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Send us a textWe trace Saint Sebastian's journey from Roman captain to Eucharistic witness, moving from the catacombs to the emperor's court and the arrows that could not break his faith. We share how his patronage strengthens soldiers, the sick, and anyone seeking courage today.• Early life and service in the Praetorian Guard • Secret ministry in the catacombs under persecution • Trial before Diocletian and first martyrdom by arrows • Miraculous recovery with Irene and second witness • Final bludgeoning and the seed of legacy • Patronage of soldiers, archers, and the sick • Intercession during plagues and public devotions • Lessons for a modern Eucharistic revival • Practical ways to join our Eucharistic missionBring the saints and the Eucharist into your home Explore our curated collection of relics, shrines, and Marian devotionals, each authentic, each a path to deeper encounter Access our expansive media library, documentaries, books, and virtual pilgrimages crafted to deepen your Eucharistic devotion, perfect for study groups, catechists, and personal growth Shop our store with generous discounts, free shipping on threshold orders, and a rewarding loyalty program Walk with us in mission, become part of our global Journeys of Faith family with daily prayers, newsletters, and opportunities to support the cloistered Augustinian nuns of Monofalco directly Family, there is more to this post, so please see the link in the description for the rest of the article Be sure to click the link in the description for special news item And since there is more to this article, finish reading and check out the special offer Visit journeysoffaith.com website todaySaint Sebastian Store ItemsOpen by Steve Bailey Support the showDownload Journeys of Faith Free App link. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/journeys-of-faith/id6757635073 Journeys of Faith brings your Super Saints Podcasts ***Our Core Beliefs*** The Eucharist is the Source and Summit of our Faith." Catechism 132 Click Here “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” 1Thessalonians 4“ Click Here ... lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...” Matthew 6:19-2 Click Here The Goal is Heaven Click Here Please consider subscribing to this podcast or making a donation to Journeys of Faith we are actively increasing our reach and we are seeing good results for visitors under 40! Help us Grow! Buy Me a cup of Coffee...

