Catholics and many other liturgically-oriented Christian traditions use a lectionary model, following a three-year cycle of readings, which means the whole Church is reading the same Scriptures together every Sunday throughout the year.

For those Christians who come from a background where the pastor picks out the readings each week, this can be a bit of an adjustment!

Matt Swaim talks to Ken Ogorek, co-author of the Breaking the Bread series, about what the lectionary is, how it works, and the benefits of reading the Scriptures together as a Church throughout the year.

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More on Breaking the Bread, a lectionary devotional by Ken Ogorek and Scott Hahn: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/breaking-the-bread-a-biblical-devotional-for-catholics-year-a

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In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI issued Anglicanorum coetibus, a historic move that provided a unique new avenue for Christians from the Anglican world to join the Catholic Church while keeping elements of their liturgical patrimony.

As the first head of the Personal Ordinariate in the United States and Canada, Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson shares his background as a bishop in the Episcopal Church, the meetings with then-Cardinal Ratzinger that laid the foundation for Anglicanorum coetibus, and what it was like to have a front row seat to this extraordinary moment in Christian history.

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Do Catholics believe in the Rapture? If not, what *do* Catholics believe about the end of the world?

Growing up Baptist, both Sonja Corbitt and Dr. Annie Bullock loved Jesus and Scripture, but at times found themselves in conflict with their pastors as they sought to share their gifts within the churches they attended, specifically because they were women. So why on earth would they join the Catholic Church, given its clear and unwavering commitment to an all-male priesthood?

Sonja and Annie discuss that conundrum, and look at a number of other factors -- including the role of Mary in salvation history -- that led them to believe they could not only fit in the Catholic Church, but that their unique gifts to teach and lead could flourish there as well.

Dr. Annie Bullock on The Journey Home

Sonja Corbitt on The Journey Home

Sonja's website: sonjacorbitt.com

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It doesn't happen to everyone, but it's happened to enough people to warrant a discussion:

And why do so many of those same people feel ultimately drawn to the Catholic Faith?

Matt Swaim talks to Andrew Petiprin, who grew up Evangelical, became an Anglican priest, and then later entered the Catholic Church.

They discuss some of the themes that commonly come up for people who travel this specific path of faith, and how now as Catholics they look back on appreciation for the Evangelical and Anglican ideas and spirituality that helped to form them.

Andrew Petiprin's site: https://www.andrewpetiprin.com

The Spe Salvi Institute: https://www.spesalviinstitute.com

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As writers of fiction and converts to Catholicism from Evangelical backgrounds, Rhonda Ortiz and Lorelei Savaryn talk to Matt Swaim about their perspective on the literary imagination as Catholics compared to how they understood creative writing in their previous Christian experience.

They reflect on some of the Christian authors who have been most influential to them in this regard, and how their experience of the sacramental life has informed the way they approach their fiction writing.

Rhonda's books: https://rhondaortiz.com/the-molly-chase-series

Lorelei's books: https://loreleisavaryn.com/books/

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Many of our CHNetwork members will be observing Advent for the first time this year. They often have lots of questions: How does one distinguish Advent from Christmas? How can I help my family enter into this season in a spirit of prayer and hope? And how does it all fit into the bigger Catholic concept of the liturgical year?

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When someone begins to be open to the possibility of some kind of purification process between this life and heaven, often many practical questions arise: How does it work? Does it hurt? How long does it take? Is it avoidable?

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Ebenezer Scrooge, George Bailey, the Grinch... so many of the most iconic Christmas stories in film and literature hinge upon the idea of a conversion of some kind.

For many years, Lisa Cooper was deeply involved in the Word of Faith movement, led by such figures as Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, and Marilyn Hickey.

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