You are designed to “be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect” (Mat 5:34).  But that’s impossible.  You are designed “to pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). But how?  The ancient monks of the Egyptian Desert discovered a long-forgotten—and surprisingly easy—way to do both.

Augustine Wetta is a monk of Saint Louis Abbey in Saint Louis Missouri. He has two degrees in Theology from Oxford University, a BA in Ancient Mediterranean Civilizations from Rice University, and an MA in English from Middlebury College. For twenty years, he has taught English, Classics, and Theology at the Priory School, in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he also coached rugby and served as Director of Chaplaincy.  In 2019, he was named a Portsmouth Institute Senior Fellow.  He sits on the board of Love One Another Ministries, and The Parent Network of Catholic High Schools. He is the author of Humility Rules: Saint Benedict’s Twelve-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem, The Eighth Arrow, a fantasy prison break set in Dante’s Inferno, and Saving Grace, an illustrated children’s book about a three-legged turtle.

Spend some time listening to what it means to be hopelessly devoted. Many Catholic young adults spend most of their time thinking about it, after all. Rachel Leininger – a formerly single person – shares from some of her own experiences on how to develop an undistracted devotion… to the Lord.

Rachel Leininger serves as a full-time mama, speaker, and author. Some of her favorite things include Cardinals baseball, coffee, the virtue of chastity, and baked goods. She and her professional nerd husband, David, live in St. Louis, MO with their two hilarious and adorable baby girls. You can connect with her on Twitter and Instagram at @raleininger.

J.R.R. Tolkien is universally known for his Middle-Earth Legandarium (primarily the Lord of the Rings), and is somewhat known for his devout Catholic faith. Just how much did the latter influence the former?

In this Theology on Tap presentation, Shane Van Diest will consider the Christian themes and symbolism found in Tolkien’s famous work, namely: God, creation, evil, immortality, death, sacramentality, divine providence/free will, pride, the Eucharist, and whatever Shane can jam into the allotted time.

Shane Van Diest holds an M.A. in Theology from the Augustine Institute, a B.A. in Mathematics and Biology from Carroll College, and is currently completing an M.A. in Thomistic Philosophy from Holy Apostles College & Seminary. He and his wife Marah have one daughter, Cecilia. Shane serves as the Director of the Office of Young Adult Ministry for the Archdiocese of St. Louis, and in the past has worked as a FOCUS missionary, a Division I college football coach, and a high school theology teacher at Duchesne HS in St. Charles. He loves good liturgy, climbing trees, and is, as one might expect, quite obsessed with J.R.R. Tolkien.

“We’re on a Mission from God:” A Theology of the Church and Her Missionary Activity

Pope Francis named October 2019 as the extraordinary Missionary Month calling the whole Church to “revive her missionary awareness and commitment.” Diving into the mystery of the Church and her missionary activity with the help of some saintly missionaries and a portly Italian priest named St. Thomas Aquinas, Fr. Philipp will help us fulfill the Pope’s call and better understand the origins of “mission,” the nature of the Church, and how that mission falls to each one of us.

Fr. Philipp is currently the Associate Pastor of Queen of All Saints Catholic Church in Oakville and chaplain at St. Mary’s High School in South City. Ordained in 2017, he spent his first year of priesthood finishing a license in dogmatic theology at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. In his free time, he enjoys a good book, coffee, and a glass of bourbon with friends.

No Salvation Outside the Church – Where did that theological idea come from, and does the Church still hold it today, and if so, what does it mean?

In this talk, we’ll look at the origins of this idea in the 3rd century, and its development through three major theological phases. We’ll explore why, today, we can neither hold the idea in its plain sense nor simply abandon it without ceasing to be Christian. Underneath it all the key question will be: when we talk about salvation and Jesus, what kind of God do we think we’re dealing with?

