Catholics in Ordinary Time

What happens when the Church you once misunderstood becomes the place where you find answers? Fr. Jack sits down with  Jared Ford , a young adult therapist and convert to Catholicism, whose journey began with questions about the Protestant faith in which he was raised. After stepping away from Christianity, Jared eventually discovered the intellectual richness, beauty, and spiritual depth of the C...

What makes a parish truly welcoming? Fr. Jack sits down with Kelly, a mother of four, nurse-midwife, and parish council member at Saint Aloysius, to talk about faith, family, and what it means to belong to a Catholic community. Kelly shares how her family's experience of grief brought them closer to the Church, why raising children in a parish hasn't always been easy, and how her Catholic...

Fr. Jack talks with Anne, a young adult from Saint Aloysius, about growing up Catholic, discovering a personal relationship with Christ in college, and navigating the unexpected turns of discernment. After years of considering religious life, Anne found herself exploring a relationship she hadn't been looking for. She also shares how caring for her grandmother near the end of her life awakened...

Fr. Jack interviews  Cindy Reopelle , a longtime Catholic educator and Ignatian spiritual leader, about women in the Church, single life, vocation, parish life, prayer, and why she continues to stay Catholic. Cindy shares how her life has been shaped by Jesuit education, Catholic schools, spiritual direction, the Spiritual Exercises, and decades of serving the Church as a lay woman. She also refle...

In this episode of  American Parish , Fr. Jack sits down with  Greg T. , a high school English teacher, young adult, sports commentator, and recent convert to Catholicism. Greg shares how his journey into the Catholic Church began as an intellectual search for truth and slowly became something deeper. Raised in a high church Episcopalian background, Greg spent years reading, questioning, church sh...

Fr. Jack interviews  Kathy Finley , an author, teacher, and longtime Catholic, about parish life, marriage, spirituality, women’s gifts in the Church, and why she continues to stay. Cathy reflects on the Church as a big table, the beauty of marriage as a sacrament, the saints, Vatican II, ministry, and the hope that parishes can better recognize and use the gifts of ordinary Catholics. This episod...

Fr. Jack interviews  Rachel Williams , a young adult at Saint Aloysius, about music ministry, nursing, Ignatian spirituality, prayer, parish life, and what it means to feel known by the Church. Rachel talks about serving as a cantor, finding God in moments of brokenness, praying through the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, and learning to notice the opportunities to serve that can pass us by....

Fr. Jack interviews  Bob , a longtime Saint Aloysius parishioner, about a lifetime of Catholic faith, parish service, prayer, community, and what it means to call the Church home. Bob reflects on decades of involvement in parish life, including catechesis, the Knights of Columbus, Stations of the Cross, hospitality, tithing, and helping others feel welcomed into the community. He also shares his p...

Fr. Jack interviews  Paul Caldera , a young adult convert and newly married Catholic, about entering the Church, learning to pray, and finding his way in parish life. Paul shares how attending Mass with his now-wife led him into OCIA, how Catholicism began to “click,” and how practices like the Rosary, confession, learning about the saints, and joining the young adult community helped him grow in...

Fr. Jack interviews  Joe and Anne Smith , a married couple from Saint Aloysius, about ordinary Catholic family life, parish community, prayer, tithing, service, and raising children in the faith. Together, they reflect on how the Church has been present in their marriage, their children’s baptisms, their weekly rhythm of Mass, and their growing involvement in parish life. They also talk about the...

Fr. Jack interviews  MaKenzie Reynoldson , a young adult from the parish, about her reversion to the Catholic faith, the mistakes and successes that have shaped her life, and the steps she is taking now to make a difference. MaKenzie also shares about being divorced, navigating that experience in the Church, and how that difficult season helped her encounter herself more honestly and grow closer t...

Fr. Jack interviews  Jeff Brogan  about life as a Catholic husband, father, parishioner, and member of the Saint Aloysius community. Jeff shares about moving from the East Coast to Spokane, working at  Gonzaga University , serving at  Saint Aloysius Church  through  OCIA , and learning what it means to live faith in the ordinary rhythms of family life. This conversation explores Catholic fatherhoo...

