Visitation Sessions (A Podcast)

Why does Chris hate “Sleepless in Seattle”? Can a Nancy Meyers interior atone for her characters’ abominable moral choices? Does Gen Z’s attitude’s towards boundaries make for bad movies with uninspiring heroes? And what difference does it make to our world that so many bad movies have wormed their way into our cultural imagination? We’re talking about all that and more, this week on “Visitation S...

The quality of chocolate sold in America is going downhill rapidly. So is the quality of refrigerators. And shoes. And clothes. And coffeepots. And just about everything else you can buy. Why is this? Why does it matter? And why should Christians in particular care about the “encrappification” of everything? That’s what we’re talking about this week, on Visitation Sessions. Want to spend a week ha...

This week, we return with the second-half of our conversation with AIM Women’s Center and Mother of Mercy Maternity Home Director Rebekah Cohen Morris. We discuss how to support vulnerable women facing crisis pregnancies, and how you can support this beautiful work. Show notes: * AIM Women's Center in Steubenville, Ohio * Mother of Mercy Home This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this...

On this week’s episode, Emily is BACK from England. We discuss her time at the Symbolic World conference, Eastern & Orthodox spirituality, an upcoming human-speed pilgrimage, adventures from the Grand Canyon, the incontinence of Camo the kitten, and a fan-submitted question about the use of cannabis. If you haven’t yet subscribed to our YouTube channel, PLEASE do! (it’s free) Listen on Substack of...

This week, the Visitation Sessions crew sits down with Rebekah Cohen Morris, executive director of AIM Women’s Center, and convert to the Catholic faith. Like the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, her story begins in West Philadelphia. Her journey to Catholicism led her from a high-powered life as a Protestant lawyer in Atlanta, GA to the streets of Steubenville, OH where she is the Executive Director of t...

Catholic Answers recently tackled a question about whether or not Catholics can, in good conscience, take their families to the beach. This week, on Visitation Sessions, we’re talking about what their answer was lacking, what really constitutes a near occasion of sin, and why going to the beach may be the best reality check there is for people who struggle with objectifying women’s bodies. Show No...

We discuss Wendell Berry and his writings, particularly his novel Jayber Crow. We also have an update from Kate on the upcoming Steubenville International Film Festival. Show notes: * Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry * Steubenville International Film Festival This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit visitationsessions.substac...

This week, the Visitation Sessions gang catches up on various lifestyle choices, including sending kids to a Waldorfy-Montessori-Harry Potteresque school, Casey’s hair tragedy at EWTN, and a special meet-n-greet with Emily in England. Also, if you haven’t yet seen us on Youtube, please subscribe HERE (it doesn’t cost you a dime). Thank you to all of our listeners and supporters, especially our ful...

This week, we’re dropping a BONUS episode for our full-subscribers. We’re super grateful to all of you for making the podcast and video studio possible. Next week, we’ll be back on video. On that note, if you haven’t yet subscribed to our Youtube Channel, check it out HERE. Show notes: * St. Michael’s Abbey * Sacred Wine: the Holy History and Heritage of Catholic Vintners by Emily Stimpson Chapman...

How exactly does Emily wrestle words onto a page? Will Chris be constructing a cottage for her in the backyard? And how did listening to Madonna in a hot dog shoppe inspire Casey to write a chorus for a song about a drowned sailor? What is happening with EWTN? Find out the answer to these questions and more, as we discuss how writing (or songwriting) makes us more human. Show notes: * Rick Rubin/...

What do you do if a slice of your finger is chopped off, you’re afraid a family member will go to hell, you don’t know whether you should veil at mass, or you can’t figure out how to get along with your mother-in-law? This week, we tackle tough questions from listeners, as well as an update on Emily’s recent kitchen accident. Listen to the full episode now, or check out our brand new Youtube Chann...

This week, we dive head-first into the controversy over Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey , and the importance of Homer, Shakespeare, and modern interpretations of their work. We also FINALLY debut our long-awaited podcasting studio, where you can watch all of our facial expressions and see Emily’s interior decorating decisions by accessing the link to our brand-spanking new Youtube channel . Give us a...

