AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast: Recent Episodes
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Jesuits and friends come together to look at the world through Ignatian eyes, always striving to live Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam -- For the Greater Glory of God. Hosted by Mike Jordan Laskey and guest host Eric Clayton. Learn more at jesuits.org. A production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
a special -edition series of 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/vb
Think about your favorite movie. What is it? Get it in your head. Now think about what happens when you’re at a party or out at a bar and you encounter someone else who loves that movie. You start talking about it, right? You’re so excited to meet another fan, to find something you have in common: this shared story. To those listening in on your conversation, it probably sounds like you’re speaking in code, lost in jargon that is hyper specific to characters and places and plots that seem worlds away from daily life. There’s a certain joy in finding your people like this; it builds instant community.But what it also does it create insiders and outsiders; those who know the story, and those who don’t. And listen—at a micro level, it doesn’t really matter. You might chat about that favorite movie for a while but then the conversation moves on, other people cycle in and out. All is well.Except, what if this happens at a macro level? What if there are folks who never get a chance to cycle into the conversation, who are forever on the outside—and who are made to feel dumb and insignificant as a result? That’s what we’re talking about it—and it’s why this conversation is able to begin in speculative fiction and end in our Gospel call to visit those who are in prison. It’s what gets today’s guest, Dr. Sonya Cronin, out of bed in the morning. Dr. Cronin is a wonderful conversationalist. She teaches classes in the Department of Religion at Florida State University, ranging from Hebrew Scripture to science fiction. She’s also the program leader for FSU’s international programs. But where this connection between storytelling and justice really comes alive is in her work as executive director of the Carrier Pigeon Post, a nonprofit created to restore hope to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals through stories and education. They do this primarily by publishing and distributing a free newspaper that’s full of stories, meant to encourage cultural competency and cultural literacy through narrative-inspired imagination. If you want to learn more about Carrier Pigeon Post—and I promise you, you will—visit carrierpigeonpost.org.
a special -edition series of 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
a special-edition series of 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Today’s guest is a fable hunter. Fr. Greg Carlson has traveled the world, rummaging through old book stores, flea markets and the like to track down ancient manuscripts, forgotten illustrations and everything in between all for the love of fables. He’s done this for decades, even waging battles at online auctions, to amass a preeminent collection of fables that has become the Carlson Fable Collection at Creighton University. What was once a personal hobby evolved into an academic career. But Aesop isn’t the only wisdom figure with whom Fr. Carlson is well acquainted.Fr. Carlson is a Jesuit priest, and so for him, finding God in fables comes as second nature. He sees Jesus as a master storyteller — and one whom we may better understand after having developed a deeper appreciation for the wonder of fables. As you’ll soon hear, Fr. Carlson defines a fable as a “past-tense short narrative inviting a hearer or reader to perceive something about living life.” That’s not so far off from the sorts of parables Jesus told. In fact, developing our own ability to perceive life more intimately, more deeply, more intentionally — this is a great spiritual gift. And so, we're excited to share today’s conversation. Fr. Greg Carlson is a wonderful storyteller and teacher, and if you’d like to hear more from him, you can visit JesuitMediaLab.org where he’s written a reflection to further illuminate some of the points he makes on this episode. You can also get in touch with him and learn more about the collection and a booklet that he has published on this very topic.The collection is viewable online at both https://creightonarchives.omeka.net/s/carlson-fables-collection/page/home and https://www.creighton.edu/aesop
On July 1, 2026, Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 90 more. More weapons were used in the attack than in any other barrage of the city since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It was just another reminder that while this war has faded from the headlines, it continues to ravage families and communities. It is the deadliest war in Europe since World War II. The Jesuit network in Europe has been responding to the needs of displaced Ukrainians and the receiving countries taking in refugees since the full-scale invasion began. Our guest today is Fr. Alberto Ares, a Spanish Jesuit based in Brussels who has served as the director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Europe since 2021. JRS Europe coordinates work in more than twenty countries with over 8,000 professionals and volunteers. Each year these teams accompany more than 200,000 refugees and migrants, in work that combines political advocacy with European institutions and direct accompaniment on the ground. Fr. Ares is a scholar-practitioner who has worked with migrant communities around the world for decades, so host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about what he has learned leading JRS Europe during the war and how the Jesuit community has been putting their faith into action alongside some of the most vulnerable people in the world. It was a difficult conversation but deeply moving and inspiring. And it was an important reminder to not forget about this humanitarian crisis even when so much of the world seems to have moved on. Fr. Alberto Ares, SJ: https://jrseurope.org/en/news/alberto-ares-new-regional-director-at-jrs-europe/ JRS Europe: https://jrseurope.org/en/home/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Today’s guest, Dr. Chase Mitchell, is an associate professor of media and communications at East Tennessee State University, where he teaches courses in multimedia production and media theory. He’s also a recent convert to Catholicism, having entered the Church this past Divine Mercy Sunday. Host Eric Clayton has been talking with Chase for a few months now about the role Ignatian spirituality and media ecology played in his own discernment to become a Catholic. It’s a fascinating story—and one he’s written about, both for Jesuits.org and the Jesuit Media Lab. On media and its effects on our society, Chase writes: “In an age of total mediation, [that is, our lived experience is fully affected by media] the task is no longer simply to analyze environments but to discern within them — to recognize where Christ is present, where the spirits are at work and where one is being called to respond. Media ecology, in this light, becomes not only a theory of communication, but a pedagogy of attention ordered toward love.” We knew a conversation with Chase on the pod would be a valuable one—and we weren’t wrong. If you’re interested in reading more of Chase’s work, check out the links below.On Chase’s journey to Catholicism: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/39-years-364-days-and-gods-merciful-grace-a-spiritual-autobiography/ On Ignatian spirituality and media ecology: https://jesuitmedialab.org/from-environment-to-encounter-toward-an-ignatian-media-ecology/
: https://bookshop.org/p/books/american-hope-what-pope-leo-xiv-means-for-the-church-and-world-christopher-lamb/add13c5382df6666?ean=9781035440573
Practice at Durham University in the United Kingdom. At the press conference, she delivered a stirring 10-minute address on how the encyclical offers the church and the world valuable insights into protecting human dignity and the common good in these uncertain times. Professor Rowlands is no stranger to the Vatican. In fact, she was involved in one of these press conference panels for the release of Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli tutti, and she has been involved in leading the Synod on Synodality process since 2023. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about the press conference itself and how she decided on what she wanted to say in her address. They also talked about how the encyclical has been received and the material in the letter she finds most compelling. Mike also asked her to respond to one of his favorite critiques of the encyclical and of what generative AI is doing to our brains and souls. It was a wide-ranging conversation and we’re sure you’ll see why we think Professor Rowlands is one of the deepest and most brilliant thinkers you could ever hope to meet.Professor Anna Rowlands: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/anna-rowlands/Her full speech at the encyclical launch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dqapjl7m7V8The encyclical critique discussed: https://hedgehogreview.com/web-features/thr/posts/should-the-lion-lie-down-with-the-electric-lambAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
If you know anything about Jesuit formation, you probably know that it takes a long time: two years for novitiate, three years for first studies, three more of regency, and then two or more years of theology studies and then—if a Jesuit has discern the priesthood—ordination. On average, a Jesuit is looking at ten to twelve years before becoming a priest!So, formation takes a long time. But then, once you’re a priest, you’re all set, right? Wrong! There’s another stage of Jesuit formation called tertianship. This is a stage of renewal and recommitment, a period of time that happens years after ordination when a Jesuit returns to some of the foundational documents and experiences of Jesuit life. The Jesuit makes the Spiritual Exercises again, prays with the Constitutions and more. Tertianship takes a Jesuit out of their usual routines, often for an extended period of time, and prepares them for final vows. Tertianship has always been a little mysterious, for host Eric Clayton, at least. That’s why he was so excited to talk to his friend, Fr. Andrew Laguna, who just returned from his tertianship in Salamanca, Spain. And that’s the conversation you’re about to hear today. Andrew breaks down what tertianship is, why it’s important, what graces he experienced while there and, ultimately, why it matters for all of us, whether we’re Jesuits or not. Whether you’re interested in Jesuit life or formation or just want to hear from a wise Jesuit priest eager to share about how God is at work in his own vocation, you won’t want to miss this conversation.
The cultivation of mission and identity is pivotal to any mission-driven organization. It gets to not only the why of the work, but also the larger context, the history and the people. A shared mission can sustain work across time zones and languages and varied socio-political contexts. Understanding the mission of an organization — how it’s been interpreted and applied and lived out of — is crucial to that organization’s continued success. It’s more than a common language; it’s a shared lifeblood. Jesuit institutions take mission and identity work seriously. You see offices for mission and Jesuit colleges and universities; you meet mission officers in Jesuit apostolates the world over. These are the folks who help you not only remember Latin words like cura personalis; these are the folks who help you understand how to live it out in your particular context based on your particular skills.Mark Dushel stands in the long, storied legacy of Ignatian collaborators entrusted with passing on our Jesuit mission and charism. But Mark has been given a unique role through which to do so. He is the newly minted director of Ignatian Mission and Faith Formation for three different yet interrelated schools in Baltimore, MD: Cristo Rey Jesuit High School, St. Ignatius Loyola Academy and The Loyola School. These schools — all founded by Jesuit priest, Fr. Bill Watters, over the course of several decades — allow children from as early as two years old all the way through high school to pursue a tuition-free Jesuit education. The mission is critical and has been bearing fruit for generations. Mark, for his part, comes to this work well-prepared. He has a Master’s in theology and ministry from Boston College — where he first encountered the Jesuits — and served in campus ministry at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia and later at Loyola University Maryland. He began his work as director for mission in 2025. There’s a lot we can learn from Mark’s work, from his collaboration across schools to his efforts to introduce the Ignatian charism to children as young as two to the accompaniment his mission-centered role means for the families of his students. That’s why today's host Eric was excited to talk with Mark — and why we know you will enjoy this conversation. Read more about Mark's work here: https://loyolaschoolbaltimore.org/mark-dushel-is-serving-three-jesuit-schools-in-baltimore/
Welcome to the third season — and the final episode — of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood” — a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and we wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks with Shane Liesegang. Shane is a Jesuit of the US West province. Shane’s Jesuit formation has brought him around the world including to Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Syria with the Jesuit Refugee Service, as well as to the Philippines where he was ordained a deacon.As you listen to Shane’s stories and reflections, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
It’s commencement season. Graduates are preparing to step into a new chapter of their lives, to leave familiar faces and places behind and chart a new path. And perhaps one of the most iconic moments of graduation is the commencement speech: a few moments of reflection, inspiration and encouragement before crossing one of life’s many thresholds. Many of us have heard a commencement speech or two in our lives; many of us may have even heard such an address given at a Jesuit institution. But how many of us remember those addresses? More importantly, how many of us continue to live our lives informed by the best hopes and values and encouragement that such an address intends to convey? For many of us, as the daily grind of life churns ever onward, those words fade and are forgotten.That was the worry, at least, of our guests today. Two longtime veterans of Jesuit higher education, Patrick Furlong and Marissa Papula want us to remember what it means to go out and into the world intent in setting it aflame with the fire of the Holy Spirit. Patrick is the director of the Pam Rector Center for Service and Action at—and a two time alum of—Loyola Marymount University. Marissa Papula is now the director of development for Discerning Deacons but spent more than a decade in Jesuit higher education. And they’re here today to offer all of us a commencement address of sorts. Before we get to it, before they share prepared remarks, we wanted to sit down and get to them a little bit, to hear about their journeys and why this time of year is important. So, you’ll hear that first. Then, stay tuned for their full commencement address, words to inspire each of us no matter how far out from a graduation we may be.
Welcome to the third season of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks with Daniel Mascarenhas. Daniel is a Jesuit of the US West province. Originally from Goa, India, Daniel’s Jesuit formation has brought him to the L’Arche community in Tacoma, WA, to Jesuit High School Sacramento and to St. Columbkille Parish in Brighton, MA, where he is finishing his time as a deacon.As you listen to Daniel’s stories and reflections, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
You might remember the Jesuits of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministry. They have a podcast that we’ve aired episodes of on this very channel. Every week for ten seasons now, Fr. Brian Strassburger the director of the ministry, and Joe Nolla, a Jesuit regent, have been dropping us into their work, sharing with us stories from the US-Mexico border, helping us understand the nuances and lived reality of immigration policies and hosting an array of impressive guests who research, write about or work with immigrant communities. Well, today’s a special episode: Joe Nolla is wrapping up regency and heading to Paris, France to begin theology studies—the next and final stage in Jesuit formation before ordination to the priesthood. So, Brian asked AMDG host Eric Clayton if he’d do a sort of exit interview for Joe as a bonus episode of the podcast. And now we’re airing that episode here for you.It’s a great conversation. Joe’s reflections and experiences give insight into Jesuit formation, Jesuit ministry and the ongoing needs that Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministry is trying to meet in and around Brownsville, Texas.We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you want to learn more, visit delcamino.org.
Welcome to the third season of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks with Jake Braithwaite. Jake is a Jesuit of the US East province. Originally from Villanova, PA, Jake’s Jesuit formation has brought him to Brooklyn Jesuit Prep where he staged liturgical readings as short plays and slam poetry and to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center where he taught a class on the Old Testament prophets.As you listen to Jake’s stories and reflections, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
Last summer, the Vatican hosted a big meeting of what it called “digital missionaries and Catholic influencers.” Host Mike Jordan Laskey admits he felt a little queasy when he saw this advertised. It’s not that he’s a Luddite and totally against the internet; we come to you via the internet every week. But there was something about the institutional church gathering and promoting influencers that just didn’t sit well with Mike. To unpack this overall dis-ease with faith-based influencer culture, Mike called up a scholar who studies this exact topic. Dr. Kristin Peterson is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Boston College, where she teaches courses related to the intersections of media and religion. She’s also the author of a 2022 book titled “Unruly Souls: The Digital Activism of Muslim and Christian Feminists.” Mike asked her about the phenomenon of social media influencers in general and how religious folks have tapped into that trend. They also talked about some of the reasons behind the rise of influencers and what advice she might give to Pope Leo about the dangers and opportunities of encouraging Catholics to take their faith online.Kristin Peterson, Ph.D.: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/communication/people/faculty-directory/kristin-peterson.html 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to the third season of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood this coming June. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks Bryan Galligan and Dan Finucane. Dan is a Jesuit of the US Central Southern Province. His Jesuit formation has taken him on a weeklong pilgrimage to Rome for the Synod on Synodality, to Belize, where he accompanied prisoners and to St. Patrick’s Church in West Oakland, California, as both a choir member and a deacon. Bryan is a Jesuit of the US East Province. His Jesuit formation has brought him to the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, small-scale farming and fishing communities in eastern and southern Africa and to the United Nations. As you listen to these stories and reflections from Bryan and Dan, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
What words would you use to describe the American healthcare system?Here are a few:Broken. In need of healing. Confusing. Centered on making money. Enormous. Stressful. But also: full of compassionate professionals. Full of potential. Our guest today would probably agree with these words. He might also add that our healthcare system is a privileged place to find God. The Jesuit priest Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ, is a scholar and professor of public health at Loyola University Chicago. He has a brand-new book out, which is titled “Growing Our Moral Imagination: Approaching Health Care with a New Faith-Based Vision.” It’s published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. The book combines elements of memoir, theological reflection, storytelling and commentary on health care challenges. And perhaps the most interesting part of the volume is how in each chapter, Fr. Rozier reimagines one of Jesus’ parables from the Gospels and applies it to healthcare issues today. This approach leads to chapters in the book with titles like “The Good Death of Lazarus,” “The Demons of Anxiety and Fear,” and the “Public Health Samaritan.”It’s a fascinating read that host Mike Jordan Laskey can’t wait to recommend to the Catholic healthcare professionals he knows. It’s also a compelling read for anyone of faith who’s ever interacted with the healthcare system at all, which means pretty much all of us. You’ll love to hear Fr. Rozier’s passion for public health and the healing ministry of Jesus throughout our wide-ranging conversation.Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ: https://www.luc.edu/parkinson/ourpeople/facultystaffprofiles/michaelroziersj.shtml“Growing Our Moral Imagination”: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54073/growing-our-moral-imaginationAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to the third season of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination. On this episode, Eric talks with Nathan Krawetzke. Nathan is a Jesuit of the Midwest province. Originally from Erie, Michigan, Nathan’s Jesuit formation has brought him to the Red Cloud Indian School, to Hekima University in Nairobi, Kenya and on a variety of backpacking trips across the United States.As you listen to Nathan’s stories and reflections, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
newsletter: https://www.noexpectations.fyi/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
There’s an old Latin saying about some of the famous male founders of religious orders. In translation, it goes like this: “Bernard loved the valleys; Benedict loved the mountains; Francis the towns; Ignatius loved great cities.” So it’s probably no surprise that in the U.S., no city has more Jesuit schools than New York, which has nine total across all the educational levels. Our guest today, James Kennedy, is an alum of one of these schools – Regis High School, where he also taught and led fundraising efforts – and the current president of another. James is in his third year leading Brooklyn Jesuit Prep, which is a middle school serving low-income families of diverse races, ethnicities and faiths in the East Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. BJP currently serves 100 students, both boys and girls, in grades 5 through 8. The entire student population is composed of students of color and 74% of them are either immigrants or first-generation Americans. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked James to talk about the school’s history and what makes it a special place. James also discussed how anti-immigrant polices and attitudes across our country today are affecting the BJP community and how they’re responding. It was a fascinating conversation about both Brooklyn Jesuit Prep and urban pre-secondary education more broadly. You’ll be struck by James’ passion and depth of insight.Brooklyn Jesuit Prep: https://www.brooklynjesuit.org/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
J.R.R. Tolkien is considered by many to be the father of modern fantasy. The vast world he created in Middle-earth is full of elves and orcs, magic and mystery, lore and legend, and more than a few pieces of troublesome jewelry. In addition to “The Lord of the Rings,” “The Hobbit” and “The Silmarillion,” Tolkien left a trove of hand-drawn maps and scribbled notes and half-started plotlines that have enchanted both casual reader and literary scholar alike.It is well-known, too, that Tolkien was a serious Catholic; his faith inevitably affected his work. But unlike his contemporary, C.S. Lewis — the master and maker of other fantastical lands, most notably Narnia — Tolkien was loathe to thrust upon the reader his own allegorical message. He wanted readers to find their own way and their own meaning in his words.All to say, Tolkien was still a man of profound faith. His Catholic imagination was still very much alive and well as he peopled Middle-earth, as he wove in themes of hope and redemption and mercy. The reader is not forced to adhere to a Catholic worldview while engaging Tolkiens’ writing; but for a Catholic — or Christian — with a desire to see it, there are spiritual insights to mine that can inform the workings of a Catholic life. That is what Kaitlyn Facista set out to do in her new book from Ave Maria Press, “Into the Heart of Middle-Earth: Exploring Faith and Fellowship in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.” And she’s well equipped to do it — she’s the founder of the online community Tea with Tolkien.She’s our guest today. In our conversation — and in her book — Kaitlyn ferrets out key spiritual themes of Tolkien’s life and work and offers them to us for our own reflection. If you’re a fan of Tolkien, fantasy or just interested in applying a Catholic imagination to pop culture and literature, you’re going to enjoy today’s conversation.If you’re interested in learning more about the book or Tea with Tolkien, check out the links below:Tea with Tolkien: https://www.teawithtolkien.com/Get the book: https://www.avemariapress.com/products/into-the-heart-of-middle-earth?srsltid=AfmBOoqAaxWrmwgG-H2PdFx4yAQPaK7eevhX5A_lyuvESJ8EKhXyHUkJ
In December 2020, after the journalist Liz Bruenig witnessed an execution for the first time, she threw up on the pavement outside the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. “The idea of execution promises catharsis,” she wrote in The New York Times after the experience. “The reality of it delivers the opposite, a nauseating sense of shame and regret.”That initial experience of witnessing the death of a man named Alfred Bourgeois led Liz to what has now become a yearslong journalistic project of covering capital punishment in America. Most of her writing on the subject has appeared in The Atlantic Magazine, where Liz is a staff writer. She was a finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for this work. Host Mike Jordan Laskey has been a fan of Liz’s work since the beginning of her career, and I was excited to ask her about her reporting and other topics she has covered for the magazine, which include vaccinations and the relationship between Pope Leo XIV and the US government. In addition to being a renowned journalist, Liz is an adult convert to Catholicism, which she recently wrote about in another Atlantic article. If you haven’t come across her work before, this conversation will give you a good sense of the depth of her intellect and compassion.Liz Bruenig at the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/elizabeth-bruenig/ Liz’s essay about the first execution she witnessed: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/17/opinion/federal-executions-trump-alfred-bourgeois.htmlAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Here’s a fun lawyer joke: Why does New Jersey have so many toxic waste dumps and Washington, DC have so many lawyers? Because New Jersey got the first pick.The stereotype about dishonest, soulless, ambulance-chasing lawyers who put their own wallets ahead of the needs of their clients might have some basis in reality. But the legal profession can be a great way to promote justice and work for the common good. This episode’s guest is one of these sorts of lawyers who has dedicated his whole career to making the world a more just place. Kevin Walsh is the former acting state comptroller for the state of New Jersey. In that role, to which he was appointed by Governor Phil Murphy, Kevin’s job was to lead a team that investigated fraud and abuse within government systems and government-funded programs. Before that job, Kevin led a public interest nonprofit that fought for the construction of more affordable housing in the state. And while doing that job, he was one of the lawyers who spearheaded the successful movement to get rid of the death penalty in New Jersey. Kevin’s Jesuit connection is that he is a proud alumnus of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. After his first year of law school, he took a year off to serve with JVC in Richmond, Virginia, where he worked as a volunteer with legal aid. His experience that year set him on his path of using a legal career for public service, work he’s now been at for more than a quarter century.Host Mike Jordan Laskey first met Kevin when Mike worked for the Diocese of Camden in southern New Jersey, where Kevin served on the board of the local Catholic Charities agency and on a bunch of other committees. And as Kevin just finished his term working as a state government watchdog, Mike wanted to ask him about the experience and if fraud and corruption in government are as bad as they sometimes seem. Mike also asked him to reflect on the other good fights he’s been part of as an attorney. Kevin’s doggedness and total commitment to using the law for the public interest are hugely inspiring, and we think you’ll notice his passion and energy come through clearly throughout the interview.More about Kevin Walsh: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/10/12/kevin-walsh-new-jersey-political-class-00181187AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/Programming note: Two Jesuits Talking will now appear on its own dedicated feed: https://open.spotify.com/show/4pynrnM6MPZBWANbpkOyfa
A conversation that begins with Girl Scout Cookies and sweet cereal slowly finds its way to something deeper: what home really means. Father Damian and Father Eric reflect on hometowns, family houses, Jesuit communities and the places that shaped them,, while wondering how those places still live in them. Somewhere between nostalgia, laughter and prayer, this episode asks a tender question: Where is the place, or who is the presence, that lets you breathe differently and be fully at rest?About the show:Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed.You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/societyofjesusTwo Jesuits Talking is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Learn more: jesuitmedialab.org/
to the surface, and we’re not just talking about giving up chocolate. Father Damian and Father Eric share stories about family, adoption, commitment and the quiet ways love asks something of us over time. From the Eucharist to everyday relationships, this conversation leans into a simple truth: Real love always costs something, and that’s precisely what makes it sacred.About the show:Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed.You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/societyofjesusTwo Jesuits Talking is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Learn more: jesuitmedialab.org/
With this episode, we’re starting a two-week miniseries featuring Catholic scientists. Today, our guest is with Deacon Matthew Pinson, SJ. Matthew is studying theology at Boston College as part of his Jesuit formation, but it’s the not the first time he has gone to school in the greater Boston area. Matthew has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from MIT, which he earned before entering the Society of Jesus. Originally from Australia and a member of the Australian province of the Jesuits, host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Matthew to share a bit about his life journey and how faith and science live in harmony for him. And be sure to tune in next week for Mike’s conversation with a Catholic chemist who told him something about water he’ll be telling everyone in his life over the next month.More about Matthew Pinson: https://melbournecatholic.org/news/star-struck-matthew-pinson-sj-on-how-science-and-wonder-can-deepen-our-faithAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Gymnastics. Theater. Sacraments. Muscle memory. Fathers Eric and Damian talk about the body, not as something separate from faith, but as the place where faith actually happens. Movement, gesture, breath, touch: Our bodies preach, pray and remember. Grace isn’t abstract. It’s embodied.About the show:Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed.You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/societyofjesusTwo Jesuits Talking is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Learn more: jesuitmedialab.org/
There is a new book out from Ave Maria Press. It’s called “A Book of Everyday Blessings”—and today’s host, Eric Clayton, was eager to get his hands on it. He knew this would be one of those books to reach for time and again to begin a meeting, to ground a retreat, to start moments of personal prayer. It’s just full of beautiful, nuanced and poignant blessings for every moment of life. Eric was so excited about it that he wanted to learn more about the author, Christine Valters Paintner. In his research, he discovered that she is the online abbess for the Abbey of the Arts. He poked around the website, abbeyofthearts.com, and found in so many ways the workings of a kindred spirit. Here was someone—a whole community of someones—who cared deeply about the intersection of creativity and spirituality. But where we at the Jesuit Media Lab approach these questions through the lens of the Ignatian tradition, the Abbey of the Arts and its abbess, Christine Paintner, approach these questions and the journey they beget through the monastic tradition. Eric knew he had to talk to her. And in reaching out, he came to learn that—not only is she Jesuit educated, with degrees from Fordham and Santa Clara, among many other credentials—but she has written a library worth of books including, “The Artist’s Rule: Nurturing Your Creative Soul with Monastic Wisdom.” They had a really delightful conversation. For those of you who—like all of us at the Jesuit Media Lab—live at this intersection of creativity and spirituality, we believe you’ll find the integration of another spiritual tradition helpful. Abbey of the Arts: https://abbeyofthearts.com/A Book of Everyday Blessings: https://www.avemariapress.com/products/a-book-of-everyday-blessingsThe Artist’s Rule: https://www.avemariapress.com/products/The-Artists-Rule
Friendship is not accidental in Jesuit life; it’s foundational. Fr. Eric and Fr. Damian reflect on trust, vulnerability and the risk of being known, and how real friendship shapes ministry and discipleship. Grounded in Jesus’ own invitation to friendship, this conversation explores how human relationships can quietly mirror divine love.About the show: Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed.You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/societyofjesusTwo Jesuits Talking is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Learn more: jesuitmedialab.org/
With more than 120 Jesuit high schools and universities in the US and Canada, it’s no surprise education is what the Society of Jesus is best known for in our part of the world. And listeners to AMDG might be familiar with newer educational initiatives that have Jesuit roots, like the Cristo Rey Network of high schools or MiguelNativity presecondary schools or the relatively new handful of two-year colleges growing out of Jesuit universities. These last three initiatives were designed to serve students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. If you head to Central and South America, you’ll find yet another innovative Jesuit-rooted approach to education that has been growing and transforming lives for more than 70 years: Fe y Alegría, which is Spanish for Faith and Joy, is an international education movement that was founded in Caracas, Venezuela in 1955 by a Jesuit named Fr. José María Vélaz. Today, the network is working in more than 20 countries in Latin America, Africa and Europe, and its mission is to provide quality education to people living in poverty and on the margins. Fe y Alegría serves well over a million students through schools, vocational training programs, and community education initiatives, all rooted in a commitment to human dignity.Fr. Marco Gómez, SJ, is the national director of Fe y Alegria in Panama. He joined host Mike Jordan Laskey for an interview during a recent speaking tour of the United States. Fr. Marco talked about his background and the important work Fe y Alegría is doing in Panama, where it is serving young people who are facing extremely difficult living situations. As American foreign and domestic policy decisions can have an impact on the lives of our neighbors here in this hemisphere, especially those who are already struggling with poverty and violence, we hope you’ll find it both enlightening and challenging to hear Fr. Marco’s perspective from his vantage point in Central America. And we hope you’ll learn that Fe y Alegría movement is doing work all Jesuits and Catholics should be proud of, no matter where you live in the world.Fe y Alegría: https://www.feyalegria.org/en/home-fya-international/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Every life has a soundtrack. Fathers Eric and Damian swap stories about the music that formed them, the songs that carried faith, doubt, longing and joy. Along the way, they wrestle with sacred versus secular, passive listening versus real attention, and why music so often becomes prayer before we even realize it.About the show:Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed.You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/societyofjesusTwo Jesuits Talking is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Learn more: https://jesuitmedialab.org/
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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Two Jesuits. Real life. Real faith. Today's episode: Nighttime! There’s something about nighttime that loosens the soul. In the quiet, defenses drop, memories surface and prayer shifts. Fr. Eric and Fr. Damian talk honestly about being night owls, about what darkness reveals, and about how surrender often happens when everything else goes still. The night isn’t empty, it’s inhabited.About the show: Two Jesuits Talking is a Catholic podcast hosted by Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, and Fr. Damian Torres-Botello, SJ. Through candid, unscripted conversations, they explore Ignatian spirituality, Catholic life, ministry, culture, prayer and the everyday questions that shape modern faith.This isn’t a lecture. It’s not a debate show. It’s two Jesuit priests talking honestly about what it means to follow Jesus today, with humor, depth and real friendship.Whether you're a practicing Catholic, spiritually curious, returning to the Church, or just interested in authentic conversations about faith, you're welcome here.During Lent, Two Jesuits Talking episodes will appear here on the AMDG feed every Saturday. After Easter, we'll move the show onto its own dedicated feed. You can also watch episodes of the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/societyofjesus
In the life of a Catholic, there are set times when we pray for and with the Pope. At Mass, during the prayers of the faithful, for example. There’s that one bead on the rosary where we say an Our Father for the pope’s intentions. There are feast days when we are called to hold the pope in prayer in a special way. But often, these calls to prayer can feel rote, distant, hasty. What if there’s another way to pray with the pope? What if you could know exactly what the pope’s prayer intention was for any given month? What if this invitation to prayer was one of depth, intimacy and an ongoing encounter with Christ? You may be familiar with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network. You may even know it by an older name: the Apostleship of Prayer. Under Pope Francis, this Jesuit apostolate took on a renewed mission, becoming a Pontifical Work — still entrusted to the Society of Jesus — and shared ever more widely through digital media and the pope videos. Now, under Pope Leo, the work continues. As you’ll hear from today’s guest, Fr. Cristóbal Fones, a Chilean Jesuit who now serves as the international director, Pope Leo is excited and eager to get the word out about this unique network of prayer. This isn’t just about reciting Our Fathers and Hail Marys — though that’s important. This is about uniting our hearts to the suffering Christ so present in our world. This is about practicing a spirituality that is concerned for those who are suffering by lifting up and naming specific instances of need around the world.Fr. Cristóbal was a great guest; we had a really engaging conversation not only about the Pope’s Worldwide Network, but about the nature of prayer and the hopes of this American pope. Learn more about the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network by visiting the global site: popesprayer.va. And the North American site: popesprayerusa.net.
t=1s After Easter, our plan is to move Two Jesuits Talking over onto its own audio feed, but you don’t have to worry about that for now. We’ll let you know when that happens and where to find it. In the meantime, during Lent, enjoy getting to know Fr. Eric and Fr. Damian a little bit, and I think you’ll find out quickly why they’re two of our favorite Jesuits around.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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
in your inbox every weekday in Lent by subscribing for free here: https://mailchi.mp/jesuits/in-praise-ofCameron Bellm: https://www.cameronbellm.com/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
p=10599707AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Today’s guest is no stranger to the AMDG podcast. Fr. James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America Media. His newest book, “Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool and Priest” is now available. In it, Fr. Martin details his own experience of summer jobs — how they shaped him, what they taught him, who crossed his path as a result of them and how he found God dwelling within them. It’s a memoir that is both funny and poignant, and it’s a wonderful invitation for each of us to reflect more deeply upon our own lives. You can get Fr. Martin’s new book wherever books are sold, and you can read an excerpt over at America Magazine:https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2026/01/15/james-martin-lessons-from-mowing-lawns-riding-bikes-and-a-fateful-walk-to-school/ https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/jamesmartin
As Catholics formed in the Ignatian tradition, we are called to welcome the stranger, to care for our neighbor and to respect one another as we answer our inherent call to live in community. Nowhere is this more needed today than the streets of Minnesota. So, to better help us understand both what is happening in Minnesota and how the Gospel calls us to respond, we called Fr. R.J. Fichtinger, SJ, who is the pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Community, the Jesuit parish in the Twin Cities. Fr. Fichtinger offers a number of resources for our discernment. Check out these links: •Learn about and support the work of St. Thomas More Catholic Community: https://www.morecommunity.org/ •Read Archbishop Hebda’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/we-need-comprehensive-immigration-reform-now-88791d35 •Read more about Fr. Fichtinger in this America Magazine article: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/dispatches/2026/01/26/minneapolis-pastors-alex-pretti-ice-killing/ •Subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast to learn more about how Jesuits are accompanying migrants: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesuit-border-podcast/id1593208023
You might have read or thought about how the rise of artificial intelligence is affecting the economy or higher education or medicine or pretty much any other area of life. Our guest today has been focusing on an intersection you might not have thought about yet. Father Phil Ganir has been spending time recently writing and teaching about AI’s impact on liturgy and sacred music. An assistant professor of religious education at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Fr. Phil focuses on liturgical theology and music among other subject areas. He’s also one of the very best singers you could ever hear. Host Mike Jordan Laskey was excited to welcome Fr. Phil onto the show to reflect on how artificial intelligence is already affecting the prayer and worship of the church, and how its impact could continue to grow. They also talked about what liturgy and sacred music claim and reveal about the nature of the human person, and how there are some human activities that computers will never be able to replace or take away. It was a fascinating conversation with a fabulous scholar and practitioner who is responding to Pope Leo’s call to wrestle with big questions about technology and humanity facing all of us today.Fr. Phil Ganir, SJ: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/phillip-ganir.htmlAn article on a recent talk by Fr. Phil: https://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=201316AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Last year, Pope Leo XIV published an apostolic letter called “Drawing New Maps of Hope.” (This is not to be confused with his apostolic exhortation on poverty called “Dilexi te.” There are lots of types of papal writings and it’s tough to keep them all straight.)Anyway, “Drawing New Maps of Hope” was all about Catholic education, and the letter itself was released to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Vatican II declaration on education called “Gravissimum educationis.” It seemed like a good time to talk to an expert on primary and secondary Catholic education and find out how things are going in today’s environment. How do Catholic schools stand out in a crowded marketplace? How do we keep energy going even when some Catholic schools especially in the northeast and the Midwest have been forced to merge or close?So host Mike Jordan Laskey got his old college friend Dr. Michael O’Connor on the line, who serves as Program Director of Outreach and Professional Development at Boston College’s Roche Center for Catholic Education. That essentially means Michael spends most of his time working with faculty and administration at partner Catholic schools and dioceses around the country, helping them live their mission even more deeply. Anyone interested in the present and future of Catholic education in the U.S. will enjoy hearing Michael’s reaction to the new letter from Pope Leo and how Catholic schools are responding to our challenging times with creativity and boldness. Pope Leo XIV’s “Drawing New Maps of Hope” apostolic letter: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_letters/documents/20251027-disegnare-nuove-mappe.html Learn more about Michael O’Connor, Ph.D., on the Roche Center staff page: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/sites/roche/About/Bios.html Roche Center for Catholic Education: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/lynch-school/sites/roche.htmlAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Dragons” | https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/theology-religion-and-dungeons--dragons-9781978716025/“A Faith that Builds Worlds: The Catholic Imagination and Speculative Storytelling” | https://sites.google.com/view/a-faith-that-builds-worlds/home?authuser=0
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. As we welcome 2026, host Mike Jordan Laskey wanted to have a deeply thoughtful and faith-filled guest on the show to propose some spirituality-related New Year’s Resolutions for us. The award-winning Catholic writer Laura Kelly Fanucci did not disappoint. Laura is the author of great books like “Everyday Sacrament” and “Called on the Way,” among others, and she came to the show with four creative, spiritually deep, totally doable resolution ideas, and she’s so enthusiastic about New Year’s that she almost convinced Mike that he has underrated it on his holidays ranking list, where it has traditionally dwelled somewhere down around Flag Day. Laura Kelly Fanucci: https://laurakellyfanucci.com/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
For you eleventh-hour Christmas shoppers out there, have I got a treat for you. There’s a new book out from Loyola Press, the second volume in an increasingly essential collection of Ignatian spirituality readers. This one is, aptly named, “An Ignatian Spirituality Reader: Contemporary Writings on St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Spiritual Exercises, Discernment and More—Volume II.”The first of these volumes was crucial for my own formation in the Ignatian tradition, covering key topics like the life of St. Ignatius, tools for discernment and ways to pray in the Ignatian tradition. I quote this book all the time. That’s why I was so excited to get my hands on this new volume. Some of those classic topics are there—discernment, Ignatius’ life, and more—but we get chapters on racial justice, caring for the environment and the role of the imagination in the Exercises. We hear, too, from a wide ranging array of voices and experiences, adding to the richness of this edition. (I even have a chapter in there on the Two Standards and social media.) And so, today we’re going to hear about this book from two of the editors who worked on it. But more importantly, we’re going to hear why Ignatian spirituality continues to matter in our world—and what it has to offer this moment.Fr. Mark Mossa is a professor of religious studies at Loyola University of New Orleans and a Jesuit priest. He serves as program director of the Canizaro Center for Catholic Studies and is the author of “Already There: Letting God Find You” and “Saint Ignatius of Loyola The Spiritual Writings.”Lori Stanley is the executive director of the Loyola Institute for Spirituality in Orange, CA. She is the first layperson to hold the role. In 2020 she was appointed to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops anti-racism taskforce for the state of California, and is a collaborator with the Jesuit Antiracism Sodality and the Jesuit West Collaborative for Racial Equity. Both Lori and Fr. Mark are real founts of Ignatian wisdom—and I know you’ll enjoy our conversation. If you’d like to get a copy of the book, visit this link: https://store.loyolapress.com/an-ignatian-spirituality-reader-volume-2
visit: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesuit-border-podcast/id1593208023If you want to subscribe to Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries' newsletter, visit: https://mailchi.mp/thejesuitpost/del-camino-jesuit-border-ministriesIf you want to read the US Catholic bishops' statement on immigration, visit: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/society-of-jesus-in-the-united-states-applauds-u-s-bishops-special-message-on-immigration/
and how you can host a read-aloud gathering: https://jesuitmedialab.org/weve-published-a-read-aloud-adaptation-of-a-christmas-carol-here-are-6-tips-for-hosting-your-own-communal-reading-party/The scan of Dickens' own copy of the novella he used for public readings during his life: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/e1951b10-d507-0136-fa03-60f81dd2b63cMore about our Jesuit Media Lab fellows:https://jesuitmedialab.org/meet-the-first-ever-jesuit-media-lab-fellow-michael-oconnell-ph-d/https://jesuitmedialab.org/meet-our-newest-jesuit-media-lab-fellow-renee-d-roden/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
It’s a bit of a cliché to say that we live in uncertain times. Just look at the headlines. Relationships — from the global to the intimate — are fraying. We swim in waters full of fear and worry, contempt and disdain. Anxiety abounds.That’s why today’s guest — writer and cultural commentator, Sara Billups — has written a new book. It’s called “Nervous Systems: Spiritual Practices to Calm Anxiety in Your Body, the Church and Politics.” It’s out now and — spoiler alert — Billups writes quite a bit about Ignatian spirituality.She looks to Ignatius’ all-important idea of holy indifference as a way of approaching the anxiety-inducing moment in which we all find ourselves. You may recall that when Ignatius says “indifference,” he’s not promoting a lifestyle that is apathetic or callous to the signs of the times. Rather, Ignatius wants us to let go of how we want things to go and to instead allow God’s Spirit to use us as they Spirit wills. In short, God’s ways are not our ways; so, let’s put aside our preferences and discover God’s.In addition to this new book, “Nervous Systems,” Billups has bylines in the New York Times and Christianity Today. She completed a Doctor of Ministry in the Sacred Art of Writing at Peterson Cetner for the Christian Imagination at Western Theological Seminary. She writes a Substack called “Bitter Scroll” and hosts a podcast called “That’s the Spirit.”You can learn more about Sara and her work by exploring the links below. Website: https://www.sarabillups.com/ Order the book: https://www.amazon.com/Nervous-Systems-Spiritual-Practices-Politics-ebook/dp/B0F2NC1QDL Substack: https://www.sarabillups.com/bitter-scroll
Whenever a man joins the Society of Jesus, his family and friends have to process that big life change and figure out how it’s going to affect their relationship with the new Jesuit. In that way, Kristin Gilger is not unlike the thousands of mothers who have watched their sons join the order. Her son Patrick – who everyone else calls Paddy – joined the Jesuits in 2002. But one big way Kristin is different from other moms of Jesuits is that she has just published a book about her experience. It’s called “My Son, the Priest: A Mother’s Crisis of Faith,” and it has all the makings of an instant spiritual classic. Kristin Gilger is a longtime journalist and journalism professor, and she brought her reporting chops to a topic much closer to home than her usual subjects. Kristin is not afraid to ask big, tough questions, she’s not afraid to be vulnerable, she’s not afraid to share about her struggles with the Catholic Church and her son’s vocation. “My Son, the Priest” is honest, human, deeply researched and often hilarious. Kristin and Fr. Paddy recently joined host Mike Jordan Laskey to record a podcast, and we found that mother and son had so much to say and so much fun talking to each other that we could take Mike right out of the episode. So you’ll be hearing just from Kristin and Fr. Paddy here, a glimpse into the Gilger family and their story. It feels just perfect to be sharing this episode with you during Thanksgiving week, when families around the country gather with love, joy, and maybe just a bit of tension or stress. “My Son, the Priest: A Mother’s Crisis of Faith”: https://www.monkfishpublishing.com/product/my-son-the-priest/ Kristin Gilger: https://search.asu.edu/profile/494566Fr. Paddy Gilger, SJ: https://www.luc.edu/sociology/faculty/profiles/patrickgilgersjphd.shtmlAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Rob Lorenz was a National Park Ranger who spent time working at places Arches National Park in Utah and Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. One of his favorite things to do was to give tours and ranger talks to groups, explaining the extraordinary places of natural beauty in ways that were accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. During a post in Washington, DC, where he worked near the National Mall at places like the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, he started feeling like God might be calling him to something else.Long story short, Rob joined the USA East Coast province of the Jesuits in 2019. Today, he’s in the stage of formation called regency, which is typically two or three years of active ministry that falls in between periods of philosophy and theology study. Rob is spending his regency as the outreach coordinator for the Vatican Observatory. Founded in 1891 by Pope Leo XIII, the Vatican Observatory is led by Jesuit astronomers who are doing high-level scientific research in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, and Tucson, Arizona. Rob’s job is to speak with groups about the wonders of the cosmos and the work the observatory – a job not too dissimilar from what he was doing as a National Park Ranger. He stopped by our Washington, DC, studio recently for a conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey.Rob Lorenz, SJ: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/profile/rob-lorenz-s-j/The Vatican Observatory: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
“To many, Fantasy, this sub-creative art which plays strange tricks with the world and all that is in it, combining nouns and redistributing adjectives, has seemed suspect, if not illegitimate. To some it has seemed at least a childish folly” writes J.R.R. Tolkien in his classic essay, “On Fairy-Stories.” He goes on to insist: “Fantasy is a natural human activity. It certainly does not destroy or even insult Reason; and it does not either blunt the appetite for, nor obscure the perception of, scientific verity. On the contrary. The keener and the clearer is the reason, the better fantasy will it make.” In short, Tolkien is saying that the fantastical—stories of elves and dragons and magical staffs—are not escape hatches from this world but rather invitations to delve deeper into the truth of our own reality.Today’s guest tests that hypothesis—and, in my humblest of opinions, proves just how right Tolkien was. Rose John Sheffler is a Catholic writer who has been telling stories her whole life. She’s written a delightful volume of Biblically inspired fairy tales called “Past Watchful Dragons: Biblical Stories Retold.”Her book invites us into the world of Erith where we meet characters we know from the Bible but…different. Still—and, as you’ll hear—the truth of these stories, the values and the hopes that they point to, are familiar and likely resonate with what lies deep in your own heart. If you want to learn more about Rose’s work or get a copy of her book, visit rosejohnsheffler.substack.com.
If you love old books – if you love how they smell, if you love imagining their journeys through the world into your hands, if you can’t pass by a used bookstore without popping inside – then you’ll love today’s episode.Our guest is Fr. Michael Suarez, SJ, a Jesuit priest and the director of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. The Rare Book School runs courses for students and practitioners from all disciplines on the history of written, printed and digital materials with leading scholars and professionals in the field. Fr. Suarez is also an English professor and an honorary curator of UVA’s special collections. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about the work of the Rare Book School and why he is fascinated by books (and all matter of printed material) as cultural objects. They also discussed how Fr. Suarez’s work has deep connections to his faith, and how the Jesuits through the centuries have often been at the forefront of writing and making books around the world. Fr. Suarez is so clearly passionate about his work and teaching that it’ll make you want to travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, to check out all the fascinating stuff housed in the special collections at the university. Rare Book School: https://rarebookschool.org/Fr. Michael Suarez, SJ: https://rarebookschool.org/faculty/general/michael-suarez/ 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
If you’ve hung around Jesuits and Jesuit organizations long enough, you surely have come in contact with the phrase cura personalis. In short, practicing cura personalis means caring for the whole person: body, mind and spirit. It’s an invitation to ask more questions, deeper questions, about who we are and where we’re going and what unique tools and experiences we might need to get there.You know cura personalis. But have you ever heard of cura personalis mission-driven, organizationally-minded little sibling, cura apostolica? Cura apostolica means a care for the apostolate. This principle—like care for the fullness of a person—means recognizing and caring for the fullness of a mission. What is an organization meant to do? How can it persist in the work of shepherding a mission as time and circumstances change?I’ll confess that I was far more knowledgeable of and comfortable with cura personalis. Cura apostolica seems a bit esoteric, relevant only to CEOs and HR departments. What has it got to do with me in my daily life?Well, as today’s guest, Jesuit Fr. Matt Carnes insist, a lot. In fact, cura apostolica and cura personalis go hand-in-hand; they’re two sides of the same coin. Understanding and embodying one leads us to better live out the other.Fr. Carnes is the Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Santa Clara University, as well as the Executive Director of the Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education and Professor of Political Science. Prior to joining Santa Clara University, he was an associate professor at Georgetown University in the Department of Government and the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, and he served as Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs in the School of Foreign Service and as the Director of the Center for Latin American Studies. Most important to today’s conversation, Fr. Matt is the editor of an upcoming book from Georgetown University Press entitled “Leadership Lessons from the Jesuits: Cura Apostolica and the Mission-Driven Organization.” It’s due out sometime next year.I had a chance to read an early copy—and I found myself inspired by how cura apostolica can revolutionize how we approach our mission-driven work. I hope you get a sense of that today, and leave inspired to return to your own singular part of our shared mission. Preorder the book: https://press.georgetown.edu/Book/Leadership-Lessons-from-the-Jesuits Meet Fr. Carnes: https://www.scu.edu/cas/political-science/faculty--staff/matthew-e-carnes-sj/
: https://www.amazon.com/All-Oppression-Shall-Cease-Abolitionism/dp/1626984891AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
The Jesuit Border Podcast has just launched its ninth season, and to commemorate the event, we're featuring the first episode of season nine here on AMDG. You'll hear stories, reflections and an interview from hosts Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ, and Joe Nolla, SJ, of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries.Bishop Michael Pham of the Diocese of San Diego is today's guest. Bishop Pham was the first U.S. bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV. He shares the harrowing story of fleeing Vietnam as a young boy on a small boat that nearly capsized in the sea. Bishop Pham also talks about an experience this summer attending immigration court to walk with migrants. He calls out our immigration enforcement approach that is criminalizing migrants and separating families, when our country should be a place of refuge, as it was for him and his family decades ago.Fr. Brian and Joe open up the new season talking about what it means to find refuge. Brian shares the story of Naomi, a single mom from Honduras with a five-month old son. They were denied refuge in the U.S. when they crossed the border and were rapidly sent back into Mexico. At the local shelter, the women rallied to support this young mother, showing her what it means to provide refuge. Joe shares the story of Marialex, a young girl in Matamoros, who showed how small actions can speak loudly in offering welcome and inclusion. You can learn more about the work of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries and subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast here: https://www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org/our-work/del-camino/
Fr. George Drance, SJ, is a great example of the fact that Jesuits can do and be anything. Fr. George is a theatre artist, which, in his case, encompasses acting on the stage, directing, teaching acting classes at Fordham University in New York, and writing and adapting his own shows. He’s also the artistic director for the Magis Theatre Company, which he founded.His work takes him all over the world: he has performed and directed in more than 25 countries on five continents. This past summer, Fr. George’s work took him to his ancestral homeland: Ukraine. Ukraine, of course, has been facing wartime conditions since 2014, and the full-scale invasion of the country Russia launched in February 2022 has disrupted or destroyed countless lives. In that context, Fr. George visited a former Fordham student of his who is now living in the city of Kyiv and running an experimental theatre company there. Fr. George ran a workshop with Ukrainian actors and was involved in some performances in the city. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him to talk about the experience of doing theatre in a war-torn land and why he thinks it’s so vital to keep making art in a world that’s on fire. It was a powerful conversation about his experiences in Ukraine and the inspiring artists he met there who are bringing beauty within a heartbreaking, enraging situation.Magis Theatre Company: https://www.magistheatre.org/Nashi Experimental Theatre Club in Kyiv, Ukraine: https://www.instagram.com/nashi.etc/?hl=enFr. George’s “Forming a Practice of Hope” series at the Jesuit Media Lab: https://jesuitmedialab.org/category/forming-a-practice-of-hope/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
St. Kevin is a 6th century Irish saint, best known, perhaps, for the monastery he founded at Glendalough, tucked deep into County Wicklow. Beyond the monastic community, Kevin has been immortalized by Irish poet Seamus Heaney in a poem called “St. Kevin and the Blackbird.” It’s a poem that speaks of a legend, a peculiar moment of prayer and stillness. Our own communications team member, Eric Clayton, knew very little about St. Kevin until a statue was erected on the campus of his alma mater to honor his late friend and spiritual mentor, the Jesuit priest Jim Bowler. The statue depicted Kevin and his blackbird, and Eric wondered why. Today’s episode tracks Eric’s own pilgrimage from a Connecticut university library to a cave over an Irish lake. His guide is the pilgrimage expert, Irish Jesuit Fr. Brendan McManus. Brendan is an award-winning author who has penned multiple books on the life-changing pilgrimages he’s made, most notably along the Camino de Santiago. Journey with Eric and Brendan as they set out into the spiritual heart of Ireland. Resources:Take a look at some of Eric's photos from the pilgrimage: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/now-discern-this-chasing-after-st-kevin/#anchor2Read the poem, “St. Kevin and the Blackbird,” by Seamus Heaney: https://glendalough.wicklowheritage.org/new-contributions/st-kevin-and-the-blackbird-read-by-seamus-heaneyGet a copy of Fr. Brendan’s classic book, “Redemption Road:” https://store.loyolapress.com/redemption-road
The screenwriters Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn are cousins, and they grew up in the 1970s and ’80s in a big Catholic extended family in St. Louis. The Gunns are an incredibly creative clan that has produced all sorts of actors and writers and directors, including Brian’s brother James, who you might know as the director of the most recent “Superman” movie and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise. Brian and Mark are both Jesuit educated twice over, alumni of St. Louis University High School and the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was during college that they started performing sketch comedy together, and they both moved to Los Angeles in the ’90s to pursue Hollywood dreams. Since then, Brian and Mark have worked together on films and TV shows, including the family adventure movie “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and a 2019 superhero horror film called “Brightburn” featuring Elizabeth Banks. Their first project that made it big was a movie and series called “2gether,” which debuted on MTV in 2000. It was a hilarious parody of the boy band era of Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC and it was influential on the development of AMDG host Mike Jordan Laskey’s sense of humor. The actors playing the boy band became an actual boy band themselves, opening for Britney Spears and hitting the Billboard charts with two different albums. If you are an elder millennial, all we have to say is, “I know my calculus,” and you’ll sing back: “You plus me equals us.” Mike asked Brian and Mark about their family and their Jesuit education, how they work together as a writing team, and what it’s like to work in the film industry. Mark and Brian also shared some creative tips they’ve learned in more than a quarter century in the trade. Finally, Mike couldn’t let them go without reminiscing about “2gether” and marveling at the fact that 25 years after the movie’s debut, the most popular film in the world right now is another movie about a fictional boy band. Though this new one is composed of demons and they’re being hunted by a KPop girl group... Anyway, we think you’ll enjoy this sneak peek into the lives of Hollywood screenwriters. www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
It’s hard to believe, but Pope Leo XIV just passed the four-month mark of his papacy. That’s more than a full season. After the incredible amount of press coverage here in North America reacting in shock to the election of a pope originally from Chicago, the media frenzy quieted quickly and starkly. It’s fair to say Pope Leo doesn’t have a big, splashy personality, and add to that all the wild political headlines in the months since his election, it’s not surprising that Pope Leo has receded from the spotlight a bit. That’s probably a good thing; celebrity culture and Catholic culture don’t go all that well together anyway. But Pope Leo has certainly been busy despite fading from the headlines, filling his days with meetings and setting about the work of governing the church. At this point in his papacy, we thought it was worthwhile to check in on these four months, and today’s guest is among the most qualified people on the planet to talk about it. Christopher White is the associate director for strategic initiatives and senior fellow of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University, and he’s also the author of the recent book “Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy,” published by Loyola Press. Before Chris started his job at Georgetown this past summer, he spent four years as the Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. He lived in Rome and spent his days meeting with Vatican sources and attending big papal events. He visited more than 20 countries with Pope Francis as part of the press corps. He is one of most astute and thoughtful church observers and commentators.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Chris about these first months of Leo’s papacy and what we might want to be looking out for in the months ahead. We also talked about life as a Vatican reporter and what it’s like to cover an institution that is also your own spiritual home. We think you’ll learn a lot from Chris about Pope Leo’s priorities and how the institutional Church operates."Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy": https://bookshop.org/p/books/pope-leo-xiv-inside-the-conclave-and-the-dawn-of-a-new-papacy-christopher-white/a5f501d1c6a575db?ean=9780829459470&next=tChris' page at the Georgetown Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life: https://catholicsocialthought.georgetown.edu/people/christopher-whitewww.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
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.0Register for college and university workshops: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/7aGaPyAgQSOP0O0y52xRSg#/registration More about the Season of Creation: https://seasonofcreation.org/about/
What does it mean to flourish? What does it mean for you to flourish? Have you ever really thought about it? Too often, we’re forced to focus on mere survival. We limit our gaze to that which will get us through this moment and into the next. Too often, we obsess on all the things we’ve done wrong; we’re haunted by mistakes, fearful we’ll repeat past errors. Too often, we embody a disposition of scarcity, assuming there’s not really enough to go around and anything we’ve got must be protected at all costs.What does it mean to flourish? None of that, that’s for sure. But do we dare dream about abundance? Do we even remember that Jesus told us that he came so that we may have life and have it abundantly? God desires that we flourish. That’s why God created a good world. And that’s why today’s guest, Dr. Paul Schutz, has written a new book from Orbis Press called “A Theology of Flourishing: The Fullness of Life for All Creation.”Paul is an associate professor of religious studies at Santa Clara University. He received his B.A. in English from Boston College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Fordham University. His research focuses on the meaning and significance of creation in the Christian tradition, with an emphasis on how scientific research might inform religious accounts of humanity's relationship with other-than-human creatures. As you’ll hear, his book is a great resource to anyone looking to reimagine and reorient our relationship to creation. About Paul: https://www.scu.edu/cas/religious-studies/faculty--staff/paul-schutz/Get his book: https://orbisbooks.com/collections/new-titles-spring-2026/products/creaturely-flourishing-a-new-theology-of-creation?variant=49699836920109
The Jesuit Media Lab was founded to help people navigate the intersection of creativity and spirituality. We know there are so many people out there who are creative—who want to make art and write poems and sing new songs—and who also draw their creativity from their faith lives, their own spiritual journeys. We know, too—from our own lived experience as well as from conversations with people all over the world—that Ignatian spirituality fosters the creative spirit alive within us. These things naturally go together. And so the Jesuit Media Lab exists to gather, form and unleash these folks back into the world to share the beauty that God has put within them.One of those people happens to live right down the road from my house. His name is Brody Bond—a great guy. I’ve known him for a number of years now and whenever we’re together, our conversation is just so rich. Brody is a deep guy, very thoughtful, forever learning and seeking and trying to give new words to his own lived experience. And he’s a creative guy—both in his professional life, but also in his personal life. He’s a musician, a singer songwriter who has been hustling to share his music all over the country. It’s a vocation for him, to be sure, and one he’s been discovering in new and deepening ways these last few years. In one of our conversations, I learned that Brody teaches classes in songwriting. He was telling me a little about his approach, how he asks people questions about their deepest desires, their understanding of life’s purpose. “Sounds more like a course in spirituality,” I said, “then a songwriting class.” Brody’s response? These things are inseparable. I should’ve known; I’ve been to his shows. They’re spiritual experiences, opportunities to reflect in community while listening to some really good music. So, I invited him to teach that course for the Jesuit Media Lab. And it was a big hit. But Brody is just such an engaging speaker, someone who just naturally gets this intersection of creativity and spirituality, that I wanted to get him back. I wanted to share with all of you a taste of the kinds of conversations he and I have about these topics. If you’re someone who is interested in this intersection of creativity and spirituality, this conversation is for you. And so is the Jesuit Media Lab. So, stay tuned and listen up. And then head over to JesuitMediaLab.org to learn more.And while you’re at it, check out Brody’s stuff. His website is https://brodybond.com/. And it’s entirely possible he’s playing a show near you.
