Podcasts about world day

Taylor bikes in the rain to LA Bikefest to talk with LA Bicycle Advisory Committee's car-free Jennifer Gil and to World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims with Rob Kadota and Streets Are For Everyone founder Damian Kevitt (2:08). News: LA City Controller makes an app where you can see the where LA budget goes https://budget.lacontroller.app, the USDOT declares it won't fund biking, walking, or trains, the LA River bike path design and timeline is contested, there's an aluminum velodrome in Tucson, and a Wyoming and Idaho bike/ski trail would complete the 180 mile Greater Yellowstone Trail network (10:50). Email: “Skirting the Negativity Pit;” Rick Bosacker, MD on the disconnect between the positivity of cycling and the negative responses from online trolls. Rick writes that bike advocates may fail to speak out because of “pluralistic ignorance,” which AI defines as a social phenomenon where individuals privately disagree with a perceived group norm but remain silent, believing their own views are a minority (15:48). Bike Touring and camping gear and bike recommendations from Josh Bowden of Adventure Cycling (17:48). The Hierarchy of Cycling Needs: Charlie interviews Lisbon researcher Rosa Felix on her modeling of people's self-assessed propensity to bicycle (40:48). Bikes For All volunteer Craig Smith introduces the bike charity that gives bikes to people who need them (51:58).

Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. Trump welcomes first visit of Saudi prince since 2018 murder of journalist Khashoggi by Saudi agents; KPFA speaks with leader of human rights group founded by journalist Khashoggi; Congress overwhelmingly passes Epstein Files Transparency Act after Trump drops opposition; Pesticides use in schools increasing, agricultural communities call for protections from carcinogens; SF Senator Wiener introduces No Kings Act to hold officials accountable for rights violations; AFSCME ends 2-day strike at University of California system, says fight is far from over; Court blocks Texas from using republican redistricting map, TX governor vows Supreme Court appeal; November 18 is World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence The post Congress overwhelmingly passes Epstein Files Transparency Act; Pesticides use in California schools on the rise – November 18, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

Archbishop Etienne preaches at the 10:00am Mass on Sunday, November 16, 2025, the World Day of the Poor.

Msgr. Roger J. Landry Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, New York Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Jubilee of the Poor and World Day of the Poor November 16, 2025 Is 58:6-11, Ps 34:1-7, Rom 12:9-16, Jn 6:24-35   To listen to an audio recording of this homily, please click below:  https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/11.16.25_SFXC_Homily_1.mp3   The […] The post Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, The World Day of the Poor and the Jubilee of Hope, Feast of St. Frances Cabrini (Observed), November 16, 2025 appeared first on Catholic Preaching.

In commemoration of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims and the African Road Safety Day on Sunday, 16th November, 2025, we focus on ZEBRA CROSSINGS on Nigerian roads to guarantee the safety of all, especially school students.

Fellowship One:Seven™ Podcast | World Day of Prayer We're pausing our Partners with Purpose series for a special World Day of Prayer episode. Join us as we sit down with Amy Herbel, Communications Specialist for CEF® International Ministries, to talk about the heart behind this global day and the power of prayer across the CEF® family. Find your local CEF® chapter: https://www.cefonline.com/locations Learn more about the podcast: https://www.cefonline.com/fellowshiponeseven Resources for children: https://www.cefonline.com/unite

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

Happy Tuesday!  Jennifer Whitaker, our local director of Evansville CEF, joined Janice today to talk about their upcoming World Day of Prayer on November 5 from 8:30 -11:30 AM at 1900 E Morgan Ave here in Evansville. For more information contact Jennifer by phone at the office 812-422-2136 or on her cell at 812-470-2472. You can email Jennifer at Jennifer.whitaker@cefindiana.com. You can learn more at Child Evangelism Fellowship at https://www.cefevansville.online/ Other topics today include when opposition comes, being a spiritually healthy friend and more.  Janice's books What Do I Have to Lose? Books 1 and 2   are available NOW!! The complete set is just $25. Check it out at FaithMusicRadio.com. >> Also, featuring A Word of Encouragement with Vicky Mutchler, CW Today with Loretta Walker and The Teacher's Key with Cathy Sandiford.  Be sure to subscribe to this podcast and please share this podcast with your friends so we may be an encouragement to them through the music and programming on Faith Music Radio. Music is brought to you by Faith Music Missions. Learn more here >>> https://www.faithmusicmissions.org Eleven2One Facebook  Eleven2One on Instagram Faith Music Radio is a listener supported Christian station.

October 27 marks World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, a UNESCO initiative highlighting the importance of safeguarding recorded sounds, films, and broadcasts that tell the world's cultural stories. - Ipinagdiriwang tuwing Oktubre 27 ang World Day for Audiovisual Heritage, isang inisyatiba ng UNESCO na naglalayong itaguyod ang kahalagahan ng pagpreserba ng mga naitalang tunog, pelikula, at programa sa radyo at telebisyon na nagkukuwento ng kultura sa buong mundo.

Hosts Heather Karrow & Doug Weingardt celebrate the feast of St. John Paul II and its connection to World Fasting Day

Eucharistic devotion can be spread through social media. Many people can come to a deeper relationship with Christ through the posts they encounter. Such an evangelization medium must be approached responsibly with genuine posts. This blogcast explores “Eucharistic Encounters Through Social Media" from the Ad Infinitum blog, written by Patrick Laorden and read by Monica Thom Konschnik.October 12th is the Feast of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Since he was beatified, I have learned more about him through various articles and videos. He is truly remarkable and an inspiration to young Catholics around the world! I was intrigued by his devotion to the Eucharist and his keen interest in computers and Eucharistic miracles. I recall one of his quotes: “The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.”This reminds me of the adage, “you are what you consume.” I think about that when consuming social media today and the challenge of finding good and inspiring news. When we encounter that news, what do we do with it? Do we scroll away once we read the headline? Do we bookmark it, say we will get to it later and never end up reading it? Considering Blessed Carlo, I think we are called to do something more!Just as Blessed Carlo shared the power of Eucharistic miracles, we can foster Eucharistic encounters through social media. Eucharistic encounters are transformative, calling us back to Christ. Through this encounter, our faith is deepened and renewed, and we are brought into a relationship with Christ. Below are three helpful ways to foster Eucharistic encounters through media:1. Share something honestPosts are often tailored to show only the good sides of life, giving the illusion of a perfect life, when in reality life is not necessarily how it looks on social media. As a Catholic parent, the posts that I take to heart are those that are honest. I recall a friend who is a mother of two posting about her experience of raising two kids. She showed a picture of her cluttered home, commenting how it was late, the kids had yet to be put to bed, they were not following her directions, and she still had a laundry list of things to do. Despite that, she gave thanks to God for being able to raise a family with her husband and having two kids who genuinely care about their faith. These posts meet people where they are at, showing the mundaneness of human life where not everything has to be perfect or go to plan.2. Root it in Christ and your faithSacraments like the Eucharist have a visible and invisible reality. The visible reality is the outward expression, that is, the form they take and the way in which they are administered and received. The invisible reality is God's grace. Fostering a Eucharistic encounter through social media means rooting what we share in Christ and our faith. What we choose to share may be good or inspiring news, but what does the news point to? Going back to my friend, despite the chaotic moment she shared about her family life, she took the opportunity to give thanks to God for her family and children. Gratitude is a powerful expression that builds human connection. What we share on social media are moments of life. In giving thanks to God for that moment, what we are sharing points to the invisible reality that these moments are gifts from God.3. Consider a Call to ActionThe Roman Missal has various options for dismissal as part of the Mass: “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” and “Go in peace.” In all options, the faithful are sent out to share the Gospel. Fostering a Eucharistic encounter throughsocial media can have a similar effect, calling people to action. Posts like my friend's that share a moment in their life that they are thankful to God for is a great opportunity to invite others to do the same. In this case, my friend invited others to think about one thing they were thankful for and share it with a family or friend. A call to action is a way for others to sow the seeds of the Gospel, a message which bears fruit over time as people continue to share it faithfully. Earlier this year in his message for the 58th World Day of Communication, Pope Francis focused on artificial intelligence, both its uses and challenges. He mentioned this regarding growing in humanity:“We are called to reflect carefully on the theoretical development and the practical use of these new instruments of communication and knowledge. Their great possibilities for good are accompanied by the risk of turning everything into abstract calculations that reduce individuals to data, thinking to a mechanical process, experience to isolated cases, goodness to profit, and, above all, a denial of the uniqueness of each individual and his or her story.”Despite advances in technology, human connection is something that should not be compromised nor forgotten. Social media is a tool which can be used for good such as evangelizing. Fostering Eucharistic encounters through social media is an opportunity to deepen realities to ultimately foster relationships with Christ. Like Blessed Carlo, let us share the Gospel through creative ways as we interact with others through social media. Author:Patrick Laorden serves as a Grants Associate for the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving in Hartford, CT. Resources:Listen to On Mission: Eucharistic Revival: Year of MissionOn Mission: Social Media Practices for Catholic Ministries and ApostolatesBrowse Eucharistic Revival ResourcesRead the Ad Infinitum blog 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.