This week, we talk about the complicated moral quandaries posed by IVF—including the topic of embryo adoption. What does the Magisterium of the Church have to say on this subject? And how should we respond to the Church whenever we’re told No ? Show notes: * Does the Catholic Church Approve of Embryo Adoption? * Donum Vitae * Dignitas Personae * The Vatican's Orphans from 60 minutes * IVF is Not t...

Are we living in the twilight of the American empire? Was the American Revolutionary war a Just War? Is Donald Trump quint-essentially American? This week, we tackle all of these issues with the grace of someone doing pirouettes in a minefield. Show notes: * The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher * The Advent of Salvation by Jean Daniélou S.J. * Rick Monday saves the American flag * John Adams quo...

We’re BAAAaaack! The gang is back together again, and share stories and insights of their travels abroad. Emily & Chris return from the green pastures of Austria and the English moors, and regale us with tales the motherland, and how our souls are really pining for something beyond this world. Hear how Kate produced a Shakespeare production, and how Casey rescued a stranger on hot day. Show notes:...

The ever-reaching tentacles of AI are EVERYWHERE these days, and Pope Leo has finally given us some insights and moral considerations in his recent Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas . All of us on the far-flung corners of the globe currently are pouring through his writings, preparing for a future episode. This week, Emily is busily lecturing in the kitchen of a medieval monastery, and has assigned h...

How Not to Save the Planet Letters from Austria Steubenville Warming Center This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit visitationsessions.substack.com/subscribe

Mystery and Manners: Occasional Prose by Flannery O'Connor All Along the Waterfront Silver, Sword, and Stone: Three Crucibles in the Latin American Story by Maria Arana Thomas Crapper Ursula K. Le Guin article This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit visitationsessions.substack.com/subscribe

As the age of AI dawns, how do you hold on to your capacity to think, write, focus, empathize, and do all the things proper to human persons? According to some folks, the answer is friction-maxxing — otherwise known as going out of your way to do human things the old-fashioned way. This week, we’re chatting about the nature and benefits of friction-maxxing … and whether it’s actually necessary for...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit visitationsessions.substack.com Last week, we couldn’t record our podcast because Emily had no voice. Not a raspy voice. Not a hoarse voice. Quite literally no voice. This week, we can’t record because the Stapletons are sailing the high seas sans Internet with Casey’s family. We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next we...

Is it wrong to bet on sports? What about playing the lottery? Or all those 50/50 tickets every Catholic school in America is selling? This week, we’re parsing the Church’s very broad teaching on gambling, as we chat about games of chance and being good stewards of the money God has given us. Show Notes: CCC 2413 “The Rise of Sports Betting is a Growing Public Health Crisis” AOC on gambling On the...

Why do Christians celebrate Holy Week? What is the point of it all? How have we done it in the past? How are we doing it now? And how does it shape us as Christians? Talking about all that and more this week, on Visitation Sessions. P.S. Special thanks to Select International Tours for sponsoring this week’s episode. Select does many things very, very well, and one of those things is pilgrim forma...

For the past two months, one of us (Chris) has been teaching a class on the history of Black Catholics in the United States. This week, we’re talking about some of that history and the consequences it has for the life of the Church in America today. Show Notes * The History of Black Catholics in the United States by Cyprian Davis * A Black Patriot and a White Priest by Stephen J. Ochs * Desegregat...

It’s Saint Joseph’s feast day, and we are celebrating this very special solemnity by taking a break from all our Lenten fasts and diving into the Scriptural and theological foundations of building a relationship with Saint Joseph (and all the other saints). Note: This relationship should not include burying a statue of Saint Joseph upside down in your yard, thinking that will somehow get your hous...

We’ve had a slew of new listeners since the New Year, and that was reflected in the questions you all sent for this week’s Q&A. So, this week, we’re sharing all about Casey’s time as monk (technically “canon”), Emily’s year cleaning toilets for world leaders, Kate’s plumbing free, electricity free mountain cabin, and Chris’s fall from grace. Hope you don’t regret asking! Show Notes: Reclaiming Qui...