Glad You Asked

In the 6th chapter of Matthew's gospel, Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray, introducing what today we call the "Our Father," or the "Lord's Prayer." But Jesus imparts this prayer in the context of various instructions on the many ways we shouldn't pray. Don't pray in public for everyone to see. Don't put on a gloomy face. Then, in the following chapter, he says: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

So Christians should pray. But Christians should also, it seems, be wary about praying the wrong way. This opens up intriguing questions about what it means to pray, whether there are things we should or shouldn't pray for, and what it means for a prayer to be answered.

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk with award-winning writer Laura Kelly Fanucci about the point of prayer.

Fanucci is the author of a number of books, most recently Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection Joy (Liturgical Press, 2026). She has written for U.S. Catholic as well as OSV News Service, America Magazine, and on two popular substacks. Her work has also been featured on the Hallow and Ritual apps, and in popular outlets including NPR's Morning Edition, On Being, and The Kelly Clarkson Show.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Fanucci's work, in these links.

Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection, by Laura Kelly Fanucci

The Holy Labor: Original essays on theology & spirituality from Laura Kelly Fanucci

"Should you request prayers on social media?" by Teresa Coda

"Can prayer heal?" by Teresa Coda

"Prayer must lead to practical solutions," by Shireen Korkzan

"Pope Leo says God rejects prayers of leaders who wage wars," by Joshua McElwee

This episode is sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. Prayer connects us to God and to one another, and CRS puts that connection into action by serving people facing hunger, violence and displacement worldwide. Through shared prayers and humanitarian response, CRS invites you to live out your faith through service to others. Learn more about CRS' work at crs.org.

This Easter—2026—multiple Catholic parishes across the nation saw a surge in adult baptisms and new converts entering the church. Some dioceses reported all-time records for people becoming Catholic at Easter. This trend parallels a broader trend of renewed interest in religion, especially with young people. Protestant and nondenominational churches have also had an influx of younger converts. According to a study from Barna Group, which tracks data on faith in U.S. culture, younger adults—Gen Z and Millennials—have become the most regular churchgoers, outpacing older generations.

While some are calling this a religious revival, the reality is that attracting young people to church doesn't necessarily, automatically translate into offering them a reason to stay for the long term. If young people are showing up for church because they are looking for something—are they finding what it was they were looking for?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talked to three guests from different backgrounds and Christian affiliations about what young people want from the church. Catalina Morales Bahena is Director of Learning at Faith in Action; Drew Stever is a chaplain, spiritual director, and ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; and Baird Linke is an activist who currently serves as pastor of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Bonner, Montana. They are some of the contributors to a new book, Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church from Young Adults (Edited by Jeremy Paul Myers and Kristina Frugé, and published by Eerdmans).

Learn more about this topic in these links.

Hungry for Hope: Letters to the Church from Young Adults

New Barna Data: Young Adults Lead a Resurgence in Church Attendance

Rise in Young Men's Religiosity Realigns Gender Gaps

Religion Holds Steady in America

"Young people are seeking connection. Can the church respond?" A U.S. Catholic interview

"What young Catholic peacemakers want from the church," by John Noble

"Younger Catholics are seeking new models of sainthood," by Rhina Guidos

"Church revival? New numbers don't show whole picture, experts say," by Brian Fraga

People go "parish hopping" for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes it's because of simple things like wanting more convenient mass times, or a shorter drive. Or it might be because they're looking for a community with more people in their age group, or more options for activities or outreach.

Sometimes, people leave their parish because of reasons pertaining to doctrine or liturgy. A new pastor might preach homilies that run counter to people's understanding of the faith, or initiate liturgical changes that leave them feeling spiritually desolate. For instance, following Pope Benedict XVI' 2007 motu proprio relaxing restrictions on the old Latin Mass, some parishes shifted to a more traditional liturgical form that sent some parishioners on a quest for the inclusive, Vatican II type Mass they preferred. Then in 2021, Pope Francis' instruction limiting the traditional rite sent other parishioners scrambling in other directions.

And sometimes, people leave their churches for more serious reasons relating to financial scandals, or spiritual or sexual abuse.

Does the church have an official stance on parish-hopping? If your parish is inconvenient, or you don't like the liturgies, or don't get along with your pastor, should you leave, or are there other options for dealing with issues in your parish?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to Paul Jarzembowski about what a Catholic should do if they have issues with their parish or don't like their pastor. Jarzembowski is associate director for the Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the United States' national coordinator for World Youth Day. He serves as an advisor to the Vatican on ministries with young people.