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Fr. Ken reflects on the gift of faith that moves us to compassion and action, reminding us that faith and hope work hand in hand to sustain us through darkness and suffering. On this Respect Life Sunday and World Day of Migrants and Refugees, he calls us to uphold the dignity of every human person—from the unborn to the elderly and displaced—and to live our faith with courage, love, and solidarity.

On October 4 and 5, the Catholic Church will observe the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Today's guest, who recently stopped by our studio in Washington, DC, is a perfect guest for the occasion. His name is Michael Petro, SJ, and he's a Jesuit of the American East Coast province who is currently in the regency stage of his formation. Michael's regency has been quite far from the norm, though – he's working in Beirut, Lebanon with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS). Michael has worn a lot of hats in his time in the country, including setting up and running an emergency shelter for men, women and children who were displaced by the war between Israel and Hezbollah. During a visit home to the U.S., Michael stopped by to share stories from his work in Beirut and to talk about his Jesuit vocation. It's safe to say he never imagined he would be running a temporary emergency shelter in Lebanon when he joined the Jesuits in New York not long after he graduated college. Host Mike Jordan Laskey loved hearing from Michael about the people he has met and why it's so important for the church to keep accompanying and serving migrants and refugees, even and especially when it's not politically popular to do so. We think you'll be moved by Michael's stories and inspired by his faith in action. Learn more about Michael: https://jesuitspro.com/6373/ https://jrs.net/en/story/amid-bombs-in-lebanon-a-church-opens-its-doors-to-hundreds-of-migrants/ https://www.jesuits.global/2025/08/18/arrupe-migrant-center-in-beirut-to-gather-to-pray-to-play/ JRS in the Middle East and North Africa: https://jrs.net/en/jrs_offices/jrs-middle-east/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus www.jesuitmedialab.org/

This Sunday, we will celebrate Unity's World Day of Prayer. We celebrate prayer by doing it , by being in the midst of it.   How do you pray? Do you pray with your mind or in deep contemplation? Let's explore both types of prayer and contrast the differences. You can decide which type of prayer works best for you.  All prayer is good , as long as you practice it regularly. 

Today, September 21, 2025, is the United Nations World Day of Peace.  Listen to this episode to discover how spirituality relates to World Day of Peace.You can support the Podcast and my work, as well as your own abundance, by contributing a tax deductible donation via PayPal, Venmo or Substack.Check out our website!Send us a textSupport the show

Listen to today's podcast... Sirens, television, computers, printers, car stereos, endless talking — Most of us accept this daily racket as normal. It is not until we step away, into a peaceful setting, such as when we are walking in a park or camping at the lake, that we notice how loud our life can get. And it is odd what we can get use to as normal. During the heat and humidity of this summer, I had the fans on high and it didn't keep me up at night. A few weeks later, when it cooled off at night and there was no need for the fans, I was kept up by a cricket outside my window. Constant or uncontrollable noise can stress our bodies by raising our blood pressure and heart rate and by releasing stress hormones. Part of Pause The World Day on September 21st is to relax and to enjoy the silence. Most of us rarely experience true silence, but silence can help us to get in touch with our emotions, provide us with a sense of calm and leave us feeling rejuvenated. Take One Action Today To Build Your #Resiliency!      Here are today's Tips For Building Resiliency and Celebrating Pause The World Day: Listen for the sounds of nature – the birds singing, the bees buzzing and the trees whispering Turn down the volume Seek out silence Sit with only your thoughts to focus on and tune in to the quiet within If you like today's wellness tips, let me know. You can leave me a review on amazon or through your #alexa app. Looking for more ways to build your resiliency? Take my free on-line resiliency test at worksmartlivesmart.com under the resources and courses tab. #mentalhealth #hr

As Catholics, we're familiar with the seasons of the Church year. We know to mark the days of Advent and Lent. We know that Easter lasts fifty days and that Christmas, too, is more than just a 24-hour period of time. We know that we spend most of our time in days called ordinary — and of course, we're reminded of all of these seasons by the colors the priests wears at Mass. But here's a season you may have missed — it's a green season, yes. But I wouldn't call it ordinary. And right now, we're celebrating — we're in it! I'm talking about the Season of Creation. I know — it's not a liturgical season. But as of 2019, Pope Francis has invited us to mark this important moment of the year as a time to recall our Gospel mission to care for creation. The season begins on September 1 with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation and runs through October 4, which is the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. What's more, the Season of Creation isn't just a Catholic thing. In fact, the Orthodox Church as been commemorating this season in some way since 1989. And so, the Season of Creation is a time not just to seek God out in the created world, but to do so in the company of others — people of other denominations, other faiths. We care for our common home, and we necessarily do so together. Today's guests are here to talk to us about this important season — and to invite us to participate in a Pilgrimages of Hope to mark both this particular moment on the calendar and this Jubilee Year. Dan Misleh is the founder of the Catholic Climate Covenant and has been working at this intersection of ecology and the Catholic church for decades. Prior to beginning the Covenant, he worked at the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Annie Fox is the provincial assistant for social ministry organizing in the Jesuits US West Province. She has more than thirteen years of grassroots organizing experience, and is passionate about interfaith relationship building. You'll hear Annie speak quite powerfully about the importance of these pilgrimages, and so as you listen, if you find yourself moved to organize one of your own, I hope you'll check out the links below. We have a lot of good stuff to resource you and your communities during this Season of Creation. Pilgrims of Hope for Creation: https://catholicpilgrimsofhope.org/ Catholic Climate Covenant: https://catholicclimatecovenant.org/ Video on Youth Pilgrims: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucyABWXcYEQ Register for high school workshops: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kVzdNfLoPggBfuttCulaP8q6SA0uQbo_DcwoB2g9Cog/edit?tab=t.0 Register for college and university workshops: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7aGaPyAgQSOP0O0y52xRSg#/registration More about the Season of Creation: https://seasonofcreation.org/about/

 Seeds of Peace and Hope Heavenly Father, Creator of all, we thank You for the beauty of creation, a gift entrusted to our care. Forgive us for the wounds we have inflicted upon the earth and the poor. Pour out Your Spirit from on high, that deserts may bloom and hearts be renewed. Make us seeds of peace and hope, willing to die to selfishness and rise with Christ. Strengthen us to care for our common home with justice, humility, and love. Through Mary, Mother of Creation, may we walk as pilgrims of hope and help build Your Kingdom of peace. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

The observances of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, Feb. 12) are an opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and the family. This year's theme is "Marriage...one flesh, given and received." Learn more at https://www.usccb.org/topics/marriage... The annual Catholic Social Ministry Gathering (CSMG), organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and 20 collaborating organizations, attracted hundreds of participants from around the country this week. The conference equips current and emerging leaders in Catholic social ministry and advocacy to cultivate God's justice as they engage in their communities and around the world. World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated in the Church on Thursday, February 2, 2023, and in parishes over the weekend of February 4-5, 2023. Please pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life and be sure to thank them on their special day. Pope Francis heard horrifying stories of cruelty and violence February 1 during a meeting in Kinshasa with victims from eastern Congo, a region the pope had to cancel his plans to visit because of the worsening security situation.