Fr. Jack interviews  Thomas Gallagher  about the questions many young adults ask as they grow in faith: how to pray, how to discern, and how to understand what God may be calling them toward. Their conversation explores the spiritual life, relationship with God, vocation, and the honest process of seeking direction while still living ordinary Catholic life.

Fr. Jack interviews  Krista Frankovic , Campus Ministry Director and chemistry teacher at Gonzaga Preparatory School, about teaching, campus ministry, Jesuit formation, vocation, and belonging in the Church. Krista shares about her work, her deeper involvement in parish life during the summer, and her experience of continuing to discern her vocation as a single Catholic woman at 40. She also refle...

Fr. Jack interviews  Margaret Price , a young adult from the parish, about faith, justice, music, unworthiness, and what it means to remain Catholic while wrestling honestly with difficult questions. Margaret shares about her role in music ministry, her heart for justice, and the process she went through as she researched and came to accept challenging Church teachings, including pro-life teaching...

What happens when faith becomes more than something you believe and begins to shape the way you learn, teach, work, and live? In this episode, Fr. Jack sits down with Vanessa Mudd for an honest conversation about her journey of faith, the questions that have shaped her, and the people and experiences that have helped her encounter God more deeply. Drawing from her background in theology and Jesuit...

Fr. Jack interviews  Jeremy Joosten , from Washington, about faith, college, leadership, and his ordinary Catholic life. Jeremy studied business administration in Canada, served as student government president, and has continued building a life around mentorship, public speaking, entrepreneurship, and impact. In this conversation, he reflects on what it was like to be Catholic while attending an e...

A new season of Catholics in Ordinary Time begins with American Parish. In this introductory episode, Fr. Jack shares the vision behind the season and why we are beginning with the people and stories of Saint Aloysius. This season will explore the ordinary life of Catholics in a parish community — young adults, adults, volunteers, leaders, and people simply trying to follow Christ in everyday life...

Eric Clayton joins Fr. Jack to explore the surprising connection between Star Wars and Ignatian spirituality. Drawing from his book My Life with the Jedi: The Spirituality of Star Wars, Eric explains how themes of hope, discernment, purpose, temptation, redemption, and the search for meaning echo the spiritual wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Together, they discuss why stories like Star Wars cont...

As we conclude our journey through the Spiritual Disciplines, Fr. Jack reflects on the lessons, challenges, and graces discovered along the way. Growth in the spiritual life rarely happens all at once. It comes through small acts of faithfulness, daily choices, and a willingness to let God work in the ordinary moments of life. In this episode, we look back on the practices we've explored, the...

Submission isn't about being weak. It's not about losing your voice or letting people walk all over you. In this episode, Fr. Jack explores the spiritual discipline of submission and how it transforms the way we relate to other people. In a culture that constantly tells us to fight for control, defend our preferences, and put ourselves first, Jesus offers a different path. What if true fre...

We're all chasing something. Success. Security. Comfort. Recognition. The next achievement, the next purchase, the next thing that promises to make us happy. But Jesus offers a different path:  "Seek first the Kingdom of God." In this episode, Fr. Jack explores the spiritual discipline of simplicity and how it begins not with owning less, but with reordering our desires. When God bec...

What if celebration isn’t a distraction from the spiritual life… but part of it? In this episode of  Catholics in Ordinary Time , Fr. Jack explores the spiritual discipline of celebration through Scripture, Christian tradition, and ordinary life. In a world shaped by anxiety, exhaustion, and constant striving, Christians are called to something different: joy rooted in God. This conversation looks...

Why do so many people avoid Confession even while longing for peace? In this episode, Fr. Jack explores the spiritual discipline of Confession and how honesty before God becomes the doorway to healing, freedom, and deeper worship. From fear and shame to mercy and restoration, this conversation looks at why Confession has remained one of the most transformative practices in the Christian life. Not...

This week, Fr. Jack explores the spiritual discipline of worship and why true worship goes far beyond music, emotions, or Sunday routines. Real worship changes the posture of the heart. And sometimes, the greatest obstacle to worship is the unforgiveness we carry. In this episode, we talk about surrender, reconciliation, humility, and the kind of worship that actually transforms us from the inside...