Lapsed

::::::This is a shorter version of a longer exclusive video episode that can be viewed in full on our PATREON .:::::: This episode has EVERYTHING: scorned conservative Cardinals, inclusive Papal dinners, slightly racy circus performers at the Vatican. Listen in! LINKS: Video of the Benedict circus performance   Video of the Francis circus performance  REACH OUT: WE HAVE PATREON!  http://www.patreo...

Four baptized-Catholic women walk onto a podcast…and two of them are Lutheran pastors! Listen in as Anne and Steph get alllll the Christian deets from Cafeteria Christian co-hosts Natalia Terfa and Emmy Kegler . Topics include biblical translation nerdery (the hosts are so here for this), differences and similarities between Catholicism and Lutheranism, and that time Natalia drank holy water (gasp...

Did you know that early Christian basilicas were repurposed Roman court buildings with the door in a new location? Or that there’s a chapel in Rome built from human bones?  Tune in as the Anne and Steph talk all things early Christinity and art history with lapsed Catholic art historian Heather Bowling! (Also hear the moment when Anne realizes she may be one of the tiktok husbands.) And don’t forg...

Steph and Anne dive headfirst into season 3 with some major catching up on #CatholicismInTheNews! Listen in as they talk bogus bankruptcy claims, priest-related relationship drama, and mutinous nuns!   ANNNNDDDD…..the podcast has a new PATREON!  Head to https://www.patreon.com/LapsedPodcast to contribute and get access to exclusive content, Q&As, and more! LINKS Baltimore Archdiocese Files for...

School’s out for the summer (and so are we)! The hosts say “go in peace” and “see you in the fall” and things like that, but not before hearing a listener story about making a pit stop at Mass on the way to the ER (because #priorities).  Have a great summer, lapsed friends! SPECIAL COLLECTION: Full Spectrum Community Outreach WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! Share your stories, thoughts, and questions wi...

The hosts try something new this episode as they each share a ***top secret*** (or maybe not-so-secret) interview with the other. Stephanie gets all the deets from real live Gen Z Catholic school girl Maeve. Anne interviews a fellow alum of her own Catholic high school, Katie Owens Mulcahy, whose recent article about the potential for women deacons in the Catholic church was featured in America Ma...

The first rule of Kairos is that you don’t talk about Kairos….and today the hosts are rule breakers!  Listen in as Anne recounts her experience with this widespread Catholic senior retreat program. References include Cindy Lauper and the Indigo Girls.   NOTE:  See below link for a (more or less) positive update on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence/Dodgers situation since we recorded! LINKS: Vati...

Show up for some awesome queer Latine BookTok gossip, stick around for the excellent #catholicgrandma content. Curl up with your beverage of choice and listen in as literary enthusiast and TikTok-er Lupita Aquino spills the tea about skipping out on catechism classes for the thrills of the mall, the trials and tribulations of celebrating your birthday on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (and...

Listen in as Steph and Anne catch up Catholicism in the News. Topics include limbo, the devil holding Jesus ransom, a song that cuts down on Purgatory time, the AI-generated papal puffer coat that launched a thousand tweets, diocese on the Moon, and Jesus’s DNA. Weirdly, this episode includes two references to the decidedly non-Catholic British Royal Family.  Links: The Catholic Church can never a...

Anne and Steph chat with Dani, (she/they) a writer, illustrator, Costa Rican, femme lesbian, and devout catholic who spends most of her time reminding everybody of those last two facts. Dani runs the blog and subsequent store “And Her Saints” , which seeks to illustrate the holy in an affirming and inclusive way. Topics include accidentally denying the virgin Mary as a child (omglol so sorry Our L...

Beyond the green beer and corned beef, what is the actual deal with Saint Patrick?  Grab a pint of Guinness and listen in as Anne and Steph learn the truth (maybe?) about shamrocks, banished snakes, and the true origins of corned beef of St. Paddy's Day.  There’s also some deer-related pagan-esque magicky stuff which they totally did not expect. #themoreyouknow 🌈 🍀🦌 Links: Rabbi & 11-ye...

As  #transdayofvisibility  approaches, we are honored to share our conversation with  @comebacktocare  founder Nat Vikitsreth, a dot connector, norm agitator, and lover of liberation who supports social justice curious parents to practice social justice in their parenting while re-parenting their inner child. Listen in as Nat talks about what it was like attending an all boys'  #catholicschool...

