The Follow to Lead Podcast

Ave Maria University and Ignatius Press have teamed up to offer Ignatius Book Fairs , a Catholic-focused book fair for parents and schools who want to offer their children an alternative to the Scholastic Book Fairs, which have recently become a haven for inappropriate content for children. Today, on “Follow to Lead” we’re talking with Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ, about the current state of book fair co...

It is no secret that the Church has been hemorrhaging members in recent years. Troubled by polarization, skepticism, narcissism, our culture aches for the peace and joy of life in Jesus Christ. But how can they hear the truth of the Gospel anew? To take on this challenge, Word on Fire Institute and UST-Houston created a new accredited Master’s of Arts program offering academically rigorous engagem...

Today we will be talking with Pat Reidy, Vice-President of Mission and Faith at JSerra High School in Orange County, CA about discipleship in the lives of our Catholic School Students. In Luke 6:40, Jesus talks about discipleship, saying, “A disciple who is fully taught will be like his teacher.” So, forming disciples is about communicating likeness - being like Jesus, which can happen to students...

Today we will be talking with Michael Schell, Headmaster at Sparhawk Academy, an independent day school for boys grades 3-8 in Millis, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, and Sarah Hogan, Director of College Counseling and Alumni Engagement at Providence Academy, in Plymouth, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis. Michael and Sarah are looking to bring strength and community for those who work in the...

Catholic Schools are always looking for ways to make a difference through prayer, fasting and almsgiving? Cross Catholic Outreach, a Vatican-endorsed Catholic global relief and development ministry, is inviting U.S. Catholics to join a large-scale “clean water challenge” to bring safe, abundant drinking water to distant corners of the world — including villages in Zambia facing the country’s worst...

There has been a lot of criticism of the Catholic Church in the United States, but few critics of the Church have taken the time to really talk with her people. The book “True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church” by Francis X. Maier, fills that vacuum, as he talked with 103 bishops, priests, deacons and lay people from every walk of life.  In this episode of "Follow to Lead," we...

This week’s Follow to Lead puts the spotlight on teaching science in Catholic Schools. The program features a returning guest, Dr. Brett Salkeld, author, speaker, and  Archdiocesan Theologian for the Archdiocese of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. In August, we talked with Brett about his new book: “Educating for Eternity: A Teacher’s Companion for Making Every Class Catholic.” For this program, we...

Ave Maria University has begun an interesting group called, “Mary’s Marines,” where students make a daily commitment to spend time with Jesus as part of its own Eucharistic Revival. In addition to their time in adoration, each student will read through the Bible in a year and have a religious sister paired with them to pray for them. Join Ave Maria President Mark Middendorf as we learn more about...

This week on Follow to Lead, we will be talking with our two guests about a new video called “Souls in the Game,” produced by St. John’s Seminary and the Archdiocese of Boston.  This new 30-minute documentary that tells the story of seminary formation and the building of community that goes beyond theology and philosophy classes to the basketball court.

On January 5 we begin our fourth year of programming for Follow to Lead. We are turning the tables on our co-host Kyle Pietrantonio, and interviewing him about the past, present and future of the Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative. Coming out of a strong year of events in 2023, the new year promises to open up even more opportunities for teachers, administrators and future teachers. The link for t...

Merry Christmas! On behalf of everyone at the Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative and the Follow to Lead Podcast, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! During this Christmas season, we want to share with you one of our most popular episodes from April of 2021 - Encountering the Eucharist through “The Veil Removed,” with Chris Magruder. “The Veil Removed” is a short film t...

Today, we’re going to be revisiting the DIA Fellows program through an ENCORE of the program “Exploring the Opportunity of Becoming a DIA Fellow.” This Fellows program provides administrators, teachers and campus ministers the structure and space for a year-long experience supporting and encouraging candidates to take their school or diocese to the next level, grow as a Catholic educator, and beco...

On this episode of Follow to Lead, we will be talking with Jimmy Mitchell, Director of Campus Ministry, and hear the story of an amazing “culture of conversion” that exists at Jesuit High School, Tampa, Florida. Students are encountering the Lord and being transformed as they experience the beauty of the Gospel in word, deed and visually. We will also talk to Jimmy about his new book: “Let Beauty...

