Jesuitical

It is not the first time and it is unlikely to be the last time, but President Trump’s latest racist remarks about “shithole” countries has many of asking: Who are we? What do we stand for? Who do we welcome and why? We recorded this episode on Wednesday before the news about the president’s comments broke, but nonetheless we think a lot of what we talk about with this week’s guest will help you c...

In our final Jesuitical episode of 2017, we talk with my fellow Bronxite and award-winning journalist at The New York Times, David Gonzalez. Born and raised in the South Bronx to Puerto Rican immigrants, David was raised Catholic and attended Cardinal Hayes High School. Since the 1970s, he has been snapping pictures of people and places all around New York City. Currently, he co-edits the Times’ p...

How does an appointee in the Bill Clinton administration end up as a regular face of Fox News? It’s complicated. And what does a woman who has worked for decades in both politics and the media have to say about today’s sexual assault and harassment reckoning? A lot. This week we talk with Kirsten Powers, who you may recognize as a frequent on-air political analyst for CNN and an opinion writer for...

Have you ever gotten to know a priest only to discover that your conception of who he was was misguided? Too often priests have either the best or the worst assumed of them, and the result is that we, the laity, fail to see them as they are: human. Our guest this week is Chris Yates, a graduate of Loyola Marymount University who has created a fine-art coffee table book that seeks to show the Jesui...

When you think about the history of American Catholicism, images of Irish, Italian, German and Polish immigrant parishes probably come to mind. Think about the future of the U.S. church, and you’ve probably been told it’s Latino. But the story of the church, in the United States—past, present and future—is the story of black Catholics. On this week’s show we talk with Mary C. Curtis, an award-winn...

This week, we talk with Brian Larkin of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. Larkin is part of the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight. Founded in 2018, the J.B.S. is “a nationwide effort to capitalize on basketball games between Jesuit schools and, through those games, bring greater positive awareness and exposure to Jesuit education and its shared mission.” We talk about its creation, th...

In an article that appeared in America over the summer, David Michael wrote: Hipsters are drawn to craft beer, obscure cheeses, organic farms, taxidermy and homemade preserves. They favor hand-dipped candles, old-fashioned stationery, Indian headdresses and the lamentable industrial-chic decor and exposed bricks that mark so many new restaurants and bars. Hipsters love the authentic, the craft and...

Last weekend Jesuitical took the show on the road for our first live recording at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in my hometown, Arlington, Va. The Teach-In is the country’s largest Catholic social justice gathering, which brings together students from Jesuit high schools and colleges and other members of the Ignatian family for three days of learning, prayer and advocacy. For this week’...

This week, we talk with celebrity nun, Sister Simone Campbell. Sister Simone is the leader of the Nuns on the Bus and executive director of the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice. We talk balancing spirituality with fame, women religious, Catholic feminism, Paul Ryan and more.  In Signs of the Times, next week is Halloween, and some women religious warn: sexy nun costumes aren’t funny. Half...

“What does religion have to offer me?” It’s a question more people are asking as affiliation with organized religion continues to fall. Brandon Vogt thinks that Catholics should be ready with answers. “Today, as the world becomes more and more disinterested and disenchanted with religion, we need this positive approach [to being Catholic more] than a negative defense,” he says. Vogt, the guest on...

What does it mean to be a feminist? I wasn’t raised one—I barely even understood what the word meant growing up. It wasn’t until my 20s that I began to fully engage with feminist ideas and literature, from Betty Friedan to bell hooks to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. For me, feminism is intersectional, incorporating various aspects of my identity: being a woman of color, an immigrant, a writer, and a p...

Even super fans (your hosts included) of Grammy-nominated Christian artist Matt Maher may not know this fun fact: The Canadian musician went to a Jesuit high school in Newfoundland! On this week’s episode, we ask Matt if Ignatian spirituality has influenced his music, how the music industry has changed since he released his first album in 2001 and about the place of protest and suffering in his la...

Tiny homes—you’ve probably heard of them. They’re littered all over Instagram and Pinterest, and HGTV has dedicated a show to hunting them. But what you probably haven’t heard about is how they could be a solution to end chronic homelessness. This week we talk to Andrew Lunetta, a graduate of LeMoyne University, who is the executive director of A Tiny Home for Good. Only 27, Andrew “builds and man...

