AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

In Rome, Ignatius and his companions endure accusations, obtain public vindication and begin works of spiritual and practical service that anticipate the Society of Jesus. Da Câmara closes the story by tracing the Spiritual Exercises to Ignatius’ own experiences and describing how, through the years, he grew ever more able to find God in every moment. About the Series We are bringing you the entir...

There aren’t many people on Earth more famous than the Pope. It can be easy to think that there’s not much new to learn about a person with that level of fame. But we think you’ll learn something on literally every page of a new biography of Pope Leo XIV, which is titled “American Pope: Leo XIV’s Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City.” The book is by two NPR journalists, Daniel Burke...

After returning briefly to his homeland to recover, teach and settle unfinished matters, Ignatius travels to Venice to rejoin his companions. When war prevents them from sailing to Jerusalem, they serve, preach and prepare for priesthood until their pilgrimage is redirected toward Rome, strengthened by Ignatius’ profound experience of being placed with Christ. About the Series We are bringing you...

For 12 years, the Catholic author, speaker and minister Meg Hunter-Kilmer lived out of her car, driving all over the US and beyond to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. If that sounds to you like someone with incredible zeal for the Lord, that is an accurate impression. Meg is a powerhouse of discipleship. She’s also an incredibly gifted writer, and we were thrilled to publish a series of her es...

Through years of poverty, study, illness and setbacks in Paris, Ignatius gradually learns a more patient and sustainable way of pursuing his mission. He also gathers companions — including Peter Faber and Francis Xavier — who commit themselves to serving souls together in Jerusalem or wherever the pope might send them. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of S...

This past summer, the Scripture scholar Amy-Jill (AJ) Levine, Ph. D., was elected as the first Jewish president of the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA). Sadly and horrifyingly, AJ’s election led to a torrent of antisemitic online comments and posts directed her way. Subsequent statements of support from the CBA and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops were positive, and we thought the way we c...

Questioned and jailed again in Salamanca, Ignatius remains joyful in chains and continues speaking about God. Although the authorities find no error in his teaching, their restrictions convince him that he needs further education, and he resolves to study in Paris. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes,...

A few weeks ago, we welcomed Dr. Michele Murray here on AMDG. Dr. Murray is the new president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. To keep up this back-to-school theme, our two guests today are leaders of the Jesuit Schools Network of North America (JSN), which is the network of 90 Jesuit secondary and pre-secondary schools in our region of the world. JSN serves as a hub, bringi...

Ignatius humbly begins again as a student, learning that even apparently spiritual consolations can distract him from the work God is asking him to do. In Alcalá, his teaching and spiritual conversations bear fruit but also attract scrutiny, investigation and imprisonment. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 ep...

1773 was the year in which the Society of Jesus ceased to exist. Pressured by European leaders, Pope Clement XIV issued a Papal brief formally suppressing the Jesuits worldwide. 41 years would pass before, in 1814, Pope Pius VII formally restored the Society. In those intervening years, a number of important questions emerged that would shape the Jesuits, the Church and the world. Arguably one of...

Ignatius survives storms, winter travel, suspicion and arrest as he makes his way back across Europe. Convinced that he must study before he can better help others, he turns toward Barcelona and the next stage of his pilgrimage. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack B...

Catholicism is full of weird things. I’m talking about venerating the bones of saints or the bodies of saints that refuse to decay. Or the stigmata, the wounds of Christ showing up on our bodies. I’m talking about bilocation and trippy dreams and Eucharistic hosts that start to bleed. You know: weird things. Too often, we dismiss these phenomena. We put our heads down and go about our neat and tid...

Trusting that God will provide, Ignatius begs and travels through Rome and Venice before finally reaching Jerusalem. He longs to remain in the Holy Land and help souls, but the Franciscan authorities order him to leave — forcing him to surrender even this deeply cherished desire. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Ove...

Earlier this month, a law permitting physician-assisted suicide took effect in the state of New York. It was the 13th state in the county to pass such a law. Opponents of physician-assisted suicide, which often include Catholic institutions, pro-life groups, and disability rights advocates, have not been all that successful in stopping these laws from spreading in recent years. Why is that? What’s...

Ignatius describes God teaching him “as a schoolmaster teaches a child” through prayer, visions and profound spiritual insight. His great illumination beside the Cardoner River transforms his understanding, while further experiences teach him to distinguish genuine grace from deceptive consolation. UPDATE 8/24/26: The previous version of this episode, originally posted on August 21, included an in...

It’s back to school season: new teachers, new classrooms, new bus routes, new friends. For today’s guest, back to school season has always been an important time — but this year, it brings not only a new academic calendar, but a brand new professional role. Dr. Michele Murray has just begun her tenure as the president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities — or, AJCU for short. She...

At Manresa, Ignatius embraces severe penances but is soon shaken by dramatic swings between consolation and desolation. His scruples and spiritual extremes drive him toward despair until he begins to recognize their destructive source and finds freedom from them. UPDATE 8/24/26: The previous version of this episode, originally posted on August 14, included an incorrect excerpt from the text. We ha...

You’re about to hear a conversation about leadership. Today’s guest, Dr. Annmarie Caño, is an expert in leadership. Dr. Caño draws on her 25-year career in higher education — and her love of Ignatian spirituality — in her work today as a writer, speaker and executive coach who helps higher education and social impact leaders enact personal and systemic change. She draws heavily on liberation theol...

Ignatius leaves home as an inexperienced pilgrim, still mixing genuine devotion with the ideals of a chivalric knight. After a troubling encounter on the road, he makes a general confession at Montserrat, lays down his weapons and keeps an all-night vigil before beginning his new life. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast for...

Think about your favorite movie. What is it? Get it in your head. Now think about what happens when you’re at a party or out at a bar and you encounter someone else who loves that movie. You start talking about it, right? You’re so excited to meet another fan, to find something you have in common: this shared story. To those listening in on your conversation, it probably sounds like you’re speakin...

A cannonball wound ends Ignatius’ pursuit of worldly glory and confines him to a long recovery at Loyola. Reading the lives of Christ and the saints, he begins to notice how different desires affect his spirit — and sets his heart on a radically new life. About the Series We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our p...

Here at AMDG, we are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic. Today, the series premiere, features two introductions to the text written by St. Ignatius' Jesuit contemporaries: Jerome Nadal explains how Ignatius’ co...

Today’s guest is a fable hunter. Fr. Greg Carlson has traveled the world, rummaging through old book stores, flea markets and the like to track down ancient manuscripts, forgotten illustrations and everything in between all for the love of fables. He’s done this for decades, even waging battles at online auctions, to amass a preeminent collection of fables that has become the Carlson Fable Collect...

On July 1, 2026, Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 90 more. More weapons were used in the attack than in any other barrage of the city since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It was just another reminder that while this war has faded from the headlines, it continues to ravage families and communities. It is t...

Today’s guest, Dr. Chase Mitchell, is an associate professor of media and communications at East Tennessee State University, where he teaches courses in multimedia production and media theory. He’s also a recent convert to Catholicism, having entered the Church this past Divine Mercy Sunday. Host Eric Clayton has been talking with Chase for a few months now about the role Ignatian spirituality and...