Soul Food Podcast: Recent Episodes
Pastoral Formation
Faith stories and hopes from everyday people!
Soul Food is a work of The Pastoral Formation - Mission Enhancement Team in the Diocese of Parramatta.
The Pastoral Formation team desires to walk together with Jesus, humanity and all creation into the depth of God's love.
Guided by the Spirit of God's mission we joyfully accompany others on our shared journey of faith enrichment providing opportunities for personal growth and community leadership building.
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
"Your kingdom come, your will be done 'on earth' as it is in heaven," forms part of the prayer that Jesus shared with his followers when they asked him how they should pray. It is this impetus of being collaborators in God's mission - co-missionaries in bringing about God's kingdom - that Sebastian Salaske-Lentern draws great passion for, especially within his role as Peace, Justice and Ecology (PJE) Coordinator in the Diocese of Parramatta.
In light of Laudato Si’ Week (16-24 May), Sebastian explores how ecological stewardship and broader themes of working for peace and justice in civic society, forms an integral part of faith for all baptised people. Rather than it being a "side hustle", Sebastian follows the example of Pope Francis in encouraging the faith-filled response of social action, which is informed by the interconnected issues of human dignity, care for creation and striving for justice. To encourage all listeners, he offers doable, practical suggestions as well as resources and events on how to integrate these principles in our daily life.
This podcast was created to encourage those involved or interested in the spaces that empower all people in engaging with Laudato Si’ Week as well as various questions of peace, justice and ecology. See the following for references and further links to such initiatives made in the podcast:
- Laudato Si' Week resources: https://linktr.ee/met.pje
- PJE Table Talk during Laudato Si’ Week 2024: Monday 20 May, 6pm at Glenbrook: Find out more and register at: https://tinyurl.com/laudatosi-table-talk
- Catholic Earthcare - Caritas Australia Website (a work of the Australian Catholic Bishop's Conference) - A program of Caritas Australia: https://catholicearthcare.org.au
- God in Nature - A Jesuit resource page for ecological spirituality: https://godinnature.org.au
Check out these other Peace, Justice and Ecology episodes featured on the Soul Food Podcast:
- E13 Faith and hope born from a refugee camp
- E18 A journey to knowing I am loved
- E37 In giving we receive: the mutual exchange at the core of our humanity
- E63 God, creation and greening the heart of the Church
- E65 A contemplative walk in nature (a guided mindfulness exercise)
- E66 Belonging that restores faith in humanity
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
From LIFTED experiences, to World Youth Day and the Good Friday Walk that sees hundreds of young people engaged in a life & faith – meet Eleanor Bonwick and Sebastian Duhau, key members of Catholic Youth Parramatta (CYP) led by Qwayne Guevara – the team that drives all these initiatives and more for young people in Western Sydney. In all of CYPs offerings is the underlying aim to meet young people from Western Sydney where they are, so that they may be accompanied toward their fullest potential.
Jump into the journeys of both Eleanor and Seb in this podcast, as their experience serves as both inspiration for joining CYP and motivation for the way in which they deliver youth and young adult ministry within the diocese and beyond.
This podcast was created to encourage those involved in the spaces that engage and empower young people. See the following for references and further links to such initiatives made in the podcast:
- 29 March – Good Friday Walk
- 6 April – At The Well Gathering
- 28 April – LIFTED Sports Day
- 2 May – Duc in Altum: Happy Hour
- More CYP, youth and young adult events
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “ “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
‘What is my vocation?’ is a question that Stephen Baird often revisits. So it might come to a surprise to some that the simply act of making crepes for his family in their kitchen is for him sacred ritual that keeps him grounded and in touch with what he’s on about. In similar fashion, his experience of the Christian faith and his role as a CEO serve as reminders to keep asking the question of what is his purpose in life – and how that can best be meaningfully refreshed.
This podcast was created to encourage those involved in the spaces of peace, justice and ecology. See the following for references and further links to such initiatives made in the podcast:
- International Justice Mission: https://ijm.org.au/
- St Josephine Bakhita Feast Day Mass: https://parracatholic.org/events/st-josephine-bakhita-feast-day-mass/
- Project Compassion Launch: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=793691836134546&set=a.339743858196015
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Here we are. Episode one for the new year. A short one this time around, celebrating the year that’s been and looking forward to the year ahead. Looking forward to encountering you in the space!
Experience these 2023 podcast highlights once again:
- Sally Butler Episode
- Rita Hakkoum Episode
- Phil Dulawan Episode
- Sue Martin Episode
- Christopher White Episode
Stay up to date with the Diocese of Parramatta Synod: https://parracatholic.org/synod/
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
It is wholesome to hear Christopher White describe Pope Francis as one who has recently taught him the value of having a good laugh – and at yourself, first and foremost. Equally refreshing is the way Christopher reflects on key seasons in his life, including his current role as National Catholic Reporter’s (NCR) Vatican Correspondent. Some of his reflections to date include the way he lives across the two cities of New York and Rome; his passion for crafting a good story; the movements between homecoming and adventure when it comes to his current role; and his ongoing discerning of where joy and work find fulfilling alignment.
