudato si'. I imagine our listeners know at least a little bit about it. It's been so enormously influential. It's such an amazing landmark document. Could you talk a little bit about how you've seen Laudato si' diffuse through the Catholic Church, especially the American Catholic Church?Christina Slentz Yes, I think, to be honest, it has had a complicated journey with the Catholic community here in the United States. Very much like the issue of climate change in the global community, the United States has struggled with these dynamics—I think the way that they involve our economics and some of our very strong ideology about economic freedom and what that means to people. And so I think it's fair to say that while Laudato si' was very warmly received around the world, it has struggled in the United States as a whole, and that includes the American Catholic community. That said, there have been—like your description of refugia suggests——there have been these pockets, though, where I think that particular dynamics existed, and there was fertile ground for seeds to be planted. And the Diocese of San Diego is one of them. The Diocese of—the Archdiocese of Atlanta was another. There are a couple around the country, and I do think some footholds were created. In addition, one of the things that is particularly interesting about the encyclical Laudato si'—and an encyclical is just a document that a pope writes and then circulates, right, this is where the word encyclical comes from—circulates around until everyone's had a chance to read it. We can imagine in medieval times, you know, how this must have been a challenge. And I think that, you know, this challenge exists, but Father Emmett Farrell is the founder of this ministry in my diocese, and Father Emmett just celebrated his 60th anniversary of his ordination, and Father Emmett will say he has never seen an encyclical translate to action the way that Laudato si' has. And in particular, there is a Vatican online platform called the Laudato si' Action Platform, where Catholics—either parishes, schools, orders of sisters or religious—can get on this platform and learn about the dynamics that we face. They can see how our values are distilled into seven goals, and then they can reflect on their behavior, using this tool to sort of measure where they are, and then write a plan of action and upload it and share it with each other. And Father Emmett really celebrates how amazing it is that, you know, that we're going to lean into technology and use it for the good.Debra Rienstra Oh, awesome. There's so many things I want to follow up on in that answer. And I want to begin by just thanking you for being honest about pushback to Laudato si' in the US. And I want to go back to that in just a second, if it's okay. And then I want to thank you for the way you've thought about, you know, some of these dioceses like the mighty San Diego and the mighty Atlanta as sort of refugia spaces. And we'll come back to that again too, I really hope, and I want to hear some more details about your particular diocese. Why do you think there has been pushback in the American Catholic Church? You mentioned economic reasons, and you know, Pope Francis and Pope Leo now have both been very pointed in their critique of climate denial, of greed, of exploitation, injustice, war, economic systems that many Americans have sort of held as almost sacrosanct. So what are you noticing in Catholic conversations about that critique? Why are people resisting the critique and why are people saying, “No, that's right”—what are the motivations behind each of those responses?Christina Slentz So, you know, we could probably talk about this all day.Debra Rienstra Probably, yeah.Christina Slentz Because economic peace, I think, is really difficult to think about. You know, if we take the United Kingdom, for example, it's a country very much like the United States. So many of our you know, American culture and tradition and customs come out of that early launching that we experienced from, you know, Great Britain. And yet, as the topic of climate change came forward, Margaret Thatcher, who was, you know, a real compatriot of President Ronald Reagan at the time, she really took the scientific approach in thinking about climate change, and this set them on a path that's really different from the path that we experienced. And certainly, oil is a big factor in our economy. And I think it can be a real challenge for people to weigh the goods, you know, because we have to be honest, there are goods in both sides of these dynamics. When we understand the gravity, though, of climate change, if we're allowed to really get into those dynamics without the noise that has been kind of confronting that potential, then I think we can see that the good outweighs, you know, those alternative goods associated with continuing in the fossil fuel realm. But this is why we talk about a just transition, right? I think that many people who are hearing this noise, right, they don't understand that Pope Francis and others, you know, is really arguing for a just transition, and that would seek to care for the people that are going to be affected by whatever change in economic policy might make.Debra Rienstra Yeah, and more and more, those economic changes are actually positive in favor of transition in ways that they weren't even 5-10 years ago.Christina Slentz Yeah, I think it's amazing. We actually had some good momentum going until recently.Debra Rienstra Yeah, you know, I would love to get us all talking about a just and joyful transition, because it's more and more possible. And maybe we'll come back to that a little bit later too, when we talk about ecological spirituality. But let's go back to these places within the American Catholic Church, even, that are saying, “Oh yes, Laudato si', yes, let's go.” And San Diego diocese is one of those places. You had an action plan already in 2019. I think it's impressive that a diocese could get a plan together in four years. So good job. Knowing how long everything takes in church settings. So just give us a list of your accomplishments. What have you been up to since 2019? What are the kinds of things you've dipped your toes into?Christina Slentz Sure, and to be fair, I want to give some good credit to some others. You know, the Archdiocese of Atlanta had created their creation care action plan. This gave us some really good kind of framework to think about when we created ours. And there was a team that preceded me. They were all volunteers, very multidisciplinary in their backgrounds, everything from theologians to medical doctors who had worked with indigenous communities, you know, theologians, missionaries, energy engineers, and they really pulled this together early on. And this plan I now recognize as what climate action planners might refer to as an aspirational plan. It's all the things you could do in our area, and it serves as a really good resource for our parishes and schools as they think about what they might do in their Laudato si' action platform plans, and those are yearly plans that are really targeted on what we're going to do. So, you know, one of the things that they did early on was really push to solarize. And you know, we do have the great fortune of, one: climate here in San Diego, right? You know, we're sort of famous for that. And then you know, two: the other thing is that, you know, it was very normative to be shifting to solar, and continues to be an economic choice that is not really as politicized here as much as it might be elsewhere. And then the third thing was this is, you know, the magic number three is to have a bishop that is supportive. And so Cardinal McElroy—now Cardinal McElroy, then Bishop McElroy—really promoted this solarization. And at this point we have about 54% of our parishes solarized. And when I think now, you know, the Paris Climate Agreement says we want to have about half of our carbon emissions reduced by 2030 then you know, we're sitting at about half. Our building where I'm located is called our pastoral center. Some Catholic communities call it their chancery. And our solar array here provides over 80% of our electricity to the building. Our local utility is about half renewable energy, a little bit more. So with that in mind, you know, our electricity here to our building is a little over 90% coming from renewable energy, and this lets us have seven electric vehicle charging stations in the parking lot so I can go to work and charge my car at the same time.Debra Rienstra Lovely.Christina Slentz So that was one big thing. I would say our other really big kind of landmark action that also was largely driven by Cardinal McElroy, was to divest of fossil fuels. And, you know, this is a real challenging thing to accomplish. We set a goal of no more than 5% of, you know, the earnings of both direct and indirect investment to be coming from fossil fuel. And after a year, we evaluated how we were doing, and we were actually hitting—not we, you know, the financial folks doing this—were hitting less than 3%. So, you know, we said, “Okay, I think we can say that this was successful, and we're still here.” So that was really exciting, and we didn't do it to be virtue signaling. Just, you know, for some of your listeners may not know, but the USCCB, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has a document that directs socially responsible investment for all areas. And so this is just one more area of socially responsible investment that the Diocese of San Diego has embraced.Debra Rienstra Yeah, yeah. So we've got money, we've got energy. How many parishes would you say are on board with this, doing yearly goals, selecting from the menu of fun ideas—what percentage of your parishes would you say are involved?Christina Slentz So I gotta, Debra, that's a little bit of a good question. I think, you know, we did just describe two very top-down approaches. And one of the things that our group, you know, when I came on board in 2022, we decided is, you know, we really wanted to push that grassroots. And so we see parishes demonstrating a range of behaviors, and I was initially surprised, but they actually behave a lot like countries around the world. And so, you know, you think, oh, that's going to be different. But, you know, you can also have three children, and they all behave differently, and you know, sometimes that's surprising as well, when they have the same parents. And so one of the things that I have really tried to do was offer more events that are here at the diocesan level. We have 97 parishes, and then we have—so sometimes we'll see individuals that are really on board, and they come from a parish where, at the parish level, not a lot is happening. Sometimes we have individuals that are participating, and they are doing a ton at their parish and succeeding. And then we have parishes where the pastor is leading the charge. And then on top of that, I would say there are parishes where they have solar and they have drought-resistant landscaping, and they have LEED silver certified buildings that, you know, are very environmentally friendly. And yet, you know, at the parishioner level, you know, not as much activity happening. So it is an array of activities. I would say probably half have had some kind of interaction with us, or have had parishioners or students participate in our programs. But you know, we reflect the American Catholic community, which reflects the broader American society as well. So there are places where we struggle, and then there are places where we see a lot of action and shining.Debra Rienstra Yeah, sure. And I really appreciate that. And I think listeners can relate to that range of involvement too. Maybe they are in any one of those categories or some other category themselves. And you know, as you say, it's the modeling of— even if it's a minority, it's the modeling and the enthusiasm and the even implicit sort of educating of others that can make this work spread too. So I want to list the seven goals of the Laudato si' action platform, because I think they're really, really great and helpful to people who are not in the Catholic Church, but in other aspects of the church, you might find these goals useful too. So here are the goals: response to the cry of the Earth, response to the cry of the poor, ecological economics, adoption of sustainable lifestyles, ecological education, ecological spirituality, community resilience and empowerment. So I want to start with the first three. We've talked a little bit about economics and how dicey that can be, but I wonder if you could describe how you see the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor as basically the same cry, as Pope Francis said in Laudato si'. How do you see that, especially in your region?Christina Slentz Yeah, so thank you. I think these two are kind of the crown jewels, right? And they sum up what we see happening very well. I think that the other goals are valuable because they sort of pull out the dynamics that we really understand as informing those two big—response to the cry of the Earth and cry of the poor. So as someone who was looking at this through the lens of being a social scientist, I found these two goals to really sum it up well, because it is not just the exposure to the environment that causes our concern for these dynamics. It's the exposure as well as the sensitivity of that population. And then this helps us understand also, maybe some vulnerability that that population might have. So for example, we had significant flooding about a year and a half ago in January, the month of January, and the same rain fell on a parish in the southern part of the Diocese, close to our Mexican border, in an area that is, you know, less wealthy, probably demonstrates some socio economic features that we would associate with marginalized communities. And then it also fell on a parish in Coronado, California. And some people might recognize the Hotel Del Coronado as an iconic location. It's a beautiful community. There's a lot of wealth. There's a lot of human capital as well. You know, very highly educated group, and so the buildings at two of two parishes in each of these locations were completely flooded. But, you know, the parish in Coronado was up on its feet within a week. And of course, they had repairs that had to be done, but they were able to get a hold of those folks, get them in, pay the bills, get it all done. And the parish on the south side had catastrophic flooding to its school, and the school was a total loss.Debra Rienstra Oh, wow.Christina Slentz So I think this really can help us understand the way that the cry of the Earth, these environmental climate extremes, or the variability that we're experiencing, leads to greater exposure, but how one community can face that exposure and adapt or bounce back fairly quickly, and another may not really have that capacity. And so you can't really pull them apart, because just measuring precipitation doesn't always give you the whole story.Debra Rienstra That's a very, very helpful answer to that. And I sometimes hear in religious circles, you know, “Well, we have to worry about other people, why should we worry about owls or whatever?” And the answer is: well, because what happens in nature affects people. So this is about loving your neighbor. Even if you're not convinced by the idea that we love the Earth for its own sake because it's beloved of God, we still have to love our neighbor. And this is a neighbor issue as well. So thank you. That was very helpful as an explanation.Christina Slentz One of my favorite kind of messages is, you know, having been a student of globalization, you know, I think that we live in a globalized world. You can't put that toothpaste back in the tube, right? Maybe there are some things we can do and that can be helpful, but the bottom line is, our actions have ripple effects, and so no matter what we do, we are going to have these impacts on people far beyond those we know and love on a day to day basis. And when we care for the Earth, we mitigate those effects on people all around the world, and so our caring for creation really is just love of neighbor at global scale.Debra Rienstra Ah, lovely. Yeah, so it works both ways. If you love neighbor, you love the Earth. If you love the Earth, you love your neighbor.Christina Slentz That's right.Debra RienstraHi, it's me, Debra. If you are enjoying this podcast episode, go ahead and subscribe on your preferred podcast platform. If you have a minute, leave a review. Good reviews help more listeners discover this podcast. To keep up with all the Refugia news, I invite you to subscribe to the Refugia newsletter on Substack. This is my fortnightly newsletter for people of faith who care about the climate crisis and want to go deeper. Every two weeks, I feature climate news, deeper dives, refugia sightings and much more. Join our community at refugianewsletter.substack.com. For even more goodies, including transcripts and show notes for this podcast, check out my website at debrarienstra.com. D-E-B-R-A-R-I-E-N-S-T-R-A dot com. Thanks so much for listening. We're glad you're part of this community. And now back to the interview.Debra Rienstra Let's think about some of those more personal goals. I don't know, maybe they're not just personal, because everything is systemic too. But I want to talk about that sustainable lifestyle goal, adoption of sustainable lifestyle. So what does that mean, and how are people doing that in San Diego?Christina Slentz So I have a really amazing parish, St. Thomas More, and they have created a community garden that not only functions as a place for their parish to gather and work together, it also is open to the public, so it has an evangelical capacity as well. And they also collect recyclable cans and bottles and then take those to a facility where they can be paid for that recycling work, and then they take the money, and then they put it into this garden that allows them to gather and have a mission and have evangelical outreach. So I think of this as such a wonderful circular kind of example that is, you know, feeding them in many ways. You know, they have this sense of community. They have this sense of common, shared mission. They have a good relationship with the neighborhood around them, people that may be of different faiths or of no faith at all. And then they're also in good relationship with Mother Earth, and doing what they can to, you know, practice this sort of sustainability, or also a little bit like circular economics, I guess I would say