The third Sunday in September is set aside for acknowledging the importance of catechists in the Church's teaching ministry. Catholic Current speaks with Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes, who serves on the USCCB Committee for Evangelization and Catechesis. Learn more about Catechetical Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/committees/evang.... The 109th World Day for Migrants and Refugees is on September 24. Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the Committee on Migration, invites viewers to think about the root causes of migration. Resources and information may be found at http://www.justiceforimmigrants.org. Every 25 years, the Church celebrates a Jubilee. The next will be in 2025, and more than 30 million visitors are expected in Rome. Preparations are underway now. Visit https://www.iubilaeum2025.va to learn more.

In preparing for the observation of Labor Day in the United States on September 4, Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia, and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, issued a statement calling for radical solidarity with working families. Read the 2023 Labor Day statement (also available in Spanish). Learn more USCCB's work on Economic Justice and Domestic Poverty. Each year on September 1, the Catholic Church commemorates the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. This day of prayer also marks the beginning of a month-long ecumenical awareness initiative known as the “Season of Creation,” which concludes on October 4 with the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of ecology. The theme chosen for this year's Season of Creation is “Let Justice and Peace Flow,” and it calls on the faithful to reflect on the relationship between justice and creation. Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Archeparchy of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on International Justice and Peace issued a reflection: https://www.usccb.org/news/2023/laudato-si-20-pope-announces-new-document-ahead-season-creation. Pope Francis announced this week he would publish a follow-up document to his 2015 encyclical on the environment “Laudato Si'” on the October 4 feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Read the story from Catholic News Service in Rome.

Released 2023.11.09 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) will gather for the 2023 Fall Plenary Assembly in Baltimore, November 13-16. Throughout the meeting, the bishops will spend time in prayer and fraternal dialogue with one another. Public sessions of the assembly on November 14 and 15 will be livestreamed at https://www.usccb.org/plenary-assembly-november-13-16-2023. Read the press release. The Catholic Church in the United States celebrates National Vocation Awareness Week November 5-11. Each year, national Catholic organizations, dioceses, schools, and local parish communities sponsor events and provide different resources to raise awareness for vocations, and help those who are discerning a vocation, particularly one to ordained ministry or consecrated life. Read the press release. Learn about the work of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations at https://www.usccb.org/committees/clergy-consecrated-life-vocations. On the weekend of November 18-19, Catholics across the United States are asked to respond to Pope Francis' World Day of the Poor by giving to the U.S. bishops' Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD). This special annual collection supports the U.S. bishops' anti-poverty and social justice program established a half-century ago. It assists poor and marginalized populations in communities across the United States. Read Pope Francis's message for the World Day of the Poor at https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/poveri/documents/20230613-messaggio-vii-giornatamondiale-poveri-2023.html. Learn more about the work of CCHD at https://www.PovertyUSA.org

Join hosts Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack as they sit down with fellow End Witch Hunts nonprofit board member Mary Bingham for a powerful discussion about modern-day witch hunts and spiritual ritual abuse in the United States. In this special episode commemorating World Day Against Witch Hunts (August 10th), we explore the devastating reality of supernatural fears that continue to harm vulnerable people in over 60 countries worldwide.What You'll LearnThe connection between historical witch trials and contemporary spiritual abuse casesHow modern witch hunts manifest in the United States and globallyThe devastating impact on society's most vulnerable membersPersonal insights from descendants of Salem witch trial victimsActionable ways to combat these harmful practices through education and awarenessFeatured GuestMary Bingham - End Witch Hunts nonprofit board member and advocate. Mary's compelling research draws crucial connections between historical persecution and contemporary cases of harm inflicted on those believed to be spiritually or diabolically possessed.Key Topics DiscussedSpiritual and Ritual Abuse: Understanding how supernatural fears manifest in harmful practices todayGlobal Crisis: The scope of witch hunt-related violence across 60+ countriesHistorical Connections: How past and present persecution share common rootsPersonal Impact: Why this work holds deep meaning for Salem descendantsPath Forward: Education and awareness as tools for changeImportant DatesWorld Day Against Witch Hunts: Sunday, August 10thAbout The Thing About Witch HuntsHosted by Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack, this podcast examines the historical and contemporary reality of witch hunts, exploring their impact on vulnerable communities worldwide and advocating for education and awareness to end these harmful practices.About End Witch HuntsEnd Witch Hunts is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about modern-day witch hunts and working to raise awareness about supernatural-based persecution and violence.About World Day Against Witch Hunts About Spiritual and Ritual Abuse Attend the Online Expert Panel Event August 10thSarahWildes1692 on Youtube Read Article: Salem to San Jose by Mary Bingham Read Blog Post: Understanding Ritualistic Crime Ghana: Branded for Life Report https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/research/2025/04/ghana-branded-for-life/Global Review: Addressing Harmful Practices Related to Witchcraft Accusations Content WarningThis episode discusses violence and harm against vulnerable individuals, including cases of spiritual and ritual abuse that may be disturbing to some listeners.If you found this episode meaningful, please share it to help raise awareness about World Day Against Witch Hunts and the ongoing work to end these harmful practices.

Every time we go to Mass, we hear the words: “This is my body, given up for you.” But what does that mean for us—in our marriages, our families, and our daily choices?   In this powerful homily, given during Natural Family Planning Awareness Week and on World Day for Grandparents, we reflect on the bold witness of St. Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae, the beauty and challenge of living God's plan for love, and how surrendering our bodies in love—whether in parenting, grandparenting, marriage, or spiritual sacrifice—mirrors Christ's gift to us in the Eucharist.   We also explore: Why the Church continues to teach openness to life The pain and witness of infertility How grandparents (like Saints Joachim and Anne) shape the faith of future generations Why “witnesses” are more powerful than words   Whether you're a parent, grandparent, single, married, or longing for children, this message reminds us all: we are called to give ourselves in love, just as Jesus gave Himself for us.  

On Sunday the Catholic Church celebrate the World Day for Grandparents and Aging. On today's 2nd Cup, Brenda and Brian discuss ways that we can love our aging family members.Full article can be found at Catholic Link.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.

 Fr. Billy reflects on the gospel for the seventeenth Sunday of ordinary time where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray.  He goes on to speak about the Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann 2025 in Wexford and reflects on how music accompanies every human experience. L'articolo RM Breakfast Show – Fr Billy Swan – World day of the Elderly – Music, beauty and the life of Faith proviene da Radio Maria.

