Always Hope

Let’s talk about Mother Frances Xavier Cabrini! In today’s episode, I welcome back Kristen Theriault, spokesperson for Sophia Institute Press, to discuss all things related to Mother Cabrini, including the new Cabrini movie by Angel Studies, and two books by Sophia: The World is Too Small: The Life and Times of Mother Cabrini and The Mother Cabrini Companion: A Spiritual Journey with a Courageous Woman of God. We discuss the life of Mother Cabrini, what the movie got right and where it took creative liberties, and the critiques to the film. We also dive deep into Mother’s unwavering faith, her unprecedented apostolic activity, how she expanded her outreach to 67 missions all over the world, and how her active life flowed from her contemplative one. Kristen also shares anecdotes and prayers she learned from Mother Cabrini. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Instagram. Please leave a rating and write a review! Websites mentioned in the show: The World is Too Small: The Life and Times of Mother Cabrini and The Mother Cabrini Companion: A Spiritual Journey with a Courageous Woman of God. Kristen’s Substack Episode 35: Who is Walter Ciszek? | John M. DeJak Episode 121: Psychology and the Cross | Kristen Van Uden

In today’s episode, I welcome back Danny Fitzpatrick to discuss his new book released by Sophia Institute, titled "Restoring the Lord's Day: How Reclaiming Sunday Can Revive Our Human Nature." We discuss the importance of the Sabbath, how it is crucial for restoring our human nature, and how culture has shifted away from recognizing its significance. We also talk at length about the surprising ways Acedia (slothfulness) manifests in our lives and how it leads to a sadness about Divine goods. We end the episode by offering practical ways of reclaiming the Sabbath in your life and family. This episode is a call to integrate these principles into daily life, while emphasizing the transformative power of dedicating time to God, especially on Sundays. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Instagram. Further Information: Sophia Institute Press@fitz.the.writereditor.jdv@gmail.com

As a marriage therapist that integrates my faith into my work, it is often difficult to find resources I can share about marital intimacy that are appropriate for Catholic and Christian couples, because what is generally out there is overly explicit and reductionistic. What can faithful couples do who want to improve their physical intimacy? Listen to this episode and share with their friends. I’m excited to welcome back to the podcast, Dr. Sarah Bartel, Catholic moral theologian, to discuss her new online course: My Delight for Catholic Wives. This episode is a comprehensive discussion on the topic of enhancing marital intimacy within the context of faith. We focus on common challenges faced by Catholic Christian wives regarding physical intimacy. We discuss the differences between men and women’s anatomies, arousal curves, and experiences of lovemaking. The conversation covers various aspects such as dealing with emotional challenges, physical challenges, misconceptions around 'obligation sex,' and other hinderances to healthy sexual expression in marriage. We cover many practical suggestions for improving intimacy that will help your marriage: the need for transition time, seeing intimacy as an important part of your relationship, the significance of foreplay, and embracing novelty while staying connected to each other. I am giving the caveat that this is a detailed conversation, so you may want to listen to this one with your headphones on. And I strongly encourage that this episode be listened to by folks who are already married or engaged couples preparing for marriage. It’ll help you reclaim joy in the bedroom. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Instagram. Websites mentioned in the show: My Delight Course Embracing Intimacy Guide

Are you experiencing loneliness and not quite sure what to do about it? Then this episode will be of great benefit to you. Today, I welcome Regina Boyd, licensed marriage and family therapist and author of the new book Leaving Loneliness Behind: 5 Keys to Experiencing God’s Love and Building Healthy Connection with Others. In this episode, we have an in-depth conversation exploring themes of loneliness, the importance of connection, and strategies for developing healthier relationships. It covers a range of topics from setting healthy boundaries to understanding the impact of past experiences on current behavior. Regina also shares insights into her book along with practical advice for fostering meaningful connections in today’s society. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Instagram. Websites mentioned in the show: “Leaving Loneliness Behind” Book Link Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation

Do you struggle with scrupulosity or know a loved one who does? If so, this episode will provide great insights and solutions for you. Today, I welcome Rebecca Martin, editor of the book “Scrupulosity: Heal Your Mind, Unbind Your Soul, and Let God Work.” The book was written by the late Dr. Kevin Vost, who we honor in the show. In this episode, we examine scrupulosity through a moral, spiritual, and psychological lens, offer insights from the saints, detail the difference between temptation and sin, share how growth in the virtues are crucial, and describe therapeutic interventions that aid the process of healing. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Instagram. Websites mentioned in the show: Scrupulosity: Heal Your Mind, Unbind Your Soul, and Let God Work Overcoming Stress and Anxiety Course. Use coupon code: Sacasa25 Other episodes to consider: 119 - Eat Healthy. Be Holy. | Dr. Kevin Vost 135 – The Devout Life | Dcn. Matthew Newsome

