Lapsed

The hosts catch up on ***Catholicism IN THE NEWS****. Steph dishes on Francis’s drink of choice. Anne is jazzed that some Catholic bishops are starting to speak out about gun control legislation…until Steph totally (rightfully) harshes her mellow. Anne also fangirls over a fellow progressive, midwestern, redhead “straight, white, Christian, suburban mom" and does her best to sniff out Catholic...

An Interview With Nate Tinner-Williams of Black Catholic Messenger You’ve probably heard of a pandemic marriage or a pandemic move, but what about a pandemic Catholic convert/seminarian/nonprofit founder/writer? In this episode, the hosts chat with someone who checks all of these boxes and more. Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger, a nonprofit media publicatio...

Hey listeners. Some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that we don't have a new episode this week. The good news? We want to hear from you! So much of what we talk about on this show is rooted in parts of the Catholic church we've had trouble making sense of. So now it’s your turn. Which parts of Catholicism did you or do you find confusing or difficult to understand?  This could...

There are scary things happening in US politics right now, and Anne and Steph are working on unpacking it, lapsed Catholic style. Listen in as they recount what they were and weren’t taught in Catholic school about a pregnant person's right to control their own body. Along the way they do manage some levity….like when they learn of the 9 sins that will get you kicked out of the church (hint: d...

Ruler-wielding tyrants or holy social justice warriors?  Join the Anne and Steph as they attempt to sort out their feelings about nuns and religious sisters (and the difference between the two). COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to support Kina Collins for Congress . Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com   Follow us on T...

Anne and Steph serve up some Holy Week and Easter realness as they talk palms, confession, stations of the cross, itchy tights and egg hunts. Grab a chocolate bunny and tune in. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to the Chi Nations Youth Council . Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com   Follow us on Twitter ( @l...

It’s our 20th Episode! Stephanie and Anne take some time to reflect on what they’ve learned, what has surprised them, and what they dream of moving forward.  The hosts also talk wordle and a Dan Brown-eque conspiracy theory involving the Pope, Russia, and the Virgin Mary.  It’s a doozy. COLLECTION BASKET: We invite you to donate to the UN Refugee Agency .  Share your stories, thoughts, and questio...

Stephanie and Anne sit down with writer, advocate, and racial justice educator ShaRhonda Knott-Dawson. ShaRhonda is a “taco enthusiast, a proud member of the Beyhive, and truly believes that she will be receiving her letter from Hogwarts any day now.” She’s also the self-proclaimed “most Catholic non-Catholic in the world.” ShaRhonda chats with the hosts about her decidedly non-Protestant love of...

The hosts talk all things LENT as they spill the tea (the Communion wine?) on Ash Wednesday, fasting, giving things up, and fish fry Fridays. Stephanie explains why her dad is legitimately the King of Lent (there is ice cream involved).  Anne explains the intricacies of how Irish Catholics manage to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to its fullest despite the Lenten season. This episode also includes a...

The hosts are beyond excited to welcome actor, photographer, friend, and fellow former Catholic school kid Matthew Scott onto the show! Matthew recounts stories of being a queer theater kid who had no real beef with the Catholic Church but just kind of…wasn’t that into her. Matthew, Anne and Steph talk Catholic-style high school musicals (NO to references to teen pregnancy, YES to nuns in the audi...

The hosts welcome their first Catholic priest onto the show…and she’s a woman! Fr. Anne Tropeano is a Roman Catholic Womanpriest who is committed to seeing women welcomed into the priesthood within her lifetime. She has a deep love of the Society of Jesus, earned a Master of Divinity from Jesuit School of Theology, and has worked in multiple parishes in the Jesuits West Province. While many have u...

The hosts give detailed accounts of what leaving the Church looked like for each of them. One of the hosts makes a VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that would probably make a certain cranky pope very happy.  COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to support voting rights at https://fairfight.com/ .  Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com...

Anne talks with author Monica Dux! Monica is a writer, columnist, and social commentator. She’s also the author of Lapsed , “the story of one woman’s attempt to exorcise her religious upbringing.”  You can learn more about Monica here .   Then go BUY MONICA’S BOOK HERE . COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to support https://www.foodbank.org.au/ Share your stories, thoughts, and questions w...

