The Catholic Passage Podcast

In this episode of The Catholic Passage Podcast , we explore the intersection of social media, church law, and priestly conduct. We feature insights from Fr. Timothy Smith, of the Diocese of Sioux Falls, on how the church navigates digital communication, canonical law, and ethical responsibilities.

This interview with Father Paul Scalia explores the faith, family life, and legacy of Justice Antonin Scalia. Host John has a wonderful conversation with Fr. Scalia, the son of the late Supreme Court Justice. Discover how faith shaped his personal and professional life, and gain insights into raising a Catholic family amidst cultural changes. Fr. Paul Scalia is priest of the Diocese of Arlington,...

In this episode of The Catholic Passage Podcast, host John Sandy engages with John Grosso, digital editor at The National Catholic Reporter , to explore the intersection of faith and journalism. They discuss the challenges of reporting as a Catholic, the role of social media in shaping public discourse, and the importance of transparency in journalism. They talk about the impact of Catholic social...

In this episode of The Catholic Passage Podcast, host John interviews Sam Estrada, a Catholic artist and storyteller, whose work bridges faith and creativity. Sam shares his journey from a young artist inspired by family, to creating graphic novels that depict the lives of saints. He discusses his time in religious life, the challenges of transitioning back to lay life, and how he found love while...

On this episode of the Catholic Passage Podcast, host John sits down with Tom Farley, brother of the late and beloved comedian, Chris Farley, to discuss fame, faith, family, comedy, addiction, and recovery. Explore the life of Chris Farley through this excellent and unique conversation opportunity via his brother, Tom Farley. Discover insights into his interior life, faith journey, and the impact...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! This new episode's guest is Dr. Andrew T. Seeley, a Catholic educator currently on staff with the Augustine Institute, co-founder fo the Institute for the Boethius Institute for the Advancement of Liberal Education. We are excited to announce that Dr. Seeley will be presenting as a keynote speaker at our upcoming inaugural Catholic Passage summer c...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! We are back in the new year with a new podcasting season, along with some exciting additional CP projects coming this year. For 2026, we will be trying to publish video podcasts, as just one of the ways we look to step up the content we offer. This episode features an excellent guest, Laura K. Beck, a Christian content creator and writer. Laura shares...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! We are back in the new year with a new podcasting season, along with some exciting additional CP projects coming this year. For 2026, we will be trying to publish video podcasts, as just one of the ways we look to step up the content we offer. In this great episode, Nathan Beacom shares about the Lyceum Movement, an initiative aimed at fostering civic...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! We are back in the new year with a new podcasting season, along with some exciting additional CP projects coming this year. For 2026, we will be trying to publish video podcasts, as just one of the ways we look to step up the content we offer. This new episode's guest is Fr. Nathan LaLiberte, a priest from the Diocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. T...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! We are back in the new year with a new podcasting season, along with some exciting additional CP projects coming this year. For 2026, we will be trying to publish video podcasts, as just one of the ways we look to step up the content we offer. This new episode's guest is Brian McClain, a pastoral associate who works closely with the young people of...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! We are back in the new year with a new podcasting season, along with some exciting additional CP projects coming this year. For 2026, we will be trying to publish video podcasts, as just one of the ways we look to step up the content we offer. This new episode's guest is Fr. Ryan Adorjan, a young Catholic priest, avid writer, and technology aficion...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! We hope you had a chance to enjoy our fall seasonal podcast, Soil and Soul . Now we are back with fresh episodes of our mainstay. Today’s guest is Isaac Huss, who is a Catholic content creator, freelance writer, and the Director of Marketing & Communications for the Nativity of Our Lord parish in St. Paul, MN. This is a unique and interesting episo...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Zachary Wiese, who is the Communications Manager at Catholic Rural Life, a Catholic nonprofit organization promoting Catholic life in rural America. We hope you enjoy this episode, where Zach talks with host Aaron about the history and background of Catholic Rural Life, their digital and in-person offerings for both clergy and laity, t...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Cecilia Stevenson, who is the producer for the new movie, Triumph of the Heart , coming to theaters September 12th. This feature film is about Maximilian Kolbe and his prisoner companions' triumph over death. Triumph of the Heart is not just a historical depiction, but also a testament to the power of love, sacrifice, and faith in...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Paul Kolker, who is an actor and comedian from Dallas, TX. He's also a co-host of a popular and funny podcast, The BeatiDudes , aimed at Christian men seeking authentic fraternity. Paul is a regular improv performer with the Four Day Weekend ensemble and has 20+ years of improv experience. He has been the audience warm-up act for D...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Chris Motz, who is an attorney with the First Liberty Institute, as well as the former Chief of Staff and legal counsel for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, SD. Chris was also the first Executive Director of the South Dakota Catholic Conference. This is an excellent episode where Chris talks with host John about his background, military ser...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Andrew Gniadek, who is the IT and technology specialist for the Lakes Catholic Community for the Okoboji, IA area parishes of St. Mary and St. Joseph. Andrew is also the creator of Luminous Tradition, a company focusing on engaging philosophy and scripture through the Carmelite tradition. He publishes regular blog posts on this topic a...

