Joining Zac and Ashley on this episode of “Jesuitical” recorded in Douglaston, N.Y., is Msgr. Robert Sarno, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and a former official of the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints. With 38 years of experience in overseeing the process of canonization and beatification of saints, Monsignor Sarno offers a deep dive into the world of Catholic relics, including their history, hierarchy and controversy. 

Zac, Ashley and Monsignor Sarno discuss:

- How the devotion to relics began in the early Catholic Church and evolved over time

- The distinction between first-class, second-class and third-class relics 

- Contemporary issues with the misuse and trafficking of relics 

Links for further reading: 

Why every Catholic church altar has a relic inside it

How are saints made in the Catholic Church? Inside the long, complicated and expensive process

St. Thomas Aquinas’ skull went on tour. Here’s what the medieval saint would have said about its veneration

I’ve always loved relics. After my cancer diagnosis, they mean even more to me.

I wear a third-degree relic every day. It reminds me that all things are possible through God.

What to make of holy relics

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On this Jubilee Year of Hope-themed episode of “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Father Ramil Fajardo, a tribunal judge in the Archdiocese of Chicago, about indulgences: What are they? Where did they come from? And how are they practiced today? 

Zac, Ashley and Father Ramil discuss:

- The evolution of indulgences, from the early church through the Protestant Reformation to today

- The four current grants of indulgences, which involve acts of faith, charity, penance and witness

- How to approach indulgences during the current Jubilee Year of Hope

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a recent announcement from Buckingham Palace that King Charles II and Queen Camilla will be received in a Vatican audience by Pope Francis on April 8; and describe the busy lives of nuns working the Vatican switchboard to soothe anxious callers asking about Pope Francis’ health. 

Jesuitical is coming to Philadelphia! Join the Jesuitical team in Philadelphia for a Holy & Happy Hour at the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Topic: How to talk to your friends about your faith

Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Location: 1166 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146

Time: 6 p.m. adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; 7 p.m. group faith sharing and happy hour (come to either or both!)

Links for further reading: 

Vatican norms for Jubilee indulgence include pilgrimage, penance, service

The Key Of Heaven: A Prayer Book for Catholics

Manual of Indulgences

The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius 

Breaking: Pope Francis will receive King Charles III and Queen Camilla in audience in the Vatican on April 8

At the Vatican switchboard, nuns soothe anxious callers about Pope Francis

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On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Sofia Carozza, a developmental neuroscientist working in research and a co-host of “The Pilgrim Soul,” a Catholic podcast about the journey of faith in the modern world. Sofia is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the Human Network Initiative at Harvard Medical School, where she uses computational modelling to study the role of the early-life environment in the development of the human brain. 

Zac, Ashley and Sofia discuss:

- The brain as a “relational organ” linking body and spirit

- The neuroscientific response to the question, “What does it mean to be human?”

- Sofia’s experience as a person of faith in a “secular field”

- Digital technology’s effects on our brains (and faith)

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley give an update on Pope Francis’ health after doctors lifted their “guarded prognosis,” meaning they no longer believe the pope is in imminent danger; next they discuss the lowering the standard age for confirmation in the Archdiocese of Baltimore to 9.

Jesuitical is coming to Philadelphia! Join the Jesuitical team in Philadelphia for a Holy & Happy Hour at the National Shrine of St. Rita of Cascia. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Topic: How to talk to your friends about your faith

Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Location: 1166 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146

Time: 6:00pm adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; 7:00pm group faith sharing and happy hour

Links for further reading: 

“The Pilgrim Soul: A Catholic Podcast” 

“An Appraisal of the Neuroscientific Revolution’s Promise of New Theological Horizons” by Sofia Carozza

The Religious Sense by Luigi Giussani

“The Faith of Fr. Luigi Giussani”

Chest X-ray confirms improvements in Pope Francis’ condition

Pope Francis is out of imminent danger. What’s next?