as well. And I think one of the things that the Catholic Church is emphasizing is synodality, and our synodality really calls us to be community, to have a shared mission and really inviting participatory action. So in my building here, where we sort of have the headquarters, you know, we also have gone to compostables for all of our events, and we try to minimize any kind of single use plastics. But, you know, there's that dreaded moment at the end where everybody has to go to the three, you know, receptacles. Everyone panics, especially if I'm near them, and I feel terribly, you know, like, should I step away? Should I give them a moment to give them help? Is that overreach? And so, you know, but we all fumble through together, and that's where I've kind of said, like, “Look, it's not easy for me either. Like, God forbid I put the wrong thing in the wrong can, right?” So I think that there's this way where we all are coming together to sort of take on this work. And, you know, we're not going to be perfect, but, you know, I think that it does foster community when we take this on, and then also recognizing how, you know, now we are living with greater simplicity, and we are impacting the Earth, you know, to a lesser extent.Debra Rienstra Yeah, nothing bonds people like pulling weeds together, or standing over the recycle bins going, “Hmm.” It's okay. We don't have to indulge in recycling guilt, you know, just do your best. So I want to move on to ecological spirituality. I love that phrase. It's not one you hear everywhere. And I wanted to remind listeners that San Diego Diocese is the most biodiverse diocese in the US. Maybe we wouldn't have expected that, but you've kind of got everything there. So I want to talk about ecological spirituality in the context of that actual place. I love the sentiment you quoted from Laudato si' in an article you wrote recently. It was an idea from Pope Francis that in the beauties and wonders of the Earth, we experience God's friendship with us. And so I wanted to ask you how you're helping people in your parishes reconnect to the Earth where you are, and thus, and this is how you put it, “revive something of our true selves.”Christina Slentz Yeah, one of my favorite pieces in Laudato si': Pope Francis alludes to having a place in childhood where we felt a sense of awe and wonder. And I think that that awe and wonder allows us to get back to childhood in some ways, before there was a lot of noise before there was all the different distractions. And I think that that true self is also a little freer to connect to God. I think sometimes about little children and baby Jesus, you know, and that sort of immediate connection that's not really complicated, you know, it's just comfortable. Or feeling the love of God like being a child sitting on the lap of your mom or your dad. And so encouraging people, or providing opportunities for this return to that place of awe and wonder, I think is really important. I think that at the heart of our inability to care for creation is this estrangement from our Creator. So we won't care for something if we don't love it. And in this way, ecological spirituality may be step one in all of this, right? So I think we are really lucky, being here. As I mentioned, our climate is beautiful. It is a beautiful place. We have everything from the ocean to mountains to desert, and many people who live here do really connect with the geography and the beauty of where we are, and so inviting them to take a moment to just pause and think about those places. Think about their senses as they move through the memory of that space, I think is really important before we start any of the other conversations. And so I try to do that, and then we share about it. And I have yet to find somebody that says, “Oh, I just didn't have a place.” Everybody has a place. And many people will say, “I really struggled, because I love this place, and I love that place,” you know. And so it is really great to hear. And I think people really come out of an exercise like that with this new sense of common ground as well. And I think that is so important, right? Because if you ask people like, “Raise your hand, who hates trees?” No one's gonna do it, right? Don't even think anyone does. Or “Raise your hand if you like to litter.” No one's going to say, like, “Oh yeah, I really love throwing things out my window.” And so there is a lot more common ground. And I think that eco spirituality invites us to find out how much we have in common, and actually how much we all yearn for that place of connectedness.Debra Rienstra Oh, yeah. I've noticed, you know, people have so many different feelings that motivate what they might do in a faith and climate space, and there's anger, there's fear, a lot of anxiety. But the trick, I think, is to get to the center, which is love. And the quickest way to do that, maybe, is to find that early love, or a love that's developed over many, even generations, in a particular place, if you're lucky, and you're rooted in some way. I feel like we also, as people of faith, haven't made enough of a case that being closer to the creation is, in fact, a pathway to God. And I see that in a lot of the writings that you have too. It's a way of understanding God better. It's a way of allowing God to speak to us that we sometimes underestimate, I think. There's other ways, of course, but it's one that we tend to underestimate. It is a way to deeper spirituality. So getting people to be in touch with that, it sounds like you've you've worked on that a little bit.Christina Slentz We're very lucky. The Franciscan tradition is pretty rich and present here. The Franciscan School of Theology is located here at the University of San Diego.Debra Rienstra There we go.Christina Slentz I have several secular Franciscans on my team, and a few Franciscan friars. And you know, that's very much at the heart of St. Francis and St. Claire's tradition. St. Bonaventure, who is a Franciscan, actually calls nature, or the environment, the created world, like another book. It's another gospel that tells us something about God's plan.Debra Rienstra Yeah, yeah. So I wanted to quote from Pope Leo's message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, which was September one. And I found his message so encouraging, and especially this particular paragraph, it's along the line of seeds here. He writes, “In Christ, we too are seeds, and indeed seeds of peace and hope. The prophet Isaiah tells us that the Spirit of God can make an arid and parched desert into a garden, a place of rest and serenity. In his words, a spirit from on high will be poured out on us, and the wilderness will become a fruitful field, and the fruitful field a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the work of righteousness quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings and in quiet resting places.” So we have this beautiful vision and the sense of vocation of who we are and who our communities are as seeds of peace and hope. So it seems like you experience that in the San Diego Diocese. Are there some particular examples that have been really meaningful and important to you, where you see that “seeds of hope” metaphor being played out?Christina Slentz Yeah, I would point to two areas that I would offer up as good examples. One is a parish that is located in what's called Barrio Logan. It is an ecologically marginalized community. The highways literally forced the school to be moved when they put the highway in right down the middle of the community. And that's the I-5. So it runs all the way from Canada to Mexico. Big highway. In addition, the Coronado Bridge connects to the highway right there. The Navy base is there, and the Port of San Diego all intersects there. So their air quality is really degraded, and it's a socio-economically poor area. It is also a predominantly Hispanic community there. But the Jesuit pastor there, Father Scott Santa Rosa, is a very good community organizer. He led the parish when they were confronted by another warehouse that was going to be added at the port. And the proposal by the company violated the Port Authority's standards, but they were seeking a waiver, and Father Scott brought in the Environmental Health Coalition. He brought in a theologian from University of San Diego. He invited the youth to present on Laudato si' to the adults and really empowered the community, which is that seventh goal of Laudato si', it's very connected to environmental justice. And then they learned, they grew, they came to an understanding that this was not acceptable, and that they wanted to be a voice for their community. They—we traveled. I was very fortunate to kind of engage with them in this process.And we traveled to the Port Authority building the night before the Port Authority was going to make their decision on this, whether or not to grant this waiver. And we said a rosary, which consists of five sets of 10 Hail Marys, roughly. And between each set, somebody spoke and gave their witness. And one of the women stood up and said, “I never thought I would speak publicly in my whole life. I can't believe I'm here. I can't believe I'm speaking, but I found my voice because of this issue.” And I thought, even if we lose, that's such an amazing win that people felt connected to their environment. They understood that they have a voice. They understood their own dignity and the dignity of their community, and felt that it was worth standing up for. And the next day we went, there was demonstration and public witnessing and praying, and then they went in and spoke at the actual hearing. And the first thing that the chairman of the board said, in response to everyone's comments was, “Well, I'm a Catholic, and we have three priests that were here today.” And you know, how many times does a public official make a statement of faith? You know, I thought, “Okay, win number two!” And you know, I'll just go ahead and cut to the chase. And they turned down the company that wanted to put the warehouse in and said, “You know, we just don't think that you've convinced the local community that the benefits of this would be worth it.” And it was amazing.And so that place, they continue to also tend to the care of migrants. They have begun the work of accompanying migrants that are going for their court appointed hearings for their asylum process. And you know, those are not outcomes that are generally favorable, but they are just going and being present with them and, you know, we are on the border. We understand how some of these environmental impacts do entangle with human mobility. And so, you know, there's a lot that this community, that is really one of our poorest communities in San Diego, has brought to the wider San Diego Diocese as more parishes and local Catholics are now mimicking what they have done and joining in this mission, and so they've been an incredible source—this tiny little parish in a poor part of the Diocese with terrible environmental impacts, has actually been a place where things have blossomed and grown, and they actually do have an amazing garden as well.Debra Rienstra Wow, that's an incredible story, and exactly a story of empowerment and resilience, as you suggested, and a story of how low-resource people are not necessarily low-resource people. They have other kinds of resources that may not be visible to the outside, but that can be very powerful, and especially when one of those is faith. It was such a great example of people motivated not only by their, you know, sort of survival, but their faith to do this work. Yeah, wonderful.Christina Slentz I think they understand the impact, right? So if you can shut your windows and turn on your air conditioning, maybe you don't get it.Debra Rienstra Yeah, right. So what would you say are your biggest obstacles and your biggest joys in your work right now?Christina Slentz I think the biggest obstacle is coming up against Catholics and/or Christians, or really any person of faith. But I think this may be especially true to Catholics and Christians who think that our social actions have to be an “either/or” choice, and they resist a “yes/and” mentality, and so they put different issues in competition with each other, right? And, you know, sometimes they think about Cain and Abel, right? This sort of jealousy or comparison can be a real problem. Instead of saying, “Okay, maybe we don't fit in a neat box, but as Catholics, you know, we have to do all the things.” And that kind of privileging one issue or another issue makes us vulnerable to those who would seek division and competition. And I think that when we look at God, you know, God loves all of it, right? God is love, and so there isn't that discrimination in the example of our Creator, and I would, of course, we aren't perfect, you know, but we should aspire to that same kind of comprehensive love.Debra Rienstra Yeah, and we do it together. We don't all have to do every last one of the things. We do it together. What about joys? What are your greatest joys right now in your work?Christina Slentz I think that coming together is really a joy. When I first started this work, I felt like a unicorn. I could either be the only person of faith in an environmental group, or I could be the only environmentalist in a faith group. And so it just was a feeling of being awkward all the time. And I do think that just in the three years that I've been in this position, I am seeing momentum build. I think ecumenicalism is super helpful in this regard. And I think that increasingly people are finding each other, and they are starting to get a little bit of a wake up call. I think it is unfortunate that people in the United States have had to experience some significant catastrophes and human loss and impact before they start to awaken to the issue of climate change or environmental degradation. I think plastics are really a pretty significant issue as well, but I think that more and more, people seem to be coming around to it, and whenever we celebrate together, that gives me joy.Debra Rienstra Yeah, I agree. I'm seeing it happening too, and it keeps me going. It keeps me going to connect with people like you, and every door I open, there's more people of faith doing amazing work, and we are building that mycelial network. And it's pretty great. So what is your favorite gift of the Catholic Church, a gift of wisdom on creation care that you wish everyone would receive?Christina Slentz I am not sure I would say that this is my favorite. But maybe I think that it is very important, is that, you know, in the Catholic community, communion, Eucharist, is really, you know, the summit for Catholics, that each week, at a minimum, we are going to celebrate this liturgy. We break open the Word, and then we celebrate the Eucharist. And one of the things I, you know, find very compelling is the fact that Jesus celebrates at the Last Supper with bread and wine. Jesus didn't get grapes and, you know, a piece of meat, to celebrate that these were both chosen items that were not just created by God, but they involved, as we say, in our celebration, the work of human hands. And so this really represents this call to co-creation, I think. And if that is something that you know, is really at the heart of Catholicism, this, you know, summit of our faith to celebrate the Eucharist—in that, we are called to co-create. And so this tells us something about how we are meant to exist in relationship with the Creator. You know, God reveals God's self to us in the beauty of this creation or in the gift of the Eucharist, and then, in turn, we are called to respond to that love. Otherwise the revelation isn't complete, so our response is to care for creation or to receive the Eucharist, and then go and serve as God has called us to serve. So maybe, maybe this is something that we can offer up.Debra Rienstra So beautifully said, and the intimacy of eating, you know, taking the material, the fruit of the earth and the work of human hands, into ourselves, responding by the Spirit, that intimacy, that physicality, there's a reason that that is the central ritual.Christina Slentz And you know, if I could give you one last image connected to that—because then we become the tabernacle, right? And we think about Noah and the ark, right? And how, you know, creation is destroyed, but the ark holds this refugia right and until it's time for this moment of reconciliation and forgiveness and then renewed flourishing. And you may or may not have heard this story, but when the LA fires raged in Pacific Palisades in January of 2025 the fires swept across the parish and school called Corpus Christi Parish, and it is the home parish of brother James Lockman, one of my dear, dear volunteers. And there was a firefighter who went back to look at the ruins that evening, and he was Catholic, and he came across the tabernacle from the church, and it was the only thing that survived. And when they opened it up, it was pristine on the inside and undamaged. And that Sunday, they took it to St. Monica's Parish, which is one of the very animated creation care parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and they celebrated Mass there because Corpus Christi did not have a parish right to celebrate in that weekend. And I think about that tabernacle as being, you know—it's to reflect that Ark of the Covenant, right, Ark of Noah, the Ark of the Covenant. And then we have the tabernacle now, and that space of refuge that was preserved, you know. And then, of course, when we take the Eucharist into ourselves, we become that tabernacle. We're walking tabernacles, right? So we are also, then, places of refuge and where we know that God is with us and we can go and serve.Debra Rienstra Christina, it has been such a joy to talk to you. Thank you for your wisdom, for your inspiration, for the way that you deploy your expertise in such compassionate and far reaching ways. It's just been a pleasure. Thank you.Christina Slentz Oh, thank you so much for having me. I really enjoyed talking today with you, Debra.Debra Rienstra Thanks for joining us. For show notes and full transcripts, please visit debrarienstra.com and click on the Refugia Podcast tab. This season of the Refugia Podcast is produced with generous funding from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. Colin Hoogerwerf is our awesome audio producer. Thanks to Ron Rienstra for content consultation as well as technical and travel support. Till next time, be well. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit refugianewsletter.substack.com

