The Oscars are this Sunday, so Zac and Ashley welcome John Dougherty, the moderator of America’s Catholic Movie Club, to unpack the state of play—and the Catholic themes—in some of this year’s Best Picture nominees. John, who is also the director of campus ministry at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia, is an expert in finding God in all films. He guides the hosts through a fun-filled conversation on the best stories and performances of 2023.

John, Zac and Ashley discuss:

- How movies can help us to better understand ourselves and our culture

- Thoughts on Best Picture nominees like “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and more (plus, Zac gives his pick for St. Ignatius Film of the Year)

- Predictions and hopes for this year’s Oscar winners

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s recent lawsuits against Catholic migrant shelters, Church Militant’s announcement that they will cease operations in April after losing a defamation lawsuit and Pope Francis’ announcement that he will wash the feet of inmates at a women’s prison on Holy Thursday. 

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. And if you’d like Zac and Ashley to come to your city, send us an email at [email protected].

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with the award-winning TV newscaster Carol Costello. 7:30 p.m. PST in LMU’s Life Science Auditorium. All are welcome!

Links from the show: 

John Dougherty’s writing

The return of the Catholic Movie Club: Why going to the movies is a sacred act

Hard truths, Catholics and women in Hollywood: takeaways from this year’s Oscar noms

Catholic charities and religious freedom are under fire at the border

Church Militant will cease publication in April after losing defamation suit

Pope Francis to do Holy Thursday feet washing at women’s prison

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It’s the question every college senior dreads when they’re back home for Christmas break: What are you going to do after graduation? At a live recording of Jesuitical at Loyola University Chicago, Zac and Ashley talk with Paddy Gilger, S.J., about how students (and the rest of us) can use the tools of Ignatian discernment when making more life decisions.

They discuss:

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. And if you’d like Zac and Ashley to come to your city, send us an email at [email protected].

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

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This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley welcome Meg Kissinger, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of While You Were Out: An Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence. Meg’s memoir employs her journalistic skills to tell a tale of a Catholic family navigating mental illness. It serves as a great foundation for a profound, personal conversation about faith, tragedy, and trusting in an institution even when people in it have failed you.

They discuss:

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the recent news that the prefect of the Vatican Apostolic Archives, Archbishop Sergio Pagano, is retiring—and dishing Vatican secrets on the way out. They then cover the recent controversy over the funeral of activist Cecilia Gentili, which was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York last week.

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

What’s on tap?

Coffee—it’s still Lent!

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. And if you’d like Zac and Ashley to come to your city, send us an email at [email protected]

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

Links from the show:

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To ring in the Lenten season, “Jesuitical” is talking Exodus 90, a 90-day ascetic spiritual practice for men centered around three pillars: prayer, fasting and fraternity. Terence Sweeney, an assistant teaching professor in the Honors Program and Humanities Department at Villanova University, joins Zac and Ashley to chat about the hugely popular program—why people love it, what it leaves out and what Catholics who don’t participate can learn from it.

They discuss:

- The absence of communal Lenten practices in today’s church and how Exodus 90 tries to fill that void

- Exodus 90’s shortcomings and the dangers of spiritual meritocracy in ascetic practice

- What all Catholics can take from Exodus 90 this Lent

In this week’s Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Christine Lenahan, one of America’s O’Hare Fellows. They discuss controversial depictions of Christ, from the “He Gets Us” Super Bowl ads and a new painting of Jesus that caused quite an uproar in Seville, Spain.

What’s on tap?

Water. Happy Lent.

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. And if you’d like Zac and Ashley to come to your city, send us an email at [email protected]

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

Links from the show:

- Fasting, praying and working out: What ‘Exodus 90’ gets right—and wrong—about asceticism for men

- Controversial artistic depictions of Jesus are nothing new

- In defense of the ‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl ads

- 101 Things To Give Up For Lent

- Terence Sweeney's podcast episode, "A Medieval Anti-racist"

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If you’re still Catholic, there are presumably things you love about the church. But it can be tempting to focus on the negatives: the scandals, the boring homilies, the lackluster music. This week, Zac and Ashley are doing something a little different: talking about why they love the church with Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wis. at a special live recording at St. Thomas Aquinas parish, they discuss:

- How Bishop Hying’s love for the church changed when he became a bishop

- The saints, the sacraments and the Catholic imagination

- How to balance love and hard truths in pastoral work

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss a street artist known for his paintings of Pope Francis (and who now has the Vatican’s official stamp of approval) and a new document from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith that reminds priests that when it comes to administering the sacraments, they need to stick to the script.