Bongani Bingwa speaks to Deputy Justice Minister Andries Nel about South Africa’s growing human trafficking crisis. In the past year, 74 victims, mostly women and youth, were rescued after being duped by fake job offers. Government is ramping up efforts through a national task team, with traffickers facing life sentences, as seen in the Joshlin Smith case. 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa is broadcast on 702, a Johannesburg based talk radio station. Bongani makes sense of the news, interviews the key newsmakers of the day, and holds those in power to account on your behalf. The team bring you all you need to know to start your day Thank you for listening to a podcast from 702 Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa Listen live on Primedia+ weekdays from 06:00 and 09:00 (SA Time) to Breakfast with Bongani Bingwa broadcast on 702: https://buff.ly/gk3y0Kj For more from the show go to https://buff.ly/36edSLV or find all the catch-up podcasts here https://buff.ly/zEcM35T Subscribe to the 702 Daily and Weekly Newsletters https://buff.ly/v5mfetc Follow us on social media: 702 on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TalkRadio702 702 on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@talkradio702 702 on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkradio702/ 702 on X: https://x.com/Radio702 702 on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@radio702 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Loving God, we thank you for the gift of our grandparents and all elderly people. They are a source of wisdom, love, and faith for their families and communities. Bless them with health, strength, and joy in the days you grant them. Help them to know they are valued and cherished, even when they feel alone or weak. Grant them courage to continue sharing their stories, their prayers, and their witness of your goodness. Inspire us to walk beside them with patience and compassion, to learn from their example, and to care for them tenderly in their later years. May they continue to be shining lights of hope, and may we always honor and support them. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. 

Welcome to Vatican Insider on the weekend that precedes the arrival in Rome of half a million youth from over 140 countries to celebrate the weeklong Jubilee of Youth that starts Monday, July 28! Exciting days ahead, for sure! And an exciting Special report this weekend in what is normally the interview segment of VI. I prepared a Special program because this is such a special weekend! Saturday is the feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, parents of our Blessed Mother and grandparents of Jesus, and Sunday marks the 5th World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.

Welcome to Vatican Insider on the weekend that precedes the arrival in Rome of half a million youth from over 140 countries to celebrate the weeklong Jubilee of Youth that starts Monday, July 28! Exciting days ahead, for sure! And an exciting Special report this weekend in what is normally the interview segment of VI. I prepared a Special program because this is such a special weekend! Saturday is the feast of Sts. Anne and Joachim, parents of our Blessed Mother and grandparents of Jesus, and Sunday marks the 5th World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.

 Fr. Billy reflects on the gospel for the sixteenth Sunday of ordinary time where Martha asks Jesus to tell her sister Mary to help her serving and Jesus tells her that Mary has chosen the ‘better part'.   He then speaks about the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.  He goes on to summarise his […] L'articolo RM Breakfast Show – Fr Billy Swan – World day of Prayer for the Elderly – A new apostolic Age proviene da Radio Maria.

The ethical concerns of artificial intelligence and its impact on the pro-life movement. Plus, the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

The Holy Father, Pope Leo, recently addressed attendees of the 5th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. His brief address was filled with messages of Jubilee, wisdom, worth, and most of all, hope...hope for the elderly and wisdom for the young.

The Holy Father, Pope Leo, recently addressed attendees of the 5th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. His brief address was filled with messages of Jubilee, wisdom, worth, and most of all, hope...hope for the elderly and wisdom for the young.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, on the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost (Corpus Christi Sunday), is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, signifying that Christ loves every one of us, without exception, with a human heart."The Son of God... loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal 2:20).The Catechism of the Catholic Church (478) explains, "Jesus knew and loved us each and all during his life, his agony and his Passion, and gave himself up for each one of us."The Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation (Cf. Jn 19:34), reflects the infinite love of the divine Redeemer.The institution of the feast was a result of the appearances of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. The celebration of the feast was extended to the General Roman Calendar of the Church by Pius IX in 1856.Today is also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.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 YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠June 27, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Comprehensive coverage of the day's news with a focus on war and peace; social, environmental and economic justice. Sen. Alex Padilla (official photo) CA senator Padilla dragged from news conference when he tried to ask Homeland Security Secretary Noem a question Heavy rains, floods in South Africa kills dozens as climate crisis impacts African countries Activists planning “No Kings” rallies across country during Saturday military parade on Trump's birthday TX governor Abbot ordering 5,000 national guard and 2,000 state police to manage protests UN says complete collapse of internet and data services in Gaza paralyzing aid operations UN marks World Day against Child Labor, as millions of children denied fair chance The post CA senator Padilla dragged from immigration news conference when he tried to ask a question; South Africa floods kill dozens as climate crisis impacts African countries – June 12, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

We've been burning the midnight and 7am oils and as a result we're now the proud owners of a Switch 2! We each have a Switch 2, I mean. We're not sharing custody of one Switch 2. We've been hammering Mario Kart World all day so we've got some early first day impressions PLUS a big round-up of everything announced in Sony's State of Play and Ben reviews the indie puzzle platformer Bionic Bay!Get an exclusive 15% discount on Saily data plans! Use code FILTHY at checkout. Download the Saily app or go to https://saily.com/filthy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Conclave that made Cardinal Robert Prevost Pope Leo XIV was roiled by his predecessor's betrayal of Catholics and other people of faith in Communist China.  Pope Francis reportedly agreed to a toxic secret deal with the Chinese Communist Party – and ignored the CCP's intensified efforts to destroy religion – hoping he'd be allowed to visit the People's Republic. Question: Were the cardinals' votes cast with the knowledge that Prevost had actually visited China “multiple times” and would “gladly” continue Francis' direction? Or did they only learn it, as we did, eleven days later?  Saturday is the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China. Pope Leo must answer that prayer by breaking with the Chinese Communists – not continue “the direction” of abandoning the real Church and submitting to their lethal, so-called “patriotic” one. Weigh in at RepealtheDeal.org. This is Frank Gaffney.

Fr. David Brzoska, M.Div., MA.SS., Chaplain at Saint John Vianney Center shares his vocation story and some of his early experiences as a priest. We conducted this interview to commemorate World Day of Prayer for Vocations which is celebrated annually in support of promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. For more information about Chaplain Dave, visit https.www.sjvcenter.org/team/david-brzoska/ For more information about Saint John Vianney Center, visit us at https://www.sjvcenter.org/

Esty Dinur speaks with three panelists taking part in a program next week to celebrate World Day for Cultural Diversity. They discuss seed sovereignty, wild rice, and the legacies of colonialism. The post A Conversation on Seeds, Stories, and Solidarity appeared first on WORT-FM 89.9.

Friends of the Rosary,Today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter, is Good Shepherd Sunday and Mother's Day. Congratulations to all moms!The Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true and Good Shepherd of our souls, says in the main reading today (John 10:27-30), "The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me."He knows each one of His sheep and gives His life for them.Today is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1964.Yesterday, when Pope Leo XIV prayerfully visited the Shrine of the Mother of Good Counsel in Genazzano, Italy, he urged people to be faithful to Mary.“As the Mother never abandons her children, you must also be faithful to the Mother,” he said.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 YorkEnhance your faith with the new Holy Rosary University app:Apple iOS | New! Android Google Play• ⁠May 11, 2025, Today's Rosary on YouTube | Daily broadcast at 7:30 pm ET

Jerome Teelucksingh is one of the leading men's rights activists. He is a senior lecturer at The University of the West Indies in Trinidad & Tobago (in the Caribbean). Jerome has published articles and spoken at academic conferences on masculinity, fatherhood and gender relations.  In 1999, he initiated International Men's Day on 19 November in Trinidad and Tobago. Also, he would later begin the observance of World Day of the Boy Child on 16 May and The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Men and Boys on 31 January. In 2022.Jerome's e-mail: j_teelucksingh@yahoo.comSupport the show