Confirmation age lowered to 9 years old in Archdiocese of Baltimore

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On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Kim Daniels, the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University. Kim is a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication, and served in the 2021-24 Synod on Synodality as an expert participant, as a member of the Synod Communications Commission, and as the coordinator of one of the 10 major Synod study groups, which focused on the church’s mission in the digital environment.

Zac, Ashley and Kim discuss:

- How the Catholic Church is responding to the Trump administration’s cuts to USAID

- Kim’s vision for implementing Catholic social teaching in the digital age 

- How the church and government partner to serve communities, including some myth-busting about where funds go and how they’re used

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Bill O’Keefe, the executive vice president for mission, mobilization and advocacy at Catholic Relief Services, to discuss the 50th anniversary of C.R.S. Rice Bowl—an ecumenical response to the problem of world hunger. Plus: an update on Pope Francis’ health, and the Trump administration terminates the U.S. bishops’ refugee resettlement contract.

Links for further reading: 

Trump administration terminates US bishops’ refugee resettlement contract

I led Catholic Relief Services. I’ve seen USAID projects change lives.

Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life

Pope Francis’ hospitalization: The complex picture, three weeks in

Former USCCB spokesperson Kim Daniels appointed to Vatican commission

The interfaith history of the C.R.S. Rice Bowl

The Mission of C.R.S. Rice Bowl

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After 21 days of hospitalization, Pope Francis sent a brief message of thanks that was played for those praying for him in St. Peter's Square the night of March 6.

Read Gerard O'Connell's report on the message here.

Visit americamagazine.org for the latest on Pope Francis' health.

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On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley are joined by Sister Josephine Garrett, a sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth, a licensed counselor, host of the “Hope Stories” podcast and the author of the new book, Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation. Presently a counselor in private practice, Sister Josephine earned a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology in 2019. Prior to entering religious life, she worked as vice president in the home loans division of Bank of America. She resides in Tyler, Tex.

Zac, Ashley and Sister Josephine discuss: 

- The challenges (and graces) that emerge in the spiritual wilderness

- How therapy and counseling compare to spiritual direction and prayer

- Why Lent promotes deeper reflections on our relationships with others and ourselves

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by America’s editor at large, James Martin, S.J., to give an update on Pope Francis’ health after his 13th day in Gemelli Hospital, where he is being treated for pneumonia in both of his lungs. They also discuss Father Martin’s viral prayer for the pope during his illness, which is linked below. 

Links for further reading: 

Wilderness Within: A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation 

A prayer for Pope Francis during his grave illness

Update: Pope Francis’ CT scan shows ‘normal progression of the lung inflammation’

Pope Francis beats back speculation of imminent death or conclave as he continues pneumonia recovery

Hope Stories with Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN

Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth

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Joining Ashley and Zac to cover the cosmos on this week’s episode of “Jesuitical” is Guy Consolmagno, S.J., the director of the Vatican Observatory and author of the new book, A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science. A research astronomer, physicist and Jesuit brother, he has served at the Vatican Observatory since 1993, and in 2015 Pope Francis appointed him director. He is the author of God’s Mechanics and co-author of Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial? and Turn Left at Orion.

Zac, Ashley and Brother Guy discuss: 

- The relationship between science, theology and faith—how science points to God and God enables science

- Brother Guy’s passion for teaching science and inspiring “oh my God” moments in his students

- Brother Guy’s vocation story and the history of Jesuits making scientific advancements 

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley unpack Pope Francis’ recent hospitalization for a respiratory infection, later confirmed as double pneumonia. As of Thursday, Feb. 20, he is stable, without fever and in good spirits. 

Links for further reading: 

A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty, and Science

Pope Francis, battling double pneumonia, ‘alert and responsive,’ according to Italian PM

Cardinals push back on rumors Pope Francis will resign while in hospital

Three ways Pope Francis should fix the procedures for papal illness, death and elections

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On “Jesuitical” this week, Zac and Ashley chat with Simon Critchley, the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York and a Director of the Onassis Foundation, about his new book, Mysticism. Among the most prolific of modern academic philosophers, Simon has written over twenty books, from works of philosophy to studies on topics from Greek tragedy and dead philosophers to David Bowie, football and suicide.

