Catholic Nerds

Catholic Nerds

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Catholic Nerds episodes

  • Episode 46: Sleep Nerds

    The C-Nerds share updates on their lives. There's parenting, spiritual direction, balancing work and family life, and all the good things. The joys and struggles of raising children and family life ... and family deaths. Even Obi-Wan and the Jedi Communion of Saints make an appearance ... "Strike me down, Darth, and I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!"


    Chapters

    02:03 The Importance of Connection and Community

    05:07 Parenting Insights and Spiritual Direction

    11:07 Balancing Family Life and Personal Growth

    17:05 Understanding Sleep Patterns and Parenting Dynamics

    23:06 Work-Life Balance in Modern Parenting

    27:58 Navigating Work-Life Balance

    33:01 The Impact of Modern Convenience

    39:05 Understanding Life and Death

    45:07 The Role of the Communion of Saints

    53:10 Final Thoughts and Reflections


    Recent Blog Posts

    • Talking about Trinitarian Baptism with Pentecostals, Matthew 28:19
    • 33 Days to the Holy Family: Living a Pious Life (Substack article)


    Takeaways

    • Podcasting helps maintain connections among friends.
    • Parenting is a journey filled with challenges and joys.
    • Spiritual direction can enhance family life.
    • Balancing work and family is a common struggle.
    • Loss can deepen our understanding of faith.
    • The Communion of Saints offers comfort in grief.
    • Children can teach us about empathy and perspective.
    • Maintaining a sense of humor is essential in parenting.
    • It's important to prioritize family time over material pursuits.
    • Faith provides a framework for understanding life's difficulties.




    1 hr 6 min
  • Episode 45: Pope Nerds & Leo XIV

    The Catholic Nerds are BACK with a new season, new episode, and NEW POPE! We go over all the following:

    • Where were you when you saw the white smoke?
    • Good Signs: Regina Caeli sung in Latin, dodging the rainbow flag, papal blessing in Latin
    • All the people who predicted the name Pope Leo XIV
    • The Louisiana and Creole ancestral roots of Cardinal Prevost, through the Holy Father’s great-great-great-grandfather Louis Charles Boucher de Grand Pré (1745-1809), Spanish colonial governor and militia leader
    • The connection to Pope Leo XIII: Is the 100-year reign of Satan over? Feast of the Holy Family


    1 hr 12 min
  • Episode 44: Journeys of St. Paul - Interview with Charlie McKinney

    Do you like board games? We do too! Especially when we can play them with our families. Well do we have a game to share with you! Cody, Erik and I got a chance to speak with Charlie McKinney, President of Sophia Institute Press. We spent a little time getting to know Charlie, where he is from and what exactly he does as president, and then we talked about Sophia's cool board game: The Journeys of St. Paul! Erik even set up the game on Roll20 so we could all play the game together!!! What an awesome interview!!!
    https://sophiainstitute.com/
    Sophia products mentioned on the show
    https://sophiainstitute.com/product/journeys-of-st-paul/https://sophiainstitute.com/product/everythings-coming-up-rosie/https://sophiainstitute.com/product/the-habsburg-way/
    Scott's Publishing Company
    https://www.holywaterbooks.com/
    Codex Sinaiticus
    https://codexsinaiticus.org/en/manuscript.aspx
    Tokens used for our TTRPGs
    https://itch.io/profile/zeshio
    Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd ⁠T-Shirts and Merch⁠!
    Like the ⁠Catholic Nerds on Facebook⁠.
    Tweet us @NerdsCatholic
    Email us at ⁠[email protected]⁠
    Also, check out Scott's ⁠e-course on the Virgin Mary⁠ at ⁠All Saints University⁠!

    1 hr 8 min
  • Episode 43: Fr. Smela and Gaming as a Catholic

    Hey! Its Erik Dumont going solo for this episode.


    A while back, I met one of the coolest priests, so of course I had to get him on the show. I invited Fr. Tony Smela on for an interview to talk about his story of answering the call to the priesthood, as well as talking about our favorite subject: video games. He's got his own podcast too, so when you're done here, check out the Flint Catholic Podcast on Spotify as well as on Youtube.



    Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

    Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

    Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

    Email us at [email protected]

    Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

    Recent posts from Scott's blog:

    • Why You Should Wear the Brown Scapular: In Loving Memory of Fr. Otis Young and Ruth Prats
    • The Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families: 33-Day Family Prayer Routine to Build Holier Families by Fr. Donald Calloway and Scott L. Smith
    • The One Question to Convert All Protestants: Where Did The Bible Come From? Did Catholics Add Books to The Bible OR Did Protestants Remove Books from The Bible? The Truth About The Apocrypha
    • Pray the Rosary with Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich: Emmerich's Revelations for the Mysteries of the Rosary
    • 44 min
    • Episode 42: Bill Donaghy & the Lord of the Rings Nerds

      Just another epic Catholic Nerds Lord of the Rings nerd-out. No big deal. Except we were joined by Mr. Big Deal, himself, Bill Donaghy. Bill is the Senior Lecturer and Content Specialist of the Theology of the Body Institute (www.TOBinstitute.org), Co-Author of RISE (www.MenRiseUp.org), and Editor for STRIVE (www.STRIVE21.com). 

      Join us for a discussion on the beautiful sacramental quality of Tolkien's writings. Have you ever caught a glimpse of Middle-Earth out of the corner of your eye? Do you know what we mean? A glimpse of Heaven? The "gray-rain curtain" of this world thins for a moment, and you see the golden light of Heaven piercing the veil. Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich said that Eden was always just beyond her vision, but she caught a glimpse now and then. For Tolkien nerds like us, Middle-Earth will forever color our perception of Heaven. 

      BONUS: Our Top Pipeweeds of Middle-Earth (we're talking tobacco here, not that other stuff): Tolkien's and C. S. Lewis' Top Pipe Tobaccos.    

      Here is Bill's upcoming course on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. 60 students have already registered! Reserve your spot now for November 5! 

      Check out Bill's Way of Wonder podcast on YouTube, under the TOB Institute YouTube channel. There are well over a dozen episodes so far! 

      Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

      Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

      Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

      Email us at [email protected]

      Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

      Recent posts from Scott's blog:

      • Why You Should Wear the Brown Scapular: In Loving Memory of Fr. Otis Young and Ruth Prats
      • The Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families: 33-Day Family Prayer Routine to Build Holier Families by Fr. Donald Calloway and Scott L. Smith
      • The One Question to Convert All Protestants: Where Did The Bible Come From? Did Catholics Add Books to The Bible OR Did Protestants Remove Books from The Bible? The Truth About The Apocrypha
      • Pray the Rosary with Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich: Emmerich's Revelations for the Mysteries of the Rosary
      • 1 hr 7 min
      • Episode 41: Top 5 Catholic Music Artists with Emma Fradd and David Kruse

        Catholic Music Nerd-Out with Emma Fradd (now Kruse) and David Kruse! 

        Now presenting ... The best Catholic musicians you are about to discover and fall in love with! 

        Emma and her husband David Kruse are launching a new Catholic record label this December called Enemy Love Records. Check out all their amazing music and artists here www.EnemyLoveRecords.com. There's Emma, David Kruse, and Valere -- all great to check out!

        And guess what?? The Catholic Nerds are starting a music label, too! Sort of. There is now a Catholic Nerds Music Playlist on our YouTube channel >> check it out!

        Here are Emma and David’s picks, which you can check out at www.EnemyLoveRecords.com: 

        • Valere (R&B from New Zealand)
        • Blue Lupin (Dream pop England)
        • Les Guettuers (Regae from France)
        • and of course ... 
        • David Kruse (indie folk rock from USA)
        • Emma Fradd (indie pop from Australia)
        • Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

          Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

          Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

          Email us at [email protected]

          Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

          Recent posts from Scott's blog:

          • The Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families: 33-Day Family Prayer Routine to Build Holier Families by Fr. Donald Calloway and Scott L. Smith
          • The One Question to Convert All Protestants: Where Did The Bible Come From? Did Catholics Add Books to The Bible OR Did Protestants Remove Books from The Bible? The Truth About The Apocrypha
          • Pray the Rosary with Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich: Emmerich's Revelations for the Mysteries of the Rosary
          • 1 hr
          • Episode 40: Rings of Power Nerd Review

            The Good, Bad, and the Idiocy -- another Good ol' fashioned Catholic Nerd-Out about the newest cinematic offering from the Tolkien Universe: Amazon's The Rings of Power. So many things to love. Alas, so many more things to grunt and grumble about. Here are our Top 5 Love & Top 5 Hate of the Rings of Power. Here are some of the many topics we dive into: 

            [SPOILER ALERT!!]

