I AM HERE

 Fr. Mario Amore was raised Catholic but resisted going to Mass in rather dramatic ways as a child. As he became more involved in the Church over time, he felt his heart shift and began to discern a call to the priesthood. In this episode of I AM HERE, he recounts his winding journey from childhood aversion to Mass to seminary and the priesthood and shares the ways that intentional time in prayer and adoration have become deeply impactful in his work and his personal life. 

(1:16) Fr. Amore discusses his initial hesitance to share his story of how God has worked in his life on the podcast.

(2:53) Fr. Amore shares how his childhood and his family informed his faith and recounts how he resisted going to Mass as a child.

(7:53) He talks about his experience in Catholic school, how he eventually found his place at church in the children’s choir and altar serving, and how he flourished in religion class.

(10:40) Leah asks about how his “heart relationship” with Jesus grew, and he said that he had more head knowledge than encounters with Jesus until he got more deeply involved with church. 

(13:35) He describes his first adoration experience and the peace and serenity he experienced, as well as the youth conferences that deepened his faith. 

(19:12) He shares his original career aspirations and initial desire to work in a lay music ministry capacity. He says that he applied to seminary, was accepted, but got cold feet and backed out before reapplying two years later.

(24:40) He describes the adoration experience at a silent retreat in his third year of seminary that deepened his relationship with Jesus. 

(30:14) He discusses difficulties he experienced in the seminary when fellow seminarians felt the call to other vocations and how that made him consider if priesthood was truly what God wanted for him. 

(32:40) He talks about being mindful of what the Lord is doing through him as an imperfect vessel when he feels moments of doubt. 

(34:00) He says that he has to be mindful of separating his work for the church from how God is working on him. He also describes his time in adoration and says that he avoids distractions and tries to sit, be attentive, and bring whatever needs to come to the Lord on that day. 

Despite growing up Catholic, it was a series of events in adulthood that led Shelly to truly see the power of the Eucharist in her life. Listen as she describes how her father’s life-altering accident, a key decision to stay in the faith when her husband chose to leave it, and struggles with infertility all worked to deepen her relationship with Jesus, her need for the Eucharist, and her embrace of the cross of suffering.

(00:30) Meet Shelly Propson Tyshka, a member of the St. John Fisher University Parish and former attorney, who runs an art studio for people living with disabilities. Hear how her father inspired this work after a catastrophic accident and miraculous recovery. She describes how she was born and raised Catholic with an emphasis on Jesus but that there wasn’t a strong emphasis on Catholicism itself in her house. 

(3:33) Shelly discusses how her husband decided to leave Catholicism, which led her to make the critical decision to stay. Fr. Mario discusses how when we look back at moments where we make a critical decision we see how the Lord is always present and moving us closer to Him.

(5:36) Shelly describes how Catholic radio and her son’s strong interest in the Divine Mercy image led her to more research into the saints and the writings of Pope John Paul II. 

(7:00) Shelly shares how an experience with the Eucharist during her struggles with infertility helped her to know that God had not forgotten her. She says that this experience also helped her recognize the importance of adoration when there is no other place to go. 

(12:20) Fr. Mario discusses how Jesus did not come to make everything right with the world, but his healing presence of love shows us that he’s with us in those moments.  

(13:22) Shelly shares about how honest she is with Jesus in adoration, how she spends that time, and her advice for going to adoration whenever you can. 

(18:19) Shelly gives advice to embrace the cross of suffering and to offer it up to bring good out of it. She describes how her dad did so after his accident.

In his mid-thirties, Jason experienced Eucharistic adoration for the first time and his life hasn’t  been the same ever since. In this episode, hear how spending time before the Lord helped Jason to grow in devotion and reverence for Jesus. He also shares how he cultivates faith within his three sons and why he prioritizes time with the Blessed Sacrament in his daily life. 

(00:52) Our co-hosts welcome Jason Smith, St. Scholastica parishioner and father to three boys. He shares a bit about his upbringing in the faith and how he grew up in and around the St. Scholastica community. 

