Always A Raven Podcast

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with Dr. Sarah Weiss, a Benedictine College professor whose path to becoming a Raven began in an unexpected place: the softball field. From coaching and teaching to converting to Catholicism and earning her master’s at Benedictine, Sarah reflects on how God used each step of her journey to eventually lead her back to Atchison as an educator. 

Sarah shares how her experiences as a coach, missionary, and teacher have shaped the way she approaches her students today. Whether serving alongside Benedictine students on mission trips or preparing future educators for their own classrooms, she sees teaching as more than a profession—it is an opportunity to build community, show up for others, and help students recognize the gifts God has placed in their hands. 

Through personal trials, Sarah has also experienced that Benedictine community from the other side—learning to accept help, lean on others, and find joy even in difficult seasons. For her, “once a Raven, always a Raven” ultimately means family: a community that celebrates together, supports one another, and continues showing up no matter where life leads. 

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with Kevin Cotter, a 2005 Benedictine College graduate whose career has brought together two passions he first pursued as a student: faith and media. Now Head of Story at Hallow, Kevin reflects on the unexpected path that led him from Benedictine to missionary work, Catholic leadership, and ultimately helping create prayer content that reaches people around the world. 

Kevin shares how transferring to Benedictine during his junior year gave him the community and theological formation he had been searching for. Through friendships, professors, FOCUS, and the spiritual life of campus, he developed a deeper understanding of his Catholic faith and a desire to share it with others—formation that continues to influence how he approaches storytelling and digital evangelization today.

From writing prayer experiences to working with voices from around the world and even directing a project in the Holy Land, Kevin sees his work as an opportunity to meet people wherever they are and help create space for an encounter with God. His story is a reminder that Benedictine can become more than somewhere you went to school—it becomes part of who you are, shaping the way you think, serve, create, and carry your faith into the world.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz reconnects with Rusty Welch to share the deeply personal story behind his enduring love for Benedictine College. Rusty reflects on the loss of his parents and sister in a tragic 2018 car accident and how their memory remains intertwined with the college experience his entire family came to embrace. 

What began with Rusty leaving Louisiana to play football in Kansas quickly became a family adventure. His parents traveled 12 hours for games, cooked meals for teammates, joined the Ravens on trips overseas, and became part of the Benedictine community themselves. Through those experiences, Rusty learned to step outside his comfort zone, take chances, and view setbacks not as failures, but as opportunities to find another way forward.

Today, Rusty carries that legacy on through a scholarship established in his family’s memory, helping future Ravens pursue opportunities of their own. His story is a powerful reminder that Benedictine’s impact can extend far beyond one student — bringing families into the Raven community, shaping generations, and creating a connection that endures through both life’s greatest adventures and its deepest losses.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with John Bishop, a 2012 Benedictine College graduate and founder and executive director of Forge, an organization dedicated to building men, marriages, and families that are fully alive. John reflects on how Benedictine gave him the space to wrestle deeply with his Catholic faith, ask difficult questions, and ultimately discover a conviction that would shape his life and work. 

John shares how professors, friendships, and spiritual direction at Benedictine helped guide him through a period of questioning and back toward a deeper, more personal faith. That foundation eventually led him through graduate studies, seminary, years of service with FOCUS, and ultimately to founding Forge.

Today, Forge is building communities of men through small groups, mentorship, and authentic brotherhood, helping strengthen faith, marriages, and families across multiple cities. John’s story is a reminder of the lasting impact of a Benedictine education: a place where questions can lead to conviction, formation becomes mission, and Ravens are prepared to carry their faith into the world.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with Beth and Claudio Ferraro, 1988 and 1989 Benedictine College graduates whose Raven story has grown into a true family legacy. From the unexpected paths that first brought them to Atchison to the friendships, faith, and community that brought them together, the Ferraros reflect on an experience that continues to shape their lives decades later.

Beth and Claudio share how the seeds planted at Benedictine followed them into marriage, parenthood, education, healthcare, and a lifelong commitment to their Catholic faith. That legacy has now reached another generation, with all four of their children choosing Benedictine and going on to pursue careers in nursing, law, dentistry, and optometry while building lives grounded in faith and service.

Looking back at how much the college has grown, the Ferraros see the same spirit that first welcomed them still at its heart. Their story is a reminder that being a Raven becomes woven into who you are, connecting generations through shared faith, lasting friendships, and a call to take what Benedictine gave you and carry it into the world.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with Dr. Jackie Harris, a 1998 Benedictine College graduate and Director of the School of Nursing, to reflect on a journey that brought her from student to nurse practitioner, educator, and leader at the college she never imagined would become home.

Jackie shares the unlikely story of helping build Benedictine’s nursing program from the ground up and stepping into its director role in March 2020, just as the pandemic transformed healthcare and education. Through uncertainty and growth, one thing has remained constant: a commitment to forming nurses who see their work as more than a career, but as a vocation rooted in human dignity, compassion, faith, and service.