Delivered by Josephine Mercy Ho from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. Romans 11: 29-36; Rs psalm 69: 30-31.33-34.36-37; Luke 14: 12-14.JUST GIVE AND DON'TEXPECT THE RETURN The title for ourmeditation today is: Just Give and Don't Expect the Return. A 28-year-old youngman finally decided to get married. He had carefully considered everything,especially the matter of proposing to his future wife. Previously, he had beeninterested in several female friends, but his parents did not approve. They hadcompelling reasons that were acceptable to the young man. Therefore, hecarefully considered their advice in choosing his future wife. The young man thenexpressed his satisfaction and joy to his parents. In following their advice,he realized that their choice aligned with his own. He told his parents thattheir love and attention for him were acts of giving and continued to give,from the time he was in his mother's womb until the time he was about to marry.Parents give everything to their children and never ask for anything in return.According to the young man, by following and heeding their advice and guidance,he was actually able to repay all the kindness he had received. Giving is an act ofgoing out from oneself in order to reach out other people or the world around. Therecan be tangible and non-tangible objects that we usually give. If somethingmeant as an attention and help, then the act of giving is an act of love. Theone who has love, always gives from oneself without consideration that he will becomea losser or lacking of things. Moreover, if he gives and continues to give, andnot expecting anything in return, that is a true and genuine love. This is thegift of love that God wants. Actually we do notneed to worry that as we continue to give, at one time we can not give anymorebecause we no longer have anything else. This concern is normal, because maybeour view depends only on the material wealth we have. Yet we still have spiritualor non-material wealth. Spiritual wealth is eternal, such as God's wisdom andgrace. When we are lacking even to the point of not having spiritual capacity,we will certainly ask for it from God. Giving as an act oflove indeed comes from God as the main giver. Saint Paul says in the firstreading that everything comes from God, therefore, He really does not needanything in return. Everything is grace. Likewise the Lord Jesus in today'sGospel asks us to love without expecting anything in return. This is the sameas helping a poor or needy person, who really does not have any possibility torepay something in return. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Almighty Father, we entrust our lives into your hands, make us useful toour brothers and sisters. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the HolySpirit ... In the name of the Father ...