Thirty years ago, we never imagined we'd be navigating conversations about gender identity and sexuality with our children, but here we are. In this powerful conversation, Dannah Gresh from Pure Freedom Ministries shares biblical wisdom and practical tools to help you confidently guide your kids through today's confusing culture.In this episode, you'll discover:✅Three key Bible passages every child needs to understand about their body and identity before the world tells them lies✅How to have age-appropriate conversations about gender and sexuality without robbing your children of their innocence✅The critical difference between accepting and affirming when someone you love is walking through gender confusion✅Why your child's maleness or femaleness is directly connected to reflecting God's image in the world✅Practical strategies for responding with both truth and compassion when your kids encounter gender ideology at school or onlineReady to equip yourself with biblical truth? Grab the resources Dannah mentions in this episode to start these important conversations with confidence.Get your FREE Basic Pass to Life Skills Leadership Summit 2026 to give you confidence that your kids will be ready for adult life: https://HowToHomeschoolMyChild.com/lsls26Resources Mentioned:It's Great to Be a GirlLies Girls BelieveLies Girls Believe Mom's GuideLies Young Women BelieveLies Women BelieveIt's Great to Be a BoyLies Boys BelieveLies Men BelieveDannah Gresh is the founder of True Girl, a ministry dedicated to providing tools to help moms and grandmas disciple their 7–12-year-old girls. She is the co-host of Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth's Revive Our Hearts podcast and Revive Our Hearts Weekend. She has authored over twenty-eight books, including a Bible study for adult women based on the book of Habakkuk. Dannah and her husband, Bob, have just released a new book and limited-series podcast called Happily Even After which tells their marriage redemption story. They live on a hobby farm in central Pennsylvania.Show Notes: Introduction: A Topic We Never Imagined FacingKerry: Well hey everyone, Kerry back here with Life Skills Leadership Summit. Today I'm excited—not because of the topic, because it's a really difficult topic on sexuality and gender—but Dannah Gresh, I've just gotten to know her from a distance through podcasts and Revive Our Hearts and reading one of her books as well. But I do know that she has got a lot to say on this issue. So Dannah, thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it.Dannah: Oh, I am so honored and delighted. Thank you for having me.Kerry: So before we get started, let me just pray for us and we'll let God guide this conversation.Father in Heaven, thank you. Thank you for today. Thank you for Zoom. Thank you that we can have a conversation and we can share it with many, many people. We thank you that you are sovereign, that you're the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we can rest in that no matter what's going on around us. And there's a lot of mess going on around us, but we can have our hope in Jesus.We just thank you for Jesus and the bond that we have in Him through the blood that He shed for us. I thank you for Dannah being here. I pray that the things that you want said will be spoken through this conversation, that you will be glorified, and that the ones that are listening, you will just really touch their hearts and show them what types of practical steps or spending more time in the Word—whatever you want them to do—and just to be led by the Holy Spirit. We pray all these things in Jesus' powerful name, amen.Dannah: Amen.About Pure Freedom Ministries and PartnershipKerry: Okay, for those of you that don't know, Dannah has Pure Freedom Ministries and this has two parts: True Girl and Born to Be Brave. By the time y'all listen to this, you probably already heard one of my kickoffs because we do one on Sunday night before the whole week and I'll explain it.But they are our organization that we are supporting through this Summit. So we'll take the profits that we make on anyone that upgrades from free to VIP. If you upgrade to VIP, 5% of our profits will go to this organization. And then some of our speakers—you've probably heard about the ones that have chosen to—if they decide to donate 5% of their commissions, then I will match that 5% as well.So hopefully, you know, that will be just a little way that y'all can support what Dannah and her team are doing. So I just want to make sure everyone understands that before we get going.Dannah: What a blessing. Thank you so much.Dannah's Story: From Teenager to Ministry LeaderKerry: Well, let's before we start this topic, can you just tell people a little bit about yourself?Dannah: Sure. Well, I love Jesus first and foremost, and He is the best part of everything about my life. I came to know Him when I was a really little girl through Child Evangelism Fellowship five-day clubs. I just love Child Evangelism Fellowship to this day because I remember that moment when I surrendered my heart and my life to Jesus. So precious.But fast forward—at the age of 15, I was a teacher for Child Evangelism Fellowship. I was teaching Sunday school in my church to three-year-olds, and I loved the Lord like crazy. But I was in a Christian dating relationship and was blindsided by sexual temptation.I just thought that was not possible in my life because I loved the Lord so much. And it became this great shame and this great heartache of my life until I was about 26. I just really understood that even though it had been so long since I'd experienced that sin and chosen that sin, I hadn't really received the redemption and the freedom that Christ died to give me.When I did, my life changed. And I had to get out my megaphone—my proverbial megaphone—and tell teenage girls. And then as I was doing that, ministry just kind of exploded.I was praying, "Lord, let me graduate to college girls and adult women." And the Lord said, "What about my little women? What about my 10-year-olds and what about my 9-year-olds and what about my 8-year-olds?"I was like, "Lord, that's really great. Somebody needs to do children's ministry, but what about me graduating from high school girls to the older women?" And He was persistent. The Lord just kept opening doors.Before we knew it, we really are one of the largest ministries that takes biblical truth to 8 to 12-year-old girls. And now we have boys—we just added them in the last few years—through live events, box subscriptions, Bible studies, online Bible studies, at-home Bible studies with mom. We want to put mom in the driver's seat. We believe that's what God's Word says—that mom and dad belong in the driver's seat of a child's moral development.Now we fast forward to this year. We live in a time and a day and age when the government and a lot of different political entities believe that parents aren't equipped to make moral decisions about their children. Well, we still believe they are.And now I understand why the Lord has put us in this critical position. One of the things we've done really well through the years is take whatever the difficult issues of the day are—when we started, that was AIDS—and we look at it through a biblical lens.Today, that biblical lens that we look through, we're looking at the issue mostly of gender and identity. And when you think about how do we talk to an 8-year-old about that biblically without robbing them of their innocence, and also just the depression and anxiety these kids are at the tip of the spear...Teens have long been at the tip of the spear, but the enemy has moved the line backward. And now it's those 8 to 12-year-olds that really are having to grapple with things that their little hearts and minds aren't ready for. But we know how to do that in a way that's safe and biblical and most importantly keeps mom and dad in the driver's seat.The Trends We're Seeing in Gender IdentityKerry: That is so good. And I know I'm on y'all's True Girl mailing list, and so they have things and I have downloaded a few things just to find out exactly what they are. I'm giving my daughter some of y'all's books as well. I think it's the Lies Young Girls Believe, something like that. I'm not quite sure what it was.But I do have to tell you, all of a sudden I have one more connection with you because I grew up with Child Evangelism Fellowship and I became a believer at a Good News Club. I started, went to their CEF training as a teenager, and then we did the five-day clubs in Houston. So I was like, oh wow, that's so interesting. Small world.Dannah: They are a fruitful ministry. Look at us—we're passing, we're the fruit, we're passing on fruit. We're the fruit of their fruit.Kerry: My parents, they're in their 70s and 80s, and a while back they would lead Good News Clubs in the public school for like five years. They're still going on with it and all. So I love it. It does work.So okay, so we are in a just a strange time. And if you had asked us 30 years ago, we'd be going, "No way, we wouldn't be dealing with these issues." So what kind of trends are you seeing right now when it comes to gender identity and sexuality?Dannah: Well, you know, I would say heterosexual is definitely not in style. And what we see is a lot of teens claiming to be pansexual, where they're just willing to erase anything that has a baseline of truth to it and embrace everything. Basically, is what pansexuality is.A lot of teens in terms of gender are saying they're non-binary. That's just what's in style right now. And you might say, "Well, but there really is a problem. There are some kids that definitely struggle with gender dysphoria."Absolutely, that's true. Historically, we've known for decades that children—a very, very small percentage of them—are born with things like Klinefelter syndrome, fragile X syndrome. These are syndromes like Down syndrome where there are chromosomal abnormalities in that child's body.And the parents and the physicians have to work together to decide, how are we going to raise this child? Most cases, they can take a blood test and they can determine this child is clearly male or clearly female. But we have some issues that we're going to have to deal with because of these syndromes.But in most cases, they can really figure out what's happening there. And so that's the good news. But I think it's an important thing for us that we have to be compassionate because for some people that you meet on the street that you're not quite sure—are they male or female?—that's not a choice. It was something that they were born with. That's very difficult and painful. So we have to be careful.But on the other end of the spectrum, what we're seeing right now is—well, let me explain it this way. In about the year 2011, there was a shift from transgenderism being predominantly a male problem to now, it is today predominantly female. You see more teenage females transitioning than males.So the intellectually honest sociologists will say, "What happened to make that really dramatic shift happen?"And I think probably the person that's been bravest about it is a woman named Abigail Shrier. She's a journalist, not a believer as far as I know, conservative though, and yet very intellectually honest. Some parents kept writing to her and saying, "We need somebody to research this."And she brought together some of the bravest sociologists, some of the bravest intellectually honest ones. And what they found was clusters of girls transitioning. So in other words, a school district or a school or a city was seeing a lot of girls transitioning, and there were pops of this all over the United States.Now if this were a more intellectually honest occurrence, you would have seen it happening more evenly over the culture. But that's not the case. What's happening is cluster contagion. And that's what we're calling it now, which basically is peer pressure causing girls to say, "I don't feel comfortable in my body."Now let me remind you, there aren't very many of us that felt super comfortable in our body in seventh grade. But we weren't having somebody sit there next to us and telling us that might be because you're not really a girl.So I guess what we're seeing is a lot of confusion. Majority of what we're seeing is mass confusion that we need to prepare our children for and that we need to speak into truthfully. But we can't forget the compassion because there's a sliver of people struggling right now where this really is a deeply painful thing and not something that they chose.Why This Topic Is Critical Right NowKerry: That is something. So I mean, to me it seems pretty obvious, but why do you think this topic is so important right now?Dannah: Well, it's—let me say, take that from two angles. One reason it's important is because your children are being lied to, and we need to speak truth into their hearts and into their minds. We have to put so much truth into them that there's not room for the world's lies.When they see or hear a counterfeit, they immediately know, "That's not what I learned from God's Word. That's not what I learned from my parents whom I trust to be true." And they come to you and they say, "Hey, I just heard this." And you help—might not know the answers, but you help them figure out.But here's why I think it's really important, and this is why it's been important since the beginning of time. In Genesis 1:26 and 27-28, in that chapter we see God saying that He's made us in His image. And then He could have listed almost anything about us that would have made us like Him—our language proficiency, our ability to compose sonnets, our creativity, the fact that we would figure out how to defy gravity and fly to the moon. All these things about us are so God-like. Our even our emotions—animals are emotive, but not to the degree that we are.And yet God says one thing: "In the image of God He created them, male and female He created them."Our maleness and our femaleness is a distinct part of representing the image of God on this lost world. That's why it matters more than anything. And that's what our children need to know more than anything.How Parents Can Communicate God's TruthKerry: That is so good. I mean, it really is. We need to—and I love what y'all do is always going back to the Bible, you know. And this is a Christian conference. There's plenty of things out there for parents, but we want to make sure we're always going back to the Bible.So what are some things that parents could do? Like you want them to—one of the things that I know I've heard you say many times, we need to speak truth to our soul, but first we have to teach our kids what the truth is. How can parents communicate God's truth in regards to gender and sexuality and identity?Dannah: Well, I obviously encourage them to get them in the Word and some of these key passages that talk about our bodies. And I basically have three key passages that I think our kids need to study about this. I write about them in It's Great to Be a Girl. My husband and one of his co-authors writes about them in It's Great to Be a Guy. That's for kids aged 8 to 12, somewhere in that range.First one is in the book of 1 Corinthians. It says that our bodies exist to glorify God. That the purpose of our body is to glorify God. You know, we get really sidetracked and we think our bodies are for us to feel good, for us to feel pleasure, for us to look good and be this just vision of beauty or handsomeness, whatever it is.Our bodies were created to glorify God. That's why they exist—to showcase Him, to give honor to Him. That's why we dress carefully and tastefully and modestly. That's why we use language that's becoming and careful. That's why we don't get into the dark.I'm always concerned when we get into really dark-looking countenance and clothings and styles because Jesus is light and He is love and He is joy, and we want our countenance to reflect that. But my body doesn't exist for Dannah. My body exists for God.Then the second thing is the one I just mentioned earlier: Genesis 1:26 and 27, that the purpose of my body—how I glorify God—is as a female or male image-bearer. Because glorifying Him—I like to say that the moon glorifies the sun, okay? The moon doesn't have any light of its own, but it reflects the light of the sun, and that's why we have a full moon. They're so beautiful.Well, in the same way, we have to look like God. That's what glorifying Him means. And Genesis 1:26-27 says we do that best in the defined roles, the binary roles of maleness and femaleness. So they matter. They're important.And then the other verse that I think is really important is in Romans 12:1 and 2. It says, "I beg you brothers, by the mercy of God, that you present your body as a living sacrifice."So when my body, which was created to glorify God, doesn't feel like glorifying God as a female image-bearer of God, it becomes a sacrifice to God because I choose to live sacrificially according to the purpose of my body as a female image-bearer.Now I don't know that those are the only passages that your children need to get into, but those are three of the big ones that they need to memorize, dissect, be familiar with, understand. And that's going to give them more than studying all the counterfeits. That's going to give them the fuel they need for the conversations that are going to come up in their lives at one point or another.Age-Appropriate Conversations About TruthKerry: That's so good. Because we don't know what's going to happen in 20 years, you know, and what things they're going to need to know.When you think about even these three passages or talking about truth at different ages, because you've talked about 8 to 12 and then we've got teenagers, would you approach them differently or do you have any suggestions about that?Dannah: Well, with teens, of course, I'm going to be a lot more forthright. Although more and more—we just had a mom communicate with us that her child is attending a private school, not a Christian school but a private school. And just this year, the daughter came home and said, "Hey, we have Teacher X teaching at our school." And I'm not going to say the name. And it's not Mr. X or Mrs. X, it's Teacher X.And of course this mom said, "Well, do you know if Teacher X is male or female?" And she kind of said, "Well, this is what I think, but that's probably—they're trying not to look that way." So there's obviously some gender confusion there.What was really interesting is that when they have a student teacher, this parent had previously gotten a letter that said, "This is the teacher, this is what you need to know about them, I want to introduce them to you, they'll be starting on this date, they'll be ending on this date." In this case, that didn't happen.So that child is in about fifth grade. So we're not—and I've heard in my own school district of kindergarteners who are being told, "You get to pick your pronoun in my class. Maybe you weren't allowed that opportunity at home, but in my class you get to choose what you are, who you are."And so more and more we are having to have