This week the hosts talk Catholicism and Christmas memories! Stephanie reveals the carol for which she would sell her soul to the devil in order to be able to sing well (and nearly suggests a certain church choir should maybe have considered such things). Anne recounts the time she got to walk down the aisle at midnight Mass in a green velvet dress, though she’s still salty that she didn’t get to...

The hosts take a deep dive into the history of Your Lady and mine, the Blessed Virgin Mary (aka Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, aka Star of the Sea, aka Queen of Angels, and and and…). Steph makes some shocking discoveries about where Original Sin supposedly derives from (hint: it has to do with men, but don’t worry, it’s still women’s fault). Anne draws parallels between the Blessed Virgin and Doll...

This week the hosts share their Confirmation names and then hear from listeners about the names they chose! Stephanie gives off some serious pagan goddess vibes. Anne shocks Steph with her own grand name reveal. The hosts discover the 1970 hit that apparently inspired a heck of a Confirmation name trend, though confusingly in the late 90’s/early 00’s.  COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to...

Stephanie reminisces about how her grandma’s car was decked out with Catholic paraphernalia.   Anne points out that guardian angels sound a heck of a lot like New Age-y "spirit guides."  The hosts lament how angels are always depicted as white and Barbie-esque. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we once again invite you to donate to the Equal Justice Initiative. Share your stories, thoughts, and...

Stephanie is all aflutter at Francis’s talk of social justice. Anne nerds out over the concept of structural sin. A charming listener invites the hosts to rate her hypocrisy on a scale of 1 to “Pope Francis claiming to be an LGBT ally.” The hosts are also tired. Like, really, really tired. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to the Equal Justice Initiative. Share your stories, tho...

Stephanie and Anne talk Catholic school and sex ed….or lack thereof.  Steph laments that she never became a mathematician, and all because of lack of adequate sexual education. Anne waxes poetic about the universal human desire to nom babies’ toes. The hosts get peeved at the church.  Like, really peeved.  COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to the West Fund .  Share your stories,...

Stephanie and Anne answer questions from listeners! Stephanie leverages her Catholic knowledge to master crossword puzzles.  Anne fangirls over beloved lapsed Catholic musician Alanis Morissette.  The hosts bond over a shared love of sauerkraut. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to Refugees International . Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmai...

Stephanie and Anne go head to head in this *epic showdown* between CCD and Catholic School. ….just kidding! The hosts keep things extraordinarily amicable as they compare notes on their religious education experiences. Steph got out of being grounded by memorizing a prayer. Anne enjoyed passing retired nuns in hallways. This episode also includes a pretty solid Catholic joke.   COLLECTION BASKET:...

Stephanie and Anne chat with a real live theologian to talk feminism and queer theology in the Catholic Church! The hosts welcome K Kriesel, a textile artist devoted to Mother Mary and queer feminism, who spills the tea about folk Catholicism, Catholic Womenpriests, and how Saint Sebastian became the patron saint of gay men.  You can learn more about K and their art at https://www.instagram.com/kk...

Stephanie and Anne compare First Holy Communion stories. Anne tattled on a CCD kid at First Communion rehearsal. Steph got into an argument about transubstantiation with her high school theology teacher. The hosts agree on the impossibility of consuming the Communion host without chewing. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we once again invite you to support women’s health and bodily autonomy with a don...

EPISODE 3: Popes Anne and Stephanie attempt to tackle the 2000+ year history that is the Catholic Papacy. Stephanie explains how her Catholic grandma once tore all the family photos off the walls and replaced them with a letter from the Pope. Anne describes how her Catholic grandma once got pranked by a priest impersonating a Cardinal. Disney’s The Little Mermaid somehow comes up again. This week’...

Anne and Stephanie take a walk down memory lane and straight into the church confessional. Stephanie is relieved that the Ten Commandments say nothing about being nice to your siblings. Anne still remembers all the words to the Act of Contrition she had to memorize in 2nd grade. The hosts agree on the merits of Rosaries (even though they’re not necklaces). COLLECTION BASKET: This week we once more...