Belle Meade welcomes Fr. Carter Griffin for a conversation about chastity as the power to love well rather than a list of restrictions. Fr. Carter is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, a former Navy line officer, and the author of Reclaimed: Win the War of Freedom, Self-Mastery, and Holy Purity. 

Fr. Carter recounts his conversion at Princeton, the four years at sea that shaped how he understands discipline and fatherhood, and the dissertation that grew into Why Celibacy? He then walks through the practical battle plan behind his new book: honest limits on screens, real boundaries, friendship, and a daily habit of prayer.

What We Talk About:

• Why chastity is the virtue that enables us to love well as body and soul—and why angels have no need of it
• Where to begin when someone feels stuck: screen usage, boundaries around the near occasions of sin, building real friendships, and three Hail Marys at night
• Why Fr. Griffin could not disagree more with the counsel that occasional falls will always be part of the picture
• How a doctoral dissertation on the theology of celibacy became Why Celibacy?, and the part the Amazon Synod played in bringing it to a popular audience
• The Gerasene demoniac as an image of what chastity restores: clothed, in his right mind, and no longer harming himself

Resources Mentioned:

• Reclaimed: Win the War of Freedom, Self-Mastery, and Holy Purity by Fr. Carter Griffin
• Why Celibacy?: Reclaiming the Fatherhood of the Priest by Fr. Carter Griffin
• Forming Families, Forming Saints by Fr. Carter Griffin
• Covenant Eyes
• Paloma&Fig

Chapters:

• 00:00: Intro
• 00:31: Meet Fr. Carter Griffin and Reclaimed
• 04:38: Raised Presbyterian, Reading His Way into the Church
• 08:29: The Navy, Discipline, and a First Taste of Fatherhood
• 15:51: How Why Celibacy? Began as a Dissertation in Rome
• 20:15: What Chastity Actually Means
• 23:42: Freedom From and Freedom For
• 26:51: Signs of Hope in a Pornography-Soaked Culture
• 32:38: Where to Start: Screens, Boundaries, and Friendship
• 39:26: Why a Field Manual for a Real Battle
• 47:20: What It Means to Be a Herald of Freedom
• 54:28: One Field Order: Never Surrender

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Christina Sabo is joined by co-hosts Fr. Kevin Braski and Belle Meade for a conversation with Catholic evangelist, author, and speaker Tanner Kalina about his new book, All Your Heart: How to Live for Christ Without Holding Back. Tanner traces the yes that took him from chasing acting and comedy in Los Angeles to campus ministry in Colorado, then opens the question at the center of his book: what the heart actually is, and why loving God with all of it depends on the intellect and the will as much as the affections. Fr. Kevin brings a priest's perspective on daily prayer, discipline, and the kind of witness that reaches people when arguments cannot.

What We Talk About:

• Tanner's yes: the pull between the faith he professed and the life he was building while pursuing acting and comedy in Los Angeles
• Why the word "heart" kept surfacing—in Scripture, in ordinary speech, and in a season of heartbreak—and what it led him to write
• Dietrich von Hildebrand's case for the heart as its own spiritual center: the intellect tells us what something is, the will what to do with it, the heart how deeply to value it
• Fr. Kevin on putting a peg in the day: the holy hour, the link between disciple and discipline, and why starting small beats attempting everything at once
• Why witness reaches people where argument cannot, and why Tanner says the first step in prayer is admitting you don't know how to pray

Resources Mentioned:

• All Your Heart: How to Live for Christ Without Holding Back by Tanner Kalina (Ascension Press)
• Paloma&Fig review of All Your Heart by Teagan Byrne
• Tanner Kalina's website
• Tanner Kalina on Instagram

Chapters:

• 00:00: Welcome and Opening Prayer
• 03:30: Summer Check-In and Time Outdoors
• 11:04: Tanner's Yes: Los Angeles, Conversion, and Campus Ministry
• 15:37: Putting a Peg in the Day
• 19:11: Training to Become Like Christ
• 25:50: What Inspired All Your Heart
• 31:29: Common Misunderstandings of the Heart
• 35:19: A Threefold Conversion of Intellect, Will, and Heart
• 43:09: The Lukewarm Heart, Stars, and Black Holes
• 51:36: Scripture, the Saints, and Protestant Voices
• 59:51: The Only Wrong Way to Pray
• 01:05:39: What Brings You Joy