You are guided to integrate the practices of the week, expanding your vision of a peaceful environment to encompass both your inner and outer worlds. You'll cultivate the awareness that inner peace and a harmonious external environment are interconnected, empowering you to be a source of tranquility in your own life and the world around you. THIS WEEK'S THEME: Creating a Sanctuary of Stillness This 7-day series of guided meditations is designed to help you cultivate a sense of peace by focusing on your environment, both internal and external. Each day, you'll explore a different aspect of creating a peaceful environment, combining practical techniques with insights into the science behind why these practices work. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES Explore the quiet center that exists within each of us, even amidst chaos. Create a peaceful environment to nurture your mind, body, and soul. THIS WEEK'S THEME: Creating a Sanctuary of Stillness This 7-day series of guided meditations is designed to help you cultivate a sense of peace by focusing on your environment, both internal and external. Each day, you'll explore a different aspect of creating a peaceful environment, combining practical techniques with insights into the science behind why these practices work. YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY DURING THIS WEEK'S SERIES This is episode 7 of a 7-day meditation series titled,  "Creating a Peaceful Environment" episodes 3297-3303. THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE: Peaceful Oasis Explorer  Each day, actively create a more peaceful environment in one small way.  THIS WEEK'S MEDITATION TECHNIQUES:   Day 1:  Relaxation Visualization  Day 2:  Affirmation: "I radiate peace from within." Day 3:  Relaxation Breathing *Inhale: 4  *Hold: 7  *Exhale: 8 Day 4:  Anjali (Prayer) Mudra for inner peace Day 5:  4th Chakra for love and gratitude Day 6:  Layer Meditation Techniques Day 7:  Reflection + Introspection   SHARE YOUR MEDITATION JOURNEY WITH YOUR FELLOW MEDITATORS   Let's connect and inspire each other! Please share a little about how meditation has helped you by reaching out to me at Mary@SipandOm.com or better yet -- direct message me at https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om. We'd love to hear about your meditation ritual!  SUBSCRIBE, LEAVE A REVIEW + TAKE OUR SURVEY SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss a single episode. Consistency is the KEY to a successful meditation ritual. SHARE the podcast with someone who could use a little extra support. I'd be honored if you left me a podcast review. If you do, please email me at Mary@sipandom.com and let me know a little about yourself and how meditation has helped you. I'd love to share your journey to inspire fellow meditators on the podcast! SURVEY: Help us get to know more about how best to serve you by taking our demographics survey: https://survey.libsyn.com/thedailymeditationpodcast FOR DAILY EXTRA SUPPORT OUTSIDE THE PODCAST Each day's meditation techniques posted at: sip.and.om Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sip.and.om/ sip and om Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SipandOm/ A DIFFERENT MEDITATION TECHNIQUE EVERY DAY FOCUSED ON A WEEKLY THEME: Get ready for an exciting journey with a new meditation technique daily, perfectly tailored to the week's theme! Infuse these powerful practices into the most stressful moments of your day to master difficult emotions. These dynamic techniques will help you tame the "monkey mind," keeping your thoughts from interrupting your meditation and bringing peace and focus to your life. FREE TOOLS: For free meditation tools to help you meditate please head over to my website at www.SipandOm.com, and there you'll find free resources to help you on your Meditation Journey. Enjoy access to more than 3,000 guided meditations without ads on the Sip and Om app. Try it for 7 days of free access to the full app! Listen on iTunes for 1-Week Free! https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sip-and-om/id1216664612?platform=iphone&preserveScrollPosition=true#platform/iphone   1-week Free Access to the Android app! https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sipandom.sipandom   ***All meditations are Mary Meckley's original copyrighted content unless otherwise stated, and may not be shared without her written permission.   RESOURCES Music composed by Christopher Lloyd Clark licensed by RoyaltyFreeMusic.com, and also by musician Greg Keller.   I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU I'd love your feedback! Please let me know how you're enjoying the meditations by leaving me a review on iTunes.   **All of the information shared on this podcast is for your enjoyment only. Please don't consider the meditation techniques, herbal tea information, or other information shared by Mary Meckley or any of her guests as a replacement for any medical or psychological treatment. That being said, please enjoy any peace, energy, or clarity you may experience as you meditate.  

Buy Thomas a Coffee!https://www.buymeacoffee.com/funastrologyThank you!Join the Fun Astrology Lucky Stars Club Here!"One of the top audio Astrology Podcasts - Thank You!"

