Messy Jesus Business

Season 5, Episode 9 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"Going barefoot connects me to the Earth, which connects me to the whole." - Sister Roselyn Heil

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with "Nature Nun" Sister Roselyn Heil about energy, oneness, and the physics of spirituality.

"Everything is energy," says sister Roselyn. "All energy is light."

They also talk about why Sister Roselyn loves going barefoot, how it connects her with the Earth and helps energy flow. They also explore how time functions differently with God, and the sacredness of the here and now.

"When life gets hectic and I get caught up in the chronological, I take a deep breath and go into the now, to the core of what is here," sister Roselyn explains.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sister Roselyn Heil grew up on a farm in Marathon, Wisconsin with eight sisters and three brothers. She made first vows with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1970, left after nine years, and returned in 2004. She is a graduate of Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, with a bachelor's degree in teaching/social studies and she also holds a master's degree in Culture and Creation Spirituality. She has served as a Liturgist, a National Park Interpretive Ranger, and as a Chaplain. She currently serves as a Pastoral Associate at St. Mary's Parish on the Bad River Ojibwe Reservation in Odanah, Wisconsin.

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT is John 16:12-13.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

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Season 5, episode 8 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"There's an emptiness...there's a hole we are perpetually trying to fill....and the hole is God."

-Brother Matt Wooters

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IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Brother Matt Wooters about how he became a Jesuit, and his work in vocations.

"I think sometimes people think...in vocation work, we're in sales. And I'm really not interested in selling anything," Br. Matt explains. "I believe that everyone has a vocation, I don't believe everyone has a Jesuit vocation. And so my job is to accompany young men to see where their vocation might be, even if it's not with us."

They also discuss how discerning a religious vocation works today. "I think a vocation is a combination of your skills...your best self, where is the need in the world, and what's something you can't not do. So it's something you keep thinking about," he says.

They also discuss swimming, how it is a form of prayer for Br. Matt, and how he has integrated his passion for swimming into his vocation. Finally, we talk about the mess of showing up, and how commitment means we have to show up even when the going gets tough.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Brother Matt Wooters is a native of Washington, DC. He joined the Jesuits in 2012 after graduating from John Carroll University. After college, he served for two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Belize. He holds graduate degrees in Social Work and Theology from Saint Louis University and Santa Clara University, respectively. Br. Matt has spent most of his life working with people experiencing homelessness, migrants, and those struggling with addiction. He is an open water swimmer, a podcaster, and a lover of stand-up comedy.

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT is taken from Suscipe, a prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

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Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

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Season 5, Episode 7 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"We have more than one calling, depending on the will of God."

- Judith Valente

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with authors Judith Valente and Brother Paul Quenon about their motivations behind the book they most recently co-authored. They discuss callings, how it's possible to have several and how each of them came to know their respective callings.

They consider what it means "to be," and how vastly that differs from our productivity-focused culture, which Judith says she knew all too well when working as a journalist, where the idea of simply being was a foreign concept. "More, more, better, better. You gotta work all the time you've got to be plugged in all the time," she explains of the mindset.

That raises the question: what then, is success?

Brother Paul weighs in, "I think success is to be authentic; to live according to your true self, which is...to be a child of God."

Top L-R: Judith Valente, Sister Julia Walsh. Bottom: Brother Paul Quenon.

Judith, Brother Paul and Sister Julia also explore the inherent messiness of living in community, how the pandemic has served as a spiritual teacher, and how Thomas Merton influenced both of them and the way they live their spirituality.

ABOUT THE GUESTS:

Brother Paul Quenon and Judith Valente are co-authors of the books: How to Be: a Monk and a Journalist Reflect on Living & Dying, Purpose & Prayer, Forgiveness & Friendship; and The Art of Pausing: Meditations for the Overworked and Overwhelmed.

Brother Paul entered the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani in Kentucky in 1958 at the age of 17, where Thomas Merton was his novice master and spiritual director. He sleeps under the stars each night and is an avid hiker and hill climber. Br. Paul is the author of the award-winning book In Praise of the Useless Life: A Monk’s Memoir....as well as nine collections of poetry. He is also a sought-after and inspiring speaker.

Judith Valente is a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in journalism and is the recipient of many awards for her coverage of faith and culture for national PBS-TV’s Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly. A former staff writer for both The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, she has been a contributing correspondent for Chicago Public Radio, and her articles appear in U.S. Catholic and National Catholic Reporter. Judith is the author of four previous spirituality titles, she is a lay associate of the Benedictine monastery Mount St. Scholastica, and she speaks and leads retreats on living a more contemplative life and discovering inner wisdom. You can read more about her at her website: judithvalente.com/.