Eric and Emily reconvene the podcast after a break and share some life updates: for Eric, joining the Society of St. Joseph and beginning life as a seminarian; for Emily, campus ministry, liturgical music and teaching at Ohio Dominican University. They welcome Deacon Royce Winters of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati (and personal friend of Father Rivers) to discuss some great news: the approval of a historical marker all about Father Rivers, to be installed at St. Joseph Parish in Cincinnati. Eric, Emily and Deacon Royce discuss the process for the marker (especially determining its text) and ultimately the enduring historical significance of their friend, His Grace, Fr. Clarence Rivers. Listeners are encouraged to donate to help offset the significant cost of the historical marker (see below). For Episode 41 Show Notes, click here.

Have you ever felt your ministry energy start to fade a few months into the season? That sense of slowing down, coasting, or even drifting can happen to the best of us — but it doesn't have to keep you stuck. In this episode, Eric shares some thought around why drift happens — the human, spiritual, and cultural forces that quietly pull us off course — and how we can return to the fire of mission. Show Notes / Key Points: Naming the Drift Feeling flat or coasting in ministry is normal. Drift happens when we stop intentionally moving toward mission. Key insight: to drift, we simply need to do… nothing. Scripture: Philippians 3:13-14 NRSV Why Drift Happens Human side: fatigue, busyness, and familiarity. Rest and relational honesty help restore energy. (Matthew 11:28-30) Spiritual side: losing connection to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Abiding in Him is the source of fruitfulness. (John 15:4-5, Romans 8:26) Cultural side: pressure for constant growth and visible success. Trust God's rhythms of pruning and seasons. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18) Returning to the Fire of Mission Return to relationship: spend time with Jesus, remember your identity as a beloved child of God. (1 John 4:19, Ephesians 2:10) Reconnect with the Holy Spirit: pray for guidance, boldness, and renewed vision. (Acts 1:8, Galatians 5:16) Remember your why and who: focus on the people God has placed in your life and ministry. (Matthew 28:19-20, 1 Peter 3:15) Reflect on your witness: love is the first way people encounter the Gospel. Re-engage in community: ministry flourishes in shared life, prayer, and encouragement. (Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:11) Closing Encouragement The Spirit who called you is still with you. You can fan the flame of your God-given gift for mission. (2 Timothy 1:6-7) Proclaim Team Resources: In-person trainings, workshops, and leadership summits to help leaders refocus on mission. Examples: Accompaniment Masterclass, Rescue Project support, Alpha parish sessions. Proclaim is a movement of the Archdiocese of Vancouver inspiring disciples to proclaim Jesus in their homes and communities. The Proclaim podcast is a space where you listen to inspiring disciples talk all things around sharing Jesus with others, and learn how to step into your own missionary identity. To learn more about Proclaim, you can visit weareproclaim.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @weareproclaim