Lesley and Brad dive into an inspiring conversation with midlife health and fitness expert Heike Yates. They explore how to reignite your passions, overcome self-imposed limitations, and take action toward a fulfilling life. Learn how to stop over-researching and start doing, embrace change, and reclaim control over your future.If you have any questions about this episode or want to get some of the resources we mentioned, head over to LesleyLogan.co/podcast. If you have any comments or questions about the Be It pod shoot us a message at beit@lesleylogan.co. And as always, if you're enjoying the show please share it with someone who you think would enjoy it as well. It is your continued support that will help us continue to help others. Thank you so much! Never miss another show by subscribing at LesleyLogan.co/subscribe.In this episode you will learn about:Why midlife is the perfect time to rediscover what truly excites you.The importance of taking action instead of over-researching new interests.How to recognize and break free from limiting beliefs that hold you back.Using journaling as a tool to uncover your true desires and goals.How embracing failure can actually be the key to success.The power of surrounding yourself with the right people to support your growth.Why dimming your light for others is holding you back from your full potential.Episode References/Links:Ep. 472: Traci Peterson - https://beitpod.com/tracipetersonOne Voice L.A. - https://onevoice-la.orgIndivisible - https://indivisible.orgCambodia October 2025 Retreat Waitlist - https://crowsnestretreats.com Spring Pilates Training - https://opc.me/eventsPilates Studio Growth Accelerator - https://prfit.biz/acceleratorAccessories Flashcards Waitlist - https://opc.me/flashcardwaitlist If you enjoyed this episode, make sure and give us a five star rating and leave us a review on iTunes, Podcast Addict, Podchaser or Castbox.DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! DEALS!Check out all our Preferred Vendors & Special Deals from Clair Sparrow, Sensate, Lyfefuel BeeKeeper's Naturals, Sauna Space, HigherDose, AG1 and ToeSoxBe in the know with all the workshops at OPCBe It Till You See It Podcast SurveyBe a part of Lesley's Pilates MentorshipFREE Ditching Busy Webinar Resources:Watch the Be It Till You See It podcast on YouTube!Lesley Logan websiteBe It Till You See It PodcastOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley LoganOnline Pilates Classes by Lesley Logan on YouTubeProfitable Pilates Follow Us on Social Media:InstagramThe Be It Till You See It Podcast YouTube channelFacebookLinkedInThe OPC YouTube Channel Episode Transcript:Lesley Logan 0:00  We start to go, I'm gonna research these different hobbies. I'm gonna try. And then we get overwhelmed in the researching of things, and not the doing of things. You're not gonna know if you like something. Just go do it. So just go, just jump in and go do it. Lesley Logan 0:13  Welcome to the Be It Till You See It podcast where we talk about taking messy action, knowing that perfect is boring. I'm Lesley Logan, Pilates instructor and fitness business coach. I've trained thousands of people around the world and the number one thing I see stopping people from achieving anything is self-doubt. My friends, action brings clarity and it's the antidote to fear. Each week, my guest will bring bold, executable, intrinsic and targeted steps that you can use to put yourself first and Be It Till You See It. It's a practice, not a perfect. Let's get started.Lesley Logan 0:55  Welcome back to the Be It Till You See It interview recap where my co-host in life, Brad, and I are going to dig into the revitalizing convo I had with Heike Yates in our last episode. If you haven't yet listened tothis interview, you should pause. Go listen to that one, or listen to this one, then listen to that one. Binge listen. They're so fun to listen to. Brad Crowell 1:11  Binge in.Lesley Logan 1:11  Yeah. Today is February 20th 2025 and it's World Day of Social Justice. World Day of Social Justice is observed annually on February 20th. Internationally, the world is plagued with unfortunate issues that prohibit millions of individuals from living a fair life. Many of the world's population, through no fault of their own, are deprived of basic facilities, such as homes, jobs, healthcare, education, nutrition, and more. It must be the responsibility of the privileged to ensure that we can create a just world where social justice is a norm. How can we contribute to a social justice around the world from where we live? So you know what loves? I think that if you listen to this podcast, you're similar to me and Brad, and you are aware of all the shit that is going on. And there's.Brad Crowell 1:53  Lots of it. Lesley Logan 1:54  Fuck ton of it. And it can feel overwhelming, and it could be hard not to know what to do. And then it can feel like, if you're championing one thing, that you're leaving other people behind. And I think it's one really important to note that it's absolutely okay if you care about one thing, and you can still have feeling and sadness and wish for something different somewhere else, but you can also make a massive change on one area and if you don't have the money to donate to the help of that, then your education and your expertise can also be donated. Your time can be donated. You can leverage the networks that you have, maybe work for a company, and you can ask them to do their next donation drive for something that you care about. There's change you can make. There is, gosh, one of my clients today was telling me that there's a charity organizational website where you can actually see what different charities are doing and see how they rank, as far as like, where their money goes. Brad Crowell 2:49  That's cool. Lesley Logan 2:49  And that is a great way to, if you don't have a lot of money to give to in justices to make sure that what you have can go the furthest. We, Brad and I, did a fundraiser for those who lost their jobs due to the wildfires in Los Angeles. And I know that's not the world and justice, but it's something that's pretty terrible for those people going through it. And the charity that we worked with, One Voice LA, 100% of your donations go to those who need it. You can actually go to onevoice-la I'm sure it's dot org. Brad Crowell 3:18  onevoice-la.orgLesley Logan 3:20  Yeah. So you can go there, but there's definitely websites that you can use to research charities you're thinking of donating to, your time to, money to or leverage. And so I highly recommend that, because I also know that you have a whole life to live, and we can't save people without making sure that you are also taking care of you.Brad Crowell 3:41  I just pulled up two organizations that help measure charities. (inaudible) One is called Charity Navigator. Lesley Logan 3:46  That's exactly what my artist is talking about. Shout out to Meredith Bender. Hi, babe. Brad Crowell 3:49  The other one is called up Metrics, where you can measure and maximize your nonprofits impact. So I think this one's actually not this one might be like the business itself is trying to measure its own impact, whereas Charity Navigator, it sounds like we assess the direct impact of a charity's program relative to the cost required to run it to help donors identify high impact charities. So, you know, like the age-old story of, oh, you get these things in the mail every year for the annual Turkey drive, and then you write them a check for 50 bucks, and they take 45 of it to run the company and get $5 to the thing. Hopefully there are no organizations that do that, but obviously there are. So, Charity Navigator. Interesting. Lesley Logan 4:27  So use that on this World Day of Social Justice. And also please remember that it is really hard to herd kittens and so there's a lot going on. Educate yourself. Stay educated, stay informed. But also give yourself permission to focus on one thing that you want to change. And also, call your congress person if you live in the United States. Brad Crowell 4:31  It's not only about money. It's not only about donating to charity. Social justice is also political, and it's about championing those who can't champion themselves, right? I mean to me, literally, goes all the way back to what my parents taught me about the kids in the playground. Why are people picking on other kids? Because they feel like they can for some reason, and standing up against bullies is one of the best possible ways to advocate on behalf of others. And we obviously have a lot of bullies happening in politics in the United States. Lesley Logan 5:20  There's bullies all over the world. Brad Crowell 5:22  And all over the world. Lesley Logan 5:23  And they only have the room to grow because we let them. So call your congress person. You can call them every day. Did you know that? Brad Crowell 5:31  You can call them every day. Lesley Logan 5:32  People do. Also get involved in your local things, because apparently not many people go to like local city council meetings. And so the loud assholes, the bullies win because there's no one else there. Indivisible.org. They send a lot of emails, not gonna lie. Brad Crowell 5:47  Indivisible.org. Lesley Logan 5:47  Yeah, indivisible. And you can find the city near you, and then they will help you see all the different groups you can join that are about the causes that you care about.Brad Crowell 5:56  I just signed up for their newsletter about my zip code. Lesley Logan 5:58  Yeah, oh. Brad Crowell 6:00  indivisible.orgLesley Logan 6:00  That's great. I didn't find that option, and now I'm just getting a lot of emails. Brad Crowell 6:04  Right on the homepage. Lesley Logan 6:05  So there you go. So this is why we need Brad. Okay, let's go through this really quick. We are, while you're listening to this, we are in Cambodia, and you can join us in October, because it's for sure too late now, we're already here.Brad Crowell 6:17  It's for sure too late, unless you live in Cambodia. Then come on over. Lesley Logan 6:20  Yeah, come on over. Come say hi. So go to crowsnestretreats.com to sign up for our October retreat. We really want you there. It's beautiful. It's amazing. We spend a week together at our home and it's a true retreat. Really special. Brad Crowell 6:32  Yeah. It's magic. Lesley Logan 6:33  When we come back, we'll be heading over to POT in Denver. Brad Crowell 6:36  Yeah, we're gonna drive through Utah, Arizona and Colorado to get there. Not sure about Arizona. We might go the north part. Lesley Logan 6:42  Yeah, we're not doing any pop ups, don't, so we're on vacation. Brad Crowell 6:45  Yeah, no pop ups but we are, we're gonna drive and we're going to be there in the area for the whole event. We're excited about it. It's gonna be awesome. Lesley Logan 6:52  I've got some great workshops at it. So you can definitely still sign up. Brad Crowell 6:55  I'll be hanging out the merch booth. Lesley Logan 6:56  I know that they were almost sold out the last time I got a numbers count. So don't wait. Brad Crowell 7:00  Crazy, right?Lesley Logan 7:01  Then in April 27th through May 3rd, we have spring training, spring Pilates training, you guys. Brad Crowell 7:07  That's right from OPC. Go to opc.me/events. That will put you on the waitlist to find out about spring training. What is it going to be? Really quick. Go.Lesley Logan 7:16  Oh, it's all the OPC teachers and me teaching mat, reformer, a tower and a Wunda chair. You'll be able to buy a mat only ticket or an equipment plus mat ticket. So if you don't have access to the equipment, there'll be plenty of classes for you on just the mat. There are going to be all different levels, all different body types. And we're focused on one theme, and to find out what that theme is you got to go to opc.me/events and sign up, because I got to break the news to them first. Can't, that's worth, that's what we said. Brad Crowell 7:40  All right, if you are taking money to teach a client, if you are personally getting paid by the client, then you run your own business. Congratulations. Or if you have a home studio or a brick and mortar, I want you to come join me for a free webinar called the growth accelerator. We're gonna cover three big secrets that Lesley and I have put together after coaching more than 2500 businesses just like yours over the past seven years with our agency coaching program. Come join me for this webinar, prfit.biz/accelerator. That's prfit.biz or profit without the O slash accelerator, and join me for free. Finally, last up, we have the Accessories Deck, the Accessories Flash Card Deck with OPC. It is the sixth and final deck. We are so close to being done. I know that the first draft is done. It's being reviewed right now. Lesley Logan 8:27  This is the first Cambodia trip in years that I'm not writing a flash card on. Brad Crowell 8:31  That's so crazy. Lesley Logan 8:32  I know. What am I doing with my time? You guys. Brad Crowell 8:35  Oh, we're gonna do other things with your time. Lesley Logan 8:36  I have other things to write. I have blogs to write. I have a bot to edit. There's plenty for me to do.Brad Crowell 8:43  There's plenty to do but that's not what we're talking about. For the Accessories Deck. You know, we already did the photo shoot. It's looking really good. Lesley and I literally got a chance to meet the people who produce our flash cards when we were on tour. Lesley Logan 8:55  That was so cool. Brad Crowell 8:56  It was really lovely. We didn't actually get a chance to film anything because the entire place was closed for the holidays. So next time, I don't know if we'll ever be there when we're not there for the holidays, but one day, I would like to actually go see the operations. Let their team show us all these crazy machines that they use to make these flash cards. I'm fascinated by the process. Anyway, we're stoked to produce the sixth deck