Learning more about Christopher White: https://www.ncronline.org/authors/christopher-white
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
In this episode of Soul Food, Alison Ryan from the Mission Enhancement Team (MET) takes us through to some key “formation” experiences of synodality in our diocese to date. She reflects on the original meaning of the word “synod”, the longstanding practice of synods and synodality in the Church and the art of synodal spiritual as it's expressed today.
Keep an eye out on free online formation opportunities produced by MET: https://pfparra.org.au/
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For Rita Hakkoum, belonging restored her faith in humanity as she now calls Australia a home away from home. Her passion for advocacy, community outreach and community organising which is grounded in much of her own lived experience, let her to work for Catholic Care Social Services in the Diocese of Parramatta. Now Rita facilitates spaces of belonging, which she knows can make all the difference in someone’s sense of self and their place in the community.
Links to references in the podcast:
- Parish Refugee program: https://catholiccarewsbm.org.au/article/parish-refugee-sponsorship/
- Upcoming Catholic Care Events: https://refugeesponsorship.org.au/updates/events/
- Catholic Care: Western Sydney & Blue Mountains: https://catholiccarewsbm.org.au/
- Mamre house: https://www.facebook.com/MamreHouseandFarm/
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Sue Martin invites you to experience a contemplative walk in nature. In this mindfulness exercise, we’re invited to recognise God within – as well as God who is revealed in creation around us, whether that’s in nature or in the people we encounter each day.
References made during conversation
- Being With God in Nature Ministry: https://jisa.org.au/being-with-god-in-nature/
- Jesuit Ignatian Spirituality Australia (JISA): https://jisa.org.au/
- Universe Awakening - Anne Boyd: https://thresholds.podbean.com/e/thresholds-episode-two-with-anne-boyd/
- Eugene Stockton: https://www.hermitary.com/articles/stockton.html
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
How can we experience God’s Spirit in our life experience? For Jason Ball, he’s come discover that the God’s Spirit of affirmation can come through others encouraging us, especially during the times when he didn’t quite back himself. In fact, through hindsight, Jason has been able to recognise God walking alongside him, particularly when he felt most lonely and disconnected from others. This practice of reflecting on God’s presence in his life has allowed Jason to be more open to trusting the process in the midst of challenges and hopelessness.
Links to references made in the podcast
- Bishop Vincent on ABC (requires free sign up): https://iview.abc.net.au/video/RN2211H015S00
- Padre Pio parish men’s group: https://padrepio.org.au/
- Maronite Catholic Church – Mt Druitt: https://www.facebook.com/stjohnthebelovedchurch/
- Fr Mike Schmitz Bible In a Year: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bible-in-a-year-with-fr-mike-schmitz/id1539568321
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
As a Catholic Christian, Sue Martin describes her mission as ‘greening the heart of the Church.’ For so, otherness – that is being attentive to the other – is an invitation to be aware of God’s presence in the other. This otherness can help us recognise that God is not only in the people we encounter, but also in all of creation that surrounds and sustains us. Sue reminds us that this way of life that is other centred doesn’t mean placing one over the other – placing either people or creation in competition in our priorities. But rather, it means appreciating that the two are intimately linked and therefore call for our equal care and accompaniment.
For principles, actions and resources that invite all to care for creation inspired by Laudato Si: https://laudatosiactionplatform.org/
For more on Sue’s current role: https://jisa.org.au/blog/2020/09/14/welcome-to-sue-martin/
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Vivian & Ram share about their experiences of relationships, dating and forgiveness. Whilst they acknowledge that their relationship is an ongoing work in progress, they have come to appreciate the freedom and life that can come with sharing their own inner tensions with each other in trust.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Music Track 1: “Endless Inspiration” by Nick Petrov
Music Track 2: "Love of my Life" by Boxcat Games (From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
It’s good to be tired. Probably not we think of as an encouraging acknowledgement. That said, in a refreshing reflection shared by Alison Ryan from the Mission Enhancement Team (MET), we are invited to consider that there are different types of tiredness. Sometimes is a physical fatigue. Other times it’s a mental tiredness. And then there’s what Alison calls ‘eucharist’ tired – a deep kind of tired. What does it mean to ‘receive’ rest? If someone is receiving rest, who does the ‘giving’ and what does that mean to be a gift giver? Come on this Soul Food reflection with Alison to ponder, what does it mean to be eucharist – “the good gift”.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team (MET) wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Sometimes the recognition of our own value can be the encouragement for others to acknowledge their own value. For Pierre Ymalay, being reminded of his own dignity enabled him to be someone who empowers others, especially through his professional work of content creation and storytelling. In light of the Diocese of Parramatta Synod, he ponders how Church communities can be places that restore the dignity of others by receiving all people as they are
- Diocese of Parramatta Synod video produced by Pierre (Care Digital)
- Find out more about Care Digital
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Who are the people in your life that can connect with the expansive questions of meaning and purpose? Through the Soul Food podcast, we had the privilege to receive Marvin Madridano as one such conversation partner! As storyteller and content creator with knack for ongoing adaptive learning, we learn of some of the questions and convictions that he currently leans into. His searching finds common ground with a theme that Pope Francis has encouraged when it comes to the journey of life and faith: to remember that “reality is greater than ideas”.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Qwayne Guevara from The Mission Enhancement Team (MET) is the lead facilitator for the Parramatta Diocese Synod. Hear from Qwayne as she explains what the Synod is, how it’s an invitation for all the baptised to participate in; and how it translates to the enrichment, encouragement and empowerment in God’s mission for all the parishes in the diocese.
