Outside the Walls

This political season is the perfect time to engage more deeply with the Church's theological and magisterial documents on how best to order society toward the pursuit of the common good. Today we talk with Dr. Taylor Patrick O'Neill and Dr. Matthew Kuhner about an upcoming class " Political Engagement as a Catholic: Principles, Sources, and Historical Engagements " which seeks to unfold the Churc...

TJ Bogan is the founder of FindMyCamino.com. He shares with us his experiences as a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago, and the work he does to facilitate pilgrimages for others.

This week, the "socials" have been abuzz in response to a provocative scene in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. There were hot takes by those offended, and hotter takes ridiculing those offended. In this week's conversation, we won't spend much time looking at the inciting events, We won't definitely answer the question of whether blasphemy occurred or not. Rather, I want to take a step bac...

Julianne Stanz is a Storyteller, author, and encourager,  an internationally known speaker and retreat leader. She is the Director of Outreach for Discipleship and Evangelization for Loyola Press and a consultant to the USCCB. Julianne is the author of five books, including the award-winning  Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace . Her new book,  The Catholic Parent Su...

Mike Aquilina, Co-Founder of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is a widely recognized Catholic author and lecturer, and popular Church Historian. He is the host of seasons 1-3 of The Way of the Fathers Podcast at CatholicCulture.org Together with Adam Lucas, Mike is the co-author of Feasts of our Fathers : Praying the Church Year with the Early Christians published by Catholic Answers. Yo...

Chris Padgett is a popular speaker, musician, and author who has traveled around the world doing ministry. He and his wife, Linda, have been married over thirty years and have nine children.  He joins us to talk about his varied experiences in ministry and the opportunities he's been given, simply by making himself available to the Holy Spirit. We talk about how God uses each of us when we just sh...

Dr. Andrew Whitmore, Associate Professor of Theology and academic dean at Christendom College., is the author of  Saintly Habits: Aquinas’ 7 Simple Strategies You Can Use to Grow in Virtue , available through Ascension Press. He joins us to talk about what Virtue is, why it's important, and how we can grow in Virtue.

Dr. Timothy P. O’Malley is the Academic Director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy . He teaches and researches at Notre Dame in the areas of liturgical-sacramental theology, catechesis, and aesthetics. Today we talked about his new book on Ave Maria Press,  Behold Believe Become: Meeting the Hidden Christ in Things We See, Say and Do at Mass .  There are also free video resources available to h...

Joel Stepanek serves as the Vice President of Programming and Administration for the National Eucharistic Congress which will take place from July 17th - 21st in Indianapolis, Indiana.  ( EucharisticCongress.org ) He has served in a variety of ministry and leadership roles, including as a parish youth minister, RCIA team member, and Vice President of Parish Services at Life Teen. Joel is an author...

Fr. Tim Anastos is a priest of the Archdiocese of Chicago and the assistant chaplain at the St. John Paul II Newman Center at the University of Illinois–Chicago. He serves as a eucharistic preacher for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. He joins us to talk about his book Jesus, Make Me Fully Alive: 30 Holy Hour Meditations available on Ave Maria Press.

Constance T. Hull joins us to discuss her recent piece at Catholic Exchange " Is it 'Just' War? " where she shares her experience rethinking her own opinions on the wars we wage through the lens of Just War Theory. Constance is a wife, mother, homeschooler, Navy Veteran, and a graduate with an M.A. in Theology with an emphasis in philosophy. She is published at Catholic Exchange, The Federalist, P...

Amy Ekeh is the Director of Little Rock Scripture Study at Liturgical Press. Originally from Texas, she grew up in an Episcopal parish that was deeply committed to liturgy, community, and learning. During her teen years, some members of my parish, including two of our priests, became Catholic.  She serves on the faculty of the New England Catholic Biblical School and is an adjunct professor at Sac...