Last week, we talked about how to pray—this week, we bring you the music for those prayers as we talk with Catholic rockstar Audrey Assad. She is the daughter of a Syrian refugee, an author, speaker and producer who uses her music and her various social media platforms to talk about her Syrian identity and movements like Black Lives Matter. We talk to Audrey about her latest album, “Inheritance,”...

Chances are if you’re Catholic you’ve said it, or at least thought it: I am terrible at praying. I know I have (and am). You’ve tried the rosary. You’ve given the Examen a shot. You even dragged yourself to adoration. Why isn’t God answering?! Especially in this long slog between Pentecost and Advent, it’s easy to get discouraged. Fear not, dear listener. This week, we bring back Father James Mart...

Rap got religious last year. At least that’s what Zac wrote earlier this year for America. The truth is, while it may have gotten more explicit about religion in 2016, hip-hop has always had a deep religious undercurrent to its bars and beats. This week we’re chatting with Alex Nava, the author of In Search of Soul: Hip-Hop, Literature, and Religion. We talk to Alex about religion’s influence on h...

Whether you connect our episode title to Beyoncé, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or even Vampire Weekend, maps matter. This week we are talking with Molly Burhans, the founder and executive director of GoodLands, a startup that is mapping the global Catholic Church. Information can change lives and Molly helped us wrap our heads around the amazing work she and h [...] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

This week, we talk with Lino Rulli, host of “The Catholic Guy” on Sirius XM’s The Catholic Channel. We talk balancing his Catholicism and comedy, being vulnerable on air, relationships, late-night television and more. Is there anything he hasn’t (or wouldn’t) share with listeners after 10 years on the radio? In Signs of the Times, the “Mother Teresa of Pakistan” gets a state funeral. Iceland claim...

How could I possibly have kids if I can barely do my taxes without calling my mom in a panic on April 14? It’s a question I must admit that has crossed my mind more than once. I’ve never even owned a dog. Isn’t that a prereq for parenting these days? Our guest this week, Liz Bruenig, wears many hats: Washington Post editor, socialist, Catholic convert, Twitter enthusiast—and “young” mother. She pu...

Three years ago this week, on Aug. 9, 2014, police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, an African-American teen in Ferguson, Mo. Within 24 hours of the shooting the Ferguson uprising began. On this episode, we talk with the Rev. Broderick Greer, an Episcopalian priest in Memphis, Tenn., who boarded a bus and headed to Ferguson following Mr. Brown’s death. He wrote about this exper...

For millions of women around the world, women’s magazines—from Teen Vogue and Seventeen to Cosmopolitan and Glamour—have played a pivotal role in the way we are taught to view ourselves. These publications condition the way we view our hair, bodies, sexuality and relationships. But what are the damaging effects these publications can have on women? This week, we talk with Kara Eschbach, founder, C...

Are you working out for the body of a god? What about the body of a convict? Meet Coss Marte, our guest this week. After being arrested at 19 for running a multimillion dollar drug trade in New York City, Coss was sent to prison. There, doctors told him that his health problems and weight could kill him within a few years. After dropping 70 pounds in six months, and helping train other convicts to...

What is it about habits and cassocks that capture the imagination of even secular audiences? Mix those priests and nuns with a murder mystery and you’ve got a ready-made hit. Netflix’s Emmy-nominated documentary series “The Keepers,” begins with the story of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a beloved Catholic high school teacher, who was murdered in 1969 and whose case remains unsolved. But it quickly evolves...

This week we’re going back to college. That means Natty Light, hook-ups and figuring out “gluten” is. This week our guest is Kerry Cronin, professor of philosophy at Boston College. She teaches her students, among other things, about the pitfalls of hookup culture and the dos and don’ts of Catholic dating. She frequently makes headlines (like this one: Ask Someone on a Date—or Kerry Cronin Will Fa...

This week the United States celebrated the Fourth of July: a day where people gather with friends and families, drinking Budweisers and eating hot dogs. This week’s episode reflects on the state of the country. Our own Zac Davis wrote “Donald Trump’s sins are our sins, too, and impeachment won’t absolve them,” which we discuss in conversation about American exceptionalism and more. This week we ch...