Father Jack Bentz, SJ, is a Jesuit priest who works in campus ministry at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. He also has a new podcast called “Catholics in Ordinary Time,” which is just an awesome title. The podcast was inspired in large part by his work during the Synod on Synodality at Blessed Sacrament Parish in Hollywood, where he served before moving to Spokane. The parish conducted a whole bunch of listening sessions, just as thousands of parishes around the country did, and Fr. Jack liked that approach. So his new podcast is centered on conversations with all different sorts of Catholics, with him serving as the interviewer and listener as his guests share their stories of faith. Host Mike Jordan Laskey really likes the idea behind his show, because while there are so many different Catholic podcasts out there hosted by members of the clergy, podcasting priests are usually in the position of explainer, apologist or teacher. There’s certainly a place for those types of shows, but in this flipped format, Fr. Jack models how a synodal church is a listening church. Fr. Jack and Miked talked about the things Fr. Jack has learned about today’s young adults through his work at Gonzaga and at Blessed Sacrament, not to mention his decades of ministry in settings like theatre and other university campus ministry locations. Fr. Jack also shared a bit about his own vocation story, and how a kid growing up on a cattle ranch in rural Oregon came to be a Jesuit. You can find Catholics in Ordinary Time wherever you get podcasts. Catholics in Ordinary Time podcast: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-catholics-in-ordinary-time-279045450/Fr. Jack's Substack: https://substack.com/@jackbentzsjwww.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
The Saturday after Pope Leo XIV was elected, he gave an address to cardinals in which he described his reasoning for selecting the name Leo. He said there were different reasons for his choice, “but mainly because Pope Leo XIII in his historic Encyclical Rerum Novarum addressed the social question in the context of the first great industrial revolution,” Pope Leo XIV said. “In our own day, the Church offers to everyone the treasury of her social teaching in response to another industrial revolution and to developments in the field of artificial intelligence that pose new challenges for the defense of human dignity, justice and labor.”The rapid rise of artificial intelligence, most potently visible through large language models like ChatGPT, was the driving force behind Pope Leo’s name choice. In the early days of his pontificate, he is suggesting that the Church has a key role to play in discussions about artificial intelligence – including its use, its regulation, and its effect on societies and individual human beings.Our guest today is one of the world’s foremost experts on technology ethics and has served on a Vatican AI research group that is gathering scholars from multiple disciplines to engage issues around artificial intelligence. Brian Patrick Green is the director of technology ethics at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and teaches AI ethics and space ethics in Santa Clara University’s Graduate School of Engineering. With a background in both technology and Catholic moral theology, Brian is perfectly positioned to help the church think through the potential benefits and risks of AI and what our own spiritual and ethical traditions might have to offer the societal conversation at large. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him to talk about his work and how the Vatican is approaching the complex constellation of issues surrounding artificial intelligence. They also talked about how a Catholic might think about whether or not to use AI tools and how to use them. Mike loved how clearly and compellingly Brian talked about all this thorny stuff. As AI developments are changing every day, we feel like we’ll be calling Brian back before too long to hear his updated perspectives. Brian Patrick Green: https://www.scu.edu/ethics/about-the-center/people/brian-green/The Vatican AI research group’s book that Brian contributed to, “Encountering Artificial Intelligence”: https://www.amazon.com/Encountering-Artificial-Intelligence-Anthropological-Investigations/dp/B0CYK7C66L 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In honor of the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola on July 31, we're taking a green look at his Spiritual Exercises.When today's host, Eric Clayton, was in college, he stumbled upon a book entitled “The Eucharist and Social Justice.” It’s a small volume and was easily tucked into his bag when he went to Nicaragua on a service immersion trip. He remembers paging through that book with an excitement that rarely appeared when reading other theology texts. But something about this one, this invitation to consider how the source and summit of our Catholic faith was in fact a radical call to justice — that was formative. It’s what he was looking for as an undergraduate who was very much searching for answers when it came to faith and God and the church. The author of that little book is Sr. Margaret Scott. She’s a Handmaid of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and a renowned spiritual director and retreat giver. She’s fluent in numerous languages, which has led her into ministries that have taken her around the world. She has a lived experience of the universal church and the needs and joys of God’s people in many, many places. She has brought those insights into the classroom; she taught theology at Philly’s own Jesuit university, St. Joe’s.But most importantly for today, she’s brought that same global perspective, that tender pastoral care, to a new book all about Ignatian spirituality and ecological conversion. It’s called “Ignatius Was Green: Ecological Dimensions of the Spiritual Exercises” and it’s available now from Paulist Press. Like “The Eucharist and Social Justice,” this is a small, approachable volume. And for those of us engaged in the ministry of the Exercises, it’s quite helpful. Sr. Margaret invites us to deepen our own encounter with Christ through the Exercises by paying careful attention to those places in Ignatius’ text that invite deeper ecological reflection. Learn more about her book: https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/5716-7/ignatius-was-green.aspx
When Chris Lowney started his career as an investment banker at JP Morgan in 1983, his background leading up to that job marked an unusual path to the corporation. He had spent the past few years as a Jesuit in formation, after entering the Society of Jesus as a novice straight out of high school. Chris went on to work 18 years at JP Morgan, and during his tenure there, he started realizing that a lot of the stuff he had learned about Saint Ignatius and the history of the Jesuits during his Jesuit formation included a bunch of supremely relevant wisdom that corporate leaders in the “secular world” could learn from. So Chris started working on a book after retiring from the company, and in 2003 Loyola Press published “Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company that Changed the World.” “Heroic Leadership” has become a modern classic in Jesuit spaces and pioneered the development what you could call Ignatian leadership studies. Just this year, Chris is back with a supplement to his first book: “The Heroic Leadership Workbook,” which he wrote with an educational design expert named Judy Wearing. The workbook is a 30-day guide for leaders in any field to help them grow in qualities like self-awareness, ingenuity, love and heroism. The workbook’s exercises are great – they invite deep reflection and are so usable. Host Mike Jordan Laskey invited Chris on the show to talk about “Heroic Leadership” and why Chris thinks the Jesuit charism and history continue to be so helpful to 21st-century leaders both inside institutional church structures and far outside them. Chris Lowney: https://chrislowney.com/“Heroic Leadership” and the workbook: https://chrislowney.com/wp/books/heroic-leadership/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Father Scott Santarosa, SJ, is the pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Diego, just a few miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Founded in 1921 as the Mexican national parish of San Diego – meaning it could offer pastoral care to any Catholic in the city born in Mexico – the community has a long history of welcoming immigrants to the United States and their descendants. Under Fr. Scott’s leadership, the parish has entered a new era of standing in solidarity with immigrants near the border – from organizing pro-migrant processions to starting a migrant shelter than operated for about a year and a half to, most recently, accompanying individuals facing the threat of deportation to immigration court. During the first of these visits to immigration court this past June, San Diego’s Bishop Michael Pham was one of the clergy members who attended, which led to national news coverage. (Bishop Pham, a refugee from Vietnam himself who grew up in San Diego, was the first U.S. bishop appointed by Pope Leo XIV. After the event, he suggested Fr. Scott might spearhead a new effort to keep the initiative going; plans are in the works for subsequent visits.)On July 11, host Mike Jordan Laskey visited Fr. Scott at the Jesuit community house in San Diego for this conversation. They discussed the challenges parishioners are facing right now, and how the parish has responded to various immigration-related issues. Fr. Scott also shared a bit about why he feels called to this ministry, and why the Catholic Church must continue to support immigrants even when it’s politically unpopular or even dangerous. Because so much of the news coverage around immigration is impersonal and faceless, we think you’ll appreciate hearing Fr. Scott’s unique perspective from his vibrant and historic parish. National Catholic Reporter article on Fr. Scott and other faith leaders accompanying migrants to immigration court: https://www.ncronline.org/news/san-diego-faith-leaders-say-their-presence-made-difference-deportation-hearingsOur Lady of Guadalupe Church: https://www.olgsd.org/
This past spring, host Mike Jordan Laskey traveled to New York for a Jesuit Media Lab theatre event. He was coordinating the outing with our JML contributor Renee Roden, who lives at a Catholic Worker house in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Catholic Worker, of course, is the movement founded in 1933 by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin, which grew from a newspaper dedicated to Catholic social teaching and pacifism to a network of houses of hospitality in urban areas and farm communes in rural areas. Renee and Mike had some time before the event that evening, so they visited Maryhouse, a house of hospitality the movement opened in 1975 and where Dorothy Day spent the last five years of her life. It’s a pilgrimage site of American Catholicism. And unlike many other pilgrimage sites, Maryhouse isn’t a museum – it’s still a vibrant and active Catholic Worker house of hospitality to this day. By a great stroke of luck, Dorothy Day’s granddaughter Martha Hennessy was in town and could give Renee and Mike a tour of the house. Martha was the seventh child born to David Hennessy and Tamar Day Hennessy, who was Dorothy’s only daughter. Martha spends most of the year on a farm in Vermont, but she frequently travels to New York to live and work at Maryhouse. Martha has carried on the Catholic Worker tradition in her own life, including participation in anti-nuclear protests with the Plowshares movement. As Martha showed Renee and Mike around Maryhouse, she spoke of her grandmother with such admiration and love, almost as if Dorothy herself were in the room. Mike invited Martha on the podcast to share stories from her life and reflections on how the Catholic Worker continues its work of mercy and justice today. We know you’ll love getting to know this incredibly special person who has carried on her family legacy with so much devotion and passion. More about Martha: https://catholicworker.org/martha-hennessys-revolution-of-the-heart/ Martha’s connection with the Plowshares movement: https://kingsbayplowshares7.org/ The Catholic Worker Movement: https://catholicworker.org/ 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/
From June 23 through June 27, 2025, on the campus of Loyola University New Orleans, student affairs professionals from across our network of Jesuit colleges and universities gathered to be formed and fueled by our shared Jesuit mission. One of the keynotes from the conference featured four university presidents: Tania Tetlow of Fordham University, Vincent Rougeau of the College of the Holy Cross, Salvador Aceves of Regis University, and Xavier Cole of Loyola University New Orleans. The conversation was wide-ranging, hitting on a number of hot button issues facing the higher ed landscape today. Each of these presidents demonstrated through their thoughtful, passionate responses that they are committed not just to higher education but to leading Catholic, Jesuit institutions to meet the many needs of this moment. I left feeling inspired. About an hour after that conversation ended, a second one began — with today's host, Eric Clayton. The four presidents kindly sat down in one of the beautiful studios on Loyola’s campus to continue the conversation they began on stage. That’s what you’ll hear on today's episode.
Nestled in the Horn of Africa on the easternmost part of the African continent is a small country called Djibouti. It’s bordered by three other countries: Eritrea to the north, Ethiopia to the west, and Somalia to the south. Djibouti’s eastern border abuts the busy shipping lanes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These bodies of water are connected by the Bab al-Mandab Strait which serves as an essential gateway between the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean. Directly across that narrow body of water from Djibouti is Yemen.You can imagine the geopolitical significance of this particular part of the world. You might be thinking of issues pertaining to global trade, to international peace, to development and humanitarian assistance. And you might not be surprised to know that there is a United States military presence in Djibouti.But you might be surprised to learn that the only Catholic priest currently serving in the US military for the entire continent of Africa is living there in Djibouti. You might also be surprised to learn that this priest is a Jesuit, one who just a few months ago was teaching theology and neuroscience to undergraduates at Creighton University. Now, Fr. Chris Krall is serving as a chaplain, having been called up from his reserve status at the end of the 2024 fall semester. Instead of grading papers, he’s traveling by helicopter to remote bases across Africa to bring the sacraments and a listening ear. Fr. Chris is our guest today calling in all the way from east Africa. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a priest ministering to folks in the military, this conversation is for you. We talk about how Chris’ current mission fits into his Jesuit vocation of being available to go where God’s people need him. We wrestle with some of the possible tensions inherent in being a priest in the military. And we reflect on the surprising similarities between ministering to colleges students and ministering to women and men in uniform. A note: This conversation was recorded in late May.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey is joined by Jesuit Media Lab fellow, Michael O'Connell, on this special episode of "AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast" to kickstart the summer.
Today we’re talking about joy. It can be a hard thing to hold onto in this moment: The headlines are scary; our lives are full of stress and worry; and, everywhere we turn there seems to be some new reason to be afraid.But none of that is of God. And indeed, even in such moments, joy is waiting to be found.It’s worth remembering that Jesus tells us he has come so that we might have life and have it more abundantly. That’s a joy-filled life he’s describing, not one that cowers in the shadows in fear and worry. Jesus wants us to step out and into the fullness of God’s creation.Today’s guest is author Shemaiah Gonzalez. Shemaiah has degrees in English, intercultural ministry and creative nonfiction writing. And her new book, “Undaunted Joy: The Revolutionary Act of Cultivating Delight” gives us a roadmap back to a life full of joy.Host Eric Clayton and Shemaiah discuss joy and delight and abundance and what it means to tell stories at the intersection of all three. We hope when the conversation concludes, you feel a bit more joyful—and perhaps inclined to pick up a copy of Shemaiah’s book.Get her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Undaunted-Joy-Revolutionary-Cultivating-Delight/dp/031016317XVisit her website here: https://www.shemaiahgonzalez.com/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.In these conversations, we’ve been talking with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. We’ve reflected back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and we’ve wrestled with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.This is the final episode of the season—so we went big. We have two Jesuits today: Orlando Portalatin and Joe Lorenz.Orlando is from Puerto Rico. Before joining the Society of Jesus, he had a 20 year career in human resources management. He says he doesn’t have a late vocation—he was just late to respond! Joe is from Maryland. He studied Arabic in college and as a Jesuit, taught English in Beirut for over 200 students.As you listen to Orlando and Joe share their stories and reflections, I invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org. And I invite you to pray for all of the Jesuits who will be ordained this year as the begin their priestly ministry.
If you stop and think about it, it’s amazing that the work of William Shakespeare, more than 400 years old, is still read by pretty much every student in the English-speaking world starting in high school or before. Our guest today, Luke Taylor, SJ, has recently co-written and edited a volume that brings together two of his passions: the Bard’s work and Catholic education. The book is called “Exploring Catholic Faith in Shakespearean Drama: Towards a Philosophy of Education,” and Luke worked on the text with fellow authors David Torevell and Brandon Schneeberger. Luke is a Jesuit scholastic from the UK who’s studying theology at Boston College. Before he entered the Society of Jesus, Luke earned a doctorate in comparative literature from Harvard and taught at the college level. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Luke about how the book came about and why he thinks Shakespeare’s work continues to be studied all these centuries later – and what particularly about the Bard’s work makes him perfect for a Catholic audience. They also talked a bit about Shakespeare’s disputed religious background and the likelihood he at least had some brief encounters with Jesuits. It was a fascinating conversation and we think you’ll love getting to know someone who has thought so much about the intersections between Shakespeare’s work, Ignatian spirituality and Catholic faith. "Exploring Catholic Faith in Shakespearean Drama": https://www.routledge.com/Exploring-Catholic-Faith-in-Shakespearean-Drama-Towards-a-Philosophy-of-Education/Torevell-Schneeberger-Taylor/p/book/9781032741864?srsltid=AfmBOooEudxwsHTMxBt97rbMFZePoyvTFahb0t9LXLlQHBa64Kg7SL02AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks with Chris Williams about what it means to integrate the various facets of Jesuit life into a single vocation. Chris was raised in Spearfish, South Dakota. He studied theology and secondary education at Creighton University; it was there that he began to feel the call to the priesthood and Jesuit life. For Chris, spiritual direction—both the opportunity to receive direction from wise directors and give direction himself—has been a key part of his Jesuit formation. For that reason, as you’ll hear, he has particular love for the great Jesuit spiritual master, Peter Faber.As you listen to Chris’ stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
The Easter season is about new life. Jesus rises from the dead and in so doing resets the horizon on what is possible for each and every one of us. We see in the risen Lord God’s own invitation, an invitation that calls us beyond ourselves, beyond what even dreamed was possible.Ignatian spirituality offers us time-tested tools to embark on this journey. Ignatius himself was not only a soldier-turned-saint; he was a strategic thinker, an administrator of a global company. He knew that what he offered for the spiritual life had to be both scaled up to meet needs across the world while being relevant to the unique needs and experiences of each and every person. So, how do we respond to the call of this Easter season? How do we embark on our own journey of renewal and deepening faith? Let’s look to the Ignatian tradition.Today’s guest is author Lisa Kelly. She is a wife and mother of four, the co-director of the nonprofit La Storta: Center for Spirituality and Leadership and the author of the new book, “The Spiritual Path: Embarking on the Journey of a Lifetime.” Lisa has written at the intersection of strategic planning, organizational development, leadership training and Ignatian spirituality for years, so she comes to us with deep wisdom on how to set faith-based goals that result in meaningful, mission-oriented action. And she challenges us to reassess what success looks like in our lives.This is a really fun conversation—and super informative. Lisa helps us think in new ways about our own lives, and helps us ferret out some unhealthy spiritualities of desolation in which we may unknowingly be trapped. Lisa is also an Ignatian Associate—an organization of lay Catholics who are grounded in Ignatian spirituality and make promises in that tradition. We begin our conversation there, talking about why the Ignatian Associates have been so important to Lisa’s own spiritual path. Get her book: https://store.loyolapress.com/the-spiritual-pathLearn about the Ignatian Associates: https://ignatianassociates.org/Learn about her nonprofit, La Storta: https://www.lastorta.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks with Fernando Saldivar. Fernando reflects on what it has been like to enter the Society of Jesus after a long career as a lawyer — he’s a so-called “late” vocation — and also what he believes the world needs from a priest today. Fernando is from California. He first met the Jesuits as an undergraduate student at Georgetown University. After earning his law degree from Southwestern University in 2005, he practiced law up until 2016 when he entered the Society of Jesus. One of the highlights of his Jesuit formation, as you’ll soon hear, was when he was missioned to Nairobi to serve as the global policy and advocacy officer for the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa.As you listen to Fernando’s stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
After the white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on May 8, we turned on the TV here at the Jesuit Conference HQ in Washington and landed randomly on ABC News. We immediately heard a familiar voice: It was Fr. James Martin, the Jesuit author who certainly needs no introduction to AMDG listeners. In addition to writing bestselling books like Come Forth about the biblical character of Lazarus and working at America Magazine and Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic organization, Fr. Jim is a frequent commentator on the Catholic Church in the secular media. ABC news sent him to Rome to be part of the team covering the funeral of Pope Francis, the conclave, and the first moments of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Jim on the show to share about his experiences in Rome this past month and to bring us behind the scenes. Fr. Jim also knows Pope Leo XIV a little bit, as they sat at the same table at the Synod on Synodality general assembly last year. He shared his impressions of the Pope and how he thinks he might be an agent of healing especially in the American church. Finally, Fr. Jim shared some of his memories of Pope Francis, who was a big supporter of Fr. Jim’s ministry. We know you’ll enjoy Fr. Jim’s perspective on witnessing Church history in Rome this month. "Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus's Greatest Miracle": https://bookshop.org/p/books/come-forth-the-promise-of-jesus-s-greatest-miracle-james-martin/18814978Outreach: https://outreach.faith/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.This episode features Marc-André Veselovsky. He and Eric talk about community life and the various ways in which a Jesuit is accompanied throughout formation and beyond.Marc-André was born and raised in Ottawa. As you’ll hear, he first felt the call to priesthood through his involvement with Catholic Christian Outreach, a Canadian university movement that encourages evangelization and living a personal relationship with God. It was the Jesuits' radical availability for mission, though, that inspired Marc-André to enter the Society of Jesus. And his formation experience has seen him sent on mission around the world!As you listen to Marc-André’s stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
Fr. Kevin DePrinzio, OSA, is an Augustinian priest who has known Pope Leo XIV -- his fellow Augustinian friar -- since the late 1990s. Fr. Kevin is now the vice president for mission and ministry at Villanova University outside Philadelphia -- Pope Leo's alma mater -- and he talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about his connections with the Holy Father, the history and charism of the Augustinian order, and what he thinks we can expect from this historic pontificate.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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. We’re back for season 2! In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, Eric talks with David Inczauskis and they consider what it means to be in religious life and a member of a particular religious community. David shares stories from his Jesuit formation and his experiences working at the frontier of justice. David was born and raised in Illinois. As you’ll hear, he encountered the Jesuits while studying liberation theology at Oxford University. He’s the author of two books: one on Honduran cinema and another on Honduran theater. He’s currently conducting research on critical phenomenology and Latin American liberation philosophy as part of his doctoral program at Loyola University Chicago. As you listen to David’s stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
How do you pray with the stars? That’s the question underpinning today’s conversation with returning guest, Br. Guy Consolmagno. Guy is a Jesuit brother and director of the Vatican Observatory. He’s also the author of the new book, “A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty and Science.”As you’ll soon learn, Br. Guy is infinitely quotable. Let me give you an example. He writes, “To me, miracles have nothing to do with scientific laws. Rather, a miracle is any remarkable sign that serves to direct our attention to God.”For Br. Guy, that’s what his work in planetary science is all about: How do we better understand God? How do we better see God at work in our world? If you’ve heard Br. Guy speak before, you know he sees no conflict between science and religion. Rather, they’re different forms of knowing, different ways of coming into contact with our God of the universe. What does it mean to pray with the stars? Br. Guy tells the story of how many folks often ask him to explain what the star of Bethlehem was. Stars are his thing, right? He should know! But Br. Guy, true to that quote I read above, isn’t interested in collapsing science into religion or vice versa. What’s the star of Bethlehem? Whatever leads us closer to Christ. But that’s not all. We also talk about how formative science fiction and fantasy have been for Br. Guy’s vocation and about that one time he met William Shatner. Get Br. Guy's book: https://store.loyolapress.com/a-jesuits-guide-to-the-starsLearn more about the Vatican Observatory: https://www.vaticanobservatory.va/en/
Fr. Bill McCormick, SJ, is a political scientist by trade and a current writer at the Vatican-sponsored, Jesuit-run journal La Civiltà Cattolica in Rome. Host Mike Jordan Laskey invited him onto the podcast for a special bonus episode on this moment of transition for the Catholic Church. They discussed the current mood in Rome; Pope Francis’ legacy; the Society of Jesus’ special connection to the papacy through its history; how Ignatian spirituality might inform our approach to the conclave and this period of change; what it means to believe the Holy Spirit is guiding the conclave without whispering a name into the cardinals’ ears; the papacy and celebrity culture; and more. We wanted to bring it to you before the conclave begins on Wednesday, and we hope it will help you get into the right frame of mind and heart in this very full, liminal period of time.For further reading, courtesy of Fr. Bill:Bishop Erik Varden, https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/bishop-varden-were-never-passiveFr. James Martin, SJ, https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/04/28/conclave-francis-new-pope-father-james-martin-250502 Fr. Raymond De Souza, https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2025/04/26/the-liturgical-deaths-of-popes/Fr. Bill's work at America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/bill-mccormick-sjFr. Bill's work at La Civiltà Cattolica: https://www.laciviltacattolica.com/author/william-mccormick/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Even though Easter started ten days ago now, the season continues for a full 50 days. So we will wish you a happy Easter and encourage you to keep that going for a few weeks, even if it confuses your friends and neighbors. Last month, as the famous cherry blossoms hit their peak bloom in Washington, DC, host Mike Jordan Laskey sat down in our studio with Emma Hudson, the director of the incredible Jesuit audio prayer resource called Pray As You Go. As you’ll hear from her accent, Emma is English, and while Pray As You Go is a project of the Jesuits in Britain, well more than half their regular listeners are here in the US and Canada. You can bring Pray As You Go into your own daily prayer life by downloading their app or subscribing to their feed wherever you get podcasts. Trust us, you’ll be glad you did.Anyway, Emma was in the U.S. with a great Polish filmmaker named Miko Cemplaj to do some filming for Pray As You Go projects. Mike roped her into recording this Easter episode with me. The prompt was to have a draft of signs of Easter hope. Mike had to explain the concept of a draft to Emma, which has roots in American sports. They don’t have amateur drafts in English sports, see, so Mike had to lay it out for her. But Mike and Emma found it was a spiritually helpful exercise to talk about signs of hope, especially when the world around us can feel not-that-hopeful pretty frequently. Hope is something you have to work at even when you’re not feeling it. We know that can feel naïve, especially given global events these days and the recent death of Pope Francis, but we don’t know what else we can do. Maybe our conversation will prompt you to think about signs of hope in your own life these days. Eastertide blessings from all of us here at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.Pray As You Go: https://prayasyougo.org/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Fr. Brian Paulson, SJ, the president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, reflects on the legacy and witness of Pope Francis. Fr. Paulson and host Mike Jordan Laskey discussed the Holy Father's pastoral style, his Ignatian spirit, his approach to leadership, and some of the Pope's decisions that will likely affect the Catholic Church for years to come. Fr. Brian Paulson, SJ: https://www.jesuits.org/profile/brian-paulson-s-j/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
On this episode of our limited series, "The Work of Lent," we talk to Mike Jordan Laskey, director of communications for the Jesuit Conference and Jesuit Media Lab, about Lent as a time of reconciliation.
In this final episode of "The Work of Lent," Fr. Eric Immel, SJ, accompanies us through Holy Week to Easter and challenges our assumptions about suffering.
The art of discernment is a hallmark feature of Ignatian spirituality. From the moment Ignatius began to differentiate between consolations and desolations during his eleven-month convalescence in Loyola to today, Jesuits and lay collaborators have been mining the depths of what it means to listen to and act on God’s invitation in our lives.Today, we get a crash course in discernment. Fr. Mark Thibodeaux—renown spiritual author, Jesuit priest and the pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Church in New Orleans—is back on the pod to talk about his newest book, “Discern: Listening for God’s Whispers.”Fr. Mark is a modern-day master of the Ignatian spiritual tradition. As you listen to this conversation, I invite to really bring his ideas into your own prayer. We’re all constantly tasked with making decision—big, small and otherwise. Ignatian discernment can be a big help, no matter where you are in your own vocational journey. Get your copy of "Discern" here: https://store.loyolapress.com/discern
I’m not much of a fan of horror films. But I do love speculative storytelling — of which horror is a sub-genre. Even more, I love using stories of pop culture to dive deeper into faith, spirituality and the nuances of scripture. Which is how we’ve arrived at today’s horror-themed episode.Fr. Ryan Duns — a Jesuit priest and professor at Marquette University — has a new book out from the University of Notre Dame Press called “Theology of Horror: The Hidden Depths of Popular Films.” Throughout the book, Fr. Duns invites us to reflect more deeply on what horror reveals about our real world, our spiritual selves and the God who is present in all of it.There was one particularly stirring moment in this conversation that I’ve come back to again and again. Fr. Duns is reflecting on the role of the monster in these stories. Whatever the tale, the monster interrupts the status quo, business as usual, whatever constitutes normal and consequently leaves characters scrambling to put the pieces back in place. These sort of horror films are about killing the monster, killing the thing that disrupts our accepted understanding of how the world works so as to continue living as we always have.Now here’s the kicker: Jesus is the monster. Right? In the story of scripture — and in our world today — the ideas that Jesus represents, the Good News he comes to bring of hope and healing and compassion and mercy disrupt the status quo. What do the characters in the story do? They kill the monster. And they try to pretend the whole thing never happened, that what Jesus said and pointed to and called us to take on was a lie. I’m struck by this, particularly as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter. Because we know that Jesus isn’t dead, the new world he pointed to is real, and nothing can ever be the same again. And so, what will we do as a result? What part do we play in this proverbial horror story?If that idea piques your interest, then buckle up.Get the book: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268208554/theology-of-horror/
In this episode of our limited Lenten series, Sr. Erin McDonald, CSJ, digital youth minister for the Congregation of St. Joseph and co-host of the "Beyond the Habit" podcast challenges us to hope.
If you’ve ever eaten at a university dining hall or at an airport bar or in a corporate cafeteria, you have relied on the labor of thousands and thousands of people whose work often goes unseen. Our guest today spends his own working hours fighting to make sure those food service workers are paid fairly and have access to good benefits and safe working conditions. Chuck Hendricks is the food service lead director for UNITE HERE, a labor union in the US and Canada that has about 300,000 active members. Chuck is also the board president of a group called the Catholic Labor Network, which promotes the cause of workers and Catholic social teaching in labor unions, parishes and other organizations.It was really fun to welcome Chuck into our Washington, DC, studio to talk about his work, his history with organized labor, and how his spiritual journey led him to the Catholic Church. You may or may not be familiar with the Catholic tradition’s deep history of supporting worker’s rights and unionizing. Back in 1891, Pope Leo XIII published the first modern papal encyclical on social justice issues. It was called “Rerum Novarum” and it emphasized the rights of workers in the wake of the often-dehumanizing Industrial Revolution. In his service with the Catholic Labor Network, Chuck has found a holistic way to support workers by practicing his faith. We think you’ll really like getting to know him and learning about the contemporary labor movement. "I came to the Church because the Church came to the workers" by Chuck Hendricks: https://catholiclabor.org/i-came-to-the-church-because-the-church-came-to-the-workers/The Catholic Labor Network: https://catholiclabor.org/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In this episode of our limited Lenten series, Emily Mentock, a digital media professional and co-founder of Digital Continent, invites us to reflect on how Lent is a journey of conversion.
Spring means baseball is back in my life, and if there’s anything that’s almost as good as baseball, it’s writing about baseball. There is so much good writing about baseball – music, poetry, literature, biography, essay, plays, movie scripts. Something about the combination sport’s long history, its leisurely pace, its connection to childhood, its outdoor setting in beautiful weather, its daily rhythm make it such a fruitful topic in American arts and letters. Our guest today, the writer John W. Miller, has entered the pantheon of great baseball writing with his new biography of Earl Weaver, manager of the Baltimore Orioles from 1968 to 1982 and one of the game’s most colorful figures ever. The book, which is titled “The Last Manager: How Earl Weaver Tricked, Tormented, and Reinvented Baseball” is so good that it shot up to number 7 on the New York Times bestseller list the week after it was released. And it’s not just for baseball fans, either – it’s a fascinating snapshot of American culture in the middle of the 20th century and a striking portrait of an almost Shakespearean-level character.John is not only a New York Times bestselling author. He’s also a contributing writer to America Magazine and one of the most devoted members of our Jesuit Media Lab community. (He even put the JML in the book’s acknowledgments section!) Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked John to tell us about Earl Weaver and to describe his reporting and writing process. They also talked about the spirituality of baseball and biography writing. Get a copy wherever books are sold, and have a great Opening Day. "The Last Manager": https://www.amazon.com/Last-Manager-Tormented-Reinvented-Baseball/dp/1668030926"How I Found God in a Game of Catch": https://www.jesuits.org/stories/how-i-found-god-in-a-game-of-catch/John W. Miller: https://www.johnwmiller.org/John's writing for America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/john-w-millerAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In this episode of our limited Lenten series, Marissa Papula, director of campus ministry at Loyola Marymount University, challenges us to look clearly at temptation during Lent.
March is a big month on the American Jesuit calendar because it’s the biggest month for men’s and women’s college basketball. The March Madness tournaments are the most purely fun and chaotic sporting events on the planet. Nothing beats massive single elimination tournaments if you’re looking for surprises and drama. And these tournaments are often big showcases for our Jesuit colleges and universities, many of which have rich basketball histories. In recent decades, no Jesuit program has been more successful than the Gonzaga University Bulldogs men’s team, led since 1999 by head coach Mark Few. And one person you might notice on the end of the bench if you watch a Gonzaga men’s or women’s game this March is a rather short guy wearing a red Gonzaga sweater over black clerical attire. This is Father Bryan Pham, SJ, a Jesuit priest and the chaplain for both Bulldog hoops teams. You might think someone with this job would be a huge basketball fan. Not so in Fr. Bryan’s case, who was quick to tell host Mike Jordan Laskey that he rarely understands what he’s watching on the court. Fr. Bryan is a huge fan of the athletes themselves, though, and he sees his role as one of availability and spiritual support. We wanted to find out what the work of a Jesuit basketball chaplain entails and what March Madness looks like through his eyes.Fr. Bryan also shared reflections about his many other roles at the university. He’s a lawyer by training and serves as a professor and chaplain at the law school, runs legal clinics and appears in court with his student interns, and lives in a freshman dorm on campus. We know you’ll love getting to know this thoughtful, funny, impossibly busy Jesuit. Go Bulldogs. And go Bluejays, Golden Eagles, Musketeers and Stags. Fr. Bryan Pham, SJ: https://www.gonzaga.edu/about/our-mission-jesuit-values/university-ministry/meet-our-team/fr-bryan-pham-sj2025 Jesuit March Madness: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jesuit-march-madness-trivia/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In this episode of our limited Lenten series, Danielle Harrison, manager of the St. Charles Lwanga Center in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, invites us to consider our Lenten practice of prayer.
As you have probably heard in the news over the past month or so, the Trump administration has frozen foreign aid programs and essentially dismantled USAID, which is the federal government’s overseas humanitarian relief agency. These decisions have had an enormous impact on the work of both faith-based and secular nonprofit organizations doing humanitarian work, including Catholic ones. Our guest today, Bill O’Keefe, is one of the top executives at Catholic Relief Services, which is the official overseas humanitarian agency of the American Catholic community. Since their founding over 80 years ago, CRS has grown to serve communities in poverty in more 100 countries around the world.Bill has served at CRS for 38 years, and today he is the agency’s Executive Vice President for Mission, Mobilization and Advocacy. In addition to advocating on in Washington, DC, for robust U.S. foreign aid funding, Bill mobilizes CRS' supporters across the country in a shared mission to support the world's most vulnerable people. There is probably no single person in the country who knows as much as Bill does about how the gutting of the US government’s foreign aid programs will affect the US Church’s ability to help people across the globe. Host Mike Jordan Laskey found it so informative and helpful to talk to Bill. But it was also incredibly upsetting. People will die because of these decisions. The US Catholic Church’s immense humanitarian network is being hollowed out. It’s hard to know what we US Catholics can do in response. Bill hasn’t given up hope, though, and he and his team are working hard to figure out how to keep doing their essential, life-saving work around the world. He also shared some practical ways we can all pitch in to help support the mission. Bill O'Keefe: https://www.crs.org/about/leadership/bill-o%E2%80%99keefeTell Congress to urge the administration to reverse terminations of life-saving aid, disperse funding: https://support.crs.org/act/foreign-aid-operations?ms=mamcrs0225app00fea00CRS Rice Bowl: https://www.crsricebowl.org/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In this episode of our limited Lenten series, spiritual writer and campus minister John Dougherty invites us to reflect on how why Lent is a time to learn how to better rely on God.
Ash Wednesday is fascinating: We get these reminders of death and decay smeared on our foreheads and just walk around like that the whole day after. Not the most cheerful message. Yet folks can’t seem to get enough of it. Some parish priests say it’s right up there neck and neck with Christmas and Easter on the list of busiest church days of the year.We’re sure there are a bunch of reasons for that, but we wanted to mark this Ash Wednesday and welcome the beginning of Lent by digging into its popularity. Our guest is Paul Jarzembowski, who serves the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in their work with the laity. He’s also the author of the 2022 book “Hope from the Ashes: Insights and Resources for Welcoming Lenten Visitors.” He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the history of Ash Wednesday and what Paul thinks explains its enduring popularity. They also discussed the season of Lent and making our churches more welcoming places. For a rather solemn topic, our conversation was tons of fun. We also want to mention our special Lenten audio offering this year here at AMDG. Our host Eric Clayton interviewed what we call “professional Catholics” who work in ministry about how they keep Lenten observance fresh year after year. He’s lined up some super thoughtful and interesting guests for the series, which you’ll find here on the AMDG feed every Friday in Lent.Paul’s book, “Hope From the Ashes”: https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Ashes-Insights-Resources-Welcoming/dp/0809155753 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
The communion of saints is an integral part of the Catholic faith—and I don’t just mean in a theological sort of way. What’s the name of your parish? Chances are, it’s a saint’s name. Have you looked closely at that prayer card on your shelf? I bet there’s a saint attached to it. How about the stained glass windows or the name of the local Catholic school or that prayer you mutter when you’ve lost something? The communion saints is engrained in our daily lives, names and half-remembered stories that float just at the outskirts of our memory. It's understandable. There are a lot of saints. We all have our favorites, our go-to team for prayer and inspiration. But for every saint we know well, I’ll be there are dozens more we’ve never even heard of from places we probably can’t even find a map. All this to say, the lives of the saints—these great tales of mysticism, faith and works of justice—can be fuel for our spiritual lives for days and weeks and months to come, if we but take the time to delve into their stories. That’s why our friend Gary Jansen is back on the pod today. Gary’s the director and executive editor at Loyola Press. And he’s the author of so many books it’s hard to keep track—one literally dropped while we’re having this conversation. But today, Gary is here to talk about his encyclopedic book on the saints, aptly called "Saints, Angels and Demons: An A-to-Z Guide to the Holy and the Damned." And hey—if you like what you here, pick up Gary’s latest book, "The Healing Power of Pray the Rosary." One more thing: Lent begins next week. As part of our 40-day journey, we’re dropping a new and limited podcast series right here in this feed called The Work of Lent. Every Friday, you’ll hear me talk with a professional Catholic—someone who makes it their life’s work to work on Lent. These are conversations about vocation, about balancing the professional and the personal and ultimately, how all these things can and do conspire together at Lent to give us an opportunity to grow deeper in our spiritual lives and help others along the way.Get Gary's Books:"The Healing Power of Praying the Rosary"https://www.amazon.com/Healing-Power-Praying-Rosary/dp/0829459006/"Saints, Angels & Demons"https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Angels-Demons-Z-Damned/dp/0762484853/
Here are a couple questions for you: Do you believe in God? Why or why not? What evidence do you have to support your belief? What different types of evidence might one even consider? If we believe in an all-good, all-powerful God, why does God allow so much human suffering? And why is there something instead of nothing? Even before the Big Bang… what was there? And do human beings have a soul? Or are we just blood and guts and bones? These are some of the big questions philosophers have been wrestling with for as long as humans have been thinking about stuff. In particular, scholars interested in the philosophy of religion spend a lot of time with these big metaphysical questions. Our guest today is one of the foremost philosophers in the American Jesuit landscape: Doctor Eleonore Stump, who is the Robert J. Henle, S.J., Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University, where she has taught since 1992. Professor Stump’s specialties include medieval philosophy, philosophy of religion and metaphysics.Host Mike Jordan Laskey saw some great video interviews with Dr. Stump on a YouTube series called “Closer to Truth,” so he reached out to see if she’d talk about some of these big questions. They also discussed her perspective on the role of the Jesuit university today, especially in an era when the liberal arts like philosophy often find themselves on budgetary chopping blocks. Why should we study philosophy at all? We think you’ll enjoy encountering Dr. Stump’s towering intellect and her deep faith.Dr. Eleonore Stump: https://sites.google.com/site/stumpep/Dr. Stump on "Closer to Truth": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azvb_P1ymmM&list=PLFJr3pJl27pI42ZODiz2En-hr9PIjibEuAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
“What you gaze upon, you become,” says Fr. Bill McNichols. “We need to gaze on truly conversational, truly loving images.”Those words are a mystical invitation that challenge us to look with greater intentionality at the many images in our lives. These words come at the very beginning of a new book called “All My Eyes See: The Artistic Vocation of Fr. William Hart McNichols,” a book meant to stir in us wonder at a God who works through the creative spirit of people the world over. This book just so happens to chronicle the vocational journey of the great iconographer, Bill McNichols.It's a story told through conversation, a dialogue recounted between Fr. Bill and today’s guest—and the book’s co-author—Dr. Chris Pramuk. Dr. Pramuk is the Regis University Chair of Ignatian Thought and Imagination where he teaches courses in theology and spirituality. He is also a renown scholar of Thomas Merton and the author of several books. Long-time listeners may remember when Chris was on the pod before to discuss his great book, “The Artist Alive.”Today’s conversation centers on the work and life of one man: Fr. Bill McNichols. But as you’ll soon find, reflecting on Fr. Bill’s vocation is actually an invitation to reflect on the creative spirit alive in us all. How is God challenging us to pray with art and image? How is God’s Spirit working in our own vocations? If you’d like to learn more about Fr. Bill’s work or pick up more of Dr. Pramuk’s books, check out the links below:https://www.regis.edu/academics/faculty-finder/faculty/chris-pramukhttps://orbisbooks.com/products/all-my-eyes-see-the-artistic-vision-of-fr-william-hart-mcnicholshttps://frbillmcnichols-sacredimages.com/
Here’s a hypothetical scenario I’m sure many of us have faced in our lives: Imagine you were a football player good enough to make the NFL. Imagine you are also a mathematician good enough to get a doctorate from MIT. Which path would you choose? OK, so maybe that’s not that common a discernment. But it was the decision our guest today faced: John Urschel first started playing football at Canisius High School, the Jesuit high school in Buffalo, New York. He got good pretty quickly, and he’s a big dude. John ended up getting a scholarship to play football at Penn State, where he could also pursue studies in math, which was his first love. He ended up with a bachelor’s and master’s degree while starring on the offensive line at Penn State. And after his time there finished, he was drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Ravens. As he embarked on his NFL career, he also enrolled as a doctoral student in mathematics at MIT. After three years in the league, he retired from football to start a career as a math professor, also at MIT. Host Mike Jordan Laskey remembers hearing about John a few years ago when he made the decision to switch career paths. And when we found out he was Jesuit educated, we thought a conversation with him for Super Bowl week would be perfect for the show. John was an incredible guest, speaking so clearly and compellingly about his life journey and the big discernment he made to leave NFL fame and fortune on the table. He’s a great representative of Canisius High School and the type of thoughtful, well-rounded, compassionate person Jesuit education aspires to form.Learn more about John’s math (good luck): https://math.mit.edu/~urschel/Read John’s book, “Mind and Matter”: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Matter-Life-Math-Football/dp/0735224862AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
What do you imagine when you hear the word ‘pilgrimage’? Do you see in your mind’s eye the laces of an old pair of boots? A walking stick? A winding trail through an unknown forest? The company of friends and strangers? Perhaps a particular place comes to mind; you may immediately think of the pilgrim routes through Spain. The Camino de Santiago, perhaps: that famous pilgrimage to the resting place of the St. James, beginning in France and ending in the northwest of Spain. Maybe your mind goes to the Camino Ignaciano—the pilgrim route that traces the key steps that St. Ignatius took from his home in Loyola to Manresa, that infamous cave where Ignatius penned the Spiritual Exercises. And still, there may be more pilgrim places that come to mind; the world is full of them! How often, though, do you think of your daily life as a pilgrimage? How often do you reach for those spiritual lessons so easily glimpsed on roads trod by boot-wearing-hikers? Do you think to practice the kind of simplicity, indifference and awareness that is so necessary on those pilgrim routes in your day-to-day, when you’re picking your kids up from school or making your grocery list? In some ways, it’s a lot harder.That’s why we have two pilgrimage veterans joining the podcast today—and two guests who are also veterans of our show. The Jesuit priest Fr. Brendan McManus has written several books on pilgrimages, both to Santiago de Compostella and Manresa. His latest, Living the Camino Back Home: Ignatian Tips for Keeping the Camino Spirit Alive—written with Sr. Katherin O’Flynn—is an extended meditation on how to bring a pilgrim spirituality into everyday life. Christine Eberle has recently published her third book, Finding God Along the Way: Wisdom from the Ignatian Camino for Life at Home, chronicles her own Spanish pilgrimage, inviting readers to find their own pilgrimage where ever they are.This conversation is a real delight, full of wisdom and laughter and a deep desire to help us all along whatever road we’re currently walking. If you’d like to learn more about our guests visit the links below. Finding God Along the Way: https://www.amazon.com/Finding-God-Along-Way-Ignatian/dp/164060989XLiving the Camino Back Home: https://www.amazon.com/Living-Camino-Back-Home-Ignatian/dp/1788127137Christine's website: https://christine-marie-eberle.com/More books by Fr. Brendan: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B00MU4S70O
There aren’t many things most people agree on today across all the different political and cultural divides. But this following claim probably unites most of us: We are too distracted today and our collective ability to pay attention is in bad shape. That seems like pretty conventional wisdom.Today’s guest enjoys few things more than taking a piece of conventional wisdom and poking and prodding it to see if it’s actually that wise after all. Jonathan Malesic is a writer and writing teacher at Southern Methodist University whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Republic, The Washington Post, America Magazine and elsewhere. He’s also author the author of the great book “The End of Burnout.” And Jon has offered fantastic spiritual nonfiction writing courses through the Jesuit Media Lab.In a recent essay in the magazine Commonweal, Jon wrote about going to an art museum in San Francisco as a sort of experiment. He wanted to see if looking closely and attentively at works of art for a long time could help heal his own fraying attentiveness. Host Mike Jordan Laskey really enjoyed the essay and was challenged by it, so he invited Jon on to discuss his experiences. They talked about museums and Instagram algorithms and the different types of attention you need while looking at art versus, say, driving a car. The essay and this conversation might make you think some more about our crisis of distraction and what might be the right antidotes to pursue.Jon's recent Commonweal essay, Fix Your Gaze: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/fix-your-gazeJon's book, "The End of Burnout": https://www.amazon.com/End-Burnout-Drains-Build-Better/dp/0520344073Jon's Substack: https://jonmalesic.substack.com/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
If you look out at the world today, you might notice a growing trend in global politics: Again and again, voters are putting into power leaders that favor nationalistic or isolationist rhetoric and policies. Issues that require global cooperation — and sacrifice — like the climate crisis, nonproliferation of nuclear arms and the care of refugees are a hard sell to a citizenry increasingly concerned with economic and security problems affecting their own families and communities. As a result, nations all over the world turn ever inward and more distrustful of individuals and organizations beyond their borders.We see this dynamic play out again and again in conversations around immigration, and we’ve hosted more than a few such conversations on this podcast. But another realm of international politics that is affected by this change in global thinking is the place and influence of international and transnational organizations on the global scale. It’s tempting to shrug and wonder why you should care. Today’s guest, Dr. Michael Manulak, is here with an answer — and a challenge. The biggest issues we face today require global cooperation. That’s not just a political reality; it’s one grounded in our Catholic tradition. As Michael will discuss, the tenets of Catholic social teaching and the spirituality of St. Ignatius demand that we prayerfully contemplate the complex reality of our time and respond as best we’re able. That means looking at our individual gifts and vocations as part of something bigger than ourselves. Dr. Manulak is an associate professor of international affairs, anchoring the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs’ Diplomacy and Foreign Policy cluster in Ottawa. His research focuses on international organizations, multilateral diplomacy, Canadian foreign policy, global environmental politics and Non-Proliferation. An alumnus of the Government of Canada’s Recruitment of Policy Leaders program, he served mainly within the Department of National Defense. In government, he represented Canada in international proliferation security negotiations, supported the national security review of foreign investments, and composed Cabinet documents within National Defense’s Cabinet Liaison bureau.And coolest of all, the day before this conversation was recorded, he was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal at the Senate of Canada. The Medal recognizes those that have made a significant contribution to Canadian society.This is a timely and fascinating conversation. If you want to learn more about Dr. Manulak’s work, visit his website https://michaelmanulak.com/.
In the early morning hours of August 22, 1971, a group of Catholic anti-war protesters broke into a draft board in Camden, New Jersey to destroy draft-related documents. The action was one in a series of similar raids that Catholic activists carried out in the 1960s and ‘70s in opposition to the Vietnam War. The story of what enfolded that morning and the two years following is almost too wild to believe – it’s the stuff HBO miniseries are made of. Professor Michelle Nickerson, a historian at Loyola University Chicago, has just published a book about the raid, the ensuing trial and all the drama that surrounded both. The book is titled “Spiritual Criminals: How the Camden 28 Put the Vietnam War on Trial.” And while the book is a work of academic history published by the University of Chicago Press, it’s also a total page turner. Again, we think the good people at HBO or Netflix need to jump on this. Michelle is an expert in the history of politics, women & gender, social movements, and religion in 20th-century America, and she brought her serious academic chops to the story. Host Mike Jordan Laskey learned so much not just about the Camden 28 themselves, but the history and development of the Catholic anti-war movement in the US. We’re so happy to be able to share some of this story with you before you watch it on a streaming service in, say, 2028. Michelle Nickerson: https://michellenickerson.com/"Spiritual Criminals": https://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Criminals-Camden-Vietnam-Trial/dp/0226828034AMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Whether you’re a big New Year’s Resolutions person or not, it’s never a bad idea to take stock our own spiritual lives. Where might we want to grow in our relationship with God? So host Mike Jordan Laskey invited one of our favorite spirituality experts onto the show: Julianne Stanz. Julianne is the Director of Outreach for Evangelization and Discipleship at Loyola Press. She’s also an acclaimed author and international speaker. A native of Ireland, Julianne was shaped by that country’s deep and distinctive Catholicism. And in line with one of the very best Irish stereotypes, Julianne is also one of the best storytellers around. Julianne came up with three possible spiritual resolutions we might want to try out in the New Year. All three is are both meaningful and accessible. As a mom of three kids, Julianne knows huge time-intensive commitments in the spiritual life just can’t work for everyone. No matter your stage of life, you’ll enjoy hearing Julianne’s ideas and stories. Happy New Year from all of us here at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.Julianne Stanz: https://www.juliannestanz.com/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
The Christmas season is upon us! We look to the manger and we see new life—a baby has been born, Jesus the Christ, and so we have reason to hope. God has once more broken into our human story with an invitation: Can we go to the others, bringing the joy and wonder of the Incarnate Christ?Christmas is rightly a time for joy and celebration. But it’s also a time to take a hard, loving look at our world—the very world through which God again and again makes Godself known. So here’s a question and a challenge: Are we romanticizing that nativity scene? Are we placing the Holy Family high upon a pedestal without looking plainly at the hardship and struggle they themselves had to bear? We’re so quick to sing about Mary and Joseph finding no room at the inn and yet, do we respond in hospitality to those left out in the cold?Long time listeners of our podcast have heard our crossover episodes of the Jesuit Border Podcast before. Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ, is the director of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries, located in the diocese of Brownsville, Texas. Along with Joe Nolla—a Jesuit regent—he’s wrapped the seventh season of the Jesuit Border Podcast. Today, we’re going to share with you the season finale, which features Bishop Joseph Tyson of the diocese of Yakima, Washington. This conversation is a helpful one during this Christmas season. It reminds us once more to look to the holy families still on the move today, still pleading for shelter and hospitality—not unlike the Holy Family 2,000 years ago. Let’s not reduce our God of the universe to a plastic toy in a nativity set we carefully set up once a year. Instead, let’s take up the challenge that Fr. Brian, Joe and Bishop Tyson lay out for us in this episode. Let’s walk with those families still in need today, those families who bear the image and likeness of our same God. Let’s embody a message of hope and welcome. Listen to more episodes of the Jesuit Border Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesuit-border-podcast/id1593208023Learn more about Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministries: https://www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org/our-work/del-camino/
It’s time for one of our favorite AMDG traditions: Our annual Christmas draft. It’s an idea we stole outright from the sportswriter Joe Posnanski’s podcast, so a tip of the Santa hat to him.For newcomers, this is how a Christmas draft works: First, host Mike Jordan Laskey picks a Christmas related category. This year, it’s Christmas objects. Some guests and Mike take turns selecting their favorite individual members of that category. It’s like a draft that the NFL or NBA sponsors. Once someone makes a specific pick, that option is off the board for everyone else. We do three rounds. This year, we two guests: Sister Bethany Welch, SSJ, and Father Marty Ngo, SJ. A nun, a priest, and a father of three walk into a podcast… the jokes just write themselves. We asked Bethany and Marty to introduce themselves at the top of the show, so I won’t say too much about them. But we think you’ll see why we invited them – they’re two people who are both deeply spiritual, immensely creative and just joys to be around. We’re grateful for their vocations.And we’re grateful to all you out there in AMDG land for spending some of your busy holiday season with us. All of us here at the Jesuit Conference wish you a very merry Christmas and a blessed 2025.Sister Bethany Welch, SSJ: https://jesuitmedialab.org/how-this-catholic-sister-used-art-to-prepare-for-taking-vows/Fr. Marty Ngo, SJ: https://www.jesuits.org/profile/martin-huynh-ngo-sj/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
We were assigned The Hobbit in seventh grade. We knew it was coming, too—each class ahead of us had to read Tolkien’s classic text. Everyone in school always knew when it was that time of year again. The culminating Hobbit-themed project for every seventh grader was to create a sculpture featuring one of the characters in the book. Those sculptures would then line the halls of our school for the remaining two months of the school year. I, Eric Clayton, of course, made a not-at-all-to-scale version of the great dragon Smaug. So, that was seventh grade and coincidentally the year Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings debuted in theaters. But long before I made a dragon out of clay, I’d fallen in love with fantasy, myth and fairy tale. I liked the adventure, of course, the epicness of these wild and wondrous worlds. But the more I read in the genre, the more I learned about these worlds and my own reaction to them, the more I wondered: Was something else going on? Was I drawn to these kinds of stories for another reason? Today’s guest, New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, John Hendrix, provides a pretty compelling answer in his latest book, “The Mythmakers: The Remarkable Fellowship of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.” It’s from a particular scene in his book—and we discuss at length in our conversation. It’s a pivot moment, a conversation between Tolkien, Lewis and their mutual friend, Hugo Dyson. “The hunger in your stomach does not prove that you will get a meal,” Tolkien says. “But it does prove that your body was meant for food. The point is simple. The ‘dying and reviving God’ images that moves you so deeply in mythology is the very same story found in the Gospels.”Dyson adds: “Men write their myths and God writes his.”Lewis is exasperated: “Now both of you are saying that Christ is a myth…like Loki?” he asked.“Exactly,” Tolkien says. “With one simple difference: “Christ is the myth that entered history. He is the myth that actually came true.”I won’t spoil any more of the story for you. But if you are curious about the intersection of fantastical storytelling and spiritual discoveries, if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about the creators of Narnia and Middle-earth and their all-important friendship, then this conversation with John Hendrix is for you. And so’s his book. A little more about John: His books include The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler, called a Best Book of 2018 by NPR, Drawing Is Magic: Discovering Yourself in a Sketchbook, Miracle Man: The Story of Jesus, and many others. His award-winning illustrations have also appeared on book jackets, newspapers, and magazines all over the world. And he is the Kenneth E. Hudson Professor of Art and the founding Chair of the MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture program at the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis.You can learn more about John’s impressive career and grab copies of his many books at johnhendrix.com.