(05:26) Jason describes how he ended up attending a Faith in the Fire retreat in his mid-thirties and shared a bit about how this retreat impacted him. He shares how, on this retreat, he experienced adoration for the first time and shares what that was like. 

(10:09) He talks about how, before going on the retreat, he was told the retreat would change his life and how he approached it with an attitude of “what have I got to lose?” He shares more about what took place on the retreat and how it did, in fact, change his life. 

(13:12) Jason shares how, following his experience of adoration on this retreat, he began to find more meaning in his practice of the faith. He shares how his experience in adoration helped him grow in  reverence for the Eucharist during the celebration of the Mass. 

(17:54) Fr. Mario comments on how we can look back and see the ways God has worked in our lives, even if we don’t realize he is working in the moment. 

(18:44) Jason shares how his involvement with a men’s group began to affect him. He shares the impact of spending his Saturdays in the small group, Mass, and adoration. He talks about how during this season of his life, the Lord was able to work on him and how the support of his community  helped him to grow. 

(23:25) He shares how he encourages his sons to pursue the faith, primarily by his example. Our co-hosts and Jason discuss how children can grow in the faith over time, and the importance of planting seeds, even when they don’t fully understand every aspect of the faith. 

(28:23) Jason talks about the different ways he experiences Jesus in adoration, whether it’s in moments of desolation, or he senses Jesus’ direct response to his prayers. He offers encouragement to listeners, to fight for time before the Lord, emphasizing how time spent with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament can be life changing.   

Growing up without an introduction to the Eucharist in her home, Shannon somewhat unexpectedly made her way into the Catholic church by way of her aunt who required her to go to Mass with her while she spent a summer visiting. Listen as she describes her introduction to Jesus in the Protestant faith and her desire for the Eucharist she felt in the Catholic Mass. And hear about her journey into deeper intimacy with Him by entering the Church, receiving Communion, and encountering Him in the Eucharistic adoration.

(00:43) Meet Shannon Pryce, a wife, mother, and grandmother, Detroit Tigers fan, and staff member and parishioner at St. Linus in Dearborn Heights. She shares about her upbringing, having been raised by a single mother and no introduction to the faith in her home. She describes her introduction to Christianity which came from a friend’s mom inviting her to go to church. 

(04:11) Shannon shares how she embraced a Protestant Christian faith from a young age, developing a great love for Jesus and describes how her aunt introduced her to the Catholic faith during a summer she spent visiting her. 

(05:11) Fr. Mario comments on the power of invitation, highlighting her friend’s mom who invited her to church, and comments on the gift of other Christian denominations. 

(08:31) Shannon shares what drew her into the Catholic faith as a young adult, having mostly experienced church in the Protestant tradition prior to then. She talks about the desire to receive Communion that she experienced during Mass. She also shares how meeting her husband (who is Catholic) and his family helped her gain a better understanding of the Church’s teachings. 

(12:58) She describes her experience at the Easter Vigil and shares the impact of her first experience in Eucharistic adoration. She talks about the way her love for adoration continued to develop. 

(18:39) Shannon shares how her experience in adoration has impacted her experience in receiving Jesus in the Eucharist at Mass. 

(20:10) She shares what she does during her time in Eucharistic adoration, sharing how the time she spends with Jesus there fills her up. 

(22:00) Shannon unpacks how her relationship with Jesus in the Eucharist has strengthened her faith, especially having come from a Protestant upbringing. She also shares what it is like to share this gift of the Eucharist with the young people she works with at St. Linus. 

Anthony Feola’s life changed dramatically in high school when a friend boldly proclaimed the Gospel to him. On this episode, hear how that interaction led him to pursuing a life of evangelization and mission in the Protestant faith through much of his young adulthood, but listen to him describe the stirring in his heart he experienced, drawing him to the Catholic faith. Anthony shares what it was like to come to this place of conversion, while being very involved in a Protestant church, and what it meant to walk away from everything that had become so familiar to him and his family, to draw near to Jesus in the Eucharist. 