References in order of mentions during the conversation:
- What is a Filipino Tinikling dance
- About Sydney Alliance
- Synod Resources
- Synod Submission
Music attribution: Fragments - AERØHEAD https://soundcloud.com/aerohead
Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported — CC BY-SA 3.0
Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/al-fragments
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/O7PzeUTESAA
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Donnie from the Mission Enhancement Team (MET) shares some highlights from his recent professional development experience in Belgium. From the oldest Catholic university in the world to the theorist who came up with the Big Bang, Donnie shares about how his study experience can find translation and inspiration in ministry and pastoral settings in the space of adult faith formation.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
From snippets of her own life experience, Josephine explores the evocative power of ‘stories’. She recalls one such moment when her daughter asked a question about a homeless person they both had encountered. From her daughter’s curiosity, Josephine found a deepened appreciation in being open, present and engaged in the unique narrative behind each person's life. Such attentiveness to the story of others has also been a source of inspiration for Josephine’s ongoing commitment to different expressions of personal action in the world.
Watch Josephine’s story on Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Music Track 1: They Say by Wowa Musik https://soundcloud.com/wowamusik Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/E6LCO7SH8kA
What are the pressures, real or perceived, that we take on as our identity and sense of self? For Justine, she recollects some of the fears that make her question of whether or not she is enough. In holding the tension between what she does and who she is, Justine recognises the gift of being accompanied by others who reminds her that she is enough. She also recognises, from the stories of her Catholic Christian faith, that her ‘enoughness’ is in fact the place where the divine can come bursting into reality, affirming each of our unique place in the divine song.
Watch Justine’s story on Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Music Track 1: They Say by Wowa Musik https://soundcloud.com/wowamusik Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/E6LCO7SH8kA
This episode, Alison takes us through a reflection of becoming on the season of Pentecost. What if the Spirit of God is as close to you as your breath? This season is one of being inspired by the very Spirit that encouraged and sent Jesus to follow God's mission love - the same mission that we are also invited to embark on in everyday and ordinary ways.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team (MET) wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
In this episode of Soul Food, we’re kicking it back with Joe Oconor with a story he shared on The FaithFeed. For Joe, a search for an opportunity to assist and serve people living in poor communities led him to a surprising discovery. He hadn't expected that his decision to be among such communities would not only be a chance to make a difference for others, but be a catalyst for his own self discovery, confidence and identity.
Watch Joe’s story on YoutubeJoe refers to his sister Marie in the podcast. Listen to her full episode on Soul Food.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Music Track 1: They Say by Wowa Musik https://soundcloud.com/wowamusik Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/E6LCO7SH8kA
Both Annette and Tony Hoban are pioneers, leaders and core to the life of the faith community of St Luke’s in the Diocese of Parramatta. As a married couple and a deacon couple, they bring so much richness from their respective life & faith journeys. Their experiences have allowed them to know the value of welcome, of pastoral accompaniment; and of surprise, especially when you make the ask of God to speak into your deepest searching.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Helen Zammit is a salt-of-the-earth kind of person. She adds flavour and life to whatever community context she finds herself in. Through some early life experiences of grief and loss, Helen has nurtured the gift of holding loss and grief in the stories of others. Her gift of other-centred listening is one that embodies the life wisdom quote by the late Oscar Romero: “There are some things that can only be seen through eyes that have cried.”
