Upon This Rock

Darryl Burton was unjustly accused of murder in 1984 and served twenty-four years in prison, suffering torture and solitary confinement before he was exonerated for the crime he didn’t commit. Susie Roling, the long-time staff member of Journey To New Life, as well as Operation Breakthrough and an ardent activist to end the death penalty, now works with Darryl to advocate the release of prisoners...

At a very early age, Marilyn Gibson realized that she had a different sense of faith and reality than most people. As an empath, she possessed a keen sense of others’ feelings and spiritual matters. Both a curse and blessing, she embraces the intangible grace that she possesses. In this interaction, she invites those on mystical paths through awakening, darkness, illumination, and union with God (...

Pat O’Neill, whose father was co-founder of the Kansas City Saint Patrick’s Day Parade in the early 1970s, along with his daughter, Keli Wenzel, is the founder of the annual Labor Day Irish Fest at Crown Center. Father and daughter speak about the generations of Irish families in the Midwest and how Kansas City has developed a strong relationship with the Emerald Isle, often reflecting its charm t...

Since 2014, Ann Sheridan has served as the Director of Work at Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church (SFX), located at 52nd and Troost, between the college campuses of Rockhurst and UMKC universities. “Director of Work” is a Jesuit phrase referring to the Chief Executive Officer , what diocesan sites usually call Parish Administrator ; in other words, she runs the day-to-day operations of the faith...

Shawn Summe grew up in South Bend, Indiana, in the happy atmosphere of the Catholic faith, with a good education and Notre Dame football. An athlete deeply rooted in religious history, he played college baseball and was greatly influenced by coaches and role models. His career in teaching and coaching took him to many parts of the country before settling here in Kansas City as athletic director at...

Shannon Connell Fisher grew up in south Kansas City, where the Catholic faith deeply shaped her family.  As a kula yogi instructor, she reminds people of ways in which the physical and spiritual overlap and interconnect as Jesus taught us to be yoked to Him. Yoga is linked with the fontal importance of breathing, which links to the first scene of creation and Christ’s final action on earth, when H...

Pasquale Trozollo and Mary Mooney Burns follow up on the Ignatian Conversation and how it applies to real life. In an Upon This Rock episode two months earlier, Mary explained how the spiritual style of conversation that impacts Rockhurst University and other Jesuit institutes can enhance interactions in today’s society, where exchanges are often volatile and suspicious. Pasquale shares how he uti...

Connie Connell Fahey grew up with three brothers to whom she credits her touch of toughness. She has always faced challenges head-on. Drawn to nursing from a young age, she now, as a wife, mother, and grandmother, continues to serve in the health care field. Her focus includes helping people prepare for death. She compares birth into the next world to birth into this world, which none of us knew b...

Gerard & Julie Grimaldi are rooted in academics, architecture, law, politics, family values, and faith. Once parents of four children under four years old, their kids are now adults, each discovering their unique way in a complex world of constant change. Julie and Gerard hope that the firm foundation they inherited and pass along will aid their children in experiencing a society in which basi...

Tom Bradshaw has served over half a century in the legal profession in Kansas City. Educated at Saint Louis U High, Rockhurst College, and UMKC Law School, he heads an urban ministry called The Neighborhood Justice Center that assists residents living in poverty who are held back by juridical challenges to them or their families. Housed at Saint Francis Xavier Parish, this group of volunteer lawye...

Mary Ann Welsh and her son, Eddie, sit down with Father Don to reflect upon being Catholic in Kansas City, how their lives have been shaped by local religious culture, and how they would like to pass along a solid faith to their descendants. Mary Ann grew up in rural Missouri in a Lutheran household and made many adjustments as an adult, moving to Kansas City and becoming Catholic. Eddie’s formati...

Kansas City lawyers Theresa Crayon and Patrick McInerney deliberate over how the Catholic Church is rebounding from decades of embarrassing, disheartening, and destructive behavior. The sexual abuse crisis that came to light over the past quarter century and rocked the church in America has impacted us in gut-wrenching ways. The Catholic community in Kansas City, as in many other places, has suffe...

