I AM HERE

In this final episode of the I AM HERE podcast, Fr. Mario and Leah discuss some of the highlights of the 32 Eucharistic testimonies that have been shared over the last year and a half. They share how these testimonies have been particularly inspiring during this season of Eucharistic revival for the Church in the United States, and they encourage listeners to consider and share their own Eucharistic testimonies to inspire others to encounter Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Show notes: 

(00:23) Fr. Mario and Leah acknowledge that today is the final episode of the I AM HERE podcast and share some of the highlights from the 32 episodes recorded over the course of the last year and a half. 

(02:22) Fr. Mario highlights the trend he has observed in the role of parents in the lives of those who have a profound devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, drawing particular attention to Paolo Vitale’s testimony. Leah shares how she was personally impacted by Serenity Quesnelle’s testimony about carrying the cross of infertility. Fr. Mario draws attention to the stories in which God shows up in the lives of people unexpectedly. 

(10:16) Fr. Mario asks Leah to share her testimony, and she briefly unpacks how she first encountered Jesus in the Eucharist and how that encounter has impacted her life ever since. 

(14:57) They discuss the reality of Eucharistic revival and why the sharing of personal testimonies is such a powerful way to inspire curiosity and devotion. 

(21:09) They encourage listeners to take ownership of their own Eucharistic testimonies and to share them with others. 

(23:41) Citing the statistic that only 1/3 of Catholics believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, they share the power of hearing the stories of those who do believe. Fr. Mario notes how the Church is growing and how hearing these testimonies has inspired and encouraged him personally. 

(27:37) Fr. Mario and Leah thank each other for their work on the podcast and, for the final time, thank listeners for tuning in to the I AM HERE podcast. 

On this episode of the I AM HERE podcast, Dcn. Mike Houghton, a deacon of the Archdiocese of Detroit, husband, and father, shares his “slow burn” to deep devotion to the Eucharist. Listen as he describes the impact of his parents on his faith, the role of the Eucharist in his discernment of the diaconate, and his insights on Eucharistic revival. 

Show notes: 

(00:24) We meet Dcn. Mike Houghton, a deacon of the Archdiocese of Detroit, husband and father, to the podcast. He shares briefly about his family, his professional background, his journey to the diaconate, and about his work with UTG at Work, an apostolate of the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

(04:35) Dcn. Mike describes his “slow burn” of growth in his Catholic faith. He highlights how his parents instilled faith in him from a young age and his eventual interest in the priesthood, which evolved into his desire and call to the diaconate. 

(07:37) Fr. Mario asks Dcn. Mike about the role of the Eucharist in his discernment and he describes developing the habit of spending time in Eucharistic adoration beginning after college. 

(10:35) Dcn. Mike shares the impact that the words Jesus speaks at the Last Supper and how he grew to more deeply understand Jesus’ promise that he would not leave us orphans. He also shares how he likes to spend his time in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. 

(13:32) Dcn. Mike shares some of the ways he has benefited from quietly listening to the Lord during times of Eucharistic adoration, particularly how that listening led him to explore the possibility of establishing UTG at Work in the Archdiocese of Detroit. 

(14:36) He describes how he has come to understand and experience the connection between Heaven and Earth made possible through the Eucharist. He describes an experience he had at a funeral that brought this reality into sharp focus. 

(15:33) Fr. Mario and Dcn. Mike discuss and share the unique perspectives that they have as clergy when they celebrate the Mass. 

(18:57) Dcn. Mike shares how he would encourage listeners to seek Eucharistic revival in their own hearts, highlighting the power of witnessing those who are new to the faith encountering Jesus in the Eucharist. He talks about his own perspective of them through his role in leading OCIA at his parish. 

(21:40) He also offers advice to parents, emphasizing the importance of modeling prayer and devotion for our children. 

Dcn. Bob, a deacon for the Archdiocese of Detroit, came to know the Lord through a conversion experience he had in his twenties, but it was the Eucharist that sustained him. On this episode of the I AM HERE podcast, listen as he describes the role the Eucharist played in his family life, his discernment of the diaconate, and his daily life today.

