Catholic Stuff You Should Know

In this week's episode, Fr. John and Fr. CJ welcome Andrea Polito - long-time friend (and notable mention) of the podcast. Interviewing her on the topic of her dissertation, Andrea provides an introduction to the French consecrated woman and ecclesial writer Madeleine Delbrêl. With specific focus to the mission of the laity in the contemporary world, Madeleine is revealed to be a model not just in her own milieu - but likewise for the present moment in which we find ourselves.

As we approach the end of the liturgical year, All Saints and All Souls days, and the month of November where we intentionally pray for the faithful departed, Fr. Jacob and Fr. Sean discuss "memento mori," remembering your death. They then turn their discussion to purgatory and the spiritual work of mercy that is praying for the dead.

Have you ever heard a song, gazed at a beautiful landscape, or recalled a childhood memory that awakened a deep longing for something you couldn't quite name? The Germans have a word for it: Sehnsucht—a mysterious, bittersweet yearning for something we can’t quite name. C. S. Lewis called it Joy: a strange kind of longing for a home we have not yet been to. From Josh Garrels' Ulysses to Matt Damon's journey in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey, we explore why beauty can leave us aching for something more, why even our happiest moments can make us feel strangely homesick, and what these experiences reveal about the deepest desires of the human heart. What if this longing isn't something to escape, but a signpost pointing us toward the home we were made for? Perhaps we're all a little homesick for heaven.

In this episode, Fr. Jacob and Fr. CJ welcome Fr. Andrew Dalton to the podcast to discuss his work with Othonia spreading the biblical, historical, and scientific significance of the Shroud of Turin. After learning a bit about the apostolate, the three priests dive into the resurrection event in light of the scriptures and the shroud.

In this week's episode, Fr. John presents on solitude of Christ by way of his recent ministry hearing confessions in a local prison. With Fr. Sean, they draw distinction from the experience of secular isolation, positing that the christological solitude is a healthy and inner dynamic of Christian existence.