Michael Grasinski is the Assistant Director of Admissions at Sacred Heart Major Seminary ( SHMS.edu ). He joins us to talk about the Philosophy of Personalism and its influence on the landscape of Catholic Theology.

Dr. Matthew Breuninger is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Franciscan University of Stuebenville, and the Director of Teaching Excellence. He has research interests in the role of religion in one’s psychological well-being • Attachment to God—the experiences of felt security with God • Understanding the overlap between psychological habits and theological virtues • Virtue formation.  Dr. Br...

Chenele Shaw, is one of the project leads for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which consists of four routes from the four corners of the US converging on Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. The events take place across the country from May 17th through July 16th. You can find a listing of those events at EucharisticPilgrimage.org .  She also serves as the Co-Director of the Be...

Dr. James B. Prothro is an associate professor of Theology and Sacred Scripture and the director of the MA Biblical Studies program at the Augustine Institute just outside of Denver Colorado. Today, we’re talking about his book The Bible and Reconciliation: Confession, Repentance, and Restoration , part of the Catholic Biblical Theology of the Sacraments series from Baker Academic. He is also the...

Dr. Kevin Clarke, Dean of the Institute for Lay Ministry and Associate Professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, joins us to talk about his 2018 book “The Seven Deadly Sins” from the “Sayings of the Father’s of the Church” series from Catholic University of America Press, and a free, online course on the same topic at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. https://explore.shms.edu/seven-deadly-si...

Dr. Pia de Solenni is the Senior Director of Corporate Engagement at IWP Capital. She is a Theologian, ethicist, and cultural analyst. In addition to various policy and academic roles, Pia was a principal founder of the Global Institute of Church Management. Previously, she served as chancellor and theological advisor to the Bishop of Orange in California. She is an expert in issues relating to Ca...

Sr. Nancy is the Director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, California. She is a Media Literacy Education Specialist, theologian, international speaker, film/TV reviewer, and author of an award-winning theology of popular culture called, A Sacred Look: Becoming Cultural Mystics . Sr Nancy is a Doctoral Candidate in Ministry at Catholic University of America in the area of Lit...

Bo Bonner is the Director of the Center for Human Flourishing, and Senior Advisor for Mission Initiatives at Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA. He joins us in a discussion to reframe our concept of Lent and Pennance to one of Joy and anticipation. What if we thought of our Lenten preparation the same way we thought about preparing for Date Night with our Beloved.

Dr. Elizabeth Klein is an Associate Professor of Theology At the Augustine Institute , a contributor to Formed , and the author of Augustine’s Theology of Angels  and God: What Every Catholic Should Know , which is the topic of our patreon segment this week. She specializes in patristic theology, particularly the writings of St. Augustine. She is the director of the Augustine Institute’s Short Cou...

Dr. Mark Giszczak, who received his Ph. D. from The Catholic University of America, is a professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute just outside Denver, Colorado. He is the author of “ Bible Translation and the Making of the ESV Catholic Edition (Augustine Institute), ” Light on the Dark Passages of Scripture (OSV), What Every Catholic Should Know about Suffering  (Augustine Institut...

Dr. John W. Martens is professor of theology and director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark's College at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. For four years he wrote the Scripture column "The Word" at America Magazine. He has also written extensively on children in early Christianity, including  ‘Let the Little Children Come to Me’: Children and Childhood in Ea...

Fr. Patrick Gilger, S.J. is assistant professor of sociology at Loyola University Chicago and contributing editor for culture at America Media. Fr. Gilger’s research lies at the intersection of the sociology of religion, political theory, and the study of the secular. Fr. Gilger is an award-winning author and frequent public speaker. His writing has appeared in publications such as Vox, Church Lif...

Dr. Joseph Vukov is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at Loyola University Chicago. He is also Associate Director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola, and an Affiliate Faculty Member in Catholic Studies and Psychology. Nationally, Vukov also serves as the Vice President of Philosophers in Jesuit Education. His research explores questions at the int...