more of a conversation that we want, especially if we've chosen for our children not to be homeschooled or not to be in a space where their teaching is governed by truth. And that's not you, but it may be your friends, and it may be someone you're conversing with or having coffee with, you know, needs to know—hey, some crazy stuff is happening in some of these schools.And they don't believe it until it hits them. And then that's how this mom was. She's like, "I heard about it in California and I heard about it in this state and that state, but my state?" Yes, your state.So I think it's really important that we let them drive the questions though. So at high school we maybe are being, you know, we're talking about transgenderism, we're talking about all the different language that is used—the LGBTQ+, non-binary, binary, pansexuality.Mom, dad, you got to do some vocabulary work on this one. You've got to know the words, and that's going to help build your credibility. If you have a child who has been exposed, if you don't know a word, just say, "I'm not really sure what pansexuality is. Let's look it up and learn together, and then we're going to go to God's Word and figure out what He says about it."But when you're under, I would say 12 years old, I would just stick to God's truth. And what you're going to find, and what we have found as we have taken moms and daughters through It's Great to Be a Girl online Bible study or It's Great to Be a Guy online Bible study, is that studying it in the Bible and having mom and dad sitting there talking with you about it brings up the questions.They'll say, "I heard that so-and-so down the street has two dads," or "I heard that this friend at church has a brother who's becoming a sister." And you have the opportunity then to talk to them about that stuff.But I really like to let them drive that rather than us introducing things. And there's such a fine line there. And what I want to say is we don't—we have to be very careful about being afraid of the topic of sex because God isn't. He's not afraid of the topic, and we don't need to be afraid of it.But there are developmental phases where our children are more ready for some of these things than others. And if you can delay some of these conversations until they are developmentally ready, I think that's wise.The Importance of Reclaiming Biblical SexualityKerry: I think that's really good. And I appreciate you saying that we need to talk to them about sexuality more than just what sex is or how do we have kids, that type of thing. Because I know I heard on one of y'all's podcasts, you know, if we don't reclaim the sexuality and what's going on, the world is going to take over, which is what it's doing. And the church really does need to understand it. And if moms and dads don't, they need to do some research and stuff.Dannah: Well, and Ephesians 5:31 and 32 says, "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." And then it's almost like the Apostle Paul has ADHD or something. Because it's like he changes the subject. He says, "I'm really talking about Christ and the church."And this verse probably more than any other in Scripture tells us that marriage is meant to be a picture of the love Christ has for His bride, the church. But you can see that taught from Genesis to Revelation. It's a very important picture in the body of Christ.And if we do not wake up to really protect and defend that picture, we're going to wake up one day to see the gospel completely marginalized—not just marriage, but the gospel.And I guess my question for all of us is: if sex and marriage really does represent the love of Christ, the gospel, how motivated is Satan to see that picture destroyed in our lives, in the lives of our children? We have to be vigilant. We have to be informed. And we have to be so full of grace for those moments when we mess up or our kids mess up.Navigating With Grace and CompassionKerry: Yeah. And I think you just said that—I was coughing—grace and patience. Because you're talking about having compassion for these people that are really dealing with issues. And I think sometimes the church gets so, "Oh my goodness, look at them, they have children that are homosexuals or whatever."And yet we—I mean, no, we don't tolerate—I mean there's a blend between tolerating, but we also need to show grace at times because the compassion of God is what draws people back. The kindness and stuff. Would you have anything to say about sort of where you draw the line? And not that we want to judge people, but we do want to come alongside.So we've got moms here that want to help with their kids, but then they may have people in their family or in their church or something. What are maybe some practical things that they could do to handle these situations?Dannah: Well, some practical things are teaching our kids grace. Teaching them a gracious response.Bob and I, my husband and I, discipled a young man for many years who is non-binary now. Young adult man. And we still will have lunch with him. He doesn't live locally, but when he's coming through, he still wants to visit with us and talk with us.I got a birthday text from him that said, "You're like my second mom," because we have blessed him with our love and our presence, which is genuine. It's not fake. We adore him. He is easy to talk to, intelligent. We had so many high hopes for how he would—and still do—influence people for Christ.But we do not—we accept, but we do not affirm. We accept, but we do not affirm.So he knows—one of the last big conversations we had about his journey into homosexuality and a non-binary lifestyle was very pointed where my husband said, "I believe you've been set apart, and I believe that you have different desires, and that you have to obey the Lord with Romans 12:1 and 2. You need to sacrifice your desires for the purpose of your body glorifying Christ."And it was a very pointed conversation. And we haven't talked about that since then, but he knows where we stand.So we're honest, you know. One of the things that's really a challenge right now is the question of pronouns, right? Do we use the pronouns or do we not use the pronouns?And with this individual, I avoid using pronouns because the pronouns he wants are "they" and "them." I will not do that because God's Word commands me not to lie, and it's not truthful. However, I'm not going to rub salt in a wound of all the struggles that he's walking through.So I do my best to navigate through just not using either his new name that he wants or the pronouns. He knows that's what I'm doing.I know another woman who—she did transition for nine years. She had her breasts cut off, she had hormones, she was bearded, she was talking like a guy, she lived as Jake for nine years. Her name was Laura.Her mom stayed on her knees, stayed in a prodigal prayer group. And when it came to the name—she wanted to be called Jake—her mom said, "I can't call you that, but I know it's going to offend you. Can I call you honey? I'll do that."And it was a compromise they made together. So you see, accepting but not affirming is a really important line we have to make.Because this is the question that Rosaria Butterfield asked in a recent book that she's written. I believe the title is Five Lies of Our Post-Christian Culture. But she says, "Is your church, is your home, is your family a safe place for someone to repent of their sin of homosexuality or gender—" I'm not going to call it confusion, but rebellion. Okay?Because gender confusion, I would say, is probably going back to some of those syndromes I'm talking about, right? You're going to feel some confusion when you're not quite sure how your body is showing up, right?But gender rebellion, I would say, is what my friend Laura went through. She knew she was a girl, but she wanted to stick it to her mom and stick it to God. And she did for nine years. And then the Lord got a hold of her heart.But partly, I think the Lord got a hold of her heart because her mom never accepted Jake, never accepted the lie, never used the pronouns. And yet she still loved and accepted the child.Kerry: Fine line.Dannah: So good.The Reality of Dealing With These IssuesKerry: Yeah, we've got to love. And I, for one, I mean, these aren't just teenagers. You know, I had friends whose kids have transitioned, and the parents, the mom and the dad don't even agree on the pronoun issue, you know. And that's a really hard thing.What I really like about what you just said is she communicated with her daughter and they talked about it instead of just doing this and then, you know, that child getting angry and then blocking them out of your life kind of thing. And so communication just seems to be vital as well, even if they're going down that path.Dannah: Yeah, so communication before and after is key. And it's not easy. It's hard. And there'll be tears on both sides and disagreements. But you want to walk through it in such a way that you maintain a place where they know what the truth is and they know where to come when they finally do understand what the truth is.Kerry: Yeah, I always tell—because I host a prodigal prayer group too—and the two things I'm always like, we can always love and we can always pray. You know, we cannot change them, but we can pray and we can never give up. You know, God's not giving up on us, so we shouldn't be giving up on our kids or other family.Dannah: Yeah. And you know, when it comes to praying, I find that people that I love that aren't walking with the Lord—they might be offended if I start asking them, "Who do you think Jesus is?" But they're never offended when I say, "How can I pray for you?"They might define it differently, but it keeps that door open of them knowing, "I care about your spirit. I care about your spiritual life. I care about you." They know that praying is important to me.And when I just say, "How can I pray for you?" their hearts often just flood open with things that they want prayer for.How Did We Get Here?Kerry: That's a really good point too. Okay, let's—how have we talked about all this? How do we get where we are today? Because, you know, like we said, 30 years ago we would have never thought—yeah, you know, there was homosexuality back then, but that was pretty much it. How do we get here?Dannah: Oh, I think that it's how we got here is, you know, we were an Augustinian worldview. The United States of America had this worldview that was predominantly established by Augustine, St. Augustine of Hippo. He believed that love was the highest good in humanity and that that love should be reflective of the truth of the Bible.And that really was the worldview of our culture. And that meant that there was one man and one woman marriage.And then when it really started to break down, honestly, was Freud, who felt that the highest good was sex. He thought that that was the highest need in a human body. And so the conversation started to change as Freud, who did bring us some decent diagnostic tools in terms of understanding and being more aware of our emotions and our mental health—but psychology doesn't do anything, really, if you look at the stats of recovery from psychological methods. Hardly anything outside of Jesus.I mean, single-digit recovery. In my mind, if I'm having some mental health problems, I don't want to go to a place that can give me a single-digit percentage chance of getting better.But then enter Alfred Kinsey. Alfred Kinsey came into the scene, and he was a very unwell man emotionally and mentally. And so he was really excited about the things that Freud taught and believed that he could prove that not only was his theory correct—that our highest need was sex—but that most of the sexual things that these prudish Americans thought were, quote-unquote, sinful were actually very normal behavior. Things like homosexuality and even pedophilia.And he said, "I'm going to prove that those are okay." So he did the Human Sexuality Volume 1 and Volume 2 reports. And his research was really horrific. He hired pedophiles who had been jailed for pedophilia to conduct experiments on children.And it was really child sexual abuse that was recorded in those volumes. But nobody talked about that. Nobody said who did the research and how did you get it done. At that time, it just became the playbook for the sexual revolution of the '60s.But they said, "Look, look, we do want sex. We do need sex." And then the sexual revolution—during that time, a virgin in college named Hugh Hefner read those volumes that Kinsey wrote and said—and this is a quote—"I'm going to be Kinsey's pamphleteer."And as you know, then he went on to create his pamphlet, which was Playboy, normalizing objectifying women. I'm not going to call it anything other than what it is.And so it was this—it was a lie we all wanted to believe. Not me, not you, but the culture wanted to believe because it justified their sin and their desires instead of controlling them. They could justify those sins and desires.And I think when we had about a 30-year climb to making gay marriage legal, but that was kind of a floodgate moment. You know, I feel like from the night that the White House was covered in rainbow colors until today, it's just been a floodgate of Sodom and Gomorrah-esque sin.And whereas it was this slow, steady climb for decades, now it's just a playground.Signs of Hope and BacklashDannah: Now, I am thankful that we're seeing some—I guess what I would call backlash against some of this. In Canada, this year—last year, rather—we saw the first case where a patient who underwent transgender gender reassignment surgery is suing the physician for what happened to her body.Because she said, "I came to you with a mental health problem, and when I was very mentally unwell, you told me the solution was to cut up my body." And she's suing that doctor.Tavistock, which is a gender assignment clinic in the UK, has been shut down because so many of the doctors and nurses are saying, "You only saw these patients two or three times before you let them self-diagnose that they were gender-confused and began treating them." And the doctors and nurses said, "That's not okay. We didn't adequately find out if they really did have gender dysphoria. We're just letting them self-assign."And that's still happening in the United States. But because Canada and the UK are ahead of us, I'm encouraged that we're going to start to see backlash very soon.So don't stop using the correct pronouns. Don't stop calling girls "she" and "her," and don't stop calling boys "him" and "his." Like, we are not crazy. We just feel crazy because the conversation happening in our culture is a little mad.But we are going to start to see a backlash in the next five to 10 years.Kerry: It sounds depressing, but it is encouraging.Dannah: And our hope is in Jesus, who we know can—always, just like I didn't think the education system could ever get fixed, and then COVID hit. And I was like, "Oh my goodness, look, God can do something when it looks like everything's falling apart."He can do the same thing with the gender and sexuality issues. And—excuse me—and even our hope isn't even in this world. I just have to say that. Like, more and more, as it gets crazier and crazier, it makes me hungrier for heaven and the new heaven and earth that we will know after Jesus' return.And for anybody, you know, who maybe you're listening to this and you're the one that cut up your body, you allowed that to happen—you know, when Jesus returns, the new heaven and the new earth, He's going to perfect you and receive you as He created you and fix everything that this world can't fix. And there is such hope in that.Kerry: That is so good. Thank you so much. And yes, He can. And He redeems ashes to beauty all the time. So amen.So I know y'all have some resources that I think would be helpful. Could you share a little bit about that?Resources to Help FamiliesDannah: Sure. Well, I mentioned It's Great to Be a Girl and It's Great to Be a Guy. Those are two books that we take parents and kids through an online study on, but you could do it at home. You can do it as part of a homeschool curriculum.Another book that I have is Lies Girls Believe and A Mom's Guide to Lies Girls Believe. Those go together because I think this extends beyond gender. It's a battle for truth.And the interesting thing about truth is that we know Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." He was truth. So this whole conversation is an assault on Him.And so that book, and Lies Young Women Believe, introduced teen girls and tween girls to really studying: What is truth? What does it mean? And how do I figure out when I'm believing a lie? And what God's Word says about it, and what is true?So I would say those are really important books. We're working on Lies Young Men Believe, but we also—my friend Aaron Davis just wrote Lies Boys Believe. So good tools.We've had lots of friends tell us they've used them as homeschool curriculum. And I would love to see you explore them. They are great. They really are.Kerry: I have—well, I've done Lies Women Believe. And then I will say, too, for those of you—this probably doesn't pertain to a lot of you—but they have them in Spanish. I used to work in El Salvador and go down there once a month and work with a school down there. And we started with Lies Women Believe, but they had a teen girl Bible study, so then they did the Lies Young Women Believe.I don't know if they've done the girl, but when I was looking at your site, I was like, "Oh, they have Spanish books too." So if y'all are in another country, just know that there are resources for you there as well.Dannah: So wonderful.Closing EncouragementKerry: Well, as we close, is there anything you would like to say just in closing?Dannah: Just I think it's so important right now that we are just so deeply in love with Jesus. It's one thing to know all these things in our head, right? But until it gets here...The reason we have prodigals prodigalizing and the reason we have deconstructors deconstructing is because there was a lot here, but we didn't quite maybe get it here. And so what I'm learning is that I can't push it here in the kids I'm teaching, but I can do what I need to do to sit at the feet of Jesus and minister to Him in worship, in prayer, and opening the Word.I don't want to just know the facts of what I read in my Bible this morning. I want to know that I had an encounter with Jesus.So my prayer for you is not just that you would know the facts about all these hard conversations that we're having to have right now, but that more than anything else, you would be so in love with Jesus that your heart beats to reflect His image.And so I pray that for you, and I pray that for your children too.Kerry: Oh, thank you so much. I really appreciate it. Thanks for just taking a little time out of your day to be with us. I really appreciate it.Dannah: Oh, it was so good to be here, Kerry. Thank you. God bless you. I pray that you're so blessed by this conference.Kerry: Very good. Well, I am Kerry Beck with Life Skills Leadership Summit. We'll talk to you next time.

