Jason Simon is the president of the Evangelical Catholic, which strives to equip Catholic lay leaders to fulfill the Great Commission.

Today we’re talking about his book “Mission-Ready Friendship: A Blueprint for Deeper Relationships and Life-Changing Faith” Published by Ave Maria Press.

Today's show was sponsored by SockReligious, one of my favorite ways to instigate conversations about the Faith.

Kenny Burchard serves as the Director of Development at The Coming Home Network, and is a co-host on the podcast ON THE JOURNEY with Matt, Ken, and Kenny

Out of a passion to help Catholics answer the often-asked question, "Where's That in the Bible?" he launched the growing Catholic Bible highlights video series on YouTube in August of 2024 which has grown to nearly 12,000 subscribers in three months. (https://www.youtube.com/@KennyBurchard)

Today we talk about the Catholic perspective on Scripture, and discuss methods for engaging with Bible Study.

Dr. Colin Miller is the Director of the Center for Catholic Social Thought in St. Paul, MN, and lives at the Maurin House Catholic Worker in Minneapolis.  

We talk about book We are Only Saved together: Living the revolutionary Vision of Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker Movement published by Ave Maria Press. 

This book is not a call to become a strange, marginal, or fringe Catholic; it is a call to become fully Catholic by embracing the essential traditions that have always been at the heart of the Church and finding Christ in the places he promised to meet us: in worship, in community, in the poor. Following the little way of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (one of Dorothy Day’s favorite saints), Miller shares practical ideas to consider when seeking to encounter Christ in these places, such as

• exploring the power of shared meals and feasts;
• reframing our encounters with people in poverty through a surprising look at the Good Samaritan parable;
• ideas on how to live close to the land;
• discerning the qualities that bring dignity to our work; and
• steps to embrace voluntary simplicity.

Steffani Aquila is a Catholic wife, national speaker, upcoming author, theologian, educator, and expert in the field of liturgical life and Catholic culture. For the past 15 years, she has dedicated her work to Catholic parishes, schools, and institutions, taking on roles in both ministerial and administrative capacities.

She invites families and parish communities into a vibrant celebration of the liturgical year through her website https://www.hisgirlsunday.com/

Today we talk about her book, Festive Faith, available on Ave Maria Press. Festive Faith is a treasury of more than seventy festive traditions celebrated in various cultural groups during specific seasons or on particular days of our liturgical year. For each one Steffani shares a brief history, a description of what the custom involves, and practical adaptations for celebrating it today.

Bo Bonner is the Mission Officer at Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA and the Co-host of the UnCommon Good. 

He recently reposted a brief statement on strengthening the will, which began, "When it comes to the will and the spiritual life, much emphasis is placed on immediately turning away from temptation with a decisive act of will. Indeed, asceticism is rooted in this hope, that saying 'no' to things, even good ones, will make our wills no longer weak but, with the grace of God, able to withstandthe onslaughts of the tempter in every day life. But in some ways in contemporary spirituality discussions this has been hi-jacked..." 

We talk through his post and explore ideas about avoiding extremes when it comes to forming the will, and land on some practical, achievable ways of growing in holiness.

Fr. Daniel J. Mahan, a priest of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, is the first director of the USCCB’s Institute on the Catechism.  He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Athenaeum of Saint Anselm.

He joins today to discuss his book A Journey through the Catechism: Unveiling the Truth, Beauty, and Goodness of the Catholic Faith Published by Ave Maria Press. There are corresponding videos and curriculum aids available.

TJ Bogan is the founder of FindMyCamino.com. He shares with us his experiences as a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago, and the work he does to facilitate pilgrimages for others.

This week, the "socials" have been abuzz in response to a provocative scene in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. There were hot takes by those offended, and hotter takes ridiculing those offended. In this week's conversation, we won't spend much time looking at the inciting events, We won't definitely answer the question of whether blasphemy occurred or not. Rather, I want to take a step back and discern what a holy, and helpful response to Blasphemy and offense might be.

I'm joined by Joe Heschmeyer, a staff apologist for Catholic Answers, a frequent guest of this show, and someone I consider a friend. Joe has a proven track record of approaching prickly topics with thoughtfulness and grace.

It is my hope that you will find this discussion both edifying and enlightening. Listen and Share.

Julianne Stanz is a Storyteller, author, and encourager,  an internationally known speaker and retreat leader. She is the Director of Outreach for Discipleship and Evangelization for Loyola Press and a consultant to the USCCB. Julianne is the author of five books, including the award-winning Braving the Thin Places: Celtic Wisdom to Create a Space for Grace.

Her new book, The Catholic Parent Survival Guide: How to Answer Your Children’s Toughest Questions, is published by Loyola Press. She is married to Wayne, and they have three children.

She was a member of the Executive team for the National Eucharistic Congress and participated in a panel discussion “Rooted in the Eucharist: Living the Mission of the Eucharistic Revival" at the National Eucharistic Revival Congress.

We spoke about the things we saw at the National Eucharistic Congress and opined about what Revival looks like after the Congress.

Mike Aquilina, Co-Founder of The St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, is a widely recognized Catholic author and lecturer, and popular Church Historian.

He is the host of seasons 1-3 of The Way of the Fathers Podcast at CatholicCulture.org

Together with Adam Lucas, Mike is the co-author of Feasts of our Fathers : Praying the Church Year with the Early Christians published by Catholic Answers. You can learn more about it at Catholic.com.