Copies of Judith Valente's and Brother Paul Quenon's books may be purchased at Gesthamani book store .

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT is a reading from Psalm 46.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

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Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

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Season 5, episode 6 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"I found the courage somewhere to take the step, and once I took the step, it was reaffirmed."-Sister Jenny Wilson

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IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Jenny Wilson about how she became a Sister of Mercy and her life-changing experience of service in Guyana. They discuss God's call to us to surrender, and how God provides the grace for us to do so. And they explore what radical discipleship means to Sister Jenny. "In a way, it's getting out of bed every morning. It's getting out of bed with that enthusiasm."

They talk about the mess of being an educator during a pandemic, and the collective shift we are experiencing as the pandemic's effects continue. "I have a different perspective because I come at most things that I do as a sense of call," says Sister Jenny. "And I think many people, they don't use that language, but they're kind of moving towards that in their lives."

Lastly, they consider how it is radical, messy and countercultural to live a life of service and contemplation.

"In some ways I love people and I care about people so much that embracing that messiness in myself and in others is what makes my call real," Sister Jenny explains.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sister Jenny Wilson is a member of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. With a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and a master's degree in Education Studies, she has worked with homeless women and children as a social worker and presently is a theology teacher at Mount Mercy Academy in Buffalo, New York. She also serves as the diversity, inclusion and equity coordinator and cross country and track coach at Mount Mercy Academy.

Before entering the Sisters of Mercy, she completed two years as a Mercy Volunteer corps member in Guyana, South America. She travels there yearly to work with Mercy Volunteer Corps.

Sister Jenny loves the outdoors, traveling and exploring new places and cultures.

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT is a reading from Luke 6:36-38.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Season 5, episode 5, of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

Photos by Scott Langley.

"We are called to create, where nothing exists." - Sister Helen Prejean

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IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Helen Prejean, who is known for her work to end the death penalty. They discuss how Sister Helen became a minister to Pat Sonnier on death row, which led her to work for justice.

"A fire began to burn in my heart," she says.

Sister Julia and Sister Helen also talk about how the Gospel calls the Church to be among the poor and on the margins.

"To engage in social justice means you're going to...take on the sufferings of people who are voiceless and made to suffer. And you're going to undertake systemic change," Sister Helen explains.

Sister Helen also talks about how storytelling has a power to change hearts and minds, and the true meaning of justice. "Justice means that everybody's got a fair shake, and they've got equal access to liberties and freedom and a way to have a livelihood and a life."

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. She has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church’s vigorous opposition to all executions.

Photo by Scott Langley.

Born on April 21, 1939, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1957. After studies in the USA and Canada, she spent the following years teaching high school, and serving as the Religious Education Director at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in New Orleans and the Formation Director for her religious community.

In 1982, she moved into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans in order to live and work with the poor. While there, Sister Helen began corresponding with Patrick Sonnier, who had been sentenced to death for the murder of two teenagers. Two years later, when Patrick Sonnier was put to death in the electric chair, Sister Helen was there to witness his execution. In the following months, she became spiritual advisor to another death row inmate, Robert Lee Willie, who was to meet the same fate as Sonnier.

After witnessing these executions, Sister Helen realized that this lethal ritual would remain unchallenged unless its secrecy was stripped away, and so she sat down and wrote a book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. Dead Man Walking hit the shelves when national support for the death penalty was over 80% and, in Sister Helen’s native Louisiana, closer to 90%. The book ignited a national debate on capital punishment and it inspired an Academy Award winning movie, a play and an opera. Sister Helen also embarked on a speaking tour that continues to this day.

Sister Helen works with people of all faiths and those who follow no established faith, but her voice has had a special resonance with her fellow Catholics. Over the decades, Sister Helen has made personal approaches to two popes, John Paul II and Pope Francis, urging them to establish the Catholic Church’s position as unequivocally opposed to capital punishment under any circumstances. After Sister Helen’s urging, under John Paul II the catechism was revised to strengthen the church’s opposition to executions,

Season 5, episode 5, of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

Photos by Scott Langley.

"We are called to create, where nothing exists." - Sister Helen Prejean

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Helen Prejean, who is known for her work to end the death penalty. They discuss how Sister Helen became a minister to Pat Sonnier on death row, which led her to work for justice.

"A fire began to burn in my heart," she says.

Sister Julia and Sister Helen also talk about how the Gospel calls the Church to be among the poor and on the margins.

"To engage in social justice means you're going to...take on the sufferings of people who are voiceless and made to suffer. And you're going to undertake systemic change," Sister Helen explains.

Sister Helen also talks about how storytelling has a power to change hearts and minds, and the true meaning of justice. "Justice means that everybody's got a fair shake, and they've got equal access to liberties and freedom and a way to have a livelihood and a life."

