Christopher Closeup

Author and counselor Sister Ave Clark discusses her books “Joy is Blooming” and “Alleluia: A Grace to Hold Life’s Interruptions,” how beholding God in everything and everyone can lead us towards joy, the power of lightheartedness, and what Jesus on the cross can teach us about grace.

Gary Jansen, the author of “Saints, Angels, and Demons: An A-to-Z Guide to the Holy and the Damned,” discusses the seeds of his interest in the saints, why we need to remember the saints were “imperfect individuals,” how actor Bill Murray is linked to St. Catherine of Siena, and the enduring legacies of the two Francises: de Sales and of Assisi.

Inspired by her sister with intellectual disabilities, writer Delaney Coyne discusses the Catholic Church’s ministries for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – and how more can be done to lovingly welcome this sometimes-overlooked community into the family of faith.

Actor and author Jonathan Jackson discusses his return to the ABC TV series “General Hospital,” in the role of Lucky Spencer (the character he originated at age 11 in 1993), what it was like having Tony Geary and Genie Francis as his TV parents, and what he learned about fame at an early age. He also further explores his book “the Harrowing of Hell” and why mercy is the path to heaven.

Actor, author, and singer Jonathan Jackson discusses the best ways that parents can pass on their religious faith to their children, the book he’s written titled “The Harrowing of Hell,” the love and mercy that God extends to us, how our free will fits into that equation, and why he remains completely in awe of Jesus’s radical acts of humility.

José M. Hernández, the subject of the Christopher Award-winning Amazon Prime film “A Million Miles Away," discusses the work ethic, family support, and religious faith that led him from being a migrant farmworker as a child to becoming a NASA astronaut who traveled to space as an adult.

Author Jean Duffy discusses her Christopher Award-winning book “Soccer Grannies,” which profiles the South African grandmothers, ranging in age from 40s to 80s, who created their own soccer league to benefit their physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Television legend and best-selling author Kathie Lee Gifford discusses her book “Herod and Mary,” in which she explores the historical evils committed by King Herod – and contrasts them with the humble and holy life of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Two-time Christopher Award-winning author Torrey Maldonado discusses his latest novel,  "Hands,” which shares a semi-autobiographical story about a 12-year-old boy torn between using his hands to fight his abusive stepfather or using them to create art and fulfill his mother’s wishes for him to have a better life.

John J. York, the longtime “General Hospital” star who portrays Mac Scorpio, discusses his recent battle with two blood and bone marrow cancers, the stem cell transplant that helped him find healing, and the family, colleagues, and Catholic faith that supported him through the experience.