Holy Donors

Holy Donors

Download on the App Store

Holy Donors episodes

  • S16 E2: The Trendsetter | "Rebuild My Church" (St. Francis)

    This week's episode about St. Francis has it all!  Our hosts share stories of Francis and family drama, papal visits, world travel, physical violence, and more.  Most important, however, is that this episode outlines the bulk of Francis's faithful ministry. 


    Francis, after hearing God's call to rebuild the Church, turns away from the family business (much to his father's chagrin) and vows to devote his life to service and evangelization.  While most of us know the basics of St. Francis and his ministry, this episode draws us deeper into the struggles Francis faced, and it emphasizes how Francis's magnetic personality and his devotion to God changed the Church and the world for the better.   


    ---

    Recommended reading:


    "Francis of Assisi: A New Biography" by Augustine Thompson

    ---

    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (⁠petrusdevelopment.com⁠) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (⁠redcradio.org⁠).


    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at⁠ holydonors.com⁠ or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.


    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.


    34 min
  • S16 E1: The Trendsetter (St. Francis) | Prisoner of War

    Welcome back to Holy Donors!  This season we're featuring someone who is likely a crowd favorite, St. Francis of Assisi.  While St. Francis is well-known and well-loved, our hosts aim to focus on parts of St. Francis's life that listeners might not know as much about.  


    In this episode, we hear stories about Francis's childhood, his family, and his fun-loving friends.  St. Francis grew up with immense wealth, and it wasn't until he had two conversion experiences in his youth that he considered a life different from that of his family, different from his father's expectations.  Instead, St. Francis heard God's call to repair and rebuild the Church. 


    How does St. Francis repair and rebuild?  Join us next week to find out!

    ---

    Recommended reading:

    "Francis of Assisi: A New Biography" by Augustine Thompson

    ---

    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).

    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.

    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.

    23 min
  • Encore: The Capitalist | Season 2 Wrap Party (John Raskob)

    Journey with Andrew, Matt, Thaddeus and Rhen as they walk through the creation of this season of Holy Donors - The Capitalist: John Raskob. Our hosts share a behind the scenes look at the research involved in the podcast creation and the process of recording the show.
    As they share, our hosts remain in awe of John Raskob and all he accomplished, both in the business world and in the Catholic church. They refer back to John's quote, "Go ahead and do things, the bigger, the better..." and marvel at the force of good that John Raskob was for the world.
    ---
    Recommended reading: "Everybody Ought to be Rich" by David Farber.
    Specials thanks to David Farber and Kerry Robinson for contributing to the season.
    ---
    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).
    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.
    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.

    23 min
  • Encore: The Capitalist | Go Ahead and Do Things (John Raskob)

    In this episode, we come to a turning point in John’s life. It’s during the mid-1920s when he realizes that he has become someone important in the business world. From there, John understands that he can use his business skills to make a notable difference for the Church he loves so much.


    Our hosts also share how John establishes a family foundation as the culmination of his philanthropy. The foundation allows John to combine the impact of his wealth and his wisdom to to create a legacy that impacts the Catholic community for decades to come.


    ---
    Recommended reading: "Everybody Ought to be Rich" by David Farber.
    Specials thanks to David Farber and Kerry Robinson for contributing to the season.
    ---
    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).
    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.
    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.  

    38 min
  • Encore: The Capitalist | Empire Builder (John Raskob)

    God’s plan is the best plan. We all think we know what is best until something comes along to change our course.
    As we become more acquainted with John Raskob, we discover the depth of his faith. Out of defeat and failure, he leans into his faith and comes out even stronger. When his dreams of politics fail, he pivots and asks “What’s next?”
    And, what comes next looks a lot like the tallest building in the world.


    ---
    Recommended reading: "Everybody Ought to be Rich" by David Farber.
    Specials thanks to David Farber and Kerry Robinson for contributing to the season.
    ---
    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).
    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.
    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.

    28 min
  • Encore: The Capitalist | Learning the System (John Raskob)

    "The man, the myth, the legend." Perhaps this phrase could have been coined after the life of John Raskob. Our hosts begin this episode by answering the question, “can John save his relationship with Pierre DuPont?”  Fortunately for everyone involved, he does save that relationship, and he and Pierre move on to bigger and better things.  
    In this episode we follow John through his early career, the beginning of WWI, finding love in an unusual way and creating a family. With 13 children born within 15 years, how do John and Helena raise their children with a strong faith and business sense? And, how will John recieve unique recognition from the Pope?
    ---
    Recommended reading: "Everybody Ought to be Rich" by David Farber.
    Specials thanks to David Farber and Kerry Robinson for contributing to the season.
    ---
    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).
    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.
    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.  