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Sister Helen Prejean is known around the world for her tireless work against the death penalty. She has been instrumental in sparking national dialogue on capital punishment and in shaping the Catholic Church’s vigorous opposition to all executions.

Photo by Scott Langley.

Born on April 21, 1939, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she joined the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1957. After studies in the USA and Canada, she spent the following years teaching high school, and serving as the Religious Education Director at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in New Orleans and the Formation Director for her religious community.

In 1982, she moved into the St. Thomas Housing Project in New Orleans in order to live and work with the poor. While there, Sister Helen began corresponding with Patrick Sonnier, who had been sentenced to death for the murder of two teenagers. Two years later, when Patrick Sonnier was put to death in the electric chair, Sister Helen was there to witness his execution. In the following months, she became spiritual advisor to another death row inmate, Robert Lee Willie, who was to meet the same fate as Sonnier.

After witnessing these executions, Sister Helen realized that this lethal ritual would remain unchallenged unless its secrecy was stripped away, and so she sat down and wrote a book, Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States. Dead Man Walking hit the shelves when national support for the death penalty was over 80% and, in Sister Helen’s native Louisiana, closer to 90%. The book ignited a national debate on capital punishment and it inspired an Academy Award winning movie, a play and an opera. Sister Helen also embarked on a speaking tour that continues to this day.

Sister Helen works with people of all faiths and those who follow no established faith, but her voice has had a special resonance with her fellow Catholics. Over the decades, Sister Helen has made personal approaches to two popes, John Paul II and Pope Francis, urging them to establish the Catholic Church’s position as unequivocally opposed to capital punishment under any circumstances. After Sister Helen’s urging, under John Paul II the catechism was revised to strengthen the church’s opposition to executions, although it allowed for a very few exceptions. Not long after meeting with Sister Helen in August of 2018, Pope Francis announced new language of the Catholic Catechism which declares that the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person, with no exceptions.

Today, although capital punishment is still on the books in 29 states in the USA, it has fallen into disuse in most of those states. Prosecutors and juries alike are turning away from death sentences, with the death penalty becoming increasingly a geographical freak. Sister Helen continues her work, dividing her time between educating the public, campaigning against the death penalty, counseling individual death row prisoners, and working with murder victims’ family members. Sister Helen’s second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was published in 2004; and her third book, River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey, in 2019.

CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT is a reading from Amos 5:12-15, 22-24.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 4, season 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"Everything is a spiritual experience, and has the opportunity to provide meaning for you."-Gary Jansen

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, public speaker and author Gary Jansen talks with Sister Julia Walsh about everything from the supernatural to the spirituality of the seemingly mundane.

"The fact is that we're spiritual beings. We have a body. We have a soul. They're intertwined," Jansen explains, "so everything is a spiritual experience, and has the opportunity to provide meaning for you."

They discuss books, how they helped him discover his vocation and feel drawn to God. And they consider the reality of embracing a life of suffering when we choose the spiritual path.

They also talk about the mess of forgiveness, how it's truly difficult and the lessons the difficulty of that journey can teach us.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Gary Jansen is a public speaker and author of several books, including the multi-award-winning "MicroShifts," "The 15-Minute Prayer Solution," "Station to Station," "Life Everlasting," and the memoir: "Holy Ghosts."

Jansen has appeared on A&E, the Sundance Channel, the Travel Channel, Coast to Coast AM, CNN.com, and NPR. His writing has been featured in the Chicago Sun-Times, USA Today, Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Angelus, and Religion Dispatches.

Jansen worked at Penguin Random House for 25 years where he was the editor on several New York Times bestsellers. He is now the executive editor of acquisitions at Loyola Press.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 4, season 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"Everything is a spiritual experience, and has the opportunity to provide meaning for you."-Gary Jansen

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, public speaker and author Gary Jansen talks with Sister Julia Walsh about everything from the supernatural to the spirituality of the seemingly mundane.

"The fact is that we're spiritual beings. We have a body. We have a soul. They're intertwined," Jansen explains, "so everything is a spiritual experience, and has the opportunity to provide meaning for you."

They discuss books, how they helped him discover his vocation and feel drawn to God. And they consider the reality of embracing a life of suffering when we choose the spiritual path.

They also talk about the mess of forgiveness, how it's truly difficult and the lessons the difficulty of that journey can teach us.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Gary Jansen is a public speaker and author of several books, including the multi-award-winning "MicroShifts," "The 15-Minute Prayer Solution," "Station to Station," "Life Everlasting," and the memoir: "Holy Ghosts."

Jansen has appeared on A&E, the Sundance Channel, the Travel Channel, Coast to Coast AM, CNN.com, and NPR. His writing has been featured in the Chicago Sun-Times, USA Today, Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Angelus, and Religion Dispatches.

