Ave Explores

Jeannie Gaffigan, author of the bestselling When Life Gives You Pears , wife to comedian Jim Gaffigan, and mother of five, talks candidly with host Katie Prejean McGrady about balancing family life, her Catholic faith, and maintaining a sense of sanity and fun in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in New York City. Gaffigan shares practical tips on how Catholic family life can thrive by lowering y...

Theologian Edward Sri and his wife Beth talk with host Katie Prejean McGrady about how marriage and parenting is meant to be centered in love of God and a couple’s call to mission— to generously love, serve, teach, and proclaim the Gospel. With stories of raising their eight kids (ranging in age from nineteen to four years old), the realities of balancing work, home, and travel, and how to find he...

Katie Prejean McGrady's parents, Marie & Garland Prejean, introduce the upcoming Ave Explores series on Catholic Family Life

F. DeKarlos Blackmon, director of the Secretariat for Life, Justice, and Charity in the Diocese of Austin, Texas, explains why people of faith should be concerned with advocating for justice, especially in prison systems and in the ongoing fight against racial inequality.

Fr. Michael Thomas, C.S.C., a teacher and campus minister at St. George’s College in Santiago, Chile—a K-12 school apostolate of the U.S. Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross— explains what led him to mission work in Chile. Thomas says that much of our mission work will occur within our own families, workplaces, and parishes.

Steve Camilleri, executive director of the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, Indiana, explains how each of us are called to use our gifts to help those who need food, shelter, clothing, and financial assistance, not only tangibly, but also by loving and engaging them.

Sr. Mariae Agnus Dei., S.V., joined the Sisters of Life thirteen years ago, choosing the order because of its charism to protect and defend life. She shares how advocating life is not so much being “against” something, but being “for” the goodness of life.

Kris Frank, vice president of Vagabond Missions, shares how the Steubenville, Ohio, ministry expanded across the country by focusing on sharing the Gospel with at-risk, inner-city youth, helping them break the cycle of abandonment and hopelessness.

Fr. Joshua Johnson and Sr. Josephine Garrett, C.S.F.N., share their experiences as black Catholics, discuss why racism is sinful, and explore how Catholics are called to advocate for change.

Fr. Kevin Sandberg, C.S.C, former executive director of and current professor of Theology at the Center for Social Concerns at the University of Notre Dame, shares how advocating for the common good helps to end social isolation and oppression.

Scott Hahn, a theologian and founder of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, explains how the virtue of hope can help us understand the glory of Christ’s Resurrection, and encourage us to love the poor, serve the marginalized, and preach the Gospel. In Hahn’s new book, Hope to Die , he explores how pain and suffering unite us with the Cross of Christ and help us to live out the Corporal and...

Art and creativity are the driving forces behind Anthony D’Ambrosio’s writing and his consulting business. The poet and designer is the cofounder of Catholic Creatives, an international community of artists who want to bring about a new renaissance of beauty within the Church. D’Ambrosio believes even if they don’t realize it, all people are creative and pursue creative work.

Fabiola Garza, author of The Boy Who Would be Pope and an artist for Disney, shares how her Catholic faith influences her work. Garza shares how her identity as a Catholic gives life to all she does, both professionally and personally.

Christine Valters Paintner is a Catholic author and online abbess at the Abbey for the Arts, a virtual monastery offering classes and resources on contemplative practice and creative expression. She explains how we are called to see ourselves as artists in the world, not because we have marketable talents, but because the Lord is inviting us to create. Paintner explores how God surprises us with a...

Elizabeth Lev, an art historian, author, tour guide, and college professor living in Rome, shares how art—especially the art of the Church—is the ultimate path to understanding what we believe and helps us see the continuity of the faith throughout history. Lev explains how art ultimately invites us to be drawn into its beauty and to contemplation of the divine.

Catholic counselor Tommy Tighe shares ways we can help our children cope with the current crisis and how couples and families can continue to thrive with routine, prayer, and facing their feelings of uncertainty together.

Mike Aquilina, bestselling and award-winning author of A History of the Church in 100 Objects, relates how Catholics are a sacramental people, and objects such as the chains of St. Peter and the dome of the basilica named for him are significant to our understanding of faith. Aquilina also shares how ancient locations central to Christianity’s early development have helped him grow his love for th...

Scott Weeman, founder of Catholic in Recovery, talks with Katie Prejean McGrady about how to help those who struggle with addictions when they are unable to attend support-group meetings in person and are tempted to fall back into old habits as their routine and structure shift.

Leah Darrow, Catholic author, speaker, and founder of Lux U, invites you to look to the Cross for comfort, inspiration, and solace in the middle of COVID-19. She tells Katie Prejean McGrady that hope is the virtue we need most while facing this pandemic.

Andrew Petiprin, fellow of popular culture at the Word on Fire Institute , explains how beauty and Catholic art and architecture can lead us to a deeper faith and understanding of the truth. A convert to Catholicism, Petiprin shares his conversion story, highlighting how the way of beauty ultimately led him to Catholicism and a life committed to evangelization through art, music, film, and pop cul...

How can we more fully enter into the celebration of Triduum and Easter, the holiest days of the Church year? Fr. John Burns, author of Lift Up Your Heart , explains the liturgies for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday and offers ways we can experience these sacred days at home, even with public masses suspended because of COVID-19. 6:47 - Holy Thursday 16:55 - Good Friday 28:13 - Holy S...

Catholic psychotherapist Roy Petitfils talks with Katie Prejean McGrady about how to help teens find structure and rhythm in the midst of anxiety and uncertainty. As schools shift to online learning, colleges close, and teens and young adults are at home, Petitfils will tell you how to help them process what's happening, live with their anxious feelings, and maintain a sense of normalcy.

Mary Lenaburg, author of Be Brave in the Scared: How I Learned to Trust God during the Most Difficult Days of My Life, talks with Katie Prejean McGrady about how suffering and joy go hand-in-hand, especially during Lent. With a heart for hospitality, Lenaburg shares how her family joyfully lives life while always celebrating the memory of her daughter Courtney.

Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T., Catholic speaker and author of Loved as I Am, explains that social distancing is an opportunity for us to see that God is inviting us to slow down and be grateful for all the things he has given us. She tells Katie Prejean McGrady that when faced with times of solitude and quiet, we’re called to honestly face our feelings and past hurts.

Let’s face it: We can all probably use a reboot right now. As the fight against COVID-19 continues around the world, more people are working at home, kids are attending classes online, we’re watching Mass on TV or the internet, and we could be suffering from the disease, quarantined, or sheltering in place. No doubt you’re mentally drained from the ever-changing crisis. Ave Maria Press wants to he...