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
In this episode, Alison, Rachael and Donnie from MET celebrate 50 episodes on the Soul Food podcast! On this milestone episode, the trio recall the gifts and wisdom of previous guests on the podcast, while dropping hints for what could feature in the next 50 episodes and beyond.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Baki Pesaloma is a natural community builder. He has a gift for creating human connection, building community with others through music. For Baki, music touches and reveals what’s most human and sacred in ourselves. And like God, music for Baki has and continues to be the soul friend who accompanies him through the ups and downs of life – a presence of solidarity and grace that reminds him that he is never alone.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
How can we make the ordinary extraordinary in our everyday? Or how can you and I breach the gap between faith and one’s lived reality? These are some of the questions of life, purpose and faith expression that have and continue to be at the forefront of Elizabeth McFarlane’s life. For her, through her Catholic schooling, social action and involvement with the Young Christian Students and Workers movement, she’s come to know that the heart of the Christian story calls people to encounter the mystery that touches reality in a real way, especially in community and the wider world.
Resources referenced in this podcast:
- The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho
- Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown
- Fuller context of phrase, “From Little Things, Big Things Grow”
- Young Christian Workers
- Young Christian Workers - Review of Life
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
In this episode Michael Dela Cruz traces some steps and shifts that he can now see as key foundations for where he is right now. Whilst he claims that his life is quite ordinary, Mike’s reflections hold a lot of potential encouragement, even healing, for all of us whose lives are a typical mix of ups and downs, regrets and joys. Starting with lessons from the basketball court and a fascination with Marvel studios, Mike’s talk lands in a few different parts of the world; experiences from which he shares the gradual discovering of his growing self. He builds towards a powerful architectural image that connects to the what he’s now learning as the core values for his marriage with Marie and his life as a father. This is an affirming and insightful talk that will relate to each of us in our own ways and encourage each of us as images of God.
Watch Michael's Story on Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Music Track 1: They Say by Wowa Musik https://soundcloud.com/wowamusik Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/E6LCO7SH8kA
Holy Week, the biggest week of the Christian calendar, is a journey with Jesus from Palm Sunday through to his passion, death and resurrection. In this episode, Alison reflects on the liturgies and preparations during Holy Week as a way of finding our story, with all our hopes and challenges, held in the accompanying presence of Jesus, who walks with us through death into new life.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team (MET) wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Winding through the roads of the Philippines, Marie Dela Cruz was confronted with a young girl who had survived a volcanic eruption. As their eyes met, it would spark for Marie a lifelong openness to the unexpected, leading her overseas and influencing key decisions in her life.
Watch Marie's story via Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Charbel Dib is a married man with four children who serves in the Maronite Catholic community as an ordained priest. His journey of life and faith is one of wholeness, integration and wrestling with questions of purpose and meaning. Through family foundations, soul friends and spiritual practices that helped to create space within, Charbel was able to discern key steps that led him to become more fully himself, through both his vocations of marriage and ordained priesthood.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
This episode of Soul Food is a throwback to a live story shared by Kester Rozario at The FaithFeed live studio audience. At the time when he shared this story, Kester had felt himself blaming God for the shock of what became a very different reality. Now a bit of distance from the experience, he shares the surprise of the key life pillars that emerged in that fragility, allowing him to come through to this point and to encourage the search ahead.
Watch Kester's story via Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Music Track 1: They Say by Wowa Musik https://soundcloud.com/wowamusik Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported— CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Music provided by Audio Library https://youtu.be/E6LCO7SH8kA
Music Track 2: "Love of my Life" by Boxcat Games (From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
In this episode we're joined by Rachael Kama. Rachael is the newest member of the Mission Enhancement Team - the team behind the creation of the Soul Food podcast! She is a multi-talented ministry veteran, having been immersed in community building initiatives throughout her family upbringing; and being formed through grassroots parish ministries and professional work in Lismore Diocese. Hers is a heart of servant leadership, a willingness to listen to the prompting of God's Spirit and a passion for meeting people where they're at.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
It's hard not to feel a sense of abundance and appreciation for all of life’s potential when you meet Phil Dulawan. He’s a lover of life and has a passion for bringing people and communities together. For Phil, ‘home’ is a core theme for his way of being. It underpins the way he interacts with others, how he builds relationships and what frames many of his larger-than-life questions.
As the current associate director with the Lasallian Mission Council, his particular role focuses on the human and Christian flourishing of people he works with, particularly the students in the Lasallian school network. Whether it’s at work or in wider life, Phil aspires to create spaces that feel like home, where others can find safety, flourishing and empowerment to live their best selves.