Anne quizzes Stephanie on Ash Wednesday facts. Spoiler alert: as far as Catholic stuff goes, this may be the most loosey goosey day of the liturgical year! The hosts also talk Catholic toxic masculinity (gross) and about how the Sisters of Mercy are actually kind of rad when it comes to social justice stuff. Sidebars include 80’s Ballroom drag culture and recreational squirrel feeding. LINKS Pope...

Steph and Anne engage in a much needed catch-up session on ***Catholicism In The News*****. College students are sharing dorms with nuns. The FBI is targeting Catholics (but in a needed way). Francis extolls the virtues of....flipping the bird (?!??!). The hosts know an embarrassing number of lyrics to Billy Joel’s “Only The Good Die Young.” LINKS Neumann University needed housing. A local convent...

This week we bring you something a little different: a story Anne recently performed live at A Very Serious Gallery in Chicago. Listen in as Anne grapples with the question of whether you really can’t go home again. (Related: Are the Bill Swerski’s Superfans of early ‘90’s SNL fame Catholic?  Discuss.  Write in and tell us.  Anne has thoughts.) Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us a...

Anne and Stephanie have the pleasure of sitting down with Abby Rampone of Left Catholic . Abby has lived at two Catholic Worker houses and the Women’s Interfaith Residency Program at Union Theological Seminary. She currently lives at the Fireplace Community , an intentional community on the south side of Chicago, and works as a Ministry Coordinator at DePaul University. Abby and Tess Gallagher Cla...

Many thanks to listeners who shared their stories! The hosts enjoy the heck out of your funny stories about growing up Catholic, from altar server mishaps to altercations with nuns to giggling and church. Additionally, Stephanie has some intel on a rather mysterious calendar of dreamboat priests, while Anne ponders Catholicism as she watches too much TV. This episode contains a Megan Markle refere...

What’s the deal with nativity scenes? That’s what the hosts want to know. A young Steph leveraged her family’s nativity set as a chance at her directorial debut. Little Anne coveted her best friend’s family’s nativity set (there was real hay!). The hosts learn about a rather shocking Catalan nativity tradition and how some Catholics are super smug about Protestants’ veneration of statues during Ad...

We'll have a new episode ready for you in a couple weeks, but for now we’d love to invite you to share your stories! In the past we have asked you to share your experiences, and you have come through. From questions about navigating Catholic family to stories about how you chose your confirmation name, we are so appreciative of the ways you have contributed your voices to the podcast. While we...

The hosts learn about the Church’s beef with birth control. Anne shares some rather racy Catholicism in the News. Steph points out some colorful language used to describe contraception in the bible. There’s also a Steve Carrell reference, and really, who doesn’t love Steve Carrell?  LINKS Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly Being Weird   The Pope Urges Priests and Nuns to Delete Porn from Their Phones...

The hosts do a deep dive (pun only kind of intended) into Catholic baptism. Anne realizes her older son’s baptism involved a lot of fibbing. Steph is freaked out by all the Satan talk. This episode also involves some fangirling over one of our very favorite lapsed celebrities, Melissa McCarthy. LINKS Test scores show Catholic schools largely escaped COVID-induced ‘learning loss’ Collapse: Inside I...

Things get unexpectedly spooky as Stephanie and Anne talk murdered saints, postmortem popes, and the occult in this Halloween season-appropriate episode. Join the hosts as they dive into feast days, patrons, canonization, and martyrdom. Steph is still proud to be the only Chavara cousin who got $3 instead of $2 on her patron saint’s feast day. Little Anne dreamed of being one day canonized but nev...

Stephanie and Anne take a deep dive into what Catholic school and CCD taught them about life after death. A young Steph imagined a cloudy heaven that was harp-filled and toga-forward. Anne realizes how the Wizard of Oz impacted her early view of the afterlife. The hosts also launch into their own lapsed Catholic version of #yesyesno as they struggle to make sense of a Catholic-adjacent tweet invol...

Steph and Anne are back with Season 2 of Lapsed!  Steph discusses one rather big development in her life (hint: he’s adorable and shares a name with a very Jesuit saint). The hosts also catch up on several months of Catholic news, including Francis updates, newly Catholic celebrities (we’re looking at you, Shia LaBeouf), and Catholic references in the media (oh hey, A League of Their Own). This ep...

The hosts grapple with their feelings around the recent Dobbs ruling. Steph dishes on the Kardashian’s recent brush with Catholic aesthetics even though by all accounts they practice…Kardashianism? Anne recalls that one time as a kid when she accidentally stumbled into a Protestant Vacation Bible School. The hosts announce they’re going extra lapsed for summer. LINKS How Catholicism Became a Meme...