Contemplatives in the World

What happens when a Harvard graduate, political speechwriter, and aspiring psychologist leaves it all behind to become a priest in Rome? In this fascinating conversation from the heart of the Eternal City, I sit down with Fr. John Wauck, an Opus Dei priest, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, author, media commentator, and longtime Vatican insider. Having spent more than 30 y...

While in Rome, we sat down with Daniel Arasa, Dean of the School of Church Communications at Santa Croce and a communications advisor to the Vatican, for a fascinating conversation about the future of Catholic media, the challenges facing the Church, and why charity may be the most powerful communication strategy of all. From his journey as a journalist in secular media to becoming one of the Chur...

What would make a young American leave behind a promising career, move to Rome, and dedicate his life to faith, theology, and service? In this conversation, Patrick Friddle, a numerary with Opus Dei and student at Santa Croce, shares his remarkable journey from growing up near Washington, D.C., to studying in Rome at the heart of the Catholic Church. We talk about how Patrick discerned his commitm...

Sometimes, the biggest moments in our lives don’t look dramatic at all. In this conversation, Father Marty Miller shares how an ordinary moment (one that didn’t go as planned) became part of the path that led him to the priesthood. From his early love of music and life in Illinois, to studying theology in Rome and Spain, to serving today as a priest of Opus Dei, his story is a reminder that God of...

What started as a simple trip to Rome quickly became something much deeper. In this heartfelt conversation, Ron and Christina Friddle share their experience of joining a pilgrimage to the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, and why it turned out to be far more than they expected. From walking the streets of the Eternal City, to learning in the streets instead of the classroom, to being guided...

What if everything you thought about marriage… wasn’t the full story? Father Jaimes Ponce isn’t just a priest, he’s one of the people the Church turns to when marriages break down. As a canon lawyer and judicial vicar, he helps determine whether a marriage was ever valid in the first place. Behind the paperwork are real people, real wounds, and stories most never hear. In this powerful and surpris...

Fr. Chad Ripperger is one of the most well-known priests in the Catholic world, especially for his work in deliverance and exorcism. But in this conversation, we go much deeper than headlines. We talk about Fr. Chad’s own vocation story, his time as a student at Santa Croce, what Catholic families can do to foster vocations, how to bring loved ones back to the faith, and why so many Catholics stil...

AI is transforming the world faster than ever. But what does that mean for our jobs, our ambitions, and even our faith? In this conversation, David DiNapoli sits down with venture capitalist Nuno Gonçalves Pedro, founder of Chamaeleon and co-host of the Tech Deciphered podcast, to talk about the future of technology, entrepreneurship, and living a life of purpose. From Silicon Valley startups to d...

What if one of the most studied objects in Christian history could still surprise you? In this episode, David DiNapoli sits down with Fr. Andrew Dalton, a priest and professor living and teaching in Rome, whose work has brought him deep into the study of the Shroud of Turin. Fr. Dalton doesn’t approach the Shroud as a curiosity or a controversy, but as something far more personal: an image that dr...

From missionary kid to Catholic priest… with a surfboard and a passport full of stamps. In this episode, David DiNapoli sits down with Fr. Scott Borgman, a priest of the Diocese of Orange whose journey into the Catholic Church is anything but ordinary. Raised in a Protestant missionary family, Fr. Scott spent his early years in Africa, later lived and studied in Europe, and eventually found himsel...

Why does the Catholic Church continue to value priestly celibacy? In this episode, David DiNapoli speaks with Fr. Carter Griffin, rector of St. John Paul II Seminary in Washington, D.C., about the meaning of celibacy, spiritual fatherhood, and priestly formation today. Fr. Carter completed his doctoral studies at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, where his research focused on th...

What does it actually look like to share the Catholic faith in everyday life? In this episode, David DiNapoli speaks with Fr. Nolan Lowry, pastor in the Diocese of Tyler, Texas: a Catholic convert who grew up in a Baptist home and now serves as a parish priest formed at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Fr. Nolan reflects on what it’s like to accompany people who are exploring t...

What if the biggest challenge teens face today isn’t social media, peer pressure, or even doubt—but not knowing what they don’t know? Fr. Tim Eck, theology teacher and Director of Divine Worship in the Diocese of Metuchen, has walked with hundreds of students through their questions about faith, meaning, and life. In this conversation, he shares why curiosity itself is an expression of love, the r...

Have you found success but still feel empty? In this conversation, Fr. Austin Gilstrap (Our Lady of the Lake, TN) shares a very human story of drifting, rediscovering prayer, and saying a daily “yes” that led to real joy. We talk about forgiveness that actually heals, why his parish added robust confession times, and how a family-focused church welcomes squirmy kids and exhausted parents alike. We...

She’s met two Popes. She sometimes plays “judge” for the Catholic Church. And she’s the first lay alum we’ve interviewed in this series. In this episode, Dr. Susan Mulheron—Chancellor for Canonical Affairs in the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis—shares what it’s really like to serve as a canon lawyer in the Church. Canon law might sound dry at first, but Susan makes it anything but boring...

From hearing 10,000 confessions a year to welcoming crying babies in the pews, Fr. Michael Fye’s approach to parish life might change how you see the Church. In this episode, he shares what he learned in Rome at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross—and how it shapes his ministry in Nashville today. Whether preaching to toddlers or guiding couples through marriage prep, Fr. Fye shares practi...

College students today are hungry for meaning, wrestling with loneliness, and searching for something real. What if the answer isn’t found in another achievement or relationship, but in learning how to pray? In this episode of our alumni interview series, we sit down with Fr. Rhodes Bolster, chaplain of University Catholic (UCat) Nashville, which serves students at Vanderbilt and Belmont Universit...

What happens when a Sister trained in Rome goes on to form the future priests of the Church? In this episode, David DiNapoli, President of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross Foundation, sits down with Sr. Mary Katerina Masek, an alumna of Santa Croce who has gone on to teach both college students and seminarians. Sr. Mary Katerina reflects on her time studying in Rome, the unexpected path...

What if Catholic morality isn’t about restriction—but freedom, joy, and becoming fully alive? In this powerful conversation, Fr. Riley Williams shares what moral theology really is and how studying it in Rome changed the way he sees the world—and walks with people in every stage of life. From teaching 8th graders philosophy (yes, Plato and Sophocles) to guiding parishioners through complex moral d...