You can learn more about this topic in these links.

"Would you leave your parish because of the priest?" by Rosy McCarty

"After a bad homily, this is what I told my kids," by Shannon Wimp Schmidt

"Two very different parishes point to divisions in the church," by Peter Feuerherd

"Is there a bright side to parish mergers?" by Nathaniel Hunter

"Should you stop donating to your parish?" by Abby Rampone

"It's time to make parishes accessible to people of all abilities," by Karen Jackson

"Can my parish celebrate the Latin Mass?" by John Kyler

"For heaven's sake, say hi to new parishioners," by Angela Howard-McParland

You don't have to be Catholic to recognize St. Francis of Assisi. Across the nation, you can find this gentle bearded figure, clad in simple robes, often with birds perched on his shoulders, as he adorns people's lawns and gardens. St. Francis is the subject of multiple movies and even a Marvel comic book. Hippies love him for his simple, nature-based spirituality. Animal rights activists love him because of stories about him preaching to the birds or taming a dangerous wolf.

But how accurate are our popular renderings of this Medieval Italian saint? Francis was a reformer in his day, a controversial figure in many respects. As well as stories about him preaching to the birds, we have other stories about him stripping naked in front of a bishop or throwing himself into a thorn bush. How can we square the gentle nature-lover with the intense reformer? And would St. Francis even recognize himself in your pretty garden statue?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to Bishop John Stowe, a priest in the Franciscan Order of Friars Minor Conventual and bishop of the diocese of Lexington, Kentucky —a diocese that encompasses various underserved Appalachian communities. In keeping with the Franciscan tradition, Stowe has been a voice for justice for the poor, and has spoken out repeatedly on environmental justice, immigrant rights, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

You can learn more about this topic in these links.

"What do we know about St. Francis, the most popular saint?," by Kathleen Manning

"What did St. Francis say about poverty?" by Daniel P. Horan

"How St. Francis led one activist to fight for ecological justice," by James Ehlers

"St. Francis and the Taming of the Wolf," by Murray Bodo, O.F.M.

Catholics are accustomed to thinking of the term apostle as referring exclusively to men: the Twelve who followed Jesus and were with him at the Last Supper, as well as the Apostle Paul. But the church also considers Mary Magdalene an apostle—the "apostle to the apostles," to be precise. So clearly, being an apostle isn't something only men can do. If women can be apostles, this opens a fascinating question: What about Mary, Jesus' mother? Mary of Nazareth might not have preached Jesus' teachings to crowds, or spread the news of his resurrection, but we see her proclaiming the glory of the Lord in the Magnificat, guiding Jesus to perform his first miracle, and sticking with him by the cross. We know she was an important part of the early church. Aside from that, she birthed Jesus, body and blood, into the world.

In this third and final installment of Glad You Asked's three-part season finale on Mary, the hosts talk with theologian Natalia Imperatori-Lee about whether Mary the Mother of Jesus was an apostle.

Imperatori-Lee's scholarship focuses on ecclesiology, feminist theologies, and Latino/a theologies. She has written in both academic and popular publications, on topics ranging from the church's mistreatment of women scholars, to the perils of complementarity, to Mariology. Her most recent book, Women and the Church: From Devil's Gateway to Discipleship (Paulist Press), is an overview of feminist theology, for the undergraduate classroom.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Imperatori-Lee's work, in these links.

Women and the Church: From Devil's Gateway to Discipleship, by Natalia Imperatori-Lee

Bearers of an "Idle Tale": Women's Authority in a Creditability Economy, by Natalia Imperatori-Lee

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary," by Elizabeth Johnson

"Mary Magdalene knew she was an apostle. Why don't we?" by Alice Camille

"Two historians track down Jesus' women disciples," a U.S. Catholic interview

"Finding leadership roles for women in the church," by Bryan Cones

The Beginnings of the Church, by F. J. Cwiekowski

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Mary's "Magnificat" is pretty revolutionary. It isn't praising God for abstract blessings, but for real material events, all of which have to do with radical social justice. And this makes sense, given the world Mary lived in. She was a young Jewish woman, likely from a poor family, in a nation that was occupied by the Roman Empire. Since she was not a citizen, she lacked various protections and rights. Her son Jesus would eventually be executed by that Empire, on suspicion of revolution—and his execution would be in the brutal form of crucifixion, since he didn't enjoy the protection of citizenship.

