Sem Says Podcast: Recent Episodes
Saint Charles Seminary
Hosted by Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, Pennsylvania. We're here to have a good time and share with the outside world an insight to our lives as we study and prepare for the priesthood. What motivated us to join seminary? What kind of things do we study? What are our favorite pizza toppings? Join us as we delve into all these secrets and more!
Nikolai, Alex, Andrew, and Drew.
The Seminarians discuss the tradition of the yearly silent retreat. We review where we have been challenged and how we have experienced the Lord through prayer, silence, and meditation. What are the different kinds of retreats? What kinds of things do we pray about? What do we gain by taking retreats?
Here are some links to some of the resources we mention:
Fr. Michael Gaitley: https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/speaker/fr-michael-gaitley
Fr. Donald Calloway: https://www.fathercalloway.com/books-and-gifts
I Believe In Love (St. Therese of Lisieux): https://www.sophiainstitute.com/products/item/i-believe-in-love
As always, thank you for listening!
Nikolai and Alex.
The seminarians discuss what we've been up to recently. From Christmas break, retreat, and exams, to writing a book and generally goofing off, we've got plenty of nothing to chat about! What has the process of getting a book published been like? Has the "problem of evil" ever been answered? Is "bupkis" a bad word? (It's not; I checked!)
Thanks for listening!
Guest hosts: Brother Joseph, Brother Richard, Caleb, Tim, Father Dominic.
The seminarians discuss the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in light of wisdom from the Church Fathers. What can we learn today about the Catholic Mass from a saint who lived hundreds of years ago? How does it relate to us today?
If you liked this discussion, please share our show to others.
Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/semsayspod
Thank you for listening!
Nikolai, Alex, and Drew.
The Seminarians discuss the tradition of celebrating the 40 Hours devotion at St. Charles Seminary. How was this traditional devotion started? How do we celebrate it today?
Thanks for listening and sharing!
Nikolai, Alex, and Andrew.
In today's episode, the Seminarians discuss a new hobby: brewing! We talk about some of the process of amateur beer and old-fashioned soda making.
Nikolai, Alex, and Drew.
As a follow up to our summer episode, we discuss the reading we did over the summer. Between some spiritual, some pleasure, and some academic, seminarians do a lot of reading! Which authors did we find interesting? What stories impacted our understanding?
This episode is dedicated to the memory of our friend Joseph Creavey.
Alex, Nikolai, and Drew.
The Seminarians are getting ready to head home for the summer, but that doesn't mean they take a break from the Lord's work! In this episode, we discuss what we have planned for the summer. What do we do during parish assignments? How do we stay engaged in our spiritual formation? Is it weird to wear jeans on the beach?
Thank you for tuning in for our show this school year. Enjoy your summer!
Alex, Nikolai, and Anthony.
The Seminarians discuss the work of French philosopher Louis de Bonald on the matter of divorce and how it relates to our discourse today. How do we recognize the dignity of marriage? Is divorce the sign of a more free society? How are the issues of marriage and divorce addressed in the Gospel in comparison to nineteenth century France?
Our discussion is centered on Anthony's article in Social Justice Quarterly, a magazine published by the Leonine Institute for Catholic Social Teaching. Find the magazine here: https://www.leoinstitute.org/socialjusticequarterly/
Alex and Nikolai.
In this episode, the seminarians are joined by musical artist Marie Miller! Marie is a talented musician who uses her talents for singing and playing mandolin as a way to glorify God through art. She shares with us some of her inspiration and her experiences as a Catholic recording artist. What does beauty mean for the Christian? What makes art and music enduring or not enduring?
Find Marie on her website: https://www.mariemillermusic.com/
Her Instagram: @mariemillersing
Thank you for tuning in for our show!
Andrew and Cole.
The Seminarians delve into the purpose and power of having relationships with the saints. In particular, Cole shares how Saint Francis of Assisi has worked in his life and helped him on his vocational journey. How do we choose a patron saint? How do these holy ones lead us closer to Our Lord? What is special about St. Francis in particular?
Thank you for listening!
Biography by Omer Englebert
Contact us! semcasualpodcast@scs.edu
Alex, Nikolai, and Ben.
The Seminarians discuss the ins and outs of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. How have we celebrated this holy time in the past? What makes these days so special and important?
Have a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter!
Andrew, Kevin, Dominic, and Dominic.