You’ve heard of the Spiritual Exercises. You’ve probably heard of Ignatius’ autobiography. But have you heard of the Constitutions of the Society of Jesus? Unless you’re a Jesuit, you probably haven’t. It’s a series of documents often dismissed as too legalistic, necessary but not relevant to daily life. But that’s not true—and our guest today, Fr. Bart Geger, SJ, professor at the Boston College’s school of theology and ministry, will make that case. The Constitutions are foundational to the Ignatian tradition, to how Jesuits understand their mission: that being the service of the greater glory of God. The Constitutions, then, are important for all of us who stand in this Ignatian legacy, for all of us who also hope to serve God’s greater glory. The Constitutions touch on the formation of Jesuits specifically, but also point each of us toward spiritual wisdom for our own unique vocation. Why talk about the Constitutions today? Fr. Bart has recently completed work on a new edition, which provides all of us with an opportunity to revisit this important text. As Fr. Bart writes in the introduction: “Knowledge of the Constitutions is…necessary in order to understand recurring themes and controversies in the Society’s history. Far more importantly, however, the book is vital to correctly interpret the spiritual doctrine of Ignatius himself, especially his ideas about how to discern God’s will, and the particular ideals and virtues that he desired—and still desires—for all who embrace the principle and foundation upon which all his doctrine stands.”In short, if we believe the riches of Ignatian spirituality are vital and relevant for today’s world, then we’d do well to better understand the institutional framework with which Ignatius entrusted this legacy to be lived out. If you'd like to get a copy of Fr. Bart's new edition or learn more about the project, head over to the Institute of Jesuit Sources: https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/the-constitutions-of-the-society-of-jesus-a-critical-edition-with-the-complementary-norms-paperback/
If you’re listening to this episode on the day it drops, then we’re just a matter of hours away from celebrating Thanksgiving in the United States. Regardless of whether you’ll be surrounded by friends and family over these next few days or you’ll be passing the occasion in a quieter, more subdued manner, one thing remains the same: We are all called to cultivate a disposition of gratitude.These Thanksgiving episodes where we reflect on gratitude as a spiritual practice have become something of a holiday tradition all on their own. Gratitude is foundational to Ignatian spirituality. And it’s something we’re called to on good days as much as on bad ones. Today we’re lucky to have Vinita Hampton Wright return to the pod to reflect on these spiritual themes. Vinita always brings with her practical wisdom and deep knowledge of both the tenets of the Ignatian tradition and how to talk about them. Vinita is a veteran editors and writer of countless books and articles on Ignatian spirituality. She worked for many years at Loyola Press, and now gives workshops and retreats on writing, creativity and prayer. Vinita is also the author of this year’s 2025 “Book of Grace-Filled Days,” which is currently available from Loyola Press and a wonderful companion to your prayer in this upcoming year. Check it out here: https://store.loyolapress.com/2025-a-book-of-grace-filled-days
Last week, we began our pilgrimage to Belize. We met Fr. Brian Christopher, the superior of the country-wide Jesuit community. And we heard a little bit about the hopes and heartaches of the people of Belize. We saw how Ignatian spirituality has a role to play in helping crystalize the character of Belize, and how important collaboration is in a country made up of such a rich and diverse history.Most importantly, we heard from Fr. Brian how the work of the Jesuits in Belize today isn’t about making plans and wracking up successes but rather that of humility, of accepting the possibility of failure. The key, Brian said again and again, is accompaniment: walking with and learning from and cheering on the people of Belize. Last week’s episode ended with a reflection on synodality — that all-important theme of Pope Francis’ papacy. How are we called to listen to the voices of those members of our global church that so often get sidelined?Today, in our second of our two-part series on Belize, we return to that theme of synodality: you’re going to hear from several lay leaders that are working closely with the Jesuits. Perhaps even more importantly, you’re going to hear how essential these lay leaders are in building up the local church. It’s not an exaggeration to say that without these lay leaders, the Catholic church in some of the most remote parts of Belize may simply not exist. So, let’s continue our pilgrimage.
Over the next two episodes, host Eric Clayton is going to take you on an adventure. We’re going to travel to Central America, to a small country on the Caribbean Sea. A country that is both ancient and relatively new. A place that is both a melting pot of so very many cultures and ways of life, and yet is also the least populated country in all of Central America. We're going on pilgrimage to Belize. Eric was there earlier this year visiting the Jesuit communities. Jesuits have been in Belize since 1851, when members of the English Province came over from nearby Jamaica. Ever since, Jesuit have played a foundational role in the development of the Catholic Church in the country — even before it was a country. And that last bit is important. The Mayan people lived and thrived in that land for centuries before Europeans arrived in the early 1500s. But when the Spanish conquistadors arrived — and soon after, British pirates — the Mayan people suffered, dying from conflict as well as disease. The country as it’s known today became independent in 1981. Before then, since 1862, Belize was declared part of the British Empire and known as British Honduras. As a result of the relative new-ness of the country, Belizeans are still in the process of discovering their own identity, of making known what it means to be a citizen of Belize. So, what role are the Jesuits playing in all of this? As you'll hear from today's guest, Fr. Brian Christopher, SJ, the superior of the Jesuit community in Belize, the Jesuits are called to accompaniment. Fr. Brian is focused on walking with Belizeans in discovering what it means to be Catholic and Belizean is this moment. This is part 1 of a two-part series on Belize. Next week, we'll journey to a different part of the country. In the meantime, check out this video featuring Fr. Brian and some of the lay leadership in Belize: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cLzGsVsxRs
Today we’re talking about the global nature of God’s invitation. Our guest — Fr. Chuks, the new director of communications for the Jesuit Curia in Rome, responsible for sharing the stories of the entirety of the global Society of Jesus — reminds us that the people of God are everywhere. And we, informed by the Ignatian tradition, have a responsibility to go and hear their stories—and to share them with others.Fr. Chuks — whose full name is Chukwuyenum Afiawari — is a Nigerian Jesuit. Most recently, he was the provincial of the North West Africa province, which includes Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Gambia—no small task!Now living at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome, Chuks is tasked with thinking about how we communicate with one another. How we communicate the Good News of Jesus Christ with on another. How Ignatian spirituality and the legacy of Ignatius of Loyola equips us to go out into the world and witness Christ’s love to one another. This, too, is no small task.Today's conversation covers a lot of ground, hitting on the nature of global communications, our responsibility as members of the universal Catholic Church, how we might train today’s communicators to respond to the signs of the times and more.
When the celebrity chef and restauranter Lidia Bastianich was just a few months old, the city her Italian family lived in was assigned to Yugoslavia as part of the reorganization of Europe after World War II. Her family became exiles without a proper homeland. Eventually, her family fled to Italy, where they lived in a refugee camp for two years. With the help of the Catholic Church, her family was resettled in the United States in 1958. It is her own family history and her own close personal connection with the Society of Jesus that prompted Lidia to join the board of the Jesuit Refugee Service USA recently. The mission of Jesuit Refugee Service is to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of refugees and other forcibly displaced persons. Founded by Jesuit superior general Fr. Pedro Arrupe in 1980, in direct response to the humanitarian crisis of Vietnamese refugees, JRS today works in 58 countries worldwide to meet the educational, health and social needs of refugees. Lidia is most well known for Italian cooking, which she has shared with the world in almost 20 cookbooks, several restaurants and a handful of extremely popular cooking shows on PBS. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about her career and how her family’s moving story led her to where she is today. They also talked about the unique and mysterious power of a shared meal, plus differences between Italian and Italian-American cooking and how the US at its best is a place where cultures from around the world can come, encounter each other and grow in harmony. Lidia also gave Mike a few tips for his own cooking! She is a delightful storyteller and an insightful conversation partner and we know you’ll love getting to know her in this extended interview format.Lidia Bastianich: https://lidiasitaly.com/ Jesuit Refugee Service USA: https://www.jrsusa.org/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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
From the Jesuit Media Lab, this is AMDG. I’m Mike Jordan Laskey.Today’s episode is the fourth and final one in our series on faith and politics leading up to the 2024 presidential election here in the U.S. Our guest is the Jesuit Conference’s very own Tom Mulloy, who serves as our director of government relations.Sometimes people are surprised to find out that we have a director of government relations and that our Office of Justice and Ecology spends the majority of its time here in Washington meeting with lawmakers and others in power, trying to influence laws and policies. Tom is a lobbyist, essentially, but you have to think about that word differently in this case. Instead of lobbying on behalf of big oil or a tech behemoth like Google, Tom works alongside other faith groups and NGOs to advocate for a more just and peaceful world. He brings the voices and experiences of the huge Jesuit network to the halls of power in order to humanize issues ranging from immigration to tax policy to indigenous housing. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Tom to share how he got into this work and why his faith calls him to bring Gospel values to Capitol Hill. They also talked about how all of us can be informed, faith-filled advocates on behalf of justice. Because the work of politics is not just about elections. It’s about making sure those we elect pursue the common good.The Jesuit Conference Office of Justice and Ecology: https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/oje/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Go Yankees.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit M
For the third episode of our pre-election series, we’re going to focus on the role of the media in a democracy. Our guest is Scott Detrow, a veteran radio journalist and a host of NPR’s flagship show All Things Considered. You can usually find Scott hosting the weekend editions of the show on Saturday and Sunday, but this month he’s filling in on the weekday afternoon broadcast. He’s also a host of the Consider This podcast. Scott joined NPR in 2015, and he spent eight years covering national politics. He covered two presidential campaigns, Congress and the White House. Before NPR, Scott was a statehouse reporter in California and Pennsylvania for NPR member stations.He's also Jesuit educated twice over -- an alum of Marquette University High School in Milwaukee and Fordham University in New York. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him on the show recently to discuss the state of the news media today, which is just as caught up in the challenges of polarization as the Catholic Church is. We wanted to get his take on the state of journalism today and even just to get back to basics: What is the news media for in a democracy? Why is mistrust of media so high these days? Are there any signs of hope out there? And you can trust Scott on this stuff because he’s thoughtful, hard-working and a great old-fashioned journalist. He wants to tell stories that matter to communities, not to spout his own opinions about the latest hot topic of the day. Because he’s not a pundit, this podcast might be the only time you get to hear him share his thoughts on the media landscape today and why journalism is worth fighting for. Scott Detrow: https://www.npr.org/people/444796749/scott-detrow 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
This is the second in our series on faith and politics leading up to the 2024 presidential election here in the United States. Our guest is Dr. Nichole Flores, one of the most exciting young theologians around. Nichole is an associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, and completed her doctoral study in theological ethics at Boston College. It was tricky to decide what to talk to her about because her work covers so many topics: Her research in practical ethics addresses issues of democracy, migration, family, gender, economics, race and ethnicity, and ecology.She talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about her background and topics like polarization, faith and politics within the various Hispanic communities in the US, and how we might try to seek out spaces in our daily lives that are not just echo chambers of our own views. It was a wide-ranging discussion and it’s fascinating to see how Nichole brings her intellectual interests together with the very practical day-to-day stuff of family and community living. Dr. Nichole Flores: https://religiousstudies.as.virginia.edu/nichole-m-floresNichole’s writing at America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/nichole-m-floresAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
It’s October, which means the presidential election here in the US is next month. So here on AMDG we are going to take old that rule about never discussing religion or politics in polite company and throw it in the Potomac River. Our four episodes this month will all cover faith and politics in a variety of ways. We know you don’t come here for political news and analysis, so we won’t be talking about the ins and outs of the election or really all that much about the election itself. Instead, we’re hoping to go deeper into why politics might matter to people of faith in the first place. Our series of guests all come at questions about this stuff from different angles. We’re getting started on today’s episode with the only American Jesuit who served as a state’s lieutenant governor before entering the Society of Jesus. (We didn’t actually look that fact up, but we’re sure it’s true.) Cyrus Habib, SJ, is a Jesuit in the stage of formation called regency. When he entered the Jesuits in 2020, Cyrus had been serving as the State of Washington’s Lieutenant Governor for three years. An extremely successful and popular politician, it was quite possible Cyrus would’ve eventually become the governor of the state. But he gave up his political career for a Jesuit vocation. And these are just two chapters of Cyrus’ incredible life story: the son of Iranian immigrants to the United States, Cyrus lost his eyesight to cancer as an eight-year-old kid. After graduating from Columbia University in 2003, he studied English literature as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University then earned a law degree at Yale. He practiced law in Washington State from 2009 until 2017, and during that time was elected to the Washington House of Representatives. It’s safe to say he surprised a lot of people when he walked away from politics to enter the Society.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Cyrus about his story and his vocation. They also talked about the value of politics and what from the Church’s tradition we might be able to offer the country to help heal our partisan divides.Cyrus Habib, SJ, on his decision to join the Jesuits in America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/19/lieutenant-governor-cyrus-habib-why-i-am-giving-elected-office-and-joining-jesuitsAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Santos and Noehlia worked with Jesuits in Nicaragua; when the government began to attack the Church, they had to flee.This audio reflection is part of a series marking the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Over the course of six episodes, we invite you to join migrants in solidarity and prayer.Find supplemental resources for reflection and action here: https://sites.ignatiansolidarity.net/world-refugee-day-website
Fr. Sudzer and Matthew support migrants at the Jesuit parish in Miami. They both have family members who’ve migrated.This audio reflection is part of a series marking the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. Over the course of six episodes, we invite you to join migrants in solidarity and prayer.Find supplemental resources for reflection and action here: https://sites.ignatiansolidarity.net/world-refugee-day-website
Today’s episode is different from anything we’ve ever done. Instead of an interview, we have three audio pieces about what you could call the spirituality of everyday life. What are the things we do to find meaning and purpose within the daily grind? First, host Mike Jordan Laskey tells you about his “kindie rock” band, Down By The Bagel.Then, New York-based writer Kaitlin Campbell shares “You Can Do This,” a story about a big case of writer’s block and her prayer for God to just show her a sign already.Finally, Steve Givens, an author and spiritual director from St. Louis, has a piece about how an imaginary baseball game he played as a kid shaped his spiritual life in ways he only would come to realize decades later.If you’d like to submit us your own proposal for some creative work, check out our pitch guide at JesuitMediaLab.org.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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Sometimes on this show, host Mike Jordan Laskey has topic in mind he’d like to cover and then he goes and finds someone great to talk about it. Other times, he knows he wants to talk to a specific person because they’re brilliant and Mike doesn’t really care what the topic is. Whatever the guest wants to discuss will be interesting. Today’s episode is this latter type of show. Dr. Mahri Leonard-Fleckman teaches at the College of the Holy Cross, where she’s an associate professor in the Departments of Religious Studies and Classics. She’s an Old Testament scholar, and first came on the show about four years ago to talk about the Book of Ecclesiastes and King David. Mike wrote her recently and asked what’s fascinating her these days. And that’s how we have come to have an episode about Samson, that strong guy with the long hair from the Book of Judges.Mahri has been researching the history of Samson, how this bizarre Biblical character came to be and how interpretations about him have shifted through centuries. Mahri’s research has way deeper concerns than the surface-level story of Samson – she uses the story to reflect on the nature of Biblical biography writ large. Where do these larger-than-life characters come from and what do they mean? How do cultures receive and interpret sacred texts over generations? After hearing form Mahri, you won’t think about Samson the same way ever again. Mahri Leonard-Fleckman, Ph.D.: https://www.holycross.edu/academics/programs/religious-studies/faculty/mahri-leonard-fleckmanMahri’s “Ponder: Contemplative Bible Study”: https://litpress.org/Products/PONDERSET/Ponder-Complete-Set?srsltid=AfmBOopdlMpTTpBbZ-ug-XsSwHtMz-zSQYcBLkw3BBr6-h8AcDpI1SzlWorld Day of Migrants and Refugees Audio Reflection Series: https://sites.ignatiansolidarity.net/world-refugee-day-websiteAMDG 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/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Think back to the early days of ChatGPT and generative AI. It was a topic discussed on seemingly every podcast and countless news segments. Nearly every one of them started those segments with some elaborate introduction about the risks and opportunities that the new technology posed, how the way we communicate with one another would be irrevocably changed, how we would no longer be able to differentiate the writing of humans from that of computers. And then, to conclude the intro, the host would say something along the lines of, “Bet you didn’t realize everything I just said was written by ChatGPT.” Don’t worry—we didn’t do that here. All that clunky writing is your host's. But for a second, you were unsure. Even now, you might be wondering if you can trust us, if you can take us at our word.And that, our guest today says, is a problem. Dr. Joseph Vukov is an associate professor of philosophy and the associate director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago. His latest book—and the topic of today’s podcast—is called “Staying Human in an Era of Artificial Intelligence.” Joe points to this erosion of trust as just one of the threats AI poses to our ability to stay human. But he doesn’t stop there. Throughout our conversation, he takes on this idea that just because AI can write something that sounds vaguely human doesn’t at all mean it’s eroding the building blocks of our humanity. All the same, as people of faith responding to the signs of the times, continuing to reflect on AI and its inevitable role in our present and future is important. And that’s what we do today. It’s a fun conversation. If you want to learn more about Joe and his work, visit josephvukov.com and check out the links below.Get his book: https://www.amazon.com/Staying-Human-Era-Artificial-Intelligence/dp/1565485998Learn about his course: https://www.scienceforhumans.com/
There aren’t that many times in the Gospels when Jesus tells his disciples how they might act if they’re hoping to get to heaven one day. When Jesus does indeed get that direct, it’s probably a smart idea to pay attention. And probably the most famous example of this sort of Jesus talk comes in the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel. It’s the Last Judgment story, the one about the sheep and the goats. Jesus tells his friends that whenever they feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick or visit the prisoner, they are caring for Christ himself. He makes a radical one-to-one identification with people who suffering and oppressed. Perhaps the most challenging category of person listed in Matthew 25 is the prisoner. Because Jesus doesn’t just say you can find him in unjustly held prisoners. He just says prisoners. If you want to see Christ, he seems to be saying, look into the eyes of someone on death row. That’s a privileged place to find Jesus, important enough to make it into this dramatic story in the Gospel. Our criminal justice system is certainly not set up to treat prisoners as if they were reflections of the Lord’s face. But our guest today is the founder of a Catholic organization that’s working hard to make world a bit closer to God’s dream for it.Fr. Zach Presutti is a Jesuit priest and the founder and executive director of the Thrive For Life Prison Project. In 2017, before his ordination to the priesthood, Zach founded Thrive For Life with a mission to transform lives both behind and beyond prison walls. In jails and prisons, Thrive For Life offers thousands of men and women in New York and Wisconsin retreats and spiritual direction rooted in Ignatian spirituality. On the outside, the organization is growing a network of houses of study for returning citizens to live in community while receiving holistic support services.Recently, Fr. Zach was nominated as one of three finalists for the prestigious Opus Prize, hosted this year at Santa Clara University. The Opus Prize is given to recognize unsung heroes, anywhere in the world and from a variety of faith traditions, solving today’s most persistent social problems. All Opus finalists receive gifts of $100,000, with the winner receiving $1 million. When host Mike Jordan Laskey spoke with Fr. Zach recently, he asked him to share the story of how Thrive For Life got started and why he thinks it has grown and thrived the way it has. Fr. Zach shared his reflections on working in prison ministry and why he finds it to be such an enlivening mission. While he’s a humble guy who deflects praise and is always quick to lift up members of Thrive For Life’s team and network, we couldn’t help but be struck by Fr. Zach’s passion, energy and vision. We think you’ll enjoy getting to know him a bit.Thrive For Life: https://thriveforlife.org/The Opus Prize: https://www.scu.edu/news-and-events/press-releases/2024/july-2024/santa-clara-university-announces-opus-prize-finalists.htmlAMDG is a product of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
A couple of weeks ago, The New Yorker magazine published a fabulous profile of a Jesuit priest: Fr. Brian Strassburger, SJ, who lives in a Jesuit community that’s serving migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas and the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The piece went deep into Fr. Brian’s vocation story and how he wound up at the border as his first assignment after ordination to the priesthood. The article is also theologically rich, politically astute and paints a vivid picture of the harsh reality the migrants the Jesuits accompany are facing every day. The author of the story is a freelance reporter named Jack Herrera whose work on immigration, among other topics, has appeared in places like The Atlantic and the Los Angeles Times. Jack is our guest today. In reporting the story, Jack spent hours and hours with Fr. Brian and his fellow Jesuits in their ministry. Host Mike Jordan Laskey wanted to know what Jack learned from his experience: What most surprised him as he accompanied the Jesuits on both sides of the border? What stories and research got left on the cutting room floor? How did the project come to be in the first place, and why was The New Yorker interested? If you have read the story already, we hope this conversation will be a helpful supplement to what made it onto the page. If you haven’t read the story yet, we can’t recommend it highly enough. “The Betrayal of American Border Policy”: https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-betrayal-of-american-border-policyJack Herrera: https://x.com/jherrerxDel Camino Jesuit Border Ministries, where Fr. Brian serves: https://www.jesuitscentralsouthern.org/our-work/del-camino/How Jesuits Accompany Today’s Holy Families on the Border: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85U1B3zECU4 www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
The end of the summer and the beginning of fall means many of us will be returning to school in one form or another. Teachers, students, bus drivers, cafeteria workers—it’s all about to begin again. It’s a time of excitement and maybe a little apprehension.I’ll wager a bet that a few listeners are familiar with a particular type of school. It may be your alma mater; it might be your place of employment. It might just be where you send your tuition. I’ll bet when you visit this school, there are signs with funny Latin words: cura personalis, magis, agere contra and so on.Of course I’m talking about Jesuit schools. And whether or not you’ll be setting foot on one in the coming weeks, I think you’re going to like today’s episode. Because our guest, Dr. Michael T. Rizzi, is about to take us on a brisk tour through the vast and compelling history of Jesuit colleges and universities in the United States.Dr. Rizzi is the director of student affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. He’s written an incredible book aptly called “Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States: A History.” In it, he tells the story of this particular kind of school, how it has developed and what it has meant to the history of the U.S. We’re introduced to not only a cast of characters but every Jesuit college past and present. It’s a history with more than a few surprises. And it may just make you appreciate your own Jesuit school that much more.If you’d like to pick up a copy of Dr. Rizzi’s book, visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Jesuit-Colleges-Universities-United-States/dp/0813236169
This is a conversation about racism and the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius of Loyola. Put more precisely, this is a conversation about how the Spiritual Exercises might better form us to understand and push back against the repercussions of racism in America. The question that frames this conversation is one that comes from the global Society of Jesus. At the last General Congregation—GC 36—when Jesuits from around the world gathered to elect a new superior general and examine the most pressing issues facing our world today, this question was raised: Why do the Exercises not change us as deeply as we should hope? In short, how does injustice and racism and violent persist, even after so many of us have made the Exercises? The Exercises, after all, are meant to change our hearts and minds, to help us better understand God and who God desires that we be with and through community. This question is at the heat of a new book from Liturgical Press. It’s called “Praying for Freedom: Racism and Ignatian Spirituality in America.” It’s a collection of essays and reflections that attempt to wrestle with this question and try to envision how we might build a more just and compassionate society.We have three guests today. Dr. Laurie Cassidy, the editor of the anthology, currently teaches in the Christian Spirituality program at Creighton University. She is an award-winning author and editor, and has been engaged in the ministry of spiritual direction for more than 30 years. Our two other guests, Elise Gower and Justin White, both contributed chapters to this book, both reflecting on their own experiences of a retreat called “The God of Us All: Praying with Black Spirituality.” They both share with us personal and powerful insights into their own prayer life.Elise has an extensive background in Ignatian spirituality, higher education and leadership, having served as associate director of Contemplative Leaders in Action—a formation program for young adults—and at Loyola University Maryland in the offices of Campus Ministry and the Center for Community Service and Justice, and more. Justin White has a long career in Jesuit education, having taught theology for 8 years at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Baltimore and having held several roles at Loyola Blakefield, most recently as a counselor for middle school students. If you have ever prayed through the Spiritual Exercises or if that’s something you hope to do, this conversation will add a helpful frame to your prayer and challenge you to examine those places in our lives where we are resistant to God’s love—those places where we are not free. Our prayer today is one of freedom—as we begin this conversation, let us pray that we all may recognize those places of unfreedom in our lives, and take the necessary steps to step beyond those obstacles.https://litpress.org/Products/6791/Praying-for-Freedom
Today’s topic is one straight out of science fiction. We’re talking about transhumanism—which, as you’ll soon learn, is very much a real thing with very real ethical implications. That’s why Dr. Jason Eberl, professor and director of the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University, is here to share his insights and expertise. Transhumanism, at its core, is about modifying the human body. As Dr. Eberl will explain, that can be as simple as taking some sort of drug to help focus your mind during a late-night study session. But it can also imply something much more—think of a cyborg from Star Trek.And we do—think about Star Trek, I mean. Dr. Eberl is an expert fan, having written and edited countless essays, articles, book chapters and more investigating the philosophical side of some of our favorite pop culture franchises. It’s a helpful way to engage a tricky, complex topic like transhumanism. As Dr. Eberl says, it gives us distance to game out ethical scenarios that are both uncomfortable and necessary to making good decisions. We do that in today’s conversation, too. While we may arrive at few answers, Dr. Eberl lays out a variety of outcomes that transhumanism—in all its varied forms—might lead to. Some are good; some, less so. But as you’ll see, these aren’t just hypothetical issues for the next Star Trek series; these are issues that can have very tangible impacts in our daily lives and relationships. This conversation brings in insights from everyone from Mr. Spock to St. Thomas Aquinas, and helps us better understand what it means to be embodied. Ultimately, as Dr. Eberl lays out, it’s because of our limitations, our imperfections as humans, that we are able to find happiness. That sounds counterintuitive, but I think by the end of today’s episode, you might begin to see why. Want to check out some of Jason Eberl’s prolific works?SLU Faculty Page: https://www.slu.edu/arts-and-sciences/bioethics/faculty/eberl-jason.php"Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy:" https://www.amazon.com/Battlestar-Galactica-Philosophy-Knowledge-Begins/dp/1405178140/"The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy:" https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Star-Wars-Philosophy-Blackwell/dp/1119038065/"Star Trek and Philosophy:" https://www.amazon.com/Star-Trek-Philosophy-Popular-Culture-ebook/dp/B003S3RL8U
Today, July 31, we celebrate the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Happy feast day! We'll wager a guess that if you’re a listener of this podcast, then today’s saint needs no introduction. You know about the cannonball, the pilgrimage, the Spiritual Exercises and the founding of the Society of Jesus. Ignatius’ story, told year after year, might even begin to feel a bit dry.That’s why we're excited about today’s interview. Our guest takes a fresh approach to this well-known history. We’re looking at the story of Ignatius and the Jesuits not from a chronological perspective but from a thematic one. Claudio Ferlan is an Italian historian and was a fellow at Boston College’s Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies. His time at BC has led to the publication of a new book titled “The Jesuits: A Thematic History.”What are these themes? We explore the historical development and importance of the Ignatian identity, of the role of mission work in the Society, of the Jesuit’s unique way of proceeding and of the inevitable conflicts that Jesuits have found themselves engaged in. We think you’ll find this to be a brisk, fascinating tour of Jesuit history.And if you do like this conversation or just have an interest in Jesuit history, then pick up a copy of “The Jesuits: A Thematic History” here: https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/the-jesuits-a-thematic-history/
There is a list of Jesuit giants through history you hear over and over. That list starts with Saint Ignatius and his companions, of course, then includes to other Jesuit saints and blesseds to more modern Jesuits who are often called by just one name: Rahner. Hopkins. De Lubac. Teilhard. Arrupe. Dulles. Ellacuria. Bergoglio. And today’s episode is about one more on this list: Lonergan.Bernard Lonergan was a Canadian Jesuit philosopher and theologian who lived from 1904 to 1984. And to be honest, his work is intimidating. He was pretty clearly a genius and wrote volumes on volumes of work on topics like epistemology, the philosophy of science, economic and political theory, and so much more. His most significant work is a 1957 book called “Insight: A Study of Human Understanding.” Whatever Lonergan was up to during his life was so important that there are scores of scholars who devote their careers today to studying and responding to his work. Today’s guest is one of these scholars: Jonathan Heaps is the director of the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, and the author of the recent book The Ambiguity of Being: Lonergan and the Problems of the Supernatural. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Jonathan to introduce Lonergan to us and explain why there is this whole cottage industry around Lonergan’s thought and why he’s still important today. Jon did a great job translating some of Lonergan’s big ideas into language even Mike could understand. We think you’ll enjoy the chance to get this accessible introduction to one of the most influential North American Jesuits ever.Jonathan Heaps: https://www.jonathanheaps.com/Lonergan Institute: https://www.shu.edu/lonergan/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
A few weeks ago, our guest was the sociologist of religion Tricia Bruce, who talked about what we know about the state of the American Catholic Church today. On this episode, host Mike Jordan Laskey is pursuing the same questions but from a different angle. Our guest is Scott Moringiello, and he’s an associate professor of religious studies at DePaul University in Chicago. In that role, he teaches a rather large course called Introduction to Catholicism, which he has taught multiple times. Over the years, he has taught hundreds of Gen Z kids from all sorts of religious backgrounds about the foundational basics of the Catholic faith. He’s gotten to learn about the students’ own experiences with faith and what energizes them or keeps them distant.Scott was also an academic mentor of Mike’s almost 20 years ago. He was a graduate assistant in a phenomenal liberal arts seminar Mike took, which he still considers the greatest intellectual experience of his life. One way you can tell the power of that class is the fact Scott and Mike are still friends all this time later. So they talked a bit about what made that class so incredible and how it informed Scott’s own approach to education. They also discussed some of his Scott’s mentors from Regis High School in New York City, his Jesuit alma mater that’s still near and dear to his heart.Finally, Mike also asked Scott the role of the liberal arts and college education in the world of ChatGPT. They had a wide-ranging conversation that feels a bit like old friends getting together over a meal or a libation. Scott Moringiello: https://las.depaul.edu/academics/catholic-studies/faculty/Pages/Scott-Moringiello.aspxAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In honor of the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, we’re thrilled to welcome the swimmer and five-time Olympic medalist Missy Franklin onto the podcast. Maybe you remember Missy taking the Olympics by storm back in 2012 at the age of 17. What you might now know, though, is that Missy was a student at Regis Jesuit High School in Denver, Colorado during that Olympic run. She went back and graduated the year after her historic performance. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Missy how the school community supported her during those wild weeks and months. She couldn’t have been happier to talk about Regis Jesuit and how the school stood by her and welcomed her back to class as her whole, genuine self – and not just a newly minted celebrity. Missy described finding her faith at Regis Jesuit, as she did not come from a religious background, and she shared stories from her time at school and what she’s been up to during her retirement from competitive swimming.After the conversation with Missy, you’ll hear a piece written and read by Gretchen Kessler, one of Missy’s mentors at Regis Jesuit and the first principal of the school’s girls division. Regis Jesuit is the only Jesuit high school in the U.S. or Canada – and we think maybe in the world – that educates both young men and women but does so in distinctive, separate divisions. While students come together for extracurricular activities and other events, their core instruction is in single-sex classrooms. It’s a unique model that got its start in Denver 20 years ago. Gretchen retired from her role in recent years, but she still works at the school in alumni relations. It’s fascinating to hear her reflect on starting something new and bold two decades ago. It was an experiment that worked and has turned out hundreds of high-quality alumni like Missy Franklin herself.Missy Franklin: https://www.missyfranklin.com/Regis Jesuit High School: https://www.regisjesuit.com/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.Our theme music by Kevin Laskey. Also featured in this episode is "These Moments Live," by Abstract Aprils, licensed through Audiio.com.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Most of our listeners have surely at least heard of Homeboy Industries, which is the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world. Founded in Los Angeles by the Jesuit priest Fr. Greg Boyle in 1988, Homeboy works with about 10,000 former gang members each year in dozens of different ways, from job training to tattoo removal to wraparound case management services. Fr. Greg recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his pioneering work in this area.One of Homeboy’s initiatives that host Mike Jordan Laskey just learned about recently is the Homeboy Art Academy, which engages at-risk youth and adults in diverse forms of art as tools for healing and transformation. The art academy is the brainchild of today’s guest -- Fabian Debora, an accomplished visual artist and a former gang member himself. Fabian’s story is so powerful – full of trauma and despair and hope and beauty and community. Unlike most episodes of AMDG, this one isn’t a classic interview. We’re just going to let Fabian share his story with you. You don’t want to miss it.Fabian Debora: https://www.fabiandebora.com/ LA Times profile of Fabian in conjunction with his “Cara de Vago” exhibition: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-03-15/fabian-debora-wants-you-to-see-the-light-of-gang-life-homeboy-industriesHomeboy Art Academy: https://homeboyindustries.org/services/art-academy/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.AMDG theme music by Kevin Laskey. Other music in this episode includes “Cool Math” by AstroMouse, “Coastin” by CTrox, “Fat Cloud” by Marscott and “Dawn” by Nicolas G, licensed through Audiio.com.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
"The Holy Spirit provides." This is one of the central mantras of the Migrant Familia program at Holy Trinity Jesuit Parish. Based in Washington, DC, the parish's Familia provides crucial support to newly arrived migrants and asylum seekers, helping them find housing, apply for work permits, enroll in school, and receive medical care. More than provide services, however, the Familia program creates, well, a family for migrants who come to the U.S.—often without resources, friends, or family of their own.On today's episode, I talk with the coordinator of the Familia program, Ashley Klick, and two of its graduates, Julien Patrick Tete Wabo and Miguel Flores. Both fled political persecution in Cameroon and Nicaragua, respectively. They came to the U.S. alone, and through their own determination and the accompaniment of Holy Trinity, they have built new lives. They spoke candidly about the hardship of migrating, but they also shared their love and admiration for one another—and for the Familia as a whole. I found it to be a really touching conversation, and I hope you do too.++++++++++++++++++++++++Learn more about Holy Trinity's Migrant Familia: https://trinity.org/social-justice/migrants-refugeesFind out how the Jesuits across the U.S. and Canada accompany migrants: https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/migration-and-immigration/This episode was recorded, edited and produced by MegAnne Liebsch.
The internet, wherever we access it, is so much of our lives now. Being online isn’t some alternate reality different from our real lives. The internet is real life. But what is that doing to our brains and our souls? How are the mini computers in our pockets affecting our lives, whether we’re using them for listening to great Jesuit podcasts or mindlessly scrolling through Instagram? What is our technology doing to our ability to, say, pay attention to the person in front of us? Or to read something long and dense? Or to be be bored? Or to pray?Host Mike Jordan Laskey has been growing more curious about these questions over the past few years, and it has led him to learn more about a discipline within the study of communications called “media ecology.” Media ecology is all about the environment that our ways of sending and receiving information create. The printing press affected all elements of culture in countless way; same thing for the radio and photograph and television and computer and smartphone. And one of the leading scholars working in media ecology today, especially at the subject area’s intersection with religion, is a Jesuit priest named Fr. Paul Soukup, and he’s today’s guest. Fr. Soukup is a professor of communication at Santa Clara University in California, where he teaches and writes on these topics. Some of his book titles are helpful introductions to his areas of interest: “Communication and Theology”; “Christian Communication”; “Media, Culture and Catholicism”; and “Out of Eden: 7 Ways God Restores Blocked Communication.”Mike asked Fr. Soukup to orient us to the world of media ecology and how he sees our media environment today affecting our individual and communal lives. They also discussed the media ecology of theology and how information technology development through the ages has affected the ways the church does its thinking and praying.More about Fr. Soukup: https://www.scu.edu/cas/communication/faculty-and-staff/paul-soukup-sj/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
We presume listeners to this podcast are interested in the state of the Catholic Church in North America. But if you stop to think about what you know about the church, or how you think you know what you now, you might realize your picture is incomplete. Maybe we parrot popular talking points about polarization or disaffiliation or frustrations with this or that church teaching. But so many of perspectives come from sitting where we sit – our age, race, class, gender, geography, political and ecclesial preferences, and so on. And because the Church is so diverse and multifaceted, we need to expand my vision if we want to more fully understand the complexity of our community today.Dr. Tricia Bruce is a perfect conversation partner to help broaden our perspective. Dr. Bruce is a sociologist of religion with expertise in U.S. Catholicism, and has studied and written about topics like polarization in the church, the landscape of Catholic parishes in America, and American attitudes toward abortion. She has numbers and stories from surveys and focus groups and interviews that help give her a wide, deep view of the U.S. Catholic Church that’s so much Dr. Bruce’s award-winning work has appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine. She keeps extremely busy in several concurrent positions: She is Director of Springtide Research Institute; faculty fellow of the University of Southern California’s Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies; President-Elect of the Association for the Sociology of Religion; and Consultant to the Vatican’s General Secretariat of the Synod.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about how the sociology of religion is done, and what topics she is most curious about these days. They talked about polarization, interesting trends religion researchers are noticing, and what she might want to tell high-level decision makers in the church about what she is learning.Dr. Tricia Bruce: https://triciabruce.com/Associated Press article referenced in the conversation: https://apnews.com/article/catholic-church-shift-orthodoxy-tradition-7638fa2013a593f8cb07483ffc8ed487AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Of all the saints and heroes of the faith we have in our Catholic tradition, it can be difficult to spiritually connect with martyrs. Maybe that’s part of the point of martyrs, to trouble us a bit in a holy way, to remind us that sometimes faith in Christ can mean literally laying down one’s life for one’s friends. The martyrs invite us to reflect on the depth of my own faith commitments, and whether we’d share their steadfast courage if we were in their shoes. Does faith come first in my life, or only when it’s convenient? Today’s guest is the perfect person to ask about Christian martyrdom and what we might learn from the stories and witness of individual martyrs. Fr. Peter Nguyen, SJ, is a theologian and a scholar of Christian martyrdom, and he has devoted much of his career learning and writing about martyrs. A Jesuit priest who spent this past academic year at Marquette University as the Reverend Francis C. Wade, SJ, Chair, Fr. Nguyen spoke to host Mike Jordan Laskey recently about two martyrs who gave their lives during World War II: Fr. Alfred Delp, SJ, and Edith Stein, who is also known as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Both Delp and Stein died as part of the resistance to Nazi Germany. Fr. Nguyen thinks it is worthwhile to engage with their legacies today, even as the details of their lives might challenge us and make us uncomfortable.Learn more about Fr. Nguyen: https://www.creighton.edu/campus-directory/nguyen-peterHis book on Alfred Delp: https://www.amazon.com/Against-Titans-Theology-Martyrdom-Alfred/dp/1978704771AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a limited audio series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this, our final episode — at least for now — we’re reflecting on what it means to be a Jesuit in a secular society. And to help round out this series, we have three Jesuit guests: C-Y Kao, Brendan Coffey and Brendan Gottschall. For all of us, Jesuit or not, questions of living our faith in the modern age are important — and we get to the heart of them in today’s conversation. C-Y was born and raised in Catholic family in Taiwan. He has a background in diplomacy and foreign service. He first met the Jesuits through the Christian Life Community in Taiwan, and then again through his studies at Georgetown University. Brendan Coffey, a native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, met the Jesuits at St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia and again at Fordham University in the Bronx. Brendan Gottschall, from South Jersey, was formed by both the Augustinians and the Jesuits at St. Augustine Prep and Georgetown University, respectively. And yes, it was entirely by accident that we invited two Jesuits from Jersey named Brendan to be on the same episode. As you listen to their stories and reflections, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org. We also invite you to keep in prayer these and all of our Jesuits preparing for ordination. Ordinations will take place in the United States on June 8 and in Canada on June 15.
If you’re as interested in Catholicism and the arts as we are here at AMDG, you might also have been excited to see that a new movie about Flannery O’Connor’s writing and life is now playing nationwide. The movie is called “Wildcat,” directed and written by Ethan Hawke and starring his daughter Maya Hawke, who plays both Flannery and a range of characters who appear in the author’s stories. The movie blends traditional biopic narrative with detours into brief adaptations of O’Connor’s stories, bringing the author’s churning life alive in a moving, provocative way. The film was the younger Hawke’s idea, who first read O’Connor while in high school. The father/daughter team assembled an incredible cast of folks including Laura Linney and Liam Neeson, and we cannot recommend it to you highly enough.Today’s guest was also intimately involved in the birth of the film. His name is Eric Groth, and he served as one of “Wildcat”’s executive producers. Eric’s background is in producing Catholic films, including the 2018 movie “Paul, the Apostle of Christ.” He initially found his way into filmmaking sort of by accident, looking to use the medium to reach teenagers during his career in Catholic youth ministry in the 1990s. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Eric about why and how he got involved in “Wildcat” and what it was like to work with Ethan and Maya Hawke. They also talked about Eric’s own vision of the intersection of faith and creativity and why, in his words, he likes to make “Catholic movies for atheists.” It was a fascinating conversation and we can’t wait to see what Eric works on next.More about Eric Groth: https://www.osvtalks.com/talks/producing-catholic-films-for-atheists/“Wildcat” trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2WxoPxP_lQ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a limited audio series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, we’re asking tough questions—literally. In our church and in our world, we’re surrounded by questions that make us uncomfortable, by hot-button issues and ideological divides. Like it or not, this is the world, this is the church, that our newly ordained Jesuits are stepping into. In fact, they’ve been in it all their lives. But now, they engage the world and the church as priests. Our two Jesuit guests for this episode are Tom Elitz and returning champion, Christopher Alt.If you listened to our second episode of this limited series, you already know Christopher. He was raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He attended the University of San Diego and, later, Boston College. It was there that he met the Jesuits, though it would be a number of years before he took the leap and entered. Tom was born in Philadelphia but grew up in Cinnaminson, New Jersey. He met the Jesuits as an undergraduate student at St. Joseph’s University. Before entering the Society, he worked as a financial analyst and internal auditor at Johnson & Johnson. Tough questions are inevitable in any vocation. Our hope is that today’s episode will give you some tools for reflecting on ways to approach them.As you listen to their stories and reflections, I invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
It’s graduation season, which means it’s commencement address season. Host Mike Jordan Laskey did a quick Google search for “most common words in graduation speeches,” and the top hit provided this list – which doesn’t include prepositions or other super-common words:1.Life2.Make3.People4.World5.Yourself6.Success7.Generation8.HumanThere are certainly exceptions, but the standard commencement address is all about YOU, the graduates, and what YOU will do with YOUR immense gifts to find incredible success or change the world. Here’s some stuff you don’t typically hear: You’re not any more special than anyone else; no achievements are really yours alone; you’re going to die someday. In other words, there’s not much humility this time of year – not among most graduates and certainly not among those select few invited to give graduates advice.My guest today thinks the world could use a lot more humility. Dr. Christopher Bellitto is a professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey and a frequent media commentator on Catholicism. His latest book from Georgetown University Press is titled “Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue,” which is incredibly readable, fascinating and even fun. It traces the concept of humility through millennia, going back to Socrates in ancient Greece – when humility wasn’t always seen as a good thing – up through teachings from Judaism, Islam and Christianity and into the Enlightenment and all the way up into our modern context. Mike asked Chris why he decided to write the book, and what he learned about the history of humility. They also talked a bit about St. Ignatius of Loyola, who had his own complex relationship with humility. Chris is one of my the best conversationalists around and Mike had a lot of fun digging into this underappreciated, under-practiced virtue.Chris' book: https://press.georgetown.edu/Book/HumilityMore about Chris: https://sites.google.com/a/kean.edu/christopher-m-bellitto-ph-d/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a limited audio series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, we’re talking about accompaniment. We’re asking the question: Who makes up the community that walks with a Jesuit? To reflect on these questions and more, we have two Jesuits: Patrick Hyland and Joe Dickan. Joe is from Long Beach, California and Patrick is from Cleveland, Ohio. Both men have traveled abroad as part of their formation and have been greatly affected by these international experiences they’ve had—Patrick in Spain and Joe in Lebanon. These experiences have given them insight into Jesuit community at the international level. In today’s conversation, you’ll hear what it’s like to live in such communities and you’ll be reminded again of how important a personal life of prayer is—whether or not you’re a Jesuit. As you listen to their stories and reflections, I invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
This year marks 10 years since Fr. Paul Shelton, SJ, was ordained a priest. As a result, he's been feeling a bit reflective, nostalgic even. He's been thinking about the very first Mass he ever celebrated.But not for the reason you think.Today's episode of "AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast" is a fun one. In it, we hear from a variety of voices, a variety of perspectives on what actually happened at Paul's first Mass. Because it was anything but ordinary. It was Pentecost. And a Jesuit caught fire.This is the story of that day.
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a limited audio series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, they dive into one of those all-important Ignatian concepts: Discernment. The two Jesuit guests—Mike Tedone and Christopher Alt—talk about how they employed the tools of discernment in their own vocations. One of the most important questions any of us can ask when we stand at the cusp of a major vocational decision is this: How do I know I’m ready? Well, discernment helps us wrestle with that question; and, that question takes center stage today.Christopher was raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. He attended the University of San Diego and, later, Boston College. It was there that he met the Jesuits, though it would be a number of years before he took the leap and entered. Mike grew up in Orange County, California. After a volunteer experience with Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Micronesia, he, too, eventually found himself at Boston College where friendships with Jesuit scholastics convinced him that he could become one himself. As you’ll hear, both men had to ask hard questions of themselves and of God about their vocation. While there may be few if any quick answers, Christopher and Mike share with us how they went about discovering the right answers for their lives. As you listen to their stories and reflections, I invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
If you made a list of the best things about the Catholic Church in the United States, Catholic Charities USA would be in that list’s very top tier. A network of 168 local agencies based in dioceses throughout the country, Catholic Charities served more than 15 million of our at-risk neighbors last year alone. They serve people without homes, those who are unemployed or underemployed, children who are hungry or malnourished, elderly persons who are isolated, vulnerable migrants and refugees on the move, families recovering from natural disasters, pregnant women and new mothers in need, and persons with disabilities who have inadequate care. All together, the work of Catholic Charities makes up one of the largest networks of humanitarian aid in the nation.Today’s guest is Kerry Robinson, the president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA. If Catholic Charities is in the top tier of American Catholic endeavors, Kerry is in the top tier of American Catholic leaders. She’s dynamic, passionate, faith-filled and extremely smart. And she’s the second-ever woman and second layperson to lead the network. Before joining Catholic Charities, Kerry spent almost two decades working with a group called Leadership Roundtable, which she helped to found in 2005. Leadership Roundtable helps the church develop and implement best management practices to build accountable and transparent leadership culture. Kerry’s entire career has been dedicated to strengthening the church, and her experience and vision helped prepare her to lead this massive network. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about what she has learned in her first year on the job, plus how Catholic Charities is responding to the extremely challenging conditions facing migrants and asylum seekers arriving in the US in the hopes of providing safety and opportunity for their families. She also shared some favorite stories and things she has learned from traveling all over the country visiting Catholic Charities agencies and how her Jesuit education at Georgetown University helped set her on her life path.Learn more about Kerry Robinson: https://stories.catholiccharitiesusa.org/introducing-kerry-alys-robinson/Catholic Charities USA: https://www.catholiccharitiesusa.org/Catholic Charities staffers facing rising threats: https://religionnews.com/2024/03/22/threats-to-catholic-charities-staffers-increase-amid-rightwing-anti-migrant-campaign/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a limited audio series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States in which host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for priestly ordination. Hear Jesuits reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of formation, all while wrestling with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.On this episode, we’re asking a basic question: Why even consider religious life? And what actually is it?To reflect on these questions and more, we have two Jesuits: Michael Mohr and Brook Stacey. Michael was born and raised in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has a background in teaching, and has spent the last couple of years of his formation studying at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Brook grew up in Toronto, Ontario. Though his undergraduate studies were in geology, he has more recently completed a master’s degree in psychospiritual studies. Both men have had the opportunity to live in a variety of places throughout the formation, and they both come at this question of religious life from very different perspectives. But at the end of the day, they both have found great consolation as members of the Society of Jesus.As you listen to their stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.
In 60-plus years of life, Reynaldo Domínguez has never heard someone say, "I live without water and I live in peace." Water is fundamental to a healthy and peaceful life, he says. Yet for Reynaldo and his community in Guapinol, Honduras, access to clean water has become a deadly fight that has killed two of his brothers and sent him and his family into hiding. The conflict started in 2018 when the Honduran company Inversiones Los Pinares, backed by international investors, began to dig out a road through the mountains deep inside the protected National Park Carlos Escaleras. As they began they began digging an open-pit iron ore mine, harmful sediments filled the Guapinol River, the source of water for many of the surrounding communities. Reynaldo and his community quickly organized to push back against this illegal and life-threatening environmental disaster. Things quickly turned deadly. Many of Reynaldo's fellow activists have been jailed, even more have been forced to migrate, and several have lost their lives in the fight to protect the land for future generations. Reynaldo joined us from an undisclosed location to tell us about what's happening in Guapinol.This episode was recorded in Spanish. Listen to the original here: https://soundcloud.com/jesuitconference/reynaldo-spanish-mixdown-v2-240118?si=f61e75f956234a7fa9f55ddf0ebaf2ca&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharingLearn more about our partners Radio Progreso: https://www.radioprogresohn.net/Learn more about SHARE Foundation: http://www.share-elsalvador.org/+++++++++++++++++++++++++This podcast was edited and produced by Harrison Hanvey and MegAnne Liebsch. Jose Artiga, executive director of the SHARE Foundation, provided English language dubbing. Original theme music by Kevin Laskey. Photo by Photo by Roberto Palomo.
En más de 60 años de vida, Reynaldo Domínguez nunca ha oído a nadie decir: "Vivo sin agua y vivo tranquilo". El agua es fundamental para una vida sana y en paz, nos afirma. Sin embargo, para Reynaldo y su comunidad en Guapinol, Honduras, el acceso al agua potable se ha convertido en una lucha mortal que ha matado a dos de sus hermanos y lo ha enviado a él y a su familia a la clandestinidad. El conflicto comenzó en 2018 cuando la empresa hondureña Inversiones Los Pinares, respaldada por inversores internacionales, empezó a excavar una carretera a través de las montañas en lo más profundo del Parque Nacional protegido Carlos Escaleras. Cuando empezaron a excavar una mina de hierro a cielo abierto, sedimentos dañinos llenaron el río Guapinol, fuente de agua para muchas de las comunidades de los alrededores. Reynaldo y su comunidad se organizaron rápidamente para oponerse a este desastre medioambiental ilegal y peligroso. La situación no tardó en volverse mortal. Muchos de los compañeros activistas de Reynaldo han sido encarcelados, otros se han visto obligados a emigrar y varios han perdido la vida en la lucha por proteger la tierra para las generaciones futuras. Reynaldo se unió a nosotros desde un lugar desconocido para contarnos lo que está sucediendo en Guapinol.Escucha el episodio en ingles: https://soundcloud.com/jesuitconference/english-version-reynaldo-dominguezs-deadly-fight-to-care-for-creation?si=e8902d693fc34f6ca1fe8a1329b4b0ea&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharingMás información sobre nuestros socios de Radio Progreso: https://www.radioprogresohn.net/Más información sobre la Fundación SHARE: http://www.share-elsalvador.org/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Este podcast fue editado y producido por Harrison Hanvey y MegAnne Liebsch. José Artiga, director ejecutivo de la Fundación SHARE, se encargó del doblaje al inglés. Tema musical original de Kevin Laskey. Fotografía de Roberto Palomo.