We know there were revolutionary groups in first-century Roman-occupied Palestine. And we know Jesus was executed because the imperial regime viewed him as a revolutionary. What would Mary have thought about those groups? Does her Magnificat indicate that she favored them? Can we call Mary a revolutionary?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the second in a three-part season finale looking at Mary as a figure of liberation, the hosts talk with theologian Kat Armas about Marian devotion in relation to movements of revolution and reform.

Armas has a dual Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Fuller Theological Seminary, where she was awarded the Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing. She is the author of Liturgies for Resisting Empire:

Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World (Brazos Press, and Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence and Strength (Brazos Press), as well as numerous articles, including in the National Catholic Reporter, Plough Magazine, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, and Sojornours.

Learn more about this topic, and read some of Armas' work, in these links:

Liturgies for Resisting Empire: Seeking Community, Belonging, and Peace in a Dehumanizing World, by Kat Armas

Abuelita Faith: What Women on the Margins Teach Us About Wisdom, Persistence and Strength, by Kat Armas

"In Scripture and Trump's America, some people mistakenly want a king," by Kat Armas

"Mary, Mary, quite contrary," by Elizabeth Johnson

"How Liberation Theology Illuminates Advent in the Bible," a U.S. Catholic interview

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

"Divine revelation leads to revolution," by Alice Camille

"Look to Mary as a model of authentic womanhood." That's the message church leaders have directed at generations of Catholic women and girls. Often, latent in this message, is the notion that authentic womanhood means being docile, obedient, submissive, and innocent. So it's no wonder that many people, both inside and outside the church, view feminism and Catholicism as incompatible. There are many different types of feminism but none are known for preaching docility.

Nevertheless, Catholic feminists exist. They are scholars, religious sisters, activists, community leaders, workers, and mothers. They make significant contributions to theology, too. Are these women failing to emulate Mary sufficiently? Or, alternatively, are they following Mary's example? What if Mary herself was a feminist?

This episode of Glad You Asked is part of a three-part season finale looking at Mary as a figure of liberation. This segment of the series focuses on Mary from the perspective of feminist thought, considering whether the historical Mary was a champion of women's liberation, whether feminists can look to her for inspiration, and whether Marian devotion is compatible with feminist thought.

To discuss Mary as a figure of women's liberation, the hosts talked with theologian Julie Hanlon Rubio. Rubio is the Shea-Heusaman Professor of Christian Social Ethics and Associate Dean at Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University in Berkeley, California. She is the author or editor of seven books, most recently Can You Be a Catholic and a Feminist (Oxford University Press). She has published in a variety of academic journals as well as popular venues, and serves on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' National Review Board.

You can learn more about this topic, and read some of Rubio's work, in these links.

Can You Be a Catholic and a Feminist? by Julie Hanlon Rubio

"Why did God choose Mary?" by LaRyssa Herrington

"Could Mary have said 'No'?" by Kevin Considine

"Why was Mary a virgin?" by Alice Camille

"Don't make Mary the feminine face of God," by Elizabeth Johnson

"Catholic and feminist: You got a problem with that?" by Megan Sweas

"Real biblical womanhood: the defiant women of Hebrew scripture," by Rebecca Bratten Weiss

"Was Jesus a feminist?" by Bernadette Raspante

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

According to several recent studies of health care systems across the globe, the U.S. health care system lags far behind those in other developed nations. The system is more expensive per person, but also for the nation as a whole. This high cost doesn't translate into good access, high quality, or favorable outcomes. Many in the nation have no insurance at all, and many can't find a primary care provider, or access much beyond basic emergency care. Our very expensive system does not do well at preventing death, either.

Skyrocketing insurance costs are likely to make matters worse, leaving more people uninsured, and dying for lack of care. It is likely to create a ripple effect, as high health care costs will increase food insecurity and exacerbate the homelessness crisis. These effects may even touch those who are comfortably well-off, as more care facilities close due to lack of funds.

Activists, lobbyists, policy-makers, and analysts have been calling for some form of universal care for Americans for decades, to bring us in line with the less expensive and more equitable systems in other nations. But what should Catholics think about this question? Would universal health care access be in line with Catholic social teaching? What would a truly just health care system look like?

To discuss this topic, the hosts of Glad You Asked collaborated with Sister of the Humility of Mary Eilis McCulloh of the Just Politics podcast. In Just Politics, Catholic sisters and their coworkers at the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice discuss pressing political issues from the standpoint of Catholic teaching. McCulloh currently serves as NETWORK's Grassroots Education and Organizing Specialist.