Delivered by Andrew Jost, Eveline, Dwi Setyo, and Nirmala Niora from the Parish of Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral in the Archdiocese of Makassar, Indonesia. 2 Maccabees 12: 43-46; Rs psalm 143: 1-2.5-6.7ab.8ab.10; 1 Corinthians 15: 20-24a.25-28; John 6: 37-40.THE RESURRECTION OFTHE BODY AND EVERLASTING LIFE Our meditation today,the day of All Souls, is entitled: The Resurrection of the Body and EverlastingLife. Today our Church commemorates the souls of all believers, our fellowdeparted brothers and sisters. Our activity in the Church today is to pray forthose souls. The priests are asked to celebrate the Eucharist three times.People in general can attend these Masses at the same time offer intentions ofprayer for the souls of their family members. It is important tounderstand this commemoration and our task to pray, therefore, we need todepart from the true faith we profess. In the prayer "I Believe", we professour faith in the resurrection of the body and everlasting life, and everybeliever constantly renews this belief. The souls of our families and neighborsare helped by the prayers of the whole Church so that they will be graced withresurrection and finally enjoy eternal life in heaven. As the statement"finally enjoying eternal life in heaven" goes, this implies animportant meaning. This means there is a process that the souls go throughbefore entering heaven. We call this process as purgatory. This is a veryspecial teaching in the Catholic Church that emphasizes the sanctification forthe souls which happens in a process of purification. They are like being burnedto become pure. The sins and their consequences that still attach to thesesouls are cleansed. They certainly suffer because of this process ofpurification. But they cannot helpthemselves. They are all spirits and do not have all the possibilities togather and pray. Therefore they really need the support of our prayers, we whoare still in the world. The second book of Maccabees in the first reading showstwo forms of help for these souls, namely prayer and sacrifice. Our prayersincludes from the simplest and spontaneous personal prayers to the highest onethat is the Eucharistic celebration. The sacrifice can be in the form of goods,money and deeds offered in the Church. The teaching ofpurgatory about our prayers and sacrifices, aims for the resurrection of thebody and everlasting life of those souls. This is part of the contribution ofthe Church. God's part in this regard is the event of the resurrection of Jesusand the providence of a place for each of His followers. He wills that none ofHis followers is lost. This divine act is final, so those who have died inChrist are destined into heaven. To be able to bring them there, the purgatoryis needed. So today we carry outour duty or responsibility so that its purpose is realized, that is, the soulsare purified for their entry into heaven. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... Father of mercy, we pray for the souls of our brothers and sisters: eternalrest grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them, and maythey rest in peace. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit... In the name of the Father ...