The American essayist and novelist Marilynne Robinson may not be Catholic, but her writing reveals a deeply sacramental imagination. Through five books of fiction and dozens of essays, Robinson trains her readers in the art of spiritual attention. Where is God’s grace operating in nature and in the ordinary ways humans love, disappoint and forgive one other? In her essay “Psalm 8” she writes, “I have spent my life watching not to see beyond the world,” but “merely to see, great mystery, what is plainly before my eyes… With all due respect to heaven, the scene of miracle is here, among us.” Robinson is best known for her novel “Gilead,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005. It has three sequels, each installment following a different protagonist in the fictitious Iowa town. The last of those, “Jack” (2020), traces the wanderings of a Prodigal Son who has difficulty recognizing a place in his family, church, and hometown. We all know a Jack or two, and Robinson helps us understand their plights with empathy.In March 2024, she released a new book, "Reading Genesis," which is a long meditation on the first book of Hebrew Scripture. She defamiliarizes old stories that we thought we understood – of Adam and Eve, of Cain and Abel, of Abraham and Sarah. She challenges easy clichés – Old Testament God: bad! Jesus: good! – to show us how God’s faithfulness to humanity starts right there…in the beginning. Which is why today’s interview with guest host Fr. Joe Simmons, SJ, starts with Genesis, and branches out into philosophy, science, poetry and fiction, and back to theology. Fr. Simmons, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on the work of Robinson and Virginia Woolf, even talks with our guest on Ignatius Loyola and his contemporary, John Calvin – and the miseries of studying in 16th-century Paris! – which made Fr. Simmons laugh out loud. You won’t want to miss that.More about Marilynne Robinson: https://us.macmillan.com/author/marilynnerobinson"Reading Genesis": https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Genesis-Marilynne-Robinson/dp/0374299404More about Fr. Joe Simmons, SJ: https://www.marquette.edu/theology/directory/joseph-simmons.phpAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
In honor of National Poetry Month - which is currently underway during April 2024 - author and editor Gary Jansen returns to the podcast to talk about his latest book, "Meditations at Midnight: Poetry and Prose."Gary lives at the intersection of faith and art. He’s worked in publishing a long time—both at secular publishing houses editing Catholic authors, and now at Loyola Press, acquiring and mentoring authors that are writing for a Catholic publisher. Gary is an author himself; he’s been on this podcast before talking about his ghost-ridden memoir, “Holy Ghosts,” and his self-help book called “MicroShifts.” In 2023, he won the Christopher Award for the children’s book “Remember Us With Smiles,” that he co-wrote with his wife. And those are just a few of his books. He’s back today to talk about his latest book and to reflect on the lasting impact that good writing can have on our souls. If you want to learn more about Gary, visit garyjansen.com.
You might be familiar with the American Catholic novelist, Flannery O’Connor. You might have read her short stories in a class, maybe “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” or “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” to name a few. You might have even read one of her novels, an essay or two or some of her letters. You might know that she spent much of her relatively short life in Georgia. And, if you know her work well, then you also know that she died in 1964. And so, you might be really surprised to learn that she published her third novel, “Why Do the Heathen Rage?” earlier this year. Well, to be clear, the renowned O’Connor scholar and Fletcher Jones Endowed Chair of Great Books at Pepperdine University and today’s guest, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson did.Dr. Wilson has been working on this project—uncovering O’Connor’s notes and drafts—for several years now. And the final result is quite stunning: While the book isn’t really a full and final novel—O’Connor died before she could finish it—what Jessica Hooten Wilson gives us is a literary excavation of Flannery’s life, legacy and the story that might have been. Now, if you are familiar with O’Connor, you likely are also familiar with recent discourse about her thoughts and writing on race. Dr. Wilson does not shy away from addressing this sordid legacy head-on. In reflecting on this final, unfinished novel, Dr. Wilson notes that we really see Flannery coming up against her own limitations in understanding race in the American South. And yet, we also see her struggling to reconcile the clear racism of her day with her own Catholic faith. It’s not an easy conversation, but Dr. Wilson walks us through with care and grace. If you are interested in learning more about her work, visit jessicahootenwilson.com and be sure to pick up your copy of “Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do the Heaten Rage? A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Work in Progress,” now available from Brazos Press.
There’s an old saying in Jesuit circles: If you’ve met one Jesuit, you’ve met one Jesuit. A fun list to make is all the different careers guys had before joining the Society of Jesus. We have actors and comedians, doctors and lawyers, astronomers and one former lieutenant governor. Shane Liesegang, SJ, today’s guest, is the only Jesuit host Mike Jordan Laskey has ever met who was a video game developer.Before entering the Jesuits in 2015, Shane worked for over a decade in video game development for several different studios. He worked on hugely popular games like the Fallout Series and Skyrim. Shane was living his dream. But then he felt called to something more. Today, Shane is a Jesuit scholastic studying Theology at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry.He didn’t leave his entire gaming life behind when he entered the Jesuits, though. In fact, one of Shane’s former employers, a hugely influential studio called Bethesda Game Studios, brought him back into the fold to work on a game called Starfield that was released in 2023. In this deeply complex space exploration game, the studio wanted to create a fictional religion that certain characters in the game would profess. So they asked Shane to write this religion’s core texts, which are featured in several places in the game.Shane argues that creating video games is an art form. The combination of visual aesthetics, interactivity and storytelling, not to mention the incredibly detailed and vast universes game developers make, all combine to elevate video games to something more than a mere time waster. If you’re skeptical about this claim, let Shane try to convince you in this conversation. Shane also talked about his unique vocation story and how game design is not dissimilar from Ignatian imaginative prayer in some crucial ways.This was an utterly fascinating conversation and we think you’ll really enjoy meeting Shane, whether you love video games or not.Clip from the game that features the religion Shane wrote: https://youtu.be/hrPhQSP7no8?si=Fig5KmRuQjozJ_w_&t=93Learn more about Shane: https://shaneliesegang.com/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Fr. John P. Foley, SJ, spent 34 years as a missionary in Peru -- a full career in most lines of work. But then, in 1995, he was missioned back to the United States to start a high school for Latino students from low-income backgrounds in Chicago. Despite immense challenges -- like not knowing where the school would be even at the press conference announcing there would be a new school -- Cristo Rey Jesuit High School was founded in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood in 1996.Centered on an innovative corporate work study model, through which students spend a day a week working with partner companies, low-income students were able to access a high-quality Catholic prep school education. The idea spread like wildfire and the Cristo Rey Network was born, which today includes 39 schools around the country. Fr. Foley led the network after eight years as the first school's president.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Foley to share the stories of those early days and how they found such incredible success despite the odds.Learn more about the Cristo Rey Network: https://www.cristoreynetwork.org/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
While Fr. Daniel Hendrickson, SJ, president of Creighton University, is excited for both his women's and men's basketball teams' March Madness journeys, today’s episode isn’t about basketball at all. (Well, it makes an appearance for a couple minutes at the end.) It’s about the roles of Jesuit colleges and universities in our world today.Host Mike Jordan Laskey spoke with Fr. Hendrickson a couple months ago about his book “Jesuit Higher Education in a Secular Age,” which explores how Jesuit education can help students create meaningful connections in our highly self-centered, transactional era. Mike asked Fr. Hendrickson about the book’s primary intellectual influence, the peerless contemporary philosopher Charles Taylor. They also talked about the history of Jesuit education and how its vision of educating the whole person stands in contrast to the epidemic of siloed academic departments. Fr. Hendrickson is an incredibly thoughtful leader and it was a lot of fun to pick his brain about the past, present and future of Jesuit higher ed.More about Fr. Hendrickson: https://www.creighton.edu/leadership/president/presidents-biographyHis book: https://www.amazon.com/Jesuit-Higher-Education-Secular-Age/dp/1647122333AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Ever since the Jesuits in the United Kingdom launched the daily prayer project “Pray As You Go” (PAYG) in 2006, the creative team behind the resource has shared fabulous audio prayer programs that are spiritually nourishing in their beauty and simplicity. Each day combines music, Scripture from the lectionary, and short spoken prayer prompts that always invite you to reflect on the Scripture in a new way. PAYG will slow you down and invite genuine contemplation, making it so different from almost any other smartphone app or podcast program out there. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world love PAYG, especially here in North America – maybe you’re one of them.For years, host Mike Jordan Laskey – a huge fan of PAYG – has been curious about the team behind the app. How does an episode come together? What inspired the format and why does it work so well? How do they want to grow? So Mike invited Emma Holland onto the show, who serves as PAYG’s director. She has worked for the Jesuits in the UK for almost a decade and has advanced from an audio producer to the leader of the project. Mike asked Emma to take us behind the scenes of PAYG and to share what she loves about her work. It was such a fun conversation and if you haven’t prayed with PAYG before, we really hope you’ll give it a try. You can find it in your smartphone’s app store or download daily episodes using your podcast player of choice.Pray As You Go: https://pray-as-you-go.org/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
The basic details of Father Walter Ciszek life sound like a movie: An American Jesuit priest ministering in Eastern Europe around the time of World War II, he was arrested by the Soviet Union and falsely accused of being a Vatican spy. He spent time in a KGB prison and more than a decade in Siberian labor camps. His family and his Jesuit brothers back in the U.S. assumed he was dead. During his captivity, Fr. Ciszek secretly heard confessions, celebrated Mass, baptized, comforted the sick, and ministered to the dying. His unwavering faith sustained him through solitary confinement, torture, and violent interrogations. The John F. Kennedy administration negotiated his release, and he returned to the United States in 1963. In the years following his release, Fr. Ciszek wrote two books, “With God in Russia” and “He Leadeth Me.” The latter book, a spiritual memoir, shot up to the very top of Amazon’s bestseller list recently, decades after its publication. Why? The extremely popular Catholic prayer app Hallow, which just ran a Super Bowl commercial a few weeks ago, picked “He Leadeth Me” to anchor their Lenten prayer program this year. It’s safe to assume thousands of folks are meeting Fr. Ciszek for the first time. So we thought we’d take the chance to introduce him to AMDG listeners, too.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Jim Keane to come on the show to talk about Fr. Ciszek and his legacy. Jim is a senior editor at America Media, where he oversees the book reviews, literary essays, the Catholic Book Club and the "Faith and Reason" section. Jim is a fantastic writer and storyteller and he has written several great pieces on Fr. Ciszek over the years. So Mike asked Jim to share some of his favorite Fr. Ciszek stories and reflect on why the biggest Catholic smartphone app around might have picked “He Leadeth Me” to read this Lent.America Media's coverage of Fr. Walter Ciszek: https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/100/return-russiahttps://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/06/08/little-known-story-behind-father-walter-ciszeks-god-russiahttps://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2024/02/16/walter-ciszek-soviet-prison-247340https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/article/chained-freehttps://www.americamagazine.org/arts-culture/2022/05/10/cbc-column-walter-ciszek-242962AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
When you hear the word “Lent,” what is the first thing you think of? Maybe it’s purple or giving up social media or chocolate. Or maybe it’s trying to build better prayer habits or abstaining from meat on Fridays. Or famous Lenten Scripture passages like the Transfiguration. For Margaret Felice, today's guest, one thing that’s always near the top of her mind when it comes to Lent is music. Margaret is a professional singer and liturgical musician with an absolutely stunning voice. She’s also a terrific writer and a first-year doctoral student in theology at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry. She taught religion and directed a liturgical choir at Boston College High School for 18 years.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Margaret to pick two of her favorite Lenten hymns that we could discuss. She picked “Again We Keep This Solemn Fast” and “Were You There.” And as a totally surprising gift, Margaret went ahead and recorded herself singing both these hymns along with accompanist Chris Rakovec on piano. We’ll include excepts from both hymns in the episode. Margaret and Mike also talked about the role of the Lenten season without our spiritual lives, and what opportunities this yearly observance gives us to grow in faith, hope and love.Margaret Felice: https://margaretfelice.com/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Today's guest has an incredible amount of experience of the truly "catholic," global nature of the church. Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator, SJ, today serves as the dean of the Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University. This school is one of the two Jesuit “theologates” in the United States, which means it’s a place where Jesuits in formation from all over the world pursue theology studies alongside lay students. Before arriving at JST last August, Fr. Orobator spent seven years as the president of the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar, leading the Jesuits on the continent where the order is growing fastest. A theologian originally from Nigeria with a doctorate from the United Kingdom who specializes in ecclesiology, the study of the Church, he is the author of a number of books, including “Theology Brewed in an African Pot” and “The Pope and the Pandemic: Lessons in Leadership in a Time of Crisis.”In the first few months of his tenure at the JST, Pope Francis invited Fr. Orobator to attend the Synod on Synodality in Rome, where he was a voting member. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about that experience, about synodality at work in the Church in Africa, and what his goals are for his leadership at JST. You’ll see from his thoughtfulness and deep faith on display in this conversation why Fr. Orobator has been tapped for big leadership roles within the Society of Jesus and beyond over and over again.Learn more about Fr. Orobator: https://www.scu.edu/jst/about/faculty/orobator.htmlAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesuswww.jesuitmedialab.org/
Even though the French paleontologist and theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin died in 1955, it feels like his work is still being discussed and debated in theological circles all the time. There are numerous associations and publications dedicated solely to exploring Teilhard’s huge body of work. He made it back into the news this past fall when Pope Francis described him as “often misunderstood” during a Mass in Mongolia.Host Mike Jordan Laskey reached out to one of the foremost Teilhard experts in the United States, Sister Kathy Duffy, SSJ, to learn more about this fascinating Jesuits. Sr. Kathy is a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia and the president of the of the American Teilhard Association. She’s also Professor Emerita of Physics at Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, where she directs the Institute for Religion and Science. She has written two books on Teilhard, including, most recently, “Teilhard’s Struggle: Embracing the Work of Evolution” (Orbis). Sr. Kathy also guides retreats on topics related to Teilhard’s life and work.Mike asked Sr. Kathy to introduce him to Teilhard’s life and thought. Why does he continue to be so interesting to so many people today? And why is he controversial? Sr. Kathy talked about the relationship between faith and science, some key biographical moments in Teilhard’s life that shaped his theology, and where readers new to his work might want to start.American Teilhard Association: https://teilharddechardin.org/Sr. Kathy Duffy, SSJ, Ph.D.: https://www.chc.edu/faculty/kathleen-duffywww.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesusjesuitmedialab.org/
For more than 60 years, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) has been a pioneer in the service landscape. With over 100 volunteers each year and over 12,000 alumni, they are one of the largest lay, Catholic, full-time volunteer programs in the world. JVC gives young adults the opportunity to engage in service and solidarity with local communities, rooted in the values of spirituality, simple living, community and social justice. Host Mike Jordan Laskey recently spoke with JVC’s president, Tom Chabolla, who has served in the role since 2018. Tom has more than 30 years working in faith-based and community-development organizations and he brings a wealth of expertise to the role. Mike asked Tom about what inspires him in his work, plus how he and his team navigated the pandemic. They also talked about the challenges JVC and other similar organizations are facing today and how they’re responding. This conversation is the second part of a two-week series on full-time volunteer programs in the Ignatian family. Be sure to listen to last week’s conversation between my colleague Eric Clayton and Mary McGinnity, president and CEO of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, which typically works with volunteers quite a bit older than JVs, folks who have spent decades in career and family life.Jesuit Volunteer Corps: https://www.jesuitvolunteers.org/About Tom Chabolla: https://www.jesuitvolunteers.org/jvc-news/meet-tom-chabolla-jvc-s-new-president-jvc-is-proud-to-welcome-tom-at-the-helm-of-the-organization-starting-november-1www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesusjesuitmedialab.org/
In the final meditation of the Spiritual Exercises, St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us “that love ought to manifest itself in deeds rather than in words.” We are called to love and serve in all things.And so, it’s hardly a surprise that in the 500 or so years since Ignatius wrote those words, countless service organizations have grown and flourished within the Ignatian tradition. Over the course of the next two weeks, we’re going to explore two of those organizations. Today, we’re talking about the Ignatian Volunteer Corps with President and CEO of IVC, Mary McGinnity.Mary has more than 30 years of experience in leadership positions in education, faith formation, pastoral counseling, parish ministry and faith-based non-profit social justice and service organizations. She’s a graduate of the College of Holy Cross and served as a Jesuit Volunteer. Most importantly, Mary is passionate about integrating service and justice.Today’s host Eric Clayton has had the privilege of traveling to a number of IVC communities and meeting countless Ignatian volunteers. These are remarkable women and men who bring to their service experience a whole career worth of knowledge, insights, skills and networks. And they offer all of these invaluable resources to local nonprofits, bolstering the capacity of communities to respond to some of the most pressing needs of our time.What’s more, IVC is a lay-led organization that is empowering lay leaders. In many ways, IVC is helping all of us envision what it means to be Church — especially as we all try to live the ongoing lessons of the Synod on Synodality. If you’re interested in learning more about IVC, visit IVCUSA.org.
It’s hard to know where to start an interview with Jesuit Fr. Leo O’Donovan. At 89 years old, Fr. O’Donovan’s could boast a hefty list of accomplishments and accolades—though he’s not much interested in bragging. A theologian by training, he studied under the prominent Jesuit Fr. Karl Rahner in Munich, where O’Donovan’s own body of work would eventually earn him The Knight Commanders Cross of the Order of Merit, with Star, of the Federal Republic of Germany.For over a decade, Fr. O’Donovan served as president of Georgetown University. He also served on the board of the Walt Disney Company and the National Council on the Arts. Through his many leadership positions, he has become friends with global leaders such as German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright, and President Joe Biden—to name a few. Contrary to what his impressive CV might imply, Fr. O’Donovan is easy to talk to. He’s an eager storyteller, drawn to engaging people, whether that be his first-grade teacher, a Dominican nun, or his mentor Karl Rahner. For the last eight years, Fr. O’Donovan has served as the director of mission for the Jesuit Refugee Service in the U.S, a position which he calls “an incredible privilege.”Our conversation covers all this and more. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Learn more about the Jesuit Refugee Service at jrsusa.orgThis episode was produced and edited by MegAnne Liebsch
Have you ever met someone so passionate about something that you just couldn’t help getting excited about it, too? That was host Mike Jordan Laskey's experience when he first met Fr. Tom Curran, SJ, today's guest.Fr. Curran, who served as the president of Rockhurst University in Kansas City for 16 years, is now the coordinator of the Jesuit Prison Education Network (JPEN). Through participation in JPEN, nine different Jesuit institutes of higher learning offer college courses and degree programs -- taught by their own college/university professors -- at correctional facilities around the country. The programs are open to both those who are incarcerated and prison staff members, and Fr. Curran has some incredible stories about how the programs have changed the students and teachers lives and even the cultures of the correctional facilities themselves. In the conversation, Fr. Curran describes some of the ways our criminal justice system is dehumanizing and how prison education is a prophetic statement against that reality. He also talks about how Ignatian spirituality inspires his work and shared some of the most powerful stories from the JPEN programs.Subscribe to the JPEN email newsletter: https://jesuitscentralsouthern.us21.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=7e1f684649378603a3b6af1a0&id=6aee2e3285AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesushttps://jesuitmedialab.org/
This past weekend, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany, when the three magi followed yonder star to God’s perfect light (to paraphrase the old song). By gazing at the stars, people from near and far we’re drawn to Christ—a reminder that, woven into the very fabric of the universe, God reveals Godself, guiding us deeper into God’s mystery and an encounter with Christ. What was true more than 2,000 years ago remains true today. Stars, meteorites, planets, the mysteries of space still speak to us of God and God’s dream for creation. And the Society of Jesus continues to be on the forefront of discerning God in the stars. More than 30 asteroids have been named for Jesuits. There are a similar number of craters on the moon bearing Jesuit names. And based on the work of today’s guest, it’s entirely possible that the Society of Jesus might find itself with a few more astral namesakes in the not-so-distant future. Br. Bob Macke, SJ, is one of the world’s foremost experts in the study of meteorites. And his work has been instrumental in OSIRIS-REx mission, a recent NASA mission that might reveal new insight into the earliest moments of the solar system. Today, he talks to us about his work, his vocation and what he hopes to learn as he continues to comb through space—that final frontier. Br. Bob studied physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Washington University in St. Louis, before entering the Society of Jesus in 2001. Between 2011 and 2013 he studied theology at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, during which time he also constructed a new ideal-gas pycnometer for measuring meteorite densities. Br. Macke joined the Vatican Observatory in July 2013, where he studies meteorite physical properties in the observatory’s meteorite laboratory. In August 2014, Br. Macke became the curator of the Vatican collection of 1200 meteorite specimens.
Happy New Year! And welcome to the first episode of AMDG of 2024. Each January, to kick off a new year, we like to delve into aspects of Ignatian spirituality that might be particularly useful as we think about forming better habits and growing deeper in our relationship with God over the next 12 months. After all, Ignatian spirituality is all about discovering who God dreams we might be by better understanding the person God already knows we are—and already loves. This year is no different. We’re excited to welcome Jesuit priest, Fr. Christopher Collins, to the show today. Fr. Collins is the Vice President for Mission at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. He’s the author of several books, most recently “Habits of Freedom: 5 Ignatian Tools for Clearing Your Mind and Resting Daily in the Lord” from Ave Maria Press. It’s this book we discuss today.An important story from Scripture that Fr. Collins returns to again and again in his book—and in our conversation—is that of the Baptism of Jesus, which we celebrate on January 8. It’s an important day not only in the life of Jesus but also in our own spiritual journeys. The challenge, as Fr. Collins articulates, is to hear those words of God the Father to Jesus spoken also to us. Do we see ourselves as the beloved of God? We should! Because remembering that essential piece of our identity can make all the difference as we begin a new year.Pick up your copy of Fr. Collins' book here: https://www.avemariapress.com/products/habits-of-freedom
If you’re a long-time listener of this podcast—and certainly if you’re a graduate of Jesuit education—then you likely know a thing or two about the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola. You know about his courtly life, the cannonball, the conversion, the books he read while bedridden, his pilgrimage and the cave and the founding of the Society of Jesus. You probably can rattle plot points off just like that.But have you ever taken time to really immerse yourself in the story? To imagine what Ignatius said to his fellow soldiers? To picture the scene of the early companions gathered before the pope? In short, have you painted in the sketch of Ignatius’ life so that the colors leap from the page?Today’s guest, Tyler Button, certainly has—in more ways than one. A former special education teacher, Tyler is now the founder of Tapestry Comics, a publisher that focuses on making historical narratives exciting and accessible to readers of all ages, but especially high school students. His past projects have featured William the Conqueror and Joan of Arc. But in turning to the life and legacy of Ignatius of Loyola—and imagining himself in the scenes he was portraying—Tyler discovered the practical power of Ignatian spirituality. In today’s conversation, we unpack what it means to tell the story of Ignatius across a new medium—and why it matters for the Ignatian family today.If you’re interested in learning more about Tyler’s work or getting a copy of his book, “The Greater Glory: The Story of Ignatius Loyola,” you can contact him https://www.tapestrycomics.com/contact.
It's an AMDG Christmas jamboree: our first-ever five-person episode. Friends of the pod (and awesome writers/retreat leaders) Shannon Evans and Cameron Bellm join AMDG's three co-hosts Mike Jordan Laskey, Eric Clayton and MegAnne Liebsch for a draft of Christmas characters. The conversation is raucous, overstuffed, reflective, spiritual, a little melancholic, mostly fun -- kind of like the whole Christmas season overall. The appearance of Shannon and Cameron is also a teaser for our new project, the Jesuit Media Lab, which gathers, forms and unleashes Ignatian creators. See how you can get involved at jesuitmedialab.org.Merry Christmas from AMDG and everyone at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
“There is no faith without an encounter, because faith is a personal encounter with Jesus,” Pope Francis writes. He goes on: “One of the things that helps us when we have the Gospels before our eyes is to imagine those encounters with Jesus—recreate them, look at him ourselves, meet him ourselves. In the Gospels, to look and to see are two very important verbs. So let us approach the episodes in the life of Jesus with eyes filled with contemplation.” This is a brief excerpt from the introduction to the new book “The Life of Jesus” by veteran Vatican reporter and current editorial director of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, Andrea Tornielli. Andrea is today’s guest. And as you’ll quickly learn, in his work and his writing, he lives out Pope Francis’ words.His new book isn’t just a retelling of the Gospel. It’s an experience. It’s an invitation to immerse ourselves in the story, to use our imagination and bring to life the words of Scripture. We hear, too, throughout his book the teachings of Pope Francis. In short, this book is a compilation of biblical text, imaginative prayer and papal insights.It’s very Ignatian. And, as Pope Francis reminds us, we are challenged to approach these key episodes in the life of Jesus with contemplative spirit. And we’re approaching one of those key moments now: Christmas, the Incarnation. In the conversation today, Andrea pulls from his book and his own personal prayer life to help us as we journey through these remaining Advent days and prepare anew for Christ.If you’d like to learn more about “The Life of Christ” and pick up a copy, visit the Loyola Press online store: https://store.loyolapress.com/the-life-of-jesus
From the Jesuits of Canada and the United States, this is AMDG. I’m Mike Jordan Laskey.Sometimes, people wonder how we pick guests for the show. We tell them the Jesuit network is so huge that we’ll never run out of interesting conversation partners. Sometimes, though, we come across someone outside of a Jesuit context whose work we love and who we wish we could ask on the show. If only they had a Jesuit connection! But then in some rare occasions, when we look into this great person who’s not connected to the Jesuits, we discover they do indeed have a connection! That was the case with today’s guest, the author and University of Michigan professor Phil Christman. Phil is the author of two great books of essays, which are titled “How to Be Normal” and “Midwestern Futures.” He also writes a Substack newsletter called “The Tourist” and contributes frequently to “Commonweal.” And, we just found out that he got his master’s degree at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There’s the Jesuit connection we needed!Phil’s essays are funny, sharp, clear, complex and always original. He weaves together elements of memoir, theology, pop culture and literary criticism and more. Host Mike Jordan Laskey’s most common reaction when reading Phil Christman, beyond marveling at his curiosity and his mastery of the essay form, is to sit back and think, “Well, I’ve never thought about that topic in that way before.”One of Mike’s favorite essays of Phil’s is from his book “How to Be Normal,” and it’s titled “How to Be Religious.” An observant Christian in a largely secular milieu, Phil writes about faith in an incredibly compelling way. Phil and Mike talked about the essay and the nature of religious faith. They also discussed teaching English composition in the age of ChatGPT, and why Phil left Twitter after years of being an active user. Phil’s Substack: https://philipchristman.substack.com/Phil’s books: https://beltpublishing.com/blogs/authors/phil-christmanAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
This coming Sunday, December 3, is the first Sunday of Advent and the start of a whole new Church Year. These days leading up to Christmas and beyond can feel overwhelming: spiritually, emotionally, all of it. So, it’s tempting to say, Haven’t we already done this? What more do I have to learn from these stories? I’m going to sit this one out. Today’s guest, Joe Durepos, is a story expert. He’s worked in publishing for more the four decades: as a bookseller, a sales rep, a literary agent and an acquisitions editor. He helped launch Fr. Jim Martin’s bestselling book, My Life with the Saints, and Mother Teresa’s No Greater Love. He’s worked with countless other incredible authors, including Becky Eldredge, Fr. Richard Rohr, Chris Lowney, Joy Loverde and many more. He retired from Loyola Press in 2018 and was inducted into the Association of Catholic Publishers Hall of Fame in 2019. Now, he spends his time coaching writers through his own agency, Durepos Literary. But Joe doesn’t just read and edit authors; he’s an author himself. And his new work, 2024: A Book of Grace-Filled Days, is the antidote we need to the complacency we might find ourselves in during this season of Advent. Joe shares with us what it was like to prayerfully write a whole year’s worth of reflections, what he learned for his own spiritual life and what we might learn, too, as a result. Today, as you listen to Joe share about his own prayer journey, I invite you to consider your own. What might you add during these Advent days? How might the Spirit be inviting you to prepare anew for the coming of Christ?One suggestion: Sign up for our daily Advent reflections. Just head over to Jesuits.org/advent. And while you’re cruising around the internet, pick up a copy of Joe’s book—I’ve linked to it in the episode description, as well as info on Durepos Literary.Just a note on today’s episode: We recorded last week, November 21, so when Joe mentions the readings of the day, that’s the day in question. Sign up for our Advent reflections: https://jesuits.org/advent Learn more about Joe’s current work: https://www.dureposliterary.com/Get a copy of 2024: A Book of Grace-Filled Days: https://store.loyolapress.com/2024-a-book-of-grace-filled-days?quantity=1
This week in the United States, we celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday in which we’re invited to cultivate a disposition of gratitude. What are we thankful for? Who are we thankful for? How can we be gifts to others?Gratitude is a foundational disposition in Ignatian spirituality. Ignatius wanted us to know that our God is a giver of good gifts, a God who delights in us for the gift that we already are—and for the giftedness we have yet to share with the world. From that place, that spiritual sense of self, we go out to do God’s good work.Today’s guest is Jesuit priest Mark Thibodeaux. He’s the pastor of Holy Name of Jesus Parish in New Orleans and a prolific writer on all things Ignatian. He’s something of an expert on that foundational Ignatian prayer of gratitude: the examen. Fr. Thibodeaux has been praying the examen for a long time, and today we talk about how and why the examen is such a versatile prayer. There are examens to ferret out racism and examens to combat climate change and examens to help us better understand the mission of our Jesuit institutions.But at the end of the day, the examen is about gratitude. Without it, everything goes south. So, today, we talk about prayer, spirituality and gratitude.Check out our compilation of examen prayers: https://www.jesuits.org/spirituality/the-ignatian-examen/Get a copy of Fr. Mark's book, "Reimagining the Ignatian Examen:" https://store.loyolapress.com/reimagining-the-ignatian-examen
At the end of October, about 1900 people arrived at a massive hotel in Washington, DC, for the 26th annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice, which is sponsored by the Ignatian Solidarity Network. Most of the attendees were students from Jesuit high schools and colleges, gathered for three days of prayer, encounter, Catholic social teaching education and political action. Like always, the energy at this year’s teach-in was palpable. There were great keynote speakers and informative workshops on topics like the war in Israel and Gaza and the legacy of Jesuit slaveholding. One new element of the teach-in, though, was a temporary art gallery assembled right outside the main hall. Organized through a joint project of the organizations Catholic Artist Connection and Discerning Deacons, the exhibit showed off the work of dozens of artists who had participated in three-month process of prayer and dialogue in response to the ongoing Synod on Synodality. The artists created paintings and sculptures and wrote poems in response to their experience.As host Mike Jordan Laskey walked around the gallery, one enormous canvas caught his eye: It’s a brightly colorful painting of Jesus titled “But Who Do You Say That I Am?” Jesus looks out at the viewer, gesturing toward us, inviting us to answer the question ourselves. Surrounding him on the canvas are some of Christ’s ancient titles: Bread of Life, Good Shepherd. The painter of the work is a California-based artist named Jen Norton, and she’s one of today’s guests. Our other guest is Allison Beyer, who was the Art & Synodality program coordinator. Mike asked them both about the project and why they think art is such a powerful force for healing in our divided church and world. Check out the virtual Art & Synodality gallery: https://catholicartistconnection.com/artandsynodality-virtualSee more of Jen Norton’s work: https://www.jennortonartstudio.com/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Today’s episode is the second part of host Mike Jordan Laskey's conversation with Fr. David Collins, SJ, about his fabulous new book “The Jesuits in the United States: A Concise History.” If you didn’t hear the first part of the interview, you might want to go back to last week’s episode and catch up. On today’s show, we focus mostly on American Jesuit history from the 20th and 21st centuries. Fr. Collins is an associate professor in the Department of History at Georgetown University, where he’s also the Haub Director of Catholic Studies.“The Jesuits in the United States: A Concise History”: www.amazon.com/Jesuits-United-St…ory/dp/1647123488Fr. David Collins, SJ: gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/0…vid-collinsAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
“The history of America cannot be told without the history of religion, the history of American religion cannot be told without the history of Catholicism, and history of Catholicism in America cannot be told without the history of the Jesuits in America.”That’s the beginning of the dust jacket text for the new book “The Jesuits in the United States: A Concise History” by Fr. David J. Collins, SJ, published by Georgetown University Press. Fr. Collins is an associate professor in the Department of History at Georgetown University, where he’s also the Haub Director of Catholic Studies. It’s incredible how you can learn about America and the Society of Jesus in just 175 pages of Fr. Collins’ clear and engaging prose. If you have any interest at all in the Jesuits in the U.S., then we can’t recommend this book highly enough. Starting in 1566, the book traces the activity and growth of the Jesuits throughout America, highlighting key figures, landmark events, and important stories like the history of Jesuit slaveholding. When host Mike Jordan Laskey started the interview, hey thought they’d make it through the book in one episode, but there’s so much richness to cover that we’re splitting up the conversation into two parts. Today, we’re covering the 16th century up through the U.S. Civil War. Next week, you’ll hear their discussion about more modern Jesuit history.“The Jesuits in the United States: A Concise History”: https://www.amazon.com/Jesuits-United-States-Concise-History/dp/1647123488Fr. David Collins, SJ: https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014RZf9AAG/david-collinsAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Decades before Virginia Senator Tim Kaine ran for vice president in 2016, he spent a year ministering alongside Jesuits in the country of Honduras. That experience changed his life forever.Even though Senator Kaine was in Honduras back in 1980 and 1981, he still talks about his time there as if he got back just yesterday. It was the experience in Honduras that exposed him to the horrors of poverty and led him to pursue a career in public interest law and then in politics. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Senator Kaine about his time in Honduras and how his faith informs his public service. After the conversation with Senator Kaine, stick around for more context on the Jesuits and Honduras. Harrison Hanvey, who works at the Jesuit Conference’s Office of Justice and Ecology, just got back from a trip to Honduras, where he was part of a delegation marking the 40th anniversary of the disappearance and death of the American Jesuit missionary Fr. Guadalupe Carney. Harrison’s stories provide some helpful context to Senator Kaine’s experience. Learn about Senator Kaine’s time in Honduras: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/03/us/politics/tim-kaine-honduras-jesuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5Ew.8Wj2.VBV-AGA2I3Eg&smid=url-shareLearn about Fr. Guadalupe Carney, SJ: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2023/09/20/james-carney-jesuit-revolutionary-honduras-martyr-246126AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
If you’ve ever been intimidated by Ignatian spirituality, today’s guest will put you at ease. In fact, Fr. Michael Hansen is determined to make the Ignatian exercises accessible to as many people as possible. Why? It’s simple: He knows that God is at work, whether you’re doing the full thirty day retreat or just a one-off reflection.Host Eric Clayton has been intrigued by Mick’s work for a while. In fact, longtime listeners will remember when he came on our podcast a few years ago. He talked about the First Spiritual Exercises. Mick wrote a book by the same name. But it’s also a shorthand for what Ignatius meant in the 18th Annotation of the full Spiritual Exercises. Both Mick and Ignatius want people to be able to access the riches of Ignatian spirituality, even if you don’t have thirty days to sit at a retreat center. Today, Mick brings us up to date on that work. But he also introduces us to a monthlong initiative he’s been steering that invites us to contemplate the many Marian devotions of Ignatus of Loyola. Mick and the Jesuits in Australia have produced a beautiful collection of short meditations that pair a Marian image—perhaps a statue that Ignatius would have seen in his childhood or a painting that hung in his room—with guided prayers to help us more intentionally journey through this month of Mary.If you’ve ever wanted to know what Ignatian contemplation of the Blessed Mothers looks like, this is the episode for you.Learn more about the First Spiritual Exercises: https://jesuit.org.au/ignatian-spirituality/first-spiritual-exercises/ Check out the Marian reflections and get on Mick’s mailing list: https://us10.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=75fd6f8cf8deaab17d0961da5&id=3f175b637a
If you have followed Jesuit-related headlines over the past few months, you might have heard about the situation in Nicaragua. In August, the government of dictator Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice President Rosario Murillo, closed the Jesuit-run University of Central America in the capital city of Managua. They confiscated the property, too, including the Jesuit residence there. While these developments have captured the attention of the Society of Jesus globally, they are just one part of a much larger trend of repression in Nicaragua. To learn more about the context, host Mike Jordan Laskey spoke recently with Juan Sebastián Chamorro. An economist by trade who ran for president of Nicaragua against Ortega in 2021, knowing full well the election would not be free and fair, Juan was arrested by the police in the middle of the night in June 2021. He would go on to spend 20 months behind bars as a political prisoner, separated from his wife and daughter. Last February, Juan was one of 222 political prisoners from the country who was freed and put on a plane to the United States. Nicaragua has revoked his citizenship, and Juan now lives here in exile with his family. This academic year, he is serving as a visiting fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. In the conversation, Juan described the context and background of the repression in Nicaragua. He also talked about the experience of his arrest, imprisonment and exile to the United States. Juan also has had a lifelong connection to the Jesuits and spoke of how his faith supported him during his incredible hardship. Juan is a member of one of the most prominent families devoted to public service in the modern history of Nicaragua – his aunt was the first female president of the country and his cousin Christiana was imprisoned at the same time Juan was. His commitment to carrying on his family’s legacy despite the risks, not to mention his impassioned defense of democracy in his beloved home country, made this conversation one of the most moving interviews in the history of AMDG.If you would like to learn more about how to support the Jesuits, students and faculty connected to the University of Central America, visit Jesuits.org/nicaragua.Learn more about Juan: https://kellogg.nd.edu/juan-sebasti%C3%A1n-chamorroAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
You may have heard that the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is meeting all month long in Rome. This is just the latest stage of the years-long Synod on Synodality, which included listening sessions in parishes and other Catholic ministry settings all over the world. Participants will be discussing issues connected to communion, participation and the mission of the church.One thing that makes this synod different from all the others that came before it is that this is the first time that laypeople – including women – are participating as voting members. And one of those laypeople is Julia Osęka, and she’s today’s guest. Julia is a physics and theology major at Saint Joseph’s University, the Jesuit college in Philadelphia. Originally from a small town in Poland, the story of how Julia came to represent North America and young adults at the synod is an incredible one. Julia got involved in a synod initiative that united the Catholic universities and Newman centers from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a collaborative effort that was unique in the country. From there, thanks to her deep faith, thoughtful disposition and ability to listen intently and generously, Julia was selected to participate in the continental stage of the synod, and then finally chosen to participate in Rome. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her what it was like to find out she was going to the synod, and how she’s navigating missing a month’s worth of classes. They also talked about her background and how she found herself at Saint Joe’s in the first place. When you listen to the conversation, you’ll be able to tell how impressive and faith-filled Julia is. It’s so great that she’s representing young adults, Jesuit higher ed and all of us from North America at the synod. Along with this episode, we are publishing an article by one of Julia’s campus ministers at St. Joe’s, Beth Ford McNamee. In the piece, Beth describes the synod process in Philadelphia that eventually led to Julia’s participation in Rome. You can read that piece at Jesuits.org.Learn more about Julia: https://www.sju.edu/news/pope-francis-appoints-julia-oseka-25-delegate-universal-assembly-rome-marking-first-timeAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Here’s a list of famous comedians who all have at least one thing in common that’s relevant to this podcast: Bob Newhart, Bill Murray, Bob Hope, Chris Farley, George Carlin, Amy Poehler, Conan O’Brien, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Dan Aykroyd, John Leguizamo, John Candy, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Jim Gaffigan, Janeane Garofalo and John Mulaney.Did you guess? They all have a Catholic background in some way or other. Some were raised Catholic and left the church, some are still practicing Catholics today or practiced throughout their lives, and Bob Hope was a famous convert to Catholicism thanks to his devout wife Dolores. Why are so many Catholics, including a bunch of Jesuit high school and college alumni, comedians? What is it about the faith that leads performers down this road? Today’s guest is uniquely qualified to reflect on this question. Fr. Jake Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest. He’s also a standup comedian with a deep background in theater, improv comedy and the study of film. After completing his Ph.D. in film studies at Trinity College Dublin earlier this year, Fr. Jake is now teaching film at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He also writes about culture for America magazine. And it was a recent piece on the Catholic comedian Jim Gaffigan that led host Mike Jordan Laskey to reach out for this interview.Jim Gaffigan, an alum of Georgetown University, has never been shy about including his Catholicism in his standup comedy performances, but his most recent special, titled “Dark Pale,” takes the religiosity to a whole new level. There’s a whole segment in the performance when Gaffigan just tells the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Saint Juan Diego. There’s no big punchline or payoff. He just tells the story, in his own clever way. But it felt like it could’ve been a homily, or at least a talk at a parish mission.Mike asked Fr. Jake about Gaffigan and for Fr. Jake’s own theories about why there are so many Jesuit-educated, Catholic comedians out there. They also talked about Fr. Jake’s own background as a performer and how he integrates his identities as priest in comedian into a single, unified person. Read Fr. Jake Martin, SJ: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/jake-martinAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
If you’ve had any encounter with Jesuits or Ignatian spirituality, you know the whole thing rests on the simple yet radical idea that God is to be found in all things. And films — stories — are an obvious place to look for God. Stories reflect who we are as people; they point the way toward where we might yet go. We can all point to our favorite “religious” film, right? ("The Mission," "Of Gods and Men," "Calvary"...) But what about movies that are less obviously religious? That seems almost entirely bereft of any spirituality? Today’s topic—and guest—will provide some answers. John Dougherty has been working in Jesuit schools for more than a decade. He knows a thing or two about finding God in all things—and helping others do the same. As a writer, he’s penned many an essay at the intersection of faith, pop culture, parenting and spirituality. That’s why America Magazine asked him to helm the weekly “Catholic Movie Club” column. You can learn more about John at johndocwrites.com.And follow along at the Catholic Movie Club: https://www.americamagazine.org/section/catholic-movie-club
Fr. Chris Kellerman, SJ, is the author of "All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church" (Orbis, 2022), which provides a rigorously researched, era-by-era history of the Catholic Church’s teachings and actions related to slavery.
The book gives a detailed account of the Church’s slaveholding past while issuing a call for the Church to take the necessary steps to reconcile with its history.
Fr. Kellerman is also the brand-new Secretary of Justice and Ecology for the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. He talked with his colleague and guest host MegAnne Liebsch about the book and the Office of Justice and Ecology's advocacy work on a wide range of pressing social issues.
Fr. Kellerman's book: https://www.amazon.com/All-Oppression-Shall-Cease-Abolitionism/dp/1626984891
Sign up for the Office of Justice and Ecology's newsletter and action alerts: https://jesuits.org/advocate
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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Many weeks ago, host Eric Clayton visited a coastal town in Kenya called Malindi — and the Jesuit community that lives there. It’s a new community, only about five or so years old, and it’s been tasked with carrying out the legacy of St. Francis Xavier who visited that very place many, many years ago. Xavier — the great missionary — spent only a few days on that shore. But while there, he engaged in interreligious dialogue, meeting with and learning from the local Muslim communities. The bishop of Malindi has asked the Jesuits of today to return and continue that work.Fr. Thomas Aquino Deshi Ramadhani, or just Deshi for short, is the Jesuit who has been tasked with leading these efforts. Originally from Indonesia, he’s accustomed to building community with Muslims and those of other faiths. He’s also a writer—an author of many books—and a retreat director. When Eric was with him, he was preparing to give a retreat on the enneagram and Ignatian spirituality.Today’s conversation is very rich. It touches of course on interreligious dialogue—and why Deshi prefers to call it inter-spiritual trialogue—and about how the enneagram influences the writing life. Deshi dives deep into his own spiritual background and shares with us countless nuggets of spiritual wisdom. But one thing that is worth highlighting is that the fruits of this conversation reflect the nature of our global Catholic faith: an Indonesian and an American meeting in Kenya and bound together by the Ignatian tradition and our desire to live out the Gospel.Deshi’s Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-Ramadhani/author/B093C9SQ4D?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true Video on Malindi:Video on Xavier’s Chapel in Malindi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocY0kWWxfcw&t=4s Vocation Story on an American Jesuit in Africa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm_g0ernKSI&t=6s
Conventional wisdom would have us keep our options open. Don’t commit until you have to—and even then, always have a backup plan. The world’s a big place with lots of choices, and you deserve your crack at all of them.That might be conventional wisdom. But our guest today, Pete Davis, firmly disagrees. In fact, he wrote a whole book about it. It’s called “Dedicated: The Case for Commitment in an Age of Infinite Browsing.” And in it, Pete lays out not only why committing ourselves to something greater can give our lives more meaning and purpose, but why commitment can lead us to becoming more engaged and effective citizens of our world. Pete is a civic advocate from Falls Church, Virginia, and a graduate of Harvard Law School where his graduation speech, “A Counterculture of Commitment” went viral. As he says in our interview, his passion isn’t just commitment; his passion is deepening American solidarity and democracy. To that end, he cofounded the Democracy Policy Network, and travels the country promoting projects and initiatives that build up local democratic institutions—thus giving more people more power over their political and civic lives.As you listen to Pete talk, you’ll note that the principles of Catholic social teaching and Ignatian spirituality are never far from his mind. Pete gives us a masterclass in how to translate the Ignatian tradition into political engagement—and how to do so with joy.You can learn more about Pete and his work at petedavis.org.And check out the film Pete mentions at the end of the conversation here: https://putnamdoc.com/
If you spend any time on social media, you might have seen Washington Post columnist Christine Emba’s big essay earlier this summer. It’s headlined “Men are lost. Here’s a map out of the wilderness.” Every so often there’s a piece about contemporary masculinity that pops up, but Christine’s piece was so widely read. The essay takes on the challenges men face in American society today with nuance, clarity and incredible depth. Christine really is a fabulously smart writer and reporter, which you’ll know if you read any of her columns or her book “Rethinking Sex: A Provocation,” which came out last year.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Christine about the crises men are facing, the ultra-conservative voices that have become quote-unquote “manfluencers,” and what she sees as key ingredients to cultivating healthier masculinity.
As Christine is a convert to Catholicism, Mike also asked her what she thought about how celibate clergy in particular might model masculinity, and what advice she might offer from her research to people raising or forming young men.
“Men are lost” essay (unlocked): https://wapo.st/47AwiZq
Follow-up piece (unlocked): https://wapo.st/3YAzeBj
Christine's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Sex-Provocation-Christine-Emba/dp/0593087569/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1692621051&sr=8-1
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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Today's host, Eric A. Clayton, encountered today’s guest’s professional title before he met the man himself. Eric was told to chase down the person who held the “Chair of Ignatian Thought and Imagination” at Regis University—and he was not disappointed.
Dr. Chris Pramuk is said chair. He’s also an associate professor of religious studies. His interests focus on the intersection of faith, creativity and justice, and the conversation reflects this multitude. Chris and Eric jump from Thomas Merton to the musical tradition of the Black Catholic Church to Buddhism to Joni Mitchell. Woven throughout the conversation is a clear thread of Ignatian spirituality—and an invitation to each of us to discover the artist spirit alive within ourselves.
Chris has written six books, including the two we discuss in this episode: Hope Sings, So Beautiful: Graced Encounters Across the Color Line and The Artist Alive: Explorations in Music, Art and Theology. He’s also written two award-winning studies on Thomas Merton.
Learn more about Chris, his work and his books at the links below.
The Artist Alive — https://www.amazon.com/Artist-Alive-Explorations-Music-Theology/dp/1599828383
Hope Sings, So Beautiful — https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Sings-So-Beautiful-Encounters/dp/0814682103
https://www.regis.edu/academics/faculty-finder/faculty/chris-pramuk
You can’t talk about the Catholic Church in the United States without talking about Latino Catholics. About half of the Catholic population in the United States is Latino, which includes U.S.-born Hispanics and about the one million Latino immigrants who arrive here each year.
And very few people if any know more about U.S. Latino Catholicism than Professor Hosffman Ospino, an associate professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education and the chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. Professor Ospino has led numerous research studies on Latino Catholics, including a brand-new report called “Ministry with Young Hispanic Catholics: Towards a Recipe for Growth and Success.” He’s also an expert on evangelization and pastoral ministry. It’s rare to find someone who’s so strong in sociological research and theology.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Professor Ospino about current trends in U.S. Latino Catholicism and about what he learned in his recent study. They talked about the decreasing number of U.S. Latinos who identify as Catholic, which is a fact of deep concern to him and calls for fresh ministry approaches. His passion for ministry and his sharp intelligence come through every second of this interview.
Learn more about Dr. Ospino and read his newest research: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/hosffman-ospino.html
Article referenced in the episode: https://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=194657
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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You can’t talk about the Catholic Church in the United States without talking about Latino Catholics. About half of the Catholic population in the United States is Latino, which includes U.S.-born Hispanics and about the one million Latino immigrants who arrive here each year.
And very few people if any know more about U.S. Latino Catholicism than Professor Hosffman Ospino, an associate professor of Hispanic Ministry and Religious Education and the chair of the Department of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. Professor Ospino has led numerous research studies on Latino Catholics, including a brand-new report called “Ministry with Young Hispanic Catholics: Towards a Recipe for Growth and Success.” He’s also an expert on evangelization and pastoral ministry. It’s rare to find someone who’s so strong in sociological research and theology.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Professor Ospino about current trends in U.S. Latino Catholicism and about what he learned in his recent study. They talked about the decreasing number of U.S. Latinos who identify as Catholic, which is a fact of deep concern to him and calls for fresh ministry approaches. His passion for ministry and his sharp intelligence come through every second of this interview.
Learn more about Dr. Ospino and read his newest research: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/hosffman-ospino.html
Article referenced in the episode: https://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=194657
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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As we turn the corner into the second half of summer, you might be wondering to yourself: When do I get a chance to rest and recharge? It’s been nothing but go, go, go.
If that sounds like your summer days, then today’s episode is a treat. Spiritual director and award-winning author Vinita Hampton Wright returns to the pod to talk about her newest book from Ave Maria Press, “Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church.”
These four women are your guides into a new understanding of who you are – and who God is to you.
Vinita’s book is a retreat, one you can make on your own or in community. And don’t let the mention of 4 weeks concern you – there’s no set timeline. You can pray with these four women as the Spirit inspires.
Today’s conversation is a great introduction not only to Vinita’s book, but to the experience of God at work in our world – both in the past and present – that these four doctors of the Church challenge us to be alert to.
Take time to savor Vinita’s insights, let the Spirit speak to you through them. And if you’re interested in learning more about her book or her other work, check out the link below.
https://www.amazon.com/Set-World-Fire-Personal-Retreat/dp/1646801016
The Society of Jesus’ 71st Congregation of Procurators, which was held in Loyola, Spain. Over 100 Jesuits gathered for the congregation, one from each province in the world plus Jesuit Superior General Fr. Arturo Soca and his assistants.
So what exactly is a Congregation of Procurators? It sounds like old-fashioned Church speak. A brief explanation: There are two types of big global congregations the Society of Jesus holds. The first and more famous type is called a General Congregation, in which a new superior general is typically elected. There have been only 36 of these meetings since the founding of the order in 1540.
All the way back at the second General Congregation in 1565, the delegates decided that more frequent meetings were needed. This led to the Congregation of Procurators, whose main technical function is to decide if a General Congregation should be called via a simple “yes or no” vote. Only very rarely do the procurators vote “yes.” But it’s a unique opportunity for Jesuits to gather and reflect on the state of the Society within today’s world.
While the gathering itself lasted two weeks in Spain, the work of the procurators takes over a year. Once elected by his respective province, each procurator travels throughout his province and speaks to as many Jesuits as possible. The point is to develop a sort of “state of the Society” perspective from your own corner of the world. The procurators submit their reports to the Superior General, who in turn crafts a document on the state of the global society called De Statu Societatis. This document will be published and publicly available soon.
Today’s guest is Fr. Victor Cancino, who was the procurator from the USA West province. Fr. Cancino lives on the Flathead Indian Reservation in western Montana and is the pastor-delegate for St. Ignatius Mission. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about the gathering itself plus what he learned while traveling throughout the West province, which stretches from Alaska to Hawaii to the US -Mexico border in Arizona. It was fascinating to hear his insider’s take on the whole process – a reminder that we are part of a church whose name means “universal.”
Learn more about the Congregation of Procurators: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jesuits-gather-for-71st-congregation-of-procurators-in-loyola-spain/
Read Fr. Cancino's articles at America magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/victor-cancino-sj
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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Sr. Rose Pacatte was the keynote speaker at the 2023 Catholic Media Conference. She talked about how artificial intelligence and the spiritual life intersect, how social media can — and cannot — spread the Gospel, and how we’re all called to media literacy as part of our lives as Christians.
Ttoday, Sr. Rose joins us to reflect on all these things: AI, Threads, pop culture, media literacy and her own vocation at the intersection of media and religious life.
Sr. Rose, a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, is an award-winning author and the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Los Angeles. And if you like what she has to say, if you find yourself intrigued and wanting to go deeper, Sr. Rose invites you to check out the advanced certificate in media literacy that the Pauline Center for Media Studies is offering, staring July 30 2023.
Here's the link: https://media.pauline.org/certificate
And here's more information on World Communications Day at the papal messages: https://www.comunicazione.va/en/giornata-mondiale-comunicazioni-sociali.html
Photo Credit: OSV News photo/Bob Roller
John Herreid is the creative mind behind a new publication from Ignatius Press called “The Catholic Home Gallery.” This stunning volume is made up of 18 works of art by contemporary Catholic artists, each of which is removable from the book and suitable for framing. The images are accompanied by short essays on the artist and their work.
John is a graphic designer for Ignatius Press and a talented artist in his own right. He’s also a passionate student of art history and deeply faith filled. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about how the Home Gallery came to be, and what trends he’s noticing in Catholic sacred art today. They also talked about the intersection of beauty and faith more broadly. Whether you’re a lover of sacred art or just curious about how art can help you grow closer to God, you’ll really enjoy John’s reflections.
The Catholic Home Gallery: https://ignatius.com/catholic-home-gallery-chgx/
A sneak peak inside the volume: https://files.ignatius.com/Flipbooks/CHGX/index.html?_ga=2.158954554.1473659349.1689086078-1735304729.1683906951
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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What makes a prayer “feminist?”
Shannon Evans — author, retreat facilitator, and the spirituality and culture editor at National Catholic Reporter — is back on the pod today to reflect on exactly that question. She has a great new book out, a compilation of prayers, called “Feminist Prayers for My Daughter: Powerful Petitions for Every Stage of Her Life.”
And let me assure you, this book is for everyone. Not only does it provide spiritual accompaniment, but also demands that we ask questions like:
What would the Psalms have sounded like if they’d been written by women? What life experiences do we need to better integrate and lift up in our prayer? What images and understandings of God do we need now, in this moment, to better deepen our relationship with our Creator?
Shannon shares her reflections on these questions, as well as insight into her own writing journey — and some hot takes mystics and why they’ll be the topic of her next book.
A brief warning: There is mention of sexual abuse around minute 15 of this episode. No details are given, and the context is Shannon’s own surprise about the power of her book’s prayers in very challenging situations.
We invite you to check out the show notes to find links to Shannon’s website, books and Substack.
Get Shannon's book: https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/466175
Visit Shannon's site: https://www.shannonkevans.com/
Sign up for her Substack: https://shannonkevans.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=1424232
Check out her IG: https://www.instagram.com/shannonkevans/
A vivid definition of the Catholic Church is attributed to the literary giant James Joyce: Catholic means “here comes everybody.” Never in recent history has that felt more accurate than during the current Synod on Synodality. Lots of AMDG listeners have been active in the synod, participating in this global process of spiritual conversation and consultation.
The synod comprises several stages, from the listening sessions in local churches all the way to the upcoming gatherings of the Synod of Bishops in Rome in October 2023 and 2024. For the first time ever, about 20% of the voting members of the synod will be made up of lay women and men.
And last week, the General Secretariat of the Synod in Rome published a 60-page document called the “Instrumentum Laboris,” which will be the basis of the work of the Synod fathers and mothers when they gather. Unlike previous Synods, this Instrumentum Laboris is not a document to be amended and approved, but a series of questions on key topics related to communion, mission and participation in the church. The document itself is an incarnation of synodality, which makes space for all participants to be heard.