You can learn more about this topic in these links:

International Comparison of Health Systems

How does the quality of the U.S. health system compare to other countries?

Mirror, Mirror 2024: A Portrait of the Failing U.S. Health System

"Kristen Whitney Daniels on why health care access is a matter of faith and justice," Just Politics

"As the inauguration approaches, U.S. health care is on the line," by Kevin Clarke

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Recent years have seen increased climate-related natural disasters. In the United States, an inland hurricane brought catastrophic flooding to the mountains of North Carolina. Ash from wildfires in Canada has clouded the air for hundreds of miles. And across the globe, extreme climate catastrophes have destroyed lives and communities. We're seeing wildfires in Australia, crop loss in Brazil, landslides in Italy, and famine-inducing drought in East Africa. And that's just the start of the list.

For some, climate disruptions happen on a level that looks apocalyptic, with lives lost and communities decimated. Others might experience the disruptions on a smaller scale. Maybe it's a tomato crop lost to drought, or a new invasive insect disrupting an ecosystem. The signs are everywhere: something is amiss.But not everyone is convinced we need to do anything about it.

Care for the Earth is a fundamental part of Catholic moral and social teaching. And recent popes have spoken prophetically on environmental justice, with Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' (On Care for Our Common Home) offering important developments in this area of doctrine. But some Catholics still think climate change is a hoax, or that it's not connected with human activity. And many who accept climate science don't connect it with their responsibility as people of faith, or are uncertain how it translates into how they're meant to act in the world.

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to Lorna Gold about the church's teachings on climate change, and how Catholics ought to respond. Gold is Executive Director of the Laudato Si' Movement, and has also worked as executive director of FaithInvest, and the Policy and Advocacy Manager with the Irish Catholic Agency for International Development, Trócaire.

You can read more about this topic, and read some of Gold's work, in these links.

Laudato Si' (On Care for Our Common Home)

Laudate Deum (On the Climate Crisis)

Why Does the Church Care About Global Climate Change

Climate Generation: Awakening to our Children's Future, by Lorna Gold

"Catholic Church and climate change: Why Catholics care about climate change," by Anna Carolina Gutiérrez

"'Enough is enough,' say Global South bishops in climate letter," by Michael Wright

"Who is bearing the brunt of climate change?" by Kevin Clarke

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.

Catholic just war theory is a moral framework for evaluating warfare that dates back to St. Augustine but has its roots in older, pre-Christian ethical systems. Though the theory has been widely embraced not just by Catholic theorists but also by policymakers, it's also been widely criticized. Some Christian pacifists, pointing to Jesus' teachings on nonviolence and the early church's radical rejection of war, argue that the very idea that a war could be just constitutes a betrayal of gospel values.

Yet others argue that absolute nonviolence is an impossible ideal, and means putting the vulnerable at the mercy of unjust aggressors. Critics of radical pacifism point to multiple instances of wars waged to stop unjust aggressors, invaders, and assaults against human life and dignity.

It's a topic with multiple intersecting moral questions. Is just war theory a sophistical attempt to defend the indefensible, or a viable framework? Should victims of oppression and violence be held to absolute standards of nonviolence, or are they justified in defending themselves? Is pacifism an impossible ideal, or something we can really work for?

On this episode of Glad You Asked, the hosts talk to author and activist David Swanson about just war theory, where it comes from, how it is applied, and whether it is ever possible for a war to be just.

Swanson is executive director of World BEYOND War, and campaign coordinator of RootsAction.org. His books include War Is A Lie and When the World Outlawed War. He has been awarded the Real Nobel Peace Prize, an alternative award, supported by the Lay Down Your Arms Association, and inspired by the belief that the Nobel Committee has strayed from Alfred Nobel's original vision. He's the recipient of the 2018 Peace Prize from the U.S. Peace Memorial Foundation, and has been involved in multiple peace organizations.

You can read some of Swanson's work, and learn more about this topic, in these links.

"Just War Theory," by Alexander Moseley

War Is A Lie, by David Swanson

When the World Outlawed War, by David Swanson

"We need to reclaim the legacy of Christian nonviolence," by Nicholas Hayes-Mota

"What does the church teach about self-defense?" by Jacob Kohlhaas

"Record arms spending defies Pope Francis' final warnings," by Kevin Clarke

"The Mennonite Catholic who puts pacifism in action," a U.S. Catholic interview

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries USA, a congregation of Catholic priests and brothers who live and work with the most vulnerable among us. To learn more, visit claretians.org.