Born of Wonder

St. Joseph never saw an angel the way Mary did, clear as day, with her waking eyes. He never saw the burning bush or heard the thunderous voice of God, “I am that I am.” St. Joseph only heard God in the quietest of ways. He dreamed of angels. He heard God while he slept.     Today on the podcast we'll be inspired by St. Joseph and his profound trust. What role did dreams play in his life - what ro...

Welcome back! We're starting Season 5 in a truly adventurous spirit, joining St. Brendan the Navigator on his strange, miraculous journey to the "Land of the Blessed" - Avalon, Tir Na Nog, the Land of the Saints, Eden - it has had many names. We'll learn about some of the more beautiful and otherworldly parts of Brendan's journey, hear some Yeats poetry, and yearn for that 'other world' beyond the...

Happy 2023! In this episode Katie shares the top ten things she learned this year. She also shares a great strategy for how to approach new years resolutions (and not get discouraged). We'll also hear a beautiful New Years blessing from John O'Donohue, lovely Irish fiddle, some quotes from the late, great Pope Benedict XVI, a beautiful rendition of In the Bleak Midwinter, and Dvorak's triumphant N...

Maybe you feel a sense of dread anytime you scroll through your social media feeds or turn on the news. Maybe you're stressing about the holidays because you know there are going to be some inevitably uncomfortable discussions surrounding politics, hot button issues, and religion. If any of this sounds familiar, this episode is going to lower your blood pressure and reassure you that while these d...

All our favorite Christmas stories are about Second Chances - From Scrooge to the Grinch, from Charlie Brown to George Bailey, Christmas is all about 'waking up' to the reality of Life - the Joy, the Love, that really, truly has entered into the world... The Ultimate Second Chance: The Incarnation. We'll celebrate these beautiful stories of second chances, helping us all realize we really DO have...

Like the Riders of Rohan, we're fighting the good fight, we're waiting in the dark, hoping against hope, for a Victory that seems incredibly far off and unlikely. Dietrich Bonhoeffer described Advent as a 'prison cell' and said only those who were poor in spirit, truly in need of help, could know what it is to wait. St. Lucy's Day is next week - a celebration of light in darkness - the Winter Sols...

Today on the podcast Katie interviews Gracy Olmstead, a journalist and author who speaks to our human longings for community, tradition, and home. She is the author of Uprooted: Recovering the Legacy of the Places We’ve Left Behind and frequently hosts discussions and book clubs surrounding topics of sustainability and slow-living. Katie and Gracy discuss how to embrace a spirit of permanence and...

If in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of the holidays you feel yourself craving stillness, quiet, and introspection this is NORMAL - Winter is a time of hibernation and darkness. How can we stop fighting the cold, the dark, in body and soul, and embrace this season of Quiet Waiting?  *originally aired December 2021* ----------- www.bornofwonder.com  Leave a review for the podcast on iTunes...

Today on the podcast we learn about two incredible women - mothers, queens... and saints! Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and Saint Margaret of Scotland have fascinating stories and a lot to teach us about compassion, leadership, and strength. We'll also hear a bit about how one of these women became Katie's confirmation saint (much to her surprise!). Also a discussion on the beauty of repetition (this...

Katie recently traveled to Concord, MA where she visited Louisa May Alcott's house and grave. She shares some other important literary 'pilgrimages' she's taken (and tells all about the legend of the 'Poe Toaster!'), offers some encouragement to travel with little ones, and how pilgrimages, artistic and religious, can be important rituals to incorporate into our lives. ------ www.bornofwonder.com ...

In this episode, we explore the haunting, rich, complex poetry of Sylvia Plath. Katie shares some of her personal history with Plath and why she continues to be a source of inspiration and fascination. Also discussions of memento mori, shared mortality, and how to remember and pray for the Dead during the month of October.    *originally aired October 2021* www.bornofwonder.com Instagram: @born.of...

This episode is all about the eerie melancholy and beauty of graveyards and why we should go pray, read poetry, and spend time in churchyards among the Dead.  Why graveyards can be peaceful and romantic - the importance of 'memento mori' - and three famous 'graveyard poems.' Ending the episode with some fantastic music from some bluegrass loving Friars.    --- "It is therefore a holy and wholesome...

The brilliant and wonderful Rachel Sherlock joins us on the podcast today to discuss all things Nora Ephron and You've Got Mail. We do a deep dive into the power of words, happy endings, reclaiming Joy, finding authentic neighborhoods in big cities, New York in the Fall, and all things cozy and lovely. We also discuss a bit about the unique genius of Nora Ephron and who she was as a person and a w...