Show notes: 

(00:43) We meet Dcn. Bob Calleja, who briefly shares about his upbringing, how he met his wife, and a conversion experience he had when he was in his twenties. He shares about the inspiration his Grandmother was to his faith.

(03:29) Fr. Mario highlights how the Lord has worked powerfully to eventually lead him to become a husband and father and serve the church as a deacon. Dcn. Bob shares the impact that his parents had on his faith life as a young person. He also shares about experiencing a season of “wandering” in his twenties and how the Lord was still close during that time. 

(06:18) Dcn. Bob talks about how he sought wisdom in his twenties and his desire to find a sense of purpose. He shares the sense of feeling that something was missing despite having good friends and a happy life. He goes into more detail about the conversion experience he had in his twenties, the role that his wife played on his journey to the Church, and describes his experience in RCIA. 

(10:03) He shares how, after getting married, he and his wife leaned on Jesus in the Eucharist when they sought to grow their family. He shares a powerful experience that he and his wife had before the Eucharist. He then shared how, soon after, he and his wife were somewhat miraculously given the opportunity to adopt their daughter. He describes how he shares his faith, especially in the Eucharist, with his daughter. 

(18:43) Dcn. Bob describes how he spends his time when he visits Jesus in the adoration chapel. He talks about the gift of being able to work for the Church and go to adoration fairly regularly. He shares the role that adoration had on his discerning the call to serve as a deacon. He shares a bit about that journey. 

(24:21) Fr. Mario comments on the way Dcn. Bob (and his brothers, whom he mentions) all use their gifts to serve the Church and how he has seen God use them. Dcn. Bob describes the prayerful aspect he brings to his work and how it can unite him to the Lord. 

Dcn. Bob, a deacon for the Archdiocese of Detroit, came to know the Lord through a conversion experience he had in his twenties, but it was the Eucharist that sustained him. On this episode of the I AM HERE podcast, listen as he describes the role the Eucharist played in his family life, his discernment of the diaconate, and his daily life today.

Show notes: 

(00:43) We meet Dcn. Bob Calleja, who briefly shares about his upbringing, how he met his wife, and a conversion experience he had when he was in his twenties. He shares about the inspiration his Grandmother was to his faith.

(03:29) Fr. Mario highlights how the Lord has worked powerfully to eventually lead him to become a husband and father and serve the church as a deacon. Dcn. Bob shares the impact that his parents had on his faith life as a young person. He also shares about experiencing a season of “wandering” in his twenties and how the Lord was still close during that time. 

(06:18) Dcn. Bob talks about how he sought wisdom in his twenties and his desire to find a sense of purpose. He shares the sense of feeling that something was missing despite having good friends and a happy life. He goes into more detail about the conversion experience he had in his twenties, the role that his wife played on his journey to the Church, and describes his experience in RCIA. 

(10:03) He shares how, after getting married, he and his wife leaned on Jesus in the Eucharist when they sought to grow their family. He shares a powerful experience that he and his wife had before the Eucharist. He then shared how, soon after, he and his wife were somewhat miraculously given the opportunity to adopt their daughter. He describes how he shares his faith, especially in the Eucharist, with his daughter. 

(18:43) Dcn. Bob describes how he spends his time when he visits Jesus in the adoration chapel. He talks about the gift of being able to work for the Church and go to adoration fairly regularly. He shares the role that adoration had on his discerning the call to serve as a deacon. He shares a bit about that journey. 

(24:21) Fr. Mario comments on the way Dcn. Bob (and his brothers, whom he mentions) all use their gifts to serve the Church and how he has seen God use them. Dcn. Bob describes the prayerful aspect he brings to his work and how it can unite him to the Lord. 

For Jim Musgrave, he believes that everything he needs can be found in the Eucharist, but it wasn’t always this way. In this episode, we hear how Jim, who grew up without much faith, ultimately encountered Jesus primarily in the Mass during a low point in his life. Listen as he describes how this encounter led him to seek the Lord more earnestly, pursue a life of discipleship, and ultimately open his heart to discerning a vocation to the priesthood. 

