Jesuitical

This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac sit down with Colleen Dulle, America’s Vatican correspondent and host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, to speak about her new book, Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter. 

Ashley, Zac and Colleen discuss:

- The spirituality of a Vatican reporter covering church scandals

- Colleen’s experience attending—and leaving—the Latin Mass

- Being present at Mass as a “professional Catholic”

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss Catholic reactions to the monumental Gaza ceasefire and the denial of religious leaders’ request to deliver Communion to detainees at the Broadview, Ill., ICE facility. 

They also look at Pope Leo’s first major document, “Dilexi Te,” and the newest member of the Castel Gandolfo community: Proton, the pope’s new horse.

In “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Zac talks about his relationship with Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt in the wake of her passing, as well as her years of pastoral work at Loyola Chicago.

Links for further reading: 

Buy Colleen’s book “Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter”

Amid historic deal, Gaza pastor says little is left after ‘tsunami’ of destruction

Pope Leo pleads for a just peace as cease-fire in Gaza holds

Eucharistic procession turned back by feds at Broadview ICE detention facility

Roundtable: Pope Francis began ‘Dilexi Te.’ Pope Leo completed it.

Pope Leo signs first exhortation, ‘Dilexi te,’ focused on love for the poor

Pope Leo in first major document: Love for the poor is not optional for Christians

Top 5 takeaways from Pope Leo’s first major document, ‘Dilexi Te’

Pope Leo ‘very happy’ to be gifted a horse from prestigious Polish stable

Sister Jean’s legacy: A life of faith, service and basketball

Sister Jean on Jesuitical

What you don’t know about Loyola’s Sister Jean

How Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean prays—on and off the court

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Kate Williams, the vice president of sacred music at GIA Publications, publisher of the “Gather” and “Worship” hymnals. 

Ashley, Zac and Kate discuss:

- Why Catholics don’t sing at Mass

- How the role of music in liturgy changed post-Vatican II

- Why the slightest changes in language make all the difference when it comes to hymns

In a brief “Signs of the Times,” Ashley points to America’s coverage of Pope Leo’s first major document, “Dilexi Te,” and calls for audience comments and questions.

Links for further reading: 

Latin chant or folk music at Mass? A debate on what makes liturgy ‘reverent’

The new Gather hymnal is just good enough — and that’s perfect

What makes for good liturgical music? St. Thomas Aquinas has 3 criteria for what works at Mass.

Pope Leo in first major document: Love for the poor is not optional for Christians

Read “Dilexi Te”

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Sam Sawyer, S.J., president and editor in chief of America Magazine, to discuss the recent controversy surrounding Cardinal Blase Cupich’s decision to present Senator Dick Durbin with a “lifetime achievement award” for his work in defense of migrants.

Ashley, Zac and Sam discuss:

- Senator Durbin’s decision to decline the award in the face of mounting controversy

- How the “consistent ethic of life” should shape Catholic political engagement

- Pope Leo’s surprising, yet pragmatic, response to the situation

In “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Zac and Ashley sit down with Jim Martin, S.J., and Joe Hoover, S.J., to talk about the late Robert Redford’s Oscar-winning film, “Ordinary People.”

Links for further reading: 

- Sen. Durbin declines lifetime achievement award after backlash for pro-choice position

- Pope Leo weighs in on controversy over Cardinal Cupich giving Sen. Durbin immigration award

- Chicago archdiocese’s plan to award Senator Durbin for immigration work meets pushback over abortion

- Remembering Robert Redford and ‘Ordinary People,’ his devastating, nearly perfect film

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac sit down with Dean Detloff, a research and advocacy officer at Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, to talk about the importance of foreign debt relief in the Jubilee Year.

Ashley, Zac and Dean discuss:

- The biblical roots of forgiving debts in a jubilee year

- How foreign debt stunts the development of poor nations

- Why framing matters when it comes to debt forgiveness versus relief and justice

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac discuss Charlie Kirk’s memorial service, including the stark juxtaposition of Erika Kirk’s and President Trump’s messages. They also talk about the recent execution of Father Mathew Eya in Nigeria, where 7,000 Christians have been killed so far this year. 

Zac and Ashley also react to the recent escape attempt by three elderly Austrian nuns and the retirement of Loyola Chicago’s Sister Jean.

In “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Zac catches Ashley up on what he’s been up to and the perspective of being a new father.

Links for further reading: 

Dean’s writing for America

Caritas Canada’s Jubilee Debt Campaign

Jubilee People’s Forum at the G7 in Kananaskis, Alberta

Peruvian Cardinal speaks at People’s Forum in Alberta

Pope Francis lifts suspension imposed on Nicaragua’s Ernesto Cardenal

Charlie Kirk’s widow says she forgives husband’s alleged killer at memorial attended by Trump, Vance

Who is being served by making Charlie Kirk a saint: God or Caesar?

‘Nuns on the run’ in Austria offer a complex picture of aging in religious life

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley sits down with Sam Sawyer, S.J., president and editor in chief of America Media, and J.D. Long-Garcia, senior editor for America to respond to the murder of Charlie Kirk.

Ashley, Fr. Sawyer and J.D. discuss:

- Why this is a difficult (but necessary) conversation

- Why people rush to say, "This is terrible, but..."

- Significance of the murder in national political life

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Sebastian discussed some more of the reactions in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death from prominent Catholics on both sides of the political aisle, including Pope Leo’s prayers for Kirk and his family. 