One of the Synod team members who collaborated on this working document is Professor Anna Rowlands, today’s guest. Anna holds the St. Hilda Chair in Catholic Social Thought and Practice at Durham University in the United Kingdom. She is a political theologian who works at the intersection of political and social theory and Christian theology. Anna is the author of an acclaimed book on Catholic Social Teaching titled “Towards a Politics of Communion: Catholic Social Teaching in Dark Times,” which was published in 2021.
Anna is one of the few people on Earth who have read pretty much every word submitted to Rome from the church all over the world, so she brings an incredible wealth of experience and a truly global perspective to the conversation. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her how the working document was shaped and for her take on the key themes that animate it. It is fascinating to hear what most surprised her as she took in such a enormous volume of testimony from every continent. We hope Anna’s reflections will be a useful introduction for you and that you’ll have the chance to read and pray with the working document, maybe even in spiritual conversation with people in your own local community.
Read the working document: https://www.synod.va/en/news/instrumentum-laboris-a-document-of-the-whole-church.html
Learn more about Professor Rowlands: https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/anna-rowlands/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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This past April, French bishops voted to open the sainthood cause of 20th century Jesuit theologian Henri de Lubac. If you had a time machine and went back to the 1950s and told Fr. de Lubac this news, he probably wouldn’t believe you. In those years, the church was so nervous about de Lubac’s scholarship that he was prevented from teaching theology and his books were removed from Jesuit libraries. He experienced a rehabilitation within his own lifetime and was even named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 1983.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey has heard de Lubac’s name many times over the years, both for this theological controversy and even more importantly for the immense impact his work had on the Second Vatican Council and today’s church. But he knew pretty much nothing about him, so he invited the Rev. Dr. Jordan Hillebert on the show today to get him up to speed.
Jordan Hillebert is an Anglican priest, a theologian and tutor at St Padarn’s Institute in Cardiff, Wales. He was born and raised in the United States and moved to Scotland in 2011 to pursue a PhD in theology at the University of St Andrews. His research interests include systematic theology, modern Christian thought and the theology of Henri de Lubac, whose work he has edited and authored several books on. His most recent book is called “Henri de Lubac and the Drama of Human Existence.”
Mike asked Jordan to get all of us nonexperts acquainted with de Lubac’s life and work, and he did an amazing job. Jordan is clearly so intimately familiar with this great Jesuit. Jordan also shared a bit about his own vocation story and what his experience has been like as an Anglican studying a modern Roman Catholic theologian.
Jordan’s book: https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268108571/henri-de-lubac-and-the-drama-of-human-existence/
Follow Jordan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JordanHillebert
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There are so many theories about why young adults are leaving the Catholic Church today. Maybe our parishes aren’t welcoming enough, or maybe they’re watering down the faith. Maybe young people are being asked to do too much to be part of the community. Or maybe they’re not being asked to do enough. Maybe they’re angry at the church’s positions on social issues. Or maybe they just drift away because they don’t find anything relevant at church.
It can be challenging to offer grand, sweeping theories about young adults and the church because we’re talking about millions of people. Young adults aren’t monolithic. But there is some good quantitative and qualitative data we can work with, and today’s guest is uniquely equipped to offer some compelling arguments.
Ellen Koneck is the executive director of Commonweal Magazine, the venerable Catholic journal of opinion that celebrates its 100th birthday next year.
She’s an incredibly insightful writer with experience in pastoral ministry, making her an astute observer of the reasons her fellow young adults slip out the church door. She also took over her role at Commonweal after working as head writer at the Springtide Research Institute, which does some of the best statistical work on young people and the church you can find anywhere. Ellen combined her wealth of experiences and observations into a talk she gave this past April for the Catholic Common Ground Initiative in Chicago.
Ellen and host Mike Jordan Laskey recently had a wide-ranging conversation on why church membership is a bad metric for measuring youth involvement in faith, why the problem of polarization might not be as crucial to address as alienation, and how Commonweal is trying to reach a new generation of readers.
Watch Ellen’s talk here (starts at 30:50): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6E54YDSdEY&t=4s
Commonweal: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/
Springtide Research Institute: https://www.springtideresearch.org/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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If you were going to make a list of the most inspiring things the Catholic Church is doing in the world, the work of Caritas Internationalis would be right there near the top.
Caritas is a global confederation of Catholic charities working to alleviate poverty, promote social justice and advocate for the rights of the marginalized. With members organizations spread across about 200 countries and territories, Caritas is one of the biggest humanitarian networks in the world. Here in the US, the Caritas-affiliated organizations you’ve probably heard of are Catholic Charities, which serves people domestically, and Catholic Relief Services, which works overseas. In Canada, the Caritas organization is called Development and Peace.
Today’s guest is the brand-new secretary general of Caritas, Alistair Dutton. He was just sworn in last week and elected a few weeks before that. Alistair had been serving as the director of Caritas’ agency in Scotland, which is called SCIAF. He will take over leadership of Caritas at a pivotal time. Last year, Pope Francis removed Caritas’ top leaders due at least in part to low staff morale. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Alistair what he hopes to do in his first weeks and months as secretary general to help promote healing within the organization.
Alistair also discussed the work of SCIAF and some of the most inspiring humanitarian projects he has seen around the world, plus why Catholics ought to care about challenges those on the margins are facing both at home and abroad. Finally, as Alistair was a Jesuit himself for five years, he talked about how his formation in Ignatian spirituality influenced his life path and inspires him today.
Learn more about Alistair and his election: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2023-05/alistair-dutton-elected-new-secretary-general-caritas.html
Caritas Internationalis: https://www.caritas.org/
SCIAF: https://www.sciaf.org.uk/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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There’s always the temptation for religious orders to lionize their founder. To point to a single person and say, “There! That’s the way to live the Christian life! Just do what they did.” Despite the number of parishes and programs and centers named for Ignatius of Loyola, the man himself was pretty resolute on the need to have your own experience of God. His experience was exactly that: his experience. The unique way God was at work in his life. Ignatian spirituality and the Spiritual Exercises are gifts to us so that we can come to encounter God in our own way. So, we can look to Ignatius himself for inspiration. But as we should expect, the Ignatian tradition – and the Society of Jesus – has a vast array of diverse and fascinating figures. Saints and blessed, examples we can look to from the very first days of the Society to the present. Look to Ignatius, yes, but look also to the countless other sources of inspiration for living the Chrisitan life.To help us do exactly this, the Institute for Advanced Jesuits Studies at Boston College has published a new, wonderful book: “Jesuit Saints and Blesseds: Spiritual Profiles.” The book traces the history of the Society through the lens of its holy people and is a companion for us as we explore our own paths to holiness.Back again on the podcast to talk about the book and Jesuit saints is Fr. Casey Beaumier, a Jesuit and the director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuits Studies. The conversation spans such important topics from which Jesuit saints are most inspirational in sustaining one’s vocation to which Jesuit saints most deserve an academic building named after them. (Hint: The answer is Joseph Pignatelli, and if you want to read up on him, there’s a link below where we’ve also included a link to the book and the Institute.)Learn about Joseph Pignatelli, SJ: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/what-joseph-pignatelli-sj-teaches-us-about-living-in-isolation/Buy the book: https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/jesuit-saints-and-blesseds-spiritual-profiles/About the Institute: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/centers/iajs.html
Often in the story of St. Ignatius of Loyola, we zero in on the “cannonball moment.” It’s the instant in Ignatius’ story when everything changes—even if the would-be saint hasn’t yet fully realized it. But even more important than that war wound is the eleven months that follow, that long, tedious period of recovery and reflection and reading. It’s then that Ignatius encounters a book on Jesus Christ, and through that book, the God of Jesus Christ, the God who had been loving him all along—and speaking to him through his desires and experiences.That’s the moment in the Ignatian tradition that best frames today’s conversation. Our guest is Jesuit Fr. Joe Tetlow, currently the director of Montserrat Jesuit Retreat House in Lake Dallas, TX and the author of the new book, “Considering Jesus: The Human Experience of the Redeemer.”The title speaks for itself. Fr. Tetlow’s book is an opportunity to pray with Jesus’ own experiences, to see how those experiences speak to and inspire us. You’ll hear, too, how Fr. Tetlow’s own experiences shape his writing and retreat work—and can guide us in our own daily lives.You can get your own copy of Fr. Tetlow’s new book—or one of his many others—by checking out the links below.https://store.loyolapress.com/considering-jesushttps://store.loyolapress.com/you-have-called-me-by-my-namehttps://store.loyolapress.com/always-discerning
“Lodge 49,” a comedy-drama TV series that ran on the channel AMC for two seasons, is about an ex-surfer named Dud (Wyatt Russell) who’s drifting through life after the loss of his father and the closing of his family’s pool supply store. He stumbles into a rundown old fraternal lodge belonging to a group called the Order of the Lynx. (Think of the freemasons or the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.) At the Lodge, he meets a luminous knight of the order named Ernie (Brent Jennings) who’s also a plumbing salesman. Ernie welcomes the much younger Dud with open arms. And so begins host Mike Jordan Laskey’s favorite onscreen friendship in television history, these two guys of wildly different backgrounds and personalities hanging out and having some truly wild adventures together. Because running alongside this story of friendship and community in the face of economic downturn and social erosion is the mysterious legend of the Order of the Lynx itself, which is centered on some sort of alchemical philosophy that may or may not be true. Mix all of its ingredients together and “Lodge 49” is one of the strangest, most beautiful works of art you can find on television or anywhere else.The wildly original creative mind behind “Lodge 49” is Jim Gavin, today’s guest. A writer, Gavin published an acclaimed collection of short stories called “Middle Men” in 2013 before making the transition to TV. Gavin grew up in an observant Catholic family and went to Catholic school all the way through his college years at the Jesuit Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Both the show and the book are shot through with Gavin’s Catholic imagination, calling to mind work by other Catholic and lapsed-Catholic authors like Walker Percy, Don DeLillo, and George Saunders as we meet wounded characters searching for meaning and mercy. Mike asked Jim about his Catholic background and its influence on his work. They also talked about the current writers’ strike in Hollywood, which Jim is participating in. Watch “Lodge 49” on Hulu: https://www.hulu.com/series/lodge-49-5061e151-c887-4e29-9e13-c1b48e392123 Read “Middle Men”: https://www.amazon.com/Middle-Men-Stories-Jim-Gavin/dp/1451649347 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
As you probably know, the global Catholic Church is in the middle of a three-year synod process on the topic of synodality. The synod has featured thousands of listening sessions with the faithful all over the world, the biggest consultation process in the history of the church. Maybe you’ve been involved in one or more of these meetings yourself. One of the key themes that has emerged again and again in the reports on these meetings is women’s leadership in the church. Here’s how the document synthesizing the synod process in the United States puts it: “…there was recognition for the centrality of women’s unparalleled contributions to the life of the Church, particularly in local communities. There was a desire for stronger leadership, discernment, and decision-making roles for women – both lay and religious – in their parishes and communities. ‘People mentioned a variety of ways in which women could exercise leadership, including preaching and ordination as deacon or priest. Ordination for women emerged not primarily as a solution to the problem of the priest shortage, but as a matter of justice.’”And if you’re going to reflect on women’s leadership in the church, you just have to talk to Dr. Phyllis Zagano. Dr. Zagano is a scholar based at Hofstra University in New York and is one of the world’s leading authorities on the past and present of women’s leadership in the Catholic church. Host Mike Jordan Laskey invited her on the show to talk about her new book, titled “Just Church: Catholic Social Teaching, Synodality, and Women,” which was just published by Paulist Press. They discussed the history of women serving as deacons in the Catholic Church, plus some ways the church might better empower women today.Learn more about Dr. Zagano: https://sites.hofstra.edu/phyllis-zagano/Her new book: https://www.amazon.com/Just-Church-Catholic-Teaching-Synodality/dp/0809156539AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Most of us probably don’t stop to reflect on our use of technology and how the devices and apps we use affect our lives and society as a whole. What is it doing to our brains and our souls that we reach for our smartphones mindlessly hundreds of times a day? What do we say on social media that I wouldn’t say in real life, and how does our behavior online make the world better – or, more likely, worse?Today’s guest, L.M. Sacasas, is an incredible thinker and writer who has devoted his career to asking big questions of our technology and what it’s doing to our communal life and individual lives. Sacasas has a great Substack newsletter called “The Convivial Society” that is host Mike Jordan Laskey’s favorite thing to read these days. Sacasas has this amazing ability to read and absorb scholars from the past like Marshall McLuhan, Neil Postman, Hannah Arendt and the Jesuit literary theorist Walter Ong and apply their arguments to our very different media environment today. In this conversation, Sacasas shares his thoughts on AI chat-bots like ChatGPT and Microsoft’s new Bing and Google Bard. He and Mike also talk about social media and smartphones and artificial light and time and what countercultural roles faith communities might play in offering venues for incarnational, authentic community.Subscribe to “The Convivial Society”: https://theconvivialsociety.substack.com/Read L.M. Sacasas on Fr. Walter Ong, SJ: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-inescapable-town-squareListen to L.M. Sacasas’ interview on the Ezra Klein Show: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-lm-sacasas.htmlAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
In 2021, two Jesuits who had just been ordained priests were missioned to serve migrant communities on the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas. Soon after they arrived, Father Brian Strassburger and Father Louie Hotop agreed that there were so many incredible people and stories they were encountering that they just had to share them with the world through a podcast. They asked our communications team at the Jesuit Conference for help producing it, and the result has been one of the most inspiring podcast series you’ll ever hear.It's called the Jesuit Border Podcast and we are thrilled to be featuring one of their recent episodes here on our AMDG feed. In this episode, Fr. Louie and Fr. Brian shift from interviewers to interviewees. Asking the questions this time around is the great Jesuit author Fr. Jim Martin, who leads Louie and Brian through an Ignatian examen of their ministry in Brownsville over the past two years. It’s a fabulous interview with so much vulnerability and insight. Be sure to subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast wherever you listen.Jesuit Border Podcast, plus study guides: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/11/the-jesuit-border-podcast/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
For many of you listening, the idea of spiritual reading is probably a familiar concept. You might have a book or two on your bedside that you pray with each night: something on the lives of the saints or new insights into old spiritual practices. Next to that pile of spiritual books might be a bible, and each day you read a passage, slowly, prayerfully. It's not hard to look for the Holy Spirit at work in books you find in the spirituality section of your local bookstore. But what about in the other sections: fiction, sci-fi, romance and memoir? Is the Holy Spirit at work in those books, too?Our guest today, Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson, says yes – to a degree. Her newest book, “Reading for the Love of God: How to Read as a Spiritual Practice,” challenges us to look at all our reading through the lens of spirituality. How is God inviting us deeper into our vocation, deeper into the mysteries of creation through the texts we spend our time with? Jessica is the inaugural Visiting Scholar of Liberal Arts at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She previously taught at the University of Dallas. She’s the author of several other books that explore this topic of saints, sinners and texts — both those considered holy and those less so. She speaks around the world on topics as varied as Russian novelists, Catholic thinkers and our topic today: a Christian approach to reading.As you listen to this conversation and reflect on your own reading habits, consider Ignatius of Loyola. He, too, provides us with a helpful approach to reading. Recall that during his recovery from his cannonball wound, he wanted to read books on knights and courtly romance. Instead, he was given what we would consider spiritual reading: a book on saints and one on the life of Christ. God spoke to Ignatius in part through these texts; they were pivotal to his conversion. Even so, Ignatius goes on to insist that God is to be found in all things — not only the spiritual and religious texts but every aspect of life. How might you approach your own reading through this Ignatian lens? What might God reveal?Learn more about Jessica's work at her website: https://jessicahootenwilson.com/And check out her new book: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/reading-for-the-love-of-god/407190
Fr. Ed Dowling is a Jesuit priest you might never have heard of before. After hearing his story, you might find yourself wondering how this holy man isn’t more renowned. Thanks to a new book by Dawn Eden Goldstein, Fr. Ed is finally getting his due.Goldstein is the author of “Father Ed: The Story of Bill W’s Spiritual Sponsor,” which is the first biography of Father Edward Dowling, SJ, a Jesuit from St. Louis who became a close friend and spiritual mentor to Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Although not an alcoholic himself, Fr. Ed had a deep understanding of the twelve-step program and its spiritual principles. He helped Bill Wilson overcome his depression and deepen his relationship with God. He also devoted his ministry to helping people in recovery from various addictions and afflictions, as well as promoting social justice and ecumenism.The book is based on extensive research and interviews Dawn conducted with people who knew Fr. Ed and Bill Wilson. It reveals the remarkable story of how these two men from different backgrounds and faiths forged a bond that changed their lives and the lives of millions of others. It also shows how Fr. Ed’s Jesuit spirituality influenced the development of AA and its legacy.Father Ed is an essential read for anyone interested in the history and spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous, the role of Jesuits in American culture, and the power of friendship and grace in overcoming personal struggles. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Dawn to share some of the most fascinating things she learned about Fr. Ed, and how his ministry might inform the church’s work with those in recovery today.Read an exclusive excerpt from the book about the time Bill W. met the St. Louis Jesuits at Jesuits.org/dowling. Dawn’s book: https://www.amazon.com/Father-Ed-Story-Spiritual-Sponsor/dp/1626984867 Follow Dawn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DawnofMercyAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
When Susan Bigelow Reynolds was studying theology in grad school at Boston College, she saw an advertisement for free housing at St. Mary of the Angels Church in the Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. In exchange for the place to live, she’d have to provide a few hours of parish work per week. That seemed like a good deal, so she moved right in. Little did she know that her decision would come to shape her academic focus, lead to six years of ethnographic research in the parish, and bring about the publication of her incredible new book, which is titled “People Get Ready: Ritual, Solidarity, and Lived Ecclesiology in Catholic Roxbury.” Throughout her research, both during her time living at the parish and in the years since, Susan explored how a diverse community of Black, Caribbean, Latin American and Euro-American Catholics at St. Mary of the Angels Church have constructed rituals of solidarity as a way of building bridges across difference. She argues for a retrieval of Vatican II’s notion of ecclesial solidarity as a basis for the mission of the local church in an age of migration, displacement and change.Susan’s book is a must-read for a few reasons. For one, it’s a beautifully written volume that combines memoir, theology and ethnography in a fascinating yet accessible way. Further, “People Get Ready” is essential for anyone interested in American urban Catholicism at all, especially in light of the challenges and opportunities posed by cultural diversity, social justice issues and parish mergers and closures. Finally, the story of this parish community is a powerful testament to how ritual can foster friendship, power, peace and survival amid suffering and marginality. “People Get Ready”: https://www.amazon.com/People-Get-Ready-Solidarity-Ecclesiology/dp/1531502016Learn more about Susan: https://candler.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/reynolds-susan.htmlRead Susan in Commonweal: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/ways-of-the-cross AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
There’s nothing better than the Easter Triduum – from the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday through the bitter, heavy celebration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday to the unparalleled drama of the Easter fire and baptizing new Christians at the Vigil on Saturday night. The one big danger this time of year: We’ve heard the stories of Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection so many times now that it’s easy for them to go in one ear and out the other. To paraphrase the words of T.S. Eliot, we might have the experience but miss the meaning. Sometimes, approaching a familiar story like the Passion in a new way can make all the difference. And today’s guest has just released a new musical project that does just that. J.J. Wright is a composer, pianist and director of the Notre Dame Folk Choir. This Lent season, J.J. and the Folk Choir, in collaboration with professional musicians, writers and producers, released “The Passion.” The project is a 95-minute, fully--staged production that depicts the disciples on Holy Saturday as they retell the events of Jesus’ last days, from the anointing at Bethany to Golgotha. Using contemporary musical forms to get into the story in a new way really made host Mike Jordan Laskey pray and reflect with the Passion narratives with new depth and attention. Now Notre Dame isn’t a Jesuit university, of course, but the project is an extremely powerful example of Ignatian imaginative prayer: The work does a great job of really bringing you into the scene yourself.Mike asked J.J. about how the work came to be and how putting together something so huge and ambitious affected the way J.J. hears the Passion story himself. You’ll hear some of the music included in the episode during our conversation. You can also find and listen to “The Passion” wherever you get music, including services like Spotify. Learn more about J.J. Wright: https://jjwrightmusic.com/Learn more about the Notre Dame Folk Choir: https://folkchoir.nd.edu/Learn more about “The Passion”: https://news.nd.edu/news/notre-dame-folk-choir-to-release-new-album-on-christs-passion-on-ash-wednesday/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
One of the most interesting Jesuit universities in the world is Saint Joseph University in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 1875, Saint Joseph is the only Jesuit university in the Arab World. On its incredibly impressive list of alumni are seven presidents of Lebanon. The former Superior General of the Jesuits, Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach, earned his doctorate there and then joined the faculty. Saint Joseph has a medical and a law school and five total campuses in all in the capital city. In the middle of a religiously diverse country, it brings together 12,000 students from all backgrounds, including large communities of both Christian and Muslim students. As they carry out their essential mission, Saint Joseph is facing unimaginable challenges due to multiple intertwined crises plaguing the country of Lebanon right now. On August 4, 2020, a historically powerful explosion at the Port of Beirut killed over 200 people and left about 300,000 homeless. All five of Saint Joseph’s campuses were damaged by the blast. This instability worsened an already-dire economic crisis. A few weeks ago, host Mike Jordan Laskey talked to the university’s president, Fr. Salim Daccache, SJ, about the university and how it’s responding to today’s challenges. Fr. Daccache has led Saint Joseph’s since 2012 and earned his undergraduate degree there in 1973. A scholar and an experienced administrator, Fr. Daccache has such a clear passion for the school and is dedicated to doing whatever he can to support students, faculty and staff. Against this backdrop, the university is asking for donations in support of scholarships. Our listeners in the United States can make tax-deductible donations via a PayPal link on our website, which you can find at https://www.jesuits.org/stories/the-only-jesuit-university-in-the-arab-world-needs-our-help/. AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Here in the American Jesuit universe, we’re in two parallel holy seasons at the same time: Lent and March Madness. Nine Jesuit teams between the women’s and men’s tournaments are in the Big Dance this year, and you can read all about them on our website at Jesuits.org/basketball. Today’s guest didn’t quite make it to the NCAA tournament this year, but he led one of the biggest success stories in all of college basketball this season. And this was his first year as a head coach at any level. Keith Urgo is the head coach of the Fordham Rams men’s team – and the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year. Fordham put up a record of 25 wins and 8 losses this season; the last time Fordham won this many games in a season was all the way back in 1991. Coach Urgo has deep Jesuit roots: He went to Gonzaga College High School in Washington, DC, then played basketball and lacrosse at Fairfield University. After college, he spent time working with a nonprofit organization called PeacePlayers, which uses basketball to bring people together in some of the most divided countries on Earth. He’s a fascinating guy and you’ll want to keep your eye on him in future years.In the second half of the show, we’re re-running one of our favorite basketball segments we’ve ever done here on the show. A couple years ago, host Mike Jordan Laskey talked to the author John Gasaway, who writes on college hoops for ESPN and wrote a book on Catholic college basketball called “Miracles on the Hardwood.” At the end of that conversation, John and Mike took turns drafting the greatest men’s players in Jesuit basketball history, building fantasy teams who will only ever compete against each other in our imaginations. Don’t forget to root for Creighton, Marquette, Gonzaga, Saint Louis University, Holy Cross and Xavier this week.Learn more about PeacePlayers: https://peaceplayers.org/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Ten years ago, on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope. Do you remember those first hours and days? We found out he was from Argentina, the first Pope from the Global South. Then we heard his name would be Francis the First…or maybe just Francis? Then we saw him step to the window above St. Peter’s Square, looking fairly calm but probably also a bit overwhelmed, and he asked the pilgrims thronging below to pray for him before he offered his first papal blessing. He seemed humble and warm. Then there were other stories of his humility: he checked himself out of the hotel he’d been staying in. He celebrated his first Holy Thursday Mass washing the feet of inmates at a prison. Since then, it’s an understatement to say it’s been quite a decade for the church and the world. Host Mike Jordan Laskey wanted to reflect on the first 10 years of Francis’ papacy. What have the major themes been? How has the church changed – and not changed? Where might we be headed? Today’s guest today is perhaps the most qualified person to talk about these questions in the English-speaking world. Austen Ivereigh is a journalist, author and commentator who has written two books about Pope Francis: “The Great Reformer” and “Wounded Shepherd.” He also collaborated with the Pope himself on a book called “Let Us Dream”, which charts a path forward from the Covid pandemic. In this conversation, Austen offers his characteristically sharp insight on everything Pope Francis; few people on the planet have such a strong understanding of the Holy Father’s heart and mind. Learn more about Austen: https://www.austeni.org/His America Magazine piece on the 10-year anniversary: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2023/02/16/francis-revolution-decade-244685 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
The Academy Awards are coming up March 12th, so we wanted to recommend a couple of Oscar-nominated movies that fans of the podcast might enjoy. And there was one person host Mike Jordan Laskey was hoping to interview for this episode: his favorite film critic of all time, Alissa Wilkinson from the website Vox, where she’s the senior culture writer. Nobody writes on the intersections of cinema and theology and spirituality like Alissa does. Over and over again, she finds angles that no other critics see. Alissa writes essays that are profound, funny, moving, and eminently readable. She joined Mike to talk about two Best Picture nominees: “Women Talking” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.”Alissa talked about both films and what makes them especially compelling for a Catholic audience. She also discussed what goes into the art of criticism more broadly, and what she thinks about the current trend of religious communities depicted on the big screen. Alissa on "Women Talking": https://www.vox.com/culture/23345084/women-talking-review-tiff-augustineAlissa on "The Banshees of Inisherin": https://www.vox.com/culture/23413305/banshees-inisherin-review-history-civil-warAlissa's newsletter: https://wilkinson.substack.com/AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
You may have never heard the name Fr. Clarence Rivers before today. Fr. Rivers was a renown composer and liturgist, among other things, and he was helping people better understand—better see themselves—in the liturgy long before the Second Vatican Council made such actions the norm. Fr. Rivers was also the first Black priest ordained in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and his own heritage and lived experience greatly informed his approach to the liturgy and to his own priestly ministry. But Fr. Rivers is slowly being lost to the relentless march of time. His legacy is interwoven in so much of how we understand Catholic liturgy today, and yet his name is far from our lips.Fortunately, our guests today—Emily Strand and Eric Styles—host their own podcast, and it’s called Meet Father Rivers. Emily has taught religion at the collegiate level for more than 15 years, and currently does so at Mt. Carmel College in Ohio. She is the author of two books on Catholicism and has published several essays on religious and literary themes in popular culture in peer-reviewed publications. Emily is also a life-long Church musician, serving her parish as a cantor, accompanist and ensemble director, and serving the National Association of Pastoral Musicians as Chair of the Forum on Communication.Eric Styles has served as the Rector of Carroll Hall, an intentional undergraduate residential community at the University of Notre Dame, since 2016. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Loyola University Chicago. Eric worked as a Parish Liturgy Coordinator at Saint Benedict the African Catholic Church in Chicago and as a House Manager for the Theatre School of DePaul University. He spent time discerning the call to religious life with the Society of Jesus, though eventually discovered that was not where God was inviting him to be. Eric remains active in the performing arts as a collaborator with Afro House, a Baltimore based music driven performance art ensemble. Eric writes about theology, liturgy, and contemporary culture.Both of our guests are passionate about the liturgy, deeply inspired by the legacy of Fr. Rivers and determined to help form the imagination of people of faith today. Listen to the podcast, "Meet Father Rivers:" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-father-rivers/id1590237311Learn more about Emily: https://emilystrand.liturgyandlife.com/Photo courtesy of "Catholic Telegraph" (Cincinnati)
Lent is just around the corner, and there are so many vivid symbols of this liturgical season. You’ve got ashes and palms and purple stuff everywhere. No Alleluias, no Glorias, no meat at the Friday fish fry. One of the best Lenten symbols is the CRS Rice Bowl, those little cardboard boxes we fill with cash to support the work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) overseas. It’s easy to grab a Rice Bowl, fill it up, turn it in without thinking twice about where our money is going. Today’s guest can help us fill in the gaps and learn about the incredible work going on in about 100 countries around in the world on behalf of Catholics in the United States.Bill O’Keefe is CRS’ Executive Vice President for Mission and Mobilization. He oversees the agency’s efforts to build a movement of Catholics and others of good will to support CRS’ global mission and build action-oriented global solidarity with poor, vulnerable, and marginalized people around the world. These efforts include lobbying Congress and the Administration on a range of foreign policy issues and engaging U.S. Catholics in public campaigns to change U.S. foreign policy in ways that promote justice and reduce poverty overseas.Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Bill to share some of the most inspiring things he’s seen CRS working on around the world, and how our faith inspires us to care for all who are suffering, no matter what country they live in. In the days since they recorded their conversation, we have all seen the unimaginable destruction from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. You can visit crs.org to see how CRS and their partners are responding to the incredible amount of need in those countries. AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
On this week’s AMDG, host MegAnne Liebsch talks to historian Nicholas Lewis about his research into the history of Jesuit-run boarding schools for Indigenous children. These schools were part of a larger U.S. government attempt to assimilate Indigenous peoples into white European culture from the 1820s to as late as the 1970s. Indigenous families were compelled to send their children to boarding schools, effectively stripping children of their language, culture and community. Jesuit leadership in the U.S. knew that Jesuits administered a number of such schools, but accounts varied as to how many, where they were located, and for how long. So in January of 2022, Nick was hired to examine the archives and identify some of these basic facts. His research has confirmed 24 mission locations where the Jesuits ran a boarding school for Native children, a full list of which can be found on our website and is linked below.We invited Nick on the podcast to discuss his findings and give us a broad overview of this history. Warning: This episode deals with trauma, as well as mentions of physical and sexual abuse. Take care while listening.Further resources:Our website: www.jesuits.org/native-boarding-schools Full list of Jesuit-run school locations: https://www.jesuits.org/press-release/list/ Report on boarding school funding: https://inthesetimes.com/article/catholic-church-mission-schools-investigation-treaty-ojibwe-native-people Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/ Truth and healing efforts at Red Cloud Indian School: https://www.redcloudschool.org/pages/truth-and-healing Education for Extinction David Wallace Adams: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700629602/Converting the Rosebud by Harvey Markowitz: https://www.oupress.com/9780806159850/converting-the-rosebud/ Boarding School Seasons by Brenda Child: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803214804/ Churches and the Indian Schools by Francis Paul Prucha: https://www.amazon.com/Churches-Indian-Schools-1888-1912-Francis/dp/0803236573
One of the big challenges in higher education today is polarization in the classroom, which of course reflects the polarization of the country at large. Professors like Dr. Amy Uelmen are trying to figure out how to encourage their students to speak and listen to each other across divides on complex social issues where there are no easy answers. Amy is a professor at the Georgetown Law Center, where she’s also a special assistant to the dean and the director of mission and ministry. Just in case that’s not enough to keep her busy, Amy is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Berkley Center on Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about her work at the intersections of faith, morality and law, and also to see if they could tease out some tips that those of us who aren’t in law school could use when trying to connect with people we disagree with on thorny issues.Amy is also a member of the Focolare Movement, a lay ecclesial movement and international organization founded in Italy by Chiara Lubich in 1943. Focolare is centered on Christ’s prayer from the Gospel “that they all may be one,” so it’s clear to see how Amy’s faith life is leading directly to her research and work in the classroom. Learn more about Amy: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/amelia-j-uelmen/ Essay on dialogue after the January 6 riot: https://canopyforum.org/2021/01/13/whither-dialogue-after-the-capitol-riot/ Learn more about Focolare: https://www.focolare.org/en/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
A disturbing trend over the past couple of years has been the rise of antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic incidents, says 2021 was the worst year in decades and that 2022 will look similar once the numbers are tabulated. We’re in a five-year upswing overall. Let’s not give any more oxygen to acts of hate. Instead, we are thrilled to be sharing this conversation host Mike Jordan Laskey recently had with Dr. Phil Cunningham and Dr. Adam Gregerman, two scholars who have devoted their careers to building bridges between Jews and Catholics. Phil and Adam lead the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. The institute was founded in 1967 in response to the Second Vatican Council. Phil is Catholic and Adam is Jewish, and their shared leadership models the type of engagement the institute is all about. You’ll see this sort of collaboration on display throughout the episode. Mike asked them for a brief historical overview of the relationship between Catholics and Jews, and why the promulgation of the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate was such an important turning point. Adam and Phil also talked about the work they’re doing today, and how we can build relationships across religious divides without erasing each faith’s uniqueness. Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations: https://www.sju.edu/college-arts-and-sciences/ijcrCouncil of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations: https://ccjr.us/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.www.jesuits.org/www.beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
If you’ve spent much time reading about Ignatian spirituality, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the work of Jim Manney. He has a great book on the Examen called “A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer” that often serves as introduction for many to this all-important part of Ignatian spirituality.Jim has this way of boiling down his vast—and it is vast!—array of Ignatian knowledge in a way that is accessible, powerful and practical. His writing stays with you. And so, his newest book, which essentially is an exercise in making Ignatian spirituality accessible and practical, is pretty exciting. It’s called “What Matters Most and Why: Living the Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.” In the book are 365 daily reflections—each less than a page. Jim is today’s guest, and he walks us through his own life story, how he became so enamored with the spirituality of Ignatius, how he goes about sharing it with others and why he thinks it’s important to do so. Learn more about Jim's work by visiting: jimmanneybooks.com.
Over the past couple of weeks, there have been countless reflections on the life and work of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, highlighting his rich theological writings and his decades of church service and even some of the challenging moments he faced before, during and after his papacy. He was a complex man with so much experience. Let us pray that he might rest in the peace of Christ forever.Whenever a world-historical event happens related to the papacy, host Mike Jordan Laskey likes to call up his friend Dr. Christopher Bellitto, Ph.D. Chris is a medievalist, a church historian and a professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey. He’s a frequent media commentator on church history and contemporary Catholicism, and you might have seen him quoted in recent days in the Washington Post, CNN, NBC and other outlets. He always brings the long view to current events as a scholar of history. Chris talked about the history of papal resignations and what lessons the church might learn from how Benedict’s post-papacy unfolded. He also talked a bit about the history of Jesuit superior general resignations, and teased his upcoming book from Georgetown University Press titled “Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue.” Learn more about Dr. Bellitto: https://sites.google.com/a/kean.edu/christopher-m-bellitto-ph-d/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.https://www.jesuits.org/https://beajesuit.org/twitter.com/jesuitnewsfacebook.com/Jesuitsinstagram.com/wearethejesuitsyoutube.com/societyofjesus
Today’s guest is Anjela Barnes, the vice president of the Accokeek Foundation. In her work, she helps preserve and protect Piscataway park, located in southern Maryland on the Potomac River. This is part of the traditional homelands of the Piscataway people, of which Anjela is a member.As you’ll hear in this episode, host Eric Clayton met Anjela at Loyola University Maryland. She was on a panel discussing what justice looks like for Indigenous people—and what injustices have been perpetrated throughout our history. And while the conversation certainly focused on the need for justice, one theme kept resurfacing: Too often discussions around issues of Indigenous communities are limited to the mere reality that Indigenous people are not relics of the past but in fact members of our present community with joys and challenges and hardships and triumphs just like anybody. Yet, many of us are still surprised to learn that there are Indigenous folks next to us in line at the supermarket or the next booth over at the diner. And so, what you’ll hear today is a delicate dance, a paradox almost. Anjela and Eric discuss how Indigenous people are more than just stories, more than a window into the past. And yet, at the same time, without understanding and asking after those stories, without looking through that window, we can not grasp the unique experiences—and, as such, the unique injustices and struggles—of Indigenous communities in the present. We can not reduce people to a single story, and yet we still must page through those many chapters. This is an important conversation—and we hope you’ll find it insightful. If you want to learn more about Anjela and her work at the Accokeek Foundation, visit https://www.accokeek.org/.
Poetry can be intimidating and inaccessible. Why even bother?Guest Philip Metres is a living reminder that it’s worth it to bother, worth it to wrestle with poetry even when it’s difficult because the power of language is uniquely human and is one of the best parts of being alive.Phil is a poet, author and professor of English literature at John Caroll University in Cleveland, Ohio. He’s the author of ten books and has won fellowships from institutions like the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. As the product of a Jesuit high school and college education, it’s consoling to see that much of his work takes up themes of spirituality and social justice, and what prompted host Mike Jordan Laskey to invite Phil on the show was a fabulous essay Phil wrote for Image Journal that was part book review, part memoir and part theological reflection. Phil also reads two of his poems and talks about them. Read Phil’s Image Journal essay: https://imagejournal.org/article/the-other-world-and-this-one-immanent-and-transcendent-tendencies-in-contemporary-poetry/Learn more about Phil: https://philipmetres.com/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Earlier this month, Nicole Perone and John Grosso were anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child. Nicole and John are both what you could call professional Catholics – Nicole is the national coordinator for a young adult initiative called ESTEEM that works to prepare college students for faith life after graduation. And after several years working in digital media for the Diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, John is on the communications team at a network of Catholic philanthropic organizations called FADICA. In between Nicole and John’s conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey and the release of this episode, Rose Marie Grosso was born on December 12, and both she and Nicole are doing well. The question at the heart of this episode: What was Advent like for two super-thoughtful, Jesuit-formed parents-to-be? Does the story of the Holy Family resonate differently when you’re nine months pregnant? And as people who have devoted their professional and personal lives to serving the church, Nicole and John offered their reflections on the state of the church today – their thoughts and feelings on this community of faith they’re bringing Rose Marie into.AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
It’s a great time of year to sit back, relax and watch a Christmas movie. To help you fill out your binge-watching schedule these last few days before Christmas, host Mike Jordan Laskey invited Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, onto the show to talk about some of their favorite movies to watch this time of year. Jim is an ideal candidate for this work. He’s a fantastic writer who covers the intersection of pop culture and spirituality. (His Twitter handle is literally “@PopCulturPriest.” These days, he’s an associate editor at America Magazine in New York, but he has training and experience as a screenwriter and spent some time working for the TV channel AMC.Jim and Mike each picked three of their favorite Christmas movies to discuss. They also talked about Jim’s life as a Jesuit writer and what interests some of his Hollywood executive friends about his vocation to the priesthood. It was a super-fun conversation and should get you in the Christmas spirit – which, as you’ll hear from Jim and Mike as a common theme in this discussion, means two parts joy and maybe three parts melancholy. Read Fr. Jim in America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/jim-mcdermott AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
In today's episode, meet writer and illustrator team, Paul Mitchell and Katie Broussard, a brother and sister passionate about sharing Ignatian spirituality with kids -- their own and others! Their latest project, "The Examen Book" from Loyola Press, doesn't just teach kids how to pray the examen; it invites families to encounter a God of love together. A little more about Paul and Katie:Paul cares full-time for his young sons and writes in the service of lay formation. He taught in Uganda, Chicago, Boston, and Egypt, and studied theology at the University of Notre Dame and the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.Katie is an award-winning illustrator of The Examen Book, Audacious Ignatius, Sorin Starts a School, and I'm a Saint in the Making.Buy the book: https://store.loyolapress.com/the-examen-bookFind "Audacious Ignatius": https://cordepress.com/Learn more about Paul: https://paulmitchell.blog/Learn more about Katie: https://katiebroussard.com/about/
Saint Joseph is the most mysterious character from the Advent story. He doesn’t say anything and we know pretty much nothing about him, yet there are few figures more central to the story of our faith community. So host Mike Jordan Laskey asked his friend, Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ, if she could help shed some light on this shadowy member of the Holy Family. Sr. Colleen is a Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia and has spent a lot of time praying and reflecting on her community’s patron. Unsurprisingly, given Sr. Colleen’s intelligence and creative gifts, she brought multiple perspectives on St. Joseph you might have never considered before.Sr. Colleen also talks about her own vocation story of becoming a millennial religious sister, plus a bit of the history of the Sisters of Saint Joseph, which were founded in France by a Jesuit in 1650. Sr. Colleen also tells us about her own new podcast project, which she’s co-hosting with another sister of Saint Joseph. It’s called Beyond the Habit and they’ve just released their first few episodes. If you’d like some more Advent content from us here at the Jesuit Conference, you can sign up for daily email reflections on faith heroes formed in the Ignatian tradition at Jesuits.org/advent22 and register for a free evening of reflection on Zoom at Jesuits.org/adventprayer, which is being hosted by iconographer Kelly Latimore and writer Cameron Bellm (Wednesday, December 14, 7:30pm ET). Listen to Beyond the Habit on Spotify or wherever you get podcasts: https://open.spotify.com/show/3dcsfiK6IQJvWFvgAbZUuRFollow Sr. Colleen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yoitssistercoll/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Back at some of the very first Jesuit-run schools in the 1500s, teachers would work with students to put on plays. This tradition was called “Jesuit drama,” and it was seen as a fantastic way to accomplish several educational goals at once. The plays themselves were in Latin, so that helped the students learn the language. Plays required memorization and skilled rhetoric, both big values at the time. And the subject matter of these early dramas were Catholic morals and doctrine, so they were seen as central to religious instruction, too. The rich tradition of Jesuits involved in theater has continued through the ages all the way to modern times, evolving and adapting through the centuries. One of the most accomplished Jesuit theater actors, teachers and scholars is Fr. George Drance, today’s guest.Fr. Drance, who teaches theater at Fordham University, has performed and directed in more than 20 countries on five continents. He’s also the founding artistic director of the Magis Theatre Company in New York, which draws its name from that classic Jesuit word that means “the more” or “the greater.” Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Drance about his dual vocations as Jesuit and theater artist, a bit about the history of Jesuit drama and the parallels between theater and Ignatian spirituality, how Catholic liturgy and drama are intertwined, and some of his favorite projects through the years. Also, we wanted to let you know about two Advent resources we’re preparing here at the Jesuit Conference. The first is a daily email series called Ignatian Heroes. We have 25 fabulous writers offering short reflections on Jesuits and others who have been influenced by Ignatian spirituality. You can sign up to receive these reflections at Jesuits.org/advent22. Then, we’re sponsoring a live Advent evening of reflection on Zoom. It’s called “Room at the Inn: An Ignatian Journey with the Holy Family into Advent.” The session will be led by the fabulous iconographer and visual artist Kelly Latimore and one of our favorite spiritual writers, Cameron Bellm. It’s on Wednesday, December 14, at 7:30pm ET. You can sign up for free at Jesuits.org/adventprayer.Learn more about Fr. George Drance and Magis Theatre Company: https://www.magistheatre.org/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
This week, we’re pleased to bring you another cross-over episode with our colleagues from the Jesuit Border Podcast! Jesuit fathers Brian Strassburger and Louie Hotop live and work in the Rio Grande Valley, providing aid and spiritual companionship to migrants on both sides of the US-Mexico border. Their podcast depicts their daily ministry, and how communities are responding to the humanitarian crisis on the border. On this episode, Brian and Louie interview Bishop Mark Seitz of the Diocese of El Paso, TX. Known for his advocacy for the poor and vulnerable, Bishop Seitz offers a unique perspective as a leader of the Church in a border community. On this episode, he calls for a deeper conversation about migration, one that is not solely dominated by socio-political concerns, but shaped by a theological perspective that identifies the migrant experience as essential for understanding the Church. He also talks about celebrating Mass at the border wall on an altar which straddled both sides; a reminder of the unifying force of the Eucharist even amidst division. We offer our own reflection on experiences of breaking bread with migrants through our Sacramental ministry; including a 12-year-old altar server named Vincent who just can’t quite seem to figure out when to ring the bells.Subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast wherever you listen!Learn more about Louie and Brian’s work: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/11/the-jesuit-border-podcast/
A king. A cope. And a faith under siege. Intrigued? Today’s episode covers all this and more. Our guest, Dr. Jan Graffius, the curator of collections at Stonyhurst College in the UK – the oldest surviving Jesuit school in the world – is our guide through a riveting history that traces the rise and fall of the Catholic Church in England through the lens of a single piece of art: a cope commissioned by Henry VII. Copes are common liturgical vestments. But this one – one of the most expensive items commissioned by a king – was meant to unite the power of Church and State to strengthen a dubious claim to the throne but ultimately became a symbol of Catholic resistance and was smuggled out of the country. This cope and the stories that surround it remind us of the power of art to point to both spiritual and temporal power – and the dangers therein. You can see this cope and more as it travels across the United States in the exhibition, “The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England.” The dates below let you know when the exhibition is in your area:•New York: 3 October 2022 – 8 January 2023•Cleveland: 21 February 2023 – 14 May 2023•San Francisco: 26 June 2023 – 24 September 2023Learn more:•The Met: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2022/tudors•The Cleveland Museum of Art: https://www.clevelandart.org/exhibitions/tudors-art-and-majesty-renaissance-england •About Stonhurst: https://www.stonyhurst.ac.uk/about-us/stonyhurst-college-historic-collections/contact-us
With U.S. midterm elections just a week away, we know a lot of people in the U.S. might be wanting a break from politics, a break from excessive political ads and tense discussions with loved ones. But as Pope Francis says, good Catholics meddle in politics. In fact, political engagement can be a positive manifestation of our faith. A way to promote the common good for all people. And that work doesn’t stop with Election Day—it’s a yearlong job.So, on this special Election Week episode, MegAnne Liebsch talks with professional, full-time advocate and our colleague, Thomas Mulloy. Tom is the government relations director for the Jesuit Office of Justice and Ecology—or OJE as we call it. OJE is the advocacy arm of the Jesuits, and through Tom, we advocate with the federal government on various social and environmental justice issues. On this episode, we talk about why the Jesuits are involved in federal advocacy, what regular citizens can teach Congress and how faithful citizenship extends beyond Election Day.Stay up to date with the Jesuits advocacy efforts through our email newsletter: jesuits.org/advocateTo learn more about faithful citizenship, check out our guide: jesuits.org/civic-engagement
This is a spooky episode. And that makes sense, right? We’re in that time of year when both secular and spiritual calendars invite us to reflect on the supernatural, the unknown, those spirits at work in our lives in ways we can’t quite put our finger on. We celebrate and remember our beloved dead—but first we masquerade as ghosts and goblins For many of us, the more secular ghost stories that Halloween represents—hauntings and the like—are kept separate from our belief in Heaven and the afterlife, all that All Saints and All Souls Days point to. But for our guest today, Gary Jansen—Director for New Products and Acquisitions at Loyola Press and author of the book, “Holy Ghosts: Or How a (Not So) Good Catholic Boy Became a Believer in Things that Go Bump in the Night—ghosts, spirits, souls and the afterlife all come together in his own story and his own faith. A number of years ago, he found himself living in a real haunted house. He writes about it in his book, and he shares some reflections on the matter with us today. In the end, what Gary really drives home is that any supernatural occurrences ultimately serve to lift our gaze upward at the supernatural world in general—in that world, we encounter angels and demons, miracles and hidden whispers, and ultimately, we come closer to God as we delve more deeply into the mysteries of our faith. If you’re interested in checking out Gary’s book or learning more about Gary’s other works—including an excellent new kids book, “Remember Us With Smiles,” click on the links below. Click here to visit Gary's site: https://garyjansen.com/Click here to learn more about "Holy Ghosts": https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Ghosts-Catholic-Became-Believer/dp/1585428957/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511371674&sr=1-1&keywords=Holy+Ghosts#customerReviews
October 11 was the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Vatican II. Pope Francis marked the occasion with a Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, which is also the feast day of St. John XXIII, who of course was the pope to call the Council. In his homily, Pope Francis reflected on how Vatican II continues to shape us today. A lot of the headlines mentioned how he called for communion in the face of such polarization. But here’s the best quote from the homily: “Let us rediscover the Council in order to restore primacy to God, to what is essential: to a Church madly in love with its Lord and with all the men and women whom he loves; to a Church that is rich in Jesus and poor in assets; to a Church that is free and freeing. This was the path that the Council pointed out to the Church.”Guest David Gibson is one of the best people to talk to if you want to think about Vatican II and the way it continues to unfold in the church in our own times. David is the director of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University in New York City. The Center hosts conversations and events that explore the relationships between faith and contemporary life. David has been there since 2017, arriving after a long career as an award-winning religion journalist, author and filmmaker. Gibson is the author of two books on Catholicism: “The Coming Catholic Church: How the Faithful are Shaping a New American Catholicism” and “The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World.” He co-wrote and co-produced several documentaries on Christianity for CNN and the History Channel and co-authored a book on biblical archeology, “Finding Jesus: Faith. Fact. Forgery,” the basis of a popular CNN series of the same name.Before coming to Fordham, Gibson worked for six years as a national reporter at Religion News Service and specialized in coverage of the Vatican and the Catholic Church. Gibson is a frequent media commentator and op-ed writer on topics related to the Catholic Church and religion in America.In addition to discussing Vatican II, David talked about the ongoing synod process taking place throughout the global church, plus why maybe engaging culture is a way to overcome polarization and decline in the church.More about the Center on Religion and Culture: https://www.fordham.edu/about/living-the-mission/center-on-religion-and-culture/Follow David Gibson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GibsonWritesPope Francis’ Vatican II anniversary homily: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2022/documents/20221011-omelia-60concilio.htmlU.S. National Synthesis from the Synod on Synodality: https://www.usccb.org/resources/us-national-synthesis-2021-2023-synodAMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
If you’re a long-time listener of this podcast or long-time friend of Jesuits and Jesuit institutions, the claim made by our guest today might shock you: We need more than Ignatian spirituality in our lives as Christians.Of course, you’re likely nodding; this is probably obvious. And yet, too often – as our guest today, Jesuit priest, Fr Rossano Zas Friz de Col, SJ claims – in our lives of faith, we stop short of the depth into which God invites us to plunge. Fr. Rossano is the author of a wonderful book, “Ignatian Christian Life: A New Paradigm for Post-Christianity.” And while he and his work are deeply grounded in and influenced by Ignatian spirituality and Ignatius of Loyola himself, Rossano takes us on a journey in and through mystery, pulling in characters like John of the Cross and Sigmund Freud. The goal, as Rossano notes in our conversation, is to recognize the mystery that is each of us, and to bring our unique mystery into conversation with the ultimate Mystery. In the process, our prayer lives inevitably change and grow and deepen. And that’s where Rossano invites us to reconsider how we think about Ignatian spirituality. Born in Peru, Rossano has spent a great deal of time in Rome and now is a professor of Christian spirituality at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley at Santa Clara University.Learn more about Rossano's book: https://jesuitsources.bc.edu/ignatian-christian-life-a-new-paradigm/
Host MegAnne Liebsch first met Fr. Tim McCabe, SJ, at a construction site. Sporting clerics and a hardhat specialty branded with the Pope Francis Center logo, Tim toured Meg around the newly bulldozed foundation of what will become the Pope Francis Center Bridge Housing Campus. It's an ambitious project that Tim believes will help end chronic houselessness in Detroit. The Pope Francis Center—or PFC as it’s known—is a day shelter in downtown Detroit that offers respite to hundreds of unhoused people every day. As executive director of PFC, Tim has overseen a building renovation, creating a functioning kitchen to make hearty and nutritious meals, as well as showers, sinks, and a laundry room for guests. But the PFC team wanted to do more—they wanted to address the roots of housing insecurity.Upon completion, the Bridge Housing Campus will house 40 people in individual units for 90 to 120 days, offering 24/7 services, including meals, medical care, psycho-social support, job-readiness programs and more. At the end of their stay, guests will transition into permanent supportive housing through the assistance of PFC specialists. On today's episode, we talk to Tim about this singular approach to ending chronic homelessness, about how small changes can make a big impact, and, conversely, about how asking “how hard can it be?” can lead to transformative change.Learn more about the Bridge Housing Campus and track it's progress: https://popefranciscenter.org/donate/bridge-housing-campus/Support the Pope Francis Center: https://popefranciscenter.org/donate/
Ciszek Hall is a Jesuit house of First Studies located in the Bronx. Jesuits in formation go there to do exactly what you’d guess: study.
But something new is happening at Ciszek. This house is the site of a new way of doing formation, and the entire global Society of Jesus is watching to see what might be learned.
Co-hosts Eric Clayton and Meg Liebsch visited the Bronx earlier this year to talk with some of the Jesuits there, as well as members of the wider community. In this special episode of AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast, you’ll hear their voices, as well as learn why a new approach to Jesuit formation matters to you — and our world.
If you were going to make a list of the most demanding and important jobs, nurses would be right near the top. The pandemic has revealed how much we ask of our nurses. They face exposure to illness, they juggle multiple patients simultaneously, all of whom have different needs and face a huge range of challenges. They work extremely long shifts and are on their feet most of the time. And so often they’re accompanying people who are in the middle of the worst day or week or month of their lives.
How do you prepare a college nursing student for all that? Georgetown professor Dr. Sarah Vittone has one surprising idea for nurse training: She takes the students to Lourdes.
Lourdes, of course, is the French town in the Pyrenees made famous by Marian apparitions witnessed by a teenage girl named Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Soon after the apparitions, visitors began to report miraculous healings after drinking or bathing in water from the grotto spring there. Millions of pilgrims continue to travel to Lourdes each year, many of whom are facing serious medical diagnoses.
Dr. Vittone, her colleagues and the ten or so students who make each trip do a lot of things to support pilgrims while they’re in Lourdes, but most of their time is spent assisting those who come to bathe in the waters. The trip is rooted in the Ignatian principle of “cura personalis,” or care for the whole person – Dr. Vittone hopes students who take part in the project will become nurses who are comfortable noticing and responding to the spiritual needs of their patients, no matter what those needs might be or how they are expressed.
Dr. Vittone teaches students in ethics and professional formation in the School of Nursing, and she’s a consultant at Georgetown’ Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics. She talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about her experiences with the students in Lourdes and how the project connects to her scholarly work as a healthcare ethicist. Dr. Vittone shares stories from her trips and the ways she has seen the experiences help shape nurses who are equipped to care not just for the physical needs of patients, but their mental and spiritual health as well.
Learn more about the Georgetown Lourdes project for nursing students: https://gumc.georgetown.edu/gumc-stories/georgetown-nursing-students-focused-on-spiritual-health-of-pilgrims-in-lourdes-france/
Learn more about Dr. Vittone: https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/contact/00336000014RdvBAAS/sarah-vittone
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
If you live in the suburbs, you’re probably used to hopping in your car to run pretty much every errand, even if you just need to get cold medicine at the drug store.
Have you ever wondered why this is part of your daily life at all? Or why you can’t walk more places? It’s easy to just assume that’s just the way things are, have always been and will always be. But the built environment of our suburbs is the result of decades of choices. And looking at how we use land in our local communities and trying to grow things like public transit are central ways to work on a whole collection of social justice issues. Usually when we make a list of social justice issues that people of faith care about, land use policies like zoning regulations aren’t on the top of the list. But maybe they should be.