The Seminarians delve into the nitty gritty of Marian devotion, exploring topics from the Rosary to Marian consecration. Why do we pray to Mary? What does the Bible have to say about her? What did the saints have to say about her? How can one develop a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother?
Much of today's discussion tends towards a more developed understanding of Mary, beyond just the basic fundamentals. Some of the language may seem intimidating, but don't be alarmed! Devotion begins with the basics and deepens with time and prayer.
Thank you for listening!
Alex, Nikolai, Deacon Jonathan, and Bishop Michael Burbidge.
On this episode, we are joined by Bishop Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia and transitional deacon Jonathan Smith. Bishop has a long personal history with Saint Charles Seminary and shares with us some of his experience and insights into how it has changed over time.
What are some of the joys and challenges of being an Apostolic leader in the Church? What have been the differences between different dioceses? How can the Church continue to grow and attract the younger generations?
Thank you for listening!
Bishop Burbidge's own The Walk Humbly Podcast: https://www.arlingtondiocese.org/bishop/walk-humbly-podcast/the-walk-humbly-podcast---episodes-with-show-notes/
Alex, Andrew, and James.
The Seminarians get into an in-depth conversation about Alex's favorite movie, How To Train Your Dragon. Do fantasy series inspire us to think about deeper truths? Can we be edified by animated movies? Where do we see the moral life reflected in our entertainment?
Featuring the musical talents of seminarians Tim and Dominic who perform the movie's theme for this episode.
Alex and Anthony.
As Seminarians, we study a variety of languages, ancient and modern. Anthony is a polyglot, having studied about six different languages in his time. Does learning more languages make it easier to minister to parishioners? How do you practice speaking foreign languages? What benefits are there to learning learning ancient languages?
Thank you for tuning in!
Alex, Nikolai, and Sam.
The Seminarians share their knowledge on the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. What is this prayer? How is it prayed? What effect has praying the Liturgy of the Hours had on our lives?
For some more information, check out: https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours
Learn to pray the LOH in the Ibreviary app.
Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew.
The seminarians chat about our different experience in the world of music. We compare our favorite artists, tastes, playlists, and radio stations for a lively and fun time.
Alex, Nikolai, and Drew.
After taking a break for quarantine, we are back! This week, we discuss our retreat experiences, the nuances of the virtue of faith, and daydreaming during the liturgy.
If you are enjoying our podcast, share an episode with a friend!
The Seminarians are all home for the holidays. As we reflect on the birth of the Son of God as a newborn child, we rejoice in all of the blessings we have been granted this year. The Seminarians of the Diocese of Allentown sing five traditional Christmas carols.
Merry Christmas!
Alex, Drew, Keaton, and Aaron. Continuing last week's episode about J. R. R. Tolkien, we discuss more in particular about The Lord of the Rings.
Why is this series so beloved by seminarians? What parts of the books did we wish had been included in the movies?
Thank you for joining us for this discussion! If you are enjoying our show, please share us with a friend!
Alex, Drew, Keaton, and Aaron. We discuss one of our favorite authors, J. R. R. Tolkien.
Why is Tolkien so often popular among Catholics? What kinds of influences has his work had on the fantasy genre? What have we learned from his work?
This recording lasted about an hour, so we decided to break it up into two parts.
If you are enjoying listening to Sem Says, please share us with your friends!
Alex and Tim. We discuss the ins and outs of one of our favorite musical instruments, the mandolin. Tim discusses how he heard the call to the priesthood. He shares how he became interested in learning to play the mandolin and treats us to a few tunes!
Special thanks to Tim who also provided the music for our intro and outro pieces.
If you are enjoying listening to our Seminarian chats, be sure to follow, like, and share our podcast!
Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew. We watch more than saint movies at the Seminary! This week, we talk about some of our favorite (and least favorite!) movies, tv shows, and how they affect our formation.
If you are enjoying our podcast, give us a follow, like, or share. How many windmills out of ten would you rate this podcast?
Alex, Dominic, and Nikolai. Seminarians discuss poetry appreciation. Is poetry something men can enjoy? Who are our favorite poets? Dominic reads an excellent poem of his own.
If you are enjoying listening to our Seminarian chats, please follow, like, and share our podcast with your friends!
Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew. Four Seminarians dive into the question, "Why are we here?" We talk about life before Seminary and what led us to discern a call to the priesthood.
Warning! May include excessive philosophy.