Zac, Ashley and Simon discuss: 

- The historical development of the concept of “mysticism,” how it was suppressed during the Reformation and its resurgent relevance for today.

- Emotionally-charged forms of piety in the high Middle Ages among women mystics like Julian of Norwich

- How modern mysticism can provide access to the sacred and transcendent in a melancholic world

In Signs of the Times, Zac is joined by Fr. Sam Sawyer, S.J., editor-in-chief of America, for a conversation about Pope Francis’ strongly worded letter of support to the Catholic bishops of the United States in which he denounced the mass deportation of undocumented migrants initiated by President Donald Trump, and corrected Vice President JD Vance’s theology. 

Links for further reading: 

Mysticism by Simon Critchley 

Pope Francis’ letter, JD Vance’s ‘ordo amoris’ and what the Gospel asks of all of us on immigration

Pope Francis to U.S. Catholic bishops: Oppose mass deportations

What’s on tap?

Gin Martini

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This week, Zac and Ashley chat with Dr. Gina Zurlo, the Yang Visiting Scholar of World Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, about her groundbreaking research on women outpacing men in worldwide church participation.

Zac, Ashley, and Gina discuss: 

- Gina’s experience co-authoring World Christian Encyclopedia (Third Edition),  a 1,000-page textbook that documents the changing status of global Christianity over the past 120 years, which she presented to Pope Francis at the Vatican in 2023.

- Why the participation and leadership of women in churches is often overlooked or underreported

- Suggestions for how the church can better support and empower women in leadership and ministry

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley cover the hundreds of emails obtained by the Associated Press that reveal the extent to which the NFL’s New Orleans Saints helped the Archdiocese of New Orleans contain the damage of new revelations of sexual abuse; and the Vatican’s new rules on how to worship when when a holy day of obligation falls on a Sunday. 

Links for further reading: 

Gina Zurlo’s website

Gina Zurlo’s Groundbreaking Research on Women in World Christianity

World Christian Encyclopedia (Third Edition) 

Emails reveal extent of New Orleans Saints’ damage control for Catholic sex abuse crisis

When a holy day of obligation falls on a Sunday: Vatican releases new rules 

What’s on tap?

Black coffee 

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This week’s episode of “Jesuitical” features a conversation with journalist Helene Stapinski and her son, Dean Jamieson, a fiction writer from Brooklyn who, now in his 20s, finds himself drawn to the Catholic Church his mother left behind two decades ago because of the sex abuse crisis. 

Zac, Ashley, Helene and Dean discuss: 

- Helene’s faith journey, from a “cradle Catholic” and member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps to a mom disillusioned by the church’s sex abuse scandal and culture-war stances

- How Dean became “Catholic curious” in college and started attending Mass, drawn to the aesthetics, anti-consumerist values and sense of community he found in the church

- How the priest at Dean’s local parish in Brooklyn has sought to actively engage young adults and welcome them (and sometimes their parents) back

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss Vice President JD Vance’s accusations that the U.S. bishops were being critical of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration because it would hurt their “bottom line”; the threat to Catholic Charities by Trump’s directive to freeze federal financial assistance programs; and the Vatican’s latest document on “the relationship between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence” that addresses the ethical challenges raised by AI and warns against “creating a substitute for God.”

Links for further reading: 

“Turning Out, Tuning In? I left the Church, but now my twenty-something kids seem drawn to it”

Vice President Vance: Thank you for making headlines about the bishops’ care for immigrants

JD Vance suggests U.S. bishops only care for immigrants to protect ‘their bottom line’

Trump executive order will strip funds from Catholic Charities, White House says

New Vatican document on A.I. warns against ‘creating a substitute for God’

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