Today’s guest writes on these issues in such compelling and unexpected ways. Addison Del Mastro runs his own Substack newsletter on urbanism and cultural history called The Deleted Scenes, and he also contributes to places like Vox and The Bulwark and America Magazine. A Catholic who describes himself as a bit right-of-center politically, Addison crosses boundaries between groups that are often uncrossed in today’s polarized America. He’s a thinker you want to know. Read his writing or listen to him during this conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey and you might start to see why words and phrases like zoning regulations, land use and parking minimums are important things for all of us to be thinking and advocating about.
Addison Del Mastro’s newsletter: https://thedeletedscenes.substack.com/
His writing at America: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/addison-del-mastro
“NIMBYISM is a Distorted Love”: https://www.thebulwark.com/nimbyism-is-a-distorted-love/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
The stunning new images of outer space from the Webb Space Telescope might prompt people of faith to ponder big questions: How do I square my belief in the Big Bang with my belief in the creator-God of the Book of Genesis? Could we really have an all-loving God who cares about such a tiny little speck of dust in this massive universe?
Guest Fr. Adam Hincks, SJ, is the perfect person to talk to about God and the universe. Fr. Hincks is an accomplished astrophysicist and a Jesuit priest. He’s assistant professor and holder of the Sutton Family Chair in Science, Christianity and Cultures at the University of Toronto, with a joint appointment between the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics and St. Michael’s College, the Catholic college at the university. He’s also written about the intersections of science, philosophy and theology. He talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about faith and science, Fr. Hincks’ vocation to the Jesuits, and what has interested him most about the new Webb images.
Learn more about Fr. Adam Hincks: https://adh-sj.info/
Read Fr. Hincks’ essays in America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/adam-d-hincks
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
From the Jesuits of Canada and the United States, this is AMDG – and I’m Eric Clayton.
I was introduced to J.R.R. Tolkien in seventh grade. This was the project that the seventh grade class of St. Catherine of Sienna participated in each year—the whole school knew it. Students read “The Hobbit” and then were tasked with creating their own version of Smaug, the villainous dragon. You could make a diorama, a clay sculpture—whatever. But the goal was to allow the world of Tolkien’s Middle Earth to inspire in you a little bit of creativity.
I hope that today’s conversation does much the same for you. My guests are Dr. William Fliss and Dr. Sarah Schaefer. They are the co-curators of the “J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript” exhibition at Marquette University. Bill is the curator of Marquette’s Tolkien Collection, and Sarah is assistant professor of art history at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Both are big fans of Tolkien and his world.
The exhibition, as you’ll hear, is a really exciting thing. On display are manuscripts that Tolkien himself created. But these aren’t just pieces of paper with his draft of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” These manuscripts are part of his world of Middle Earth, actual pieces of the lore crafted by his own hand, bearing his own beautiful calligraphy.
The exhibit is running from August 19 through December 23, 2022. Tickets are on sale—I’ve included a number of helpful links below, both for those interested in visiting, and for those just interested in learning more.
Now, here’s my conversation with Bill Fliss and Sarah Schaefer.
https://www.marquette.edu/haggerty-museum/tolkien.php
https://www.jsonline.com/story/entertainment/arts/2022/08/22/marquette-university-exhibit-shows-creation-jrr-tolkiens-lord-rings/7841566001/
Image Info: J. R. R. Tolkien English, 1892 – 1973 The King’s Letter, third version, early 1950s Ink on paper 9 x 7 in. (229 x 178 mm) Raynor Memorial Libraries, Marquette University MS. Tolkien, Mss - 4/2/25/2a © The Tolkien Estate Limited 1992, 2015 www.TolkienEstate.com
Catholic Social Teaching is sometimes called the best-kept secret of the Catholic faith. But not anymore! Today host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Dr. Tony Annett, an economist who spent much of his career at the International Monetary Fund. His new book, Cathonomics, examines our global economy through the lens of Catholic social teaching on solidarity, wealth redistribution, social democracy, and inequality. His conclusion? Our current economic system is exploiting inequality and perpetuating poverty.
In our interview, he breaks down economic definitions, diagnoses the problems in our current economy, and offers some practical—and moral—remedies.
Order Cathonomics here: http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/cathonomics
"Star Wars" is a window into a larger universe, a universe that has the same flawed characters, hope-filled adventures and deep galaxy-altering questions as our own. A story like "Star Wars" helps us expand our own imagination, helps us better grapple with how we share and reflect upon our own stories. We dream bigger about what’s possible in our lives and our society as a result. And, maybe, we learn something new about how God works.
Don’t agree? Today’s episode of AMDG may help put your doubts to rest.
Today's guests our Dr. Benjamin Espinoza and Fr. Ryan Duns, SJ.
Ben is the associate vice president for online education and assistant professor of practical theology at Roberts Wesleyan College. He’s also an ordained minister in the Wesleyan Church.
Ryan is an assistant professor in the theology department as Marquette University. He’s also the assistant department chair and director of undergraduate studies. And, he’s a Jesuit priest.
Both of our guests are eminently qualified to discuss theology, philosophy and pop culture. But what makes them particularly amazing guests today is that they were both involved in a brand new, very cool book, “Theology and the Star Wars Universe.” Ben was the editor; Ryan contributed an essay — and he talks about that in our conversation.
Even if you’re not a huge Star Wars fan, you’ll appreciate the conversation, the grappling with making sense of and encountering God in our culture today.
Check out "Theology and the Star Wars Universe" here: https://www.amazon.com/Theology-Star-Universe-Religion-Culture/dp/1978707231
Way back in June, 17 Jesuits from the US and Haiti were ordained to the priesthood. One of them was Joe Kraemer. And like many of his fellow Jesuits, as the summer months wind down, he’s preparing to start his new ministry as a Jesuit priest.
Joe, though, didn’t “become” a Jesuit as his ordination. He’s been one for years, living and working with the Society of Jesus and its many collaborators. It’s easy to forget that the word “Jesuit” isn’t a synonym for “priest.” There are countless Jesuits in formation, and of course, there are Jesuit brothers the world over. Jesuits – as priests, brothers and men in formation – are still Jesuits, carrying on the mission and legacy of St. Ignatius, the early companions and all that have followed in their footsteps.
And so, today, Fr. Joe Kraemer joins us on AMDG to talk about what his years of formation looked like, what it has meant for him to now become a Jesuit priest, and what he hopes for his only ministry and that of the Society as he looks to the future. Joe has great stories about a cross-country pilgrimage, ministering to those in prison and working closely with Martin Sheen.
If you’d like to learn more about the newly ordained Jesuits, check out this link: http://www.jesuits.org/ordinations/2022-ordinands/
Today’s guest is Stephen Schneck, a political philosopher by training and a well-known advocate for Catholic social justice teachings in public life. He spent more than 30 years at The Catholic University of America as a professor, department chair and dean, and he was the founder and long-time director of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies. He’s worked with Catholic Climate Covenant, Catholic Mobilizing Network, Franciscan Action Network and as a member of the Obama Administration’s White House Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
And now, he’s here to talk to us about his latest role. He was just recently appointed by President Biden to serve as a commissioner on the bipartisan United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
What is the US Commission on International Religious Freedom? What does it do? Steve provides answers—as well as insights into why religious freedom and the freedom of belief are so important to communities around the globe. He highlights a few key issues and regions where religious freedom is particularly threatened that we should keep our eyes on. And he offers his reflections on how Catholics in the United States can advocate on this issue.
Below you can find the full excerpt from "Fratelli tutti" that is mentioned during the episode:
“Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense under the guise of defending national interests. … there are those who appear to feel encouraged or at least permitted by their faith to support varieties of narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia and contempt, and even the mistreatment of those who are different.” (FT 11/86)
The Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola on July 31 will mark the end of the Ignatian Year, through which we have been celebrating the 500th anniversary of Ignatius getting hit in the leg with a cannonball. This is admittedly a weird-at-first-glance event to be marking. What about Ignatius’ birth or the beginning of his ministry?
The cannonball gets special attention in Ignatius’ story because it was such a vivid and transformative moment. The cannonball sparked Ignatius’ conversion. It shattered his plans for a life of chivalry and set him on a dramatically new path. This anniversary has been a great opportunity for all of us to look at our own life paths and see how the Lord might be trying to reach out to us or maybe even shake us up a little.
Today’s guests took the opportunity of the Ignatian Year to start a brand-new creative project. Dr. Paola Pascual-Ferrá is a communications professor at Loyola University Maryland. Her friend Sean Bráy is the interim vice president for mission at the university. They decided to start a podcast called "This Ignatian Year," which welcomed guests to reflect on how they live Ignatian spirituality in their everyday lives. They talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about how their how their own spiritualities were affected through this process, and how we might continue living the key themes at the heart of the Ignatian year even after this celebration is over.
Listen to “This Ignatian Year”: https://www.loyola.edu/department/campus-ministry/ignatian-spirituality/ignatian-year
Read about its creation: https://www.ajcunet.edu/june-2022-connections/2022/4/25/loyola-maryland-thematic
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
July 31st, 2022 ends our journey through the Ignatian Year. To mark this important moment in the life of the global Society of Jesus, Fr. General Arturo Sosa will travel to Loyola, Spain to renew the Jesuits’ consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
What is the Sacred Heart of Jesus? And why does a renewed consecration matter?
For many of us, this devotion might be little more than a prayer card found in our grandmothers’ purse. But there’s so much more to it – and so much it can add to our spiritual lives.
So, we invited Fr. Joe Laramie, SJ, the Jesuit in charge of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network in the United States to join us today.
Foundational to this ministry is the devotion to the Sacred Heart. Fr. Joe walks us through what this devotion is, why it matters, and what it can mean for us and world today.
Fr. Joe provided us with a ton of interesting, helpful links – you can find them below: • Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network site: popesprayerusa.net • Resources on the Sacred Heart: http://popesprayerusa.net/2022/07/18/jesuits-renew-consecration-sacred-heart-jesus/ • Fr. Joe Laramie’s site: joelaramiesj.com • Social handles: @popesprayerusa | @JoeLaramieSJ
You’ve heard of FOMO – the “fear of missing out.” You’ve probably experienced it, too. It’s paralyzing. You find yourself trapped, asking the same question over and over again: What am I missing out on? And what will it mean for my future?
Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, is back on the pod today to tweak the meaning of FOMO. His new book is called “The Freedom of Missing Out: Letting Go of Fear and Saying Yes to Life.” And rather than allow ourselves to become paralyzed by all the opportunities we inevitably say no to, Fr. Rossmann encourages us to look at this “missing out” as a chance to engage more deeply with the deepest, most important aspects of our lives.
You can find his new book wherever books are sold – or follow this link: https://store.loyolapress.com/the-freedom-of-missing-out
Today on AMDG, host MegAnne Liebsch talks about how investment advocacy can stop climate change. Stick with us! Investing might sound boring, but the people who engage in shareholder and divestment advocacy are anything but boring. Plus, by holding polluting industries like fossil fuel accountable, these responsible investment strategies are helping reduce carbon emissions.
MegAnne talked to three people who have helped transform Jesuit institutions through fossil fuel divestment and shareholder advocacy. First, we'll hear from Emily Burke, a student activist who led the fossil fuel divestment movement at Creighton University. Then, to learn more about how divestment works, we talk with Katharine Wyatt, who led Loyola University Chicago's divestment process. Finally, MegAnne talks to our colleague John Sealey about how the Jesuits use their investments to push companies to adopt greener practices.
To learn or get involved with the Jesuit Committee on Investment Responsibility, click here: https://www.jesuits.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022.2.8-JCIR-E-news.pdf
Why are so many young Catholics leaving the church? And what we can do to stop that trend and maybe even reverse it?
There are lots of Catholic scholars studying these questions, and one of them is our guest, Dr. Tracey Lamont. Dr. Lamont serves at Loyola University New Orleans as the interim Director of the Loyola Institute for Ministry and Assistant Professor of Religious Education and young adult ministry. The Loyola Institute for Ministry offers graduate and undergrad programs online and in person to help shape leaders in all sorts of church contexts. Tracey shared her energetic and super insightful perspectives on how we can help make our parishes and schools communities that truly welcome and empower young people. There’s no silver bullet, but we have a pretty good sense of what keeps people involved in their faith. It’s just up to all of us to work together to renew our local church cultures.
Learn more about the Loyola Institute for Ministry: http://cnh.loyno.edu/lim
Learn more about Dr. Lamont: http://cnh.loyno.edu/lim/bios/tracey-lamont
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, was founded in 1843. It’s the oldest Jesuit and Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest in the whole country. Despite 178 years of educating students, Holy Cross’ current president, Vincent D. Rougeau, represents two huge firsts in the history of the college: He is the first lay president and the first Black president of the school.
President Rougeau and host Mike Jordan Laskey talked recently, just a few weeks after the end of his first academic year as president. President Rougeau is a legal scholar and came to Holy Cross after serving as Dean of Boston College’s Law School, and he talked about how his experience in the law has affected his views on social justice and how a Jesuit college can be a force for good in the world especially as higher ed institutions face an increasingly competitive landscape.
Read President Rougeau’s work in America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/vincent-d-rougeau
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
There are two temptations – at least! – that we often fall into when it comes to looking at our current state of politics.
On the one hand, we may be tempted to look back at some previous period and say, “Our political discourse was really good then; I wish we could go back.” We romanticize the past and ignore the challenge and struggle and oversights that we’ve muddled through to get to the present.
On the other hand, we may be tempted to look at our present state – our institutions, our ideologies, our political systems – and assume we’ve made nothing but progress. Things aren’t perfect, but they’re better than they were, we may say. And as a result, we assume we have nothing to learn from what’s come before.
I think – I hope! – the vast majority of us fall somewhere in between, eager to keep improving our political processes so as to represent and include more and more voices, and also curious about what worked in the past, what we might have to learn from those who have gone before. If that sounds right, then this conversation is for you.
Bill McCormick is a Jesuit and scholar of political science and philosophy. He’s a frequent contributor to America Magazine, and has written a new book called “The Christian Structure of Politics.” In it, Bill takes us way back in time to the political thought of Thomas Aquinas and his work De Regno – which was a letter the saint wrote to a prince. Bill helps us think through what this obscure text written for a very different political system can say about our politics today.
One cool thing about the Jesuits is the huge number of incredible men who have served the Lord so faithfully over the centuries. A lot of these guys are so well-known you can call them by just a single name: Ignatius, Xavier, Gonzaga, Canisius, Faber, Claver, Arrupe, Teilhard, Hopkins.
But there have been thousands of other fascinating Jesuits who aren’t quite as famous, and it’s always fun to learn about them. Guest Robert Ellsberg has forgotten more about saints and other holy men and women than most of us will ever know.
Robert is the editor-in-chief and publisher of Orbis Books, the esteemed publishing arm of the Maryknoll order. He is also the author of “Blessed Among Us”, a column on saints and other saintly witnesses that appears in the monthly Catholic prayer resource “Give Us This Day.” He has written about over 1000 saints, both canonized and not.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey wanted to know which Jesuits Robert has encountered in his research and own faith journey have inspired him the most. In particular, who are three under-known Jesuits we might all want to meet?
Robert picked three three: Jean Pierre de Caussade, Alfred Delp and Walter Ciszek.
The conversation also veered to Dorothy Day often, which is going to happen anytime you get Robert on the line. He served as the editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper in the final years of Dorothy Day’s life. In fact, Dorothy introduced him to the work of Jean Pierre de Caussade, and he shares that story in the episode.
He also talked his famous father, Daniel Ellsberg, who in 1971 released to the press a classified document related to the United States’ history in Vietnam called the “Pentagon Papers.” His dad’s bold act of heroism had a huge impact on Robert’s life, especially in forming his strong pacifist views.
Orbis Books: https://www.maryknollmagazine.org/orbis-books/
"Blessed Among Us": https://litpress.org/Products/E4745/Blessed-Among-Us
Robert Ellsberg in America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/robert-ellsberg
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
As a writer of spiritual nonfiction, one might wonder: Do any of these seemingly random stories, these anecdotes and details and bits of personal history, matter to anyone but me? What good is all this storytelling doing for other people? After all, the goal of good spiritual nonfiction isn’t to be another entry in a personal diary; it’s meant to help all people glimpse something new of their own spirituality.
Our guest today helps us tackle this question — and many more. Christine Marie Eberle is the author of two books of daily meditations based on her own true personal stories. She sees her personal mission like this: she passionately connects spirituality, Scripture and everyday life. And with 26 years of experience as a campus minister under her belt, not to mention her current work as a retreat leader, it’s clear she has a wealth of stories to draw from to live out this mission.
Her latest book, "Finding God Abiding" from Woodhall Press, drops us into these personal, at times humorous, at times heartbreaking, stories from her life. And it is through the utterly specific details of her life that we are drawn closer to God in our own.
After all, God deals with us in the specific, not the abstract. Today's conversation with Christine is all about Ignatian storytelling, what it means to tell and share stories from the tradition of Ignatian spirituality. Hopefully you find something in this conversation that helps you explore your story in a new way — and maybe, share with others.
Links discussed in today's podcast:
Christine's Website: https://christine-marie-eberle.com/
Christine's Book, "Finding God Abiding": https://christine-marie-eberle.com/finding-god-abiding/
Eric's Book, "Cannonball Moments: Telling Your Story, Deepening Your Faith": https://www.amazon.com/Cannonball-Moments-Telling-Story-Deepening/dp/0829454365
When a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito overturning Roe v. Wade was leaked last month, the person host Mike Jordan Laskey most wanted to interview was Gloria Purvis.
Gloria is the host of the Gloria Purvis Podcast, a show produced by America Media. She’s also a longtime pro-life advocate and one of the most outspoken Catholic commentators on racism. The way she ties these two justice issues together in particular is so impressive. One common temptation for American Catholics is to try to fit our faith’s teachings into the platform of our preferred political party.
For Catholics on both sides of the aisle, it’s often the case that party affiliation is a stronger predictor than Church teaching for where we’ll come down on issues like abortion, racism, immigration, economic justice, physician-assisted suicide and so many others.
Gloria is a refreshing exception to this trend. You can’t fit Gloria neatly on our partisan spectrum. She spoke with Mike last week about both of these central issues to her, why they’re connected, and how she handles the vitriol and hate mail sent her way from all sides.
The Gloria Purvis Podcast: https://www.americamagazine.org/gloria-purvis-podcast
Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gloria_purvis
The Helen M. Alvaré article Gloria mentions in the conversation: https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/01/2380/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
If you head over to the new website, outreach.faith, you’ll find these words to greet you: “Welcome. God loves you.” (At least, that’s what it says as of recording.)
That’s not a terribly novel concept, right? And yet, for so many people in our Church, those words are foreign. And too many folks in the LGBTQ+ community may have never heard those words at all. That’s what Outreach is all about — making sure every member of the LGBTQ+ community knows God loves them. Outreach is an LGBTQ Catholic Resource and an initiative of America Media. And today’s guest, our old friend, Fr. Jim Martin, is here to talk about.
If you’re familiar with Fr. Martin, you know that accompanying folks in the LGBTQ+ community is an important part of his ministry. And he’s learned a lot as a result. That’s why he knew Outreach was necessary — the chance to fill a gaping hole in the resources our Church offers.
You’ll learn about Outreach and discover ways to get involved throughout our conversation. But I encourage you to head over to outreach.faith now and click around for yourself—or maybe, for someone you love. There’s a lot of great stuff to find.
Visit: https://outreach.faith/
After college and a stint as an elementary school teacher, Annie Phoenix was looking for volunteer opportunities with prison education programs. But there really weren’t any education programs in Louisiana prisons. So, she decided to start one.
Annie co-founded multiple initiatives aimed at expanding education access to people who are incarcerated. Through her non-profit Operation Restoration, Annie and her team provide, educational tools, creative programming, and immediate social services to formerly incarcerated women.
Most recently, she was appointed executive director of the Jesuit Social Research Institute (or JSRI) at Loyola University New Orleans. Founded by Jesuit Fr. Fred Kammer, JSRI works to transform the Gulf South through analysis, education, and advocacy on the issues of poverty, race and migration. Along with JSRI and Loyola staff, Annie is spearheading a new educational program for incarcerated men in Louisiana.
Host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Annie about the new role and lessons she's learned along the way.
Learn more about JSRI's work: https://jsri.loyno.edu/ Check out Operation Restoration: https://www.or-nola.org/ Get in touch with Annie: alphoeni@loyno.edu
Casey Stanton is the founding co-director of a new initiative called Discerning Deacons, which is engaging Catholics from all over the world around the question of ordaining women to the permanent diaconate in our church. Just to be clear from the start, they’re not talking about ordaining women to the Catholic priesthood, which is a totally different topic. This question about women deacons is more open – it’s in the realm of the possible. Pope Francis has called a commission to discern this very question. And Casey and her team are working with Catholics to empower them to participate in this discernment process.
Listen to Casey for just a few minutes and you’ll see that she embodies the “diaconal” spirit: she is an expert speaker and preacher; she is utterly devoted to the communal prayer of the church; she is a practitioner of Gospel-centered social justice. She just can’t train to be ordained a Catholic deacon – yet – because she’s a woman. Her perspective is equal parts frustrating, inspiring, and hope-filled.
Learn more about Discerning Deacons: https://discerningdeacons.org/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Today’s guest, Fr. Andrew Laguna, SJ, is a vocation promoter in the US West Jesuit Province. The term “vocation promoter” is probably one few of us have heard before — unless, of course, we’ve been discerning religious life. But the term and title go back to the earliest days of the Jesuits.
Early Jesuits were understandably concerned with growing the nascent Society of Jesus. One of those men was Fr. Jerome Nadal, one of Ignatius’ early companions and a key architect in the development of the Jesuit identity. From Fr. John O’Malley’s classic text, “The First Jesuits:”
“The Jesuits did not passively wait for young men to knock on their doors. By 1562, Nadal rather expected each community to have a promotor who would be especially charged with keeping his eyes open for likely candidates and guiding those who came seeking. He stressed that every Jesuit needed to do his part to see that ‘as many as possible of the very best’ entered the Society… Although Jesuits were to respect the freedom of the inquirer, Nadal provided a program of prayer, reading, conversation and reflection to be used to nurture a call if it was there. … In Nadal’s questionnaire and the autobiographical accounts that survive, Jesuits mentioned being attracted specifically to the Society over other orders by the Jesuits’ cheerfulness, refinement and graciousness.” (55)
There are a few points in O’Malley’s text that are particularly relevant to us today. First, Fr. Arturo Sosa, the superior general of the Society of Jesus, has challenged us all to build up a culture of vocation. What does that mean? Sure, more Jesuits invite more young men to join the Society. But it also means we all become more aware and appreciative of our own unique vocations.
Second, Pope Francis has often called on us to be joyful in the living out of our Christian vocation. Are we? Is “joy” a word people use to describe us in our daily lives?
As you listen to Fr. Laguna talk about the work of vocation promotion, reflect on his own vocation and share stories of Jesuit life, you’ll glimpse some of these points: a culture in which vocation is celebrated and joy is paramount.
You’ll quickly learn that the work of a vocation promoter is not the same as the work of a salesperson or recruiter. No – rather, a vocation promoter in 2022 is exactly that: Someone who helps people of all sorts discover who God has invited them to be.
If you would like to get in touch with a vocation promoter, head over to beajesuit.org.
As you might have heard, the Catholic Church is in the middle of a long, global consultation process on the theme of “synodality,” a fancy-sounding theological word that means “on the way together.”
Synodality is a way of doing church that emphasizes things like listening, shared leadership responsibilities between ordained and lay faithful, and reading and responding to the signs of the times.
One of the Jesuits helping the church think about how synodality is lived out is Fr. James Hanvey, SJ. Fr. Hanvey is a theologian and serves as the Secretary for the Service of Faith at the Jesuit Curia in Rome. He’s also on a couple of Vatican committees supporting the work of the synod, including one examining the spirituality of synodality. That group has just released a document on Biblical resources for synodality: Where in Scripture do we hear the call to this way of doing church?
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Hanvey about this work and how Ignatian spirituality might contribute to our building a synodal church together.
Read “Biblical Resources for Synodality”: https://www.synod.va/en/news/biblical-resources-for-synodality.html
"Faith Dimensions," the website of the Jesuits' global Secretariat for the Service of Faith: https://dimensions.faith/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Here’s an understatement: The last decade has been a challenging time for legacy print media. Heck, it’s been a challenging time for online media. How many of your favorite local newspapers or blogs or news websites have called it quits? You have to adapt or die, and the best ways to adapt aren’t always clear.
Few people have as sharp a perspective on today’s media landscape as Fr. Matt Malone, SJ, who has been the editor in chief of America Magazine since 2012. America is the U.S. Jesuits’ more than century-old flagship publication. Under his leadership, America has transformed from “a magazine with a website” to a full-fledged multimedia company, boasting a top-notch online presence, strong video production, and a whole collection of original podcasts.
Fr. Malone’s position at America also gives him a unique birds-eye view of the Catholic Church, which might be facing even bigger challenges than legacy media is facing. As he prepares for the end of his tenure at America in December, it was fascinating to hear his takes on the last decade and what roles a Catholic media company like America can play in our polarized culture.
As we share this interview with America Magazine’s current editor-in-chief, we remember one of Fr. Malone’s predecessors, Fr. Drew Christiansen, SJ, who died last week at the age of 77. Fr. Christiansen was an eminent global politics scholar and led the magazine from 2005 until Fr. Malone took the reigns in 2012.
In a lovely remembrance posted on America’s website, Fr. Jim Martin remembered his old editor as someone who was “smart, thoughtful, consultative, wise and kind.
“That last trait was the most important. Drew was an exceedingly kind person, always asking after you, after your family, wondering how your writing was going, recommending books or articles he thought you would like, offering you help whenever he could. Kind, mild, friendly, peaceable, self-effacing, generous.”
May he rest in peace.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
If you were going to make a list of the Catholic church’s problems today, maybe the word “clericalism” would be high on your list. We toss that word around a lot, but what is it, exactly?
The Association of U.S. Catholic Priests defines it this way: “an expectation, leading to abuses of power, that ordained ministers are better than and should be over everyone else among the People of God.”
Maybe that description brings experiences you’ve had right to the front of your mind. If you’ve spent a lot of time in different Catholic environments, you’ve probably encountered clericalism at one point or another.
But in a compelling new paper in the academic journal Theological Studies, the eminent Jesuit moral theologian Fr. James Keenan argues that focusing on clericalism is missing a larger root problem. He writes that we should turn our attention to what he calls “hierarchicalism,” which he says is the “father of clericalism.” Whereas clericalism concerns the power and culture of individual priests, “hierarchicalism” is about the culture of bishops, archbishops and cardinals. This is where we should concentrate reform efforts, Fr. Keenan argues. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about his paper and why he thinks this shift of thinking is so important.
Fr. Keenan also discussed Russia’s war on Ukraine from his perspective as someone who studies the Catholic social justice tradition.
Fr. Keenan has been a professor of theological ethics at Boston College for over 20 years, and he also serves as the university’s Vice Provost for Global Engagement and the director of the Jesuit Institute. He has an upcoming book called “A Brief History of Catholic Ethics” from Paulist Press.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
On a given day, Fr. Damian Czerniak, SJ, faces a laundry list of responsibilities: finding Ukrainian refugees temporary housing, providing psychosocial support, assisting with paperwork, distributing funding, and maintaining contact with two Jesuit houses in Ukraine. Alongside Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), Fr. Damian is coordinating the Jesuit response to Ukrainian refugees in Poland.
Since the invasion began in February, over 2 million Ukrainians have come to Poland seeking refuge. They’ve been met with a groundswell of support from aid organizations and from local communities. Volunteers line the Ukrainian border to offer food and hugs to arriving refugees, and many families, as well as religious communities like the Jesuits, are providing Ukrainian families with temporary housing.
On today’s episode of AMDG, host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Fr. Damian about this robust community-led support for refugees. They also discuss how vocation and faith have guided Fr. Damian across his life, from teaching French at Creighton Prep here in the U.S. to responding to a refugee crisis.
If you want to support JRS’s work in Poland, click here: https://www.jesuitsmidwest.org/support-us/donate-now/ If you wish to donate directly to the Jesuits in Poland, please email Fr. Damian at damianczerniak@jesuits.net. Take action for Ukrainian refugees with JRS USA: https://www.jrsusa.org/take-action-for-ukrainian-refugees/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Welcome to a special March Madness episode of AMDG.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are three Jesuit teams left in the women’s and men’s NCAA basketball tournaments. On the women’s side, the Creighton Bluejays have made their first ever Sweet Sixteen. On the men’s side, number-one overall seed Gonzaga have secured their incredible seventh straight trip to the Sweet Sixteen.
But the clear top story in all of college basketball this March is the success of the Saint Peter’s University Peacocks. A 15-seed, their men’s squad pulled off a historic upset of no. 2 Kentucky last Thursday night. The New York Times reported the disparities between the two schools’ student body size and athletic budgets and basketball history: “Kentucky has about 32,000 students, St. Peter’s approximately 2,300. Kentucky has won eight N.C.A.A. championships; St. Peter’s had never won an N.C.A.A. Tournament game before Thursday. St. Peter’s men’s basketball coach Shaheen Holloway made $266,344 in 2019; Kentucky head coach John Calipari’s base salary is $8.5 million. St. Peter’s basketball revenue was $1.6 million in 2019-20, while Kentucky’s was $29.3 million.”
The Peacocks followed up their huge win with a thorough dismantling of 7-seed Murray State. They face Purdue on Friday in Philadelphia.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked university president Dr. Gene Cornacchia what the experience has been like for Saint Peter’s, a small Jesuit university in Jersey City, NJ, that’s not used to this sort of spotlight. Dr. Cornacchia has been president at St. Peter’s since 2007, and he’s seen a lot of stuff, but nothing quite like these past few days. He accompanied the team in Indianapolis and talked about what it was like to be in the arena for the victories.
But Dr. Cornacchia was even more excited to talk about the university he serves, which is one of the most diverse Catholic universities you’ll find anywhere: about three-quarters of the undergraduate student body are people of color. It ranks as New Jersey’s best-value school per US News and World Report. It’s a national leader on Money Magazine’s list of transformative schools, which means it enables students to beat the odds and produce outcomes that are better than expected given their academic and economic backgrounds.
We here at the Jesuit Conference are so happy for Dr. Cornacchia and the school, and we’re glad we can help spread the word about Saint Peter’s.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Kathy Powell is currently the Creative Director, working with Becky Eldredge, LLC | Ignatian Ministries. But ever since the loss of her first child, Francis, through miscarriage, Kathy has dedicated a great deal of time and energy to walking with families who have had to lay their babies to rest all to soon.
In this episode, we hear Kathy’s story. We learn from her how to walk with others. And this is important because there’s a good chance you know someone whose pregnancy has ended in a loss. Maybe you’re that person. And if so, this episode is for you.
St. Catherine of Sweden, whose feast day is March 24, is the patron saint of miscarriage. Kathy tells us a little about Catherine and how her legacy helped in a moment of darkness. We end our episode in prayer: Kathy leads us through an examen for a day of crisis. Whether that day was last week or ten years ago, whether the crisis was a miscarriage or something else, take this time for prayer.
If you like the Examen of a Day of Crisis, we invite you to visit the Guided Audio Ignatian Prayer Library (https://beckyeldredge.com/guided-audio), made possible through the Ignatian Media Lab, a program of the Jesuit Conference of the US & Canada. With over 30 guided audio prayers, including an extended recording of the Examen of the Day of Crisis (https://soundcloud.com/beldredge98/examen-of-a-day-of-crisis?in=beldredge98/sets/you-are-not-alone), this is a resource for your personal prayer and one you can share with others.
We know this topic is heavy. Please see the links below for more prayer & miscarriage resources.
Resources from All Embrace, Inc., a Catholic organization Kathy works with to support families who have lost a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death: • For those who have suffered the loss of a child: https://allembrace.com/parents/ • For Friends & Familes: What to do (and not do) when you want to help: https://allembrace.com/family-friends/ • Stations of the Cross: Reflections from the Heart, Written by Nicole Hartman, Edited & Designed by Kathy Powell, Published by All Embrace, Inc: https://allembrace.com/product/all-embrace-stations-of-the-cross-reflections-from-the-heart/ • Series on Saints for Pregnancy & Infant Loss: https://allembrace.com/author/kathy/
More deep-water resources from Becky Eldredge, LLC | Ignatian Ministries: • Women and Men for Others: Using My Pain to Serve Grieving Families - More of Kathy’s story posted on the Into the Deep blog, exploring Ignatian Spirituality through the voices of women: https://beckyeldredge.com/women-and-men-for-others-all-embrace/ • Praying When Its Hard: Series on the Into the Deep Blog: https://beckyeldredge.com/tag/praying-when-its-hard/ • Praying with Jesus: Guided Prayers for the Triduum through Easter Monday: https://becky-eldredge1.teachable.com/p/prayingwithjesus • Prayer resources from Becky Eldredge: https://beckyeldredge.com/Resources/
This week, we celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick…St. Patrick’s Day. But too often, we reduce this day to a round of green beer and shamrock-themed t-shirts.
Let’s go a little deeper.
Our guest today is author Julianne Stanz. Julianne is a nationally known speaker, retreat leader, storyteller, and the Director of New Evangelization for the Diocese of Green Bay and a consultant to the USCCB Committee on Catechesis and Evangelization.
In her new book, “Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace,” she draws on her Celtic roots to weave together a spirituality that can help us all navigate these challenging times. And, she throws in a few great stories about St. Patrick for good measure.
If you want to check out her book, visit https://store.loyolapress.com/braving-the-thin-places
All of us have been watching Russia’s invasion of Ukraine with feelings of horror and sadness and helplessness. There have also been incredibly moving stories of the resilience and compassion of the Ukrainian people, who have been living under existential threat for years and years.
It was our absolute privilege at AMDG to welcome one of Ukraine’s leading Catholic theologians last week.
Pavlo Smytsnyuk is the director of the Institute of Ecumenical Studies at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, a city in the western part of Ukraine. Pavlo has been in New York for a few months researching for a book, but his parents and colleagues are in Ukraine. He doesn’t know when he’ll be able to make it home.
Now, in addition to his research, Pavlo wakes up early in the morning and spends hours on calls with his colleagues at the university and other faith leaders in Ukraine, helping to coordinate the faith community’s response to the war.
Pavlo is an expert on the religious makeup of Ukraine, which is one of the more religiously diverse countries in Europe. If you want to learn more about Ukraine, the religious landscape there is absolutely essential context.
The son of a Ukraininan Greek Catholic priest, Pavlo has also been deeply formed by the Jesuits: He got his bachelor’s degree at the Gregorian University in Rome and his doctorate at the University of Oxford’s Campion Hall, which is run by the Jesuits.
Pavlo is among the most impressive people you will ever hear from – he could’ve done an equally insightful interview in seven other languages besides English. His devotion to his faith and his country and sharp intelligence shined through his whole conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey. Please keep Pavlo and his family and friends in your prayers.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Well, Lent is here. Hooray.
To be honest, it feels like the last thing we need right now is 40 days of fasting and penance and just the general heaviness that comes with this season. We’ve been living in a perpetual state of Lent for two years now.
So host Mike Jordan Laskey called up his friend Fr. Paddy Gilger, SJ. Fr. Paddy is a sociology professor at Loyola Chicago and a super thoughtful person. He suggested we reframe what the season is all about in the first place. His insights are so helpful and consoling if you’d rather just skip straight to Easter this year.
Fr. Paddy was also the founding editor in chief of the Jesuit Post back in 2012, the wonderful culture and religion website that’s run by young Jesuits to this day. So we had to get his music and movie and reading recommendations for Lent. His picks are linked below.
All of our hearts are especially heavy as this Lent begins due to the horrifying war underway in Ukraine. Pray and act here: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/pray-and-act-for-ukraine/
Fr. Paddy’s Lenten picks:
“Come Healing” by Leonard Cohen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUB1O2cT2gM
Springsteen on Broadway: https://www.netflix.com/title/80232329
“Ecce Homo” by Xavier le Pichon: https://onbeing.org/blog/xavier-le-pichon-ecce-homo-behold-humanity/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
One of the most interesting developments in the Jesuit world these days is the emergence of a field called “Ignatian leadership.” The concept comes from the belief that Ignatian spirituality has a huge amount to offer leaders today, whether or not they’re working in “religious” contexts. A lot of those Jesuit concepts that have been at the heart of the order since its founding can be incredibly helpful to leaders today. Think things like discernment, freedom and prayerful reflection through practices like the daily examen. There’s a lot to dig into here.
One of the flagship programs promoting Ignatian leadership is called Contemplative Leaders in Action (CLA). CLA gathers young adults in cities across the country for study, reflection and hands-on leadership experiences rooted in the Jesuit tradition. Today’s guest heads up the CLA program and several other Ignatian young adult ministry efforts. His name is Sean Sanford, and he is the director of leadership and young adult programs for the Office of Ignatian Spirituality of the USA East Jesuit province.
Whether you’re managing people at work or trying to help raise kids or just trying to have better relationships with the people in your life, Sean offers some helpful elements from the Ignatian tradition that can help all of us live richer, more holistic lives.
Office of Ignatian Spirituality: https://jesuitseastois.org/
Ignatian Young Adult Ministries: https://ignatianyoungadults.org/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Lent is only a few weeks away. But before you panic about what to do during these upcoming forty days of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, listen to the advice of spiritual author Gary Jansen.
Gary is the author of several spirituality books, including his latest, “MicroShifts: Transforming Your Life One Step At A Time.” Throughout his career as a writer, editor and publisher, Gary has devoted a lot of writing and thinking to the intersection of spirituality and human potential.
In “MicroShifts,” Gary grapples with the question: What would our lives look like if we lived fifteen minutes out of each day for something beyond ourselves? What changes could we make – in our lives and in the lives of those around us?
The act of microshifting, as Gary explains, can affect any and all aspects of our lives – and so, this conversation spans all sorts of things, from Daoism to ghosts, from social media to Ignatian spirituality.
Ultimately, this conversation will help you get ready for Lent, and the spiritual disciplines and opportunities it presents.
And, as a bonus, throughout the month of February, you can download Gary's book, "MicroShifts," for free. Visit this link: https://amzn.to/3gDN6pi
Learn more about Gary and his work at his website: https://www.garyjansen.com/
Dorothy Day is among the most inspiring, challenging and holy American Catholics ever. As the Jesuit peace activist Daniel Berrigan said, Dorothy "lived as if the truth were true." There were no half-measures with her.
The co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, Dorothy put her faith into action in pursuit of social justice with so much passion and heart and intelligence that she’s now up for canonization in the church.
Late last year, the Archdiocese of New York packed up hundreds of pounds of materials in support of her cause. The packages contain her published and unpublished writings, plus transcripts of interviews with people who knew her. There are books about her. A couple of DVDs of movies about her. Just an incredible volume of stuff.
And the person in charge of collecting and organizing all this material is our guest, Jeff Korgen, who has been involved in social justice work in the church for decades. For the past seven years, Jeff has been learning about Dorothy and preparing all these documents for the Vatican. Officials in Rome will look through it all and study to see if Dorothy might take the next step toward canonization.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Jeff to explain the process and share the highlights from what he learned on his journey with Dorothy and those who knew her. It's a fascinating look behind the curtain of how a saint is made.
Even better than learning about the process, though, was getting to hear Jeff talk about Dorothy and her witness. If you learn about Dorothy Day and then go back to living your life just as you had before, you’re missing the point. Her radical commitment to the Gospel and to those living in poverty invite all of us to discern how we can serve the Lord by working for peace and justice.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
You can subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Ana Grande's great uncle was Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ, a Jesuit from El Salvador who was just beatified last month. (Beatification is the final step before canonized sainthood in the church, and we can call him Blessed Rutilio now.)
Blessed Rutilio was assassinated by El Salvador's security forces in 1977 for his ministry and community organizing with impoverished farmers. He was good friends with Archbishop Oscar Romero, and Rutilio’s death sparked Romero’s own conversion from a reserved leader who preferred to stay away from controversy into an outspoken prophet for peace and justice.
Ana spoke with host Mike Jordan Laskey just a few hours after she had returned to her home in Los Angeles from Fr. Rutilio’s beatification. She talked about was like to be there for the ceremony, plus what it's like to have someone in your own family so close to sainthood. Ana has so clearly been inspired by Blessed Rutilio’s work for justice herself, as she has dedicated her life to social justice causes like immigration reform. She’s also a longtime member of Blessed Sacrament Church, the Jesuit parish in Hollywood. It's a privilege to hear from Ana about her experience at the beatification and how she thinks her great uncle’s legacy can inspire all of us today.
Follow Ana Grande on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MsAnaGrande
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Listen to our new Ignatian retreat, a four-part series of ten minute audio modules, written and narrated by Ryan Carroll, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Missed an episode of this prayer retreat? Find this and other digital retreats at https://www.jesuits.org/spirituality/ignatian-digital-retreats/.
John W. Miller was a successful journalist with the Wall Street Journal, covering all sorts of topics all over the planet. A few years ago, he gave it all up for an extremely different path.
He tells host Mike Jordan Laskey about the spiritual journey that led him to co-directing his first feature film, the documentary "Moundsville," which tells the story of a small West Virginia town on the Ohio River.
John also discusses a series of articles he wrote for America Magazine on economics and Catholic social teaching. In the conversation, John moves seamlessly between personal stories and high-level social analysis, peppering in plenty of Ignatian spirituality along the way. If you haven't encountered John or his work before, he's an incredible person to get to know.
Watch "Moundsville": https://www.pbs.org/show/moundsville/
Learn more about the town: https://moundsville.org/
Read John in America Magazine: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/john-w-miller
Learn more about John: https://www.johnwmiller.org/
Listen to our new Ignatian retreat, a four-part series of ten minute audio modules, written and narrated by Ryan Carroll, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Take time to pray as you begin this new year. New episodes drop every Monday in January.
This Saturday, January 22, Father Rutilio Grande, SJ – along with laymen Manuel Solórzano and Nelson Rutilio Lemus – will be beatified in San Salvador, El Salvador. All three men are martyrs, killed in 1977. Fr. Grande, though, was the first priest assassinated before the Salvadoran Civil War began. And, he was a close friend of Archbishop and saint, Óscar Romero.
Fr. Arturo Sosa – the superior of the Society of Jesus – wrote about Fr. Grande and his upcoming beatification: “Father Grande, born in the small town of El Paisnal on 5 January 1928, was a Jesuit of unsuspected religious and human depth. In his weakness he found his greatness. He lived much of his life in the silence and humility of those who are becoming, step by step, companions of Jesus.”
Fr. Sosa goes on to describe the circumstances in El Salvador during Grande’s time: “The growing awareness of the need to promote a transformation of the inhuman circumstances of life of the peasant majority, a situation caused by the unjust structures of Salvadoran society, sparked the social and political struggles of this convulsive period in the history of this Central American country. Many members of the ecclesial communities participated actively in the social and political struggle. For Father Rutilio, his team, and his close collaborators, who were committed because of their faith to the struggle for the justice of the Gospel, there was a clear distinction between pastoral work and partisan political militancy.”
Finally, Fr. Sosa writes: “The Church, in recognizing the martyrdom of Rutilio, Manuel, and Nelson, judges that their lives were taken because of the faith that gave their lives meaning, the faith to which they gave witness by shedding their blood.”
Today, to help commemorate the life and legacy of Fr. Rutilio Grande, author and poet and Jesuits.org columnist, Cameron Bellm, is back on the podcast. She’s just finished a new devotional entitled, “No Unlikely Saints: A Mental Health Pilgrimage with Sacred Company.” In it, she devotes a chapter to Fr. Grande and his struggles with mental health. She shares what she learned about him in preparing this book, as well as why it’s important to weave this part of his story into his lasting legacy.
Find her book here: https://brickhouseinthecity.com/product/no-unlikely-saints-a-mental-health-pilgrimage-with-sacred-company/
Listen to our new Ignatian retreat, a four-part series of ten minute audio modules, written and narrated by Ryan Carroll, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Take time to pray as you begin this new year. New episodes drop every Monday in January.
Growing up in an abusive household, Issac Sneed wasn’t allowed to have friends. He learned to fend for himself. As an adult, he kept people at arm’s length. For years, he struggled with substance abuse and, at times, lived on the streets. While staying in a homeless shelter, he began attending reflection circles with Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP)—a Jesuit ministry across the U.S., Canada and Ireland.
With ISP, Issac began his journey of recovery. “They validated me and affirmed me, in a way that I had never been validated and affirmed in my own family,” Issac says. Now, a decade later, he leads weekly reflection programs and retreats with ISP Boston.
On this episode, host MegAnne Liebsch explores how Ignatian Spirituality Project offers spiritual companionship to people facing homelessness and substance addiction. She talks to alumni leaders like Issac, as well as volunteers and ISP staff about their cannonball moments, transformative friendships, and why St. Ignatius is so relatable.
_____________________________ For more information about ISP:
Ignatian Spirituality Project provides spiritual retreat and reflection programs at shelters and recovery centers in cities across the US, Canada and Ireland. Learn more about how you can help their mission: www.ispretreats.org
Check out this video on ISP produced by MegAnne Liebsch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuxSNNq8yTM
Listen to our new Ignatian retreat, a four-part series of ten minute audio modules, written and narrated by Ryan Carroll, a PhD student at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Take time to pray as you begin this new year. New episodes drop every Monday in January.
Hosts Mike Jordan Laskey and Eric Clayton kick off the new year by reflecting on some Ignatian spiritual principles that can guide us as we navigate 2022.
This week on AMDG, we're bringing you a special cross-over episode from our colleagues at the Jesuit Border Podcast. Hosted by two Jesuits, Fathers Brian Strassburger and Louie Hotop, this podcast explores the Catholic response to humanitarian needs on the U.S.-Mexico Border. Since the summer of 2021, Louie and Brian have been working in the Rio Grande Valley, providing aid and spiritual companionship to migrants there. Now, they're telling the stories of the border through interviews with local leaders.
On this week's episode, they talk with Sr. Norma Pimentel, a powerhouse of advocacy and service in the Rio Grande Valley since the 1980s. She currently serves as the executive director of Catholic Charities in the Valley.
Subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/11/the-jesuit-border-podcast/
Christmas is a weird time of year. No other season is such a potent combination of stuff happening. You have family traditions and maybe drama…definitely a whole lot of feelings. There’s consumerism and anti-consumerism. Heck there’s a whole soundtrack we share and bicker over. Plus, for Catholics and other Christians, there's the whole Jesus as God incarnate thing. To help host Mike Jordan Laskey sort it all is the great writer Simcha Fisher. Simcha is a columnist for America Magazine and a couple other places and the author of the book "The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning." She and her husband have ten kids, and she is uniquely good at writing about everyday life and big theological points so accessibly and hilariously. She offers lots of good insight into the season, no matter how crazy or calm your Christmas is this year.
Simcha Fisher: https://www.simchafisher.com/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Acclaimed memoirist and poet Mary Karr joined the Jesuit Book Club to talk about her most recent poetry collection, "Tropic of Squalor." The Zoom gathering turned into a deep spiritual conversation, full of Mary's sharp insight and humor. We hadn't planned on running the book club meeting as an AMDG podcast, but it was too good not to share.
Learn more about Mary: https://www.marykarr.com/
Learn more about Jesuit Book Club facilitator Nick Ripatrazone: http://nickripatrazone.com/
Join the Jesuit Book Club on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jesuitbookclub
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Fr. Brian Paulson, SJ, began his ministry as president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States in September. He comes to us in DC after seven years as the provincial of the USA Midwest Province, headquartered in Chicago. Fr. Brian talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey a bit about Advent and this period of transition for him, plus Fr. Brian's big-picture vision for the Society of Jesus in the world today. Fr. Brian is a deeply spiritual and thoughtful person who absolutely loves his Jesuit vocation, traits that will undoubtedly serve him well in his new role.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Why do some "secular" music or art experiences feel sacred? Guest Tom Beaudoin, Ph.D., is a theology professor at Fordham University has spent a lot of his career exploring this question. He joins host Mike Jordan Laskey to talk about encountering the divine in music, plus a conversation on Tom's new research project on the effects the ancient Pantheon temple (now a church) in Rome has on its visitors.
Learn more about Tom: https://sites.google.com/site/tmbeaudoin/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Thanksgiving is a time of tradition. How we celebrate the holiday today probably has a lot to do with how we celebrated the holiday growing up. The foods we place on the table. The special napkins we pull out of the closet. The signature cocktail we serve our guests. The dessert – pies and brownies and more. Take a moment: How much of your Thanksgiving experience reflects the Thanksgivings that have come before, perhaps even before you were born?
Tradition is important and forms us in countless ways. But sometimes, traditions can box us in. Sometimes, they limit our horizons, keep us trapped in the old ways of doing things.
That’s something that our guest today thinks a lot about.
Today’s conversation is with Shannon Evans, a longtime contributor to Jesuits.org and an author of a new book, Rewilding Motherhood: Your Path to an Empowered Feminine Spirituality. It’s a wide-ranging conversation: We talk about images of God that are helpful and that are limiting for mothers; the hyped-up masculinity of St. Ignatius’ writings – and how we might integrate them in a healthy, hopeful way; patriarchy and systemic oppression; and, Thanksgiving traditions.
If you’re not a mother, you might be thinking: This episode isn’t for me. Well, not so fast. This is a challenging, important conversation for all of us. What I found in Shannon’s writing and thinking is a challenge to liberation, a liberation from those modes of thinking and acting that keep us from achieving our full God-given potential. We’d do well to remember that we go to God together, as a community, and if any of us is bound up and held back, then all of us are affected. Our entire community of God’s family is kept from achieving God’s dream.
And so, even if you’re not a mother, you’ll be challenged by this episode to reflect on your relationship to those who are – and on your relationship with yourself, as a member of God’s family.
You can purchase Shannon's book by visiting: http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/rewilding-motherhood/408781
Today's episode is about storytelling, imagination and prayer -- three things St. Ignatius of Loyola saw as interconnected.
Fr. Bill Cain, SJ, has a rather intimidating bio: He’s a Peabody and Writers’ Guild award winning screenwriter who has worked on several films and television shows, including Nothing Sacred, Thicker Than Blood, and more. His work for theater includes Equivocation, 9 Circles, Stand-Up Tragedy and How To Write A New Book For The Bible. He received the 2009 and 2010 Steinberg/American Theatre Critics Association New Play Award, and is the only writer to receive the award in sequential years. There’s more awards, too, and they’re all impressive. Plus, he founded the Boston Shakespeare Company, and has spent more than a few years teaching at Nativity Schools.
But the reason he’s on the podcast today isn’t for any of that. He’s here because he wrote a book about Jesus Christ, a deeply moving and tender story that was so good it found its way into conversation around the dinner table of host, Eric Clayton.
And that's something worth reflecting on. After all, isn’t that the nature of the Gospel? Jesus lived a life worth talking about, did things that were so remarkable people told their friends, their families, said, “Hey — you’ve got to check this guy out. He’s gonna change how you view the world.”
St. Ignatius himself was so moved by the story of Christ — not the scripture, specifically, at least not at first — but by another author’s account of Jesus. And that imaginative tale is what led the soldier-turned-saint to embrace a new life, a new way of loving.
So, in today's episode, consider what it means to encounter Christ through imaginative storytelling. How might such an encounter change your life?
Last month, Pope Francis officially launched a two-year process of reflection and listening called a Synod of Bishops. Synods bring church leaders together to discuss and act on important topics related to the life of faith, and this edition is about the concept of synodality itself.
Synodality is a big, obscure word, and our guest, Sr. Nathalie Becquart, is one of the most qualified people in the world to explain it.
Sr. Nathalie is a Xaviere sister from France and has a background in youth ministry. Earlier this year, Pope Francis named her an undersecretary of the Synod of Bishops, which is a fancy way of saying she is helping to run the whole process and, in a historic first, she will be the first woman in the history of the church to have a right to vote in the synod.
This first year of the synod will include church leaders listening to the faithful all over the world, and this gathered wisdom will shape the meetings of bishops and other leaders in Rome in 2023.
In addition to asking Sr. Nathalie to help explain synodality, host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about her biggest hopes and fears as the process unfolds.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
The early days of November give us ample opportunity to celebrate holy women and men. November 1st is All Saints’ Day; November 2nd is All Souls Day. And November 5th is the Feast of All Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus.
But how many Jesuit saints do you really know? If you went to a Jesuit school, you can probably name a few – maybe you lived in Gonzaga Hall or went to class in a building named Campion. But for many of us, our familiarity with Jesuit saints begins and ends with a guy named Ignatius.
That stops today with our guest, Jesuit historian Fr. Tim O’Brien, the newly named Director of Mission Initiatives at the College of the Holy Cross. Tim introduces us to a noble-turned-Jesuit-turned-diplomat, a carpenter that saved priests — and orchestrated jail breaks – and martyrs that led to a global showdown over what means to go on mission. Host Eric Clayton and Tim tackle geopolitics and clashes of religious identities that shaped the world stage. And all these saints – Francis Borgia, Nick Owen and the martyrs of Nagasaki – lived and worked and died less than 100 years after the Society of Jesus was founded.
Not bad for a new religious order.
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The sculpture looks so much like a homeless man, people have called the cops on it. It’s a life-size sculpture of a person huddled under a blanket on a park bench. Get close to the artwork in any cities that have a copy of it, like Toronto or Rome, and look at the feet. You’ll find two wounds carved into the bronze, the only signs that the person show here is Jesus himself. It’s a powerful and challenging sculpture inspired by the 25th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus tells his disciples that whenever they feed the hungry or visit the prisoner, they’re caring for Christ himself.
The artist behind the homeless Jesus statue is Timothy Schmalz, a devout Catholic from Canada who uses sculpture as a ministry. Tim is an absolutely prolific sculptor, usually starting his day in his studio at 4am. He creates large, visually arresting works that are on display all over the world, including a recent piece for the Vatican called "Angels Unawares," which is 20 feet long and depicts more than 140 migrants and refugees.
Most recently, Tim has finished a series of 100 sculptures depicting all 100 cantos of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him why he decided to take on such a massive project and how he approaches sculpting as a spiritual practice. Tim is so good at taking us into the mind and heart of the artist, and his reflections will probably have you Googling where you can find a sculpture of his near your own hometown.
Timothy Schmalz: https://www.sculpturebytps.com/
Divine Comedy sculptures: https://www.dantesculpture.com/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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Jesuit-educated actress Siobhan Fallon Hogan has had an incredibly busy acting career over the last three decades, from appearing in Saturday Night Live and Seinfeld in the early 1990s to roles in movies like Forrest Gump, Men in Black and the Lars Von Trier musical drama Dancer in the Dark.
