Catholic Exchange

If you have any memories of St. Valentine's Day, it's typically for the cards, candy, and big pink hearts everywhere. But who was St. Valentine and why is he so mysterious while his holiday is such a big deal?

To celebrate this day of romantic love, Michael invites his wife Sophie on to tell her the story of St. Valentine and where his relics have ended up. From a flower-crowned skull in Rome to a wax effigy concealing St. Valentine's bones in an old Missouri mission, the bones of St. Valentine have been the site of pilgrimage and healing even as we know so little about the third-century martyr.

The relics of St. Valentine reveal a beloved saint whose work has continued to be inspire devotion and love among those who find them. Even after over 1700 years after his death, we see a church that still asks St. Valentine to intercede in the lives of many couples and single people.

We hope you enjoy this bonus episode, but we'll happily hear comments. Email [email protected] and let us know if you'd like to hear more about relics and the forgotten saints of the past.

If you want to learn more about the fascinating history of relics, we highly recommend the classic by J. Charles Wall, Relics of the Crucifixion: Where They Went and How They Got There (http://bit.ly/39CZCj5). You can find a couple free excerpts on Catholic Exchange, 

• How the Crown of Thorns Arrived at Paris (http://bit.ly/2u2nm17)
• The Origin of the Wood of the Cross (http://bit.ly/2HsZ838)

image: The Flower-Crowned Skull of St. Valentine in S. Maria in Cosmedin in Rome by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. / Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)

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The saintly bishop Fulton J. Sheen was often approached by numerous people who had a simple request: “Teach us how to pray.” While he reached millions of souls via radio and TV, the bishop also penned dozens of pamphlets and short books address varying topics of prayer. However, many of those writings were forgotten later on. 

Thanks to the work of Allan Smith, Director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada and editor of Bishop Sheen Today, the many works of Bishop Sheen are now collected in a single volume. 

Allan Smith joins Michael on the CE Podcast today to share the lessons Fulton Sheen taught him while compiling his latest book, Lord, Teach Us To Pray: A Fulton Sheen Anthology. From Sheen's prolific writing, we learn how to call to St. Joseph and Mary to learn how they taught Jesus and countless other children to pray. 

With Lent just around the corner, today's episode will teach you some of Fulton J. Sheen's techniques and insights for a deeper, more efficacious prayer life. We especially focus on developing a devout and prayerful Holy Hour and the Stations of the Cross. 

Other things we discuss:

• The transformative power of a Holy Hour.
• How to work through distractions during prayer.
• The role of Mary in teaching us how to pray.
• How we can learn to console Mary's sorrows.
• How St. Joseph taught Jesus to pray, and how he can help you too. 
• Fulton J. Sheen's methods for working through distraction during prayer.

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Catholics have produced some of the finest novels ever written, but you wouldn't always know that from today's selections. Some of the faithful have certainly noticed and have started to bring their experience and creativity into the fictional realm in hopes of shaping the broader culture and to re-introduce the Catholic voice to fiction. Today's guest, W. L. Patenaude, is one such author.

Patenaude's debut novel, A Printer's Choice, is the rooted his work in ecology and theology, as well as his life-long love of great science fiction. While his novel has received mainstream praise, he knows that writing a novel isn't easy. While reflecting on his first novel as he plans his follow-up works, the scholar and novelist joins us to talk about how his own faith and conversion inspired him to write a sci-fi novel to teach, show, and evangelize using stories. Patenaude also takes us through the creative process and how he took the first steps to creating his novel.

Join us today for the second episode in our occasional series exploring how the Catholic faith can inspire new and beautiful works of creativity. Check out last week's episode here: http://bit.ly/37hkRGw

Resources we mentioned include...

• A Printer's Choice, Bill Patenaude's debut novel can be found through your favorite bookstore or APrintersChoice.com.
• Check out Publishers Weekly's review of A Printer's Choice at http://bit.ly/2uimmFM
• Patenaude's writings can also be found at CatholicEcology.net.
• Check "The Catholic Faith Can Shape Science Fiction" by Bill Patenaude at Catholic Exchange: http://bit.ly/30BP2ps
• For further reflections on the Catholic Faith, check out the book From Star Wars to Superman: Christ Figures in Science Fiction (http://bit.ly/30EPxPk) and Superhero Films by Dr. James Papandrea.
• Also see Dr. Papandrea's article, "Examining the Christian Imagery of Star Wars," (http://bit.ly/2RcqUGL) on Catholic Exchange. Our Star Wars interview, The CE Star Wars Special, with Dr. Papandrea can also be found on CE (http://bit.ly/2tsoGtZ). 

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Canadian sculptor Timothy P. Schmalz has made public art like the Canadian Veterans' Memorial and Golden Leaves, the hometown memorial statue to Gordon Lightfoot. Recently he has become more well-known for his religious art, such as his Homeless Jesus statues that can be found all across the world.