Hey there folks! This week, Josh and Kross continue their path through the ruins, navigating the Cielcin appearing, and more... A note from Kross: While I talk a lot about Augustinian philosophy, I think it's important to note that this isn't a comprehensive, or even partially complete reading. While I did go 'off' about it, I do think it stays (mostly) true to the core tenants insofar as it pertains to the story. Leave notes below on your thoughts if you have them! We're amped to continue, and next week we'll be back finishing out the story! That episode is a loooong one, so be prepared! Link: https://wordsandwhiskey.show/episode/288-empire-of-silence-episode-7-the-larger-world-of-monsters

Full Text of Readings The Saint of the day is Saint Berard and Companions Saint Berard and Companions' Story Preaching the gospel is often dangerous work. Leaving one's homeland and adjusting to new cultures, governments and languages is difficult enough; but martyrdom caps all the other sacrifices. In 1219, with the blessing of Saint Francis, Berard left Italy with Peter, Adjute, Accurs, Odo and Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En route in Spain, Vitalis became sick and commanded the other friars to continue their mission without him. They tried preaching in Seville, then in Muslim hands, but made no converts. They went on to Morocco where they preached in the marketplace. The friars were immediately apprehended and ordered to leave the country; they refused. When they began preaching again, an exasperated sultan ordered them executed. After enduring severe beatings and declining various bribes to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ, the friars were beheaded by the sultan himself on January 16, 1220. Saint Berard and Companions were the first Franciscan martyrs. When Francis heard of their deaths, he exclaimed, “Now I can truly say that I have five Friars Minor!” Their relics were brought to Portugal where they prompted a young Augustinian canon to join the Franciscans and set off for Morocco the next year. That young man was Anthony of Padua. These five martyrs were canonized in 1481. Reflection The deaths of Berard and his companions sparked a missionary vocation in Anthony of Padua and others. There have been many, many Franciscans who have responded to Francis' challenge. Proclaiming the gospel can be fatal, but that has not stopped the Franciscan men and women who even today risk their lives in many countries throughout the world. Saint Berard and Companions: Pray for us!Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

Full Text of Readings The Saint of the day is Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys' Story “God closes a door and then opens a window,” people sometimes say when dealing with their own disappointment or someone else's. That was certainly true in Marguerite's case. Children from European as well as Native American backgrounds in 17th-century Canada benefited from her great zeal and unshakable trust in God's providence. Born the sixth of 12 children in Troyes, France, Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys at the age of 20 believed that she was called to religious life. Her applications to the Carmelites and Poor Clares were unsuccessful. A priest friend suggested that perhaps God had other plans for her. In 1654, the governor of the French settlement in Canada visited his sister, an Augustinian canoness in Troyes. Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys belonged to a sodality connected to that convent. The governor invited her to come to Canada and start a school in Ville-Marie (eventually the city of Montreal). When she arrived, the colony numbered 200 people with a hospital and a Jesuit mission chapel. Soon after starting a school, she realized her need for coworkers. Returning to Troyes, she recruited a friend, Catherine Crolo, and two other young women. In 1667, they added classes at their school for Indian children. A second trip to France three years later resulted in six more young women and a letter from King Louis XIV, authorizing the school. The Congregation of Notre Dame was established in 1676 but its members did not make formal religious profession until 1698 when their Rule and constitutions were approved. Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys established a school for Indian girls in Montreal. At the age of 69, she walked from Montreal to Quebec in response to the bishop's request to establish a community of her sisters in that city. By the time she died, she was referred to as the “Mother of the Colony.” Marguerite was canonized in 1982. Reflection It's easy to become discouraged when plans that we think that God must endorse are frustrated. Marguerite was called not to be a cloistered nun but to be a foundress and an educator. God had not ignored her after all.Saint of the Day, Copyright Franciscan Media

In this episode the Pugs engage some of the theological roots that gave rise and shape to Western empiricism, especially in the Scottish Tradition of David Hume. In particular, they engage how the pessimistic view of fallen human reason take on a distorted shape when severed from the rich theological setting of Augustine's theology, and then lead to secular reappropriations by secular thinkers like Hume and others. Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Learn more about WPC Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/ Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode the Pugs engage some of the theological roots that gave rise and shape to Western empiricism, especially in the Scottish Tradition of David Hume. In particular, they engage how the pessimistic view of fallen human reason take on a distorted shape when severed from the rich theological setting of Augustine's theology, and then lead to secular reappropriations by secular thinkers like Hume and others.Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8Learn more about WPC Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode the Pugs engage some of the theological roots that gave rise and shape to Western empiricism, especially in the Scottish Tradition of David Hume. In particular, they engage how the pessimistic view of fallen human reason take on a distorted shape when severed from the rich theological setting of Augustine's theology, and then lead to secular reappropriations by secular thinkers like Hume and others. Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Learn more about WPC Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/ Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

In this episode the Pugs engage some of the theological roots that gave rise and shape to Western empiricism, especially in the Scottish Tradition of David Hume. In particular, they engage how the pessimistic view of fallen human reason take on a distorted shape when severed from the rich theological setting of Augustine's theology, and then lead to secular reappropriations by secular thinkers like Hume and others. Support the Theology Pugcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thetheologypugcast?fbclid=IwAR17UHhfzjphO52C_kkZfursA_C784t0ldFix0wyB4fd-YOJpmOQ3dyqGf8 Learn more about WPC Battle Ground: https://www.solochristo.org/ Connect with WileyCraft Productions: https://wileycraftproductions.com/

Bishop Daniel Turley, O.S.A., is our guest on this special episode of Deacons Pod. Like Pope Leo XIV, he is a Chicago native, a member of the Midwest Augustinians, and served for decades as a missionary in Peru. In this conversation with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates, Bishop Turley shares memories of Pope Leo and speaks about the pope's gift for listening. He also provides insights into the Augustinian charism and what it might mean for the Church in the coming years. Bishop Turley was bishop of the Diocese of Chulucanas in Peru from 2000 to 2020 (and coadjutor bishop from 1996 to 2000). During his time as bishop, he faced death threats after standing in solidarity with people who were endangered by the actions of mining companies. Bishop Turley returned to Chicago in 2020 and, this year, became rector of the National Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in the city's Lincoln Park neighborhood.

“Our longings are much more powerful than our logic, and our desires are stronger than our reason.” (Graham Tomlin on the thought of Blaise Pascal)The Rt. Rev. Dr. Graham Tomlin (St. Mellitus College, the Centre for Cultural Witness) joins Evan Rosa for a sweeping exploration of Blaise Pascal—the 17th-century mathematician, scientist, philosopher, and theologian whose insights into human nature remain strikingly relevant. Tomlin traces Pascal's life of brilliance and illness, his tension between scientific acclaim and radical devotion, and his deep engagement with Descartes, Montaigne, and Augustine. The conversation moves through Pascal's analysis of self-deception, his critique of rationalism and skepticism, the transformative Night of Fire, his compassion for the poor, and the wager's misunderstood meaning. Tomlin presents Pascal as a thinker who speaks directly to our distracted age, revealing a humanity marked by greatness, misery, and a desperate longing only grace can satisfy.Episode Highlights“Our longings are much more powerful than our logic, and our desires are stronger than our reason.”“The greatness and the refuse of the universe—that's what we are. We're the greatest thing and also the worst thing.”“If everybody knew what everybody else said about them, there would not be four friends left in the world.”“Only grace can begin to turn that self-oriented nature around and implant in us a desire for God.”“The reason you cannot believe is not because of your reason; it's because of your passions.”Show NotesGraham Tomlin introduces the Night of Fire and Pascal's meditation on “the greatness of the human soul”Evan Rosa frames Pascal as a figure of mystery, mechanics, faith, and modern technological influence.Tomlin contrasts Pascal with Descartes and Montaigne—rationalism vs. skepticism—locating Pascal between their poles.Pascal's awareness of distraction, competition, and “all men naturally hate each other” surfaces early as a key anthropological insight.Evan notes Nietzsche's striking admiration: “his blood runs through my veins.”Tomlin elaborates on Pascal's lifelong tension between scientific achievement and spiritual devotion.The story of the servant discovering the hidden Night of Fire parchment in Pascal's coat lining is recounted.Tomlin reads the core text: “Joy, joy, joy, tears of joy… Let me never be separated from him.”Pascal's distinction: “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of the philosophers.”Discussion of Jansenism, Augustinian anthropology, and the gravity of human fallenness.Tomlin sets the philosophical context: Pascal as a counter to both rationalist optimism and skeptical relativism.Pascal's core tension—grandeur and misery—is presented as the interpretive key to human nature.Quote emerges: “the greatness and the refuse of the universe—that's what we are.”Tomlin describes Pascal's political skepticism and the idea that politics offers only “rules for a madhouse.”Pascal's diagnosis of self-deception: “If everybody knew what everybody else said about them, there would not be four friends left in the world.”Evan raises questions about social hope; Tomlin answers with Pascal's belief that only grace can break self-love.They explore Pascal's critique of distraction and the famous line: “the sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room.”Tomlin ties this to contemporary digital distraction—“weapons of mass distraction”.The conversation turns to the wager, reframed not as coercion but exposure: unbelief is driven by passions more than reasons.Closing reflections highlight the apologetic project of the Pensées, Pascal's brilliance, and his ongoing relevance.Helpful Links and ReferencesSpecial thanks to the Center for Christian Witness and Seen and Unseen https://www.seenandunseen.com/Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World, by Graham Tomlin https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/graham-tomlin/blaise-pascal/9781399807661/Pensées, by Blaise Pascal https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18269Provincial Letters, by Blaise Pascal https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2407Why Being Yourself Is a Bad Idea, by Graham Tomlinhttps://www.amazon.com/Why-Being-Yourself-Bad-Idea/dp/0281087097Montaigne's Essays https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3600Descartes' Meditations on First Philosophy https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23306Augustine's Confessions https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3296About Graham TomlinGraham Tomlin is a British theologian, writer, and church leader. He is the former Bishop of Kensington (2015-2022) in the Church of England and now serves as Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness and President of St Mellitus College in London. He is widely known for connecting theology with cultural life and public imagination. Tomlin is the author of several books, including Looking Through the Cross, The Widening Circle, and Why Being Yourself Is a Bad Idea: And Other Countercultural Notions. His latest book is an intellectual and spiritual biography, Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern World.Production NotesThis episode was made possible in part by the generous support of the Tyndale House FoundationThis podcast featured Graham TomlinProduction Assistance by Emily Brookfield and Alexa RollowEdited and Produced by Evan RosaHosted by Evan RosaA production of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture at Yale Divinity School https://faith.yale.edu/aboutSupport For the Life of the World by giving to the Yale Center for Faith & Culture: https://faith.yale.edu/give

Homilies by Cardinal Blase Cupich. The current state of the economy. The Leo Effect on Augustinian vocations.

A new poll takes Floridians' political pulse, and a native St. Augustinian unearths a shocking story from the city's civil rights past.