Most recently, she made her screenwriting debut with a movie called Rushed. Siobhan also stars in the film as an Irish Catholic mother in upstate New York who has to figure out how to respond to a tragic fraternity hazing incident that strikes her family.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Siobhan about what it was like to try screenwriting for the first time, and how she prepares for a dramatic role versus a comedic one. They also talked about her strong Catholic faith and how her home parish pitched in to the filming of Rushed in a few awesome ways. Finally, they got into her Jesuit education at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, plus how she managed raising three kids while working an extremely full schedule that took her all over the world.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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The National Basketball Association season starts next week. If you flip on a marquee matchup on ESPN or ABC sometime this fall, you’ll probably hear the voice of today's guest: play-by-play announcer Mike Breen. Mike is widely regarded as one of the best announcers in the world in any sport. He informs without overexplaining. He shows excitement and love of the game without being cheesy. He perfectly captures the energy in the arena for those of us watching at home. It’s no surprise he has announced the NBA finals a record fifteen times and received the top media award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.
Mike is a proud alumnus of Fordham University and a deeply committed Catholic. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about what he loved the most about returning to the arena after announcing dozens of games from his house during the pandemic. They also talked about all the work that goes into the job of announcing games in the hours and days before a big game starts. They also discussed Mike Breen's faith and his time at Fordham.
Learn more about Mike Breen: https://espnpressroom.com/us/bios/breen_mike/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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"Every child matters," reads Rosella Kinoshameg's fluorescent orange tee-shirt. The shirt is part of a national movement to recognize the harmful history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada. Rosella's shirt commemorates the thousands of children who were compelled to attend these schools, where practicing Indigenous cultures or languages was forbidden in an effort to assimilate children into white culture. Indigenous communities in Canada and the U.S. are still grappling with the impacts of this history.
Co-host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Rosella about the ongoing trauma in her community, an Ojibwe First Nation reservation on Manitoulin Island, Canada. Rosella also shares moments of joy from her vast ministry with the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre, which is a work of the Jesuits of Canada.
For her, Indigenous and Catholic traditions go hand in hand. Both energize her to serve the community on Manitoulin Island. And her wisdom is widely sought. As she told me, when something happens—a baby’s birth or a loved one’s death—she is one of the first calls that people make.
To learn more about the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre visit: https://www.anishinabespiritualcentre.ca/
In the U.S., Congress is currently considering a bill that would create a Truth and Healing Commission on U.S. Indigenous boarding school policy. The Jesuits, alongside six other faith groups that formerly ran boarding schools for Indigenous students, have endorsed this legislation. We ask you to join us in supporting this commission. Learn more at https://www.jesuits.org/stories/jesuits-endorse-bill-to-establish-a-truth-and-healing-commission-on-us-indian-boarding-school-policy/.
Today’s guest might make you reexamine everything you think you know about the current state of the Catholic Church in the USA.
Fr. Tom Gaunt, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and the executive director of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). Since it was founded in 1964, CARA has conducted hundreds of social science studies of the Catholic Church. If you want to know how many priests were ordained last year, or how many Catholics go to Mass weekly vs. once or twice a year, CARA is the place to go. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Tom for a bird’s eye view of the state of the church, and that overview provided surprising stats time after time. Be ready to be surprised.
Learn more about CARA: https://cara.georgetown.edu/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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During this Ignatian Year—this 500th anniversary of the conversion of St. Ignatius—a lot has been said about “cannonball moments.” The phrase comes from Ignatius’ own life story: he’s struck in the leg by a cannonball at the Battle of Pamplona. It’s that injury and its subsequent, painful recovery that confines Ignatius to bed and ultimately presents him with the opportunity to read and reflect on the life of Christ and the saints.
We talk about this cannonball moment because it’s so jarring; it literally knocks Ignatius off his feet, off the trajectory he’d set for his life, and forces him to look anew at what God is inviting him to do with his life. From that cannonball moment, we get the Society of Jesus, the Spiritual Exercises and countless other good fruits. And, as a result, we’re invited to consider similar moments in our lives—when have we been struck by cannonballs; when have we had our life turned around by God?
These are all good and worthy questions—and this year provides us with ample opportunity to reflect on our own ongoing conversions. We’re invited to see all things new in Christ.
And yet, there’s a temptation to sanitize the cannonball moment, to forget that Ignatius—then, Inigo de Loyola—was a prideful man who led his soldiers to their deaths; whose cannonball moment was a bloody, gruesome affair, and who suffered from trauma and guilt in the many months and years that followed. This, too, is what it means to experience a cannonball moment—and we must look at the story honestly, fully, lest we risk offending or alienating those among us who have also experienced such trauma.
This is the theme of today’s episode. Fr. Rob McChesney, SJ, joins us again to discuss how Ignatian spirituality and the person of St. Ignatius can help us process trauma, can help us accompany those who have experienced trauma and, ultimately, how a fuller understanding of what a cannonball moment represents might bring us closer to God.
A warning: the subject matter today is heavy; we do dig into trauma and its effects, particularly where veterans and sexual abuse survivors are concerned.
We hear from one combat veteran, Bob Macpherson, who shares his story of trauma and Ignatian spirituality. You can learn more about Bob and read his book at https://www.robertseamusmacpherson.com/.
As a final note, Fr. Rob makes mention of several meditations found within The Spiritual Exercises. We encourage you to visit the Office of Ignatian Spirituality’s page on the Exercises to learn more. Go to https://jesuitseastois.org/spiritualexercises.
There’s a series of Star Wars books called From A Certain Point of View. Two have been released to date, each to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, respectively. Each book contains 40 short stories from 40 different authors assuming the perspective of 40 different, minor characters from those classic films. The whole idea is to give readers a new glimpse into an old story—to retell that classic tale “from a certain point of view.”
The Ignatian Year—this anniversary celebration of St. Ignatius’ conversion in which we find ourselves—invites us to “see all things new in Christ.” We’re invited to contemplate St. Ignatius’ story in new ways, to look upon his conversion and his legacy with the eyes of Christ—and then to turn that same gaze on ourselves, our own lives. How is Christ using Ignatius’ story to inform and inspire our own?
For those of you who have read St. Ignatius’ autobiography, you know that the pages are full of minor characters—women and men who cross Ignatius’ path ever so briefly and yet leave behind a profound impact. Here at the Jesuit Conference, we thought one way to consider Ignatius’ story anew would be to explore the perspectives of these other characters: how they saw Ignatius, what they were thinking about as they encountered saint. It’s still the story of St. Ignatius—from a certain point of view.
And so, we invited authors to submit their stories. And today, I’m really excited to share the work of two authors—and my conversations with them.
The first of our authors is Ryan Carroll, a PhD student in English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. He is a longtime enthusiast of Ignatian spirituality, having first become involved through the Ignatian Spirituality Ministry at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C. His story is titled, “The Pilgrim’s Book,” and it’s an extended meditation on the life of the book itself—the book that stirred Ignatius’ own conversion.
Our second author is John Dougherty, is a Catholic writer and campus minister with over a decade of experience in Jesuit education. His work has appeared in America Magazine and Millennial Journal. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and children. His story, “The Provincial and the Pilgrim,” puts us in the shoes of the Franciscan friar responsible for turning Ignatius away when the would-be saint sought to live and work in Jerusalem.
Both stories are beautiful opportunities to pray with the story of St. Ignatius, to “see all things new in Christ.” You can read these stories at Jesuits.org/pilgrim-stories – or, click on the link in the notes.
Back in the innocent days of February 2020, host Mike Jordan Laskey sent a Twitter message to author Nick Ripatrazone in reply to a tweet Nick posted about reading the Graham Greene novel "The Power and the Glory" for Lent, which is something he does every year. What if we invited others to read along with us and talk about it online? Mike asked. Nick was up for it and the Jesuit Book Club was born.
Since then, the Jesuit Book Club has hosted a series of live events featuring conversations with some of today’s best authors who are rooted in the Catholic literary tradition, including Alice McDermott, Kirstin Valdez Quade and Phil Klay.
For this summer’s Jesuit Book Club selection, we read Nick's own most recent book, which is titled "Wild Belief: Poets and Prophets in the Wilderness." The book traces the theme of wilderness through the work of almost a dozen writers in creative and surprising ways.
This time, instead of a live event, the Jesuit Book Club discussion is happening as an episode of AMDG. Mike and Nick discuss the work of three of the writers Nick focuses on in his book: Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Everson and Mary Oliver.
Join us in October for our next book and live author event with a very special guest (Nick announces who it is during this episode!). If you can't wait that long, check out jesuits.org/bookclub to sign up for the virtual gathering.
Nobody in the history of swimming has been as good at freestyle as our guest today is. Katie Ledecky is the literal GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), as she is the world record holder in the women's 400-, 800-and 1500-meter freestyle. (If you're an American who prefers yards to meters, Katie also has the fastest-ever times in the women's 500-, 1000-, 1500- and 1650-yard freestyle events.)
Katie is just back from her third Olympics, where she won two gold medals and two silvers. In addition to dominating in the pool, she also has some great Jesuit connections: Katie's godfather is a Jesuit priest named Fr. Jim Shea, SJ, and Katie has also lent her voice and platform to the urgent work of the Jesuit Refugee Service. She talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about those Jesuit connections and her Catholic faith, plus some swimming stuff -- like what’s going through her head as she swims a grueling 1500-meter race.
Learn more about the Jesuit Refugee Service here: https://www.jrsusa.org/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
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It was only a few weeks ago that Fr. Jean Denis Saint-Felix — the superior of the Jesuit community in Haiti – was our guest on this podcast. He shared with us his reflections on the assassination of the Haitian president.
Tragically, a lot has happened in Haiti in just these few weeks. On August 14, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake devastated Southwestern Haiti — an earthquake even stronger than the one so many of us remember from 2010.
Fr. Jean Denis encouraged us to hope — and trust in the Haitian people. And so today’s guest, Nate Radomski, the executive director of Magis Americas, is here to tell us what he’s heard from Jesuit partners across Haiti — and how the work of Magis Americas and its many partners is working with the Haitian people to rebuild.
That’s at the heart of Magis Americas’ mission: to foster, support and accompany Jesuit partners in the Global South as they strive toward a more just, dignified and equitable society.
If you want to learn more about — and support the work of — Magis Americas, visit magisamericas.org, give.magisamericas.org/supporthaiti and https://www.jesuits.org/stories/support-the-jesuits-relief-effort-in-haiti/.
It’s cliché to say but Ignatian Pilgrimage: There’s an app for that.
It’s called “Journey with Ignatius” – and it’s a cool new project developed by the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies at Boston College. On today’s episode, Fr. Casey Beaumier, SJ, director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, shares the thinking and reflection that went in to developing this app.
But the conversation doesn’t stop there. The app itself is meant to be a pilgrimage, an experience of Ignatian spirituality, a tool to deepen our lives of faith. The conversation spans those topics and more: How the pandemic has served as a catalyst for innovation where faith and spirituality is concerned; How the very idea of pilgrimage can still apply to us – even if we’re still stuck at home; How the life and legacy of St. Ignatius is relevant today as ever, particularly as we continue our own global pilgrimage through the Ignatian Year.
If you want to learn more about the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies or want a direct link to where you can get the app, check out the links below:
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/centers/iajs.html
https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/centers/iajs/about/news/app-release2.html
It’s not every day you crack open a copy of the New Yorker Magazine and find a long profile of an incredibly impressive, inspiring young Catholic woman. But that was the case in the February 8th issue, where you can find an article headlined “How a young activist is helping Pope Francis Battle Climate change.
That young activist is Molly Burhans, and she’s today's guest. Molly is the founder and executive director of GoodLands, an organization created to enable the Catholic Church to use its extensive landholdings for good. She had the insight a few years ago that effective stewardship of Church-owned land could have an enormous positive impact on the environment given that the Church is one of the largest landholders in the world. Molly has made mapmaking her ministry. She talks about how she got her start, where her passion for this work comes from, and what keeps her charging ahead.
Jamie Kralovec’s work is deeply rooted in his faith and Ignatian spirituality, but he’s not a theologian or a youth minister. Jamie is an urban planner by trade, and he’s on the show today to convince you that caring about cities and urban parks and transit and zoning is a deeply Catholic endeavor. Jamie first saw the connections between urbanism and Catholicism while a high school student at St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago, and he has turned interest in that convergence into a career. In addition to teaching urban planning at Georgetown, he’s the associate director for mission integration at the university’s School for Continuing Studies. That word in his job title “integration” is such a perfect one to describe Jamie, who models how faith and justice go hand in hand. He’s one of the most Ignatian people you’ll ever meet and a bright, incisive guest.
Read Jamie’s recent interview in US Catholic Magazine: https://uscatholic.org/articles/202104/urban-planning-is-an-inherently-catholic-practice/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
On July 31st, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, better known as the Jesuits. And this year, the feast is extra special. Why? Because we’re in the midst of an Ignatian Year, a celebration of the 500th anniversary of the cannonball strike that shattered Ignatius’ legs and ultimately set him on the path to conversion.
Today’s guest, Cameron Bellm, has been doing a lot of reflecting on the life and legacy of St. Ignatius—both in her own prayer life and in her professional work. She’s a columnist for us at Jesuits.org, a poet who each month writes a beautiful prayer poem. You can find them in the Spirit and Verse series on our site. Now, how she came to be a renowned prayer poet is a pretty cool story—and we talk about it in our conversation.
But that’s not all. Cameron has also been working on a really exciting e-book initiative. It’s called Christ Plays in 10,000 Places—a call back to another poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, SJ—and it’s a small volume we hope you’ll use to accompany you and your own faith community throughout the year. As Cameron shares, she worked with a number of really great voices from across the Ignatian family in the US and Canada.
One last thing: Cameron has a PhD in Russian Literature. And she puts that on display in our conversation in the most compelling way, inviting us to consider how towering figures in the Russian literary tradition can help us unpack some well-known themes in Ignatian spirituality.
If you want to get your hands on your own copy of our new e-book, visit Jesuits.org/ebook.
What are you willing to risk for what you believe?
Fr. Steve Kelly, SJ, is a peace activist and a member of the Plowshares movement, a largely Catholic movement of pacifists that protests nuclear weapons by damaging weapons and military property. He has spent at least a decade of his life behind bars for his witness, and was just released recently for what was called the Kings Bay Plowshares action.
On April 4, 2018, Fr. Kelly and six other Catholic activists cut a hole in a security fence at the Kings Bay Naval Base in Georgia, where several nuclear submarines are kept. They hung a banner, spray painted Love One Another on the pavement, poured their own blood on a seal of the base, and pounded the display of a tomahawk missile with a hammer. They were willingly arrested two hours after entry.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Kelly about why he chooses to participate in these actions despite the risks. They also talked about his vocation story to the Jesuits and his experience with the criminal justice system. Fr. Kelly is a gentle, warm person and this conversation will quietly challenge you to think and pray about how you live what you say you believe.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
On July 7, one week ago today, in the early hours of the morning, the president of Haiti, Jovenal Moise, was assassinated in his home. The exact details of his death are still clouded in mystery, but the impact on the country is stark and tragic: Haiti, still recovering from the devastating 2010 earthquake, still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, plagued by violent gangs, economic insecurity and a widening gap between the haves and have-nots, now faces a future of uncertainty.
But it’s far from a hopeless situation. As our guest today, Fr. Jean Denis Saint-Felix, the superior of the Jesuit community in Haiti, notes, there is reason to believe a better future is possible. Fr. Jean Denis issues a challenge for all of us on the outside looking in: To help usher in this new future, we have to be ready to listen to the needs, the pain and even the silence of the Haitian people.
Last month, Georgetown University professor of history Dr. Marcia Chatelain was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book “Franchise: the Golden Arches in Black America." The book reveals the hidden history of how fast food became one of the greatest generators of Black wealth and power in American and the costs of this success story.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Professor Chatelain what it was like to hear she won the Pulitzer, and then they discussed the book and some of the most interesting things she learned during her years of research and writing. Professor Chatelain also shared what she has come to love about Jesuit spirituality since arriving at Georgetown 10 years ago.
Lear more about Marcia Chatelain and "Franchise" here: http://www.marciachatelain.com./
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
When Fr. Bill Barry, SJ, passed away late in 2020 at the age of 90 years old, he left behind a long and storied legacy as a spiritual director, author and Jesuit priest. Though he wrote many, many books, mentored generations of Jesuits and guided countless retreatants, there was one consistent theme that everyone who encountered Fr. Barry walked away with: God desires a friendship with each of us.
His final book, “God’s Great Story and You” – published by Loyola Press earlier this year – returns to that theme and pulls together insights and experiences from Fr. Barry’s nine decades of life with God.
On today’s episode, Fr. James Martin, SJ, editor-at-large for America Magazine, and Vinita Wright, managing editor at Loyola Press, share stories, memories and reflections on Fr. Barry – his life, his work and his legacy.
You can purchase a copy of his final book here: https://store.loyolapress.com/gods-great-story-and-you.
June is high school graduation season, and today's guest is one of the most impressive grads from the Jesuit Schools Network: Carlos Smith, who just finished his time at Loyola High School in Detroit. Loyola is an all-male Jesuit high school known for its rigorous academic standards and strong commitment to faith, and it serves about 150 predominantly Black young men. For the past 11 years, Loyola has achieved 100 percent college acceptance among its graduates.
Carlos won two incredibly impressive honors during his senior year: First, he won a $25,000 Black History Month scholarship from the Detroit Pistons basketball team for a poem he wrote on the theme of powering humanity. Second, he was named the top high school debater in the entire state of Michigan. Carlos clearly has a way with words, and the energy and intelligence that made him a champion debater were on full display during his conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey. In the episode, Carlos reads the winning poem, discusses its themes and talks about his experience at Loyola. Carlos is heading to the University of Arizona in the fall, and he hopes to one day be a Supreme Court justice.
One quick announcement: We at AMDG were thrilled a couple weeks ago to hear that our show had won two first-place awards from the Catholic Media Association. We were named the best overall podcast in our division, and our collection of episodes on the pandemic won best podcast series. So now when you recommend this podcast to your friends and family, you can invite them to subscribe to the award-winning AMDG wherever they get podcasts.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
In the year 1838, the Jesuits of the Maryland Province sold at least 272 enslaved men, women and children to a plantation owner in Louisiana, in part to provide financial support to Georgetown University, which was struggling at the time. The Jesuits have long been aware of this shameful history, but living Descendants of the 272 enslaved persons have only learned about their ancestors over the past five years thanks to meticulous genealogical research. More than 10,000 living Descendants have been identified since 2016.
Two of those Descendants are today's guests: Joe Stewart and Cheryllyn Branche. After learning of their family histories, Joe and Cheryllyn worked together with other Descendants to found the GU 272 Association.
The association approached the Jesuits in 2017, looking to dialogue with the Society of Jesus in pursuit of creating a billion-dollar foundation to support racial justice work and educational opportunities for Descendants. Our third guest today is one of the Jesuits who participated in this dialogue process, Fr. Timothy P. Kesicki, SJ, the president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
These three along with other Descendant leaders and representatives from the Jesuits and Georgetown University went through a years-long dialogue process and arrived at a memorandum of understanding: The Jesuits of the US would contribute $15 million to start the foundation and pledge to fundraise an additional $85 million.
The result is the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation, which was announced this past March. The foundation marks the first time in history the Descendants of those enslaved have collaborated like this with successors of the enslavers. You can learn more about the history and the foundation at their website, which is www.descendants.org.
Joe, Cheryllyn and Fr. Tim talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about the dialogue process and their vision for the foundation. They hope this unique pathway forward might inspire similar efforts throughout the country.
Learn more about the GU 272 Descendants Association: https://gu272.net/
Learn more about the Descendants Truth and Reconciliation Foundation: https://www.descendants.org/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
As more and more of us are going back to Mass for the first time in over a year, today's episode is a celebration of our faith. Today's guest is the renowned theologian and teacher Dr. Thomas Groome, who serves as a professor of theology and religious education at Boston College’s School of Theology and Ministry. He has an incredible ability to make difficult concepts clear and engaging, often using his fabulous Irish storytelling skills in his work. In his conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey, Dr. Groome goes deep into five things he loves about being Catholic. It's the spiritual boost we need as a new normal starts to unfold.
Learn more about Dr. Groome here: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/thomas-h-groome.html
His book "What Makes Us Catholic" is a must-read and accessible to anyone, no matter your level of theological training: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/what-makes-us-catholic-thomas-h-groome?variant=32128767623202
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Today’s episode is a challenging one. We take a deep dive into the tragic events gripping the people of India, and we reflect on the tremendous loss of life that has resulted from the second wave of COVID-19.
According to Vatican News, as of May 29, there have been 27.7 million reported cases of COVID-19—second only to the US – and 322,512 deaths, placing India at the third highest death count after the US and Brazil. And these are just the cases that have been reported.
In India, at least 400 of those dead due to COVID-19 are nuns and priests. As today’s guest, Jesuit priest Fr. Siji Chacko will explain, this is in large part due to the work these faith leaders do at the forefront of the nation’s suffering, accompanying the vulnerable, excluded and forgotten.
Fr. Siji wears a lot of hats in the Jesuit Conference of India, but as you’ll hear, no matter what his role, his vocation is to constantly serve God’s people in whatever way is possible. The conversation spans his own calling to the Jesuits to his work advocating for human rights to his reflections on the life of Fr. Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old Jesuit priest who has been imprisoned by the Indian authorities for his human rights advocacy.
Learn how you can help provide COVID-19 relief in India by visiting https://www.jesuits.org/stories/covid-19-emergency-response-in-india-ways-you-can-help/.
Learn how you can advocate for Fr. Stan Swamy’s release from prison by visiting https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/take-action-2/release-fr-stan/.
And learn more of Fr. Stan’s story by visiting Jesuits.org/stories/jesuits-demand-immediate-release-of-fr-stan-swamy-sj/
Finding time to go on retreat is a challenge — even when there's not a global pandemic to contend with. But what if there was a way to go on retreat without having to book a room, set aside a weekend or travel out of state? What if you could just...go? In your own town, city or neighborhood?
In this episode, co-host Eric Clayton talks with both retreatants and retreat leaders who have gone on what's called a Retreat in the Street in Toronto or Montreal, Canada. Each tells a life-changing story, an encounter with God that only required a bit of courage and some time to wander.
What's more, this model of retreat is perfect for the ongoing Ignatian Year, a way to see all things new in Christ. These retreats help us find our way to God. They appeal in a particular way to young people, people who may have fallen away from faith – or who have never known faith. These retreats challenges us to walk with one another, to accompany the vulnerable and become vulnerable ourselves. And, as we journey through our own city, our own landscape, we see where God’s creation is flourishing – and where it needs our care.
By the end of this episode, maybe you'll want to head out for a retreat on the streets.
For Maka Black Elk, being a member of the Oglala Lakota Tribe on Pine Ridge Reservation confers a great responsibility. And it forms the bedrock of Black Elk’s work — first as a teacher at Red Cloud Indian School and now as the school’s Executive Director for Truth and Healing.
Red Cloud is a Jesuit-run school on the reservation. It was founded in 1877 and its history spans many turbulent and painful periods on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Maka Black Elk is helping Red Cloud face this past.
On this episode of AMDG, host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Black Elk about what truth and healing means for the Red Cloud and Pine Ridge Communities. They have a powerful — and challenging — conversation about the school’s involvement in the Indian Boarding School Policy and how it impacts the Pine Ridge community today. They also talked about identity and culture, and how Black Elk’s faith runs through both.
To learn more about Red Cloud’s Truth and Healing Committee go to: www.jesuits.org/https://www.jesuits.org/stories/new-truth-telling-initiative-confronts-red-cloud-indian-schools-past/
Stay up-to-date with the process: https://www.redcloudschool.org/pages/truth-and-healing#updates
Listen to today’s show, and you’ll learn at least one incontrovertible fact: Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, is an absolute dynamo.
She has spent close to four decades accompanying prisoners on death row and almost as long advocating for the end of the death penalty—work that first came to worldwide renown with the 1993 publication of her book “Dead Man Walking.” (The book inspired an Academy Award-winning movie, an opera and a stage play, and it transformed the national dialogue on capital punishment.) And if her recent conversation with hosts Mike Jordan Laskey and MegAnne Liebsch is any indication, she shows no signs of slowing down.
Their conversation covers the current state of the work against the death penalty nationwide, what truths about America the pandemic has revealed, the importance of storytelling to Sr. Helen’s mission, an inside look at how Sr. Helen became an activist, the role of women in the Catholic Church and much more.
Read Sr. Helen’s 2019 memoir, “River of Fire”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/133675/river-of-fire-by-sister-helen-prejean/
Learn more about how the Jesuits are working to abolish the death penalty: www.jesuits.org/amdg.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
The arrival of more-normal life feels close now, at least here in the US. A lot of us might feel tempted to dive back in, to schedule gatherings and buy concert tickets and try to make up for lost time. Today's guest, Dr. Debra Mooney, suggests a more slow-paced return to normal. Any change is stressful, she told host Mike Jordan Laskey when they talked recently, even positive change.
Dr. Mooney has a doctorate in psychology and serves as the Vice President for Mission and Identity at Xavier University in Cincinnati. She just wrote an article for America Magazine headlined “Anxious about returning to regular life? 6 Jesuit discernment tips for the post-Covid world.” Dr. Mooney combines her psychological training with deep Ignatian knowledge in a fascinating way. St. Ignatius had an astute psychological mind after all, ahead of his time in how well he understood our emotional life. In the episode, Dr. Mooney goes deeper into all six of her points from the article. You'll hopefully leave the conversation feeling better equipped for the next stage of our shared life.
Dr. Mooney's essay: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2021/04/11/jesuit-ignatian-examen-retreat-post-pandemic-wellness-240415
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
A fun fact about the Society of Jesus is that there are more than 30 craters on the moon named for Jesuits, which is a great reminder that faith and science are not the adversaries so many people make them out to be. Since the beginning of the Society of Jesus almost 500 years ago, Jesuits have looked to the heavens to learn more about the wonders of our universe. (That's how so many got their names on the moon.)
Jesuits continue this work today, perhaps most notably by running and staffing the Vatican Observatory in Rome. The director of the observatory is an American Jesuit named Brother Guy Consolmagno, today's guest.
He chatted recently with host Mike Jordan Laskey on the occasion of the launch of the brand-new Vatican Observatory website and podcast. They also talked about Br. Guy’s vocation story, why science and faith aren’t enemies, why he’s still amazed by the universe after decades of work and study, why it’s important to keep exploring space, and more.
Visit the Vatican Observatory's new website: https://www.vaticanobservatory.org/
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Our guest this week is Mary J. Novak. She's the new executive director of NETWORK Lobby, a DC-based social justice advocacy organization formed by a coalition of Catholic nuns. While not a nun herself, Novak embodies a faith that does justice—the kind of roll-your-sleeves up and get to work attitude that Ignatian spirituality encourages.
Novak’s career has traversed the intersections of spirituality and justice. As a lawyer she worked on environmental rights litigation and a death penalty appeal case. She was the founding board chair of Catholic Mobilizing Network, which is working to abolish the death penalty at the state and federal level. And most recently, she served as the associate director of Ignatian Formation at Georgetown’s Law School.
Novak is animated by her faith. You can tell that her optimism and rugged determination spring from her belief in a God of justice. She talked with guest host MegAnne Liebsch about how her spirituality keeps her firmly grounded when it feels like our social and political landscape is tugging us in conflicting directions. And she offered some advice for how Catholics can get involved—and stay involved—with Catholic social justice movements.
Learn about NETWORK's Build Anew Agenda: https://networklobby.org/buildanew/
Support the For the People Act (H.R. 1): https://networklobby.org/forthepeopleact
Watch NETWORK's Immigration Policy Webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETJlM0zZ_QU
When you think about the Catholic Church, you may be tempted to think in terms that are outside of history – the Church is more or less the same since Jesus’ time, right? The continuity is supposed to be obvious, untouchable.
Of course, that’s impossible. No matter how much we may try to preserve something, the steady march of time, those slow and plodding changes to society and culture as well as those unforeseen events, inevitably impact even the most resilient of institutions. Today’s episode is a deep dive into one of those perhaps unforeseen events that upended Catholicism – and in particular, the Papacy – as we know it. In fact, how we understand both Catholicism and the Papacy today traces directly to this moment in history.
Today's guest, Fr. Jeffrey von Arx, SJ, is a Visiting Professor of the History of Christianity at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and the Superior and Director of the John LaFarge Jesuit House of Studies at Harvard University.
Fr. von Arx guides us through the years spanning the French Revolution through the First Vatican Council and beyond, and reflects on how a near-death experience for the Papacy following the French Revolution led to what he believes is an experience of PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder – in the Church, and shares what he sees as the outcome of this institutional PTSD. It’s hard to fathom a time when the papacy almost ceased to exist – particularly in the wake of papacies like John Paul II’s and Francis’. And yet, as Fr. von Arx notes, the Papacy as we know it today didn’t have to be this way – and in fact was really close to not existing at all.
The Jesuits play a role in this story, too, having suffered their own near-death experience during this same era. And, though it’s tempting to think of this historical deep-dive as unrelated to our own lives, what happened to the Catholic Church between the French Revolution and the First Vatican Council has impacted how we Catholics today experience of faith, our culture and our traditions – not to mention how we interact in society, in politics and in art.
Read more from Fr. von Arx:
https://www.americamagazine.org/issue/post-traumatic-church
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/09/24/root-china-vatican-agreement-napoleon
The Hold Steady plays big, loud rock 'n' roll that sounds like the best bar band you’ve ever heard. But if you listen carefully to the lyrics, you’ll hear moving, funny, heartbreaking stories about broken people sinning, falling and reaching for redemption. You’ll hear references to saints and churches and Catholicism and parties. Lots and lots of parties.
Today's guest is the songwriter behind The Hold Steady, Craig Finn. Finn, who has been called our greatest Catholic storyteller since Flannery O’Connor, grew up in a Catholic family and graduated from Boston College. He talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about the Catholic themes in his songs, his time at BC, and the Hold Steady’s fabulous new record "Open Door Policy."
The Hold Steady: https://theholdsteady.net/
Craig Finn: https://craigfinn.net/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent. Danielle Harrison, co-director of the Slavery, History, Memory and Reconciliation Project of the Jesuit Conference joins.
If you have had any encounter with Jesuits – at a school, a parish, a nonprofit – you probably know a little about St. Ignatius of Loyola. You may know he got hit by a cannonball, that he wrote the Spiritual Exercises and that he ultimately went on to found the Society of Jesus. Good enough, right?
Wrong. Fr. Bart Geger, SJ – a research scholar at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies and Assistant Professor of the Practice at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College – returns to AMDG to give us a behind-the-scenes look at his new edition of Ignatius’ own autobiography – and tells us why calling it an autobiography isn’t really right. Fr. Bart and Eric get into some more of the common misconceptions around Ignatius – around his understanding of Catholicism – and why setting the record straight matters.
Ultimately, Fr. Bart helps us recognize where God was at work in Ignatius’ life – and how spending time to reflect on the saint’s life might better help us discover God at work in our own.
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent.
This is a special edition of the show we’re rushing to get in before this weekend’s Sweet 16 in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Why the hurry? Because three Jesuit schools have made it this far: the Gonzaga Bull Dogs, Sister Jean’s Loyola Chicago Ramblers and the Creighton Blue Jays.
There’s nobody more prepared to talk about these teams and the past and present of Jesuit hoops than guest John Gasaway. John is a college basketball analyst for ESPN, where he largely focuses on the growing field of sports analytics. He’s also the author of a brand-new book called “Miracles on the Hardwood: The Hope-and-a-Prayer Story of a Winning Tradition in Catholic College Basketball.” The book is chock-full of fascinating stories and history and is a must-read for any fan of Jesuit hoops.
After he talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the book and the Jesuit-heavy Sweet 16 and this week’s passing of Jesuit basketball legend Elgin Baylor (Seattle University), John and Mike took turns drafting the best all-time players from Jesuit schools. Check out @jesuitnews on Twitter to vote for which team you think would win a hypothetical matchup on the court.
Get John's book: https://www.twelvebooks.com/titles/john-gasaway/miracles-on-the-hardwood/9781538717127/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
Perhaps you're the kind of person who consumed a lot of science fiction and fantasy stories growing up. Stories like the Chronicles of Narnia and the Lord of the Rings have overt Christian themes. Others – Star Wars and Marvel movies, for example – might if you squint at them the right way.
Regardless of spiritual intent, these stories can shape us, shape our imagination. We continue to return to them - maybe in surprising ways. These imaginative stories may even lay the groundwork for an encounter with Scripture, priming our minds to see the world as a big, fantastical place where miracles are just around the corner, where epic things can and do happen, and where themes of justice and good versus evil really matter.
Brent Gordon, a Jesuit brother in his first year of studies, can relate. He wrote a wonderful essay for the Jesuit Post a several weeks ago where he explored exactly these themes. And he's here today to share some of those reflections – how these seemingly otherworldly stories could lead us to our very real and present God today, in our world, in this moment.
You can read his article here: https://thejesuitpost.org/2021/01/fantasy-literature-imagination-and-christian-life/
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent.
Musician and author John Darnielle is the creative force behind the Mountain Goats, the critically acclaimed and deeply loved indie rock band he has led (sometimes as its only member) since 1991. He's also a deeply spiritual person with incredible religious literacy -- each song on the Mountain Goats' 2009 album "The Life of the World to Come" is named after a different Scripture verse, for instance.
Darnielle joined hosts Mike Jordan Laskey and MegAnne Liebsch to discuss everything from the church in Latin America to the spiritual experience of live music to the Book of the Prophet Jonah. It's a whirlwind of a conversation and unlike any other AMDG episode you've heard before.
Learn more about the Mountain Goats here: https://www.mountain-goats.com/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent. Special guest Pádraig Ó Tuama. Tune in on Saturdays for new episodes.
Joanna Williams has the kind of energy that sucks you in. Just talking to her is like getting a jolt of motivation. She’s passionate about social change and justice, but she’s also pragmatic.
Williams recently became the executive director of Kino Border Initiative, a Jesuit-run ministry that accompanies migrants on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. She views her work at Kino like a global invitation. It’s not just her work—or the work of 22 staff members. Everyone has a responsibility, a share in the mission.
On this episode of AMDG, Williams talks guest host MegAnne Liebsch about conditions at the border right now and how we can build a more welcoming society for migrants and asylum seekers.
Learn more about KBI: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/ Join KBI's 100 Days Campaign here: bit.ly/kbileads Learn about migration advocacy at the Jesuit Conference: https://www.jesuits.org/our-work/justice-and-ecology/migration-and-immigration/
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent. Special guest Fr. James Martin, SJ. Tune in on Saturdays for new episodes.
Mark Kennedy Shriver has spent a lot of time with incredibly impressive people. His father was Sargent Shriver, who founded the Peace Corps, was the architect of Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty, and ran for vice president of the United States in 1972. Sargent Shriver was married to Mark’s mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver -- sister of JFK and RFK -- for 56 years. She, in turn, founded the Special Olympics, among many other accomplishments.
The public service values Mark learned from his parents have taken root in his own life. Mark served as a Maryland state delegate for eight years and has been leading the Save the Children Action Network for the last seven. He knows what it means to be a servant leader. And he shares those lessons with a fresh generation in his brand-new children’s book “10 Hidden Heroes,” published by Loyola Press. The book is a vividly illustrated “Where’s Waldo?”-style collection of people serving their communities in big and small ways, meant to show kids that they don’t need a lot of money or superpowers to be a hero in their own communities.
Mark talked to AMDG host Mike Jordan Laskey about why he wrote the book, how his Catholic faith and Jesuit education shape his values, and what today’s leaders navigating the coronavirus pandemic might learn from the example of his parents.
Get your copy of "10 Hidden Heroes" here, written by Mark K. Shriver and illustrated by Laura Watson: https://store.loyolapress.com/10-hidden-heroes
Mark's other two books: https://www.amazon.com/Mark-K-Shriver/e/B006LTJ19A
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent. Tune in on Saturdays for new episodes.
If you have a Hulu subscription or the DVDs of "Seinfeld," pull up episode 16 of the eighth season. It’s called "The Pothole." A few minutes in to the episode, Elaine, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, is waiting for Chinese food delivery on the sidewalk. The delivery man approaches. A hilarious interaction ensues that we don’t want to spoil for you. The actor playing the delivery man is named Radmar Jao, who was an up-and-coming actor back then in 1997 and would go on to appear in shows like "ER" and "General Hospital" and the Steven Spielberg movie "Minority Report."
But he left that career path about 20 years ago for something just a little bit different: Actor Radmar Jao is now Father Radmar Jao, a Jesuit priest and the director of vocations for the USA West Province.
He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about his acting career, his entrance into the Jesuits, how he uses his acting talents in his ministry, and so much more. There’s no better way to get ready for the Golden Globe Awards this Sunday and the start of our delayed awards season than this incredibly fun conversation.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Subscribe wherever you get podcasts.
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent. Tune in on Saturdays for new episodes.
Prayer is one of the pillars of Lenten spirituality. But it’s hard, right? We’re constantly tempted to ask, “Am I doing this right? Am I doing this enough? Is it even working?” Prayer is so foundational to our lives as Christians and yet at the same time feels somewhat mysterious. We might even convince ourselves it’s just not worth the effort.
Fortunately, today’s guest has some experience in prayer. And he’s familiar with these very struggles – these temptations to throw in the towel and assume praying is better left to someone else. That’s why he wrote a new book: Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone.
Today, Fr. James Martin, SJ, returns to AMDG to kick off the Lenten season, to give us a little insight into prayer and to offer us a word of encouragement in our own spiritual lives.
Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, are back to journey with us along the way this Lent. Tune in on Saturdays for new episodes.
Last year was a tough year. This year has gotten off to a rocky start. Many of us – on more than one occasion – have thrown up our hands and said, “Why God? Why is this happening?”
Joe Hoover, a Jesuit brother, actor and writer, asked this very question in his new book, O Death, Where is Thy Sting? He asked it again and again as he reflected back on experiences his had throughout his own life: experiences in El Salvador, experiences at the gravesides of young people, experiences coping with 9/11 and the wars that followed.
Suffering, as it turns out, is not a question easily answered. But it is one that demands contemplation – that very Ignatian approach to prayer.
As Joe discusses in today’s episode, sometimes it just is, and we’re left to stand in wonder and awe, shock and horror at this unavoidable part of human existence.
Nevertheless, there is hope to be found. And Joe speaks to that, too.
Check out Joe's book: https://www.orbisbooks.com/o-death-where-is-thy-sting.html
Fr. Alan Fogarty, SJ, has been the CEO of Salt + Light Media, a Catholic TV network and media company based in Toronto, since August. Fr. Fogarty doesn’t have a traditional media background, but he radiates energy and bold vision, traits that served him well in his previous stops as the president of St. Paul’s High School in Winnipeg, Canada, and as the president of the Gregorian University Foundation in Rome. We need more compelling, high quality, balanced Catholic media in the worst way, and hearing his hopes for Salt and Light got host Mike Jordan Laskey so excited to watch them continue to grow in the months and years to come.
Check out Salt + Light online: https://slmedia.org/
"Be Not Afraid" by Catholic Artists From Home: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RF0DIpFOoBg
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
If you’re a long-time listener of this podcast, a student at a Jesuit school or a member of a Jesuit parish, then the term “Ignatian spirituality” is probably pretty familiar to you. You might consider Ignatian spiritualty to be the bedrock of all things Jesuit: something that just is and always has been. "Magis," "Contemplatives in Action," "Discernment" – we're tempted to believe St. Ignatius himself liked to use these words.
Unfortunately, it’s just not so.
Legendary Jesuit historian, Fr. John O’Malley, SJ, is today's guest, reflecting on a recent article he co-wrote with another Jesuit historian, Fr. Tim O’Brien. The article is called “The Twentieth-Century Construction of Ignatian Spirituality: A Sketch.” It’s exactly what it sounds like – a quick historical tour through Jesuit history, reflecting on how we ended up with spirituality we call “Ignatian” – and how it defers from – or at least, expands upon – what St. Ignatius originally said and did.
Read the article here: https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/jesuit/issue/view/1173
One of the most disturbing elements of the January 6 attack on the US Capitol was how much Christian imagery was on display. You don’t have to watch too many video clips to see hats and flags and shirts with Christian slogans printed on them. There’s video of a group chanting “The blood of Jesus is covering this place.” There are photos of Proud Boys kneeling in prayer.
Guest Peter Manseau has been chronicling these images and stories on Twitter using the hashtag #CapitolSiegeReligion. It’s not a surprise Peter jumped into this project: He is the first-ever curator of American religious history at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington. At a time when we can’t visit museums, he’s been taking the curation work online.
He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about what he’s learned from this social media effort, and what American religious history can teach us about how we got to the present. In the second half of the show, they talked about Peter’s most recent book, "The Jefferson Bible: A Biography." It tells the fascinating story of Thomas Jefferson’s cut-and-paste job with the Gospels and how generations of audiences have responded to the work.
Learn more about Peter: http://www.petermanseau.com/
The compelling essay inspired by his book in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/01/04/what-thomas-jefferson-could-never-understand-about-jesus
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
How are you using your free time? Do you have enough of it? Too much? Are you mainly using it to veg out? Or are you devoting time to growing closer to God and other people and promoting the common good? These are some of the questions that animate the scholarly work of today's guest, Dr. Conor M. Kelly.
An assistant professor of theology at Marquette University, Conor is the author of the recent book “The Fullness of Free Time: A Theological Account of Leisure and Recreation in the Moral Life.” He talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about the different ways we use free time, what our faith has to say about leisure, some of the structural barriers that prevent people from having access to free time, and more.
Reflect on how you're spending your free time with Conor's "Leisure Examen": jesuits.org/leisure
Conor's book: http://press.georgetown.edu/book/georgetown/fullness-free-time
And his recent America Magazine article on streaming: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2020/12/17/television-streaming-video-covid-free-time-239392
Previous, related episode of AMDG with Jon Malesic mentioned in this conversation: https://soundcloud.com/jesuitconference/an-ignatian-solution-to-burnout
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Most New Year's Resolutions sputter out by February (if they make it that long!). In this episode, the insightful Jesuit spiritual guide Fr. John Dardis, SJ, shares three simple, doable things we can do to grow in our relationship with God this year. Plus, a reflection on what the Covid pandemic has uncovered and what a "new normal" might look like.
Fr. Dardis is an Irish Jesuit who works in communications and apostolic planning for the global Society of Jesus at the Jesuit Curia in Rome.
Learn more about the upcoming Ignatian Year: https://www.jesuits.global/2020/07/29/the-opportunity-of-the-ignatian-year-2021-2022/
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
2020 brought us a pandemic, a reckoning on racial injustice and ongoing challenges to our democratic norms. How can pop culture help us process these events? And how did pop culture fail to prepare us?
Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, returns to AMDG for a conversation on pop culture, storytelling and finding hope as we change the calendar year.
There are a lot of stories to be told as we begin a new year -- and a lot of voices we need to hear from. This final episode of 2020 will help get those creative wheels spinning.
Fr. Peter Rožič, SJ, is the director of the Jesuit European Social Centre (https://jesc.eu/), based in Brussels, Belgium -- the de facto capital of the European Union. He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the pandemic year in Europe, the importance of forming young leaders with Ignatian values, and his colorful childhood and early inklings of a Jesuit vocation in his native Slovenia.
Learn more about Fr. Peter: https://jesc.eu/peter-rozic-sj-appointed-as-new-director-of-jesc/
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guide us in praying through the Sunday readings for the final week of Advent.
Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.
The Advent and Christmas seasons are most welcome this year. To celebrate the yuletide, two Christmas music fans from the Jesuit family join host Mike Jordan Laskey to talk about their favorite seasonal tunes.
Dr. Susan Bigelow Reynolds is a professor of Catholic Studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and has two degrees from Boston College. She’s also a top-notch singer and percussionist. Fr. Mark Mossa, SJ, is the director of campus ministry at St. Mary Student Parish at the University of Michigan. He’s also a writer and a hardcore pop culture aficionado.
The three new friends took turns drafting favorite Christmas songs like in the NFL or NBA draft, ending up with a 12-song playlist – plus a bunch of honorable mention choices – that are sure to make the rest of the season merry and bright. And a bit melancholy. And maybe even a bit teary-eyed. Christmas has a lot of emotions even in a non-pandemic year.
Learn more about Susan: https://candler.emory.edu/faculty/profiles/reynolds-susan.html
Learn more about Fr. Mark: https://www.stmarystudentparish.org/staff/fr-mark-mossa-s-j/
Don’t forget to subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guide us in praying through the Sunday readings for the third week of Advent.
Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.
On Monday, the Vatican made a surprising announcement: Pope Francis is planning to visit Iraq next March, his first international visit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He will be the first pope to visit this majority-Muslim country and wants to make the visit what the Vatican called a “concrete gesture of closeness” to the people of Iraq, who have suffered through years of war and instability.
As we look forward to Pope Francis’ visit, and pray it will be an occasion of bridge building between Christians and Muslims, it's a perfect time to feature this conversation with Jordan Denari Duffner, an acclaimed author and scholar of Muslim-Christian relations, interreligious dialogue and Islamophobia.
Jordan's books are "Finding Jesus among Muslims: How Loving Islam Makes Me a Better Catholic" (2017) and "Islamophobia: What Christians Should Know (and Do) about Anti-Muslim Discrimination," which will be released in the spring of 2021. She is also a Ph.D. student in Theological and Religious Studies at Georgetown University.
She talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about Muslim-Christian dialogue and what we can all do to take a stand against Islamophobia and work toward understanding and peace.
Learn more about Jordan's work here: https://jordandenari.com/
You can subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guides is praying through the Sunday readings for the second week of Advent.
Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.
The arrival of December means college semesters are either finished or wrapping up. This was the first academic term that happened entirely within the pandemic, and there’s nobody better suited to give a bird’s-eye view of how the 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the US handled the semester than Fr. Mike Garanzini, SJ.
Fr. Garanzini is a Jesuit priest and the president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). He’s also the secretary for higher education for the worldwide Society of Jesus, which gives him a uniquely international perspective. He has worked in higher education for decades, including a successful 14-year tenure as president of Loyola University Chicago.
In addition to talking about this unprecedented semester, he talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the distinctive value of Jesuit higher education within an extremely competitive marketplace and what he hopes the Biden administration will do to support college students.
Learn about AJCU at https://www.ajcunet.edu/
AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guides is praying through the Sunday readings for the first week of Advent.
Many of us won't be traveling or seeing loved ones for Thanksgiving this year. So host Mike Jordan Laskey called up his old college roommate to connect from afar: Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ. They discussed finding spiritual nourishment during the pandemic and how the Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving," can help heal divisions even when we can’t all get to Mass.
Fr. Rossmann is a vocation promoter for the Midwest Jesuits. He joined the Jesuits in 2007, just after graduating from the University of Notre Dame. Fr. Rossmann taught in Tanzania for two years and has graduate degrees from Loyola University Chicago and Boston College. He is passionate about evangelization and has been active in the use of new media, starting the "One-Minute Homily" and previously serving as the editor-in-chief of The Jesuit Post. He continues to post a one-minute video on social media each week. His goal in life is to get people to spell his last name with two n’s.
Might you or someone you know be called to be a Jesuit? Check out beajesuit.org.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you find podcasts.
Join Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, this Advent in a new podcast reflection series, "Along the Way."
It's not shocking to say that the United States is a divided nation. And no matter who you voted for in the 2020 presidential election, you probably know someone who voted the other way. You probably know someone who feels discouraged and angry, just as much as you probably know someone who feels vindicated and hopeful. You yourself likely fall into one of those camps.
As we barreled through those last few weeks of the election, guest host Eric Clayton came across a book that he thought might bring a bit of consolation in this otherwise chaotic moment. It’s called "The Ignatian Guide to Forgiveness" and it’s by Marina McCoy, a professor of philosophy at Boston College. (You can preorder the book through Loyola Press.)
The book raised the following question: If we practice Ignatian spirituality – a spirituality that by its very nature demands that we put into action what we experience of God – how does an Ignatian approach to forgiveness play out in this moment? What does it demand of us? And what does it offer? How might it heal our relationships with one another?
In today’s podcast, Eric talks with Marina about answers to these questions – and more.
Dr. Jeanette Epps is an aerospace engineer and a NASA astronaut. Earlier this year, it was announced that Jeanette had been chosen for a six-month mission to the International Space Station, where she will become the first Black woman to live and work in space for an extended amount of time. Jeanette is also a product of Jesuit education: she graduated from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY, in 1992 and currently serves on the school’s board of directors.
She talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey last month about life as an astronaut, how she reacted when she found out about her upcoming mission to space, what she values about Le Moyne College, and how the wonders of the universe shape her faith in God.
Learn more about Jeanette here: https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/jeanette-j-epps/biography
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ, offers her original poem, "The Signs," written in the waning hours of November 3, 2020.
Sr. Colleen is a Sister of Saint Joseph, who currently serves as coordinator of services at the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, New Jersey and is a regular contributor to Give Us This Day, National Catholic Reporter, and Global Sisters Report.
We made it to Election Week in the strangest, most stressful presidential election campaign season of our lifetimes. Today's guest, Bill McCormick, SJ, is such a hopeful, faith-filled guy you might leave the episode feeling maybe even a little optimistic about things. A Jesuit-in-training and a political science professor, Bill is the perfect person to wrap up our series on faith and politics. He and host Mike Jordan Laskey discuss Pope Francis' political vision and how we might respond to the needs of the world with compassion and a long view.
Read Bill at America Magazine, where he's a contributing editor: https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/bill-mccormick-sj
Follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/BMcCSJ
Check out all the Jesuits' faith and politics coverage: https://jesuits.org/election2020
There are lots of tricky phrases that pop up often in Catholic faith and politics conversations these days: Constitutional originalism. Intrinsic evil. Prudential judgment. "Non-negotiable issues." Professor Cathleen Kaveny of Boston College helps host Mike Jordan Laskey unpack and understand these ideas and more. Dr. Kaveny is the first person in the history of BC to hold joint appointments in the theology department and law school, and has made her unique career at the intersection of faith, morality and law.
Learn more about her work here: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/law/academics-faculty/faculty-directory/cathleen-kaveny.html
Find all the Jesuits' faith and politics coverage at jesuits.org/election2020.
Congressman Francis Rooney is a conservative Republican from a conservative district in Florida, but the issues he wanted to discuss with host Mike Jordan Laskey were not standard GOP talking points: he wanted to talk about fighting climate change, protecting the Everglades and stopping offshore drilling in Florida. He brought up economic inequality and his vote for a $15 per hour minimum wage. He railed against partisan gerrymandering. It's disappointing the Congressman isn’t running for reelection this year because his commitment to building bridges across partisan divides is rare. We sure could use more elected leaders with open minds in this polarized era.
Congressman Rooney also talked about his tenure as the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, a position he held from 2005 until 2008. He shared some great behind-the-scenes stories about his experiences with Pope Benedict XVI, and also what he learned about the church by engaging with the Vatican on diplomatic affairs. Finally, he talked about how his Jesuit education impacted him, which included stops at Georgetown Prep, Georgetown University and Georgetown Law.
This episode is part of a series on faith and politics inspired by the new Jesuit document titled “Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement.” Read the document and see the rest of our faith and politics coverage at jesuits.org/election2020.
Sr. Quincy Howard, OP, is the Coordinating Director of advocacy, outreach and campaigns for the Faithful Democracy coalition, which is a multi-faith community of organizations and congregations who share the moral imperative of fixing our democracy. She talks with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the threats to our democratic systems and how we can address them. She also shares her vocation story, which is one of the most incredible paths to religious life you'll ever hear.
Get involved with Faithful Democracy: https://faithfuldemocracy.us/
Sr. Quincy's viral moment: https://twitter.com/chrismazina/status/1267868625416921089
This is part of our series on faith and politics. To read the new Jesuit Conference document "Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement," visit http://jesuits.org/civic-engagement.
To help you spiritually prepare for Election Day, we’re kicking off a series of episodes on faith and politics. You know, those topics you’re not supposed to discuss in polite company.
These episodes are inspired by a new document by the Jesuits of Canada and the USA called “Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement,” which reflects on how Ignatian spirituality can help shape the way we participate in political life.
Our guest today is no stranger to these topics: Fr. Tom Reese, SJ. Fr. Tom is a well known and long-time commentator on faith and public life, and currently serves as a columnist for the Religion News Service. He is a former editor of America Magazine and wrote the book "Inside the Vatican." He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the election and how Catholics can navigate political choices when neither of our major parties perfectly align with Catholic social justice teachings.
Fr. Reese's recent fabulous piece on Catholic voting: https://religionnews.com/2020/08/27/trump-or-biden-whats-a-catholic-voter-to-do/
Follow Fr. Reese on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ThomasReeseSJ
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
Fr. Jason Downer, SJ, had been studying to be a Jesuit priest for the better part of the last ten years. Somehow, though, ordination during a pandemic wasn't on the course list.
Jason is today's guest. He reflects on how Ignatian spirituality grounded him during the uncertain months surrounding his ordination. And how his closeness to God continues to ground him during his first assignment in Saipan -- an island in the Western Pacific.
As you'll hear, Jason's vocation story comes full circle with two flights over the Pacific Ocean. And he reminds us what it means to be a true example of contemplation in action.
Paisley Sierra grew up in a community where clean water is scarce. Her family's water sources are threatened by contamination from uranium mining and oil pipelines. Sierra lives in South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge reservation.
As a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Sierra believes that "water is life." But, the Lakota must fight for this basic resource. On this episode of AMDG, guest host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Paisley Sierra about her community's battle for land and water rights. We also hear from key Jesuit partners on the frontlines of this fight, including President of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Rodney Bordeaux, Fr. Peter Bisson, SJ, and Sr. Priscilla Solomon, CSJ and Ojibway First Nations.
Interested in how the Jesuits are working for environmental justice across the world? Join the Global Ignatian Prayer Vigil for the Season of Creation on September 25 at 8pm ET. Go to www.breathingtogether.jesuits.global to learn more.
This episode was produced and edited by MegAnne Liebsch.
On last week’s episode, we talked to Australian Jesuit Fr. Michael Hansen about the First Spiritual Exercises – otherwise known as the 18th Annotation Retreat – and dug into how this seemingly forgotten form of the Exercises can transform our thinking and approach to Ignatian Spirituality.
Think of this week as “part 2”. Fr. Rob McChesney discovered the 18th Annotation Retreat only recently. He’s just back from three years working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Amman, Jordan, and he’s reflecting on how the Jesuits might better minister to victims of trauma: refugees, war veterans, survivors of sexual abuse, and others. For Rob, the light bulb went off when he came upon Fr. Hansen’s work on the first spiritual exercises.
Today's conversation is about applying Ignatian spirituality in general and the 18th annotation in particular to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable members of our human family. Hopefully it gives you something to chew on, especially as you consider ways to put your own Ignatian contemplation into action.
You can find more great spirituality resources at Jesuits.org/spirituality.
And if you're interested in getting in touch with Fr. Rob to learn more and help him with his work, contact him at rmcchesney@jesuits.net.