Today, Michael kicks off a small series exploring the art and work of Schmalz while focusing on how our spiritual lives can lead to abundant creative lives. If you are an aspiring Catholic artist in any medium, join us to talk about the practical (notebooks) and spiritual (prayer) aspects of creating art.

Check out the art of Timothy P. Schmalz at https://www.sculpturebytps.com, and you can also find him on Facebook and Instagram to check out his latest work that we discussed.

Finally, check out our previous interview with Timothy P. Schmalz that explores the themes of his art a little deeper. For readers, there's also the fantastic review of his work by K.V. Turley called, "The Homeless Jesus Statue, the Year of Mercy and the New Evangelisation." You can find all of these on CatholicExchange.com, clicking here: http://bit.ly/37hkRGw

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Today we welcome Susan Johnson, an author, teacher, and advocate to talk about faith and mental health. In her latest book, Some Dreams Are Worth Keeping, Susan discusses the role her own faith has had in bringing a sense of hope and healing, even when the weight of mental anguish is pressing down. 

Today's episode is full of hope and even some great joy. It's also tackling some dark topics and showing how the light of Christ can pierce through the darkness that can surround us. 

Check out Susan Johnson at her website: http://www.sjohnsonauthor.com/
Also find her book at Barnes & Noble or your favorite bookstore: http://bit.ly/2kCvksS

It is also available through Amazon and Kindle: https://amzn.to/3197DbE

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Masculinity is a question that comes up a lot in our culture. Even more so if you're as hopelessly online as Michael. Across podcasts, long YouTube videos, and countless websites, you can find an assortment of gurus and teachers who proclaim they have the instructions on how to be a real man.

With the Catholic Church facing one crisis after another, how can reclaiming masculinity help our Church and her many children? To tackle these questions and begin pointing to a solution, pastoral counselor Dave McClow joins the CE Podcast. Along with his background in psychology, Dave is also a writer and speaker who has aimed to help Catholic men find healing while they deepen their faith. In short, Dave is here to help you take the first steps to being real Catholic men.

You can learn more about Dave and his mission at AbbaChallenge.com 

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You only have a few days for prayer and penance. How is it going? If you find that you wished you had tried harder or done more, there is still time. Michael is joined by Derek Rotty to talk about the books, prayers, and practices you can use to have a good, holy Lent with even just a few days left.

Find Derek at DerekRotty.com, and then find his article at CE "There is Still Time to Redeem Your Lent" (http://bit.ly/2X8jvbw)

Also check out Derek's youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwD4YQKtntcpKQ8V-57Mog

What Christ Saw From the Cross is available from Sophia Institute Press or your local bookstore. (http://bit.ly/2GeorET)

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Lent quickly approaches and many of us could still use a trusted guide for the holy season. Today we look at one beloved spiritual director, Ven. Fulton J. Sheen.

Today, Michael talks about Fulton J. Sheen and how he can guide us through Lent with Allan Smith. Allan is the is the Founder and Director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, as well as the creator of Bishop Sheen Today. 

Allan is the editor of The Cries of Jesus from the Cross: A Fulton Sheen Anthology, which collects Archbishop Fulton Sheen's complete writings and reflections on Christ’s last words. You can find it at this site: http://bit.ly/2TLA7ro

Visit Allan's site to learn more about him or Fulton J. Sheen: www.BishopSheenToday.com

You can also find Fulton Sheen's Victory Over Vice at http://bit.ly/37fXey7

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Father Augustus Tolton was born into slavery and, despite seemingly insurmountable odds, rose to become the first black priest in the United States. His cause for canonization has been opened but many are just learning about this heroic priest who served his Church and community despite racism, bigotry, and opposition within the Church.

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers shows us how the faith, hope, and love of Fr. Tolton can inspire us today no matter what we are called to overcome. We also discuss how Fr. Tolton's brief life is still inspiring Catholics from across the world.

Read more about Fr. Tolton in Deacon Harold's latest book, Father Augustus Tolton.

Check out Deacon Harold's website at DeaconHarold.com. You can also find him on Facebook or Twitter.

More information about Fr. Tolton and the cause for his canonization is at tolton.archchicago.org where you can also find the special prayer for the canonization of Fr. Augustus Tolton. 

For other links, find us on CatholicExchange.com.

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Memento Mori has been explored by nearly every saint. The remembrance of death has influenced artists and authors throughout history. Yet, the age-old practice of remembering our death has almost entirely disappeared.

Today's guest, Sr. Theresa Aletheia Noble, has thought a lot about her own death and the practice of Memento Mori. Join us as we discuss how incorporating Memento Mori into our Lent can prepare us for the joy of the Resurrection at Easter.

Check our Sr. Theresa's Remember Your Death: Memento Mori Lenten Devotional and also find the Lenten journal wherever you buy books. We highly recommend ordering the bundle through Pauline Books for some beautiful vinyl decals.

Visit CatholicExchange.com to see the full show notes, images, and descriptions. If you enjoy our work and would like more, please consider supporting us through a small donation or by leaving a review on iTunes or wherever you listen to your podcasts.  

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