Catholic in a Small Town

Mac & Kat are still settling into the new empty nest routine, no stellar movies but Carry-On is pretty good, folks are moving over to locals, and Katherine sees WAY more problems in Balthazar than Mac does.   Read along with Mac - Current book is Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton I'm almost done with this one so get your emails in about it and we can talk about it on our next show. Other great stuff we l...

Kat & her siblings clean out the last attic space in the family house, Mac watches depressing movies all alone, and it's crazy cold here in the South. Our locals page is now accepting subscriptions! Move over from Patreon so more of your tips go to us and not Apple. Books: Read along with Mac - Current book is Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. I'd love to hear your thoughts and for you to help me unpa...

Most of the chickens come home to roost for a snow day, Fandor Nodor takes on a big topic, and listening to the Holy Spirit can lead to small consolations or big life changes. Our locals page is now accepting subscriptions! Move over from Patreon so more of your tips go to us and not Apple. https://catholicinasmalltown.locals.com/ Books: Read along with Mac - Current book is The Apostle of Common...

Jude logistics, a low-key New Year, an Epiphany party and a first time ever Epiphany home blessing at the Barron's. Also, we look back over our entertainment consumption for 2024 and talk about our top (and bottom picks) Our locals page is now accepting subscriptions! Move over from Patreon so more of your tips go to us and not Apple. https://catholicinasmalltown.locals.com/ Books: Read along with...

It's a different Christmas for the Barrons as we get used to empty nesting, we take a trip to South GA, Homestead might be the worst movie this year, Locals is coming, and we talk about St. Thomas Becket.   Our locals page: https://catholicinasmalltown.locals.com   Books: The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger   Movies & TV: Homestead 8-bit Christmas Other great stuff we like: Baritus Cathol...

Lots of plaid, pipes, and John Senior talk at the Liturgy of the Land conference, Red One has remarkable heart, and conversion today is going to come from our story and our lives.   Baritus Catholic Illustrations   Movies & TV: Red One   Books: Voyage to Alpha Centauri by Michael O'Brien Sam & Mena's registry Other great stuff we like: Pacem in Terris Retreat Center Picnic Blanket Restoration of C...

We say goodbye to our beloved golden retriever, Max. Mac embraces full handimanhood, Fly Me To the Moon is fine, and we wander through the Advent Blues.   Movies & TV: Nutcrackers Fly Me to the Moon Silver Linings Playbook Ari's pre-advent planner over at The Catholic Printables Club Use code ADVENT24 for 15% off your entire purchase at checkout.   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Somethi...

The Barrons call in help for a post-wedding Thanksgiving, the newlyweds show back up, Kat takes in Wicked, and we talk about whether The End of the Affair is catholic literature.   Movies & TV: Wicked The Sound of Music Thelma   Books: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene Ari's pre-advent planner over at The Catholic Printables Club Use code ADVENT24 for 15% off your entire purchase at checkout....

Ladies and gentlemen: Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Barron! The kids are married!! All about the mess of family and guests and rehearsals and speeches and logistics. Also, Gladiator and the young couple as archetypes.   Movies & TV: Gladiator   Ari's pre-advent planner over at The Catholic Printables Club Use code ADVENT24 for 15% off your entire purchase at checkout.   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short fil...

Katherine is in charge of the booze for the wedding, Mac gets a taste of the "good" life, Reality Bites actually rules, the Aeneid is crazy violent, and pre-advent slipped right past us…did we mention a wedding coming up?   Movies & TV: Reality Bites   Books: The Aeneid by Virgil   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     Other great stuff we like: Pacem in Terris Retrea...

We get the chance to adult with our adult children, lots of tennis for Mac, and wedding rehearsal prep for Katherine. Nobody Wants This is sharp, A Room with a View is British, and Katherine has some medieval views of our place in the whole grand scheme of things.   Movies & TV: Nobody Wants This A Room with a View   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     Other great s...

The Barrons head to Birmingham to heckle Paul Kingsnorth, Mac finds the best pipe shop ever, Goodbye Christopher Robin fails to endear you to any of the characters, and we talk about ways we can resist the machine in our everyday lives.   Movies & TV: Fools Rush In Bad Monkey Goodbye Christopher Robin   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     Other great stuff we like:...