As Benedictine looks toward the future with a new medical school and expanded opportunities for healthcare education, Jackie reflects on the potential to form even more professionals who will carry that mission into the world. Her story is a reminder that being a Raven means giving back what was first given to you — helping the next generation become who they are called to be and sending them out to make a difference.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with 2010 Benedictine College graduate Dominic Paolucci to explore a Raven story rooted in family legacy, faith, and an unexpected calling. Although Benedictine had always been part of his family’s history, Dominic originally planned to attend Gonzaga before a conversation with the Archbishop of Denver changed his course just days before classes began. That last-minute decision would ultimately shape his friendships, career, faith, and family in ways he never could have anticipated.

Dominic reflects on the experiences that transformed him during his years at Benedictine—from the brotherhood he found on the rugby field and professors who challenged him, to helping launch Holy Grounds and discovering what it meant to make his faith truly his own. A semester abroad became a defining turning point when a commitment to daily prayer challenged him to look beyond himself and reconsider what it meant to genuinely love God and others. That transformation eventually led him somewhere he never expected: FOCUS, an organization he initially resisted but has now served with since graduating, ultimately becoming a vice president overseeing hundreds of missionaries.

The conversation takes a deeply personal turn as Dominic shares his recent journey through a thyroid cancer diagnosis, two surgeries, radiation, and the uncertainty he and his wife faced while raising their seven children. He reflects on how decades of learning to surrender his own plans prepared him to encounter suffering through his faith—and how inviting others into that experience created unexpected opportunities for healing and connection. Through every chapter, Dominic’s story illustrates how the foundation built at Benedictine continues long after graduation: a lifelong call to grow in faith, community, service, and the person God is calling you to become.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz welcomes back legendary Benedictine football coach Larry Wilcox back to the podcast as he reflects on another remarkable milestone—his induction into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. With nearly five decades of leadership at Benedictine, Coach Wilcox looks beyond the awards to the people who made the journey possible, sharing stories of resilience, unforgettable personalities, and the countless players, coaches, faculty, and supporters who helped transform both a football program and a college.

Coach Wilcox opens up about the early years when Benedictine football fought simply to survive. From recruiting classes with almost no budget and coaching alongside lifelong friends, to building facilities by hand and navigating seasons filled with uncertainty, he reveals the perseverance, teamwork, and unwavering belief that laid the foundation for one of the NAIA’s most respected programs. Along the way, he shares hilarious behind-the-scenes moments, memorable comeback victories, and the philosophy that winning was never just about the scoreboard—it was about building men of character.

Looking back on thousands of players and decades of coaching, Coach Wilcox reflects on the greatest reward of all: watching former Ravens become leaders, fathers, coaches, business owners, educators, and faithful members of their communities. His story is a powerful reminder that the true legacy of Benedictine isn’t measured in championships or Hall of Fame honors, but in generations of Ravens whose lives continue to reflect the values, relationships, and spirit they first found in Atchison.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz sits down with Father John Fincher, whose time at Benedictine College lasted only two years—but forever changed the course of his life. What began as a college search led him to a campus where authentic friendships, joyful faith, and a powerful encounter with Christ in the Eucharist awakened a vocation he never expected: the priesthood.

Father John reflects on how Benedictine became the place where his faith moved from routine to relationship. Through daily Mass, the sacraments, campus ministry, and the witness of those around him, he discovered that true fulfillment wasn’t found in having everything he wanted—it was found in saying yes to the path God had been quietly calling him toward all along. That decision ultimately led him from Atchison to seminary in Dallas, years of formation in Rome, and eventually to ordination as a priest for the Diocese of Tulsa.

Now serving the Church through Catholic education and parish ministry, Father John shares how the Benedictine values of hospitality, authentic community, and putting Christ above all continue to shape the way he leads, teaches, and walks with others. His story is a reminder that being a Raven isn’t measured by the number of years spent on campus, but by the lifelong impact of encountering Christ, discovering your vocation, and carrying that mission wherever God leads.

On this episode of Always a Raven, host Janelle Menz welcomes Prior Leven Harton, a 2006 Benedictine College graduate and monk of St. Benedict’s Abbey, to reflect on the unexpected journey that led him from an uncertain college freshman to a life of prayer, teaching, and monastic leadership. What began as a search for a college and a chance to play tennis became the place where he encountered God in a deeply personal way and discovered the vocation that would shape the rest of his life.

Prior Leven shares how Benedictine’s professors, monks, classmates, and campus culture challenged him to pursue something deeper than academic success or career ambitions. Through philosophy, authentic friendships, and a simple but faithful commitment to daily prayer, he experienced a profound conversion that transformed not only what he believed, but how he understood joy, purpose, and the call to live for Christ.

Now serving as Prior of St. Benedict’s Abbey, Leven reflects on the beauty of monastic life, the wisdom found in community across generations, and the importance of living with intentionality in a world filled with distraction. His story is a powerful reminder that Benedictine is more than a place to earn a degree—it is a place where lives are transformed, lifelong vocations are discovered, and the pursuit of truth, goodness, and authentic relationships continues long after graduation.