The Catholic Teacher Podcast

What do we do when we feel overlooked for promotion in a Catholic school? What do we do when we feel that someone less qualified is now doing the role we felt God could really use in? How does a Catholic teacher address the issue of ambition and wanting to build a career? These are important questions that can lead to resentment and bitterness or trust and a growth into a deeper dependence upon Go...

Working with a great spiritual director is a very powerful way to allow God to speak more clearly in your life. Over recent weeks I've been reading some important spiritual texts recommended by my director that have had an important impact upon me. In this episode I want to share my insights from reading books by Father Jacques Philippe, Jean-Pierre de Cuassade and Father Wilfred StiniGrab your fr...

It seems we only have to turn on a TV, open a computer or check our phone and be instantly and endlessly confronted by some new tragedy occurring somewhere in the world. While we will never be free of suffering this side of heaven there are remarkable ways in which Catholic teachers can make a genuine difference. In today's episode I explore how the ways in which we identify struggling students an...

C.S. Lewis is one of the greatest thinkers and writers of the 20th century. His ability to incisively communicate the deepest of truths has few rivals. In today's episode I explore on of his simplest yet most extraordinary quotes. It goes to the very heart of the issues that can make it hard for our students to engage with Jesus and the Catholic faith. In a world of religious equivalence and the a...

Our modern world is wildly technocratic and its essential religion is rapidly becoming a mix of scientism and consumerism. As such, there has never been a more important time to stand against this dark tide by a return to the deepest meaning of what it is to be human. In this episode I explore a beautiful quote from Robert Cardinal Sarah that reminds us of the crucial importance of prayer, Euchari...

There are so many things that make the Catholic Church unique in her journey throughout history. One of those things is that she is always at her very best when she is not engaged in the 'system of the world' but rather stands as a prophetic witness against it. Think for a moment about how our political and cultural systems so often operate within a methodology of the accumulation and maintenance...

In today's episode we explore a powerful insight from retired Archbishop Charles Chaput. He reminds us that if the Catholic Church just becomes one more mouthpiece of ethical pieties and 'I Stand With..." hashtags then we really don't have anything to offer the world they can't get from turning on Oprah or watching The View. We have to be bold and confident in our proclamation of the eternal truth...

In many Catholic schools these days the essential mission has been lost in a malaise of political activism and a hunt for enrolments and higher test scores. Is it possible that many schools have lost their way? In this episode we go back to a 2014 Vatican document that reminds us all of the one and only ultimate purpose of each and every Catholic school. Rediscovering and recommitting to these dee...

What if your most difficult students or colleagues were actually a gift that God has placed in your life. While it may not feel like it the truth is that we tend to grow much more through dealing with difficult people than we realise. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here: https://cf.onecatholicteacher.com/oct-opt-in Find out about booking Jonathan to come a...

We all have our faults but never forget that the devil wants to make sure you feel that you will never overcome them. In today's episode we explore another great quote that reminds us that it's not only if we fall that matters but how we make the effort to get back up and continue the journey of faith and hope. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here: https://...

What if you and your students have been created exactly as God intended? As a Catholic teacher you no doubt have experienced first hand the lack of self-esteem that can impact so many young people. In today's message we explore a great quote from George Macdonald that will help all of us realise just how remarkable and precious our creations in God's image really is. Grab your free access to my aw...

Today we discuss a beautiful quote from the great Catholic writer Evelyn Underhill. She reminds us that the call into deeper prayer and silence is a precious and necessary way to buffer ourselves from the noice and chaos of the world that surrounds us. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here: https://cf.onecatholicteacher.com/oct-opt-in Find out about booking...

It's a common mistake to think that we chose teaching because we simply liked young people or that we had an interest in a particular subject and wanted to teach it to people. In today's episode we discuss a much more compelling truth. We must be constantly reminded that the truth of our vocations is that they are a place where we have the greatest chance to love others and grow in holiness. Grab...

For many years we have been sharing the simple truth that it is the teachers in a Catholic school who will always give every school its own unique characteristics. While resources and curriculum matter they will never be more important that the actual teachers who work as missionaries with young people every single day. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here:...

In today's episode we explore a great quote from Elizabeth Scalia that reminds us that few things are more important in the spiritual life than being willing to do what God asks of us. God does not ask us to be talented or brilliant. He simply asks us to be willing to do whatever he calls us to do or be in the world. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here: ht...

It's easy to think that the essential vocation of Catholic education is simply the call to teach. In today's episode we go deeper and realise that there is actually a vocation that precedes the art of teaching. We explore the essential vocation of love in the life and mission of every Catholic teacher. We are called to 'will the good of the other' and this primary vocation can then animate all the...

In today's message we are encouraged by one of the great saints of the 20th century. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross was a giant of the Catholic academic world and also became a martyr in the Holocaust. She reminds us of the importance of making time for Jesus each morning and then trusting the day to Him along with all our plans and work. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic t...

In today's quote we discuss a powerful insight from Catherine of Siena. She reminds that courage is not always something we are born with. It is something we have to choose, often on a daily basis. She helps us find our courage and realise that in the power of the crucified and risen Jesus then all things are possible. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here:...

In today's episode we have a special reminder from a great Catholic martyr and saint, Peter Chanel. He reminds us to never let go of the truth that the challenges we face are vastly beyond our human capacity and frailty. Faced with such challenges we must learn that allowing God to transform us and make us saints is the path of all who seek to live their vocations fully. Grab your free access to m...

According to Evelyn Waugh, modern education means that many young people can suffer from enormous knowledge gaps. These gaps can then be exploited by various forms of manipulative forces in the wider culture. This means that more than ever, Catholic teachers have an incredibly important role to play in helping young people encounter truth and live more fully human and Christ-centred lives. Grab yo...

Our modern world has a strange relationship with truth. At one level, our culture insists truth is relative and yet it also seeks to censor anything it deems to be disinformation. In today's episode we explore a powerful insight from Thomas Aquinas that reminds us that most people are seeking truth as best they can and that we can can be grateful both to those with whom we agree and those whom we...

It's common knowledge that so many teachers leave the vocation of education within a few years of entering. Modern teaching is a complex mix of administration, pastoral care, time management and much more. Is there a way we can not only survive the teaching vocation but actually thrive? In today's episode we explore a simple insight from St. Mary of the Cross that will help us to remember that we...

There was never any chance that Jesus would call you into the work of Catholic education and then leave you without the gifts and charisms you would need to be all that he called you to be. In this episode I explore the powerful message of 1 Peter 4 10-11. The good news is that you have been given incredible gifts. The closer you grow to Jesus and the sacramental the more these gifts will grow and...

No matter what situation you might be facing right now, it's probably fair to say that Abraham Lincoln may have faced something bigger. In today's episode he reminds us of the incredible need to seek Jesus in prayer when we face the great storms and trials of life. Grab your free access to my awesome resource for Catholic teachers right here: https://cf.onecatholicteacher.com/oct-opt-in

It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that our journey of holiness may come down to a small number of specific things we do in our life. Maybe one day, we think, we will do something that will really impress God and then we will earn some extra points in some cosmic holiness competition. In today's message we have a wonderful reminder from St. Bonaventure that the most ordinary things of ou...