Conversations with the Nesti Center for Faith and Culture

Vivian Cabrera, Assistant Editor for Digital Media at America: The Jesuit Review and University of St. Thomas – Houston alumna, joins Bridget Richardson to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic from her apartment in Manhattan in New York City. Vivian shares how the pandemic has affected her work at America Magazine (https://www.americamagazine.org/) and how taking time away from digital media can be a good thing.

Fr. T.J. Dolce, Pastor of St. Martha Catholic Church in Kingwood, TX (https://stmartha.com/), Kyle Smith, President of Young Catholic Professionals Houston (http://www.ycphouston.org/) and Digital Marketing Manager with BrandExtract (https://www.brandextract.com/), join Bridget Richardson to discuss the postponing of sports activities during the Covid-19 pandemic. They discuss how sports’ stories bring us to a deeper understanding of the meaning of life and what makes us human.

Rita Simmonds, Events Coordinator for Crossroads Cultural Center (http://www.crossroadsculturalcenter.org/), joins Bridget Richardson from Brooklyn, New York. They discuss the mission of Crossroads Cultural Center and how Covid-19 has affected their programming. From the Communion and Liberation movement, Rita describes that Crossroads Cultural Center emphasizes how beauty is so integral to their work and the realities of living in a pandemic while trying to find hope.

Mari Salazar, Senior Vice President at BOK Financial Energy Financial Services in Houston (https://www.bokfinancial.com/) and University of St. Thomas Alumni Board Member, joins Bridget Richardson to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic and how it is affecting her work and her family. Mari describes energy banking and how she is trying to take care of her staff during the stay-at-home order. She also talks about her close-knit family and how they are staying connected.

Marcus Grodi, Founder and President of The Coming Home Network (https://chnetwork.org/) and host of “The Journey Home” on EWTN (https://www.ewtn.com/tv/shows/journey...), talks with Bridget Richardson about his work at The Coming Home Network and how his team has adapted during the coronavirus pandemic. Marcus dives deep into a description of his work, the first three steps of dialogue and how ecumenism is essential to the Catholic Church.

Dr. John Graham, M.D., D.MIN., President and C.E.O. of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at Texas Medical Center (ISH - https://www.spiritualityandhealth.org/), Stuart Nelson, M.A., Vice President of ISH, and Bridget Richardson discuss the mind, body, spirit connection and what people may be experiencing during the Covid-19 pandemic. John and Stuart explain what is happening in the human body when people experience stress or anxiety. They also share about ISH programming and how their small groups help with the “big questions” and self-healing skills.

Fr. Donald Nesti, CSSp, founder of the Nesti Center for Faith & Culture, Dr. Don Frohlich, professor of biology at University of St. Thomas-Houston, and Bridget Richardson discuss Covid-19 from a biological perspective. Dr. Frohlich unpacks what a coronavirus is and describes how it “works.” The dialogue then shifts to a discussion about the connection between faith and science and the value of an integrated worldview.

Dr. Shivas Amin, Associate Professor of Biology and Project Director of the HSI Stem Grant at University of St. Thomas – Houston, and Bridget Richardson discuss how, during the stay-at-home order, people should grow something in their backyard. They discuss the Querida Amazonia, Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, and how we can relate that to our understanding of respect for nature. Dr. Amin also shares about the UST Pocket Prairie on campus.

David Hao, MA, JD, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at University of St. Thomas – Houston (UST), and Shundeez Faridifar, Assistant Director of Student Activities at UST, join Bridget Richardson to discuss Celt Success Coaches. David and Shundeez describe how their team of 50 UST faculty and staff volunteers are personally reaching out to every undergraduate student. Shundeez describes the logistics and needs of students and David outlines how this framework will be implemented in the future to help the student experience at UST.

Alim D. Adatia, Communication and Publications Member of the Aga Khan Council for the Southwestern US, describes to Bridget Richardson how the Shia Ismaili Muslim community (https://the.ismaili/) and the Aga Khan Council is continuing to adapt and help people during the coronavirus pandemic. Alim talks about the value of communal prayer in Islam, the foundations of the Shia Ismaili Muslim faith and how the Aga Khan Development Network's (https://www.akdn.org/) focus on improving the quality of life for people across the globe is a manifestation of faith in action . They also talk about Nowruz, Ramadan and the soon-to-be built Ismaili Center Houston along Allen Parkway.