How often do men and women feel at odds with each other in relationships, dating, marriage, and parenting? What if those differences we there by design and ignoring them only creates more frustration? What if equality didn’t equal sameness? Joining me on the show to talk about how we can navigate these differences more effectively is Dr. Brett Salkeld, host of the Thinking Faith! Podcast. I love talking with Brett, so grateful to have him back on the show. In today’s episode we discuss the importance of acknowledging the inherent differences between men and women, how that leads to deeper connection and intimacy, and how evolutionary psychology provides some context to these questions. Throughout the episode we share insightful analogies and real-life examples illustrating how these pricniples play out in everyday life. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Instagram. Websites mentioned in the show: Thinking Faith! Podcast

How does the decline in marriage impact the decline in faith practice and affiliation? What has contributed to the rise in “none’s”? Can scientific research and inquiry help us understand the connection between marriage and faith? To have this important conversation, I welcome JP De Gance, founder and president of Communio, which is a nonprofit ministry that trains and equips churches to share the Gospel through the renewal of healthy relationship, marriages, and the family. In today’s episode, we discuss loneliness in America, marriage and divorce statistics, how the perception of marriage has changed from a cornerstone to capstone venture, how the decline in marriage correlates with the decline in faith practice, how dads play a key role in their children’s faith practice, and strategies that parishes and communities can implement to serve better serve marriage. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Communio Nationwide Study on Faith and Relationships

Calling all couples married around 15-20 years! This episode is for you! Today, I welcome Damon Owens, internationally acclaimed speaker and co-founder of Joyful Ever After, to talk about how to thrive in a middle-aged marriage. We discuss how to overcome long-held resentments and negative patterns of communication with your spouse; how to express unmet needs; the importance of having a supportive community and friends who care about your marriage; maintaining curiosity, wonder, and delight in your spouse; planning intentional moments of connection, date nights, and retreats; and what physical intimacy looks like at this stage of marriage. We share stories throughout and it’s a great episode. Episode recorded on Oct 13, 2023. If you find this show helpful, please leave a rating or write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Joyfuleverafter.org

Have you noticed that many debates in our society center around the term “rights”? But what exactly is a right? Is it possible to define it? And should adults make sacrifice for the rights of children? Today I welcome Katy Faust, the founder of Them Before Us, a global educational and advocacy group on behalf of children’s rights. She offers clarity about the importance of rights being anchored in natural law. This leads us into an in-depth conversation about a wide variety of topics including marriage, the impact of reproductive technologies, adoption, why conservative arguments fall on deaf ears, and what we can do to communicate a better story. We end the episode with a brief conversation about her involvement in Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. If you find this show helpful, please leave a rating or write a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Them Before Us Clip of Katy’s appearance on Q&A (Australia) Alliance for Responsible Citizenship

Here’s a little gift to you during this busy Christmas season. I know that we all have a thousand things on our minds right now: shopping, traveling, Christmas dinner prep, friends, family, etc. So, let’s take a break from that together. Join me as we take a moment to reflect the good of this year and bring it before the Child Jesus. It’s a short, guided meditation, therefore try to listen to it in a place where you can engage with this exercise. Have a Merry Christmas! God bless you and your families this season!

I welcome back Sr Josephine Garrett, author of the book “Hope: An Invitation” by OSV Books. Sister Josephine shares her journey of faith, the challenges she faced, her experiences of prayer, and the moments of surrender she had to make in her life. By drawing upon her personal experience, she sheds light onto the power of hope, and how it serves as an 'anchor' guiding us through difficulties. We discuss the importance of deciding and committing, and the idea that hardships and darkness can be an invitation to a deeper relationship with God. We also share about the dangers of cynicism and warn against endless exploration of the past. We end the show by praying the Litany of Waiting. This episode is an exploration of faith, hope, love, and the role of waiting in one's spiritual journey. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Hope: An Invitation Book Link Episode 073: Are you Healthy Enough to Discern a Vocation? with Sr. Josephine Garrett. Overcoming Stress and Anxiety Use the code Sacasa25 at checkout to get 25% off

How should Christians engage at the crossroads of work, technology, and the creative life? How do modern advancements in computing and coding shape our faith? What are realistic fears of generative AI? Joining me on the show is Terry Brisbane, lead pastor at CornerstoneSF in San Francisco, CA, and Rusty Rueff, host of Faith Driven Entrepreneur, to talk about their new book “Faith Code: A Future-Proof Framework for a Life of Meaning and Impact.” In today’s episode, we discuss how to build our lives like a platform not an app, the future of technology and its impact on our lives, their ground level experience of what is happening in Silicon Valley and how that impacts culture, the hopes for technology, and areas of concern. We also discuss the role of work in our faith life, where to begin when you are discerning a career, and how to define success through the lens of the Gospel. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: thefaithcode.com