As Chief Mission Officer for the National Eucharistic Congress, Kris Frank supports the work in parishes and schools in bringing about a great embrace of Eucharistic life. Part of this support is coming through a new resource for Faith Formation called, “Jesus and the Eucharist.” In addition to talking about the National Congress, Kris also shares some great ways that parishes and schools can come...

October is Fr. Robert Spitzer month as he will be joining us for both podcasts. On this episode we will be discussing the Journey to Excellence Academy for Professional Development from the Magis Center. As the Center President, Fr. Spitzer will share with us about their mission to provide faith-focused professional development for Catholic leaders..   Fr. Robert Spitzer, is a Catholic Priest in t...

October is Fr. Robert Spitzer month on Follow to Lead as he will be joining us for both podcasts. On this episode will be discussing Faith and Science. In a day and age when many see a great chasm between the two, Fr. Spitzer joins them together in a larger view of the world, its creation and its destiny. Fr. Robert Spitzer, is a Catholic Priest in the Jesuit order and President of the Magis Cente...

Due to technical difficulties, portions of the audio are distorted. Pope Benedict XVI once said, Become familiar with the Bible so that it can be your compass pointing out the road to follow. In today’s Follow to Lead we are joined by Steve and Jackie Green, Co-founders of Museum of the Bible to discover ways in which our reading and study of the Scriptures can be enhanced through the various offe...

On today’s “Follow to Lead” we’ll talk about the need to strengthen men - both young and old - in their identity and in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Joining us for this program is Dan Donaldson, Vice President of the Catholic Men’s Leadership Alliance, which is hosting its next virtual Heroic Men Summit  on Saturday, September 9 with the theme “The Gospel of Work.”   More information can...

In a world that is becoming more and more secular, Catholic Schools and, more particularly, their classrooms, play a key role in preparing students for heaven as well as their next level of education. Making sure that every class is essentially Catholic can be a daunting task.   Today, to talk about this most important subject, we’ll be joined by Dr. Brett Salkeld, author of “Educating for Eternit...

Today, we’re going to be exploring the DIA Fellows program which provides administrators, teachers and campus ministers the structure and space for a year-long experience supporting and encouraging candidates to take their school or diocese to the next level, grow as a Catholic educator, and become a beacon of light for passionately Catholic education and the Catholic Church at-large. To help us l...

In today’s society, we have a love-hate relationship with social media. Our guest for this edition of Follow to Lead, Dr. Richard Ludwick, President of the University of St. Thomas will highlight their collaboration with Bishop Robert Barron’s “Word on Fire Institute” in presenting a masterclass series called "The New Evangelization and New Media.” Max Studios, at UST, is producing this series, fe...

What began as a conversation between a mom and her daughter has become an international movement. We will be talking in today’s program with Marcie Stokman, author of the book, “The Well-Read Mom.” This book and a small group of mom’s who began to meet and read the Classics has become a movement of book clubs and groups in many parts of the world. As we will learn, through the power of reading tog...

Our guest today is Chris Ice of Ice Executive Coaching and Consulting. Chris has led numerous organizations in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. He has owned his own healthcare company, Director of Major Gifts & Adjunct Professor of BusinessDirector of Major Gifts & Adjunct Professor of Business at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, was CEO of Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Jos...

Our six-part series on the “Five Essential Marks of Catholic Schools” just added seventh program. We are pleased to have Bishop Thomas Daly, of the Diocese of Spokane and Chair of the U.S. Bishops Committee on Catholic Education, join us for a special wrap-up episode on this very important series. The theme of this a presentation came from a document written by Archbishop Michael Miller when he wa...

Today we will complete the fifth and final essential mark of a truly  Catholic education, with the topic, Sustained by the Witness of Teaching. We are going to look at the vital role teachers play in an authentic Catholic identity for a school. As we will see, being a Catholic education is more of a calling than the exercise of a profession. It also involves ownership with the school’s mission, va...