Show notes: 

(01:10) We meet our guest, Jim Musgrave, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Detroit. He shares his background and briefly describes how his faith developed throughout his life. He shares what led him to become Catholic when he was 25 and some of his first experiences with the Catholic faith. 

(06:05) Jim describes what he refers to as his lowest point, when he wasn’t sure where he was going in life, and he found himself finding peace at Mass. He shares how he encountered Jesus during this difficult season of life. 

(09:25) He shares the impact that Alpha had on him as a young adult and describes how supportive his young adult community at his parish was. He talks about how these both led him to begin serving at his parish, volunteering with RCIA, and living with a missionary zeal. He was eventually asked to share his testimony at Alpha. He shares how, afterward, Fr. John Riccardo, who had been leading the retreat, sought him out and challenged him to spend more time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 

(14:33) Jim describes what began to change when he started spending time with the Eucharist regularly, as Jesus ministered to him. As his relationship with the Lord developed, he shares how this helped him to open his heart to the discerning the priesthood.

(18:32) Fr. Mario points out how, even for those who don’t have thirty minutes or an hour a day to spend before the Eucharist, God is generous and will meet us where we are to minister to us. 

(19:48) Jim shares how he had to learn to surrender control to allow God to work in his life. He shares how he could sense the Lord speaking to him in adoration and through the Scriptures. He also talks about his sincere desire to be a faithful disciple and how, even in seminary, he is still trying to do that each day. 

(22:22) Jim shares how the Eucharist is woven into his life each day as a seminarian and the impact that has had on him and his discernment. 

(28:16) Jim shares advice that he would give to anyone lost and seeking to know the Lord more deeply. 

Being raised in the Hindu faith, Rakhi didn’t come to encounter Jesus in the Eucharist until she was in college. Hear how the witness of a faithful Christian introduced her to the mercy of Christ, and listen as she unpacks how she came to know his real presence in the Eucharist through a mystical encounter with him during her first Mass. 

(00:44) We meet our guest, Rakhi McCormick, who previously co-hosted the Beyond Sunday podcast, has been involved in several ministries throughout the Archdiocese of Detroit, and is a wife and mother to three children. She briefly shares her current work with the Coming Home Network. 

(02:53) Rakhi describes her early life of faith, growing up Hindu and feeling that faith and community were not part of her everyday life. She shares how she began to explore faith more seriously in college and describes a profound encounter with a young Christian Marine while passing out Christmas presents to homeless families. 

(07:40) Fr. Mario highlights the power of our personal witness, noting how this young man’s faith planted the seeds for Rakhi to continue to seek Christ. Rakhi shares how she continued searching and ultimately accepted her friend’s invitation to Mass. She describes a life-changing mystical encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist that changed her life forever. 

(13:31) She talks about how she has received similar experiences from the Lord since that time but also highlights how she has relied on those moments of consolation in the times when she does not feel or sense his presence so profoundly. 

(17:57) Rakhi talks about her decision to join the Catholic faith and some of the impact that her campus minister had on her RCIA experience. She shares about how moving away from community and losing her father shortly after becoming Catholic impacted her and how her relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist grounded her over time. 

(21:22) Rakhi shares about coming to understand the practice of adoration and accepting that receiving the Eucharist means she is sent out to share Christ with others. She and Fr. Mario also highlight how communion can help us through the grief of losing loved ones, recognizing that heaven and earth come together in the Eucharist. 

(27:03) She describes how she incorporates Eucharistic prayer into her life today and shares her motherly heart and desire that her children would have transformative encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist.

When her husband’s job pulled her family away from their familiar home in Royal Oak, Lynda turned to Jesus in the Eucharist as her one source of comfort. On this episode of the I AM HERE podcast, listen as Lynda describes the way Jesus consoled her, provided for her, guided her through a challenging time, and continues to sustain her in her day-to-day life now. 

Show notes: 

(00:23) Fr. Mario and Leah welcome Lynda North, a Royal Oak resident and parishioner at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, to the podcast. She shares a bit about her background, her husband, and their eight children. 

(03:46) Lynda shares about the difficult decision she and her husband made to move their family to Buffalo, NY, for his work and how challenging it was to think about leaving their community in Royal Oak and at Shrine. 