            • When we figured out which character was Sauron 
            • The ret-conning catastrophe of the Silmarils and mithril, "The Song of the Roots of Hithaeglir," based on Amazon not having copyright to any of The Silmarillion  
            • The weird Rube-Goldberg machine creation of Mount Doom and Mordor and how pyroclastic flow works or doesn't work ...
            • Howard Shore returns! sort of ... the God of War composer, Bear McCreary
            • What's next? Charlie Vickers' accidentally lays out the entire plotline of the next 4 ROP seasons in a Vanity Fair interview, plus Pharazon and the rise of Sauron/Satan worship in Numenor (how will they make this anti-Christian?) 
            • The screenwriters, J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, and their unfortunate "mystery-box" J. J. Abrams style of writing
            • The non-Catholic paganism/animism mutation of the Tolkien mythos  
            • "One does not merely ..." try to mimic Tolkien's writing; stupid lines abound   
            • Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

              Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

              Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

              Email us at [email protected]

              Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

              Recent posts from Scott's blog: 

              • The Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families: 33-Day Family Prayer Routine to Build Holier Families by Fr. Donald Calloway and Scott L. Smith
              • The One Question to Convert All Protestants: Where Did The Bible Come From? Did Catholics Add Books to The Bible OR Did Protestants Remove Books from The Bible? The Truth About The Apocrypha
              • Pray the Rosary with Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich: Emmerich's Revelations for the Mysteries of the Rosary
              • 1 hr 58 min
              • Episode 39: Spooky Halloween Tales with Emma Fradd, Best Horror Reads for Catholics

                Good ol' fashioned Halloween Catholic Nerd-Out with Emma Fradd (now Kruse) about Catholic Horror Novels ... and just in time for Halloween!! Though awesome in her own right, Emma Fradd is the sister of Matt Fradd, the Catholic speaker known for his podcast Pints with Aquinas. 

                First off! Emma and her husband David Kruse are launching a new Catholic record label this December called Enemy Love Records. Check out all their amazing music and artists here www.EnemyLoveRecords.com. There's Emma, David Kruse, and Valere -- all great to check out!  

                Here are the links we promised in the show: 

                • Sibling Horror (YouTube link) - Here is the horror story podcast written and produced by Emma and Matt 
                • Knifepoint Horror - This is Soren Narnia's horror podcast, Soren is a frequent collaborator with Emma and Matt and and narrator of Sibling Horror
                • True Ghost Stories & Hauntings: Real Catholic Exorcisms - Scott's book and audiobook (with spooky narrator)
                • The Seventh Word - the first and only pro-life horror novel  
                • The Catholic Zombie apocalypse! Scott's ongoing series the Cajun Zombie Chronicles 
                • Manly Wade Wellman, (non-Catholic) author of Appalachian horror/fantasy yarns with the recurring character Silver John, including The Old Gods Waken and volumes Worse Things Waiting and Lonely Vigils  
                • Canticle for Liebowitz by Walter Miller - the classic Catholic Sci-Fi novel  
                • Consecration to St. Joseph for Children and Families - Scott's new book with Fr. Donald Calloway PLUS new consecration calendar
                • Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

                  Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

                  Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

                  Email us at [email protected]

                  Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

                  Recent posts from Scott's blog: Pray the Rosary with Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich: Emmerich's Revelations for the Mysteries of the Rosary

                  48 min
                • Episode 38: Countering the "Transgender" Narrative with Walt Heyer, Formerly "Transgender" Witness to the Horror of Gender Therapy

                  Attention Parents!! Nerd out about the insane and insidious language of gender ideology and how to fight back! with Walt Heyer. Meet Walt, a living, breathing witness to the horrible wrongness of transgenderism. Walt lived for 8 years as a woman – Laura Jensen – despite the fact that he was a man. For the last 30 years since transitioning away from his persona of Laura, he has worked courageously to counter the transgender narrative that you can change genders. Walt received the 2022 Ruth Institute Witness of the Year Award for his work with individuals with gender incongruence.

