Catholic Momcast

Katie Broussard and Paul Mitchell are a dynamic sibling duo who together produce beautiful Catholic books for kids. This week, they sit down with host Danielle Bean to discuss their newest project: Sorin Starts a School.

This book tells the story of Fr. Sorin, a priest with the Congregation of Holy Cross. who founded the University of Notre Dame.

The charming illustrations will draw you in, and the beautiful text will teach you the story and inspire important conversations with you and your kids.

Find the book.

Explore Katie's website.

Check out Audacious Ignatius, another children's book by Paul Mitchell and Katie Broussard.

This week, Danielle Bean and Allison Gingras discuss the three basic tenets of Lent -- prayer, fasting, and almsgiving -- and share ideas for ways to practice each of these during the season of Lent.

We share some ideas from readers at Catholic Mom and our social media accounts as well. How about you? How is your Lent going? In hat ways are you and your family observing this liturgical season this year?

You can send us your questions and feedback at [email protected] 

Lisa Hendey and Danielle Bean discuss volunteering at any age. How do you decide what God might be calling you to do to love and serve people in your community? How can we discern how our time is best spent?

What about moms of little kids? Are there ways to give of your time, even when life is very busy? How can we balance it all? Danielle an Lisa discuss these ideas and more as they share their own experiences balancing volunteer work with other obligations through the years.

How about you? What kind of volunteer work do you do? In what ways do you think God might be calling you to try something new? Join us for a great conversation and share your ideas in the comments!

This week, Danielle Bean sits down with Tsh Oxenreider, author of Bitter and Sweet: A Journey Into Easter. Tsh shares about how she and her family observe the Liturgical seasons, especially Lent, now that she and her family are recent converts to Catholicism.

How do you decide what to "do" or "give up" for Lent? How can you know if you are doing the right things or if your plan is enough? Tsh shares some of her own experiences as well as teachings of the Church, just in time to get us all ready for Lent this year!

Learn more about Tsh Oxenreider and her work at her website, TshOxenreider.com.

This week, Danielle Bean and Allison Gingras talk about using social media during Lent. Many people opt to give up their social media accounts for Lent, but for those that do not, we share some ideas for ways to use social media to share your faith and pray with and for others.

How about you? Will you be sharing on social media this Lent? Tell us your ideas for inspiring and encouraging others online. Leave a comment here or email us at [email protected]

This week, Danielle Bean chats with Rebecca Martin and Mary Beth Giltner about a new project they have created together, The Catholic Wedding Planner. 

What makes a Catholic wedding different? What things have changed in the age of a pandemic? But, even more importantly, what things have stayed the same?

We discuss ideas for keeping your wedding plans in budget while still making plans for a memorable day with friends and family.

How about you? What was your wedding like, or do you have plans for a wedding for a child or other loved one in the coming year? Share your ideas with us in the comments or send us an email at [email protected].

Do you ever expect great and romantic things to happen on Valentine's Day and wind up feeling disappointed?

Danielle Bean and Lisa Hendey talk abut special days, like Valentine's Day , birthdays, and anniversaries, and the sometimes complicated relationship we women have with them. They discuss a realistic approach to these kinds of holidays, including open communication with your husband, understanding your temperament and personality, and knowing that it is perfectly OK to ask for what you want.

How about you? Do you ever struggle in this way? What helps you enjoy these special days and make sure a celebration of love doesn't turn bitter?

This week, Danielle Bean sits down with Mary Beth Iduh from Catholic Relief Services where she manages Changing the Way We Care, an initiative that helps families stay together, in spite of poverty and other challenging circumstances.

Research from earlier this year found that more than 1 million children have lost at least one parent to the pandemic and unfortunately, in large part due to poverty, many parents feel they have no choice but to send their children to an orphanage – where sadly they are often at risk for abuse or neglect. A striking stat your listeners might not know is at least 80% of children currently living in orphanages actually have at least one living parent.

Mary Beth shares what CRS is doing to help these families stay together and how they plan to expand this work across the globe.

Go here to learn more about Changing the Way We Care. Send us your feedback in the comments and at [email protected]

This week, Allison Gingras sits down with children's book author Katie Warner to talk about children's literature and the ways that books can encourage kids' faith.

Katie' newest book is The Tiny Seed. Through charming illustrations and a beautiful, scriptural storyline, The Tiny Seed reveals the deep truth of our God-given uniqueness, and the incredible process your children will undergo as they grow into the person God wants them to be. 

Learn more about Katie warner and all of her work at KatieWarner.com. Follow Katie on Instagram!

Join us for this encouraging and inspiring conversation.

Our special guest this week is Miles Foley, general manager and director of 5 Stones, a creative agency, warehouse, and customer service team that supports Catholic organizations.

Miles sits down with Danielle Bean to discuss the importance of small Catholic businesses and creators and the ways that Cedar House, as part of the work at 5 Stones, is supporting their efforts.

There is so much negativity in the world today, but Miles really encourages us to focus on the good and positive things that are happening in the Church. You will come away inspired to do good work yourself to further God's Kingdom on earth, as well as hopeful for the future of the Church.