(00:42) Fr. Mario and Leah welcome Anthony Feola to the podcast, Associate Director of Discipleship Formation for the Archdiocese of Detroit, husband of almost 23 years, and father to five children. He shares a little bit about his family and what his faith life was like growing up, focusing especially on his experiences in high school and young adulthood. 

(03:59) Anthony describes how, despite being baptized Catholic, his faith life waned following his parents’ divorce. He shares how the bold witness of a Protestant friend of his had a profound impact on him in high school and how this experience inspired him to pursue a life of holiness and evangelization, with prayer and devotion becoming the main priority of his life, and a deep hunger for the Holy Spirit.  

(09:38) He shares how the Holy Spirit thrust him into a life of evangelization. He shares about attending a Bible school in Sweden where he met his wife, and living a life of radical mission with his wife and family. He shares how a discernment process to do family mission in Turkey stirred up in his heart the inspiration to return home to the Catholic faith. 

(18:03) Anthony describes his experience of returning to the parish of his Baptism, attending Mass regularly, and describes how he slowly began to recognize the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. He also notes how reading the Catechism helped him to understand more clearly the Church’s teachings. 

(22:31) He shares a particular experience during the consecration where his eyes were opened and the Scriptures he had come to know so well all came to mind, convicting him of Jesus’ real presence in the sacrament taking place before him. 

(24:27) Anthony shares how difficult it was to navigate this conversion he was having, as he and his family were deeply involved in the Protestant church they were a part of, and in many ways, he was feeling called to leave behind much of their lives to follow Jesus who had revealed himself in the Eucharist. He also mentions how challenging it was to navigate in his marriage. 

(27:42) He describes an interaction with a leader from his Protestant church who was not supportive of the decision that Anthony had come to, to leave everything behind to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. He shares how difficult that was, and how Jesus met him in that. 

(30:06) Anthony describes some of his favorite practices in Eucharistic adoration, and why he loves spending time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. 

Many years ago, Heather made a Lenten commitment that changed her life forever. In this episode, hear how Heather committed to spending time in the Blessed Sacrament chapel every day during a season of life when she was questioning the future of her marriage. Hear how Jesus not only restored, but redeemed her marriage, and the fuller life that she, her husband, and her children have come to experience because of the power of those prayers prayed in Jesus’ Eucharistic presence.

(00:44) We meet Heather Soderquist, a member of Our Lady of Sorrows in Farmington Hills, part time youth minister, wife, and mom to five. She shares a bit about her family and the work she does in youth ministry. 

(02:18) Heather talks about the time she spent working in a medical lab, which she did previously, and shares how this job helped her discover ways to grow in her faith and memorize Scripture. She shares that this time, her husband lost his father and his job and describes the toll these challenges started to take on  their marriage. 

(06:49) Heather shares how in the midst of these difficulties, during Lent, she committed to spending time in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, which was available to her at work. She shares how during this time, she struggled to share the difficulties she was facing with others, but felt she could talk to Jesus about them and shared how, ultimately, she doubted the future of her marriage. 

(08:30) Heather shares how journaling her prayers was impactful for her. She describes how she wanted freedom from the difficulties of her marriage, but that by spending time in the chapel, she understood that God was not inviting her to pursue a divorce. It was this reality that led her to learn more about her faith and going to daily Mass and Confession. Through these changes, she started to see changes take place within her marriage and her heart toward her husband. 

(15:40) Heather shares how when she was determined to follow God’s will and not get a divorce, she thought she was submitting herself to a life of suffering; she explains how God was able to redeem her marriage. She talks about the ways her conversion experience started to affect her husband’s faith as well. 

(21:16) Fr. Mario highlights the power of sharing prayer with a spouse and with children, and notes the impact of Heather’s Lenten commitment to spending time in the chapel on the rest of her life. 

(23:46) Heather shares how she approaches prayer as a busy parent and how she and her husband incorporate prayer into their marriage. 

(28:28) Fr. Mario points out how Jesus is constantly revealed as a healer in Scripture and how he desires to heal our wounds. 