In the mid 17th century, a brave Augustinian priest went back to his homeland in Japan to bring the hope and truth of Christ to his people. Blessed Thomas "Kintsuba" Jihyoe is remembered today for his remarkable heroism, persevering to the very end and ultimately giving his life for the truth. In 2019, Pope Francis visited Japan and said, "Let us find powerful inspiration in the story of the early missionaries and Japanese martyrs. May we never forget their heroic sacrifice! May it not remain as a glorious relic of the past, to be kept and honored in a museum, but rather, a living memory, an inspiration for the works of the apostolate and a spur to renewed evangelization in this land" With that in mind, come listen to the incredible story of Blessed Thomas Jihyoe today andlet his story inspire you on your own journey to sainthood!Parental Guidance: True to the story of Blessed Thomas, this episode contains intense themes of persecuted and martyred christians. Please screen at your discretion for little listeners Saints Alive is brought to you by the #1 Catholic Prayer App, Hallow! Sign up today with a 30-day free trial! Please rate, review and share with friends and family! Find resources on the saints, discussion questions and more about our team by visiting our website: https://www.saintsalivepodcast.com/

Friends of the Rosary,Yesterday, in St. Peter's Square, Rome, Pope Leo XIV proclaimed seven new saints, “witnesses who with God's grace, kept the lamp of faith burning.”“They became lamps capable of spreading the light of Christ,” the Holy Father said in his homily.“May their intercession assist us in our trials and their example inspire us in our shared vocation to holiness,” he said.During the canonization Mass, unfolded under a bright Roman sun, the Pope declared the first two Venezuelan saints: St. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros, known as “the doctor of the poor,” and St. María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez, a religious sister born without her left arm who went on to found the Servants of Jesus in Caracas in 1965.Among the new saints were also two martyrs. St. Peter To Rot, a lay catechist martyred in Papua New Guinea during the Japanese occupation in World War II, became the country's first saint. To Rot defied Japanese authorities who permitted polygamy, defending Christian marriage until his death.St. Ignatius Maloyan, an Armenian Catholic archbishop, was executed during the Armenian genocide after refusing to convert to Islam. “I consider the shedding of my blood for my faith to be the sweetest desire of my heart,” Maloyan said before his death. “If I am tortured for the love of him who died for me, I will be among those who will have joy and bliss, and I will have obtained to see my Lord and my God.”Among the most well-known of the new saints is St. Bartolo Longo, a 19th-century Italian lawyer who was Satanic before returning to the Church with zeal.After his conversion, Bartolo Longo became the Apostle of the Rosary, dedicating his life to promoting the rosary and building the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, now one of Italy's most beloved Marian pilgrimage sites.In his homily, Pope Leo XVI said that “what is most precious in the Lord's eyes” is “faith, namely, the bond of love between God and man.”“Our relationship with God is of the utmost importance because at the beginning of time he created all things out of nothing and, at the end of time, he will save mortal beings from nothingness,” the pope said. “A world without faith, then, would be populated by children living without a Father, that is, by creatures without salvation.”In addition to Venezuela's St. María del Carmen Rendiles Martínez, the Italian foundress St. Vincenza Maria Poloni was also canonized. Poloni founded the Sisters of Mercy of Verona and is remembered for her tireless service to the poor, even risking her life during the cholera epidemic of 1836.Pope Leo also canonized St. Maria Troncatti, an Italian Salesian sister who spent 44 years as a missionary among the Indigenous Shuar people in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest. Known affectionately as “Madrecita,” or “little mother,” she served as a nurse, surgeon, and catechist with missionary zeal.The canonization coincided with World Mission Sunday. Before praying the Angelus, Pope Leo XIV, who was once an Augustinian missionary himself in Peru, urged the faithful to pray for today's missionaries.Today, October 20, we celebrate the feast day of St. Paul of the Cross.Ave Maria!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠October 20, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

"If we accept the principle of non-contradiction as the foundation of logic how do you resolve the apparent contradiction of an uncaused cause?"Stefan Molyneux examines the philosophical principle of non-contradiction and the idea of an uncaused cause through Aristotelian and Augustinian lenses. It questions whether the universe can exist without a starting point, introducing the "unmoved mover" concept. The discussion transitions to scientific theories like the Big Bang, while contrasting humanity's finite view with the eternal nature of matter. He critiques the welfare state from a Christian ethical perspective, emphasizing that true morality stems from voluntary choice. Ultimately, the lecture advocates for a philosophical approach to ethics, suggesting it may better serve societal well-being than traditional religious frameworks.SUBSCRIBE TO ME ON X! https://x.com/StefanMolyneuxFollow me on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/@freedomain1GET MY NEW BOOK 'PEACEFUL PARENTING', THE INTERACTIVE PEACEFUL PARENTING AI, AND THE FULL AUDIOBOOK!https://peacefulparenting.com/Join the PREMIUM philosophy community on the web for free!Subscribers get 12 HOURS on the "Truth About the French Revolution," multiple interactive multi-lingual philosophy AIs trained on thousands of hours of my material - as well as AIs for Real-Time Relationships, Bitcoin, Peaceful Parenting, and Call-In Shows!You also receive private livestreams, HUNDREDS of exclusive premium shows, early release podcasts, the 22 Part History of Philosophers series and much more!See you soon!https://freedomain.locals.com/support/promo/UPB2025

As Christians, fraternity is how we treat all those whom we encounter, and we recognize that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Since taking office, Pope Leo XIV has made fraternity a priority among Christians, that we are to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how unity in Augustinian spirituality has informed Pope Leo's actions and words toward building a more unified Church.Pope Leo XIV's emphasis on fraternity and unity derives from his experiences in Augustinian spirituality, informed by St. Augustine. Even before St. Augustine, we recognize that the early Church, for example, and St. Peter and St. Paul had disagreements, but their unity in Christ and devotion to fraternity allowed them to work through their differences charitably. Notes:Access the Pope Leo XIV PortalOn Mission: Papal HistorySpirituality and Prayer Through Religious CharismMore episodes about The Pope From the Ad Infinitum blog:In the One, We Are OneMore blogs about Pope Leo XIV Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

Pope Leo XIV has made unity a central aspect of his pontificate from his papal motto to gathering with leaders from the Orthodox Church. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how unity in Augustinian spirituality has pervaded Pope Leo's actions and sayings to build a more unified Church.St. Augustine and the Augustinians emphasize unity in their spirituality and charism. Pope Leo XIV's experience in Augustinian spirituality has led to his emphasis on unity in his pontificate. Pope Leo stresses unity in his meetings with Augustinians, Orthodox Church leaders, and to all Christians in his actions and his speeches.Notes:Access the Pope Leo XIV PortalOn Mission: Papal HistorySpirituality and Prayer Through Religious CharismMore episodes about The Pope From the Ad Infinitum blog:In the One, We Are OneMore blogs about Pope Leo XIV Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Pope Leo XIV has made unity a central aspect of his pontificate from his papal motto to gathering with leaders from the Orthodox Church. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how unity in Augustinian spirituality has pervaded Pope Leo's actions and sayings to build a more unified Church.St. Augustine and the Augustinians emphasize unity in their spirituality and charism. Pope Leo XIV's experience in Augustinian spirituality has led to his emphasis on unity in his pontificate. Pope Leo stresses unity in his meetings with Augustinians, Orthodox Church leaders, and to all Christians in his actions and his speeches.Notes:Access the Pope Leo XIV PortalOn Mission: Papal HistorySpirituality and Prayer Through Religious CharismMore episodes about The Pope From the Ad Infinitum blog:In the One, We Are OneMore blogs about Pope Leo XIV Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources. Listen to Fr. Frank's more of weekly reflections and recent blogcasts.

Pope Leo XIV has made unity a central aspect of his pontificate from his papal motto to gathering with leaders from the Orthodox Church. Listen to Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C share more in this segment of the Son Rise Morning Show on Sacred Heart Radio, about how unity in Augustinian spirituality has pervaded Pope Leo's actions and sayings to build a more unified Church.St. Augustine and the Augustinians emphasize unity in their spirituality and charism. Pope Leo XIV's experience in Augustinian spirituality has led to his emphasis on unity in his pontificate. Pope Leo stresses unity in his meetings with Augustinians, Orthodox Church leaders, and to all Christians in his actions and his speeches.Notes:Access the Pope Leo XIV PortalOn Mission: Papal HistorySpirituality and Prayer Through Religious CharismMore episodes about The Pope From the Ad Infinitum blog:In the One, We Are OneMore blogs about Pope Leo XIV Follow us:The Catholic Apostolate CenterThe Center's podcast websiteInstagramFacebookApple PodcastsSpotify Fr. Frank Donio, S.A.C. also appears on the podcast, On Mission, which is produced by the Catholic Apostolate Center and you can also listen to his weekly Sunday Gospel reflections. Follow the Center on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), and YouTube to remain up-to-date on the latest Center resources.

St Augustine forged the sacred foundations of Western Christianity – from original sin to God's grace. Pope Leo's spiritual home is in the Augustinian religious order. Augustine was born in Africa and his identity as an African permeates his founding role in Christianity's beginnings. Catherine Conybeare's Augustine the African tells his life story, revealing profound questions about Christianity and identity that bear on contemporary debates about race. Professor Conybeare is joined by scholars of premodern religion and contemporary debates about race. Joining the conversation will be: -Professor Andrea Sterk -Professor Andrew Gallia -Professor Dwight Lewis Jr.

A Journey of Faith and Calling in Today's Church: A Conversation with the Reverend Gloria Carpeneto Join hosts Lynn Shematek, Jon Shematek, and Lauren Welch as they sit down with Reverend Gloria Carpeneto, a Roman Catholic woman priest, to discuss spiritual journeys, the evolving role of women in the church, community, mercy, and the impact of Pope Leo's Augustinian background. Gloria shares personal stories, insights on synodality, and wisdom for anyone navigating faith and community in today's world.⏰ TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Introduction & Welcome00:29 – Reverend Gloria Returns: Reflections and Greetings01:06 – The Influence of Pope Leo and St. Augustine02:33 – Augustine's Journey and Community04:31 – The City of God vs. The City of Earth05:46 – Pope Leo's Approach: Peace, Mercy, and Justice08:23 – Leo's Time in Peru and Lessons Learned09:59 – The Augustinian Way: Journey and Community11:16 – The Synod Process and the Church's Journey13:57 – Women's Ordination and Excommunication18:03 – Community, Family, and Belonging20:09 – Listening, Synodality, and Local Church Challenges23:01 – The Labyrinth as a Metaphor for Spiritual Journey27:02 – Words of Wisdom: Mercy, Compassion, and Community29:30 – Closing Remarks & Farewell Website Living Water Inclusive Catholic Community: https://www.thelivingwatercommunity.orgFacebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Living-Water-Inclusive-Catholic-Community-100064750924188/

9/10/25 - Yvonne-Aimée of Jesus (1901–1951) was a French mystic, visionary, and Augustinian nun whose hidden holiness shook the 20th century. From a young age she experienced mystical visions of Christ and the Virgin Mary, later becoming known for miraculous healings and the powerful prayer she received from Jesus: “O Jesus, King of Love, I put my trust in Thy merciful goodness.” During World War II, she fearlessly hid members of the French Resistance and Jewish refugees from the Gestapo inside her convent, narrowly escaping arrest and torture. After the war, she became Mother Superior of the Augustinian monastery in Malestroit, where her life of heroic charity, extraordinary mystical gifts, and devotion to the Sacred Heart and Divine Mercy inspired countless souls. In this episode, we explore her visions, miracles, prophecies, and her witness of courage in Nazi-occupied France. Yvonne-Aimée of Jesus stands as a radiant example of Eucharistic devotion, Marian consecration, and trust in God's mercy amidst suffering.