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Guest host Belle Meade welcomes Catholic author, speaker, and Notre Dame campus minister Meg Hunter-Kilmer to talk about her own everyday yes and her new twelve-week Bible study, Who Is Jesus? Discovering Christ in the Gospels, published by Ave Maria Press. Along the way she shares the moment a familiar parable broke her open in the middle of Mass and why she thinks fifteen minutes a day of silence — one percent of your life — is within reach of almost anyone.

What We Talk About:

• The daily habit for growing closer to God that Meg hopes every reader walks away with
• The two distortions of God people bring to Scripture: the disinterested God and the God of wrath
• How the humanity of Christ consecrates our grief, our fear, and even our mistakes
• Why the big yes is only ever built on a thousand ordinary ones
• What makes Who Is Jesus? different from most Catholic Bible studies — and who it's actually for

Chapters:

• 00:00: Introduction
• 00:16: Welcome and Opening Prayer
• 02:31: The Everyday Yes
• 05:20: Why Meg Wrote Who Is Jesus?
• 09:08: Meeting Jesus as Someone Alive Now
• 12:12: The Gift of the Incarnation
• 15:09: Two Misunderstandings About God
• 18:11: When Scripture Feels Difficult
• 25:33: The Prodigal Son and Her Father
• 27:53: Scripture as a Love Letter
• 31:31: A Daily Habit in the Word
• 34:14: Holy Hour and the Source of Joy

Resources Mentioned:

• Who Is Jesus? Discovering Christ in the Gospels (Ave Maria Press)
• Eyes Fixed on Jesus, Vol. 1: A Journey into the Gospels
• Held By His Pierced Hands
• The Chosen
• Magnifica Humanitas (Pope Leo XIV)

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Guest host Kaylee Stoll sits down with Father Tony Stephens, CPM, rector of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion, for a conversation about his own yes to God and the only Church-approved Marian apparition in the United States. From a farm in western Kansas to the Fathers of Mercy, Father Tony traces the series of yeses that shaped his vocation, then tells the story of Adele Brice, the 1859 apparitions, the Miracle of the Fire, and the annual Walk to Mary pilgrimage.

What We Talk About:

• Father Tony's path from a Kansas farm to the Fathers of Mercy and the priesthood
• The 1859 apparitions of Our Lady of Champion to Adele Brice, now a Servant of God
• The four-part message of Our Lady and why it still speaks to Catholics today
• The "Miracle of the Fire" during the 1871 Peshtigo Fire
• Making a pilgrimage to the Shrine and the annual Walk to Mary

Chapters:

• 00:00: Welcome and Introduction
• 01:32: Opening Prayer
• 03:04: Father Tony's Journey to the Priesthood
• 07:03: The History of Our Lady of Champion
• 11:45: The Message and Its Relevance Today
• 15:16: The Miracle of the Peshtigo Fire
• 20:42: Opening Adele Brice's Cause for Canonization
• 22:59: Stories of Healing and Answered Prayer
• 26:17: Making a Pilgrimage to the Shrine
• 29:07: The Walk to Mary
• 35:38: Upcoming Events and the American Saints Project
• 39:06: The Joy of the Priesthood

Resources Mentioned:

• Servant of God Adele Brice
• National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion
• Walk to Mary

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This episode is a re-air.

Jeff Cavins never planned any of it. A confirmation Bible at thirteen, a stack of colored markers and a sheet of butcher paper at twenty-six, and a habit of walking through whatever door opened. That is how the Great Adventure Bible Timeline was born and how a former Protestant pastor became one of the most recognized voices in Catholic media. In this conversation, Jeff traces his yes across five decades, from Mother Angelica's studio to the Holy Land to the balcony of St. Peter's, and lands on the single priority that orders everything else.

