Podcasts about Parish

Parish Armstead was only 7 years old when the first signs of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) appeared. This is a painful inflammatory skin condition that causes boil-like abscesses and scarring, which can occur anywhere that hair follicles grow. These abscesses are known to reform in the same spot even when surgically removed, or connect with each other through tunnels under the skin called tracts. This disease runs in Parish's family, and growing up it was normal to use hot soaks to treat breakouts. His first surgery was at 11, and he would continue to get surgeries throughout the years as his HS developed. It wasn't until he turned 18 that a doctor recommended a CAT scan, which discovered a system of tracts under his skin, leading to his diagnosis with hidradenitis suppurativa. In this episode of the Major Pain podcast, Parish tells us what it is like to live with HS. This disease does not only affect the skin—it causes systemic fatigue, necessitates a regimented diet and exercise, and also carries a heavy mental health toll. Parish's journey has been one of acceptance. At first he rebelled against this disease, not wanting to make the necessary lifestyle changes or even be seen in public— how he has embraced this lifelong challenge, allowing him to discover a deeper sense of self. This upward trajectory began with HS Connect, an advocacy group that Parish is now an active member of. Finally finding community around HS showed him the importance of being visible and speaking up about his journey. He now co-hosts the HS Brotherhood Podcast with Joey Torre (two-time guest of Major Pain) and curates an advocacy platform as HSOpenWounds. Explore HS Connect online: https://hsconnect.org/ PlayWatch the episode on YouTube or Spotify, listen here on our website or on your favorite podcast platform.

This morning Jordan continues an overview of the liturgical elements in Parish gatherings.

Welcome back to Bropostles, in this episode, the boys talk about some quick dating stuff, some important parish questions and much much more. Get rid of your cravings for p0rn or these guys will work with you for free until you do: https://thefreedomgroup.cohttps://i.convinceyourfriends.com/maryFor more content: bropostles.comSunday and Wednesday! Our Wednesday episode is exclusive to our supporters at $10/month and up on Patreon, which you can access at patreon.com/bropostlesFollow us on Instagram: instagram.com/bropostles Join our Discord community: https://bit.ly/crunchdiscordSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/bropostles/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

The Rev. Joe Gibbes (Our Saviour, Jacksonville, FL) reminds us that the resurrection is the linchpin of history, breaking the power of death's finality.

Do we need a church building? I will be given in Saint Casimir's Parish, Cleveland, Ohio.

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

This feast of one church building in Rome reminds us that we can and should appreciate and celebrate all the buildings in which we gather as a community. Those buildings, whether they be lowly huts or grand basilicas, are our homes.About the Speaker: Father William J Grimm is a Maryknoll Missioner of 40 year's experience in Asia-mostly Japan, Hong Kong and Cambodia.For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com  For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Spiritual Pathways for Environmental Restoration Guest Rev. Rachel Field, Program Manager, An Episcopal Path Spending time in nature, one sees God's creativity all around us, and so develops an appreciation for the divine intelligence behind the beauty, functionality and mystery of Nature. The Creation Story in the Book of Genesis tells of God creating the heavens, the earth, the fish, the birds, all the other creatures and, finally, man and woman. Children of the Cherokee Nation hear the story of Grandmother Spider, who, they are told, embodies the creative force of the universe, having woven the network that interconnects all living beings and symbolizes the importance of ecosystems, community and relationships. There is something to be learned from these and other creation stories. Reverend Rachel Field joins us to talk about our role in Creation Care. She is the Program Manager for An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice, an initiative equipping church communities to grow in knowledge and skills as they progress along the four-fold path: Prayer, Learning, Action, and Advocacy. Rachel explains these four pillars in detail and draws on diverse approaches for diverse contexts. Those walking an Episcopal Path commit to form and restore a loving, liberating, life-giving relationship with all of Creation, and they collaborate with other faith organizations. Rachel shares her deep wisdom and shines a light by framing our environmental degradation as a “spiritual crisis” and showing us the power of spiritually enlightened engagement. Rachel has more than 15 years of experience leading creation-centered retreats in the Episcopal Church. She is also Owner/Director of Heartberry Hollow Farm & Forest, which is a regenerative farm and retreat center in central Vermont. She holds a Masters of Divinity from Yale Divinity School and a certificate in Contemplative Leadership from the Shalem Institute. She is a member of the Clergy at Parish of St. Mary in Northfield, VT. INFORMATION RESOURCES View my fabulous spider web photos https://substack.com/home/post/p-174923967 Learn more about “An Episcopal Path to Creation Justice” https://www.episcopalcreationpath.org/ Engage with the BTS Center - Cultivating and Nourishing Spiritual Leadership for a Climate-Changed World https://thebtscenter.org/ Read about the Creation Care curriculum: Love God, Love God's World https://www.episcopalchurch.org/ministries/creation-care/love-god-love-gods-world-curriculum/ Join Rachel on a Walking Meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hHCViU1YFo Visit Heartberry Hollow Farm and Forest heartberryhollowfarmandforest@gmail.com Purchase Wendy's book, The Angel Heart - https://www.amazon.com/Angel-Heart-Wendy-Nadherny-Fachon/dp/1967270279/ref=sr_1_1 Read about DIPG: Eternal Hope Versus Terminal Corruption by Dean Fachon begin to uncover the truth about cancer - https://dipgbook.com/ Learn more at https://netwalkri.com email storywalkerwendy@gmail.com or call 401 529-6830. Connect with Wendy to order copies of Fiddlesticks, The Angel Heart or Storywalker Wild Plant Magic Cards. Subscribe to Wendy's blog Writing with Wendy at www.wendyfachon.blog. Join Wendy on facebook at www.facebook.com/groups/StoryWalkingRadio

Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish. Today they chat about the beauty of the season of Fall as they talk the impacts of the “fall back” time change.  Father Anthony mentions that he is reviewing the document, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that addresses some Marian Titles and will be discussing it in future shows.  Today he focuses on Jesus' statement “I am coming soon”.  He makes notes of the references in the bible and then unpacks it and chats regarding this with Cristina and Tony.  St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish  

TGIF! Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish.  Today Father opens the show with a brief intro on the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to be discussed later as he is currently reviewing it.  Father leads us in prayer of the Litany then welcomes Alice Babij (pronounced Bobby) of the St Nicholas Ukrainian Cathedral.  She joins Father today to discuss the book “Live & Learn the Liturgical Year Planner 2026.   Alice introduces and shares the details of this wonderful resource to help you live the catholic life and maintain your domestic church. Domestic church is basically your home church; this concept, which dates back to the early Church, views the home as the primary place where faith is lived, learned, and passed on through prayer, love, and practice. The book is available at Priestly Press visit their website at https://www.priestlypress.com/  St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

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

Listen to news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule of around 10 minutes.North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh told to pay compensation to Muslim man detained for alleged forced conversion of a Hindu woman. Listen to the story and more in a wrap-up of the weekly news from Asia.Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Fabian Antony, text edited by Anosh Malekar, presented by Joe Mathews, Cover photo by AFP, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Fr. Ryan asks the questions to business leaders at Legatus "What is a Parish?" Is it a building? The people? What is the goal? And in knowing what a parish is, we can learn how to serve our local parish.    Come, follow us: Parish Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  YouTube  |  Spotify Music

Let us know what you think! Text us! SPONSORED BY: TITAN SARMS, PRECISION WELLNESS GROUP, and THE SPECIAL FORCES FOUNDATION In this episode of Security Halt!, Deny Caballero sits down with Joshua Parish, founder of VetLife and the Battle Buddy app, to explore the raw realities of veteran transition. From navigating the broken VA system to finding strength through community and ownership, this episode offers powerful insight into resilience, innovation, and what it really takes to heal after service. Parish shares personal stories, hard truths, and actionable resources for veterans seeking connection and purpose. 

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

East Baton Rouge is facing a major budget shortfall. Parish officials need to find an extra $21 million, and one way they hope to save money is by getting more public service retirees to switch to government-funded health care. Report for America corps member Alex Cox has the story.Last weekend, the Governor's Mansion in Baton Rouge hosted a screening of “Ancestral Artistry: The Influence of Africans and Creoles of Color on Louisiana Architecture.” The film explores centuries of craftsmanship, culture and resilience passed down through generations of diverse communities who contributed to the state's architectural landscape The film's co-directors Charles E. Richard and Conni Castille join us for more.A community beautification project born in the years after Hurricane Katrina is celebrating a milestone. The Utility Box Art Project from the non-profit, Community Visions Unlimited, is turning 15. For over a decade the painted and decorated boxes have added a dash of color in New Orleans and surrounding cities.Vice president of Community Visions Unlimited Jeannie Tidy joins us with more.Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Diane Mack. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our assistant producer is Aubry Procell. Our engineer is Garrett Pittman.You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at noon and 7 p.m. It's available on Spotify, the NPR App, and wherever you get your podcasts. Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to.Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you!