From the Church of Saint Mary - Tulsa, Fr. Phillip Cook explores the life and legacy of Pope Leo XIII, focusing on his deep connection to Augustinian spirituality. His talk examines how the pope's intellectual and spiritual formation within the Augustinian tradition shaped his teachings, leadership, and vision for the Church in the modern world.The Eastern Oklahoma Catholic Podcast is brought to you by The Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma.Sign up for diocesan email updates or follow the diocese at...Facebook | X | Instagram | Youtube

The titular characters in Frederick Buechner's historical novels Godric (1980) and Brendan (1987) are wayward priests and unsaintly saints, “just as clay-footed and full of shadows as the rest of us,” and yet, nonetheless, remarkable ministers of divine grace. In his portrayal of such saints, Buechner probes one of the central questions raised by the fourth-century Donatist Controversy—namely, whether the sinfulness of the minister compromises the divine grace which is mediated through his ministry. As we shall see, Buechner's vision is profoundly Augustinian—and yet, his is an Augustinianism inflected through the Protestant Reformation and into Modernity. Even so, Buechner upholds the wisdom and hope of the ancient Church for the contemporary Church, as the Church reels from and reckons with the exposure of moral failures and ecclesial scandals. The Copyright for all material on the podcast is held by L'Abri Fellowship. We ask that you respect this by not publishing the material in full or in part in any format or post it on a website without seeking prior permission from L'Abri Fellowship. Also, note that not all views expressed in the lectures or in the discussion time necessarily represent the views of L'Abri Fellowship. © Canadian L'Abri 2020

Whether you're familiar with Augustine or not, chances are you've encountered Calvinism and its core doctrines—especially the idea of unconditional election. Perhaps you have Reformed friends who hold to the belief that God has sovereignly chosen some individuals for salvation and others for damnation, entirely apart from their will or actions. This deterministic view of salvation has become deeply embedded in much of Western Christianity. But what if we could trace this theological development to a specific moment in church history? What if we could say, with confidence, when and how this view was introduced—and argue that it was not part of the original Christian faith?On today's show, we take a critical look at one of the most influential figures in Christian history: Augustine of Hippo. We're joined by Dr. Ken Wilson, Oxford-trained scholar and author of The Foundations of Augustinian Calvinism. In his historical research, Dr. Wilson demonstrates how Augustine's later theology— particularly his embrace of determinism and unilateral grace — marked a significant departure from the teachings of earlier Church Fathers and laid the foundation for what would become Calvinistic theology.To learn more on the topic, please read the notes included for this week's episode.Visit https://www.lfbi.org/learnmore

Friends of the Rosary,While we continue praying for the two children killed, the injured, and their families, at a shooting during a Mass held at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, by a demonic gunman, today, August 28, the Catholic Church celebrates the Memorial of St. Augustine (354-430).Born at Tagaste, North Africa, the son of St. Monica had a life of excesses until St. Ambrose converted him.The prayer and tears of his mother, the sanctity of Milan's Bishop Ambrose, the book of St. Anthony the hermit, and the sacred Scriptures brought him to conversion (metanoia), sealed by baptism on Easter night 387, with his mother as witness.Returning to Tagaste, he distributed his goods to the poor and was ordained a priest. He was appointed bishop of Hippo at the age of 41 and became one of the most influential theologians, particularly in clarifying the doctrines of the Trinity, grace, and the Church.Augustine, numbered among the four great Doctors of the Western Church, was a prolific writer and a saint with an inexhaustible spirituality. He wrote the Confessions and The City of God, a worthy memorial to his genius, a philosophy of history.Augustine's episcopal life was filled with battles against heretics. From his encounter with Pelagius, who denied the necessity of grace, he earned the surname "Doctor of grace."As an emblem, Christian art accords him a burning heart to symbolize the ardent love of God which permeates all his writings.Founder of canonical life in common, Augustinian monks and the Hermits honor him as their spiritual father.He famously said, "Restless is the heart until it rests in God."“The life and witness of St. Augustine reminds us that each of us has received gifts and talents from God and that our vocation, our fulfillment, and our joy come from giving them back in loving service to God and others,” Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian, said today.Not surprisingly, his papal motto, “In Illo uno, unum” (“In the one Christ, we are one”), comes from a homily by St. Augustine.Ave Maria!Jesus, I Trust In You!Come, Holy Spirit, come!To Jesus through Mary!Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.Please give us the grace to respond with joy!+ Mikel Amigot w/ María Blanca | RosaryNetwork.com, New York• August 28, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Statius concludes his discourse on embryology by finally answering the pilgrim Dante's question about how souls can take on material attributes in the afterlife . . . and by gently correcting both Virgil's incomplete answer to the question in this canto and Virgil's larger explanation of the soul's journey after death in THE AENEID.This passage is justifiably complicated. Dante's imaginative and intellectual powers are on full display. It's easy to be lost in the details but there are wonders afoot, including the idea that there may be an allegorical reading of the passage that concerns the afterlife of a work of art.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we finish up Statius's discourse on the soul's material attributes in the afterlife before we ascend to the seventh and final terrace of Mount Purgatory.To support this podcast: use this PayPal link.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:49] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, lines 79 - 108. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by dropping a comment on this episode, please find it on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:25] Statius fuses classical imagery (the fates) and Augustinian thought.[10:02] The soul miraculously but of its own accord falls into the afterlife. Wait, what? And only now knows its path in the underworld?[13:03] The formative power of the soul is intact after death.[14:57] The afterlife soul is a fabrication of the air.[16:52] Statius gently refines Virgil's unsatisfactory answers to the pilgrim Dante's question.[18:28] The souls in the afterlife can enact their desires, just as they do in the world of the living.[20:51] Statius also gently refines Virgil's discussion of souls in the afterlife in THE AENEID.[24:24] Is this passage about the afterlife of poetry (or art), too?[27:12] Rereading all of Statius's discourse: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, lines 34 - 108.

Forget what you think you know about Saint Augustine. Maybe you only know the cities that take his name, or you had a tough experience in your introduction to philosophy class and found him medieval (in the pejorative sense) and scrupulous. But what if Augustine was actually the first to hone in on and clearly express our human desire for authenticity, that restlessness that all of us have felt at one point in our lives? What if, “Augustine might make Christianity believable for you even if you've heard it all, been there, done that, and left the stupid Christian t-shirt at home.” On this "best of" Jesuitical episode, James K.A. Smith talks about his book “On the Road with St. Augustine: A Real World Spirituality for Restless Hearts.” Read Smith's article on the election of Pope Leo XIV: "What to expect from an Augustinian pope": https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/05/12/smith-augustinian-pope-leo-250662 On the Road with Saint Augustine: A Real-World Spirituality for Restless Hearts by James K. A. Smith Image Journal You can follow us on ⁠X⁠ and on ⁠Instagram:⁠ @jesuiticalshow You can find us on Facebook at ⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/jesuitical⁠⁠ Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at⁠⁠ ⁠⁠https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Episode 208 of Theology In Particular, I'm joined by Dr. Daniel Scheiderer to discuss a recent paper he presented at a regional Evangelical Theological Society meeting, entitled, Theology And Biblical Interpretation: An Augustinian and Websterian Prolegomena.   Contact: For information about International Reformed Baptist Seminary, go to irbsseminary.org. For feedback, questions, or suggestions, email Joe Anady at tip@irbsseminary.org.

Vatican Reporter Christopher White has just written book about Pope Leo XIV, our new Holy Father, an American, an Augustinian, from Chicago, from Perú; it's a biography, but it also places Pope Leo in the Context of the Second Vatican Council, the legacy of Leo XIII and especially his predecessor Pope Francis and the synodal church of the last few years, and that was a show to which Chris White had court side front row season tickets and plenty of good stories about, some of which he shares today on Almost Good Catholics. Chris's book Pope Leo XIV, Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy (Loyola Press, 2025). Chris's talk about the Synod in San Francisco, 2024. Here are some earlier episodes of AGC we referred to in this discussion: Sr. Nathalie Becquart, on Almost Good Catholics, episode 36: Quo Vademus? The Pilgrim Church on the Road of Synodality Bp. Athanasius Schneider, on Almost Good Catholics, episode 101: Salve Regina: The Power of the Rosary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Vatican Reporter Christopher White has just written book about Pope Leo XIV, our new Holy Father, an American, an Augustinian, from Chicago, from Perú; it's a biography, but it also places Pope Leo in the Context of the Second Vatican Council, the legacy of Leo XIII and especially his predecessor Pope Francis and the synodal church of the last few years, and that was a show to which Chris White had court side front row season tickets and plenty of good stories about, some of which he shares today on Almost Good Catholics. Chris's book Pope Leo XIV, Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy (Loyola Press, 2025). Chris's talk about the Synod in San Francisco, 2024. Here are some earlier episodes of AGC we referred to in this discussion: Sr. Nathalie Becquart, on Almost Good Catholics, episode 36: Quo Vademus? The Pilgrim Church on the Road of Synodality Bp. Athanasius Schneider, on Almost Good Catholics, episode 101: Salve Regina: The Power of the Rosary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're joined by Dr. Shane Owens, author of Return to the Heart, for a conversation about one of the Church's most profound and pivotal voices. With an Augustinian pope at the helm, there's no better time to rediscover the spiritual legacy of this great Doctor of the Church—and how his insights can shape our own journey toward God. Show Notes Return to the Heart: The Biblical Spirituality of St. Augustine's Confessions St. Paul Center (@stpaulcenter) Emmaus Road Publishing (@emmausroadpublishing) Dr. Owens Theology (@drowenstheology) The Confessions: Saint Augustine (Translated by Maria Boulding) 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!

