Old St. Pat's Podcast

By Old St. Patrick's Church, Father Bryan Massingale, Fr. Bryan MassingaleSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity Education Self-Improvement Philosophy

Old St. Pat's Podcast episodes

October 27 Who Is God Asking You to Love? - Fr. Joe Simmons 10.25.26
There are certain people in our lives who just get on our nerves. They bug us. They get under our skin. And our society has plenty of phrases to describe these people, so we know we’re not alone in this very human experience!
But Jesus instructs us to love one another as he has loved us. And we say, “Okay, sure!” It’s easy enough when it comes to the people we naturally gravitate toward, the people we enjoy being around, or the friends we already love. But what about the people we find difficult, frustrating, or just plain hard to understand?
It’s a universal struggle. It’s easy to love the idea of loving others, but much harder to love the actual people in our lives. And yet, sometimes those very relationships that challenge us the most become opportunities for spiritual growth and salvation.
Today, Father Joe Simmons invites us to reflect on how we are called to love, especially when it comes to the people we find most difficult to love.
14 min
October 20 Creating Hope in a Hopeless World - Fr. Jayme Stayer, SJ 10.18.26
When we hear about another tragic event in the news, it can be easy to feel discouraged, maybe even a little hopeless. And even when we want to do something, we might wonder, What can one person really do?
This past Sunday’s Gospel reminds us that our ultimate allegiance isn’t to any king, government, or authority. It’s to God. And that means our faith asks something of us. When we see someone being treated unfairly, we’re called to speak up. When we see people being pushed aside, we’re called to stand with them. And when the world feels like it’s moving in the wrong direction, we’re called to help move it toward something better. Because even the smallest things we do can add up to make a big difference.
Faith isn’t just about what we believe. It’s about how we live, how we treat one another, and what we’re willing to give of ourselves.
And perhaps that’s where hope begins—not in waiting for someone else to fix the world, but in the small, everyday ways we choose love over indifference, courage over silence, and compassion over contempt.
Today, Father Jamie calls us to give ourselves fully to God, speak up when authority fails to protect human dignity, and help build a world shaped by justice, mercy, and love.
13 min
October 18Music Series: Ever We Praise You, Go the Distance, Pilgrim 10.18.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
Ever We Praise You
Go the Distance
Pilgrim
Today, Old St. Pat's Music Ministry will travel to Rome on a pilgrimage of faith, music, and worship, led by Music Director Mark Scozzafave, Associate Director Dominic Trumfio, and Fr. Pat McGrath. The choir will sing at Mass at St. Peter's Basilica on October 20 and celebrate a Mass and concert at the Church of St. Ignatius on October 22, sharing music by Palestrina, Mozart, Bruckner, Liam Lawton, and Mark Miller. As our choir and Fr. Pat carry the spirit and song of Old St. Pat's to the heart of the Eternal City, please keep them in your prayers for a meaningful, safe, and grace-filled pilgrimage. May God guide and bless the Old St. Pat’s Music ministry!
14 min
October 13 More Than Crossing the Finish Line - Fr. Pat McGrath 10.11.26
Yesterday in Chicago, thousands of runners laced up their sneakers and ran 26.2 miles through the neighborhoods of our city. Each runner answered a call to run the race—whether it was a formal invitation from an organization, a friend who encouraged them to sign up, or a deeper invitation from their own heart and soul.
They showed up in the right gear, embraced the challenge, and pushed through the heat, sweat, and maybe even a few tears to cross that finish line. And along the way? More than a million and a half spectators cheering them on! The energy is electric, the emotions are real, and for one incredible day, we’re reminded of something beautiful: we’re all part of a human family, here to encourage one another through life’s challenging races.
And the runners cross that finish line transformed. Yes, they might have been physically exhausted, but there was also an indescribable feeling—the pride of knowing they did it, and the gratitude of knowing they weren’t alone on the journey.
Now, a marathon isn’t for everyone. But we all have our own marathons in life: the marathon of finding a new job, navigating a difficult workplace, completing a graduate or PhD program, or making it through the beautiful, exhausting adventure of parenthood. And whether we’re running a physical marathon or a spiritual one, we’re not meant to be the same people at the finish line as we were at the start.
God invites us to let those journeys shape us into people of greater love, understanding, and patience—and to recognize when someone running alongside us could use a little encouragement of their own. Because really, who doesn’t love a little cheer from the sidelines?
Today, Father Pat McGrath reminds us that the journey of faith calls us to more than simply accepting God’s invitation or crossing the starting line. It calls us to let the experience transform us—and to become the kind of people who help others along the way.
14 min
October 11Music Series: Panis Angelicus, I Will Be the Vine, Hope Will Not Fail 10.11.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
Panis Angelicus
I Will Be the Vine
Hope Will Not Fail
10 min
October 06 Free Enough to Trust - Fr. Pat McGrath 10.4.26