    41 min
  • Encore: The Capitalist (John Raskob) | Breaking the Mold
    For those of you who are just joining us for our Holy Donors podcast, we share an encore of the show's second season featuring John Raskob.

    ---

    What do GM, the Empire State Building, DuPont Chemical Company, Al Smith, and the DNC have in common? A single man named John Raskob.

    Born in Lockport, New York in 1879, to a hard-working family, he demonstrated levels of drive, moxie and gumption that most didn’t understand. He had a drive that just wanted to “do.”

    This drive would take him thousands of miles from home, doubling his family’s income, all the way back to New York making deals he wasn’t, strictly speaking, allowed to make for Pierre DuPont in the early 1900s.

    How does he go from a small town boy to shaping the business world of the United States, standing on his faith as he goes? “Go ahead and do things. The bigger the better.” – John Raskob

    ---

    Recommended reading: "Everybody Ought to be Rich" by David Farber.

    Specials thanks to David Farber and Kerry Robinson for contributing to the season.

    ---

    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).

    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.

    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.
    40 min
  • S15 E6: Coach High Low | Season 15 Wrap Party (Vince Lombardi)
    We’re glad you’re here for our Vince Lombardi wrap party! In typical wrap party fashion, our hosts share their takeaways from the season. In this case, they also note how they really enjoyed discussing a relatively well-known individual after many seasons of learning about obscure Catholic philanthropists.

    Andrew, Thaddeus, Matt, and Rhen have a thoughtful discussion about their many takeaways from this season. As they’ve discussed repeatedly, Vince Lombardi was a man of contradictions. He loved football, and he was devoted to his players. Yet, it was his love of the game that caused Vince to be an absent husband. Vince was a devout Catholic who attended daily mass, and yet, his children questioned his love for them. Our hosts ask hard questions. How much of Vince’s flaws can be attributed to the social norms of his time, and how much do we blame him for his shortcomings? How do we invest in the gifts God has given us without sacrificing our spiritual and familial responsibilities?

    If you have answers to these questions, or if you have anything to share about this season, leave us a comment on our Instagram (@holydonors) or email us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

    ---

    Recommended reading:

    "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi" by David Maraniss

    ---

    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).

    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.

    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.
    27 min
  • S15 E5: Coach High Low | Was He a Holy Donor? (Vince Lombardi)
    Once the team finishes telling Vince’s story, they have a spirited discussion about whether or not Vince Lombardi, a man of many contradictions, can join the ranks of their holy donors. Our hosts each take a turn judging Vince on his faithfulness, humility, and radical generosity. Vince was not a wealthy man with lots of money to give, and the team is split as to whether or not Vince’s investment in his players counts as radical generosity. The debate ends in a 2-2 tie.

    Given the split, we look to our listeners to break the tie. Do you think Vince Lobmardi was a holy donor? Drop us a line on Instagram (@holydonors) or by emailing us at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you!

    ---

    Recommended reading:

    "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi" by David Maraniss

    ---

    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).

    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.

    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.
    19 min
  • S15 E4: Coach High Low | Final Years (Vince Lombardi)
    It all comes down to this! In this episode, our hosts discuss the end of Vince Lombardi’s life, and they prepare to reflect on whether or not Vince merits the title of holy donor.

    We discussed Vince’s retirement at the end of the last episode, and we start this episode with Andrew highlighting the reasons Vince chose to retire when his team was on top. The stress of perfection finally became too much, and Vince retired to ease his mental and physical pain. After a while, he questioned his decision to retire, and he returned to coach the Washington Redskins for a year before ultimately succumbing to cancer in 1970.

    The episode closes as our hosts reflect on Vince’s life and legacy. Vince was certainly a man of contradictions on and off the football field. Yet, the most pressing question remains - was Vince Lombardi a holy donor? What do you think? Join us next week to find out what our hosts decided!

    ---

    Recommended reading:

    "When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi" by David Maraniss

    ---

    Holy Donors is brought to you by Petrus Development (petrusdevelopment.com) in cooperation with RED-C Catholic Radio (redcradio.org).

    For more about Holy Donors please visit our website at holydonors.com or find us @HolyDonors on Instagram and Facebook.

    Holy Donors: Bringing you inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world.
    27 min

About Holy Donors

From the publisher's feed

Sharing inspiring stories of radical generosity that have changed the world! Holy Donors examines Catholic philanthropists through the lens of their time in history. We ask the questions: Were they…