What We Talk About:

• How a Bible received at confirmation set the course of a life that had comedy and broadcasting in view
• The 48-hour stretch in which Jeff drafted the entire Bible Timeline chart—and the fifteen years it sat before taking off
• What Emily's archaeology and 69 Holy Land pilgrimages taught the Cavins family about walking where Jesus walked
• The morning The Bible in a Year hit number one, and why Jeff and Fr. Mike Schmitz say they would have ruined it had they aimed for that
• Why Jeff refuses to describe popes as liberal or conservative, and what he heard echoing when Pope Leo XIV stepped onto the loggia

Resources Mentioned:

• When the White Smoke Clears: A Guide to Pope Leo XIV's Early Days
• Jeff Cavins
• The Jeff Cavins Show
• The Bible Timeline: The Story of Salvation
• Paloma&Fig

Chapters:

• 00:00: Welcome and opening prayer for Pope Leo XIV
• 01:40: Comedy, radio, and a confirmation Bible at thirteen
• 03:31: Walking through open doors—Steubenville, Mother Angelica, EWTN
• 09:04: Emily, archaeology, and 69 pilgrimages to the Holy Land
• 12:23: Butcher paper, markers, and 48 hours that made the Bible Timeline
• 18:42: Coming home to the Catholic Church and filling in the silent years
• 20:59: Scott Hahn, Matt Pinto, and the birth of Ascension's Great Adventure
• 24:50: The phone call that said The Bible in a Year was number one
• 28:19: Advice to young Catholics—incubation, passion, and a sixth-grade verdict
• 35:28: Catholic media, ideological gladiators, and doing what Jesus said
• 45:00: Pope Leo XIV in Rome and the echoes of John Paul II
• 1:00:34: One priority, not twelve—and the story of Jeff's last ride

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Father Augustine Wetta, O.S.B.—Benedictine monk, teacher, surfer, and former professional juggler—joins the show to talk about Georges Bernanos's classic novel Diary of a Country Priest and the new unabridged translation that restores it to its full power. 

Along the way he traces his own half-hearted, failure-strewn "yes" to God: riding waves at the beach that inspired Jaws, blessing a Los Angeles street gang at two in the morning, and praying the rosary beside the very protesters he came to disagree with. 

What We Talk About:

• How Father Wetta describes his own "yes" to God as a half-hearted, tentative string of failures—and why that puts him in the good company of saints like Moses the Black and John the Baptist
• What surfing and juggling taught him about patience, silence, and learning to laugh at yourself, and how both became unlikely preparation for monastic life
• Why Diary of a Country Priest reads like the opposite of an action movie, delivering small, quiet bursts of grace instead of explosions
• What the new unabridged translation restores: the more Catholic passages cut from the English edition readers have had since 1937
• How the novel speaks to loneliness, distraction, and despair by recovering silence, boredom, and true leisure

Resources Mentioned:

• Diary of a Country Priest by Georges Bernanos, translated by Michael R. Tobin
• Story of a Soul by St. Thérèse of Lisieux
• Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
• Paloma&Fig

Chapters:

• 00:00: Welcome and Monk Camp Chaos
• 01:28: A Half-Hearted Yes to the Lord
• 03:51: Surfing, Sharks, and the Contemplative Life of Failure
• 09:37: The Flying Fettuccine Brothers and Learning to Laugh at Yourself
• 13:21: Shut Up, Keep Your Head Down, and Listen
• 16:37: Praying the Rosary at a Black Lives Matter Protest
• 22:10: Fourth of July and Blessing a Gang in LA
• 28:13: Diary of a Country Priest: Quiet Bursts of Grace
• 36:10: The Restored Translation and the Passages You've Never Read
• 39:43: Silence, Boredom, and Leisure in a Distracted Age
• 44:19: Failure, the Atheist, and a Faith Deeper Than Argument
• 55:05: Grumbling, Priesthood, and the Joy of the Eucharist

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Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author of fiction and nonfiction for adults and children, joins the show to share her own yes to the Lord and discuss Chime Travelers — the animated children's series based on her beloved books. Geared toward ages six to eleven, the series follows twins Katie and Patrick as they travel back in time to walk alongside saints like Saint Patrick, Saint Clare, Saint Francis, and Saint Joseph. Along the way, they face real-life struggles and discover how faith forms us into the people God is calling us to become.