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. And if you’d like Zac and Ashley to come to your city, send us an email at [email protected]

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

Links from the show:

- Street artist of ‘Super Pope’ fame gets official Vatican stamp of approval

- Vatican to priests: Stick to the script for Sacraments

- Bishop Hying: Why I Love the Church

What’s on tap?

Fernet Branca on ice

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are joined by Matthew Cressler, a scholar of Catholicism and race. Matthew created “Bad Catholics, Good Trouble,” a webcomic series about anti-racism and struggles for justice across American Catholic history, which frames an enlightening discussion about racial justice in the Catholic Church.

They discuss:

- Institutional and individual Catholic responses to the civil rights movement

- The history of white supremacy in American Catholicism

- What it means to be a “good” or “bad” Catholic in the face of injustice

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss allegations of sexual misconduct against Quebec’s Cardinal Archbishop Gérald Lacroix; a summit in Rome that brought together pairs of Catholic and Anglican bishops from 27 countries; and Martin Scorsese’s latest meeting with Pope Francis.

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. And if you’d like Zac and Ashley to come to your parish, diocese, center or school, send us an email at [email protected]

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

Drink:

Old Fashioneds

Links from the show: 

- Bad Catholics, Good Trouble

- Anglican, Catholic bishops travel, pray, work together

- Québec’s Cardinal Lacroix, named in sex abuse lawsuit, will temporarily step aside from duties

- Martin Scorsese Meets Pope Francis, Announces Film About Jesus

- The Joan and Bill Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University Chicago

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Amy-Jill “AJ” Levine, a Jewish scholar of the New Testament and author of The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus, sits down with Zac and Ashley at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, an Anglican Cathedral in New York City. It’s a dynamic interfaith conversation in an ecumenical setting, and AJ helps break open Jesus’ Jewish identity and context for the hosts.

They discuss: 

And a final reminder that the deadline to apply to the O’Hare Fellowship is fast approaching. O’Hare Fellows spend a year living in New York City and working at America’s offices in midtown, where they will generate content for America’s multiple platforms: print, web, digital, social media and events. If you or someone you know might be interested in the O’Hare Fellowship, the final deadline to apply is February 1, 2024. Apply here!

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. Please email us if you plan to attend any of the events below at, [email protected]

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

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On December 18, the Vatican’s doctrinal office released “Fiducia Supplicans,” a declaration that allowed priests to give simple or pastoral blessings to couples in irregular situations, including those in same-sex relationships. This week on “Jesuitical,” Father Alex Santora, pastor of Our Lady of Grace and St. Joseph parish in Hoboken, N.J., joins Zac and Ashley to explain how “Fiducia Supplicans” is being received in his parish.

They discuss:

- Father Santora’s reaction to “Fiducia Supplicans” and how he plans to discuss the declaration and enflesh it in his parish

- Taking a pastoral approach to complicated situations and accompanying people even when you have to tell them “no”

- The importance of listening in pastoral ministry

In an infernal Signs of the Times segment, Zac and Ashley cover Pope Francis’ recent comments that he hopes hell is empty, the subsequent criticisms from some Catholics, and why an empty hell might not be such a crazy idea, even if it’s not a dogma of faith. They also dive into a recent poll from Gallup on Pope Francis’ approval ratings in the U.S. (it is an election year, after all) and explore how our country’s ideological divides might impact our view of the pontiff.

After the interview, Ashley and Zac welcome another one of Jesuitical’s assistant producers, Delaney Coyne, to share about her experience as an O’Hare Fellow at America. She talks about how her love for social justice led her to apply to the fellowship, the work she does at America and finding God in disagreement. If you or someone you know might be interested in the O’Hare Fellowship the final deadline to apply is February 1, 2024. Apply here!