Father Robert Prevost, O.S.A., has long been recognized as a bridge builder—a pastor who listens deeply, builds consensus, and seeks unity without imposing authority. In the third and final episode of our first-ever “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series on Pope Leo XIV, we follow his extraordinary journey—from his early years as pastor and formator in northern Peru to the chair of St. Peter. Pope Leo's ministry in Peru was marked by his dedication to empowering lay leaders and nurturing vibrant communities amid challenging circumstances. After returning to the United States, he served briefly as provincial of the Augustinians in the Midwest before being elected prior general, leading the order worldwide from Rome for over a decade. During this time, his bridge-building leadership caught the attention of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, who would later become Pope Francis. In 2014, Pope Francis appointed Prevost as bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, where he served for eight years. Before ultimately calling him back to Rome in 2023 to lead the Dicastery for Bishops, Francis made him a cardinal and then elevated him to cardinal-bishop—the highest rank in the College of Cardinals—paving the way for his election as Pope Leo XIV. Many pin their hopes on him to renew a polarized church. Studying Robert Francis Prevost—as a priest and canon lawyer, Augustinian prior general, bishop, cardinal, and Vatican prefect—reveals who he has become, what his priorities might be, and how he may choose to lead the Catholic Church's 1.4 billion faithful today. In this episode, you'll hear from: Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A. – Augustinian priest who worked with Pope Leo XIV in Peru and later served on his order's leadership council when Prevost was Prior General. Christopher White – Author of Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy (Loyola Press, 2025) and former Vatican correspondent for National Catholic Reporter. Emilce Cuda – Argentine theologian and Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. Julia Oseka – Student at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia and one of the youngest voting members of the Synod on Synodality. Socorro Cassaro Novoa – Lay leader from Monserrate community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV helped establish the parish and served as first administrator. Nila Ruiz Gonzales – Lay leader from Santa María community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV directed the Augustinian formation house and served as pastor. Read: "⁠Who is Pope Leo? 5 surprising things I learned while reporting on Robert Prevost,⁠" by Colleen Dulle: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/07/10/who-pope-leo-robert-prevost-251107 Help shape the future of the show—take our end-of-season listener survey. If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Father Robert Prevost's early years in Peru shaped his ministry and vision for the church—but few know the brutal reality he encountered there in the 1980s and 1990s. In this second episode of our Inside the Vatican Deep Dive series on Pope Leo XIV, we follow the future pope to northern Peru. He first served in Chulucanas as a canon lawyer, helping establish the new diocese after its elevation from an apostolic prelature. Following a brief return to Rome to defend his doctoral thesis, he came back to Peru as a formator for diocesan and Augustinian seminarians and as a pastor in Trujillo. There, he and his fellow Augustinians ministered amid escalating violence and an approaching dictatorship—an experience that shaped the man who now leads the global Catholic Church. Peru in the late 1980s and early 90s was torn by conflict but also strangely alive with hope. The Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) and MRTA (Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru), two violent rebel groups, terrorized communities while economic collapse paved the way for Alberto Fujimori's authoritarian rule. Amid it all, Father Prevost and the Augustinians in Northern Peru pioneered a new model of parish life. They opened a formation house for young men discerning religious life with the order and helped staff parishes, establishing new chapels and parish communities. They divided sprawling parishes into small zones led by lay teams responsible for prayer, outreach and community life. Two women who worked with him describe how this model empowered the local community. His ministry in Peru didn't just shape parish structures; it shaped him—teaching him to lead with humility, courage and deep concern for the marginalized. In this episode, you'll hear from: - John Lydon, O.S.A. – Augustinian priest and friend of Pope Leo, with whom he served in parish and formation ministry in Trujillo, Peru - Socorro Cassaro Novoa – Lay leader from the Monserrate community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo helped establish Nuestra Señora de Monserrate parish and served from 1992 to 1999 - Nila Ruiz Gonzales – Lay leader from the Santa María community in Trujillo, Peru, where Pope Leo XIV directed the Augustinian formation house and served as pastor in the 1980s and 90s And don't forget to come back for the final episode in this series. If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one expected a pope from the U.S. In this first-ever “Inside the Vatican” Deep Dive series, those who know him best reveal who Pope Leo XIV—“the American pope”—really is. Across three episodes, we trace his vocation from Chicago's South Side through his formative years as an Augustinian friar in the Midwest; training as a canon lawyer in Rome; early ministry in Peru as canon lawyer, priest and formator of future friars and diocesan priests; leadership of the Augustinian Order worldwide; a return to Peru as bishop; and, finally, to the Vatican—first as cardinal and now as pope. In this first episode, host Colleen Dulle takes listeners from the electrifying moment of his announcement as Pope Leo XIV to a discovery uncovered by a genealogist in New Orleans: just two generations ago, census records listed his family as “Black” or “mulatto,” revealing deep Louisiana roots and a history of enslavement. But we consider far more than his family tree. We hear about his childhood, seminary years shaped by Vatican II and insights from his brothers and friends in the Augustinian Order that reveal the deep-listening, community-focused approach that defined the ministry of the man then known as Robert Prevost. In this episode, you'll hear from: Jari Honora, genealogist and family historian at the Historic New Orleans Collection John Merkelis, O.S.A., Augustinian priest and lifelong friend of Pope Leo Arthur Purcaro, O.S.A., Augustinian priest, friend and missionary who worked alongside him in Trujillo, Peru And don't forget to come back for the next two episodes in this series. If you want to hear more deep dives like this, please support this podcast by becoming a  digital subscriber to America Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Besides being a great saint, Augustine was a great preacher, writer, and thinker, whose influence on the Church has been incalculable. Kevin and Scott cover all things Augustinian in this wide-ranging episode, which takes them from the fourth-century Roman Empire to the twenty-first century papacy.

On May 8, 2025, the college of cardinals stunned the world by electing Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native of the South Side of Chicago, as our new pope. What kind of papacy should we expect from this American pope? How should we interpret his papal name, Leo XIV, and his background as the former head of the Augustinian religious order? Are there any early signs of what his priorities will be? And how should we think about him in relation to his predecessors, including Pope Francis? A listener asks about contemporary misunderstandings of Catholic theology. 00:00 | Introduction 01:45 | The Religious Liberty Commission 06:03 | What Rome was like during the conclave 10:27 | Before the conclave 13:06 | Defining “liberal” and “conservative” in ecclesial circles 13:53 | Why Catholic conclaves attract so much interest 16:14 | Addressing Bishop Barron's hat 17:10 | Pope Leo XIV as first American pope 18:50 | Pope Leo XIV as first English-speaking pope 20:07 | Pope Leo XIV as first Augustinian pope 24:00 | Pope Leo XIV's motto 25:07 | A return to the supernatural aspects of the Gospel 26:52 | The significance of Pope Leo XIV's name 30:55 | Pope Leo XIV as a bridge 33:10 | The pressing issues before Pope Leo XIV 34:42 | Listener question: What is the most misunderstood Catholic teaching? 37:04 | Join the Word on Fire Institute Links: Article: “‘Habemus Papam!' Meet the First Pontiff from the United States” Article: “Pope Leo XIV and the New Social Question of AI” Word on Fire Institute: https://institute.wordonfire.org/ NOTE: Do you like this podcast? Become a Word on Fire IGNITE member! Word on Fire is a non-profit ministry that depends on the support of our listeners . . . like you! So become a part of this mission and join IGNITE today to become a Word on Fire insider and receive some special donor gifts for your generosity.

You can think of St. Augustine's heart as an “open book” titled “Confessions.” In this episode, we go deep into his restless heart, sharing with you how well his clear, detailed, and nuanced descriptions of his inner experience reflect Internal Family Systems and parts work so well. As St. Augustine describes his “divided heart” and “conflicting wills” and the stages of his conversion, Dr. Gerry Crete, Dr. Chrisian Amalu, and Dr. Peter Malinoski show how this translates into IFS terms. And Dr. Christian provides an Augustinian experiential exercise. Join us to see how St. Augustine wisdom connects with and informs Catholic parts work.  If you are a Catholic who wants to jumpstart getting to know and love your own parts, check out the Resilient Catholics Community at https://members.soulsandhearts.com/rcc

In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I sit down with Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.—Jesuit priest, founder of Ignatius Press, and longtime student and friend of Pope Benedict XVI—to discuss the significance of having the first-ever American Pope and what it means for the Church and for each of us as Catholics.Drawing from decades of experience in theology, publishing, and spiritual mentorship, Fr. Fessio offers a rich and personal perspective on the papacies of John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis, and now Pope Leo XIV. With clarity, conviction, and humility, he explores the spiritual opportunity—not just the news headline—of this historic moment.This episode is full of wisdom for anyone who cares about the Church's future, who's navigating questions of unity and tradition, and who seeks to grow in holiness amidst change.Topics Covered:What makes this American Pope unique—and why his missionary background mattersReflections on Pope Leo XIV's Augustinian spirituality and pro-life convictionsHow Fr. Fessio's personal relationship with Pope Benedict shaped his understanding of Church renewalWhy liturgy, beauty, and truth still matter in an age of artificial intelligenceThe lessons American Catholics can learn from the universal ChurchWhy we can find peace—even joy—no matter who the Pope isWhat the enduring legacy of John Paul II and Benedict XVI offers for today's CatholicsThe unexpected grace of failure—and how God builds through itFr. Fessio's encouragement for priests, missionaries, and the lay faithful alike

This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley share a live interview recorded at 6ABC studios in Philadelphia, Pa., featuring prior provincial of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, Robert Hagan, O.S.A. Father Rob discusses the case for the canonization of Bill Atkinson, O.S.A., an Augustinan friar who was the first quadriplegic ordained in the Catholic Church and whose life—according to Father Rob—was a miracle.  Zac, Ashley and Father Rob discuss:  Father Rob's vocation story and why Father Bill inspired him to become an Augustinian priest How Father Bill's radical dependence on others and unwavering faith in the midst of great suffering inspired those around him  The case for Father Bill's canonization  In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley unpack recent backlash against the Charlotte diocese for a leaked draft on liturgical norms amid traditional Latin Mass restrictions; The Catholic University of America in Washington's two new degrees in artificial intelligence; and Pope Leo and Russia's President Vladimir Putin's first phone call.   BE PART OF THE FIRST-EVER JESUITICAL RETREAT! Join us at the studio and headquarters of America Media in New York City for two days of community, prayer and sharing stories of faith. Get a behind-the-scenes look at how we make the podcast, meet fellow young Catholics, pray with America staff and editor in chief Sam Sawyer, S.J., share meals and craft your own faith story with accompaniment from our team. Sign up here! We can't wait to meet you. Jesuitical Young Adult Retreat: What's Your Story? Open to ages 21-39 Friday, June 27th (evening) + Saturday, June 28th (all day) New York, NY Friday: America Media Office – 1212 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10036 Saturday: Jesuits USA East Province – 39 E 83rd St, New York, NY 10028 Cost: $100  Housing: Participants are responsible for their own lodging in NYC Capacity: The retreat will be capped at 30 participants. First come, first served. Links for further reading:  Jesuitical Storytelling Retreat Who is Fr. Bill Atkinson? Meet Fr. Bill Atkinson, OSA–the first quadriplegic Catholic priest Green Bananas: The Wisdom of Father Bill Atkinson Charlotte diocese faces backlash for leaked draft on liturgical norms amid traditional Latin Mass restrictions Catholic University of America to launch new degrees in A.I. Pope Leo XIV and Russia's Vladimir Putin have first phone call Fr. Bill Atkinson, O.S.A,, found God beyond the labels that divide us You can follow us on X and on Instagram @jesuiticalshow.   You can find us on Facebook at facebook.com/groups/jesuitical.  Please consider supporting Jesuitical by becoming a digital subscriber to America magazine at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a new pope—and he's an Augustinian!   In this episode, Father Dave and Deacon Bob discuss the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first member of the Order of St. Augustine to lead the Catholic Church. They explore why St. Augustine's Confessions remains a spiritual masterpiece and how his vision of community, conversion, and interior prayer speaks to the Church's call for renewal today.  Naturally, they go off on many tangents, starting with a chilly trip to Cedar Point, detouring through spelling bee glory and NFL drama, and ending in Poland (via pilgrimage, not roller coaster). And yes, they say “Pope” a lot. Allegedly, it boosts downloads. (Spoiler: It works.)    Highlighted Sections  (00:00) T-Shirts, Field of Dreams, and the Pope Bump  The episode opens with an early Father's Day gift: a nostalgic T-shirt featuring Field of Dreams. This sparks a discussion about podcast stats and the surprisingly real “Pope bump,” where there seems to be an uptick in listeners anytime the pope is mentioned in the title. For science, they test it live.  (03:45) Teacups, Tournaments, and the Cold Ride of Aging  Deacon Bob recounts a brisk grandkid-filled day at Cedar Point, while Father Dave recaps the equally chilly Memorial Golf Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. Along the way, they correct a Jack Nicklaus/Jack Nicholson mix-up and debate whether roller coasters or golf better reveal our age.  (10:28) Spelling Bees, Stage Fright, and Childhood Wins  The Scripps National Spelling Bee champ nails “éclaircissement,” then collapses with joy. That memory sparks their own stories: Father Dave's catechism bee victory and Deacon Bob's state theater auditions. They reflect on the pressure of performing, the resilience it builds, and how these moments shape us.  (16:11) Pope Leo XIV, St. Augustine, and Why Confessions Still Matters  The first Augustinian pope opens the door to rich reflections on St. Augustine's enduring legacy. Father Dave and Deacon Bob spotlight Return to the Heart by Dr. Shane Owens, which unpacks the biblical themes in Confessions for today's reader. Owens also recently joined Father Dave for an episode of Franciscan University Presents to discuss how Augustine's life and writings continue to guide hearts back to Christ.  (21:05) Pentecost, Pilgrimages, and the Road Ahead  Pentecost kicks off a summer of spiritual encounters: Heather Khym leads the first Glory: A Women's Gathering, Deacon Bob heads to the LifeTeen Catholic Youth Ministry Convention, and Father Dave departs for a pilgrimage to Poland to visit sites connected to St. John Paul II, St. Faustina, and St. Maximilian Kolbe. They share the joys of ministry on the move and the fresh hope the Holy Spirit always brings.  Resources Mentioned  Return to the Heart: The Biblical Spirituality of St. Augustine's Confessions by Dr. Shane Owens  St. Augustine's Confessions and Us with guest Dr. Shane Owens – Franciscan University Presents  Glory: Women's Gathering Steubenville Conference with Heather Khym  LifeTeen Catholic Youth Ministry Convention  Confessions by St. Augustine   Poland Pilgrimage: In the Footsteps of St. John Paul II & St. Faustina with Father Dave Pivonka, TOR 