What We Talk About:

• Lisa's yes to the Lord — what it means to give God your yes at every stage of life, including transitions, health journeys, and the everyday moments of motherhood and ministry
• The origin of Chime Travelers: from a backyard conversation before a godson's First Communion to a book series, and now an animated show
• How the characters, animals, and locations in the series are drawn from people in Lisa's own life — and how personal devotion shaped the choice of each saint
• What makes Chime Travelers unique among faith-based children's entertainment: modern kids encountering ancient saints and learning to apply those lessons to real struggles
• How families can engage with the series beyond the screen using discussion guides, prayers, activities, and the companion resources at chimetravelers.org

Chapters:

• 3:21: Lisa reflects on her yes to the Lord and writing The Grace of Yes
• 6:03: The origin of Chime Travelers 
• 8:02: Characters and locations named for people in Lisa's family and life
• 9:56: Francis the frog and the joy of bringing animals to life in the series
• 11:34: Choosing which saints to include and an unexpected devotion to Saint Kateri
• 14:59: Children as saints in the making and what they can teach the rest of us
• 17:30: How storytelling helps children understand and live the virtues
• 22:39: What makes Chime Travelers unique among faith-based entertainment for children
• 24:24: Companion resources and how families can go deeper
• 26:46: Where to watch — available now on Hallow and Formed
• 34:06: Seeing the animated characters come to life: from animatics to the finished series
• 42:47: One small way families can help children see themselves as saints in the making

Resources Mentioned:

• Lisa Hendey
• CatholicMom.com
• The Grace of Yes by Lisa Hendey
• Chime Travelers
• Watch Chime Travelers on Formed
• Watch Chime Travelers on Hallow
• Paloma&Fig

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Steve Hemler traded a 33-year engineering career—including 13 years living inside a gated oil compound in Saudi Arabia—for full-time Catholic ministry, and the journey shaped everything he now teaches. In this conversation with Kaylee, he unpacks the apologetics gap in how most Catholics were formed, explains the "stages of faith" research behind his work, and shares how his newest book, The Busy Parent's Guide to the Catholic Faith, gives parents the tools they've been missing.

What We Talk About:

• How Steve went from structural engineering and Saudi Aramco to founding the Catholic Apologetics Institute of North America
• The two stages of faith—"searching faith" and "owned faith"—and why passing through the searching stage is the only path to a personal, committed faith
• Why Catholic parents feel unprepared to answer their children's big questions, and what The Busy Parent's Guide to the Catholic Faith does about it
• Three pieces of scientific evidence for God's existence: the Big Bang, the mathematical laws of nature, and the fine-tuning of the universe
• How the questions young Catholics are asking have shifted—and why "spiritual but not religious" is the new frontier apologetics needs to address

Chapters:

• 00:00: Welcome and Introduction
• 01:00: Steve's Engineering Background and Life in Saudi Arabia
• 04:33: Teaching CCD in Aramco and the Call to Apologetics
• 06:55: Founding CAINA and 600+ Presentations Worldwide
• 07:26: How the Books Came About
• 10:06: The Busy Parent's Guide: Imprimatur, Endorsements, and Who It's For
• 12:11: Searching Faith and Owned Faith—The Stages of Faith
• 14:02: The Saint Monica Problem: Preventing Children from Leaving the Church
• 15:16: Why Catholic Parents Feel Unprepared to Answer Hard Questions
• 17:05: How Faith Questions Have Changed Over the Years
• 19:28: Scientific Evidence for God: Big Bang, Laws of Nature, Fine Tuning
• 20:12: The Role of Grandparents, Godparents, and Catechists
• 22:21: Hope for the Next Generation and Online Evangelization
• 24:13: What Brings Steve the Most Joy

