Deacons Pod

It is often in unlikely individuals and places that we discover God's transforming love. That is a premise of "Why God?: Stories to Inspire Faith," the new Paulist Press book from Fr. Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest, author, and film critic from Australia. Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey speaks with Fr. Richard in this great new episode of Deacons Pod. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for eve...

When a Catholic leaves their parish, should we call them and ask "why"? Should departing parishioners be asked to complete marketing-style exit surveys? Is the abuse crisis a factor for those leaving the Church? These are just some questions posed to Diane Blair in this episode of Deacons Pod. Diane recently served as Director of Pastoral Life at Holy Name of Jesus Church in New Orleans. Prior to...

In this special installment of Deacons Pod, five of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates share stories of sacred moments they experienced while traveling. The episode was inspired by this question: "What is the difference between pilgrimage and vacation?" 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”: Tho...

Addressing racism in our nation and in our Church is the topic of this installment of Deacons Pod. The deacons speak with Matt Kappadakunnel, author of the Paulist Press book "The Catholic Church and the Struggle for Racial Justice." Matt is a Catholic of South Indian descent and a member of the Syro-Malabar Church. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially create...

Do our thoughts matter? Can we redirect "afflicted" thoughts like anger and dejection? What do the Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers have to teach us about managing our thoughts? Those are some of the questions addressed in this episode of Deacons Pod featuring Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, OSB, a Benedictine nun of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN. Sr. Meg is author of "The Matters Series...

Meditation and contemplative prayer may help people take a break from the drama in their lives, and be a balm to polarization in our society. Those are just two of several takeaways from this special episode of Deacons Pod featuring Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB, a Benedictine monk and director of the World Community for Christian Meditation. Their conversation includes details on teaching meditation...

Heidi Busse, editor of the devotional periodical Give Us This Day, has a lively conversation with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates about Benedictine values, addressing polarization, and ministry with Catholics on the threshold. Published by Liturgical Press, Give Us This Day is a monthly booklet in a day-by-day format. It provides readers with the daily Mass readings, morning prayer, evening prayer,...

Helen Osman, a longtime leader in faith-based communications, joins us for a conversation about providing hope for the Catholics at the threshold of the Church door; trends in Church media; and more. Helen is president of SIGNIS, the international association for Catholic communicators. A resident of Austin, TX, she also serves as a consultant to the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication. She prev...

In this special episode, we compile responses from our several of our pod guests to our regular question: "What words of hope would you give to Catholics at the threshold of the Church door, both those who are thinking about returning to Church and those who are thinking about leaving?" ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to inspire and give hope to...

In this episode, the deacons have a wonderful conversation with Paulist Deacon Chris Lawton and Paulist Deacon Dan Macalinao. They are both Paulist seminarians and transitional deacons who are slated to be ordained priests on May 18, 2024. Deacon Chris and Deacon Dan both met the Paulist Fathers when they were parishioners at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in New York City, where the Ordinatio...

The deacons speak with Heidi Schlumpf, senior correspondent at National Catholic Reporter, about trends in the Church, Catholic publishing, and more. This is a rebroadcast of an episode from October, 2022. 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 a...

The deacons have a great conversation with Jesuit Fr. James Martin, editor-at-large of America magazine, about his new book "Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus's Greatest Miracle." In the book, Fr. Jim takes a deep dive into the Gospel account of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead. The deacons also speak with Fr. Jim about his service as a voting member at the Church's “Synod on Synodality,” th...

The deacons have a great conversation with Paulist Fr. Rich Andre, director of the Paulist Center in Boston, about his faith journey, his call to the priesthood, preaching styles, music, the intersection of faith and science, and ministry in Boston. During their conversation, Fr. Rich shares details about the lectionary guide he helped to create when he served at St. Austin Church in Austin, TX. A...

Deacon Dennis and Deacon Tom share thoughts and tips for navigating the sacred season of Lent. 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 leaving Church. Deacons Pod is hosted by the Paulist Deacon affiliates. The pod...

Deacon Dennis and Deacon Tom speak with Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, who served from 2004 to 2021 as executive director of the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and helped to organize the "Nuns on the Bus" lobbying tours around the country. Sr. Simone is a member of the Sisters of Social Service. At the beginning of the episode, Deacon Tom references an early member of the Sisters of Social S...

The deacons speak with Diana Macalintal, co-founder and co-director of TeamRCIA, a resource for parishes and ministers working with adults who are becoming Catholic. She also is an author and speaker on topics related to liturgy, music, prayer, and intercultural ministry. Diana is an alumna of the University Catholic Center at UCLA. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s...

The deacons are joined by Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese to discuss his essay "15 Hidden Gems in the Synod on Synodality Report" that appeared November 9, 2023, in the National Catholic Reporter. The essay looks at 15 aspects of the Synthesis Report that was issued after "Synod on Synodality" that was held October 4 to 29 at the Vatican. Fr. Tom is a senior analyst for Religion News Service. From 1998 to...

Media literacy education, digital literacy skills, artificial intelligence, and the power of movies are topics in this first Deacons Pod episode of 2024. The deacons' wonderful guest is Sr. Rose Pacatte, a Daughter of St. Paul, the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, and a film critic. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to ins...

The deacons speak with Robert Ellsberg, publisher of Orbis Books, writer of the "Blessed Among Us" column in "Give Us This Day," and one-time managing editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper. The episode touches on Advent, Christmas, the future of Catholic book publishing, Servant of God Dorothy Day, Servant of God Isaac Hecker, and Robert's well-known father Daniel Ellsberg, who entered eternal l...

The deacons speak with Joan Rosenhauer, President of Jesuit Refugee Service USA, an organization which serves and advocates on behalf of refugees and forcibly displaced people. Before joining JRS/USA in 2018, Joan spent nine years as Executive Vice President of Catholic Relief Services. Prior to that, she served at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Department for Justice, Peace, and Human D...

How can the Church's evangelization efforts be more effective? Is World Youth Day having a lasting impact? Where can "threshold Catholics" or "seekers" find hope? These are some of the deacons' questions in this episode for Marilyn Santos, a veteran Catholic educator and youth minister. She serves today as Associate Director of the Secretariat of Evangelization & Catechesis at the U. S. Conference...

Deacon Dennis and Deacon Patrick speak with Cherylann and Len Gengel of the Be Like Brit Foundation, which operates a home and academy for children in Haiti. They began the foundation after their daughter Brit died while on a mission trip in Haiti during the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010. During the Saturday evening Mass on November 18, 2023, Cherylann and Len will be honored by the P...

The deacons speak with Nancy Klein Maguire, author of "An Infinity of Little Hours: Five Young Men and Their Trial of Faith in the Western World's Most Austere Monastic Order" and "The Monk's Widow: A Memoir of a Resilient Love and an Intimate Death." Before their conversation with Dr. Maguire, Deacon Mark, Deacon Dennis, and Deacon Drew discuss the different orders of Catholic monks and the varyi...

The deacons speak with U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas about her spiritual journey and the sense of peace she has found three years after her son Daniel, age 20, was shot and killed at their home in New Jersey. Judge Salas and her husband Mark (who also was shot during the attack) have publicly forgiven the assailant. She is the first Deacons Pod guest to make a return visit to the pod. New...

Chaplains for police departments, sheriff's offices, and other law enforcement agencies serve during some of life's worst moments. To explore the blessings and challenges of such roles, the deacons speak with Paulist Fr. Charlie Donahue and Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey (one of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates). They both serve as law enforcement chaplains in Knoxville, TN. Fr. Charlie is a chaplain wi...