They also discuss the recent “Grace for the World” concert in St. Peter’s Square and how Pope Leo celebrated his 70th birthday.

 Links for further reading: 

- Sam’s article: The aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination: If we have to look at violence, let’s do it the right way.

- Bishops and Catholic leaders call for prayer after conservative activist Charlie Kirk shot and killed

- Charlie Kirk, free speech and the danger of politics without God

- Pope Leo said he is praying for Charlie Kirk and his family

- How Pope Leo plans to govern the church: From Rome to China to Gaza

- Pope Leo calls out billionaires and income inequality in first interview

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian sit down with Jack Bentz, S.J., a Jesuit priest and the host of the “Catholics in Ordinary Time” podcast and Substack. Father Jack also works in campus ministry at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

Ashley, Sebastian and Father Jack discuss:

- What kids are looking for in campus ministry and parish settings

- Surprise lessons from a Jordan Peterson talk

- The ways parishes can get people coming back to Mass

In Signs of the Times, Ashley and Sebastian discuss the recent canonizations of Saints Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, the “Grace for the World” concert being hosted at the Vatican with notable A-listers and Pope Leo’s upcoming 70th birthday.

In a new expanded version of our faith sharing segment, “As One Friend Speaks to Another,” Jack Consolie, Outreach’s communications and development associate, discusses his recent article: “Carlo Acutis and I: The (complicated) spiritual connection of a shared cancer journey.” Our faith sharing segment is a project funded by a grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.

 Links for further reading:

- Fr. Jack’s podcast: Catholics in Ordinary Time

- Fr. Jack’s Substack

- Jack Consolie’s article: “Carlo Acutis and I: The (complicated) spiritual connection of a shared cancer journey”

- Pope Leo XIV declares Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati saints in a celebration of youthful devotion

- On the ground for the canonization of Saints Acutis and Frassati: Crowds, communion and Cheez-Its

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian unpack the trend of “hot priests” on social media with Maggie Phillips, a contributing writer for Tablet Magazine. Maggie recently published an article exploring the phenomenon of the “hot priest”: Thou Shalt Not Scroll Past a Hot Priest.

Ashley, Sebastian and Maggie discuss: 

- What the “hot priest” trend says about the cultural status of the Catholic Church 

- Is there a benefit to being recognizably religious?

- The dangers of conflating social media engagement and evangelization

In Signs of the Times, Colleen Dulle, America’s Vatican correspondent and host of “Inside the Vatican,” sits down with Ashley and Sebastian to discuss Pope Leo’s response to the tragic shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis as well as his recent meeting with Father James Martin. They also take a look back at his summer activities and discuss what Leo’s talkative brother, John Prevost, has revealed about our new pope.

In a new expanded version of our “As One Friend Speaks to Another” segment, Emma Camp, an assistant editor at Reason magazine, discusses her Faith in Focus article “The case for showing up to church—even if you don’t believe in God.”

Links for further reading: 

“Thou Shalt Not Scroll Past a Hot Priest”

Maggie’s article in America: "Lay volunteers are often the backbone of Catholic parishes. But they need support, too"

Emma’s article: “The case for showing up to church—even if you don’t believe in God”

“Pope Leo calls for stop to ‘the pandemic of arms’ after Minnesota Catholic school shooting”

“Pope Leo’s response to the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting: 3 takeaways”

“Father James Martin: Pope Leo wants to continue Francis’ approach to LGBTQ Catholics”

“Pope Leo just extended his vacation. What do popes do to relax?”

“14 Things We Learned About Pope Leo From His Brother’s Latest Interview”

What’s on tap?

Aperol Spritz

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On this last "best of" episode of summer 2025, Zac and Ashley resurrect an interview with the always entertaining Father Dave Dwyer, the executive director of Busted Halo, a media outreach of the Paulist Fathers, and the author of the book “Mass Class: Your Questions Answered.”

Is there a question you have about the Catholic Mass that you’ve always been too embarrassed to ask? Like: When we say, “Only say the word and my soul shall be healed,”...what’s “the word”? Well, you’re in luck. Press "play."

Mass Class: Your Questions Answered, by Father Dave Dwyer

What’s on tap?

Pick your poison: Negroni

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This week, Jesuitical is bringing back a poignant yet hopeful conversation with Sister Donna Dodge, the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York, which recently decided to embark on a “path to completion.” That means the over 200-year-old congregation will no longer accept new vocations (though their ministry continues). We discuss:

- How religious life has changed since Sister Donna joined in 1966

- How the sisters discerned that it was time to let go—and how their charism of charity will live on in the work of lay collaborators

- Why the church needs to change the way it talks about “vocation” with young people

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Pope Francis' 2021 decree, Traditionis custodes, which limited the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, set off a heated and at times toxic debate between more traditionalist Catholics and those who want to see the reforms of the Second Vatican Council more fully implemented. Is there a way for us to talk about the liturgy without it turning into a war?

On this "best of" episode, we're revisiting a conversation with Rev. Pierre Amar, a priest in the Diocese of Versailles in France. Father Amar grew up attending the Latin Mass and was ordained into the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an order dedicated to the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Mass rite. But he also loves and celebrates the novus ordo or ordinary form, and does not think the two forms of the liturgy need to be in conflict.

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