Father Tom Hurley joins us after taking the reigns at Most Holy Redeemer to explain why music means so much to a congregation. Hear about the changes he has made and what his focus will be as pastor at the church he started at decades ago. And if you already thought AI was unsettling, wait until you hear the story at the end of this podcast! Video version on YouTube! Get the latest news and information concerning everything going on in and around Evergreen Park and stay connected to your neighbors! Evergreen Park residents join Chris Lanuti at his basement bar each week. Listen, interact & get all of your free subscription options at theEPpodcast.com​!

It's time for another Tech Tuesday with Sarah Kuenzi. Join Mater Dei Radio in praying the All Souls Novena. Sarah tells you how and had the new "Parish of the Week".Subscribe to the Morning Blend on your favorite podcast platform.Find this show on the free Hail Mary Media App, along with a radio live-stream, prayers, news, and more.Look through past episodes or support this podcast.The Morning Blend is a production of Mater Dei Radio in Portland, Oregon.

Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish. Today they chat about events they've recently participated in then move on to prayer. After prayer Father discusses All Souls and All Saints Day. They reminisce on fond memories of family members' passing and they comment on how God's will, will always be done. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish  

On All Saints Day, Jordan begins an overview of the liturgy and movements we engage each week in The Parish gatherings. 

This sermon was preached at Saint Christopher's Parish on Sunday, June 22nd, 2025. The two scriptures referenced are Luke 8:26-39 and 1 Kings 19:1-15a

Joan Davies is our guest as we congratulate St. Charles Borromeo in Hailey as our next Parish of the Week!

In this sermon, The Reverend Jacob Smith talks about the meaning of the blessings and curses in Jesus' Sermon on the Plain. He also looks at the ordinariness of Christian spirituality.

From the book of Acts, through the Epistles, to our modern day, followers of Jesus have wrestled with how to live a life worthy of the identity "Christian," and what our call is for The Church today. How do we carry the presence of God in this world? What does it mean to follow Jesus, to live out that calling as The Church today if we truly are living stones, and God dwells in our midst? In other words, Now What?

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

The Generous Life

Today we are honoring our 70 year history. This place was a orchard of apricots. And that is why we have honored it with the very apricots we have here as a reminder of our roots. The soil that produced so much fruit for so many years then became the soil for this parish. Now look at what we have done with the seeds of faith of 70 years of believing, 70 years of toil in the soil of this parish. (Read more…)Here is a bonus homily from the our 70th Anniversary as a Parish. I hope you can enjoy it and please feel free to share with others..

TGIF! Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish.  Today Father asks Cristina to share her thoughts on the movie Triumph Over Evil.  The film was released yesterday October 30, 2025.  She shares details of the movie and it all rings true to what the film's producer Oscar Delgado, described the film to be on WOC in episode #4732.  Father Anthony summarizes their discussion regarding the film and topics touched on by saying that we are NOT to toy with Evil.  St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

On the latest episode of Running the Game, Rog sits down with Crystal Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish to trace the path from the 2010 rescue to FA Cup winners. Steve explains how an owner creates the conditions for success, why Palace target “rough diamonds”, and how Oliver Glasner's belief shifted the club's mentality. He also touches on South London's talent pipeline and the data-led scouting that identified Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton. Parish closes on what success looks like after winning silverware, and his ambitions for the club.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dozens are killed and the devastation is significant after Hurricane Melissa pummeled multiple Caribbean islands. CNN reporters are standing by throughout the region with the latest details on the damage. Plus, what CNN is learning about covert CIA efforts targeting Venezuela's Maduro regime.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish. Today they chat about events they've recently participated in then move on to prayer. After prayer Father focuses on the readings from yesterday. He draws attention to the need to remain humble and seek God, recognizing that we cannot exhaust God, the more we know Him the more He becomes a mystery. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