with them as well. We'll be dropping the presale really soon. So go to opc.me/flashcardwaitlist opc.me/flashcardwaitlist. Get yourself on the wait list. You will be the only people getting a 30% off offer on this final deck. So don't wait on that. Before we move on. We had a question.Lesley Logan 9:37  From YouTube. Brad Crowell 9:38  Okay, jasminesaif183 says hi, Lesley, would you say you teach classical Pilates, and if we wanted to learn the real Pilates, is there a playlist we can follow on your channel?Lesley Logan 9:52  Yeah, so I do teach classical Pilates. That's what I would consider I teach, and anything on my channel is classical. So there's no need to make a playlist, because everything is what I will learn from Jay Grimes, who studied with Joe Pilates, what I learned from the Taylor sisters who studied with Romana. So I am a classical teacher, and so you're good to go with anything there. We do have playlists that are like the mat or by equipment, but I'm not gonna create a playlist that's just because that would be the whole YouTube channel. Brad Crowell 10:24  Yeah, yeah. So. Lesley Logan 10:26  I also just want to say, in case, because she wrote real Pilates in here.Brad Crowell 10:29  I was gonna ask you to address that. Lesley Logan 10:31  I refuse to get involved in a conversation about what's real Pilates and what's not real Pilates. I won't do that because.Brad Crowell 10:38  Unless it's not Pilates in the least. Lesley Logan 10:40  Unless it's not Pilates in the least. Like a Megaformer. There might be some moves that are Pilates esque, but you I can't from their website 10 years ago. I cannot teach Pilates moves on a Megaformer and they cannot teach their moves on a regular reformer. It was from. Brad Crowell 10:53  That's clearly not Pilates. Lesley Logan 10:55  Yeah. So, so that being said, they might be telling people that's what they're doing. They might be telling their teachers or their trainers that's what they're doing. And I don't ever want to be the person who busts anyone's bubbles. So here's the deal. There's a lot of different Pilates styles out there, and most of them are all real Pilates. Now I teach what Joseph Pilates created with his intentions. Brad Crowell 11:14  From the book that he wrote. Lesley Logan 11:15  Yeah, from his book and from his teachings of his client, and I do the best I can to uphold what that purpose is. And if you were trained in a different way and you want to learn what I'm doing, great if you're training a different way and you don't want to learn the way I'm doing it, great. This world is a place where you get to. Brad Crowell 11:32  You do you, baby.Lesley Logan 11:33  You do you and you don't even have to explain it to me. I have no judgment, but I think it's really important to not get bogged down by the semantics of it, but there are styles, just like in yoga, there's yoga styles, and so if you find a style you like, keep going. Brad Crowell 11:48  Yeah, I agree. All right, y'all. Stick around we'll be right back. We're gonna dig into this fantastic convo that Lesley had with Heike Yates. We'll be right back. Brad Crowell 11:57  Okay, welcome back. Now, let's talk about Heike Yates. Heike Yates is a midlife health and fitness expert with over 35 years of experience, and she's the host of the pursue your spark podcast with a rich background as a seasoned Pilates coach and former Ironman triathlete, Heike is dedicated to helping women in midlife build strength, confidence in health. Through her podcast and coaching, she empowers women to embrace new possibilities, overcome challenges and lead vibrant, fulfilling lives, and she's working on a book and everything. It was really fascinating to listen to her share her story about how she was not raised in a society that intentionally worked out, meaning, I'm gonna block off one hour and go work out. Because where she was raised in Germany, your life was a workout. You were walking everywhere. You were hiking up and down mountains. You were doing all this stuff, because that's she you did. And then she said, when she got pregnant, her body obviously went through a dramatic change, and she gained 50 pounds, and then had no idea how to lose that. And so that is what took her down this path. And I feel like there's a generational thing there, too, for sure, she got into all the different things, and she went down all these different modalities over the decades, which I thought was really amazing.Lesley Logan 13:13  Yeah, I also like that she's really inspired to help women find their spark again. So it's not just about the movement of it, which I think for women in midlife, I don't know why it feels old. It feels like we're making it worse. Brad Crowell 13:25  Well, I think the reason. Lesley Logan 13:26  Because I'm 42. I'm not at midlife, when's midlife?Brad Crowell 13:29  Well, I think the reason that she's not saying pre post menopause is because it pigeon holes her into talking only about menopause. And you know, when she was talking about her book, she said, yes, some of the publishers were coming to me and saying, like, great, you're a menopause author, and she's like, but I'm not, you know, so I think she's using midlife to encompass a little bit of a wider audience there.Lesley Logan 13:30  Yeah. So I really was drawn to more what she was talking about women in midlife and having lost touch with their true desires. I also think because, again, you brought up generations, I think that my friends today have had more people tell them to know what their goals are and what they want outside of being a parent. And I think 10 plus years women older than us, like it was, you're a mom, that's what you did, and it was really weird if you were more than that, if you did anything else. So I do think that it's necessary to talk with those women about how to figure out that it's because also our desires change, and so you might have known what they were before, but then life happens. You go through and the things that brought you joy don't bring your joy the same way they do, and you have to have new desires, right? So I really want to say that she encouraged listeners to look not at what you can't do, but what possibilities are there. Focus on what is possible. You know, we talk about that all the time at OPC, so you know, I'm gonna love that Brad Crowell 13:50  Sure. Lesley Logan 13:52  She also said, if you don't try anything, you will never find what it is that lights you up. Brad Crowell 14:38  So take messy action. Lesley Logan 14:45  Yeah and I thought that was fun, because I think we start to go, I gotta research these different hobbies. I'm gonna try. And then we get overwhelmed in the researching of things, and not the doing of things. You're not gonna know if you like something. Let's just go do it. So just go, just jump in and go do it.Brad Crowell 15:00  Yeah. And one thing I found like a through line, and she didn't explicitly say this, but she did explicitly say, when you're trying to understand your goals, don't listen to what other people tell you that your goals should be. You need to find your goals yourself. And she kind of said it and then brought it back up again later on in the conversation. And so, you know, she encouraged honesty about our own desires, saying, when we look at ourselves, we've got to be honest about what we want, right? And then you asked, hey, what if you don't know what you want? Because you were talking about the retreat in Cambodia where you're like, hey, what does a year from now look like? And then people got they found that as a roadblock. They couldn't do the exercise because, like, I don't know what I want to be in a year, right? And so you asked her, What happens if you hit that hurdle yourself? And she said, You need to start journaling and paying attention to the desires that you have during your journaling. But ultimately, that still lends itself directly back to knowing your goals, your desires, not letting other people define your goals for you. I thought that was really important. I also think it's hard. I think it's really hard, especially when we feel boxed in by the life that we have today. Maybe your goal was something that is just literally not even possible because you have a job that keeps you in one place all the time, and you can't travel, you can't leave, or, I don't know, you have young kids that demand a lot of time, and now you have to wait to accomplish your goal. So I think that it's hard to decide what our goals can be, that we're willing to let ourselves pursue without knowing that it will fail because of the boxes that we live in, right?Lesley Logan 16:38  Yeah. I also think that we if we fail, then it wasn't worth doing, or we weren't deserving of it, or whatever and it's like.Brad Crowell 16:43  Then we feel guilty because we let ourselves down or something. Lesley Logan 16:46  I mean, how many times did someone fill the light bulb? A lot. And now if we fucking stop, we wouldn't have had light as soon as we did. So.Brad Crowell 16:55  Yeah and she did talk about failure, too. She said it's not failure. It's just, you know, it's the next step. It's the next baby step. She pointed out that many women feel stuck. They're either waiting for an answer to appear from the universe, or they're scared to fail, right? And her advice was, don't sit there frozen. Take action. Don't wait. It's okay to fail because we never actually do. It's something. We try something, we might not like it and then it's okay to change and shift your goal and reclaim control of your life. So she said, take action, and that's going to be the thing that moves you forward. And you know how much we're all about messy action. So, yeah. I think she's just also very kind. Lesley Logan 17:34  Yeah, she's got spunk to her. I really like it. Brad Crowell 17:37  Yeah, I think as a coach, she's just very warm, you know, all around as good vibes. All right, well stick around, because we do have some,Be It Action Items from Heike. We're going to find out about those in just a second. Brad Crowell 17:49  All right, so finally, let's talk about those Be It Action Items. What bold, executable, intrinsic or targeted action items can we take away from your convo with Heike Yates? To find what lights you up, start journaling. I did briefly mention this before. She said write down your thoughts. Start thinking about the things that maybe you're envying your friends for which I thought that's interesting. Normally, I was raised where, like, don't be jealous, don't feel envy. And she's actually saying not that you should tap into that and lean into that, but understand what's happening. Notice that. What is it that you're feeling that about? Write it down and then say, I want what she has, whatever that is, and give yourself the permission to say, to be honest, I want that. Look around for inspiration. Ask yourself, what are my friends doing? What do they do? Try activities that they enjoy or explore something new for yourself. She said, even if you don't know what you want, trying anything helps you discover what lights you up and what you don't like, which helps you narrow down what you do. Yeah.Lesley Logan 18:47  Yeah. I love she had so many great Be It Action Items, and so I also want to highlight that she said stop dimming your light and move on and enjoy life. And I love this, because often, as women, we were raised, you're too loud, you're too bossy, you're too this. We talked about this with Tracy Peterson, like you're too bossy, you're too this, you're too, like, all these things that actually people telling you that it's like a little thing where they're saying, turn your light down. It's too much. And actually, Heike is saying it's bold to keep your light on, move on and enjoy your life. And I think that that is the best thing we can do, because we're not going to keep everyone with us all the time. We're just not. And so dimming your light to stay in the box that other people want you in, it'd be a real shame, and that is not what you're trying to do when you're trying to be it till you see it. I'm Lesley Logan. Brad Crowell 19:32  And I'm Brad Crowell. Lesley Logan 19:33  Please make sure you share your takeaways with Heike, the Be It Pod. Share this with a friend who needs to hear it. Share this with one of your midlife friends who needs to hear someone kind telling them things that might feel very familiar to them, and helping them enjoy their life more and until next time, Be It Till You See It. Brad Crowell 19:46  Bye for now. Lesley Logan 19:48  That's all I got for this episode of the Be It Till You See It Podcast. One thing that would help both myself and future listeners is for you to rate the show and leave a review and follow or subscribe for free wherever you listen to your podcast. Also, make sure to introduce yourself over at the Be It Pod on Instagram. I would love to know more about you. Share this episode with whoever you think needs to hear it. Help us and others Be It Till You See It. Have an awesome day. Be It Till You See It is a production of The Bloom Podcast Network. If you want to leave us a message or a question that we might read on another episode, you can text us at +1-310-905-5534 or send a DM on Instagram @BeItPod.Brad Crowell 20:30  It's written, filmed, and recorded by your host, Lesley Logan, and me, Brad Crowell.Lesley Logan 20:35  It is transcribed, produced and edited by the epic team at Disenyo.co.Brad Crowell 20:40  Our theme music is by Ali at Apex Production Music and our branding by designer and artist, Gianfranco Cioffi.Lesley Logan 20:47  Special thanks to Melissa Solomon for creating our visuals.Brad Crowell 20:50  Also to Angelina Herico for adding all of our content to our website. And finally to Meridith Root for keeping us all on point and on time.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/be-it-till-you-see-it/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