AMDG hosts Mike Jordan Laskey (dad to three young kids) and Eric Clayton (two young kids) welcome America Magazine executive editor Kerry Weber (three young kids) to discuss trying to parent intentionally in the pandemic. The author of the modern spiritual classic "Mercy in the City," Kerry is incredibly thoughtful and so committed to her faith. Part podcast and part group therapy session, we hope any fellow parents of young kids out there get something out of this conversation. (If you don’t have young ones, enter this episode at your own risk!)
Essay by Kerry on bringing her son to a Catholic day of action that's discussed on the show: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/07/22/why-i-took-my-3-year-old-catholic-day-action-immigrant-children
Don't forget to subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
The idea of going on pilgrimage might sound preposterous to our pandemic mindset. Just getting groceries feels like pilgrimage enough!
Fr. Brendan McManus, SJ, a Jesuit priest from Northern Ireland, is an expert pilgrim. And not so long ago, he went on the Ignatian Camino, the route that traces St. Ignatius' steps through Spain. He wrote a book about it: The Way to Manresa. And what he learned on his journey is applicable to each of us today -- even if our own pilgrimages are from the couch to the kitchen.
On August 4, 2020, an explosion devastated the city of Beirut, the capital city – and the largest city – in Lebanon. At least 160 people were killed and more than 5,000 people injured. Homes were destroyed – and countless people suddenly found themselves without any shelter, food or water. Cultural artifacts and historic buildings vanished. And this on top of a global pandemic, a crumbling economy, protests in the streets and a burgeoning number of refugees fleeing to Lebanon seeking safety.
For better or worse, the people of Lebanon know what to do when they hear explosions – the decades-long civil war instilled in them a muscle memory that wasn’t easily forgotten. But adding one trauma on top of another is emotionally and spiritually exhausting. Mental health is just as fragile as physical safety.
The Jesuits of Beirut have been responding as best they can, accompanying the people in this moment of darkness. On today's episode, Fr. Dan Corrou, SJ, the newly appointed director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in the Middle East, invites us into that moment when the explosion first hit, painting a vivid picture of pain and suffering but also of resilience and hope. And he details how the Ignatian family is responding.
Ultimately, Fr. Dan reminds each of us that Jesus is still present—particularly in these moments of brokenness.
If you’d like to support the people of Beirut in this moment of brokenness, you can visit www.jrsusa.org/beirut.
Cardinal Michael Czerny leads the Vatican’s Migrants and Refugees section. A Canadian Jesuit, he was stunned to hear last fall that Pope Francis was naming him a cardinal because he wasn’t even a bishop at the time. The surprising decision by the Holy Father was yet another example of how migrants have been so close to Pope Francis’ heart throughout his papacy.
Cardinal Czerny and host Mike Jordan Laskey discuss that pivotal day when then-Father Czerny learned his life was changing forever, plus the impact of the pandemic on migrants around the world and what message the cardinal wanted to share with the 20 Jesuits he ordained in Rome this summer.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
If you were going to pick a Bible passage to turn to in these difficult times, which would you choose? How about the one in the Gospel of Matthew about the inefficacy of worrying? It’s a neat little tidy message from Jesus and such an important lesson. Today's guest, Old Testament Scripture scholar Professor Mahri Leonard-Fleckman from the College of the Holy Cross, picked three sections of the Bible she suggests visiting. And it’s safe to say none of them have a single tidy moral lesson at all. A big theme in Professor Leonard-Fleckman’s writing and teaching is that the Hebrew Scriptures are full of tension. They can be uncomfortable to read, especially when we approach them looking for the sort of straight-ahead ethical guidance we find in parts of the New Testament. But that challenge doesn’t mean the Hebrew Scriptures can’t be incredibly illuminating and consoling during this era of pandemic and social unrest. In this conversation, Mike and Professor Leonard-Fleckman’s dug into her three choices: the Book of Ecclesiastes, Psalm 91, and the story of King David. She also provided a great primer for how to approach reading the Hebrew Bible and shared a bit of her own amazing faith journey. She’s a brilliant scholar who’s also a clear and accessible teacher.
Follow Dr. Leonard-Fleckman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MahriFleckman
In honor of the Feast of St. Ignatius coming up on July 31, we’ve got a special Jesuit podcast crossover episode today.
Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis are the hosts of Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics from America Media. They are real pioneers in the Catholic podcast world. They talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about pandemic life in their shared adopted hometown of New York City, plus their favorite episodes of Jesuitical and what about the story of St. Ignatius inspires them the most. Then, they took turns drafting Jesuit alumni: Just like the NBA or NFL, they built teams of five people each who all went to a Jesuit high school, college or grad school. After you listen, check out @jesuitnews on Twitter to vote for who you think had the strongest overall team.
Find Jesuitical wherever you listen to podcasts, on Twitter at @jesuiticalshow, or on Facebook at Jesuitical: A Podcast for Young Catholics.
Draft format lovingly cribbed from Joe Posnanski's Poscast.
Scott Detrow is a political correspondent for NPR and a co-host of the incredibly popular NPR Politics Podcast. He's covering the Joe Biden campaign this year. He shared with AMDG host Mike Jordan Laskey what it's like to attend campaign events with a few dozen people in the room instead of a few thousand, plus some observations on the role of faith in both Donald Trump's and Joe Biden's campaigns. Also, Scott talked about the impact of his Jesuit education on his life and career (he's an alum of Marquette University High School and Fordham University). And stick around until the end for some scattered but very passionate reflections on the upcoming baseball season.
More about Scott: https://www.npr.org/people/444796749/scott-detrow
The NPR Politics Podcast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510310/npr-politics-podcast
Today's guest is Olga Segura, freelance writer from the Bronx who’s currently working on a book about race, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Catholic Church. Previously, Olga was an associate editor at America Magazine and the co-host of the podcast Jesuitical. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about two pieces she wrote that came out this summer: first, a piece for America about how the Catholic Church can work for racial justice. Many Catholics want to do something to help address the sin of racism but we don’t always know where to start. Olga has some great tips for us.
Second, Olga wrote a profile of the theologian and Fordham University professor Father Bryan Massingale, one of the leading voices on Black Catholicism. Olga talked about what struck her most about Fr. Massingale’s witness through the course of reporting her story.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
One of the new pandemic phrases that has become ubiquitous over the past four months is essential workers. From health care to agriculture, these workers are helping to move society forward amid a pandemic that has brought much of the world to a halt. On this special episode of AMDG, guest host Caitlin-Marie Ward speaks with migrant essential workers, who tell stories of incredible sacrifice, courage and endurance.
Facing harsh migration policies and increasing public health concerns, these migrants surmount extraordinary challenges and look with hope toward the future. As Honduran asylum seeker, Fredys likes to say, “Us immigrants, we came here for a purpose. God gave us the opportunity to be in this country. God has the final word.”
This episode of AMDG is part of the Solidarity Across Borders Campaign, sponsored by the Jesuit Migration Network of Central and North America. To learn more about the campaign and the people featured in this episode, go to www.jesuits.org/migration.
To help Jesuit ministries working with migrants, visit www.jesuits.org/donate2020.
Special thanks to Holy Trinity Parish, Kino Border Initiative and Father Alfredo Zepeda and his colleagues at Radio Huaycoctla for conducting and sharing their interviews of some of the people featured in this episode.
Host: Caitlin-Marie Ward Producer: MegAnne Liebsch
Don’t forget to subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
Today's guest is Dr. M. Shawn Copeland, professor emerita of theology at Boston College and one of the most distinguished religion scholars of our time. Dr. Copeland has written and spoken widely on a range of topics from theological anthropology to Black Catholicism to political theology. Her most recent book is "Knowing Christ Crucified: The Witness of African American Religious Experience."
Dr. Copeland is a former President of the Catholic Theological Society of America, and she was the first Black theologian to hold that role. She is also recipient of the Society's highest honor, the John Courtney Murray Award.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her for her take on the rise in anti-racist protests around the country and beyond. They also discussed the ugly legacy of racism within the American Catholic Church, and how we can all work to make the church more just and equitable.
Then, after their conversation, stay tuned for a fabulous new spirituality resource titled “An Examen for Racism" (46:30). The examen is one of the signature practices in Jesuit spirituality, and it typically involves reflecting on the events of your day, searching them for God’s presence and asking for the grace to grow in faith, hope and love. This particular examen invites us to search our hearts to reflect on how we participate in systemic racism. It also invites us to look forward to see how we might take a stand against racism in our own lives.
Two Jesuits, Patrick Saint-Jean, SJ, and Christopher Alt, SJ, collaborated on this project.
More about Dr. Copeland: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/theology/people/retired-faculty/m-shawn-copeland.html
Text version of "An Examen for Racism": https://jesuits.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20200617120944
Don’t forget to subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
As the COVID-19 pandemic has descended upon the United States over the past three months, today's guest, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has become a household name thanks to his expertise and his clear and calm communication style.
Though many of us have just learned about his work recently, Dr. Fauci has been in public service for decades, directing the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases since 1984. If there’s been a widespread infectious disease you’ve heard about, Dr. Fauci worked on it, from HIV to Ebola to Zika. His impact on public health both here and around the world is incalculable.
Dr. Fauci is also a product of Jesuit education, and he credits his years at Regis High School in New York City and the College of the Holy Cross as helping to lay the groundwork for his career. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asks him what he found distinctive about his Jesuit education, what his typical day looks like mid-pandemic, and where we stand right now in our fight against this dreadful disease.
Conversation recorded June 16, 2020.
You can subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
June 20 is World Refugee Day. While local headlines have taken over our consciousness even more than usual, our faith calls us to have a global vision. Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic has a disproportionate impact on those who are already vulnerable, including refugees.
Many displaced persons live in close quarters in refugee camps or urban areas with limited access to healthcare. Global resettlement of refugees has been halted and international borders have been closed. All of these challenges pile up on the other challenges refugees face in the best of times.
It’s why the world needs organizations like the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), which serves people displaced from their homes in over 50 countries around the world. Guest Danielle Vella is the director of reconciliation for JRS, and she has written a book of stories from her encounters with refugees called "Dying to Live: Stories from Refugees on the Road to Freedom."
Danielle is from the tiny Mediterranean island nation of Malta, and she sat down with host Mike Jordan Laskey on the last day of her US book tour in early March, right before COVID-19 began its assault on North America. She shares incredible stories from her book and how her faith inspires her work.
Danielle's book, Dying to Live: https://www.jrsusa.org/dying-to-live/
JRS USA's World Refugee Day campaign: https://www.jrsusa.org/campaign/welcome-protect-world-refugee-day-2020/
Fr. Mario Powell, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and the president of Brooklyn Jesuit Prep, which is a middle school serving low-income families of diverse races, ethnicities and faiths in New York City.
Last week, Fr. Mario wrote a piece for America, the Jesuit review, headlined “‘How long, O Lord?’ Psalm 13 is the cry of black Americans.” He and host Mike Jordan Laskey use that piece as a jumping-off point to discuss the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the enduring sin of racism in America.
Fr. Mario is 38 years old and one of the youngest black Jesuit priests in the country, and he brings a vital perspective to this time of anguish and protest.
Read Fr. Mario's piece in America: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/06/03/how-long-o-lord-psalm-13-cry-black-americans
Learn more about Brooklyn Jesuit Prep: http://www.brooklynjesuit.org/
Becky Eldredge knows what it means to turn a moment of intense suffering into a creative opportunity for God’s Spirit to work. In her latest book – “The Inner Chapel” – she applies Ignatian spirituality to the everyday struggles of ordinary people – and in so doing, encounters God.
Eldredge, an accomplished author and spiritual director – and mother of three – shares with us her reflections on how the tools of St. Ignatius can be applied in our own time, amidst the ongoing pandemic, and the rebuilding that will ultimately ensue. Whether we’re feeling overwhelmed, lonely or just uncertain of ourselves, Eldredge reminds us that we can turn to God, enter into our inner chapels, and find rest.
If you’re finding your prayer life to be a bit rocky these days, this episode – and the reflections and stories that Becky shares – are for you.
Learn more about Becky and her work: https://beckyeldredge.com/
When California Governor Gavin Newsom wanted to assemble a task force on business and jobs recovery for the state, he turned to some usual suspects: Tim Cook of Apple, Bob Iger of Disney and former fed chair Janet Yellen, among others. But right toward the top of the alphabetical list of 80 some-odd prominent Californians is a Jesuit priest and today's guest Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles.
If you’re not familiar with Homeboy’s work of empowerment and kinship with former gang members, you really have to pick up copies of Fr. Greg’s two memoirs, which are both spiritual instant classics: "Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion" and "Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship."
Host Mike Jordan Laskey asks Fr. Greg about what messages he wants to bring to the governor’s task force, and how he and Homeboy have been navigating this crazy time when their in-person ministry of compassion has been shaken up.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you get podcasts.
Homeboy Industries: https://homeboyindustries.org/
More about Fr. Greg: https://homeboyindustries.org/our-story/father-greg/
Catholic parish leaders around the world have been grappling with the pandemic in a unique way: How do you function when your existence as a community is dependent on people gathering for worship, education, and service and social events?
Host Mike Jordan Laskey poses this question and others to today's guest, Fr. John Whitney, SJ, who is the pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Seattle, the Jesuit parish there. As you might remember, the Seattle area was one of the earliest regions in North America to face the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many others, the parish has come together (while apart) in dozens of beautiful ways.
Fr. Whitney, who is the former provincial superior of what was then called the Oregon Province of the Jesuits, has loads of leadership experience to draw on in this hard time. His insight about how this experience has helped to empower the laity in some ways is fascinating to hear.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
Our special guest is Senator Bob Casey, who has been representing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Senate since 2007. In addition to being a dedicated public servant, Senator Casey has major Jesuit cred: He graduated from a Jesuit high school (Scranton Prep, Class of 1978). He graduated from a Jesuit college (The College of the Holy Cross, Class of 1982). Then, he spent a year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, teaching and coaching basketball at the Gesu School in Philadelphia.
Senator Casey and host Mike Jordan Laskey discuss the Senator's Jesuit education and how it prepared him for a career in public service. They also talked about the COVID-19 pandemic, and what roles he thinks the federal government should be playing in our response to this difficult time. And stick around until the end, when Mike asks Senator Casey to weigh in on one of Pennsylvania’s biggest culinary debates. It has to do with various forms of breakfast meat.
If you like what you hear, you can subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts. And tell your friends, especially residents of the Keystone State.
We have never needed good leadership more than we need it right now. The COVID-19 pandemic is begging for excellent leadership in every sphere of life: Government at all levels, business, education, sports, all the way down to our own family systems.
If you’re tasked with leading anything in any way these days, you’d be smart to draw some lessons from the 500-year old wisdom of St. Ignatius Loyola.
Our guest, Fr. David McCallum, SJ, has devoted much of his life to mining the Jesuit tradition for leadership principles that we can apply in the world today. He puts Ignatian spirituality into dialogue with cutting-edge leadership research from “secular” sources like the business world and academic fields like sociology and psychology.
Fr. McCallum puts his thought into action as LeMoyne College’s vice president for mission integration. He also leads the Institute for Discerning Leadership out of the Jesuit Curia in Rome, which is a formation program for senior church leaders.
He joins host Mike Jordan Laskey to talk about which principles dear to St. Ignatius are most relevant for pandemic-era leaders today.
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you've ever been to a Jesuit institution, chances are you've been told to, "Go and set the world on fire." You’ve perhaps walked down halls lined with the text of St. Ignatius’ famous prayer for generosity. And you may have been moved by Fr. Pedro Arrupe’s well-known prayer about falling in love.
But did you know none of those things were ever said? At least, not in the way you think.
Today's guest is Fr. Bart Geger, SJ, a research scholar at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, assistant professor at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College and the general editor of "Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits." He’s also the editor of a forthcoming new edition of the autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola.
As Bart will discuss — and as you might have already guessed — some of the most famous lines attributed to St. Ignatius or Fr. Arrupe are misattributed, if they were ever uttered at all.
Now, you might say: Who cares? Prayers that teach me to be generous and to serve God are good, right? Falling in love with a God who IS love is a beautiful thing, no?
Well, it’s complicated – and that’s where Fr. Geger comes in.
If you’ve been trying to read more these days, then this episode is for you. Our guest is author Nick Ripatrazone, whose latest book is titled “Longing for an Absent God: Faith and Doubt in Great American Fiction.” In the book, Nick explores how two major strands of Catholic writers--practicing and cultural--intertwine and sustain each other.
Nick talked in-depth with host Mike Jordan Laskey about Nick’s three favorite authors from his book: Flannery O’Connor, Don DeLillo and Toni Morrison. Nick also played book concierge, suggesting seven books for seven different quarantine moods.
If the conversation makes you want to talk literature with Mr. Ripatrazone himself, you’re in luck. Nick is also the facilitator of our online Jesuit Book Club. Our selection for May is the novel "Mariette in Ecstasy" by Ron Hansen. Get more information and sign up to participate at jesuits.org/bookclub.
Buy Nick's book here: https://bookshop.org/books/longing-for-an-absent-god-faith-and-doubt-in-great-american-fiction/9781506451954
Check out his website here: http://nickripatrazone.com/home.html
Last month, the journalist and Pope Francis biographer Austen Ivereigh sent a detailed list of themes and questions to the Holy Father about the COVID-19 pandemic. Austen figured he wouldn’t hear back. Luckily for us, he was 100% wrong about that.
Not only did Pope Francis respond to Austen’s questions, but he sent a long, extremely thoughtful audio recording. His responses make up perhaps the most in-depth interview the Holy Father has ever directed toward the English-speaking world.
Austen Ivereigh is today's guest. He talks with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the interview’s backstory, the Holy Father’s most striking answers, plus how Pope Francis’ response to the pandemic has reflected the central values that have characterized his pontificate since the beginning.
Read the interview here: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/time-great-uncertainty
Austen's piece on Pope Francis' remarkable Urbi et Orbi address: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/pope-plague
Keep up with Austen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austeni
Subscribe to AMDG wherever you listen to podcasts.
Earth Day 2020 is Wednesday, April 22. Though it will be different this year, as so many shelter at home amidst a global pandemic, our Gospel call to care for creation remains the same.
This brief meditation will help you listen to creation and reflect on how you might take part in climate action no matter where you are.
Reflection written and read by Eric Clayton
It's coronavirus counter-programming time! Back in early March, before the craziness hit North America, Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, president of the Jesuit Conference, sat down with host Mike Jordan Laskey in person (!) for a breezy chat about things like Fr. Tim's favorite dumb accomplishment and what law he'd enact if he was king of his own make-believe country. Also, a funny story about the time he chatted with Pope Francis.
"Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
This is the final in our series on the Seven Last Words of Jesus with Fr. Tim O'Brien, SJ.
Though the Church invites us to move from the forty days of Lent into the season of Easter, in this era of pandemic, lock downs and quarantines, many of us may feel as though Lent marches on.
Today's guests, authors Brendan McManus, SJ, and Jim Deeds, provide some spiritual solace for us in this time, inspired by their aptly named book, "Finding God in the Mess." Formed in the Troubles of Northern Ireland's brutal conflict, these two men apply Ignatian spirituality to hard, challenging moments. They invite us to do the same.
Brendan McManus SJ, an Irish Jesuit priest, works in the area of spirituality and spiritual accompaniment in Belfast. Author of a number of books including Redemption Road: Grieving on the Camino, Finding God in the Mess: Meditations for Mindful Living and Deeper into the Mess: Praying through Tough Times, he is a keen walker, having undertaken a number of pilgrimages.
Jim Deeds is engaged in pastoral ministry in Down and Connor diocese, working in helping parishes to develop their vision and potential. A husband and father, Jim has co-authored Finding God in the Mess: Meditations for Mindful Living and Deeper into the Mess: Praying through Tough Times
Learn more about their book: https://www.loyolapress.com/sitecore/commerce/products/loyola-press-shop/books/finding-god-in-the-mess
And participate in a digital Ignatian retreat for this time of pandemic: Jesuits.org/into-the-cave.
"It is finished."
In this penultimate reflection on the 7 Last Words of Jesus, Fr. Tim reflects on death -- and ultimately, why death invites us to hope.
As we face today's pandemic, what we can learn from the 14th Century's Bubonic Plague? Plenty, according to Kean University medieval historian Chris Bellitto. Parallels abound, from the scapegoating of certain communities in both eras to the impact of wealth inequality on who can "socially distance."
On the more hopeful side, reflecting on the innumerable faith leaders who gave their lives ministering to the sick in the Middle Ages, Bellitto talks about the huge opportunities religious communities have today to respond to the crisis with compassion and creativity.
Chris is a dynamic, funny, accessible teacher who makes history come alive. You'll be fascinated by his perspective.
Chris' most recent book is "Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible": http://www.paulistpress.com/Products/4990-2/ageless-wisdom.aspx
Learn more about Chris here: https://sites.google.com/a/kean.edu/christopher-m-bellitto-ph-d/
"I thirst."
Amid the current global pandemic, we might find these words of Jesus on our own lips. For what do we thirst in this moment?
Since the time of Ignatius, the Jesuits have been on mission. The legacies of Jesuit missionaries like Francis Xavier and Matteo Ricci inspire generation after generation of Jesuits to journey to the margins, to accompany the excluded and to work for a more just, peaceful world.
Today’s Jesuits are no different.
In this final part of our three-part series, the Jesuit Mission in Jordan, Eric Clayton explores the history of Baghdad College, and the enduring legacy of its Jesuits in Jordan.
Learn more about the Jesuits in Jordan by visiting jesuits.org/jordan.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Amid the current global pandemic, we might find these words of Jesus on our own lips. Rather than shake our fists in despair, let us find solace in uniting our words with Christ's.
Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ, is a public health professor at St. Louis University. He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about approaching the coronavirus as a health professional and priest, Catholic social justice teachings that apply to responses to the pandemic, and the fascinating history of Catholic healthcare.
Fr. Jim Martin, SJ, reflects on how we can draw on the tradition of Ignatian spirituality to respond to the coronavirus pandemic with faith, hope and love.
"Woman, this is your son" . . . "This is your mother."
This is the third of the 7 Last Words of Jesus, and the third in our Lenten audio reflections. Fr. Tim O'Brien, SJ, a Jesuit of the Maryland Province, leads us in meditating on how we see the cross in our everyday lives.
About two weeks ago, before Italy's national lockdown, Fr. Paddy Gilger, SJ, traveled to Milan -- epicenter of Europe's coronavirus outbreak to this point. He's still there. Host Mike Jordan Laskey talks to Paddy about the mood in the city plus how as Christians we can respond to fear with compassion and hope.
Since the time of Ignatius, the Jesuits have been on mission. The legacies of Jesuit missionaries like Francis Xavier and Matteo Ricci inspire generation after generation of Jesuits to journey to the margins, to accompany the excluded and to work for a more just, peaceful world.
Today’s Jesuits are no different.
In part two of our three-part series, the Jesuit Mission in Jordan, Eric Clayton sits down with Fr. John Sheehan, SJ, at the end of his three years in Jordan. Fr. John shares how he went from acting in NYC to becoming a Jesuit and ultimately serving in Nigeria, Jordan and more.
Learn more about the Jesuits in Jordan by visiting jesuits.org/jordan.
"Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise"
This is the second of the 7 Last Words of Jesus, and the second in our Lenten audio reflections. Fr. Tim O'Brien, SJ, a Jesuit of the Maryland Province, leads us in meditating on how we see the cross in our everyday lives.
Since the time of Ignatius, the Jesuits have been on mission. The legacies of Jesuit missionaries like Francis Xavier and Matteo Ricci inspire generation after generation of Jesuits to journey to the margins, to accompany the excluded and to work for a more just, peaceful world.
Today’s Jesuits are no different.
In part one of our three-part series, the Jesuit Mission in Jordan, Eric Clayton takes you to the Jesuit Center in Amman to hear the sounds and stories of the refugees served by the Jesuits and their collaborators.
Learn more about the Jesuits in Jordan by visiting http://jesuits.org/jordan.
"Father, forgive them, they know not what they do."
This is the first of the 7 Last Words of Jesus, and the first in our Lenten audio reflections. Fr. Tim O'Brien, SJ, a Jesuit of the Maryland Province, leads us in meditating on how we see the cross in our everyday lives.
We’ve all heard the expression: God works in mysterious ways. It sounds a little cheesy, a little trite. But the conversation you’re about to hear is a result of exactly that mystery at work.
It was not a small amount of serendipity that saw guest host Eric Clayton talking with dr. timone davis at such a crossroads moment: the end of Black History month and the beginning of Lent. And as they delved deeper into their conversation, dr. davis’s own research interest—storytelling and the Black Catholic experience—served as an organic, helpful link between these two significant moments in time.
dr. davis is an assistant professor in the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. She serves as treasurer of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium. And she runs PEACE centered WHOLENESS with her husband, where they blend clinical counseling with spiritual companioning.
An excerpt from timone's bio provides helpful insight into how her story is accessible to all: “timone davis is a cradle Catholic who was a “pewster” until she discovered that the uselessness of the Church was because she wasn’t giving anything of herself. After committing to do something, her life changed.”
Ultimately, this conversation led to an idea that might be termed "Ignatian storytelling": a reflective effort to put ourselves into stories to encounter God and one another, to heal, to reset power and privilege and ultimately to build bridges in the real world.
Ash Wednesday is THIS Wednesday. And that means we're nearly at the beginning of the season of Lent.
Each week of Lent, AMDG will feature reflections from Fr. Tim O'Brien, SJ, on the Seven Last Words of Jesus, a traditional Lenten meditation. Every Monday, a new reflection — no more than three minutes in length — will pop up in your feed.
Our prayer for you is that these brief reflections help anchor your week in Lenten spirituality, giving you something to chew on amidst the hustle and bustle of your daily life.
As a special bonus, if you subscribe now — if you tell your friends to subscribe, too — you'll also get our regularly scheduled episodes each Wednesday.
Our very special guest is Fr. Arturo Sosa, who is the 31st Superior General of the Society of Jesus -- the leader of the Jesuits worldwide.
Fr. Sosa is originally from Venezuela, where he was a political science professor and the provincial superior for a time. He’s the first person born in South America to lead the Jesuits, and he has been serving in the role since 2016, when his Jesuit brothers elected him at the Society’s 36th General Congregation.
Serving as Fr. General, as the role is called within the Society of Jesus, is a massive job. With over 16,000 Jesuits from practically every culture scattered across the globe, Fr. General is responsible for guiding the Society in the same direction and building unity within diversity.
A lot of Fr. General’s time is spent on the road, visiting Jesuit communities and works around the world to help him get a bird’s-eye view of the large Society he leads. Earlier this month, his travels led him to the West Coast of the United States, including the Jesuit retreat center in Los Altos, California, which is where host Mike Jordan Laskey sat down with him. They talked about Fr. General's visit to the States, the four Universal Apostolic Preferences that are guiding Jesuit life and mission for the next decade, and what it’s like to see his photograph on the wall of every Jesuit community on every continent he visits.
In addition to the podcast, a transcript of highlights from this conversation is available at jesuits.org.
We Americans are obsessed with work. We want meaning in our work.
We want work to align perfectly with our values. It’s a badge of honor to tell people how busy we are. And one of the nicest things you can say about someone is that they’re a hard worker.
What if we have it all wrong? What if our relationship to work is dysfunctional? And maybe even demonic?
Guest Jonathan Malesic has written extensively about work and burnout for publications like the New Republic and America Magazine. He’s currently writing a book on the topic.
Earlier in the 2000s, Jon had his dream job as a college theology professor, but the reality of the work was sapping his energy and his spirit until he had to walk away. Since that big decision, he has devoted much of his professional life to studying Americans’ relationship to work, why it’s broken, and how we might be able to fix it.
He talks with host Mike Jordan Laskey about his research, including the story of a Benedictine monastery in New Mexico that ran a successful web design business in the 90s until they just shut it down because it was interfering with their life of communal prayer. They also hit on the temptation for folks in Jesuit circles to misuse the popular Ignatian term “magis.”
Keep up with Jon’s work and find a list of all the articles discussed on today’s show at jonmalesic.com.
One great thing about Ignatian spirituality is how practical it is: Faith isn’t a separate part of your life you observe only on Sundays. Instead, Jesuit tradition talks about finding and serving God in all things and places – including where you work.
Mike Barkley is all about bringing Ignatian Spirituality into his everyday life. Mike is the CEO at KIND snacks, the company that makes those granola bars with the clear wrapper and rainbow logo you might pick up impulsively at Starbucks. Mike is an alum of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, and in recent years he has really worked at growing his faith in a bunch of ways, including the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius.
In his conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey (who used to be the youth minister at the Barkley family parish), Mike talks about how he has used Ignatian tools to discern big family and career choices, plus how a character from Star Wars helped him completely re-frame his approach as a manager.
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Last week, hundreds of students from Jesuit high schools and colleges from around the country came to Washington, DC, to speak up for the unborn at the March for Life. Before the march, they gathered at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown for the Ignatian Mass for Life, with the Jesuit Conference president Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, presiding. Host Mike Jordan Laskey talked to six of the attendees about why they showed up and why our Jesuit values drive us to protect human life and work for justice for all.
How do we ensure that Jesuit higher education is accessible to everyone?
The cost of college tuition has been in the news lately—and on the presidential debate stage. Guest Fr. Steve Katsouros, SJ, is the founder of the innovative Arrupe College at Loyola University Chicago, the first Jesuit community college in the world. He is preparing to expand the Arrupe College model nationwide. In this episode, he shares with guest host Eric Clayton some reflections from his last six years. What’s worked, what’s been challenging, and what continues to get him out of bed in the morning.
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On January 20, 2020, the United States celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Dr. King is so often remembered for his dream of racial equality, so eloquently articulated in his speeches and letters. But, as my guest today, Dr. Nicholas Mitchell of the Jesuit Social Research Institute, reminds us, Dr. King’s legacy is one that calls us to continue challenging the status quo, to live as radically as he did. From #BlackLivesMatter to prison reform, Dr. King’s dream remains, in many ways, just that: a dream that demands action, commitment and change.
Dr. Mitchell reflects on King’s legacy for us as Catholics and members of Jesuit institutions. Dr. Mithcell is a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He earned his bachelors and master’s degrees in history and his Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Louisiana State University. Over the last 9 years, he has served as a teacher in both the public and private school systems, in the community college system, and at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and is a trained community organizer. In 2016, he became a fellow at the Jesuit Social Research Institute with a special focus on race and racism.
As we reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and the ongoing scourge race and racism in our country, I encourage each of us to return to that most Ignatian of prayers: the Examen. Let us ask God to reveal where in our daily lives we have ignored or enabled racism, where we are blinded by our privilege, and where we need to ask forgiveness.
A Jesuit vocation can mean a lot of things: there are Jesuits in medicine, astronomy, international relief and development, journalism, publishing and so much more. But perhaps the line of work most often associated with Jesuits is education.
Fr. Bill Watters is passionate about education—and he’s my guest today. Fr. Watters knows the value an education can have on an individual and a community. And he’s spent a good number of years expanding the educational opportunities available to young people by founding schools in the varied and diverse communities in Baltimore, Maryland.
Fr. Watters has been a priest for more than 50 years, and he shares, here, reflections and stories from the many people he’s encountered over that time. His memory for people—their names, their faces, their stories—constantly amazes me. It’s one of the reasons he was such a beloved pastor of St. Ignatius Church in Downtown Baltimore, transforming the parish from a struggling institution on the verge of closure to the vibrant community it is today.
January 1 is a day of resolutions, promises, and commitments to form better habits, get back into shape, pick up an old hobby. January 17—more or less—is when all of those commitments begin to fade, and we look accusingly at that new gym membership.
New Years resolutions can feel like we’re set up to fail, set up for disappointment. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Today’s guest, Vinita Wright, is a spiritual author and spiritual director, a retreat facilitator and the managing editor at Loyola Press in the trade books department. She’s written fiction and non-fiction, and shares some insights and reflections from her life as a writer that can help us create better habits—and look at the process of creating those habits from a place of love and self-worth, rather than frustration. Vinita is also a student and practitioner of Ignatian Spirituality, so you can bet we spent a good deal of time exploring how St. Ignatius’ insights can help us all as we begin this new year. (Here’s a hint: it has to do with contemplation and action.)
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There’s a lot of movement in Scripture during this Christmas season. God comes among humanity through the Incarnation. The Holy Family travels to Bethlehem for a census and then flees to Egypt under threat of death. The shepherds and magi travel varying distances to be present to and encounter God.
Scripture isn’t just a historical retelling of holy events—it’s alive and speaking to us today. And when we reflect on all of these stories where we see God’s people on the move, we can’t help but think about the enormous numbers of people on the move today, forced to flee their homes due to violence, lack of opportunity, or environmental destruction.
So, for this Christmas episode, we turn to someone who is always thinking about issues impacting God’s people on the move: Joan Rosenhauer, Executive Director of Jesuit Refuge Service/USA. In this role, Joan leads the organization’s efforts in the U.S. to fulfill its mission to accompany, serve, and advocate for refugees and displaced people. As a member of JRS’s global Senior Leadership Team, she also helps lead JRS’s global operations.
Joan has a long and impressive career at the crossroads of faith and justice. She was the Executive Vice President of Catholic Relief Services, spent 16 years with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as associate director of the Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development, and has degrees in social work and public policy management.
Today’s episode may not put you in the Christmas spirit in the traditional sense—tidings of comfort and joy and all that—but it will remind you what Christ’s coming points to: a reordering of relationships to bring about God’s justice and peace.
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This is the podcast you're looking for.
Full disclosure on today’s episode: it’s a deep dive into the cultural and spiritual impacts of Star Wars — just in time for the release of the latest and final installment, The Rise of Skywalker. And it’s a real opportunity to find God in all things.
Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, is a big Star Wars nerd. He’s a screenwriter and the Los Angeles correspondent for America Magazine, and he writes a weekly newsletter about pop culture and spirituality called Pop Culture Spirit Wow. And, naturally, he’s done a lot of writing, reading and thinking about Star Wars.
This conversation on Star Wars isn’t really just about Star Wars. We’re talking here about the nature of forgiveness and redemption, the impacts of structural sin and violence and the role stories play in our understanding of spirituality. You should have a good feeling about this.
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The Prophet Habakkuk writes: “For the vision is a witness for the appointed time, a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.” Perhaps more familiar to listeners, though, are the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”
Waiting — particularly during this time of Advent — is a frustrating, if familiar, aspect of faith. Waiting for justice, all the more so. But, as our Advent prayer likely reveals, we are called to be contemplative and active; we do not waiting passively. God invites us to have a hand in bringing about this reign of justice.
This episode challenges listeners to reflect on the call to active waiting, to participation in the works of justice. Caitlin-Marie Ward, senior advisor on migration in the Jesuit Conference's Office of Justice and Ecology, talks with Almudena Bernabeu about the long, painstaking journey she has undergone to bring some semblance of justice to those killed during the bitter civil war in El Salvador.
Bernabeu is a renowned international lawyer with a long career in the fields of Transitional Justice and International Criminal and Human Rights Law. She led the investigation and prosecution of the massacre of the six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central America in El Salvador by members of the Salvadoran army during that country's civil war. It’s a timely conversation, as November 2019 marked the 30th anniversary of their murders.
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A few weeks ago, the Jesuit Dan Corrou went to Mass like any other Sunday. But the setting was far from ordinary. The Mass was being held in the Church of St. Vincent de Paul in Beirut, Lebanon, which was bombed out during Lebanon’s civil war about 40 years ago. Fr. Dan was so struck by the image of a community praying together in the largely destroyed church that he snapped a picture and posted it to Facebook, where it spread quickly. In the photo, the church is full, with a bishop presiding and a number of priests concelebrating. A choir of young people fills the corner of the sanctuary. The walls and ceiling of the church are blackened, the roof is pretty much gone, and twisted steel bars poke out of damaged concrete. Chunks of tile are missing from the walls.
The church was never repaired, and has been largely unused for decades, but recently it has served as the setting for special prayers for peace and justice amid national unrest. The Mass Fr. Dan photographed was happening as peaceful protests for government reforms filled the streets just beyond the church walls. The picture is such a striking image of where the Jesuits are called to be: on the margins of society, preaching the Gospel and promoting social justice.
Fr. Dan talks with Mike about how his vocation has taken him from New York to his ministry in Beiruit, where he works with Jesuit Refugee Services and with a community of Jesuits in studies.
Thanksgiving is the time each year when we, as a family, a community, a country, express, well, thankfulness—often, as a prerequisite to indulging in mashed potatoes, turkey and pie. But our guest today reminds us that gratitude isn’t something to confine to late November; it’s a powerful disposition that can transform our relationship—with ourselves, our neighbors, and even with God.
Dr. Monica Bartlett is a gratitude expert. She’s an associate professor and chair of the psychology department at Gonzaga University. She received her PhD in social psychology from Northeastern University, and now runs the Positive Emotion and Social Behavior Lab at Gonzaga where she examines how specific emotions influence relationship building and personal well-being outcomes. Much of her work has focused on the emotion gratitude and its role in shaping our relationships with others. Dr. Bartlett teaches Social Psychology, Psychology of Poverty and Social Class, and Human Flourishing.
Gratitude, empathy and kindness feel in short supply these days—but Dr. Bartlett has some easy, daily habits that we can cultivate to inject these virtues back into our everyday routines—and national discourse.
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Twitter is a huge social media service with over 300 million active users, including one very active user with a high profile who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington. President Trump’s controversial Twitter use is a constant reminder that Twitter impacts politics, economics, and social movements around the world. In addition to being the president’s preferred mode for communicating with the public, Twitter has been the main platform of choice for movements like Black Lives Matter and MeToo. There are also important questions about Twitter’s role in our discourse, as its openness as a platform can lead to harassment and bullying. And the constant stream of information it provides can keep us glued to our phones, even at the dinner table.
Today’s guest is a great person to talk to about all of these issues. Colin Crowell is the head of Public Policy, Government, & Corporate Philanthropy for Twitter. After graduating from Boston College in the late 1980s, Colin spent three years in Peru as part of a Jesuit-run mission project, and these Jesuit roots pointed him on a career path of working to make sure all people have open access to telecom and technology services.
Today’s interview is in two parts. Right after recording the interview, Twitter announced that it would be banning political advertisements on its platform, so Colin called back in to share some thoughts on this latest development. Be sure to stay tuned all the way to the end.
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When the documentary filmmaker Ken Burns thinks you’ve made a movie about author Flannery O’Connor worthy of a $200,000 prize awarded in his name, you’re doing pretty well. And when that movie is the first film you have ever made in your life, you’re doing REALLY well.
That’s the surprising story of guest Fr. Mark Bosco, SJ, who is the vice president for mission and ministry at Georgetown University, a scholar of British and American Catholic literature, and, as of this autumn, a prize-winning filmmaker.
Years ago, Fr. Bosco was given a collection of archival video recordings which featured interviews of some of Flannery O’Connor’s friends, who is a truly original and indispensable voice in the canon of American literature. Fr. Bosco wanted to share the interviews with the world, but didn’t know the best way to do it. So he connected with Elizabeth Coffman, a documentary filmmaker and professor at Loyola University Chicago, and they partnered to bring the film to life.
Fr. Bosco and host Mike Jordan Laskey talked about how the movie came into being, what the prize will help the filmmakers do, and why Flannery O’Connor is worth reading and studying today.
There are not many areas of the country that are discussed by more ill-informed talking heads than the US-Mexico border. But when guest Fr. Sean Carroll, SJ, talks about the region, everyone should listen.
Fr. Carroll is a Jesuit priest and the executive director of the Kino Border Initiative (KBI), where he has worked for the past 11 years. KBI is a bi-national organization co-sponsored by the Jesuits and other Catholic collaborators that has facilities in Nogales, Arizona and Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, two cities that share a name and a national boundary.
KBI serves immediate needs of migrants who are passing between the two countries, they advocate for more just immigration laws and policies, and they welcome groups from all over the United States to learn about the realities people are facing on the border.
During his trip to Washington to meet with the acting secretary of homeland security earlier this month, Fr. Carroll told host Mike Jordan Laskey about how things have changed at the border over the past decade and how his vocation as a Jesuit priest fits perfectly into the mission of welcoming and supporting migrants.
Kino Border Initiative: https://www.kinoborderinitiative.org/
Jesuits call for increased advocacy on behalf of migrants: http://jesuitmigrantsolidarity.org/
You might think of this penultimate week in October as the time to buy Halloween candy before the good stuff is gone, but here at the Jesuit Conference we are celebrating the first-ever #ExamenWeek: We’re taking a few days to feature the daily examen prayer practice, a signature element of Ignatian spirituality that Jesuits have been praying since the days of St. Ignatius himself.
The daily examen is a practical, contemplative prayer tradition that helps people find God amid their day-to-day experiences, and you don’t have to be a Jesuit to try it.
Our guest is Fr. Jim Martin, the widely published Jesuit priest, social media evangelizer and the host of a daily examen podcast produced by America Media. He’s been a Jesuit for 30 years, which is almost 11,000 daily examens, so it’s safe to say he’s an expert on the topic. Fr. Jim also talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about his recent visit to Rome, where Fr. Jim had a private audience with Pope Francis to discuss his ministry of welcome to LGBT people.
Be sure to check out #ExamenWeek on social media for more great resources to help you incorporate the daily examen into your own life.
The Examen with Fr. James Martin, SJ Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-examen-with-fr-james-martin-sj/id1346804716
Fr. Scott Santarosa, SJ, is the provincial superior of the Jesuits West Province of the United States. In English, that means he leads the Jesuits in the territory encompassing the ten westernmost states of the union.
Even more importantly, at least for our purposes on this episode, Fr. Santarosa is a die-hard Los Angeles Dodgers fan and a borderline baseball obsessive. When Fr. Santarosa talked with host and Yankees fan Mike Jordan Laskey talked recently, both teams were still alive with a shot to reach the world series, but the Dodgers were eliminated by the Washington Nationals a couple days later, so our deepest apologies to Scott for jinxing his team.
Fr. Santarosa and Mike chat about modern developments in the game and why the Jesuit thinks baseball is a road to God. Finally, Fr. Santarosa talked just a bit about, well, you know, his actual work and what he was doing with his fellow provincials in Washington, DC, recently.
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The United States is sadly unique among developed Western countries in that we still regularly execute people. And capital punishment has been in the political headlines lately, if perhaps overshadowed by other hot-button topics.
In July, the Trump Administration announced it would be reinstating federal executions, which have been on hold since 2003. Just a few months earlier, California governor Gavin Newsom went in the opposite direction, suspending the death penalty in his state, even dismantling the death chamber at San Quentin State Prison, the largest death row in the United States. Going back to the summer of 2018, Pope Francis made news when he announced the Catechism of the Catholic Church would be revised to no longer allow for the death penalty in any circumstance.
Thursday, October 10 is the World Day Against the Death Penalty, and our two guests are some of the most dedicated leaders in the faith-based movement against capital punishment: Krisanne Vaillancourt-Murphy is the executive director of the Catholic Mobilizing Network, which is celebrating ten years of organizing Catholics to stand against the death penalty and to support restorative justice efforts. Fr. George Williams, SJ, is a Jesuit priest and the chaplain at San Quentin State Prison, where he provides spiritual support to death row inmates. Host Mike Jordan Laskey talks to them both about all the death penalty headlines and how people of faith can get involved in the work.
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Catholic Mobilizing Network: https://catholicsmobilizing.org Fr. George Williams, SJ: https://jesuits.org/story?tn=project-2015021
Fr. John O’Malley joined the Jesuits in 1946, right after World War II and more than a decade before the second Vatican council was announced. You could say he’s seen a lot of change in his 92 years, but that would be a massive understatement. Fr. O’Malley looks at this era of upheaval with a historian’s eye, and he was quick to point out in his recent conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey that no period in our church’s 2000 year history has been smooth sailing.
Fr. O’Malley is the University Professor of Theology at Georgetown, where he specializes in church councils, among other topics. He has just released his 12th book, titled “When Bishops Meet.” In the book, he looks at big questions about church doctrine and structure and traces how they were handled at the Council of Trent, Vatican I and Vatican II.
Fr. O'Malley and Mike talk about the book and a recent essay by Fr. O’Malley about his years in the Jesuit novitiate. As you’ll see, Fr. O’Malley is a delightful conversation partner.
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"When Bishops Meet": https://www.amazon.com/When-Bishops-Meet-Comparing-Vatican/dp/0674988418
Fr. O'Malley's essay on the novitiate (available as PDF): https://ejournals.bc.edu/index.php/jesuit/article/view/11557
Jesuit priests Fr. Paddy Gilger and Fr. Eric Sundrup are the hosts of a wonderful new YouTube show called "Jesuit Autocomplete" from America Media. In each episode, Paddy and Eric answer a different set of Google’s most popular questions about Jesuits, the Bible, Pope Francis, and more.
After talking about the series, host Mike Jordan Laskey and Paddy and Eric draft teams of five saints each in an NBA-style selection process. You'll have to judge for yourself who ended up with the best team, but when it comes to saints, there are no bad choices.
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Watch "Jesuit Autocomplete" at America Media's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/americamedia
This is our second of two episodes with a university president as we celebrate the beginning of the academic year. Be sure to check out our last conversation with President Tania Tetlow from Loyola University New Orleans.
Today, we welcome Dr. Mike Lovell, the president of Marquette University in Milwaukee. Like President Tetlow at Loyola, Dr. Lovell is the first-ever layperson to serve as president of Marquette. A man of deep faith, he shares the story of prayerfully discerning the call to accept the pressure-packed position.
Dr. Lovell is an engineer and an inventor by trade, but one of his biggest passions in higher ed is working to address childhood trauma and the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Host Mike Jordan Laskey talks with Dr. Lovell about that important work and how a university can be both responsive to trauma and committed to academic freedom. Dr. Lovell also describes what it’s like to be in a cage underwater surrounded by hungry sharks, so listen for that.
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Tania Tetlow is a trailblazer. She is the first female president in the history of Loyola University New Orleans. She is the first layperson to serve in that role. And her first job was working for Representative Lindy Boggs, who was the first woman to represent the state of Louisiana in Congress.
As President Tetlow’s second academic year in leadership gets underway this month, host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about the challenges Loyola New Orleans is facing and what makes the university special. She describes unique career path from federal prosecutor to university president and how Loyola draws on its diversity as a major source of strength. And stay tuned until the end for our 20 Questions segment, when President Tetlow reveals what she’d say to Pope Francis if she only had time for one sentence.
Please subscribe to the show wherever you listen, and if you could, leave us a nice review on Apple Podcasts.
America Magazine story by Cokie Roberts mentioned in the interview: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/06/14/how-my-mother-helped-mentor-first-female-president-loyola-university
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, took the world by storm as the chaplain for the 2018 Loyola Chicago Final Four men's basketball team. She turns 100 on Wednesday, August 21! In this conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey and guest host Deanna Howes Spiro of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, Sr. Jean reflects on turning 100, her instant rise to fame last year, and what advice she might offer new college students starting this fall.
Last month, Matt Wooters, a Jesuit brother from the Midwest Province, decided he was going to try and swim six miles for a birthday fundraiser benefiting the immigration legal aid group RAICES. The only problem was he only had a few weeks to train and it’s not like he was doing long-distance swims all the time.
But as Brother Matt is wont to do, he just went for it. His effort struck a cord, and the the fundraiser blew up on social media. With an original goal of $1000, he blew past that right away and ended up raising over $23,000 for RAICES.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey chats with Matt to ask him about the swim, his thoughts on why he thinks the fundraiser did so well, and how his experience working with immigrant families has affected his view of our political discourse around migration.
Matt was also the first participant in a new segment on the show, which we’re calling 20 Questions, so stay tuned for that at the end of the episode.
As we continue to grow here at AMDG, we’d really appreciate it if you could leave us a nice review on iTunes, subscribe to the show wherever you listen, and tell your friends and family about it.
If you’ve been to Catholic Mass in the United States at some point over the past few decades, you’ve probably sung at least one piece of music by a group of five composers called the St. Louis Jesuits.
Here, I’ll quiz you. How many of these song titles do you recognize?
Be Not Afraid. Here I Am, Lord. Come to the Water. City of God. One Bread, One Body. Lift Up Your Hearts. Though the Mountains May Fall.
I bet you’re humming at least one of them already.
While the St. Louis Jesuits have gone their separate ways over the years, all writing and playing music independently, they are reuniting in September for one final concert together – a 50th anniversary celebration of their partnership.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey spoke with two of the members of the group, Fr. Roc O’Connor, SJ, and Dan Schutte, about five of the group’s greatest compositions, one by each member, and had a lot of fun walking down memory lane.
When best-selling author and public intellectual Malcolm Gladwell announced he was doing a three-part podcast on thinking like a Jesuit, we had to learn more. Host Mike Jordan Laskey chats with Malcolm about the origins of the series, what surprised him in his deep dive into Jesuit moral reasoning, and why most every modern political problem could use a dose of St. Ignatius. This is the first official episode of AMDG, a new podcast from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. Please subscribe and tell your friends! Connect with us at jesuits.org.
The Women’s World Cup is in full swing in France, with more elite teams vying for the championship than ever before. One of the biggest soccer fans around is Pope Francis, who recently said that sports “can foster a culture of dialogue and respectful encounters.”
We wanted to use the occasion of the World Cup to dig into the spiritual and character-building dimensions of sports, so our guests are two people who have been connected to the game of soccer for four or five decades between them: Shannon Hartinger is the girls' varsity soccer coach at Loyola Academy, a Jesuit high school in in Wilmette, Illinois. She played in college at North Carolina State University, where she was a two-time captain and an all-conference scholar-athlete.
James Millikan, SJ, is a Jesuit in formation who is studying philosophy, social sciences and math at ITESO, the Jesuit University of Guadalajara in Mexico. James played goalkeeper at Whitman College in Washington State and has also coached high school soccer.
Every minute, 24 people are forced to leave their home because of war, persecution or violence.
Experts estimate that there are more people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict than at any other point since World War II.
We are in midst of a global refugee crisis.
In over 50 countries where the crisis is the worst, the Jesuits are there. Jesuit Refugee Service, which was founded in 1980 by then-Jesuit superior general Pedro Arrupe, serves over 640,000 people around the world each year.
June 20 is World Refugee Day, which is celebrated annually to lift up refugees and raise awareness of the challenges they face. Our guest is Giulia McPherson, the director of advocacy and operations for Jesuit Refugee Service USA, who shares about JRS' work and how we can get involved in support of their incredible mission.
Connect with JRS: https://www.jrsusa.org/ Giulia's bio: https://www.jrsusa.org/about-us/our-team/#giulia
Produced by the Office of Communications and Vocation Promotion of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.
Hosted by Mike Jordan Laskey. Edited by Marcus Bleech. Theme music by Kevin Laskey.
If you had met Fr. Ted Penton, SJ, right before turn of the millennium and told him he’d be ordained a Jesuit priest in 2019, he wouldn’t have believed you.
Ted was an atheist when he decided to go on a retreat at a Buddhist monastery in Thailand while traveling after college. His experience there changed everything, and led him on a path back to the Catholic Church, the spiritual home of his childhood.
Fr. Ted is one of the newest Jesuit priests in the world. He ordination was just a few weeks ago in Toronto, one of the 22 Jesuits set to be ordained to the priesthood this year. In this conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey, Ted opens up about his faith journey, his ordination, and how he went about writing the homily for his first Mass as the presider when the Gospel for the day wasn’t his all-time favorite passage.
As my wife would tell you, I am a compulsive Amazon shopper. A few taps of my thumb and voila – diapers or granola bars or a massaging seat cover for the car show up at our house two days later.
I wish I wasn’t so bad at this, because I know Amazon is not a great company, to put it mildly. Their CEO Jeff Bezos is the richest man in the world and his lowest-paid employees barely make $30,000 a year while facing some pretty tough working conditions in Amazon warehouses.
What I am supposed to do with this cognitive dissonance? What wisdom does our faith have to offer in this age of mammoth CEO salaries and truly unfathomable wealth disparity?
Joe Hoover, a Jesuit brother, writer, actor, and poetry editor for America Magazine in New York, tackles those questions and more in a recent piece for America titled “If Jeff Bezos wants to be ‘disruptive’, he should listen to biblical prophets.”
Brother Joe joined me to talk about the piece and also his vocation as a Jesuit brother in honor of Religious Brothers Day, which is May 1.
Read his piece here: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2019/04/24/if-jeff-bezos-wants-be-disruptive-he-should-listen-biblical-prophets
On Monday afternoon here on the East Coast, the horrifying photos and videos began to pour in: the Notre-Dame Cathedral was on fire. The international outpouring of sorrow and compassion was immediate, even among people who've never been to the cathedral. Why? What does a great cathedral mean to us -- even in this secular age?
Our guest Fr. Gilbert Sunghera, SJ, is a Jesuit priest who was trained in architecture and now serves as an associate professor of architecture at the University of Detroit Mercy. He talks about the roles a cathedral like Notre-Dame plays in our culture, our common hunger for beauty, and more.
Host Mike Jordan Laskey chats with his former college roommate, Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ, about Fr. Michael's vocation promotion ministry, Pope Francis' new letter on young people and the church, and they take turns drafting books of the Bible, assembling Scriptural super-teams of five books apiece. (It's like the NFL Draft but way more fun.)
This past winter, the cause for sainthood for Fr. Pedro Arrupe was officially opened in Rome. Fr. Arrupe served as the Jesuits’ superior general from 1965 to 1983, right in the middle of the huge changes in the church caused by the Second Vatican Council. He’s sometimes called the “second founder” of the Jesuits because so much of what he emphasized continues to characterize the Society of Jesus today. Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, reflects on the legacy of this beloved leader who’s moving toward canonization.
Six years ago this week, an Argentinian Jesuit named Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope. That's a pretty good chunk of time to get your priorities in motion. Fr. Tim Kesicki, SJ, president of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States, sat down with host Mike Jordan Laskey to talk about Pope Francis' leadership and vision. Plus, Fr. Tim shares what the Holy Father told him when they met a few years ago and talks about the importance of the annual retreat Jesuits take, which Pope Francis is on this week.
February 6 is the Feast of St. Paul Miki and Companions. Paul Miki was a Japanese Jesuit brother who was martyred with 25 other Catholics in Japan in 1597. Fr. Jody Magtoto, SJ, is a Filipino Jesuit missioned to Japan. He's spending a few months in the United States "interning" with the Jesuit Conference here in preparation for launching a communications office back in Japan. He shared a bit about St. Paul Miki and what it's like to be a Jesuit priest in a country less than 0.5% Catholic.
"Justice" is Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year. What does that word mean to Jesuits? Mike Jordan Laskey from the Jesuit Conference called up Fr. Jeremy Zipple, SJ (https://twitter.com/jzipple), who's serving at St. Martin de Porres Parish and School in Belize. He offered some great insight into what it means to have a "faith that does justice."
Learn more about Fr. Jeremy here: http://jesuits.org/story-details?TN=PROJECT-20130320034520&MTN=0748CD7A-E389-411E-B3EA-50C13761D85D