Catholic Momcast

CatholicMom.com's Maria Morera Johnson and contributor Karen Estep have a fun and moving conversation with author of  In the Trenches, Kelsey Gillespy.

Catholicmom.com contributor Karen Estep is a wife and mom of two. She was confirmed, along with her husband, at the Easter Vigil in 2022, at 36 years young. Karen teaches Middle School English Language Development. Coming into the Catholic Church has solidified Karen's Christian faith and has helped her find her true calling from God. She hopes to help readers find their calling as well! 

When Kelsey Gillespy became a mom, she was an ESPN Academic All-American and an award-winning writer. But after having her first child, she discovered that motherhood was the hardest thing she had ever done. Now—nine years and five babies later—she has found that being a mom can be beautiful and fulfilling, albeit a little (okay, very) messy and chaotic. At any given moment, Kelsey can be found homeschooling her herd of children, exercising, or laughing out loud. Her book, In the Trenches: Finding God Through Raising Littles is published by Pauline Books and Media.

• In the Trenches: Finding God Through Raising Littles by Kelsey Gillespy
• Karen Estep articles at Catholicmom.com

Catholic Momcast host Maria Morera Johnson welcomes catholicmom.com contributor, Michelle Nott, for a discussion on traveling with young children.

Michelle Nott is a homemaker and mom to one saint, and five kids ages 6 and under. When she manages to find free time, she enjoys reading books, baking, running, and writing for her blog, RaisingSmallThingsWithGreatLove.com. She is still learning how to navigate motherhood and survives on coffee and constant prayers for patience. 

• RaisingSmallThingsWithGreatLove.com.
• Catholicmom.com article: Traveling with Kids: What Parents Need Most

Bayleigh Marquis welcomes Alanna Murray, the founder of the modest swimwear line, By Alanna Maria just in time for summer fun.

Alanna Murray recognized a need for swimwear that makes women feel comfortable while enjoying pool and beach season. Alanna jumped into the solution, creating her own swimwear collection, By Alanna Maria.

• https://byalannamaria.com/collections/swimsuit-collection
• Instagram: @_byalanna_

Catholicmom.com's Allison Gingras and Barb Szyszkiewicz discuss the Eucharistic Revival with author Tim O'Malley from the floor of the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, CA.

Timothy P. O'Malley, Ph.D. is Director of Education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life and Academic Director of the Notre Dame Center for Liturgy. He teaches and researches in liturgical-sacramental theology, catechesis, and marriage/family. He is the author of nine books related to the Eucharist, marriage, and the sacraments. 

• Becoming Eucharistic People
• McGrath Institute for Church Life 
• Church Life Journal
• Timothy P. O'Malley | Ave Maria Press 
• twitter @timothypomalley 

Allison Gingras and Bayleigh Westerlund interview Ana Barraza, an international bilingual speaker and Special Education teacher with certifications in Digital Evangelization and Catholic Digital Entrepreneurship. Ana is the creator of Catholicus, a Catholic entrepreneurship to facilitating the encounter with Jesus and persons with disAbilities. Her website and social media are her contribution to adaptive catechesis and evangelization. 

Follow Ana on Twitter: @Catholicusinfo 

Follow Ana on Instagram: @catholicus.info 

Follow Ana on LinkedIn 

Learn about Catholicus on Facebook 

Catholicus YouTube Channel 

Catholicmom.com founder, Lisa Hendey, and co-host Bayleigh Westerlund welcome Joel Stepanek, VP of Parish Services for LifeTeen International from the floor of the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, CA.

Joel is Vice President of Parish Services for LifeTeen International guiding several teams that support Catholic parishes in creating and sustaining vibrant youth ministries that form passionate Catholic evangelists/disciples. He is a sought-after speaker who has traveled across the world speaking to groups of all sizes, ages, and vocations. An author of several books, including, "Chasing Humility: 8 Ways to Shape a Christian Heart", he co-authored, "The 99", an evangelization program from Ascension Press. Joel holds a Masters degree in Religious Education and in Organizational Leadership. Joel is married and has 3 children. 

• Chasing Humility: 8 Ways to Shape a Christian Heart 
• The 99 
• LifeTeen 

Catholicmom.com founder Lisa Hendey welcomes CM contributor Sherry Hayes-Peirce and Cynthia Jones-Campbell from the floor of the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, California.

Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic influencer, who shares her faith through social media. She is a monthly contributing writer for Catholicmom.com and the Hawaii Catholic Herald. She is a presenter in person and online speaking about topics related to digital evangelization, grief, race relations as a member of the ADLA Task Force on Racism and coordinates "The Journey of Saints Exhibition" to exemplify intercession of the saints with life challenges.

Cynthia Jones-Campbell serves various ministries at her home parish, Padre Serra Parish in Camarillo, CA. She serves on the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Task Force on Racism.

• on Twitter @Churchsocialtip
• on Instagram @Church_Social_Tips
• allmaybeonela.org
• HallowApp.org

Catholic Momcast host Allison Gingras welcomes artist Jen Norton from the floor of the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress in Anaheim, California.

Jen creates artwork that celebrates the joy of her Catholic faith. The process of painting helps her connect more deeply with her prayer life. Her current work is focused on representing ancient faith traditions in a colorful, folk-style way, suitable for both liturgy and home. 

•  https://twitter.com/nortonstudio https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jen-norton
• https://www.instagram.com/jennortonart/ 
• https://www.jennortonartstudio.com 
• https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jen-norton 
• https://www.zazzle.com/store/jennortonartstudio/collections  

Catholicmom.com host Allison Gingras is joined by Bayleigh Westerlund for an interesting discussion on the intersection of faith and psychology with Dr.l Robert Wicks, author of Riding the Dragon.

Dr. Robert J. Wicks is a clinical psychologist and writer about the intersection of spirituality and psychology. He received spiritual mentoring from both Henri Nouwen and Flavian Burns (Thomas Merton's final Abbot), has spoken on resilience in 20 countries as well as at Harvard, Yale, the Mayo Clinic, and on Capitol Hill, and has published over 60 books including, "Do You Have a Moment?" (Paulist Press) and "Let's Look Together" (Orbis). 

•  Do You Have a Moment? 
• Let's Look Together
• Author page at Ave Maria Press 

Fr. Goyo Hidalgo is a priest in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a singer-songwriter, and a social media evangelist. 

A native of La Villa de Don Fadrique, a small town near Toledo, Spain, he attended minor seminary as a youth to become a priest, but left after six years. He earned master’s degrees in English and Spanish linguistics from Complutense University of Madrid in 1996, after which he traveled to other countries to teach Spanish and English. He eventually became a middle and high school teacher in the Los Angeles, California, area and released two albums of Catholic music in Spanish and English. 

Hidalgo underwent a radical reversion to the faith of his youth after watching the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005 and hearing his famous words: “Do not be afraid.” 

Hidalgo earned a master of divinity degree from St. John’s seminary in Camarillo, California, and was ordained to the priesthood in 2016

•  From Prodigal to Priest 
• On Twitter @FrGoyo  
• On Instagram @FrGoyo