Deacons Pod

Rev. Joseph Yoo is an Episcopal priest in Texas with a dynamic presence on Instagram and TikTok. He has a wonderful conversation with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates in this thought-provoking episode of Deacons Pod. Rev. Yoo is the pastor of Mosaic Episcopal Church in Pearland, TX, and author of the book "When the Saints Go Flying In: Stories About Faith, Life, and Everything in Between."

In the wake of the U.S. government's massive cuts to international aid funding, Jesuit Refugee Service USA is persevering in its important work to serve refugees in multiple countries. In this episode of Deacons Pod, Deacon Drew Dickson of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates has a conversation with Hilary Chester, Ph. D., JRS/USA's Vice President for Domestic and Acting Vice President for International...

Could "radical non-judgement" be a balm for polarization? Isn't "judging" a necessary part of everyday life? The Paulist Deacon Affiliates consider these questions in this thought-provoking episode of Deacons Pod featuring an interview with Fr. Isaac Slater, OCSO, author of the new Liturgical Press book "Do Not Judge Anyone: Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World." Fr. Isaac is a Trappist monk who li...

Daryl Russell Grigsby, author of the new Paulist Press book "Catholics for the Common Good: An Eternal Offering" is the guest on this episode of Deacons Pod. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates ask Daryl about the 36 contemporary Catholics profiled in the book, each of whom lived the prayer "Make of us an eternal offering to you" in their commitment to the common good and to human flourishing. In partic...

Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, Editor-at-Large of Commonweal Magazine, is our guest on this episode of Deacons Pod. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates ask Mollie about her early impressions of Pope Leo XIV; the role of LGBTQ+ people and women in the Church; and why she remains a Catholic when the Church seems to be stuck in some ways. They also chat about Mollie's reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Easter sh...

"You will find your place in the Church. Everyone has one. It may not seem obvious at first where that place is. But everyone has a place inside the Church," says Paulist Deacon Ben Chisholm in this episode of Deacons Pod. Deacon Ben, a Paulist seminarian, is slated to be ordained a priest during a Mass on Saturday, May 17, 2025. He is to be ordained alongside Paulist Deacon Chris Malano, who was ...

In this episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates have a wonderful conversation with Paulist Deacon Chris Malano. He is a Paulist seminarian and transitional deacon who is slated to be ordained a priest on Saturday, May 17, 2025. He is to be ordained a priest alongside Paulist Deacon Ben Chisholm, who will be a guest on a future episode of Deacons Pod.

In this special episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates celebrate the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who entered eternal life on April 21, 2025.

The Paulist Deacon Affiliates recorded this episode of Deacons Pod on Holy Saturday to discuss their consolations and desolations in Lent, 2025, and about how to continue nurturing hope in the Easter season. The deacons also chat about the past two prior Deacons Pod episodes in August, 2022, and October, 2023, featuring Judge Ester Salas, a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey who has publicly...

"I don't have optimism, I have hope – which is a theological virtue. They can't touch my hope but my optimism is in short supply," says Deacon Dennis Dolan in this episode of Deacons Pod. Deacon Dennis and Deacon Drew Dickson, two of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates, host this episode that looks at both a memorable Gospel reading of Lent and troubling issues raised by recent actions of the U.S. feder...

Could we just skip Thanksgiving dinner when we don't want to talk to our relatives about politics? Do we really need to have that hard conversation with our boss or a coworker? How do we talk to grandpa when the time comes to take away his car keys? These are some of the examples mentioned in this special episode of Deacons Pod in which the Paulist Deacon Affiliates interview Bob Bordone, co-autho...

In this episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates speak with Fr. Robin Ryan, CP, author of the new Paulist Press book "Life is Changed, Not Ended: An Introduction to Christian Eschatology." Christian eschatology is the study of the "last things" including death, immortality of the soul, resurrection, and the end of time. Fr. Ryan's book ends with a reflection on Julian of Norwich's tea...

Three of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates (Deacon Drew, Deacon Dennis, and Deacon Mark) discuss the Gospel readings for the Sundays of Lent 2025 in this episode of Deacons Pod. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to inspire and give hope to people on the “threshold of faith”: Those who are thinking about going to Church and those who are thinking about...