We're joined with Sarah McDonald, Communications Director of the Archdiocese of New Orleans, gives us a sneak peek of what readers will find in this week's Clarion Herald, the official Catholic newspaper in the Archdiocese of New Orleans. Sr. Evangeline Ingwersen, Chant specialist and Dr. Jim Jordan, sheet music editor with Paraclete Press talks about Gregorian Chant. Dr. Tom Neal, Chief of Evangelization and Mission Engagement in the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee with Catholic 101 segment talks about plenary indulgences.

Imagine standing among thousands of faithful Catholics, voices lifted in prayer and praise. In that moment, you can feel the Church fully alive—young, reverent, and on fire for mission. In this short bonus episode, I share a personal story from my family and three compelling reasons why SEEK might be exactly what your heart's been longing for. Whether you're craving hope, community, or a deeper sense of purpose, this isn't just a conference—it's a chance to be renewed. Give it a listen, and let the Spirit stir something new in you. [00:29] Why You Should Attend the Focus Seek Conference [01:17] Personal Family Insights [03:14] Reason 1: See the Church Alive [05:12] Reason 2: Be Equipped for Mission [06:18] Reason 3: Inspirational Speakers [06:48] Special Grants for Omaha Archdiocese Conference Grant Application (https://archdioceseofomaha.formstack.com/forms/conference_grant) for ArchOmaha parish groups of 3 or more. For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

When the mission feels massive, how do you take the first step? We all feel the pressure. With souls on the line, it feels like we need big plans, big programs, big results. But what if the most fruitful thing you could do today was simply to take one small step? In this episode, I share four strategies that have helped me and others start small, build momentum, and trust that God will grow what we begin. Whether you're leading a parish, a ministry, or just trying to follow Jesus more closely, I want to encourage you: don't wait for perfect. Start small. God delights in small beginnings, and He'll grow them into something beautiful. [01:42] Strategy 1: Shrink the First Step [02:46] Strategy 2: Do the Next Right Thing [04:42] Strategy 3: Settle for Incomplete and Imperfect [08:43] Strategy 4: Biblical Encouragement to Start Small [10:11] Closing Thoughts and Prayer For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Fr. Patrick gave this talk at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis' Catholic Women's Conference. — Connect with us! Website: https://slakingthirsts.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCytcnEsuKXBI-xN8mv9mkfw