RELATED LINKS MENTIONED IN THE EPISODE
“How we gather” research: https://caspertk.wordpress.com/2015/04/18/how-we-gather-a-new-report-on-non-religious-community/
Lasallian Mission Council: https://www.delasalle.org.au/formation
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Being this far into 2023, what hope do you carry for the year ahead? In this episode, Alison shares some of her reflections for how she’s trying to keep her eyes open to surprise and goodness in her everyday. In doing so, she encourages each of us to discovery a God who is a God of surprises – a God who makes things new. Even though 2023 is well underway, Alison reminds us that today is another opportunity for us to be open to newness, goodness and God-ness in our life.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
In this podcast special, Alison Ryan from the Mission Enhancement Team shares a conversation with Sr Nathalie Becquart, the most senior woman in the Vatican. From sailing across the seas to having coffees with Pope Francis, we hear from Sr Nathalie that synodality is the practice of living in a way that sees creation and the human family as those who we are called to walk alongside with as part of the journey of being Church.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Walker draws on key moments in his life that became the foundation of some of his ‘core convictions’ – those deeply held values he discovered, which helped shape and give meaning to life. For Walker, these core convictions empowered his choice in what to study, where to work, to engage community building & develop a vision for life centred around journeying with others.
Watch Walker’s story via Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
The pillars of family, creation and career have formed Sally Butler’s mindfulness of the gift that mutuality can be. It is a gift where, borrowing from the phrase attributed to Francis of Assisi, ‘In giving we receive.’ For Sally, the way we accompany others, an exchange occurs that speaks to the natural rhythms and cycles of what it deeply means to be human.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what the Mission Enhancement Team wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
What a year 2022 has been for the Soul Food podcast journey! Join Alison and Donnie from the Mission Enhancement Team for this Soul Food 2022 season finale. Together they celebrate the stories featured on the podcast this year, as well as dropping hints for what listeners can expect from the podcast in 2023!
Alison & Donnie’s podcast picks for 2022
- E18 Paul Harris’ Soul Food Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/31nmRseSIYYeq4SvKz7nGM?si=def1d8a344be48b1
- E08 Maddy Forde’s Soul Food Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4EagRdUov30EWNq84s2nud?si=a034b4859467467d
- E24 Jo Loko’s Soul Food Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/07DwCc0TCzcyXmVYXSHxIU?si=b969dee339174abf
- E32 Mark O’Connor’s Soul Food Episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3U9txDBXRAGmc9DTsWCCOa?si=2e9f9db933b5448c
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Like many, the lead up to Christmas can be frantic. There's holiday plans, organising parties with loved ones and finalising present shopping. For Alison, who's no stranger to these experiences, this period of preparation can often be accompanied by hopes for all plans to go to perfection.
This theme of preparation in the weeks toward Christmas takes the name Advent within the Catholic Christian tradition. Just as Advent means 'to come to', Alison reflects on what this season is inviting people 'to come to'. She invites us to ponder what it means to know the God who is revealed as Emmanuel, God among us, born as a baby - a God who longs to be born within the joys and the mess of our lives each day.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Singer-songwriter Anthony Silvestrini shares a bit about what helped him remember some of his most significant life moments. Music it seemed, in particularly the songs he had written, have served as a way of cataloguing the ups and downs of his life. Interestingly, in more recent reflections, Anthony has discovered that his melodies loaded with personal memories have increasingly become channels where he can recognise God’s activity in an enlivening and personal way.
Watch Anthony’s story via Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Several years ago, Rosa Pualoa’s life changed when she said ‘yes’ to putting her career on hold and become a parent. What makes her decision particularly rare was that becoming a mother also meant supporting her sister who had been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. Rosa’s story is one of vulnerability, courage, the depth of family bonds and a powerful reminder for what we can be for each other, especially when we recognise how we can share the gift of our life with those around us.
*This podcast was recorded in the days leading up to Rosa's award ceremony on Wednesday 30th November, where she was nominated for the Admin Community Advocate award, through the Australian Admin Awards 2022. For more info, see: https://www.australianadminawards.com/2022-finalists
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
What does the baptismal call of all Christians look like? For Mark O’Connor, his life experience and formation as a Marist brother has allowed him to discover that growth in the Christian life goes hand-in-hand with growth in our fullest humanity. he articulates that our fullest humanity is best expressed in our capacity to share our lives with each other – to be self-gift is the universal Christian vocation. It is in this way that Mark sees all vocations, religious, married or lay, as mirrors of the ministry that Jesus invites his followers to embody in ordinary life.
Some of Mark's 'must try' restaurants when in Melbourne:
Jim's Greek Tavern: https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/collingwood/restaurants/jims-greek-tavern
Bamboo House: https://www.bamboohouse.com.au/
For more information on the Marist Brothers Australia, visit: http://www.maristbrothers.org.au
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Remembrance day for Alison Ryan is a day close to her heart. Generations within her family have had different levels of involvement serving in the context of war. Whilst she honours the experience of her family, she has found it difficult hold the tension with that of her own Christian pacificism and the circumstances that call for war. This puts her in touch with the theme of memory that sits at the core within the Judeo-Christian tradition.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
There is a particular joy in life that comes from otherness. It’s a gift that often comes from our openness to share our time and genuine interest in others, which in turn becomes a recognition of the gift they are to us. Taylor Coutinho has known the joy of this gift in her life. Currently, she experiences it through her active involvement with her parish community of John XXIII in Stanhope; as well as through her work with Catholic Religious Australia. It’s through such spaces that Taylor intentionally chooses to bringing the best of herself with the people she encounters.
