Glory Be: Interesting People & How They Pray

Barbara: "Social work is my calling. It can be very draining ff one  doesn't take care of ones's spiritual needs."

Deacon Alonso: "Remember when you were young and Mass seemed to take  forever? Now I blink and Mass is over because I understand more each  part of Mass and I've found meaning in them."

[Full disclosure: Producer Mike Malcom is married to Barbara’s sister.]

Barbara grew up in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma with a heart for serving  others. She pursued a degree in social work and currently works in  western Colorado. Deacon Alonso has a variety of interests with a common theme: service. He is an accomplished chef, a retired seaman in the US Navy, and a recently retired 5th & 6th grade teacher. A few weeks ago, he was ordained to the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Pueblo and can probably count the number of homilies he has given on one hand.

Today's guest, Carla Lechner, was born and raised in the small German Catholic community of Jasper, Indiana. She attended college at the  University of Evansville and worked for ten years as a radiologic technologist.

She moved to Tulsa in 1976. She married Junie Lechner in 1979 and later became a stay-at-home mom for their three children. Carla changed  careers in 1992 and began to work at the School of Saint Mary as the Preschool Director where she stayed until her retirement in 2020. Carla is enjoying spending some of her free time with grandchildren.

Recently, she began a new ministry at the Church of Saint Mary: St. Joan  of Arc Healing and Deliverance Ministry.

SHOW NOTES:

- The Jesus Prayer: https://www.learnreligions.com/the-jesus-prayer-542660

- Father DeLindo's Novena of Surrender: https://catholicexchange.com/the-surrender-novena-let-jesus-take-care-of-everything

- Chaplet of Devotion to the Precious Blood: https://aleteia.org/2018/03/22/how-to-pray-the-chaplet-of-the-precious-blood/

Diane Erbacher and Carol Kmetz are catechists at the Church of Saint Mary specializing in Adult Faith Formation.

Diane grew up in Central Kansas on a dairy farm and is second oldest of 5 children. She graduated from Fort Hays State University with a double degree in Elementary Ed and Special Ed.  Diane is retired after  teaching school for 4 years, was working as the Office Manager for her husband's medical practice for 6 years and substitute teaching at the School of Saint Mary for over 20 years. She has been married to George for 44 years. And they have 4 adult children and 7 grandchildren.

Carol grew up in Tulsa with her four siblings attended the School of Saint Mary and graduated from Bishop Kelley High School. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma and is a registered respiratory therapist. Carol is retired after working as the nurse at the school of Saint. Mary and Bishop Kelley. She has been married to Andy for 41 years and they have five children and 10 grandchildren.

Show Notes:

FORMED.org: https://www.formed.org

Biblical Timeline: https://ascensionpress.com/collections/the-bible-timeline-the-story-of-salvation

The Wild Goose: https://www.churchofsaintmary.com/tag/wild-goose/

"These were the things that after 20 years as a priest, I needed  to let  God's grace be poured out upon [those things including the] misery.  Saint Faustina said there is nothing in your life that God's mercy does  not want to be poured out upon - to heal and convert."

Very Reverend Bryan Brooks is the vicar for priests for the Diocese of  Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma. Fr. Bryan was ordained to the priesthood  for the diocese of Tulsa in 1993. He grew up Methodist with his 3 siblings in Oklahoma City.  Fr. Bryan entered the Catholic church at St. John's Catholic Student Center  while  a college student at OSU in Stillwater. Fr. Bryan earned a Bachelors  degree in Forest Management  from Oklahoma State University and attended seminary college at Conception Seminary. He received his Master of  Divinity from St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. Fr. Bryan has served as pastor of three parishes in the Tulsa diocese before becoming pastor at his current parish, the Church of Saint Benedict in  Broken Arrow. In 2016 he was appointed the Vicar for Priests for the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma.

"I think what's most important [in prayer] is time with the Lord, a heart-to-heart with Jesus."

Most Reverend Robert Gruss is the Bishop for the Diocese of Saginaw, in Michigan. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Davenport in 1994 and in 2011 was consecrated Bishop of Rapid City.

Bishop Gruss attended Madison Area Technical College, in Madison, Wisconsin, and Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was a corporate pilot and flight instructor from 1980-1989 before entering seminary. He pursued seminary studies at St. Ambrose University, in Davenport 1989-1990; at North American College, Rome, 1990-1994; and the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, also known as the Angelicum, in Rome. He additionally earned a Master of Arts degree in Spiritual Theology at the University of St. Thomas Aquinas in 1994.  In 1999, he completed studies at the Institute of Priestly Formation (IPF) with an emphasis on Spiritual Direction training.

Most Reverend Peter Wells is Apostolic Nuncio of South Africa, Botswana, Lewsootu, Namibia and Swazyland, and the Titular Archbishop of  Marcianapolis.

Archbishop Wells was born and raised in Oklahoma and is the oldest of 5 children. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Tulsa in  1991 and served in the Diocese as associate pastor at Holy Family Cathedral.

In 1999, Archbishop Wells entered the Vatican Diplomatic  corp, worked in Nigeria, and in 2002 returned to Rome to work in the Section for General affairs of the Secretariat of State. He was named assessor of General Affairs in 2009. In 2016, he was ordained an Archbishop and appointed to his current  position.

He holds degrees in Letters from St. Meinrad Seminary College, a baccalaureate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, a licentiate from the John Paul II Institute for studies on Marriage and the Family, and a licentiate and doctorate in Canon Law from the  Pontifical Gregorian University.

Show Notes:

Archbishop Wells mentioned that Catholic Relief Services (https://www.crs.org/) is especially helpful in working to defeat human trafficking and in providing aid to South Africans in need.

Archbishop Coakley grew up in Louisiana and Kansas. He went to the University of Kansas and received a B.A. in English and Classical Antiquities. After completing University studies he traveled in Europe and briefly considered a monastic vocation.

Archbishop Coakley attended seminary at Mount Saint Mary in Emmitsburg, Maryland where he received his Master of Divinity and he holds an STL in Christian Spirituality from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.

He was ordained to the Priesthood in the Diocese of Wichita in 1983, ordained a Bishop for the Salina diocese in 2004, and installed as the Archbishop of Oklahoma City in 2011.

He serves as an advisor on many boards including Catholic Relief Services and the Augustine Institute.

When this podcast was recorded, Bishop Daniel Mueggenborg is the Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Seattle. In July, 2021 it was  announced that Bishop Mueggenborg would become the Bishop of Reno.

Most Rev. Daniel Mueggenborg was born and raised in rural Oklahoma. He attended Oklahoma State University and received a B.S. in Geology before beginning seminary studies at the Pontifical North American College in Rome where he earned both his S.T.B. in Theology and S.T.L. in Biblical Theology from the Gregorian University. He was ordained to the Priesthood in 1989 and has served in a variety of  ministries including assignments as Chaplain to Bishop Kelley High School, Director of the St. Philip Neri Newman Center at the University of Tulsa, Pastor of three parishes in the Tulsa diocese, and in seminary formation as Vice Rector of the Pontifical North American College. He is also author of Come Follow Me, a three volume series of reflections on the Sunday gospels.

What a great first 40 episodes!

It's time for a bit of a break before Glory Be returns in late summer.

Luke Bland grew up in Tulsa as a nominal Christian. When he began dating a Catholic girl, his faith life changed forever. He entered the Catholic Church as a student at the University of Tulsa and is now a student at Kenrick Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.