Fr. Patrick gave this talk at the Archdiocese of Indianapolis' Catholic Women's Conference. The readings are from Sirach 35:12-14, 16-18, Psalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18 & Luke 18:9-14. — Connect with us! Website: slakingthirsts.com/ Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCytcnEsuKXBI-xN8mv9mkfw

Universal Voices is back with an all new mini-series. This season we explore how different folks within the Universal Church are experiencing community within the Body of Christ. In this episode, Alissa welcomes Jessica Mendoza. Alissa and Jessica discuss, "Partners in the Gospel," currently taking place in the Archdiocese of Seattle. The two talk about:Why Partners in the Gospel came about and the hope behind it.The power of being intentional and careful with important things.The power of listening and responding.Practicing not bringing "serial consumerism" into parish life.Working together as the Body.Allowing ourselves to grieve loss or change.Bringing a lion's share of fraternal care to the table.Jessica Mendoza was born and raised in the  Seattle area but counts her roots in Michoacán México. Her works as a pediatric and neonatal physical therapist, and  is also active in her parish, volunteering in high school youth ministry, parish leadership, and working alongside their companion parish in Guatemala.  She also helps chair her Archdiocesan Disability Inclusion Ministry, so that people of all abilities are able to participate fully in the life of the Church. In her spare time Jessica loves reading, hiking around the beautiful Pacific Northwest scenery, and playing the flute in a community Wind Symphony.  

Two weeks ago, Ralph discussed Bishop Robert Barron's reflections on Pope Francis' papacy and what his legacy means for the Church moving forward. This week, Ralph offers ways to approach living in such times of uncertainty and disunity. Ralph particularly notes the profound reflections on participating more deeply in Christ's passion, as found in Fr. Donald Haggerty's book, "The Hour of Testing: Spiritual Depth and Insight in a Time of Ecclesial Uncertainty." Fr. Haggerty is a parochial vicar of St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Archdiocese of New York and the author of several books.To sign up for Renewal Ministries free monthly monthly newsletter visit: https://www.RenewalMinistries.net/newsletter.

What does it really mean to love your neighbor—not just in theory, but in their mess? In this episode, I sit down with Austin Habash from Sent Evangelization, and we talk about what happens when we actually step out and meet people where they are. How knocking on doors leads to praying with strangers, and how helping with small needs opens the way for grace. Austin shares stories that are raw, beautiful, and deeply human. If you've ever felt the tug to do something more, to bring Jesus to your neighborhood in a real and personal way, this conversation will inspire you and give you a path forward. You don't have to be perfect—you just have to show up. [01:18] Meet Austin Habash: A Journey of Faith [02:51] The Call to Neighborhood Outreach [05:22] Challenges and Strategies in Evangelization [08:31] Real-Life Stories and Impact [11:51] The Role of Parishes in Evangelization [14:48] Training and Supporting Evangelists [26:03] Building a Community of Faith [28:49] Framework for Evangelization Teams [29:26] Roles within the Evangelization Team [30:38] Training and Preparation for Evangelists [32:46] Practical Steps for Launching Evangelization Efforts [45:17] Engaging with Non-Christians and the Unchurched [55:01] Final Thoughts and Encouragement Check out Sent Evangelization (https://www.sentevangelization.org/) or watch their training videos on Formed.org (https://formed.org/)! For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

What does it mean to be a missionary today—and how does Natural Family Planning (NFP) reflect God's vision for love and life?Bishop Kenney joins us to explore the Church's call to mission for every baptized Catholic—not just overseas, but right here at home.Then we're joined by Renee Oakes, FCP, DHS, Associate Director of Marriage Ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. A seasoned Fertility Care Practitioner and founder of Integrated Fertility Care Center, Renee shares how NFP supports women's health, strengthens marriages, and honors the dignity of life.Like what you're hearing? Leave us a review, subscribe, and follow us on social media @practicingcatholicshow! Facebook⁠⁠ ⁠Instagram⁠⁠ ⁠YouTube⁠ 

Bill Newbrough, Donor Relations Officer for the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, shows how you can support Catholic pastoral care for U.S. Military members through the Triennial National Collection.

Canon Benjamin Norman, ICKSP, was ordained in 2018. He currently serves at Most Holy Rosary Chapel (St. Vincent's School For Boys) in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.   In Today's Show: Can You Be Open to Demonic Attack Without Knowing It? Why is the church supposedly for income redistribution? Is there a way to confess sins we're not aware of? Why does God allow protestant ministers to perform exorcisms? Should people go to Bible studies about predicting the rapture? What does Satan being bound in the book of Revelation mean? YouTube Rapid Fire Questions Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!

When more people are equipped with the tools to start a dialogue about mental health and substance use disorders, more people can get the help they need. Deacon Eric Paige discusses the National Council for Mental Wellbeing's Mental Health First Aid, a training that teaches people to safely and responsibly identify and address a potential mental health or substance use challenge. Deacon Paige is the Director of Formation and Deacon Services for the Archdiocese of Seattle, Washington, and a trained mental health first aider. Mental Health First Aid's resources can be accessed at Mental Health First Aid. The State of Wisconsin's Dose of Reality campaign is at Dose of Reality: Opioids in Wisconsin. More information about the federal response to the ongoing opiate crisis can be found at One Pill Can Kill. The views and opinions of the guests on this podcast are theirs and theirs alone and do not necessarily represent those of the host or Westwords Consulting. We're always interested in hearing from individuals or organizations who are working in substance use disorder treatment or prevention, mental health care and other spaces that lift up communities. This includes people living those experiences. If you or someone you know has a story to share or an interesting approach to care, contact us today! Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Subscribe to Our Email List to get new episodes in your inbox every week!

We're joined with Sarah McDonald, Communications Director of the Archdiocese of New Orleans updates us on the Clarion Herald, the official Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of New Orleans with update. Joseph Pearce, author, Great Books for Good Men: Reflections on Literature and Manhood joins us and Dr. Tom Neal, Chief of Evangelization and Mission Engagement of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee talks about incense and its purpose in the mass. 