Dr. Gina Staves, a professor of psychology at Avila University, sits down with Fr. Don to discuss how religion touches the soul of humanity and impacts our psyche. A native of Kansas City, Gina grew up in an Italian Catholic family. Gina gives insight into how people are shaped by their environment. As a college instructor, she witnesses young people aspiring to become active contributors to build...

Linda Neenan and her daughter, Louisa Weinrich, reflect on motherhood's incredible blessings and deep sorrows.  Linda grew up in central Missouri and was enriched by her Baptist community of faith and her family of origin, especially her unique relationship with her mother. She married Mike, the oldest of twelve children, and they had eight of their own, including Louisa, who, along with her...

Sophia Giorgio and Hadley Price reflect on their first year at Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri. Student-athletes from South Dakota and Southeast Kansas came to Kansas City knowing no one while embracing a new world of responsibility and independence with its many opportunities and challenges. During the year, they discovered more about themselves and the world, relationships, and the man...

Mary Mooney Burns joins Father Don to talk about Ignatian Conversation and how it can guide healthy discussions, debates, dialogue, disagreements, and discernment. Saint Ignatius of Loyola, in the 16th Century, was called upon by the pope to help the Catholic Church recover from the Protestant Reformation during the Council of Trent; he sent representatives to present guidelines for conversation t...

Jerry and Joann (Hilbolt) Reardon and their daughter, Megan, talk about the blessings they received from their parents and other ancestors and traditions within their Catholic roots. They recount how their faith journey led them to seek more scripture-based worship services and study gatherings as they deepened their relationship with Jesus. Through many blessings—and a few struggles—religion beca...

Mark McGilley and his son Peter, from McGilley Funeral Homes, talk about four generations of family serving Kansas Citians through death and dying for over a hundred years. The business has been around since the 19th Century. Mark’s grandfather, James P. McGilley, became a partner in the funeral business in 1930; it was handed down to his children and grandchildren. They reflect upon how funeral s...

The Whitaker sisters, Amy Hodes, Wendy Zoog, and Francie Bradley, speak with Barbie Farnan about the blessings of having a solid family foundation. Each sister, four years apart in age, offers a different perspective on their similar upbringing and many common experiences. They speak of how those formative years influenced their current roles as wives, mothers, and Christian women in Kansas City t...

Musicians John Ammatelli, Josh Batz, and John Legg from the band Big People join Father Don in discussing the value music plays in spiritual revelations. Now in their fifties, they reminisce about music in their homes while growing up, joining basement or garage bands while in school, and being impacted by music in church worship. They continue to play at local venues in Kansas City and regularly...

Kerm and Ellen (King) Fendler grew up in Saint Louis but didn’t know each other until they went across the state for college a year apart on the campuses of Avila and Rockhurst. In this podcast, they reflect upon growing up together as a couple through the stages of marriage with much gratitude for their ancestry and much hope for their progeny. Their commitment to Saint Elizabeth Parish in Kansas...

Sisters Nan Bone and Jane Quarnstrom join siblings Barbie and Don Farnan. They share stories of what it was like growing up in the Tiehen Family household and getting educated formally by Catholic schools and informally by neighborhood and family encounters. Nan’s experience as an elementary school principal and high school president, along with Jane’s ventures as a mother and grandmother, are jus...

Mike Matteuzzi, trial lawyer, managing partner, guest lecturer, and spiritual facilitator, spent his boyhood in Saint Louis and manhood in Kansas City. He joins Father Don in this podcast to confer about spiritual endeavors at various stages of life.  In moving from an insulated Catholic environment of regulations and expectations to authentic mystical experiences, Mike tells of spiritual awakenin...

Chris Powell and Vince Hodes, Rockhurst High School Class of 1990, talk about how their friendship has changed from middle school sports to high school antics and college ventures. They speak about growing up in different parts of Kansas City and other family systems that laid solid foundations for their role as husbands, fathers, businessmen, and Christians.  They reflect on how their relationshi...

Father Don Farnan reflects upon the rosary, a Catholic devotional prayer that has a significant place in the faith tradition of many families. He shares historical aspects of its development over time and its connection to other religions that embrace prayer beads as a means for connecting to divine realms as we maneuver through the challenges and mysteries of daily living. Mary, the mother of Jes...