Hurricane Melissa: Concrete Kingston Spared, St. Catherine's Suffers Utter Devastation Guest: Reverend Bill Develin Reverend Bill Develin reports from Kingston, Jamaica, describing Hurricane Melissa as an "unbelievable storm" that surpasses others he has experienced. The Category 5 hurricane features incredible winds reaching 185 mph and torrential rainfall, creating a "toxic mix and meteorological disaster." Develin, located in Kingston on a hill in a concrete home, did not need to evacuate and notes that Kingston has "definitely been spared," though power has been out in his neighborhood for approximately 12 hours and half of New Kingston's business district remains in darkness. In stark contrast, St. Catherine's Parish, approximately 120 miles to the west, has experienced "utter and complete devastation." This underserved, rural, and impoverished area is largely constructed of wood structures with zinc metal roofs, making homes highly vulnerable to the storm, comparable to the poorest parts of New Orleans during previous hurricanes. St. Catherine's Parish was on a mandatory evacuation list of 25 areas; fortunately, though the state public hospital's roof was ripped off, all patients and staff had been evacuated the day before the storm. The government of Jamaica, including Prime Minister Andrew Holness and the Office of Disaster Preparedness, performed exceptionally, establishing 880 safe shelters across the island and maintaining overall preparedness. The Ministry of Transportation hopes the airport will reopen within 48 hours to allow relief flights carrying humanitarian aid from organizations like Samaritan's Purse, the International Red Cross, and the European Union Humanitarian Relief Effort. Despite these efforts, devastation across western Jamaica from May Pen to Montego Bay—where 25,000 tourists shelter—will require massive cleanup efforts lasting at least a year, constituting a "double whammy" for communities still recovering from Hurricane Barrel, which struck over a year prior with similar force. Hurricane Melissa is expected to travel north through Montego Bay, then turn obliquely eastward toward Cuba, barrel into western Haiti, pass near the Bahamas and Bermuda, and eventually dissipate into the Mid-Atlantic Ocean.

Today's Topics: 1) On October 25, retired Cardinal Ernest Simoni Troshani, at 97 years of age stood at the pulpit and thundered an Exorcism prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1890 at the Basilica of Saint Peter https://youtu.be/F-8aU5EWs-U?si=QWTo-RvlM2kUAyhZ 2, 3, 4) A new movie, Triumph Over Evil shows the power of an ordained Priest over and above any protestant minister, or Susan from Parish Council who lays hands on people at her Wednesday night "deliverance" ministry in the Parish basement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taokPVmwRWI

Today's Topics: 1) On October 25, retired Cardinal Ernest Simoni Troshani, at 97 years of age stood at the pulpit and thundered an Exorcism prayer composed by Pope Leo XIII in 1890 at the Basilica of Saint Peter https://youtu.be/F-8aU5EWs-U?si=QWTo-RvlM2kUAyhZ 2, 3, 4) A new movie, Triumph Over Evil shows the power of an ordained Priest over and above any protestant minister, or Susan from Parish Council who lays hands on people at her Wednesday night "deliverance" ministry in the Parish basement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taokPVmwRWI

P*rn*graphy is destroying lives, families, and faith — but one Catholic priest isn't afraid to confront it head-on. In this powerful episode of The Covenant Eyes Podcast, Fr. Jonathan Meyer (Archdiocese of Indianapolis) joins Karen Potter and Theo McManigal to talk openly about the spiritual, emotional, and relational impact of p*rn*graphy—and the path to real freedom in Christ.

Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish. Today Father Anthony's shares an article titled, “Death of Halloween” written by Justin Lee. The article discusses the origins of the holiday and how its transformed over the years. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish

We're joined with Dr. Joseph Wysocki, the Interim President and Provost of Belmont Abbey College, he talked about the university leading in Catholic higher education. Tim Glemkowski is the Executive Director of Amazing Parish, talked about new leadership summit and vision to form effective parish leaders. Sunnie Johnson-Laine, CEO of SVDPBR provides monthly update

Featuring speakers Betsy Carlton-Gyson, Peter Heller, and Betsy Leondar-Wright Worship service given October 26, 2025 Prayer by David Whitford, Worship Associate https://firstparish.info/ First Parish A liberal religious community, welcoming to all First gathered 1739 Join us for our special annual Living our Faith service! Hear from three brilliant First Parish members about their activism and spirituality: Betsy Carlton-Gyson, Peter Heller, and Betsy Leondar-Wright. Offering and Giving First The Giving First program donates 50% of the non-pledge offering each month to a charitable organization that we feel is consistent with Unitarian Universalist principles. The program began in November 2009, and First Parish has donated over $200,000 to more than 70 organizations. For October, The Record Company (TRC) will share half the plate. Since 2012, The Record Co. (TRC) has been the heartbeat of Boston's music community. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, they've grown from a single recording studio into Boston's largest provider of affordable creative space, operating both their original Mass Ave facility and their 90-room Morrissey Boulevard location. Their facilities serve over 400 active bands and creative professionals, making them more than just a space — they are a catalyst for Boston's creative community. TRC's mission remains clear: to remove the technical and social barriers between music makers and their creative visions. The remaining half of your offering supports the life and work of this Parish. To donate using your smartphone, you may text "fpuu" to 73256. Then follow the directions in the texts you receive.