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. Please email us if you plan to attend any of the events below at, [email protected]

Jan 22: Vintage Brewing Company (Madison West) from 7-9 pm. Meet and greet with Zac and Ashley, over drinks! Location: 674 South Whitney Way, Madison, WI 53711

Jan. 23: St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison, Wisconsin. Mass at 5:30 pm followed by a live interview with Bishop Donald Hying on “Why we love the church” from 6:30-8:30pm.

Jan. 25: Loyola University Chicago (Ignatius House) in Chicago, IL. Live discussion with Patrick Gilger, S.J. on, “What the hell should I do with my life?: God, discernment and vocation outside the college bubble” from 7-9 p.m. Student Mass to follow at 9pm (Note: This event has limited capacity. Please RSVP to [email protected])

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

Links from the show:

- The Editors: Vatican document on same-sex blessings does not confuse church teaching—it deepens it

- Pope Francis says he hopes hell is ‘empty’

- 58% of Americans, 77% of U.S. Catholics View Pope Favorably

What’s on tap?

White Claws

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This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley welcome John Martens, a professor of theology and director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver to shine a light on the Bible passages that have shaped Pope Francis’ papacy.

They discuss:

- How the Call of Matthew and the Parable of the Good Samaritan shape the pope’s view of a church that is a “field hospital” for sinners

- Debates over the connection between justice, truth and mercy

- Criticisms of Pope Francis’ approach, especially in the U.S. Church

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley cover a Vatican official’s recent call to reconsider mandatory priestly celibacy in the church. They also discuss Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, who has come under fire for a book he wrote 25 years ago on spirituality and sensuality. And after the interview they welcome another friend to share about his faith: Michael O’Brien, one of America’s O’Hare Fellows who helps produce “Jesuitical.” He shares what drew him to the fellowship and how his post-grad year at America has enriched his faith. If you or someone you know might be interested in the O’Hare Fellowship the final deadline to apply is February 1, 2024. Apply here!

Jesuitical is going on the road in 2024! We hope you’ll join us. Please email us if you plan to attend any of the events below at, [email protected]

Jan 22: Vintage Brewing Company (Madison West) from 7-9 pm. Meet and greet with Zac and Ashley, over drinks! Location: 674 South Whitney Way, Madison, WI 53711

Jan. 23: St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Madison, Wisconsin. Mass at 5:30 pm followed by a live interview with Bishop Donald Hying on “Why we love the church” from 6:30-8:30pm.

Jan. 25: Loyola University Chicago (Ignatius House) in Chicago, IL. Live discussion with Patrick Gilger, S.J. on, “What the heck should I do with my life?: God, discernment and vocation outside the college bubble” from 7-9 p.m. Student Mass to follow at 9pm (Note: This event has limited capacity. Please RSVP to [email protected])

Feb. 28: Crystal City Marriott Hotel in Arlington, VA Live interview with Cardinal Wilton Gregory on “A Listening Church in a Divided Nation” from 7-8 p.m. Reception to follow from 8-9 p.m. Please RSVP here.

March 18: Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. Live interview with American TV Newscaster Carol Costello. Time and venue TBD.

Links from the Show

Pope Francis’ focus on the Bible and mercy—and why so many Catholics are uncomfortable with it

Apply to the O’Hare Fellowship

RSVP to our event in Arlington, Virginia!

What’s on Tap?

New Fangled

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Christmas is a time for traditions. From the quirky to the classic, every family has a favorite holiday movie, dish or custom. This week on Jesuitical, Zac and Ashley talk to four of their colleagues about their Advent and Christmas traditions—some old, some aspirational, some completely made up but all filled with the joy and anticipation of the season.

This is Jesuitical’s last episode of 2023—unless you become a member of the Patreon community. Next week, members will get a bonus mail-bag episode in their feeds. Zac and Ashley answer listener questions about the synod, the future of the parish and more. Sign up today!

Links from the show:

The perfect imperfections of the Nativity pageant, by Heather Trotta, vice president for advancement

What my mother’s Advent gift tradition taught me about the true meaning of giving, by Molly Cahill, associate editor

A (Midwestern) discussion about Advent traditions, by Joe Hoover, S.J., poetry editor

I love my Advent wreath. I just keep forgetting to light it, by Kerry Weber, executive editor

What’s on tap?

Prosecco with pomegranate seeds…and eggnog with orange Fanta

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