Catholic Religious Australia: https://www.catholicreligious.org.au
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
There's so much potential in being authentically in touch with our life-giving passions. For Mary Brazell, her passions connected her to spaces of community and places of purposeful work. Her love of gaming, particular table top role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons have afforded her some of the most meaningful conversations to date. Her joy for building community and appreciating people's stories have naturally fuelled her search for careers in communication and storytelling - a search that's unfolded into her current role in the Diocese of Parramatta as a Communications Officer.
Mary Brazell's Australasian Catholic Press Association Awarded articles and other Catholic Outlook Features
- 2021's "Best Headline": https://catholicoutlook.org/move-over-manu-the-kids-are-in-the-kitchen/
- 2019's "Best News Story": https://catholicoutlook.org/granville-parish-enact-corporal-works-of-mercy-at-funeral/
- https://catholicoutlook.org/love-without-end-noel-and-honorine-mckertich/
- https://catholicoutlook.org/deacon-owen-rogers-a-gentleman-of-service/
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Whilst affirming that the experience of family may vary for different people, Karina, as someone who has recently married, acknowledges the importance of her family in shaping her identity. For Karina, knowing who you are enables an openness to the other, allowing for genuine relationships to form and develop, which creates space to ponder together the tough questions of life, faith and action in the world.
Watch Karina's story via Youtube
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Music Track: "Love of my Life" by Boxcat Games (From the Free Music Archive, CC BY 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)
Geoff Officer is a lover of history. To him, history is a great teacher of self. In pondering his own story, it is the witness of his father’s capacity for leaning into mystery and his mother’s reflective practical faith that formed the earliest foundations for Geoff’s own openness to mystery, wonder and awe. These seeds were further nurtured by his Marist schooling, accompanied by exposure to management roles across the globe.
All this life and faith experience is what Geoff brings into his leadership as Chief of Operations & Finance in the Diocese of Parramatta – a reflective earthy spirituality which always aspires to connect with the realities of the world in which God calls the Church to serve with faith, joy and love.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
Kim Chong is the Media & Community Liaison for the Columban Centre for Christian Muslim Relations (CCCMR). She is also one of the three conversation partners in The FaithFeed podcast, the spiritual predecessor of the Soul Food Podcast. Through the work of the interfaith centre led by Rev Dr Patrick McInerney, Kim combines her gift of taking interest in the other with the principles of dialogue so that she can contribute to the building of bridges across peoples with different faith and belief backgrounds. More recently, Kim's work through CCCMR, in collaboration with many of the religious groups that make up the Australian population, produced The Sydney Statement: An interfaith charter for building bridges between believers from different religions. A media launch was held at Sydney Town Hall on 11 March 2021. For more info see: https://www.thesydneystatement.org.au/
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
When you hear the word ‘vulnerability’, do you hear it as a weakness or a strength? From a Christian perspective, Alison observes that vulnerability is precisely how Jesus’ earthly life began and ended. Taking this further, Alison observes that the Jesus story as the salvation of the whole world comes through the upside-down example of an ultimate act of vulnerability on the cross. What’s something of yourself that you can share with someone that you trust as a way of being more mindful of this theme of vulnerability in your life?
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Joann Loko knows firsthand what it means to lean into the stories of the people around her. As someone who was accompanied herself by community volunteers, she now accompanies the stories and lives of others in a way the empowering way she experienced herself. Her stories offer wisdom for many faith communities and volunteer spaces on the difference that empathy, presence and simple acts of kindness can make. Here's to trust in each of our own potential to bless those we encounter day-to-day by leaning into the sacred story of their lives!