This week's episode of “Jesuitical” features a conversation with James T. Keane, senior editor at America and columnist for the Catholic Book Club, a weekly newsletter on literature and the arts. Jim's new book, Reading Culture Through Catholic Eyes, explores 50 Catholic writers, thinkers, and “firebrands” who have influenced Catholic culture—and yes, as Jim's colleagues, we may sound a little biased when we say it's well worth the read. Just take our word for it. Even better, grab a copy and see for yourselves.  Zac, Ashley and Jim discuss:  - What makes someone a “Catholic writer”  - Why so many of us get stuck on the same Catholic writers  - The works of three lesser-known Catholic authors: Myles Connolly, Andre Dubus and Mary Karr In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss inauguration prayers for the 47th U.S. president Donald J. Trump offered by Pope Francis, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Father Frank Mann and Episcopal Bishop Mariann Budde; the Cuban government's plan to release 553 prisoners in response to Pope Francis' Jubilee request to set the captives free; and increased family benefits for Vatican City-State employees. Links for further reading:  Reading Culture through Catholic Eyes: 50 Writers, Thinkers, and Firebrands Who Challenge and Change Us Pope Francis assures Donald Trump of his prayers, but says mass deportations would be a ‘disgrace' If the Catholic Church is pro-life, why is its maternity leave so bad? After the election, people may know your political party—but will they know you're a Christian? God lifts up the underdogs Lean into love, not fear, this World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Beirut Jesuit pastor tells preachers 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 Media at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Kelly Ryan, the president of Jesuit Refugee Service USA, about her 30 years of experience working with refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in light of a second Trump administration. A two-time U.S. presidential political appointee, Kelly has also worked extensively with faith-based organizations, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Holy See.  Zac, Ashley and Kelly discuss:  - The origins of Jesuit Refugee Service, from its founding in 1980 by Pedro Arrupe, S.J., to assist refugees, especially those fleeing the Vietnam War - Challenges at the U.S. southern border, including the dangerous journeys many migrants make and the difficulties in processing their asylum claims - Concern about potential changes to refugee admissions and deportation policies under the incoming Trump administration In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss Pope Francis' autobiography Hope, which features critical reflections about his rowdy youth and staunch defenses of his most controversial moves; plus they chat about the 2025 College Football National Championship between the University of Notre Dame and Ohio State University, including some words on Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame's current coach, a Catholic convert—and a former Buckeye.  Links for further reading:  Opening doors at Advent and all year long: How J.R.S. responds to the plight of refugees  Pope Francis acknowledges mistakes and defends most controversial decisions in new autobiography Notre Dame story  Father Pedro Arrupe: a controversial Jesuit's bumpy path to sainthood A Jesuit border priest on Trump and the plight of migrants 109th World Day of Refugees and Migrants Message from Pope Francis Jesuit Refugee Service JRS is on Instagram: @jrs_usa 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 Media at americamagazine.org/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices