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

May 20, 2025 Threshold Moments - Fr. Jack Wall 5.18.25
It’s that time of year when caterpillars complete their quiet transformation and emerge as something new - butterflies, ready to spread their wings and fly. We have moments like that, too. Times when life reaches out and invites us to become something new—to lead, to serve, to show up in ways we never have before.
These are threshold moments. Turning points that call us to step forward with courage and faith. Just like when Bob Prevost stepped through the doors of St. Peter’s and emerged no longer as Robert Prevost, but as Pope Leo—a new name, a new calling, a new life of mission and love. But this isn’t just his story. It’s ours, too. We are invited into something deeper, braver, and more purposeful. Today, Father Jack Wall reflects on these sacred moments—and leaves us with one question: Will you step through the door?
20 min
May 18, 2025Music Series: If Today, No One Is Alone, Spirit of Life 5.18.25
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
If Today
No One Is Alone
Spirit of Life
10 min
May 13, 2025 I'm Right Here - Katie Owens 5.11.25
Today, we celebrate the unwavering love of mothers—and the ways their care mirrors the steadfast, unconditional love of God. A mother’s voice, her presence, her quiet strength—these are often the first ways we come to know what it means to be loved without condition.So today, please enjoy a special Mother’s Day reflection by Katie Owens.
12 min
May 11, 2025A Mother's Day Music Episode: Hail Mary, Blessed One, Ave Maria 5.11.25
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
Hail Mary / Gentle Woman
Blessed One
Ave Maria
13 min
May 06, 2025 A Story of Mercy & Second Chances - Fr. Pat McGrath 5.4.25
Have you ever felt like you messed up so badly that there was no coming back? Like you disappointed someone—or even God—so deeply that forgiveness felt impossible? This past Sunday, we heard the story of one of the most powerful moments of mercy: when the risen Jesus meets Peter, the same Peter who denied even knowing him, and offers not punishment but restoration. Three times Peter said, “I don’t know him.” And three times, Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” Not to shame him, but to heal him.
In today’s episode, Father Pat McGrath brings this moment to life with a reminder we all need: that Jesus meets us in our failure and gives us another chance, even when we struggle to forgive ourselves.
14 min
May 04, 2025Music Series: So Are You To Me, The Clouds' Veil, Love Endures 5.4.25
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
So Are You To Me
The Clouds' Veil
Love Endures
7 min
April 29, 2025 Liberating Mercy - Fr. Pat McGrath 4.27.25
Today, we’re talking about fear—the kind of fear that doesn’t just make us nervous, but locks us up. Fear can freeze us in place, tangle us up in knots, paralyze us, and make us feel like we’re letting ourselves and others down. It’s easy to get stuck, to feel stagnant and shut away from the life we’re meant to live.
And often, we put pressure on ourselves to work up the courage or force ourselves to move forward, thinking it’s all on us. But here’s the truth: we don’t have to carry that burden alone. We are not alone. We have each other and God is always with us—and God will heal our hearts.
Even Pope Francis, whose life we remember with deep gratitude, knew what it was like to be trapped by fear. He tasted fear firsthand—and he knew what it meant to be healed by the mercy of God. His story reminds us: feeling frozen isn’t the end of the story. Mercy is.
When fear binds us, Jesus’s mercy is ready to untie the knots, to settle our restless hearts, and to break the chains that keep us from moving forward. God’s mercy doesn’t just set us free—it frees us for something: for our mission, for our calling, for the life we’re meant to live.
Today, Father Pat McGrath leads us deeper into the truth that God’s Mercy liberates and heals.
18 min
April 27, 2025Music Series: O Love, How Beautiful, I Will Lift My Eyes 4.27.25
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
O Love
How Beautiful
I Will Lift My Eyes
15 min
April 22, 2025 Hope Is Gritty: Living Resurrection Now - Fr. Ed Foley 4.20.25
We begin today’s episode with a moment of reverence and gratitude for Pope Francis. As the world mourns his death, we remember his unwavering dedication to the Church, the poor, migrants, and the environment, his witness of humility, and his call for mercy and justice. Today, we carry his legacy in prayer and purpose.
Now more than ever, we are called to be people of hope. Hope is not a vague wish or sunny optimism. It’s not about looking away from pain or pretending everything’s fine. No, hope is gritty. Hope—real hope—is contagious—an infection of well-being. If we choose to practice resurrection, it will ripple outward for the salvation of the world.
And resurrection? It’s not just a mystery about the future—it's relentless about calling us to live differently in the present.
Christ’s resurrection happened once, for all time. But Easter isn’t a date we flip to on the calendar. It’s a spirituality—a daily way of being.
There has never been a resurrection without a walk through the cemetery. If you’ve known grief, been broken open, stood at the edge of something you thought might destroy you, then you’ve also stood at the doorway of resurrection. And with hope, you don’t just believe in it. You live it now. In today’s episode, Father Ed Foley asks us to be a people of hope, not someday but now.
19 min
April 20, 2025Happy Easter 2025!
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
Happy Easter! The featured songs today are:
Hallelujah Chorus
How Can I Keep From Singing?
To Where You Are
13 min

About Old St. Pat's Podcast

From the publisher's feed

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…