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
How are doubt and uncertainty experienced in the life and faith journey? For Phil D’Rozario, it is this movement from knowing to unknowing that describes his current expression of spirituality. Whilst not disregarding how uncomfortable this space of searching can be, Phil nevertheless describes this drive to seek out meaning and purpose as part of his next steps to rediscovering newness in his life and faith experience.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
It was from the inspiration of role models and the spirit of accompanying others in need that drew Ailsa Mackinnon to join the Sisters of Mercy. When it comes to formation and human development, she sees that the particular offering of the Sisters of Mercy is the prioritising of meeting people where they are at and empowering women, through education, toward a flourishing of life and service in the wider world. It is this message of empowerment and flourishing that Ailsa regards as timeless priorities for women, enabling them to fully participate in the mission of God’s heart.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
“If I met God face to face now, would God say, ‘I’m proud of you?’“ Kim, Francis & Donnie together ponder the question which was anonymously shared by someone in their mid 20s-40s. Drawing on their own personal experiences on their relationship with God and whether or not such a statement would be said by God. One common theme from their sharing is that perhaps it is the ‘journey’ of engaging with the question of what God would say in a face-to-face experience that says more about ourselves and our relationship with God.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
What does it mean to be called a 'disciple' of Jesus? Alison Ryan takes us on a life & faith reflection on what it means to be a disciple - a student. As disciple-students, a Christian is called to learn a particular way of being: to be a student who invites others to become students as well. Students learn. Students fail.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
James Camden is a young married family man who works as the Head of Mission Engagement in the Diocese of Parramatta. From aspiring lawyer, to journalist, television actor and youth worker, James has found his current expression of professional work through the Church. There’s a theme of ‘legacy’ that he carries through his story, from what his work through Church means for him, to what it means for his children, as well as the future of the Church. What does or can the Church look like in 20-30 years from now?
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Paul Harris is a man who knows and feels known by a God who is love. It is this relationship that forms his conviction as a gay man to joyfully live a life in faith where all are welcome. For Paul, it is God's vision that no one is excluded from love - and that all may experience life to the full.
If you’re looking for support services to accompany you as you listen to this podcast, here are some options:
- LGBT Counselling Service (QLife) on 1800 184 527
- Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) on (02) 9294 1002
- Lifeline 13 14 11
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Why is it so hard to talk about our faith & religion today? Donnie, along with conversation partners Kim Chong and Francis O’Callaghan chat about their own experiences as a response to this question.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Patty Andrew is a local wisdom figure who engages with the world with the heart of a curious learner. As both the recipient and practitioner of an integrative approach to education, she lives her life & faith attentive to the goodness and God-ness already present in the other. As a religious sister, Patty describes her Ursuline community as nurturers of a spirituality that is both contemplative and active. For her, this spirituality breathes the ever ancient, ever new universal call to holiness that has existed in the Christian story; and which is most markedly attributed to Vatican II’s call for renewal in modern times.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Meet Jane Sio who shares with us her experience of her Samoan upbringing, navigating family, school and faith. Her story of struggle and encountering community through the Mt Druitt Parish youth group provided space for her to ask real questions on purpose, empowerment of young people and her own personal spiritual journey. At the end of her podcast, Jane talks about a moment at her workplace with a surprising colleague whose conversation and faith moves her to tears.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton once said, “When we’re truly listening, we also have to anticipate that we might become changed by what we’ve heard.” On the theme of "listening", Donnie reflects on an experience whilst working from home during Covid lockdown in 2021. He invites some pondering on the learnings from this experience and how listening with “wonder” can translate into everyday conversation.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
You never know the story of the person sitting next to you until you ask. At the Mission Enhancement team, we have the privilege of knowing James Athanasius Lukere (who happens to sit next to Raimie Caramancion in the office) a fellow team member. He speaks so openly about his experience of struggle for 14 years in a refugee camp in North Uganda. This experience has shaped his hope, passion for life, and faith in God - all of which he brings his Diocese of Parramatta role as a Peace, Justice, Ecology Facilitator.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
We're featuring another special of the Soul Food podcast! It's the week of the 2nd Assembly of the Plenary Council from 3-9 July in the St Mary's Cathedral Hall, Sydney, Australia. Raimie and Donnie have collated snippets from conversations with some of the members representing us in the Diocese of Parramatta. What is the plenary process? What are the differences, challenges, positive impact and hopes for the Catholic Church in Australia? What are Raimie and Donnie's hopes for the Plenary process?
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
How is a person's character formed? How does becoming more truly human connect with becoming more whole as a Christian? How does being in touch with mind and heart influence the way we respond to others and the world around us? These are some of the questions that Br Aengus ponders, drawing from a lifetime of experience in the space of formation. For him, formation isn't solely about the imparting of knowledge or facts - sometimes referred to as the 'what' of formation. What is equally important in the formative process is the 'who' that's being nurtured.
Podcast backstory:
Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
In this 10th episode special, Donnie and Raimie take time to share and reflect on the SOUL FOOD Podcast journey. They share their recent favourite food, the mission and vision of the work they do as part of Pastoral Formation, and remember the origin of the name 'SOUL FOOD'. Donnie and Raimie share one of their favourite stories in the past 9 weeks and also some workshops they are offering in the Diocese of Parramatta. Raimie refers to Francis' story about responsibility with a story of his daughter and gluten-free food (Ep 9 2:50-4:18, 15:43-17:32). Donnie talks about his conversation with Carol particularly about a story that made her weep from someone seeing and naming a beautiful trait in her (Ep 7 04:47-06:38).
