Discouragement, It may be a suggestion from the devil

It’s no secret that I am proud of my Irish heritage. I close every episode with an old Irish blessing as a tribute to all of the wonderful things that the Irish have given the world. Poets and Scholars Ireland has delivered some of the best, and according to my guest only the best whiskey comes from Ireland.  So, as St Patrick’s day approaches and we celebrate everyone being Irish that day, I wanted to know more about the patron saint of Ireland. Joining me along the way is my good friend Fr. Gabriel Burke. In this casual conversation Father Burke dispels the myths that surround Saint Patrick only to reveal a man of such faith.

I am embarrassed to say that before I heard my guest talking about them, my knowledge of the California missions was only what I had seen in a John Wayne movie. After hearing the story of this part of American history that is under attack and in danger of being re-written, I am so intrigued to someday visit the Sunshine state.  As an American the history of California touches my heart, but as a Catholic it touches my soul.

In this episode, author of the book “Pilgrimage” joins me along the way to discuss the California Mission and his 800 mile journey to becoming a better husband and a better father. Please welcome Christian Clifford.

To find out more about the author go to; https://missions1769.com/

Please watch the video that is mentioned in the conversation; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I3V9yaQiYs

The Catholic faith is enormously rich in wisdom. For centuries sage men and woman have been sharing this wisdom, but as our culture moves away from the common language of the church these treasures of the faith risk getting lost. In this casual conversation I speak with a Roman Catholic priest about the work he is doing to translate these classic works. Along with Tan Books these treasures of wisdom are being preserved for a new generation. In this episode I talk with Fr. Robert Nixon OSB about his recent translation of a work that I was completely unaware of, Thomas A Kempis’s Meditations on Death. This conversation helped me the put meaning of death in a better perspective.

I have always enjoyed seeing new places and meeting new people. That is really what this podcast is all about. I enjoy discovering a deeper faith through these simple conversations. In this episode, I talk with my new friend Andy Bull about the Walsingham Camino. This is a revived version of the ancient pilgrimage to one England’s most holy sites. This casual conversation has me adding one more thing to my life’s bucket list Joining me along the way is author Andy Bull.

To find out more about the Walsingham Camino go to; https://www.facebook.com/ShrineOLW/photos/5799039113488454/

Please don’t let the length of this episode scare you away. This is one of my favorite discussions on the mystery of suffering. I met my guest Pat King at a Knights of Columbus conference on evangelization in New Haven. I was fortunate to be assigned to the same table as Pat and had a chance to really get to know him. Pat is a guy that really understands what it means to be Along “The Way”, and he is joining me in this episode to be a witness to the value of suffering in hardships. Like I said, please don’t let the length of this episode scare you away.

Fr. Francis Adagyine is a Catholic Priest from Ghana Africa. He grew up as a Shepard, herding cattle to support his family. He also grew up in the Traditional African religion but a chance meeting with a group of Catholics set Father on a different course. This is a great story of how a Shepard of cattle becomes a Shepard of people.  And he does so, guided by the Holy Spirit. Without the walls of a church this humble man of God leads his flock to experience the Good, The Beautiful and The True in the simplest of ways.

The Knights of Columbus Council 3086 have been raising money to help Fr. Francis with some essentials. If you would like to help please check out their website at; https://www.uknight.org/CouncilSite/officers.asp?CNO=3086f

My guest in this episode has worn many hat in his life, studied many subjects, but most of all he has done what he has needed to do to support his family. In this episode I talk with Sam Todzia about his true passion in life…ministry. Sam is the founder of Red Barn Ministries, a Connecticut based ministry that provides children a solid Catholic confirmation retreat and a men’s ministry that “Meats and Greets” men where they are. This is the ministry that is Sam’s passion, the hat he would really like to wear.

To find out more about Sam Todzia and Red Barn Ministries go to; https://www.redbarnministries.org/

Eddie Trask is the host of the popular podcast Catholic “Re.Con.”, seen on You Tube. Eddie has a great following because his show is genuine and honest. He also has a seemingly endless guest list because everyone has a story and in this episode that is what we discuss, telling your story. Joining me Along The Way is my new friend Eddie Trask.

To find out more about Eddie Trask go to https://www.eddietrask.com/ or https://www.castingthe.net/recon.php

To enjoy the Catholic Re.Con. Podcast go to https://www.youtube.com/@CatholicReCon

The essay discussed during this show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCDIG7amahA

This episode is living proof to me that finding interesting people to have a casual conversation with can be found anywhere. My guest in this episode was a table mate at a recent conference that I attended. He is a self-proclaimed regular guy is how he sees himself but to those that meet him he far surpasses such a simple description. My guest in this episode is truly a gentle and caring soul and yet has a true warrior’s faith. He is the author of the book “The Rosary For The Regular Guy or Girl” Sean Burlile.