What if saving a marriage could save a soul? In this episode, I sit down with Jared Smyth from Communio a consultancy helping parishes build thriving marriage ministries. We talk about the quiet crisis unfolding in our parishes—and the incredible hope breaking through. Parishes that invest just a few hours into helping couples build stronger relationships are seeing renewal from the inside out: healed marriages, thriving families, and faith coming alive again. [01:57] Jared's Background and Faith Journey [14:15] The Importance of Marriage and Family [17:47] Communio's Approach to Strengthening Relationships [26:31] The Impact of Family Structure on Faith and Society [30:13] Addressing Loneliness and Relationship Needs [32:01] Introduction to Communio's Mission [33:00] Data-Informed Ministry [35:48] Marriage Enrichment Strategies [38:54] Engaging Parish Outreach [40:23] Ministry Engagement Ladder [46:23] Success Stories and Impact [55:49] Macro Trends in the Church Don't forget to check out Communio.org (https://communio.org/) or contact Jared at jsmyth@communio.org (mailto:jsmyth@communio.org). For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

* The Archdiocese's bankruptcy settlement could be in jeopardy. * October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. We'll get some basic safety tips.

The Archdiocese's bankruptcy settlement could be in jeopardy. We get the details from Stephanie Riegel, business writer for the Times Picayune/NOLA.com

Rejecting calls for mercy from opponents of the death penalty, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Monday that Lance Shockley's execution will be carried out as planned at 6 p.m. Tuesday. We sit down with Mary Fox, coordinator of the Death Penalty Abolition Program with the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and Heidi Moore of Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty, to react to Kehoe's announcement and to discuss the law that allowed a judge to singlehandedly sentence Shockley to death.

Sun. October 5, 2025, 11:15am Mass Celebration of 70 Years of Catholic Deaf Ministry in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon Homily: "What Is Normal?" -Rev. Michael Depcik, OSFS ASL-to-English Interpreter: Jilene Modlin

How do you bring hope to someone who feels completely forgotten? In this powerful episode of EquipCast, Deacon Al Aulner opens a window into the emotional and spiritual struggles of incarcerated men—many of whom have never known love, stability, or the truth of the Gospel. Through stories of heartbreak, transformation, and hope, Deacon Al reveals how meeting people in their brokenness—whether behind bars or in everyday life—is the heart of evangelization. His insights challenge us to listen first, love deeply, and trust that God is already at work in every soul we encounter. [01:10] Deacon Al Aulner's Background [03:29] Journey to Faith and Family Challenges [07:38] Introduction to Prison Ministry [14:18] Personal Experiences and Challenges in Ministry [29:25] Volunteers and Community Impact [31:23] A Corporate Buyer's Journey to Prison Ministry [35:08] Challenges of Reintegrating After Prison [39:39] Transformative Power of Faith in Prison [46:40] Parish Leadership and Community Engagement [58:57] Call for Volunteers and Final Thoughts Feel free to reach out to Dcn. Al! Call (402) 827-3743 or email awaulner@archomaha.org (mailto:awaulner@archomaha.org). For more practical advice and experiences from real people sharing their mission with the world, go to https://equip.archomaha.org/podcast/. A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha Editor: Taylor Schroll (ForteCatholic.com)

Can you trust AI for theology? … GUEST Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra… senior writer and faith- &-work editor for The Gospel Coalition … also coauthor of “Gospelbound: Living with Resolute Hope in an Anxious Age” and editor of “Social Sanity in an Insta World”. Physician-Assisted Suicide … GUEST Dr Charles Camosy … Prof at the Catholic University of America in the nation’s capitol … author of 7 books, incl “Beyond the Abortion Wars,” and “Resisting Throwaway Culture” … his most recent book is “Living and Dying Well: A Catholic Plan for Resisting Physician-Assisted Killing” … Charlie advises the Faith Outreach office of the Humane Society of the US & the pro-life commission of the Archdiocese of NY … He & his wife Paulyn have 4 kids, 3 of whom they adopted from a Filipino orphanage in 2016. On Regret & Apologies in Marriage … GUEST Chris Fogle … works in manufacturing procurement in Southern CA … His passion is connecting Jesus and the Bible to pop culture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans brace for fallout amid a federal government shutdown. Meanwhile, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois will decline a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Archdiocese of Chicago. And, on the Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, we take a closer look at her special connection to Rome.

Mary Kate Zander of Illinois Right to Life Illinois Right to Life The post Pro-Abortion Illinois Senator Richard During Being Given A Lifetime Achievement Award by the Chicago Archdiocese – Mary Kate Zander, 9/30/25 (2732) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Pope Leo addresses major issues making news. Meanwhile, growing concern over Christian persecution in Nigeria arises from unexpected voices. And, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia launches a new missionary initiative aimed at reconnecting with those drifting from the Church.

Why do we flee silence for constant busyness? And how can beauty draw us back to God? In this episode of Power & Witness, Fr. Mark speaks with Fr. Christopher Seith, priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC and Coordinator of Spiritual Formation at St. John Paul II Seminary. Together they explore the timeless insights of Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper on acedia (spiritual sloth), wonder, leisure, and beauty—and how these themes open us to reality as a gift and draw us deeper into God's presence. If you've ever felt restless, distracted, or caught in endless activity, this conversation offers a path back to peace, joy, and authentic Christian living.

This week on Let's Talk About This, Father McTeigue examines the troubling signs of incivility creeping into our so-called “civilized” world—including within the life of the Church. He then considers practical solutions to these challenges, before closing with his always-insightful Weekend Readiness. Show Notes Dallas Anti-ICE Shooter Searched For Apps That Tracked ICE Activity; Hoped to Instill ‘Real Terror' › American Greatness  Progressive pregnant women are ‘popping Tylenol like tic tacs' to protest Trump's prenatal autism warning – One America News Network  Lepanto Institute publishes Cdl. Cupich's VG notice to all priests in Diocese Joseph Cardinal Bernardin – Seamless Garment Doctrine Opposition mounts to Archdiocese of Chicago plan to fete Durbin  After statement from Paprocki, Cardinal Cupich defends award for Durbin  Hillary Clinton WARNS against the rise of Christianity iCatholic Mobile The Station of the Cross Merchandise - Use Coupon Code 14STATIONS for 10% off | Catholic to the Max Read Fr. McTeigue's Written Works! "Let's Take A Closer Look" with Fr. Robert McTeigue, S.J. | Full Series Playlist Listen to Fr. McTeigue's Preaching! | Herald of the Gospel Sermons Podcast on Spotify Visit Fr. McTeigue's Website | Herald of the Gospel Questions? Comments? Feedback? Ask Father!

Michelangelo's The Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel is set to undergo extraordinary maintenance. Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has launched an initiative highlighting everyday Catholics. And, the government barrels toward a shutdown, with a funding deadline looming.