Bishop Parkes reflects on the 75 years of Saint Jude Cathedral as a parish, creating a parish as a bishop and priest, and remembering saints and souls during the upcoming memorials of All Saints and All Souls Day. 

Although we are all part Pharisee and part tax collector, God declares us righteous not because of how righteous we feel, but because of the righteousness of Christ freely given to us.

In Luling, the Lafon Performing Arts Center has built a one-of-a-kind program that brings Broadway-level training to St. Charles Parish schools. Students have access to an expansive arts program, from theater to ceramics to broadcasting, as well as professional mentorship from seasoned artists. Fully integrated into the school day, the program helps students develop creativity, confidence, teamwork, and preparation for future careers in the arts. This world-class facility, owned and operated by St. Charles Parish Public Schools, is a model for how suburban and rural districts can deliver big-city-caliber arts education. Ned Moore, Executive Director of the Lafon Performing Arts Center, joins Ian Hoch to share the deets.

This hour, Ian Hoch is joined by Ned Moore, Executive Director of the Lafon Performing Arts Center, to talk about their one-of-a-kind program that brings Broadway-level training to St. Charles Parish schools. Then, Ian talks to the WWL listeners abput psorta gambling, the White House ballroom renovations, and faith.

TGIF! Father Anthony with Tony, and Cristina gather to discuss the goings on, and people in the Parish.  Today Father opens the show with much needed prayer. After prayer Father reads from an article that he came across titled “Adopting a Medieval Peasant Mindset” a view on how to disconnect and live in the present.  As they discuss this, they agree that they are rambling, getting through life and they hope you are able to follow the message as you listen.  St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish  

In this episode of Louisiana Unfiltered, Kiran Chawla sits down with Ascension Parish Sheriff Bobby Webre as they discuss his department's exceptional 100% murder clearance rate, far exceeding the national average. The Sheriff highlights effective teamwork, community partnerships, and the integration of technology with traditional detective work as key factors in this success. The Sheriff also discusses ongoing recruitment challenges, a 37% decrease in fentanyl-related overdose deaths due to community efforts, and rising concerns around kratom, which led to new local legislation.Tags: #louisianaunfiltered  #kiranchawla #podcast  #unfilteredwithkiran #news  #louisiana  #SheriffBobbyWebre #AscensionParish 'Chapters00:39 Achieving 100% Murder Clearance Rate01:44 Technology vs. Old-School Policing03:33 The Role of Forensics05:40 Addressing Recruitment Challenges15:20 Decrease in Overdose Deaths16:27 Narcan's Impact on Lives27:20 Understanding Kratom and Its Effects48:20 Community Outreach Initiatives53:52 Preparing for Ascension's Growth

What if the way you stand, kneel, or lift your hands could change your prayer life?   In this homily, Fr. Meyer explains why our bodies matter in prayer — how posture not only expresses faith but also transforms the heart. From Moses with raised arms, to Mary's openness, to the way we kneel in adoration, every gesture says something powerful to God.   Discover why 70% of all communication is nonverbal — and what that means for your relationship with Christ.  

Fr. Anthony, Tony, and Cristina talk about the goings on, and people in the Parish. After kicking off the show with prayer. Father Anthony focuses on individual responsibility.  He speaks about how St. Paul left us with fair warning that we would face issues within and as well as outside the church.  The church is a body made up of individuals and as individuals if we all did our part we would uphold the church as its meant to be and maintain order.  Father Anthony calls us to individual responsibility as a way to restore the order. St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish  

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

In this sermon, The Reverend Jacob Smith shares what is most important to Jesus and how it relates to the prayers of a persistent widow.

In this episode, Bob Ryan and Gary Tanguay remember Robert Parish's time with the Celtics. They discuss his chemistry with Larry Bird and Kevin McHale and his willingness to take a back seat to those two on a stacked Celtics roster. Bob reveals how he got his infamous nickname, “Chief”, and what Parish was like behind the scenes. Tune in to hear fascinating stories of one of the best NBA centers of all time. The Bob Ryan & Jeff Goodman NBA Podcast is Powered by