Resources Mentioned:

• The Busy Parent's Guide to the Catholic Faith by Steve Hemler (Scepter Publishers)
• Catholic Apologetics Institute of North America
• Paloma&Fig

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Michael Iskander plays David in Prime Video's House of David—but his real story begins with a restless search for truth that led him, step by step, to a breakfast with a priest and an answer he couldn't give lightly: yes. Christina is joined by co-host Fr. John R. Johnson, STL to walk through Michael's conversion, his calling to play David, and what his journey reveals about the kind of faith this generation is desperately looking for. Together they take up Pope Leo XIV's new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, reflecting on how sacred storytelling, silence, and an unfiltered encounter with the Church can become the answer to a world that's lost its footing.

What We Talk About:

• How Michael's conversion began with one question—"how does God want me to worship Him?"—and arrived at a breakfast table where a priest asked him: do you want to be Catholic?
• Why Michael says the Eucharist isn't just the center of his faith—it's the only thing in the world he'd live the rest of his life for, and what that conviction has to offer every truth-seeker
• What it means to approach a calling like David from a place of surrender—giving the gift back to the One who gave it, and why Michael believes the story was never really about David at all
• How Fr. Johnson reads Magnifica Humanitas pastorally: why the Church's claim to speak on all things genuinely human isn't overreach—it's the logic of the Incarnation
• Why both Michael and Fr. Johnson believe this generation doesn't need to be curated to—what they need is silence, unfiltered truth, and an encounter with something that doesn't move

Chapters:

• 00:00: Introduction
• 03:52: Opening Prayer
• 04:46: Michael's Conversion Story
• 08:20: God Opens the Door — Playing David
• 13:07: Storytelling as Vocation — Purpose Beyond the Role
• 18:17: Magnifica Humanitas — The Church Speaks to the Digital Age
• 24:49: What Young People Are Searching For
• 31:58: What the Church Must Offer
• 35:35: Joy, Silence, and Music

Resources Mentioned:

• House of David — Prime Video
• Magnifica Humanitas — Full Text (Vatican)
• A Complete Guide to Magnifica Humanitas — Ascension Press
• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis — Catholic Gifts and Books

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E.P. Cowley is a retired homeschooling mother and author living in southern British Columbia whose debut novel, Tales from Wakken Wood, published by Ignatius Press, draws on the folklore of the Isle of Man to tell an enchanted story of courage, virtue, and wonder. In this conversation with Kaylee Stoll—part of the Tolkien and Lewis series—E.P. shares how entering the Catholic Church transformed her writing, how Tolkien's vision of sub-creation shaped every scene of the novel, and how wonder at Marian apparitions quietly shaped the book's spiritual heart.

What We Talk About:

• E.P.'s conversion journey from Protestantism into the Catholic Church and how it unlocked her sacramental imagination
• The origin of Tales from Wakken Wood—writing for her children, asking God for help scene by scene, and how the story surprised even its author
• Tolkien's influence on the novel, from Lord of the Rings to Smith of Wootton Major and his essay on fairy stories
• The unique mythological DNA of Manx folklore from the Isle of Man, and how E.P.'s research shaped the creatures of Wakken Wood
• Marian apparitions—Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and others—and how wonder at Our Lady shaped the spiritual atmosphere of the novel

Chapters:

• 00:00: Introduction and Welcome
• 03:34: E.P.'s Yes to the Lord
• 06:20: The Making of Tales from Wakken Wood
• 09:04: Tolkien, Sub-Creation, and Fantasy
• 11:47: Why Modern Readers Still Need Fairy Tales
• 16:19: Manx Folklore and the Isle of Man
• 18:47: Spiritual Symbolism vs. Allegory
• 20:54: Peter, Pixel, and the Power of Children in Story
• 24:00: Marian Apparitions and the Heart of the Book
• 26:28: Consolation, Wonder, and What Readers Take Away

Resources Mentioned:

• Tales from Wakken Wood by E.P. Cowley (Ignatius Press)
• Tales from Wakken Wood — Review
• Paloma&Fig

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