Paulist Fr. Bruce Nieli is the guest on this episode of Deacons Pod about how threshold Catholics are dealing with issues ignited by the new presidential administration in Washington, D.C. Fr. Bruce discusses the status of refugees and migrants in the United States; the abrupt federal funding cuts for Catholic Relief Services; and how believers in non-violence should react when faced with politica...

Paulist Press' new graphic biography "Dorothy Day: Radical Devotion" is the subject of this special episode of Deacons Pod. This colorful, visual narrative tells the story of Servant of God Dorothy Day (1897 - 1980), founder of the Catholic Worker movement. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates are joined by author Jeffry Odell Korgen and illustrator Christopher Cardinale to discuss their book. The deacon...

Centering prayer is the topic of this special episode of Deacons Pod. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates' guest is Colleen Thomas, a spiritual director trained in the monastic arts of discernment, spiritual companionship, and retreat leadership, and a long-time practitioner of centering prayer. Colleen is Associate Program Director at Stillpoint: A Center for Christian Spirituality in Los Angeles. She...

In this special "Year In Review" episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates take a look back at how 2024 went for them personally, for their parish ministries, and for our podcast. The deacons chat about which of our episodes and guests over the past year resonated with them the most. They also consider the common themes that emerged from guests in 2024 as they answered our "threshold q...

Paulist Fr. Mark-David Janus joins the Paulist Deacon Affiliates for this special episode of Deacons Pod. They speak about Fr. Mark-David's wonderful new Paulist Press book "Comfort and Joy: Christmas for the Soul."  The book provides a reflection for each day of the season of Advent and the 12 days of Christmas. Ordained a priest in 1979, Fr. Mark-David also is a psychologist. He recently became...

Maggi Van Dorn is our guest on this special episode of Deacons Pod. She is the host of the wonderful podcast “Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols” from America Media. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates ask Maggi about the deep dive she takes into the history, music, and lyrics of one specific Christmas carol or hymn on each installment of "Hark!" released during Advent. As an example...

What is the Church for? Does the Church have a mission? Or, does the mission have a Church? What is your understanding of God? Fr. Stephen Bevans, SVD, raises these questions in this week's edition of Deacons Pod. Fr. Bevens is author of the new book "Community of Missionary Disciples: The Continuing Creation of the Church" from Orbis Books. A professor emeritus at Catholic Theological Union in Ch...

"Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain's Journey," a powerful new documentary film co-produced by Paulist Productions, will be in select theaters around the United States on November 8, 2024. In this episode of Deacons Pod, the deacons speak about the film with Paulist Fr. Tom Gibbons, vice president of Paulist Productions and an executive producer of "Fighting Spirit." The film shares the stories of...

Do today's Catholic leaders have the knowledge and understanding to help people become disciples of Jesus Christ? Do parish leaders have the empathy and relationship-building skills to create a culture of welcome? Those are two of the questions raised in this episode of Deacons Pod featuring an interview with Dan Pierson of Grand Rapids, MI. After decades of work in religious education, Dan establ...

The Paulist Deacon Affiliates speak with Dr. Steven Millies, author of the new Paulist Press book "A Consistent Ethic of Life: Navigating Catholic Engagement with U.S. Politics." Dr. Millies directs The Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. On September 26, 2024, Dr. Millies gave a presentation on the Consistent Ethic of Life at Old St. Mary's Church, which is served by th...

Is the emotion of fear abused in politics, advertising, and other parts of life? What is the difference between natural fears and unnatural fears? Can fear be narcissistic? Can fear be transformational? Is hope the antidote to fear? These are some of the questions posed by the Paulist Deacon Affiliates to Fr. Dan Horan, OFM, in this fascinating installment of Deacons Pod. Fr. Dan is author of the...

In this rebroadcast of a 2022 episode of Deacons Pod, the deacons speak with Kevin Tuerff, the real-life “Kevin T.” portrayed in the Broadway musical “Come From Away” about the thousands of airplane passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001. Kevin also is author of the book "Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11" and founder of Pay It Forward 9/11, an initiative tha...