                  You can't change your gender! ... only the language. Parents contact Walt for help all the time. Parents write him saying, "My son is transgender; he's transitioning; and he's got gender dysphoria." Walt answers, "He is not transgender; he isn't going to transition; and he doesn't have gender dysphoria. Let's find out what's really wrong." Walt doesn't use *their* language and when he stops using their language, he finds out what's actually wrong. 100% of the time.

                  Stay tuned for Walt's 3 Big Questions for people with gender confusion. #1: Why do you want to destroy who you are? #2 ... #3 ...


                  Support Walt's work! Buy ALL OF WALT'S BOOKS @ the SexChangeRegret.com Bookstore!!

                  Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

                  Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

                  Check out our Patreon page for exclusive nerdiness.

                  Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

                  Email us at [email protected]

                  Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

                  Recent posts from Scott's blog:

                  • The Jewish Roots of the Altar Rail: The Origins of the Altar Rail in the Temple of Jerusalem
                  • Ukraine, Russia, & The Virgin Mary: Why 9/11 Happened on 9/11, The Winged Hussars and History's Greatest Cavalry Charge, and The Miracle of the Vistula
                  • What Does "The Stone Which the Builders Rejected Has Become the Cornerstone" Mean? Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:11; Acts 4:11
                  • 23 min
                  • Episode 37: Pro-Life Nerds & Rev. Arnold Culbreath on the Leading Cause of Death for Black America

                    Nerd out about pro-life issues with the C-Nerds and Pastor Arnold Culbreath of Peoples Church in Cincinnati, OH, the Director of Ministry Engagement of the Douglass Leadership Institute, whose Jeremiah 1:5 Project is boldly converting and training black pastors to "reverse the curse" of Planned Parenthood and Margaret Sanger. 

                    PLUS, Arnold is joined by his wife Barbara, who shares her amazing story with us. Rev. Culbreath cut his teeth in the Pro-Life movement working with the legendary Dr. Jack Wilke. 

                    We talk about navigating post-Roe America, the opportunities and continuing challenges.  

                    Here are the super important stats and takeaways from this with Rev. and Mrs. Culbreath: 

                    • Abortion is the leading cause of death in the black community: Add up all the black deaths attributable to heart disease, violent crimes, accidents, diabetes, and cancer. The total does not exceed the black deaths attributable to abortion.
                    • We have aborted an entire nation's worth of black people: 19 million black people have been killed in abortion since Roe v. Wade out of 63 million total. According to the US Census, there were only 18,871,831 black people in the USA in 1960. More blacks have been killed in abortion than the total population of black America in 1960.     
                    • 79% of Planned Parenthood's surgical abortion facilities are located within walking distance of African American or Hispanic/Latino neighborhoods. Check out the map at ProtectingBlackLife.org
                    • 72-75% of fatherlessness in the black community, nationwide
                    • Check out the movie: Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America
                    • Forgiven and Set Free and Healing a Father's Heart - the programs mentioned for healing post-abortive mothers and fathers, respectively
                    • Colby's pro-life organization: The DesOrmeaux Foundation of Lafayette, Louisiana
                    • Do you want to bedeck yourself in your #1 galactic source for quality Catholic nerdery? Of course, you do! And now you can … Check out the C-Nerd T-Shirts and Merch!

                      Like the Catholic Nerds on Facebook.

                      Check out our Patreon page for exclusive nerdiness.

                      Tweet us @NerdsCatholic

                      Email us at [email protected]

                      Also, check out Scott's e-course on the Virgin Mary at All Saints University!

                      Recent posts from Scott's blog:

                      • The Jewish Roots of the Altar Rail: The Origins of the Altar Rail in the Temple of Jerusalem
                      • Ukraine, Russia, & The Virgin Mary: Why 9/11 Happened on 9/11, The Winged Hussars and History's Greatest Cavalry Charge, and The Miracle of the Vistula
                      • What Does "The Stone Which the Builders Rejected Has Become the Cornerstone" Mean? Psalm 118:22; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:11; Acts 4:11
                      • 55 min

                      About Catholic Nerds

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Join the Catholic Nerds Podcast for quality Catholic nerdery. The Catholic Nerds basically nerd out on comics, movies, video games, and books, all from a Catholic perspective, plus a hefty helping of…