How do we grow in our devotion of Christ? What are the things we should be paying attention to? What should we be avoiding? Wouldn’t it be nice if there was some book that introduced these concepts? Yes there is. Joining me on the show today is Deacon Matt Newsome, author of the book “The Devout Life: A Modern Guide to Practical Holiness with St. Francis de Sales. In this book, Deacon Matt, takes the teachings of St Francis’ great spiritual text, Introduction to the Devout Life, and transposes that message for the modern ear. In today’s episode, we discuss the teachings of St. Francis de Sales and what inspired the great saint to write this book, how to start living a life of devotion for God, the differences between external and internal expressions of devotion, how to grow in prayer, ways to overcome temptations, and how to navigate worry through the eyes of faith. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: The Devout Life Book Test Everything Blog Western Carolina University Campus Ministry

Joining me on the show is Chad Etzel, leadership coach and host of the Catholic, Single, and Flourishing Podcast, to talk through the challenges of being a single guy in the dating scene today. We discuss the limiting beliefs that men often have pertaining to dating, unhelpful cultural messages about men, looking at dating and talking to women as skills that can be developed, the pressures of being one of the few guys at young adult events, the differences in dating from high school to young adulthood, defining dating success, how to know when a girl is interested, how to ask a her out, and what talk to about on the first date. Ladies chime in and let us know if any of these approaches work! If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Catholic, Single, and Flourishing Podcast

Alright young adults, here’s your episode on how to navigate the complexities of friendship, romance, and life’s challenges. In today’s episode, I welcome Dr. Andrew and Sarah Swafford, authors of the new book “Gift and Grit: How Heroic Virtue Can Change Your Life and Relationships”, published by Ascension Press. We have a wonderful conversation about the importance finding meaning in life, learning how to navigate the oversaturation of content found online, seeing life as a story and learning the important part that you play in it, the gift of boredom, giving space to process and think, learning how to develop healthy community, how grit relates to acceptance of divine providence, and the need to be patient through onerous times. Episode recorded on July 21, 2023 If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: The Swafford’s Website

Today I welcome, Travis Thompson, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and author of the book, “To Those Left Behind: Helping Partners and Families Understand and Heal from Addiction.” In this episode, we explore the complicated nature of being married to an addict, examine addiction through the lens of attachment, offer steps of recovery for addicts and spouses, discuss codependency, the strengths and limitations of aa and al-anon groups, and how to set boundaries when married to an addict. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Travis Thompson’s Website

I welcome to the show Kristen Jenson, founder of the Defend Young Minds and author of the book, Good Pictures Bad Pictures. In today’s show, we talk about teaching our kids “digital self-defense,” why filtering and monitoring software are important but not enough, giving our kids spaces to develop the virtues we are teaching them, tips for parents on how to have conversations about pornography with their kids, and what to do if you discover a child has been looking at it. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Defend Young Minds Overcoming Stress and Anxiety Use code Sacasa25 for 25% off. Covenant Eyes Use code faithandmarriage for a free month.

We know that pornography is a huge problem, but what can churches do to combat the issue? Joining me on the show to talk through that question is Sam Black, author of “The Healing Church: What churches get wrong about pornography and how to fix it.” Sam is also the director of recovery education at Covenant Eyes. In today’s episode, we talk about the value of Covenant Eyes for families and not just for individuals struggling with porn, the importance of ongoing conversations with our kids, how churches can proactively tackle this issue through sermons, homilies, and offering groups, why we need to be aware of the scope of this issue, how it impacts men and women, the effects of early exposure, how to establish ally relationships, and what to do when priests and ministry leaders struggle with pornography. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or sharing it on your social media. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Free copy of “The Healing Church” book (limited to 25) The Healing Church Book Safe Haven Sunday Covenant Eyes

Does the body have inherent meaning? What happens when different understands of the body collide? How can Catholics respond when this ideology comes up at work and home? In today’s episode, I welcome John Bursch, vice president of appellate advocacy for Alliance Defending Freedom, to talk about his new book “Loving God’s Children.” In this episode, we discuss why the Church cares about these issues, the need for dialogue, the Church’s understanding of the human body, finding meaning in suffering, what the science says about best practices for treating gender dysphoria, and the impact of laws that limit free speech in counseling. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: Loving God’s Children: The Church and Gender Ideology Alliance Defending Freedom Overcoming Stress and Anxiety Series Use code Sacasa25 to get 25% off

What is the goal of the education system? And how should a Catholic education differ from others? If you are an educator, school administrator, or have kids in school, I promise that you need to pay attention to this episode. Joining me on the show is Dr. Brett Salkeld, archdiocesan theologian for the Archdiocese of Regina in Canada, and author of the book, “Educating for Eternity: A Teacher’s Companion for Making Every Class Catholic.” In today’s show we discuss how the goals of education should aim higher that just forming productive citizens of society, the importance of knowing how your values influence your teaching, how to appropriately integrate Catholicism into the various teaching disciplines, and the need to avoid indoctrination and political fearmongering. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with one person who you think would benefit from it. Also, please consider leaving a rating or writing a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Have thoughts about this episode? Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Websites mentioned in the show: “Educating for Eternity” book