(04:52) Lynda describes parish life in their new community and highlights how comforting it was to have a parish to connect with. 

(08:11) Lynda describes what prayer was like during this time of transition, change, and newness and talks about how she grew to depend on Jesus and turn to him with everything. She shares how God intervened in her life by bringing her other people to connect with in Buffalo to help her feel supported during this time away from home. 

(12:50) Lynda shares what it was like to find out they could return home to Michigan and shares some of the fruit she was able to identify from spending that season of her life outside of her comfort zone. 

(16:21) Lynda talks about how she discerned her call to motherhood during time spent in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and shares how she has responded to that call. She also shares how she intercedes for others before the Blessed Sacrament. 

(19:56) Lynda describes the time she spends in silent prayer in adoration and highlights the importance of listening to Jesus. 

(25:39) Lynda offers advice to people who may be praying for loved ones — especially children — who may have fallen away from the Church.

From early childhood and all throughout his forty-eight years as a priest, Msgr. Patrick Halfpenny has had many profound memories and experiences with Jesus in the Eucharist. Listen as he unpacks his earliest memories, describes the role the Eucharist played in his discernment, and shares moments of consolation and comfort he has experienced through Jesus’ real presence. He also shares wisdom on what will bring about Eucharistic Revival in the Church.

Show notes: 

(00:21) Fr. Mario and Leah welcome Msgr. Patrick Halfpenny, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Detroit, to the podcast. He briefly shares about his forty-eight years of ministry as a priest. 

(03:28) Msgr. Halfpenny shares the earliest memory he has of the Eucharist and the comfort and reassurance he found in it. He also shares the impact that it has had on him to accompany children and their families as they prepare for and receive First Holy Communion. 

(10:31) He describes the role that his family – and particularly his parents’ — fidelity and reverence had in his own understanding of Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist. He also shares the way Christ in the Eucharist brought about reassurance in his discernment process. 

(17:19) Msgr. Halfpenny shares a profoundly moving experience with Jesus in the Eucharist during a silent retreat around his 40th anniversary as a priest. 

(20:34) He goes on to share a moment when Jesus reminded him of the importance of what he does as a priest in celebrating the Eucharist. 

(22:46) He also shares how the Eucharist brought him consolation in the midst of grieving the loss of his father and the ways Jesus in the Eucharist has helped him to carry the yoke of his priesthood. 

(28:55) Msgr. Halfpenny shares how he believes Eucharistic Revival will take place in the Church and emphasizes the need for personal testimony and prayer that we might grow in our hunger for the Eucharist.

Ryan was 17 years old when he encountered Jesus in an unexpected way at a Holy Thursday Mass. On this episode of the I AM HERE podcast, hear how Ryan grew up with an intellectual knowledge of his faith and how that transformed into a personal relationship through the Mass. He shares how his faith developed — especially through the habit of adoration — as a young adult, how he discerned applying to seminary, and why his dependence on Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is so important to him throughout his discernment.

Show notes: 

(00:22) Leah and Fr. Mario welcome Ryan to the podcast, and he shares briefly what life is like as a seminarian. 

(02:03) Ryan describes his faith as a young child, sharing his experience at his First Holy Communion and the intellectual knowledge of the faith that developed from a young age. 

(04:23) Fr. Mario asks what steps followed his intellectual knowledge of the faith to lead him to eventually discern a priestly vocation. He describes an experience he had when he was 17, attending the Holy  Thursday Mass, that transformed his understanding of the Eucharist and the priesthood. 

(14:51) Fr. Mario notes the beauty of the Holy Thursday liturgy. Leah asks Ryan about what happened following this initial experience, and he shares how his relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist developed little by little as a college student. 

(23:31) Ryan shares a bit about his decision to apply for seminary, tying it back to the encounter with Jesus he experienced when he was 17. 

(25:26) Fr. Mario comments on how leaning on a strong relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist is critical throughout discernment. Ryan talks about how he spends time with the Eucharist throughout his day-to-day life in the seminary and shares the importance of silence before the Lord. 

