What role does a parish community actually play in forming our children’s faith?

Why can’t Catholic identity be handed on by families alone or by schools alone?

In this month’s episode of Catholicism 101, we look at the irreplaceable gift of parish life and how every family is strengthened through a living, breathing Catholic community.

Resources:

Study: 9 in 10 cradle Catholics leaving the Church; experts urge stronger faith community | Catholic News Agency

Religious Transmission: A Solution to the Church's Biggest Problem | Church Life Journal 

Addressing the Phenomenon of Parish Hopping | OSV

How to Pick a Parish (and Why It Matters!) | FOCUS

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What does it mean to be human? If we’re made in His image and likeness, what does God look like? What does God sound like?

Join us for this BONUS episode of Catholicism 101 as we discover how our human wants and needs reflect certain truths about God and his love for us!

“I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”  (Luke 12:49)

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” –St. Catherine of Siena

Resources:

·       TOB for Free | Theology of the Body Institute

·       Why Are We So Terrified of Death? | Theology of the Body Institute

·       Why God Gave Us Bodies | The Thesis of Theology of the Body

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

Why does the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows fall the day after we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross?

How is the birth of Jesus and his Presentation at the Temple connected with his mother being present at the foot of his cross?

Join us for the newest episode of Catholicism 101 as we reflect on the Mystery of Mary as the New Eve and what’s really happening at the foot of the cross.

Resources:

A Question of Faith: When Was the Church Born? | The Catholic Telegraph

From Mother to Woman: Mary’s Role at Cana | Venerable Fulton Sheen 

The Unity Cross – Mosaic & Crucifix

Mary as New Eve, the Mystical Rose - images

"The Cross as a Wedding" | Venerable Fulton Sheen

Evidence for Mary’s Painless Childbirth | Catholic Answers

Theology of the Body & The Marian Mystery | TOBI

These Alone Are Enough · Dan Schutte
Journeysongs Third Edition: Volume 21 ℗ 2012 OCP. All rights reserved. All selections BMI. | Streamed with permission under ONE LICENSE #A-727031

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What do we mean by the phrase “Christians must live in the world without being of the world?” 

How can we lead people to an encounter with the Heart of Christ in an age of impersonal social media and screens?

Join us for this month’s episode of Catholicism 101 as we reflect on a lesser-known letter from Pope Francis on the importance of literature in encountering the human heart, as “nothing that is human is indifferent to us.” (Letter of the Holy Father on the Role of Literature in Formation, 17 July 2024, para 37.)

Resources:

Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis on the Role of Literature in Formation
Evangelii Gaudium | Pope Francis (2013)
Beauty in the Catholic Tradition | Bishop Robert Barron
The Human Heart and The Power of Beauty | Theology of the Body Institute
Teaching Our Sons How To Look At Scantily-Clad Women | Catholic Mom

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

How can we promote our identity in the Sacred Heart of Jesus in June as the culture celebrates Pride Month?

Is there a way to evangelize hearts wounded in this way without compromising the truth of human sexuality?

Join us for this month’s episode of Catholicism 101 as we reorient our approach to June as a month of encountering the Love of Christ amidst the tension of culture wars.

Resources:
Homosexual Marriage & Catholic Response Presentation | Emily Gipson
Transgenderism & The Catholic Response Presentation | Emily Gipson
The Catholic Guide to Gender Theory | Jason Evert
Walking with Those with Same-Sex Attraction | National Eucharistic Revival
Gender and Sexual Identity | Compass for Parents – Archdiocese of Detroit
What Does the Holy Spirit Actually Do? (Superhero Analogy) | Fr. Mike Schmitz
The Love that Satisfies: Reflections on Eros & Agape | Christopher West

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

What is the difference between the practices of our personal prayer and those of community worship? Why does maintaining unity of posture during Mass matter?

Join us for this month’s episode of Catholicism 101 as we dig into why our Bishops call for outward unity in liturgical celebrations and what issues are actually caused by disregarding their guidelines for public worship.

Resources:

• Cardinal Cupich’s statement in Chicago Archdiocese Newspaper (Chicago Catholic) 12/11/2024
• Deacon Ken Bennett – WKC Article: “Sacrament of Unity: How to properly receive Holy Communion”
• Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian | CDF
• General Instruction of the Roman Missal
• Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Redemptionis Sacramentum

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

Why does the Church condemn IVF as immoral? What really happens as a result of IVF? So many people struggle with infertility and loss—why can't the Church just be happy that people want to have children?

Tune into this month's episode to understand and encounter the love of the Father for all of his children as we dig into why the Church holds firm and fast to the immorality of IVF.

“When the marital act of sexual intercourse is not able to attain its procreative purpose, assistance that does not separate the unitive and procreative ends of the act, and does not substitute for the marital act itself, may be used to help married couples conceive. Those techniques of assisted conception that respect the unitive and procreative meanings of sexual intercourse and do not involve the destruction of human embryos, or their deliberate generation in such numbers that it is clearly envisaged that all cannot implant and some are simply being used to maximize the chances of others implanting, may be used as therapies for infertility” (ERD, no. 38-39 | Ethical & Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services, 6th Edition. USCCB)

SOURCES:

• IVF Attrition Rate & Embryo Survival: What to Expect | Illume Fertility
• What the data says about abortion in the U.S. | Pew Research Center
• Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2021 | CDC
• More human embryos destroyed through IVF than abortion every year | CNA
• Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction | ACOG

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

Do healing miracles still happen today? Who can receive the authority to heal? What if I’m in need of healing?

Tune into this month’s episode of Catholicism 101, where Mike Nolan from Shadow on the Water joins us for a conversation about the power of the Holy Spirit and healing.

Be sure to check out Shadow on the Water for more of Mike's wisdom about the charisms of the Holy Spirit, pilgrimages to Medjugorje, and more!

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

What’s special about a Jubilee Year and why do I keep hearing about an indulgence? In this episode, we’ll learn what an indulgence actually is - hint: it’s not what you learned in school! We’ll also talk about the difference between plenary and partial indulgences as well as why the plenary indulgence is offered during a Jubilee Year.

Tune in to learn all these things and more in this month's episode of Catholicism 101!

Bible Passages Quoted:
-Luke 4:18-19
-Colossians 1:24
-Galatians 5:1
-John 13:15

Resources:
12 Ways to Obtain a Jubilee Indulgence
Official Vatican Website for the Jubilee Year 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6

Many of us have grown up being told to 'offer it up' when we encounter some sort of suffering or are complaining, but what does this really mean? How can we find comfort, Hope, and Peace in the midst of pain and trials?

Tune into this month's episode of Catholicism 101 and learn how to better suffer and choose the gift of Hope when all seems hopeless.

Bible Passages Quoted:
-Matthew 27:46
-Psalm 22
-Psalm 77
-Romans 8:28
-Romans 8:18
-1 Corinthians 2:9
-John 14: 1-4
-Daniel 3:1-23
-Matthew 5:48

Resources:
Spe Salvi: On Christian Hope | Pope Benedict XVI
Hurt, Yet Hopeful: A Christian Response to Suffering | Catholic Answers
The Meaning of Suffering | Fr. Mike Schmitz
How to “Offer it Up” – A Step-by-Step Guide 

Have a question about the Faith you’d like to have answered on the Podcast? Submit it here: https://forms.gle/zorQwuUGtSdukzjc6