Welcome back to The Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Dave Moore, who is the co-founder of Catholic Music Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming the experience of the Mass and fostering deeper spiritual engagement through music. This is an excellent episode where Dave and host John discuss their mutual backgrounds and passions for music, the amazing work of CMI, an...

Welcome back to the Catholic Passage Podcast! If you haven't followed our recent seasonal podcast project, Soil and Soul , check it out by searching by that name on any podcast application. After the hiatus from our primary podcast, we're back with a fresh guest, and it's an exciting one! Today’s guest is Fr. John Nepil, one of the founders and hosts of the popular podcast, Catholic St...

Welcome to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Adam Storey, who is currently the Vice-Chancellor of Canonical Affairs for the Diocese of Des Moines, Iowa, and previous to that, served for over 14 years as Director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life for the diocese. Adam and John have a wonderful conversation, rich of insight, that you won't want to miss. Adam offers great per...

Welcome to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Jenny Condon, who is an active parishioner at Holy Trinity Parish and chair of the Catholic Identity Committee at St. Edmond Catholic Schools in Fort Dodge, IA, and mother of four. During Neil and Jenny's conversation, she discusses her passion for reading books and sharing such knowledge, along with her faith, to her children and other...

Welcome to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Fr. David Hemann, the current pastor for the Okoboji, IA area parishes of St. Mary and St. Joseph, as well as an accomplished musician, and simply a really fun and interesting guy to talk to, with plenty of stories. You won't want to miss this episode where Fr. Hemann shares a few of his wondrous stories with Aaron, while they discuss their...

Welcome to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Fr. Ross Caniglia, currently the parochial vicar at Holy Trinity parish in Fort Dodge, IA. Fr. Ross talks to Neil about his vocational story and upbringing, his interesting hobbies, and how we can all relate to struggling the ups and downs through our faith journey. Priests had to start somewhere and even then, it's just as necessary for co...

Welcome to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guests are Deacon Darwin Messerly and Deacon Kenny Lindquist, currently of the Okoboji, IA parishes of St. Mary and St. Joseph. The deacons and I discuss their important role in the Catholic Church, the strong focus of service, the relational importance of missions like Catholic Passage’s… and of course so much more! If you would like to find out mo...

Welcome to the Catholic Passage Podcast! Today’s guest is Grant Monnig, who teaches Theology at Kuemper Catholic High School in Carroll, Iowa, and also coaches various girls’ and boys’ junior high sports teams. During Erin and Grant’s conversation, he discusses his experience of sports growing up, how faith can be integrated into athletics, and how he strives to coach from a Catholic mindset. If y...