Celebrating St. Francis's feast day with three beautiful saint stories involving animals (St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio, St. Jerome and the Lion, and St. Hubert and the Stag). We'll also meditate on the complex relationship between humans and animals and how reconciling ourselves to the natural world can be part of our soul's ultimate restoration. Katie also shares some of the cozy fall thing...

St. Raphael, patron of happy meetings and healing, is one of three archangels we venerate and celebrate by name (along with St. Michael and St. Gabriel). Who/what are angels and what role do they play in the Bible? Did you know Flannery O'Connor prayed to St. Raphael everyday, or that St. Francis celebrated 'St. Michael's Lent' when he received the stigmata? We'll learn the story of the Book of To...

Queen Elizabeth II died last week after a 70 year reign. We'll hear some inspiring words from the Queen and explore why her leadership meant so much to so many. Meditations on the importance of tradition, continuity, and ritual. We'll talk about everything from John O'Donohue's Blessings to G.K. Chesterton to Downton Abbey to King Saul and our longing for 'true Kingship.'  ---- www.bornofwonder.co...

What do Star Wars, Doctor Who, Franz Jaggerstatter, and the Myth of Perseus all have in common? The Hero’s Journey - the epic quest every single hero across all stories, times, and cultures, embarks upon. Joseph Campbell popularized the idea of the ‘monomyth’ - the idea that we can see one story across all legends and myths. In this episode we discuss: What makes someone a hero? What is the Hero’s...

Those places and experiences in life that lift the veil between Heaven and Earth, between This Reality and All Other Realities. Do we live in a parallel matrix? What is real, what isn't? What is a Thin Place? Where did this idea come from? And do we need to travel the world to find one? A meditative chance to see beyond while we're still 'seeing through a mirror darkly.'        Katie also shares s...

Thomas Joshua Cooper is a photographer who travels to the edges of the earth with his antique camera in order to capture a single photograph. On this episode Katie meditates on the allure of extremes – the edge – and also what we can and cannot ‘capture’ with our cameras, phones, and so on. Mortality, time, authenticity… These are all topics to mull over today.   ---- www.bornofwonder.com  Leave a...

August is an awful month (in my opinion) but FALL is just around the corner. This time of year has always seemed like the real 'new year' to me - a time to reset, reevaluate, and get back to what matters most. This is an inspiring and encouraging look to the future and all that the coming months have to offer us: sweaters, hot tea, cider, hikes in the woods... And an existential 'new start.'    --...

Back in 1971 Agatha Christie, along with many other writers, artists, and intellectuals (some Catholic, many not), signed a letter defending the traditional Tridentine Mass ('the Latin Mass') on the basis of its cultural contribution to Art and the Dignity of the Human Spirit. What can this letter and the surrounding conversations teach us today, as we yet again find ourselves in a state of liturg...

A fun and thought-provoking chat all about the beautiful, theologically rich world of Harry Potter. Is Harry Potter a Christian story? We sure think so! (And so did J.K. Rowling). Katie and her guest Gina Dadaglo dive into Fear (and why it's so common but also so wrong for Christians to act out of fear), Sacrifice, Love, Friendship, Growing Up, being Parents, being converts to Catholicism, and the...

Katie recently experienced a nearly week-long power outage and it got her thinking about Self Reliance and Self Sufficiency. What are these virtues, how do we acquire them? What is mental Self Reliance (a la Emerson), physical self reliance (does it require a bunker and a large farm?). She’ll also question the limits of self-sufficiency and how we’re all in a cycle of need… Who do we need, who nee...

On this episode Katie meditates on how Joy has a lot more to do with Longing than Happiness, and how all of us, in our deepest selves, are longing for Home. We’ll discuss the importance of tradition, continuity, and how we are all living in an age of rootlessness and decision fatigue. A chance to rediscover your great loves in life and inspiration to create joy-filled homes.   ------ www.bornofwon...

Today on the podcast, the incredible life of soon-to-be saint Bl. Pier Giorgio, the man St. Pope John Paul II called 'the man of the Eight Beatitudes' and his friends called 'an explosion of Joy.' Who was this mountain-climbing, prank-playing, compassionate young man, and what can he teach us about the value of friendship and adventure? We'll also touch on being patriotic even amidst trying times,...