If you would like to share your story or know someone they would like to refer to feature on the SOUL FOOD Podcast, email Raimie via met@parracatholic.org
Podcast backstory:
Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
I want the Church to be vibrant, alive and full of the Spirit but where do I start?
Donnie, along with conversation partners Kim Chong and Francis O’Callaghan chat about their own experiences as a response to this question.
Conversation Partners
Kim Chong – columban.org.au
Francis O’Callaghan – parra.catholic.edu.au/About-Us
Donnie Velasco – thefaithfeedparramatta.com.au
10:38 Search Paul VI – Lumen Gentium, Chapter 2: On the People of God
13:57 Christology 101 reference – see Matthew 25:31-46
16:05 Missiologist – Prophetic Dialogue by Stephen Bevans - see ifm.org.au/resources
17:05 Teresa of Avila reference - see https://www.journeywithjesus.net/PoemsAndPrayers/Teresa_Of_Avila_Christ_Has_No_Body.shtml
22:48 Islamophobia reference - see columban.org.au/
28:17 Holy Spirit - Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC #733)
SOUL FOOD Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au or contact The FaithFeed team via www.thefaithfeedparramatta.com.au
Often you hear that ‘young people are the future of the Church.’ Through her life experience, Maddy Forde provides an example of a slightly different narrative: that young people have the capacity to be leaders in the Church here and now. Maddy attributes her formative faith leadership development to the youth ministry space. By listening to and being present to the stories of young people, she has discovered the treasured gift of mutual accompaniment. Maddy holds these experiences as influential in developing an openness to uproot, take up ministry roles interstate; and more recently to accepting an international role through the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Carol loves getting to know other people. She has had both a heart and a lifetime of experience for hospitality, spirituality and faith formation. Carol is also one of the Diocese of Parramatta representatives involved in the Plenary Council in Australia. She traces her council involvement to the common theme of listening to what the Spirit is saying through stories of significant moments in her life.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
Pastoral Formation has a new team member! From the Antioch movement, youth and young adult ministry, Scripture and study in the Holy Land, Alison Ryan brings a wealth of insight, experience and skill into the areas of pastoral theology and ministry. Learn more about her story and her particular work with pastoral councils of all levels in the Diocese of Parramatta.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
For over several decades, Len has been engaged in the ministry of spirituality and group facilitation, accompanying others in the journey of life and faith. From ministry in the education spaces with young people, to parishioners of all ages, Len brings an earthy spirituality of accompaniment that meets people where they are at, in the hope of encouraging them to be the best person they can be.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
How can I be less shy about asking questions when it comes to faith?
Donnie, along with conversation partners Kim Chong and Francis O’Callaghan chat about their own experiences as a response to this question.
Conversation Partners
Kim Chong – columban.org.au
Francis O’Callaghan – parra.catholic.edu.au/About-Us
Donnie Velasco – thefaithfeedparramatta.com.au
For Further Interest2:30 Iftar, Ramadan, inter-religious reference - see columban.org.au
7:40 St Paul reference - e.g. Meeting St Paul Today by Daniel Harrington - see ifm.org.au/resources
26:30 Youth Ministry reference - see parracatholic.org/cyp
28:05 "When vulnerability meets vulnerability" quote reference - Sure Beats Selling Cardigans by Patrick O'Sullivan - see ifm.org.au/resources
30:20 Search Jose Maria Rilke in Google
SoulFood Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
This Soul Food episode features Raimie’s story. She speaks about influential teachers, seeking peace and seeing herself as a lifelong learner. One recent passion she’s picked up is meditation as a form of prayer. Hear from Raimie’s story about her Catholic friend attending Hillsong and how she integrates practices of faith accompaniment – a style that focuses on ‘proposing’ rather than ‘imposing’.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
On this Soul Food episode, Raimie chats with Donnie. Migrant, dad (recent) and Westie (from Western Sydney) are three words that he uses to describe himself. Hear how these words are interconnected in his life & faith journey.
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au
In this pilot episode of Soul Food, we get to know Raimie, Donnie and Sr Grace! They are from Pastoral Formation - Mission Enhancement Team in the Diocese of Parramatta.
What is pastoral formation?
Why the name Soul Food?
How is pastoral formation trying to offer life & faith food for the whole person?
Listen to the trio from the team share their insights!
Podcast backstory: Over 125 people around Western Sydney & the Blue Mountains were consulted for what they wanted in a life & faith podcast. Overwhelming feedback showed interest for “people’s stories” and “everyday experiences sparking deep thought.” This is what Pastoral Formation wants to deliver through the episodes on the Soul Food podcast.
Come along with the team on this journey of storytelling, listening & discovery! Everyone has a story!
For more works by Pastoral Formation, visit www.pfparra.org.au