Patrick gave you a glimpse into the childhood and early years of our brand-new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV (Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost), with the kind of reverent curiosity you'd expect when an altar boy from the South Side becomes the Vicar of Christ. You can listen to his entire hour of commentary about Pope Leo XIV here. Hour 2 is available to listen here. Hour 3 is here. Humble Beginnings in the Windy City Born on September 14, 1955, in Dolton, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), little Robert Prevost was raised in a faithful Catholic home. His dad, Louis Marius Prevost, was of French-Italian descent and served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. His mom, Mildred Martínez, was a Spanish-Creole librarian with deep Louisiana roots. He grew up going to St. Mary of the Assumption parish, where he served as an altar boy. So yes, he literally started out on the altar... just not quite at the Vatican level yet. He has two brothers, Louis Martin and John Joseph. A Brainy & Prayerful Path Young Robert was no slouch in school either; he studied math at Villanova, graduating in 1977. God had bigger plans. He entered the Order of St. Augustine in 1978, professed vows in 1981, and was ordained a priest in 1982. He studied theology in Chicago and canon law in Rome, eventually earning his doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). From Peru to the Pontificate This wasn’t a man who just sat around in chancery offices. He served as a missionary priest in Peru, taught at seminaries, worked in diocesan offices, and even led the global Augustinian order as Prior General, twice. Eventually, he was appointed a bishop in Peru, received dual citizenship, and climbed the Vatican ranks: prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops and president of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. If you wanted to become a bishop under Pope Francis? You probably went through his office. Cardinal, then…Pope! In 2023, he was made a cardinal, and by early 2025, elevated to Cardinal Bishop: one of the highest honors in the Church. Just a few months later, he appeared on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, smiling (and maybe a bit stunned), as the world heard those famous words: “Habemus Papam!”: We have a Pope! First Words as Pope Patrick shared audio from Pope Leo’s first Mass, where he began his homily in English before switching to Italian. His opening line was a quote from the Psalms: “I will sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done marvels... not just with me, but with all of us, my brother Cardinals.” It was humble, sincere, and straight from the heart. Fun Fact Corner: There's a photo of him at a Chicago World Series game dressed incognito, talking on a cell phone: captioned: “Here’s the Pope at the World Series.” Instant classic. His childhood home was reportedly listed for $199K the day before the conclave. His Creole roots and international experiences give him a beautiful cultural depth: a bridge between continents, languages, and peoples. From altar boy in Dolton to Peter’s successor: it’s a story only God could write.

Welcome to America magazine's Conclave Podcast. In this episode, the team discusses the Augustinian (and American) roots of Pope Leo XIV. They discuss: Pope Leo XIV is an alum of Villanova University. What's the atmosphere is like on campus right now? The Augustinian roots of Pope Leo: the intellectual, spiritual and social principles that will lead his ministry How poverty, chastity and obedience are a path to freedom and joy Subscribe to America to get our extensive coverage of the historic election of Pope Leo XIV at: ⁠⁠https://www.americamagazine.org/subscribe⁠⁠ Links from the show: ⁠Pope Leo XIV's first Sunday blessing: Appeals for peace, vocations and happy Mother's Day.⁠ ⁠Full text: Pope Leo XIV's first formal address to the College of Cardinals⁠ ⁠Pope Leo XIV's message to the cardinals: Vatican II and Pope Francis are here to stay⁠ ⁠⁠Pope Leo XIV: What to expect in the coming days⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Full text: Pope Leo XIV's first homily⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Who was Pope Leo XIII?⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Curious about Catholic Social Teaching but don't know where to start? In this episode, Karlo Broussard points you to essential resources—from magisterial documents to accessible books—that will help you understand the Church's teaching on human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to go deeper, this episode lays the groundwork for learning how Catholicism speaks to politics, economics, and justice. Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Invite our apologists to speak at your parish! Visit Catholicanswersspeakers.com Questions Covered: 28:50 – I went to a communion service where the female minister was standing in the sanctuary behind the altar. Is this allowed? 31:47 – Are there any resources you can offer to me where I can learn more about Catholic Social Teaching? 40:59 – How much can we read into Pope Leo's Augustinian background? 49:34 – Does the indulgences the pope gave today at his blessing affect those who are in mortal sin?

Patrick highlights the election of Pope Leo XIV and what this new chapter means for the Church. He explores the tradition of the papal blessing, explains the history and role of religious orders, and answers important listener questions about indulgences. Patrick connects these moments to the impact of faith and leadership, offering takeaways that resonate far beyond the Church—valuable insights for anyone working to build legacy and meaning in their own life and work. Patrick shares his “Prayer for Pope Leo XIV” (00:50) Andrew - Pope Leo gave plenary indulgence. What do I need to do to receive this? (01:59) Matthew - Christian Unity: Martin Luther was also an Augustinian who fought against a prior Pope Leo. (08:28) Barbara - How far does the tradition of the Conclave go back? (17:24) Vinnie - If the Pope gives a plenary indulgence over the radio do you get the indulgence for just listening or do you have to be present? (19:17) Jim - I think it’s great that Pope Leo played priest when he was a little kid. (22:45) Cindy – Yesterday was the anniversary of WWII. Pope Leo's Father served in WII. Hopeful this Pope will bring peace. (26:19) Lane – What is the history behind the Room of Tears? (39:15) John – Does today's modern Mass have any connection to the Papal Encyclical from Leo XIII? (43:09) Marsha – Can there be more than one Cardinal from an Archdiocese? (47:22)

Patrick shares the historic election of Pope Leo XIV—the first American-born Pope. He highlights the Holy Father’s Chicago roots, his journey in the Augustinian order, his years serving in Peru, and what the new papal name may signal for the Church’s direction. Patrick also answers listener questions about papal traditions and keeps the conversation focused on hope and faith as this new chapter begins for Catholics around the world. Who is Pope Leo XIV? Patrick gives us the story of a child growing up in Chicago to becoming Pope Leo XIV (00:44) Audio: Pope Leo XIV began his first homily with words in English during Mass in the Sistine Chapel with the College of Cardinals (03:47) Audio: Augustinians to meet in Rome to choose new leader and discuss future plans (11 years ago) (21:19) Rod – Why does the Pope use a fake name instead of his real name? (28:32) Ann - Pope Leo went to St. Rita High School in Chicago. That is where he got his Augustinian roots. (32:51) Patrick shares details about Pope Leo XIII (36:12) Andrew - Pope Leo gave plenary indulgence. What do I need to do to receive this? (50:19)

Welcome to the America magazine conclave podcast. We are thrilled to join the church in welcoming Pope Leo XIV! Our team was just in St. Peter's Square for the historic election, and we're here with first reactions and some important details about the life and ministry of the missionary Augustinian friar turned pope: the now former-Cardinal Robert F. Prevost. Links from the show: Robert Francis Prevost elected first American pope Peru rejoices for their former bishop: Pope Leo XIV Prepare to be surprised by the next pope Sign up for America's subscriber-exclusive “Conclave Diary” daily newsletter and get all of our extensive coverage at: ⁠⁠⁠AmericaMagazine.org/Subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wednesday, May 7th marks the beginning of the conclave – the Catholic Church's process of electing the next pope. Conclaves have traditionally been portrayed in our culture as shrouded in intrigue and back-room politicking. But, as theology expert Dr. Joseph Capizzi shows us, the 2000-year-old tradition is not that mysterious. He walks us through how cardinals elect a new pope, the political considerations they use to evaluate candidates, and how the Pope's power in the world has changed over millennia. He evaluates the legacy and controversy surrounding Pope Francis. He explains why the Catholic Church is growing in Africa, Asia, and among young American men. They end with a discussion of how Christian moral theology evolved to address, and ultimately reject, the practice of slavery.   Dr. Joseph Capizzi is the Dean of Theology and Religious Studies at The Catholic University of America. He teaches in the areas of social and political theology, with a special interest in peace and war, citizenship, political authority, and Augustinian theology.

Are Marian doctrines like the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption late inventions, or do they have earlier roots? We explore pre-Augustinian thought, why some doctrines develop differently, and how Marian beliefs compare to teachings like eternal security and sola fide. Join The CA Live Club Newsletter: Click Here Questions Covered:  12:41 – I know the Eucharist is the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus. Is it his Resurrected body?  16:30 – Do we have any prior to Augustine who taught the concept of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption? Why is the argument of time work for eternal security and sola fide, but not Marian doctrines?  47:30 – Have you read “Jesus Wept”?