Ed Hogan is a former Jersey Shore lifeguard whose loves to bodysurf. He is the Academic Dean at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and has a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Boston College, where he specialized in the relationship between theology and science. Ed is the Project Leader for a team at Kenrick-Glennon that recently won a $75,000 grant from the American Association for the Advancement of Science for the integration of science into the Seminary curriculum. Prior to life in Saint Louis Ed served under (then) Bishop Carlson in the Diocese of Saginaw, MI, as Director of Deacon Formation, Director of the Center for Ministry, and Director of the Department of Formation. He has taught theology on the high school, college, and graduate school levels. Ed is a lector and EMHC at Saint John Paul II Parish in Affton. He and his wife Jen have been married for 25 years and have 6 children.

In this special edition of the TOT Podcast, Catching Foxes talks about young adult ministry in a post-Christian society, and answers your questions!

Luke and Gomer started a podcast to fulfill their obligation as American men in their thirties that work in ministry. Their show, Catching Foxes, oscillates between a conversation about the intersection of faith and culture and interviews with guests that deserve better. Catching Foxes has almost five million downloads. It doesn’t make sense to Luke or Gomer either. When he’s not woodworking or watching YouTube videos on woodworking, Gomer lives in Houston, TX with his wife Shannon and four kids. When he’s not lamenting the USMNT failure of Oct. 10, 2017, Luke lives in Cincinnati, OH with his wife Erin. To learn more about Catching Foxes, Google it like an adult, or visit CatchingFoxes.fm.

“Liar, Lunatic, or Lord: C.S. Lewis and His Trilemma Argument for the Truth of Jesus”

In his approach to Christian apologetics, CS Lewis sought to confront listeners with a basic matter of decision: Who do you say Jesus Christ is? He made skillful use of logic and literary techniques in relation to the Gospels in order to present Jesus as someone who issues more than sound moral teachings but makes ontological and personal claims about Himself which require a response. This presentation will explore the dynamics surrounding Lewis’ defense of Christianity.

James McCullough (PhD, University of St Andrews) is on the teaching faculty of the Cardinal Glennon College at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. He is the author of Sense and Spirituality: The Arts and Spiritual Formation (Cascade, 2015). Originally from Atlantic City, NJ, he is the father of four children, Lydia, Patrick, Peter and Loryn.

In this talk, Katie Pesha will explore the nature, vocation, and mission of women with a closer look into Saint John Paul II’s Letter to Women, and offer insights into some of the most contested questions surrounding women’s role in the Church today.

Katie is a strategic marketing and communications consultant for mostly Catholic entities across the country and is the former Executive Director of Communications and Planning for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. During her time in this role, Katie oversaw and responded to a variety of local Church “hot button” issues affecting a range of archdiocesan entities. Her role served to streamline communications for the local Church and function as the lead spokesperson.

In this talk Dr. Cara dispels some misinformation about the teachings of reproductive ethics in the church and, explains why the teachings are what they are, and points out how we can evangelize successfully about the beauty and freedom of these teachings.

Cara Buskmiller is a consecrated virgin in the archdiocese of St. Louis. She received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College and is currently a chief resident in obstetrics and gynecology at St. Louis University. She is looking forward to maternal fetal medicine fellowship in Houston, Texas.

“Praying Through My Priorities: How to Experience the Joys of a Purpose Driven Life”

In this talk, Fr. Anthony Wieck offers practical wisdom for finding balance in our life, using Ignatian forms of prayer as a basis for determining and implementing Godly priorities.

Fr. Anthony Wieck, S.J., is a Jesuit priest of the Central and Southern province. Sixth of nine children and raised on a farm, Fr. Anthony began religious life in 1994, spending his first five years of formation in Rome, Italy. After his initial Jesuit formation, Fr. Anthony was missioned to Spring Hill College in Mobile, AL, and subsequently to three different Jesuit high schools in Texas.

In 2017, Fr. Anthony was missioned to St. Louis, Missouri, to work full-time at the Jesuit retreat house here, helping out on the side with the spiritual formation of graduate students at St. Louis University as well as teaching a course on the Holy Trinity at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary. His favorite hobbies are basketball and guitar.