Jansen worked at Penguin Random House for 25 years where he was the editor on several New York Times bestsellers. He is now the executive editor of acquisitions at Loyola Press.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 3, Season 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"The spiritual life is a journey in discipline." - Dr. C. Vanessa White

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Dr. C. Vanessa White and Sister Julia Walsh talk about what healthy spirituality looks like, the importance of balance, and the value of knowing who one is so we can offer our authentic selves.

"The spiritual life is a journey in discipline; in making choices. and you can make choices that are life giving or you can make choices that sap you of your life," Dr. C. Vanessa White explains.

Those choices can reveal the mess of ministry, in particular when it comes to balancing that ministry with care for loved ones and ourselves. That's why it's so important to rest, Dr. White explains, and in her words, "Revive and renew, so you can do."

They also discuss what it means to have hope, even while fatigued by the realities of the global pandemic, and how that hope can be found by changing our focus.

"We are so busy focusing on the negative that we miss that God's grace is present in the midst of that. And we need to connect with that; it will help us journey through that time," Dr. White explains.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Dr. C. Vanessa White, D. Min., is Associate Professor of Spirituality and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Associate Director of the Master of Theology program at Xavier University of Louisiana.A professed Secular Franciscan for more than 30 years, her articles and essays have appeared in New Theology Review, U.S. Catholic, AMERICA, National Catholic Reporter and CNN.org. She is co-editor of the book, “Songs of Our Hearts and Meditations of Our Souls: Prayers for Black Catholics." (St. Anthony Messenger Press), is a contributor to the Black Catholic Studies Reader (David Endres, editor, CUA, summer 2021) and to the Wisdom Commentary series volume on Luke, 1-9 (General editor, Barbara Reid, Liturgical Press, 2020.) She is an advisor for the Fetzer Institute’s Study of Spirituality in the Americas published in 2020 as well as consultant to the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry. A former convener for the Black Catholic Theological Symposium, she considers herself a womanist practical theologian whose research is focused on the intersections of spirituality and praxis and is attentive to issues of discernment, health, women’s spirituality, diversity/intercultural dialogue, leadership development, spiritual and ministry formation, spiritual practices, lay ministry, adult faith formation and issues pertinent to the lives of Black Catholics.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness

Episode 3, Season 5 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh.

"The spiritual life is a journey in discipline." - Dr. C. Vanessa White

LISTEN HERE:

IN THIS EPISODE:

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Dr. C. Vanessa White and Sister Julia Walsh talk about what healthy spirituality looks like, the importance of balance, and the value of knowing who one is so we can offer our authentic selves.

"The spiritual life is a journey in discipline; in making choices. and you can make choices that are life giving or you can make choices that sap you of your life," Dr. C. Vanessa White explains.

Those choices can reveal the mess of ministry, in particular when it comes to balancing that ministry with care for loved ones and ourselves. That's why it's so important to rest, Dr. White explains, and in her words, "Revive and renew, so you can do."

They also discuss what it means to have hope, even while fatigued by the realities of the global pandemic, and how that hope can be found by changing our focus.

"We are so busy focusing on the negative that we miss that God's grace is present in the midst of that. And we need to connect with that; it will help us journey through that time," Dr. White explains.

ABOUT THE GUEST:

Dr. C. Vanessa White, D. Min., is Associate Professor of Spirituality and Ministry at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Associate Director of the Master of Theology program at Xavier University of Louisiana.A professed Secular Franciscan for more than 30 years, her articles and essays have appeared in New Theology Review, U.S. Catholic, AMERICA, National Catholic Reporter and CNN.org. She is co-editor of the book, “Songs of Our Hearts and Meditations of Our Souls: Prayers for Black Catholics." (St. Anthony Messenger Press), is a contributor to the Black Catholic Studies Reader (David Endres, editor, CUA, summer 2021) and to the Wisdom Commentary series volume on Luke, 1-9 (General editor, Barbara Reid, Liturgical Press, 2020.) She is an advisor for the Fetzer Institute’s Study of Spirituality in the Americas published in 2020 as well as consultant to the USCCB’s Subcommittee on Certification for Ecclesial Ministry. A former convener for the Black Catholic Theological Symposium, she considers herself a womanist practical theologian whose research is focused on the intersections of spirituality and praxis and is attentive to issues of discernment, health, women’s spirituality, diversity/intercultural dialogue, leadership development, spiritual and ministry formation, spiritual practices, lay ministry, adult faith formation and issues pertinent to the lives of Black Catholics.

MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski.

Email us at [email protected]

BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness

https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness

Twitter: @messyjesusbiz

SUPPORT US:

https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness