Catholics in Ordinary Time

Jan House has spent her life in the Catholic Church. But that doesn't mean she's always agreed with it.

In this episode of American Parish, Fr. Jack talks with Jan about raising four children in the faith, leaving a parish where she no longer felt her sons were welcome, and why she remains firmly Catholic despite her frustrations with the institution.

They discuss women's roles in the Church, accountability after the clergy sexual abuse crisis, the importance of making room for younger generations, and Jan's years of service in parish ministry, diocesan committees, and hospice care.

Through it all, Jan's love for the Eucharist remains central to her Catholic identity.

A candid, sometimes humorous conversation about belonging, questioning, serving, and staying committed to a Church that is still growing and changing.

What happens when the Church you once misunderstood becomes the place where you find answers?

Fr. Jack sits down with Jared Ford, a young adult therapist and convert to Catholicism, whose journey began with questions about the Protestant faith in which he was raised.

After stepping away from Christianity, Jared eventually discovered the intellectual richness, beauty, and spiritual depth of the Catholic tradition. He shares how his conversion changed the way he sees himself, relationships, and the people around him.

Their conversation explores faith and psychology, the importance of community, the challenges of Catholic dating, and why young adults are searching for something deeper.

An honest conversation about questioning everything, finding faith, and learning what it means to live as a Catholic.

What makes a parish truly welcoming?

Fr. Jack sits down with Kelly, a mother of four, nurse-midwife, and parish council member at Saint Aloysius, to talk about faith, family, and what it means to belong to a Catholic community.

Kelly shares how her family's experience of grief brought them closer to the Church, why raising children in a parish hasn't always been easy, and how her Catholic faith shapes her work as a midwife.

Together, they explore women's leadership, Ignatian spirituality, social justice, and the importance of building a parish where people don't just attend Mass, but genuinely connect with one another.

Fr. Jack talks with Anne, a young adult from Saint Aloysius, about growing up Catholic, discovering a personal relationship with Christ in college, and navigating the unexpected turns of discernment.

After years of considering religious life, Anne found herself exploring a relationship she hadn't been looking for. She also shares how caring for her grandmother near the end of her life awakened an interest in hospice work and accompanying people through suffering.

Their conversation explores prayer, vocation, mercy, relationships, service, and the beauty of allowing faith to shape the ordinary decisions of life.

Fr. Jack interviews Cindy Reopelle, a longtime Catholic educator and Ignatian spiritual leader, about women in the Church, single life, vocation, parish life, prayer, and why she continues to stay Catholic.

Cindy shares how her life has been shaped by Jesuit education, Catholic schools, spiritual direction, the Spiritual Exercises, and decades of serving the Church as a lay woman. She also reflects on what the Church sometimes misses about single people, why vocation is bigger than marital status, and why she still has hope for the future of the Church.

In this episode of American Parish, Fr. Jack sits down with Greg T., a high school English teacher, young adult, sports commentator, and recent convert to Catholicism.

Greg shares how his journey into the Catholic Church began as an intellectual search for truth and slowly became something deeper. Raised in a high church Episcopalian background, Greg spent years reading, questioning, church shopping, and trying to understand which tradition felt most true. 

They talk about prayer, the Eucharist, Catholicism’s place in history, why young adults are being drawn toward the Church, the role of beauty and liturgy, and how teaching high school students changed the way Greg understands rules, freedom, and grace.

American Parish is a season of Catholics in Ordinary Time, sharing ordinary Catholic life through the people of Saint Aloysius.

Fr. Jack interviews Kathy Finley, an author, teacher, and longtime Catholic, about parish life, marriage, spirituality, women’s gifts in the Church, and why she continues to stay.

Cathy reflects on the Church as a big table, the beauty of marriage as a sacrament, the saints, Vatican II, ministry, and the hope that parishes can better recognize and use the gifts of ordinary Catholics.

This episode is a thoughtful conversation about loving the Church honestly, seeing both its beauty and its unfinished work.

Fr. Jack interviews Rachel Williams, a young adult at Saint Aloysius, about music ministry, nursing, Ignatian spirituality, prayer, parish life, and what it means to feel known by the Church.

Rachel talks about serving as a cantor, finding God in moments of brokenness, praying through the Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life, and learning to notice the opportunities to serve that can pass us by. She also reflects on tithing, young adults in the Church, intergenerational community, LGBTQ+ Catholics, and the beauty that can be found beyond simply following the rules.

This episode is a conversation about ordinary Catholic faith lived through music, service, prayer, and the grace of paying attention.

Fr. Jack interviews Bob, a longtime Saint Aloysius parishioner, about a lifetime of Catholic faith, parish service, prayer, community, and what it means to call the Church home.

Bob reflects on decades of involvement in parish life, including catechesis, the Knights of Columbus, Stations of the Cross, hospitality, tithing, and helping others feel welcomed into the community. He also shares his perspective on younger Catholics, the importance of showing up in person, and the hope he still has for the future of the Church.

This episode is a grounded conversation about ordinary Catholic faith lived over time; not perfectly, not loudly, but faithfully.

Fr. Jack interviews Paul Caldera, a young adult convert and newly married Catholic, about entering the Church, learning to pray, and finding his way in parish life.

Paul shares how attending Mass with his now-wife led him into OCIA, how Catholicism began to “click,” and how practices like the Rosary, confession, learning about the saints, and joining the young adult community helped him grow in faith.

This conversation explores conversion, prayer, Catholic questions, marriage, young adult faith, and the hope Paul sees in a new generation coming into the Church.