(31:00) Heather explains that sharing her story is important to her because she wants others to experience the fullness of life that she has found in Jesus’ presence, and in living according to his will. 

Kathy Crombie, a gifted artist, shares how Jesus’ Eucharistic presence has impacted the way she approaches her craft, and the way she has grown to love Him. In this episode she describes in detail the creation of a Corpus Christi icon, and shares how powerfully Jesus in the Eucharist spoke to her in the process of creating it, and how her encounters with Jesus in the Eucharist have formed her.

(00:35) We meet Kathy Crombie, a Divine Child parishioner of over 45 years and a gifted artist. Kathy shares some of the work she has done (both in and outside of the field of art), her work in pro-life ministry, and how God eventually called her into iconography. 

(04:51) Fr. Mario asks Kathy about any intersection between her art and her work in pro-life ministry, she shares about the 40 icons she has created, and her process as an artist. She describes first learning how to write icons and how surprised she is that it has become a primary medium for her art. 

(15:29) Kathy describes the language of iconography and how the work of writing icons is deeply rooted in prayer. She talks about how her artwork has affected her own relationship with the Lord and her faith in Jesus’ presence in the Blessed Sacrament. She talks more specifically about her Corpus Christi icon and the message Jesus gave her when preparing to create it. 

(19:44) Kathy shares a unique experience she had during Mass, when she heard the Lord’s voice when receiving Communion and shares how, over time, she was able to make sense of the message of divine mercy that Jesus was speaking to her. 

(23:44) Fr. Mario comments on how important it is to trust that Jesus is speaking and working, even when we don’t feel like he is when we spend time with Jesus in Eucharistic adoration. She shares how she spends her time in Eucharistic adoration, emphasizing the importance of writing to understand how Jesus is speaking to her. 

(30:05) Kathy describes an instance in which she was serving as an Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist and when she was powerfully convicted about the real presence of Jesus in the most precious Blood. 

(33:10) Fr. Mario highlights Kathy’s humility as an artist and the gift it is that she would share her talents with the Church. He thanks her for joining us on the podcast. 

When life didn’t go as planned for Jordan, he found himself in a place of seeking. In this episode, hear as he describes his journey into the Catholic faith, how frequent reception of the Eucharist and adoration began to drastically change his life, and the role that the Eucharist has played in discerning and living out his vocation as a husband and father.

(00:57) We meet Jordan Beachnau, a CPA, parishioner at National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica, husband, and father to two. He describes his short-lived college football career, when he played at Grand Valley University, got hurt, and finished his college career without playing football. He describes some of the good things that came from his injury, but shared how, in the moment, it was deeply challenging for him. He shares how this season of life led him to Scripture and to attend a non-denominational Church. 

(07:04) Jordan shares that he and his family very rarely went to church, despite having been baptized as a young child. He also shares that being in and out of non-denominational churches during college came  with a sense of something missing. He shares how, during that time, following his football injury, he found himself unconsciously seeking a sense of identity and describes some of the vices that accompanied this season of seeking. 

(11:22) He shares that his sister decided to begin RCIA and invited him to join her. Despite his initial hesitation, he found the truth he had been seeking in the teachings and history of the Catholic faith. Despite this, he describes still struggling with certain vices and shares how going to Mass more often began to radically change his worldview. 

(18:16) Jordan shares how his faith was confined to headspace when he first received communion, but how introduction to Eucharistic adoration helped him to begin hearing the voice of Jesus and was another means for transforming his heart. He describes feeling called to the priesthood, and how Jesus healed brokenness from his past and ultimately led him to the vocation of marriage. 

(22:04) Jordan shares how he and his wife Napoli met and fell in love. He shares powerful experiences she had while traveling to the Camino of Santiago and to Lourdes. He also describes the devotion he and Napoli share to the Blessed Sacrament. He also shares a bit about their fertility journey. 

(35:35) He describes the journey of inner healing that he continues to be on and the power that intentionally living out thanksgiving has meant for him. 