(31:17) Ryan offers encouragement and advice to any listeners who may have intellectual knowledge of the Eucharist but haven’t had a personal encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist. 

Andreya was settling into her freshman year of college when she first encountered a campus ministry community that would lead her into a deeper faith and love for Jesus. On this episode, hear how Andreya discovered a hunger for the Eucharist that led her to begin the OCIA process, and how Jesus in the Eucharist met her in the midst of that process to calm her fears and assure her that he was with her. 

(00:23) We meet our guest, Andreya Vo, a student at the University of Michigan in Dearborn, studying psychology. She shares about her upbringing and the role her faith played in her life leading up to college. 

(04:22) Andreya shares a bit about the impact that Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry has had on her and how she first came across the group during her freshman year of college. 

(08:32) Andreya shares how being part of the campus ministry community stirred up within her a desire to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Eucharist. She talks about how joined in the Exodus 90 challenge with some friends and, in doing so, found herself regularly attending daily Mass and Sunday Mass, and growing into a deeper hunger for the Eucharist. 

(11:25) She shares how this led her to approach Fr. Matt, the campus ministry chaplain, to ask to receive her First Communion and Confirmation. Andreya highlights the nervousness she experienced in taking that leap to begin the OCIA process.  

(15:47) She goes on to share how an encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist shortly after beginning the OCIA process calmed her anxiety and assured her that he would be with her every step of the way. 

(18:03) Fr. Mario notes how those moments of consolation — like the one Andreya experienced — are important to return to throughout our lives, to always remain confident in the Lord’s tenderness and intimacy.

(19:39) Andreya talks about how powerful the Easter Vigil experience was and how her excitement to receive Jesus in the Eucharist inspired her peers to also grow into a deeper appreciation for the gift of the real presence of Jesus. 

(21:51) Andreya shares the impact that praying before the Blessed Sacrament has had on her, and the  joy she experiences, especially when she can pray before him alongside her peers. 

(25:26) Leah notes how powerful Andreya’s testimony is, highlighting how less than a year ago she was just beginning to interact with the Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry Community. Andreya shares advice that she would give to someone who is hesitant to take the next step in their faith, emphasizing the need to trust in God’s timing. 

Despite growing up in a faithfully Catholic family, Anna grew away from the faith of her childhood by the time she was a junior in high school. It wasn’t until she was providentially studying at a Catholic college and had the opportunity to study in Rome that she encountered a divine intimacy that finally helped her know that she was seen and known in an authentic way. In this episode, she shares about the impact of beauty, the sacrament of Confession, and Jesus’ presence in the Blessed sacrament have had on her, and what that impact has led her to today. 

(00:31) Fr. Mario and Leah welcome guest, Anna Picasso, Outreach Coordinator at Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry and parishioner at St. Aloysius in Detroit. The three discuss how Anna first came to Detroit as a FOCUS missionary and some of the fruits of the Archdiocesan campus ministry program she is now on staff with.

(03:41) Anna talks about her faith growing up and how she fell away from it in high school. She shares about going to college at University of Mary in Bismarck, ND and the opportunity she had to study abroad in Rome, and begins to unpack the impact that experience had on her faith in Jesus. 

(07:42) Anna shares about a particularly impactful experience when she received the Sacrament of Reconciliation during her time abroad and describes how that stirred up in her heart a childlike hunger to know Jesus and seek him out more fervently in the Eucharist. 

(11:56) She goes on to discuss how her relationship with Jesus that began to develop in Rome led her to seek out new relationships upon her return and shares how participating in a women’s Bible study helped her to continue to grow in her relationship with him. She talks about how that ultimately led her to consider applying to FOCUS as a Catholic missionary to college students. 

(16:24) Anna shares some of her discernment process regarding FOCUS missions and how it has led her to the work that she does now in Detroit Catholic Campus Ministry. She shares about the privilege it is to serve in this way and how her work has affected her own relationship with Jesus and God the Father. 

(23:08) Anna talks about how she spends time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in her day-to-day life and how she depends on him to remain faithful to her ministry and Fr. Mario offers her encouragement in the work that she does in campus ministry.