Kat waxes on about her pilgrimage, tis the season for scarier stuff (The Stand, Cloverfield), Mac actually finishes a book, and a listener goes way back in our archives.   Movies & TV: The Stand (2021) Cloverfield   Books: Declare by Tim Powers   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     Other great stuff we like: Pacem in Terris Retreat Center Picnic Blanket Restoration...

Our dogs become those people who send back food at a restaurant, Kat stresses out about upcoming events, Colby takes refuge at our place and Mac takes a big test. Several spooky movies pepper the season and we both are surprised by Surprised by Oxford.   Movies & TV: The Thing Salem's Lot (2024) Frighteners Surprised by Oxford   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     O...

Mac & Kat cut their camping trip short because of Hurricane Helene. Sam says Halloween is the most boring horror movie he's ever seen, and Mac realizes the moment he no longer has any patience with fold that are not interested in the truth.   Movies & TV: Death Becomes Her Halloween Varsity Blues The Penguin Slow Horses   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     Other gr...

There are more dog woes for the Barrons. One Life is uplifting but boring, and Katherine is getting all up into Benedictine spirituality.   Movies & TV: One Life (Paramount+) Palm Springs (Netflix) The Haunting (Prime)   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There     Other great stuff we like: Pacem in Terris Retreat Center Picnic Blanket Restoration of Christian Culture from...

Mac & Kat ramble on about 80s TV, Mac gets invited to a debate party, and Max is slowing way down. Kat travels back to Jurassic World, and we discuss spiritual echoes as God's gentle nudges to listen up.   Movies & TV: Jurassic World Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom The Magnificent Seven (2016)   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There   Other great stuff we like: Pacem in Te...

We drop the boy off again at boarding school and try to provide some comfort for another new St. Greg's family. Peace Like a River is lyrical, charming, and faith-affirming while Power and the Glory is about the long defeat and the triumph of the church. Also, Cut Throat Island hasn't gotten any better with time.   Movies & TV: CutThroat Island   Books: Peace Like a River The Power and the Glory  ...

Sam turns 19, boxing robots (and father/son stuff) still make me cry, and we talk about the true price of convenience.   Movies & TV: Real Steel Bad Monkey (AppleTV+)   Books: How Dante Can Save Your Life by Rod Drer   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There   Other great stuff we like: Pacem in Terris Retreat Center Picnic Blanket Restoration of Christian Culture from Our...

Sam and "the boyz" have a super nerdy bachelor party weekend, Jude's face explodes, we fall for Gosling and Blunt again, get entranced by the Exorcist Files and point our fingers at ourselves when discussing rampant consumerism.   Movies & TV: The Fall Guy Avengers Infinity War   Podcasts: The Exorcist Files   Books: The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short fi...

We spend a weekend in Richmond, VA as Jude visits friends, preplanning has started for Mac, and we are running out of space at our dining room table. Twisters lets us down while Presumed Innocent is hard not to like. Also, the Olympics desecrated our faith.  

As Mac's Summer draws to a close, the Barrons make the most of local concerts, pellet grills, American epics, and assassination attempts. Also, Mac cries like a baby at a brewery.   Movies & TV: Horizon The Bear (season 3) (Hulu) Hit Man (Netflix) White House Down (Prime)   Books: A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean   Remaining Faithfully Catholic Near the End of the Francis Pontificate arti...

Katherine wrestles with one of life's biggest problems: how to organize a home library. The Quiet Place Day One is a solid addition to the series, Mac does not get Flannery O'Conner, and we find a unicorn novice ordo mass in the mountains of North Carolina.   Movies & TV: Quiet Place Day One Presumed Innocent (2024 Apple+) Dying Laughing (Apple+) Books: Plague Journal by Michael O'Brien Wise Blood...

Mac & Kat head to West Virginia to confirm it is, in fact, "almost heaven." Ridley Scott's Robin Hood is a real stinker, The Hunter is charming but foul, and we remind you that it is good to get away for a little while.   Movies & TV: Robin Hood (2010 MGM+) The Abyss X2   Books: The Hunter by Tana French   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Something's Out There   Other great stuff we like:...

All boat rides can't be the best, especially when you are all mad at each other and you forget to fill the tank! Inside Out 2 is fun and Shogun is probably not good for the soul… which you won't really know until you've (once again) done some soul-searching about your media consumption.   Movies & TV: Inside Out 2 Shogun (HULU) The Beach (Prime)   Sam & Mena's registry   Ben's short film: Somethin...