Although she grew up in the Catholic faith and even attended Catholic school, Olivia McCarthy found herself as a young adult, recently married, and a new mom living in a new city asking God to help her believe in Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist. Inspired by the faith of others, she longed to believe in Jesus and give him everything. Hear how her life changed after praying that prayer, how her conviction grew, and how the Eucharist has sustained her through various trials and seasons.

(00:50) We meet our guest, Olivia McCarthy, a wife and mom to four with one on the way, and a parishioner at St. Anastasia. She shares how she and her husband first met and shares their experience of moving to Texas early in their marriage, shortly after they had their first child. 

(06:26) She describes meeting her best friend in Texas through a parish and shares that, although she was raised Catholic and knew her faith, she wasn’t especially invested in her faith at that time of her life. 

(10:40) Olivia shares how she came across an upcoming women’s retreat in her parish’s bulletin in Texas that she ended up attending. She describes what it was like going to that event and being struck by the faith the other women had in their Eucharistic devotion. 

(15:31) She shares how when she was there, she knew she wanted to have a stronger faith in Jesus in the Eucharist, like the women she was praying with. She describes steps she took to seek to grow in her faith following that moment.

(21:46) She shares a specific experience she had following praying a novena to Our Lady Undoer of Knots in which she received an insight in a dream from Mary that helped her develop a firm conviction in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist. Fr. Mario comments on the ways that the Lord can speak to us even in dreams.

(27:04) Olivia shares how this newfound conviction affected her, by leading her to the Sacrament of Confession and to developing a habit of going to the adoration chapel regularly, in every circumstance of her life. She describes how Jesus’ Eucharistic presence has been a safe place for her to turn during especially challenging seasons of her life. 

(31:49) She describes how her belief in the Eucharist has affected her approach to the Mass and to her understanding of the presence of the Communion of Saints at every celebration of the Mass. Olivia also shares how her Eucharistic faith has affected her children. 

(37:49) Fr. Mario asks Olivia to offer some encouragement to any listeners who may be struggling with belief in the real presence and she invites them to be open to whatever the Lord puts in front of them. 

When Beth was discerning long-term missions as a young adult, she took an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Ecuador, which transformed the way she viewed the Eucharist forever. In this episode she describes that trip, her life working in ministry, and how travel and pilgrimage have bolstered her faith in Jesus and dependence on him in the Eucharist.

(00:44) We meet our guest, Beth Allison, Parish Engagement Coordinator, at St. Aloysius parish in Downtown Detroit, where Fr. Mario serves as pastor and Leah attends as a parishioner. She shares a bit about her journey from interior design to full-time ministry. 

(03:01) Beth describes where her strong faith comes from, attributing much of it to the way in which her parents raised her and her brother, and her experiences as a teen in youth ministry. She also describes how her relationship with God has been particularly strengthened through travel. 

(06:04) Beth describes some of her experiences on a mission trip to Ecuador that she went on as she was finishing up college, and how that trip transformed the way she viewed the Eucharist. 

(09:49) Fr. Mario asks Beth to share how she restores the joy she experienced on that trip in her daily life now. He comments on the tendency to begin to approach the Mass as routine and ordinary. He shares how he and Beth first met shortly after he had gone on a trip to Ecuador himself, and experienced similar things in the community he encountered there. 

(14:29) Beth shares what it was like to return from the mission trip with a great desire to share her experience and describes telling her mom and friends about it. 

(18:35) Fr. Mario asks Beth about a trip she recently took to the Camino, walking 500 miles, on pilgrimage, through Spain. She shares why she finds travel and pilgrimage to be especially beneficial in growing her relationship with the Lord and in his sacraments. 

(20:36) Beth shares how she is able to share her love for the Eucharist in her role as a youth minister and in current role as a Parish Engagement Coordinator. Fr. Mario comments on how working for the Church can make it hard to remain rooted in prayer and devotion to Jesus in the Eucharist. He highlights how Beth is a disciple first and foremost, consistently seeking Jesus in her own life, as a foundation from which to share her love for him. 

(24:20) Beth shares how she prioritizes silence in her own prayer life and how she works time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament into her own day-to-day life.