Is there anything you’re worried about right now? Chances are, there’s probably at least one thing on the list but the more important question is, can we be worried without letting it become all consuming?
Can we acknowledge the part of us that’s scared, concerned, or trying to figure everything out—and at the same time, stay grounded in God and in faith and still take a step forward?
Faith doesn’t mean we’ll never worry. The worry can be there. But it doesn’t have to be the part of us making all the decisions.
So we can acknowledge the worry, and we can also listen to the part inside that reminds us: God is here, I’m not alone, and I don’t have to figure everything out today.
And maybe that’s what spiritual freedom looks like—not being completely free from worry, but becoming free enough to trust that part that whispers God is with us in whatever we’re facing.
Today, Father Pat McGrath teaches us how to stand strong in our faith in a world filled with anxiety—both within us and around us.
16 min
September 29 The School of Humility - Fr. Pat McGrath 9.27.26
Have you ever walked into a party with so much on your mind that you were physically there—but weren't really present? Maybe you were rehearsing what you wanted to say in your head while someone else was trying to tell you something important. Or you were so focused on getting noticed that you missed someone else quietly feeling left out. Or maybe you were so busy trying to impress the person in front of you that you didn't notice you were disappointing the person beside you. It happens to all of us. Sometimes our worries, our insecurities, our fears, or simply everything happening inside of us can take up so much space that we have a little less room for the people around us. And that's where humility comes in.
Humility isn't thinking less of yourself. It's simply becoming a little less focused on yourself—and a little more available to the people in front of you. Instead of immediately thinking, “How could they do this to me?” humility creates enough space to wonder, “I wonder what's happening for them?” And perhaps that's why Pope Leo has spoken about the Church as a “school of humility”—a place where we practice this together, learning to step outside of ourselves so we can encounter one another more deeply.
Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to enroll at the school of humility. Not to make ourselves smaller, but to become a little more open, a little more curious, and a little more available—to God, to one another, and to love.
16 min
September 22 Compare and Despair - Fr. Pat McGrath 9.20.26
Our human nature has a funny way of keeping score. We compare our pay, the number of likes on our post, our professional opportunities, our clothes, where we live —even the love we think we're receiving—and when something seems out of balance, we can hear that little voice inside say, “Hey…that’s not fair.”
And underneath that feeling of unfairness can be something even more tender: Maybe I’m falling behind. Maybe I’m not enough. Maybe they’re more valued than I am. Maybe I’m not loved as much. There’s a reason they say, “Compare and despair.” Because the more we measure ourselves against others, the harder it can be to recognize the extravagant love that is already being given to us. And perhaps that’s why God’s generosity can be so difficult for us to understand. God doesn’t love according to our earthly calculations of who deserves what. God’s mercy is bigger than our scorekeeping. His love is wildly generous. Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to wrestle with that truth—and then take it one step further: having received God’s extravagant love and forgiveness, to then imitate that same generosity with others.
14 min
September 15 Become Forgiveness - Fr. Jack Wall 9.13.26
Have you ever noticed how the past can sometimes feel strangely present? Someone says something that hurt you ten years ago—and suddenly, there you are again. You can hear their voice, feel the sting, and remember exactly what happened. So how do we forgive when the hurt still feels so real?
Maybe forgiveness begins by turning toward the part of us inside that is still hurting and saying:
“I see you and you don’t have to carry this alone anymore.”
Because forgiveness isn't about forgetting, pretending it didn't happen, or putting yourself in a position to be hurt again. Forgiveness can have boundaries. It's saying, “What happened wasn't okay—and I'm still choosing love.”
When we can offer compassion to the wounded parts of ourselves, we can begin to loosen our grip, make room for healing, and even find greater compassion for the wounded parts of others. Because forgiveness isn't a single moment when we suddenly say, “I'm over it.”
It's a journey of remembering and releasing, protecting ourselves while opening our hearts again and discovering that the hurt doesn't have to define us.
Today, Father Jack Wall teaches us that if we want to know forgiveness, we must become forgiveness—and that means doing the inner work so that our hearts of peace and love can become bigger than the hurt.
19 min
September 13Music Series: O Breathe on Me O Breath of God, If Today, On Our Pilgrim Journey 9.13.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
O Breathe on Me, O Breath of God
If Today
On Our Pilgrim Journey (Mark Scozzafave)
10 min

About Old St. Pat's Podcast

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Old St. Patrick's is a Roman Catholic community in Chicago's bustling West Loop neighborhood, founded by Irish Immigrants on Easter morning in 1846. Since then we have grown into a home to a…