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

February 15Music Series: From Now On, Seasons of Love, Lullaby of Broadway 2.15.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
From Now On - The Greatest Showman
Seasons of Love - Rent
Lullaby
11 min
February 10 Fixer-Upper Faith: The DIY Path to Joy - Fr. Pat McGrath 2.8.26
In order to renovate a house, you need the new blueprint, the vision… and then you start digging the foundation for the addition—maybe with a shovel or a backhoe.
Next comes framing—but you don’t just hammer and hope for the best. You grab a level, a saw, and a measuring tape. You make sure the structure is level, solid and ready to stand.
Blue print. Measuring tape. Shovel. Level. Saw. Simple tools. Real results.
Now what if creating joy worked the same way? What if deep happiness isn’t mystical or out of reach… but something that can be built with the right tools?
The really good news is that there are shockingly practical tools to create joy: Feed the hungry. Care for the poor. Stand up for the voiceless. Heal the sick. Do the good that’s right in front of you. The path to deep joy isn’t self-protection. It’s care for others. In other words, it’s mercy in motion. And when we live that way, something shifts—not just in the world, but in us. This isn’t sentimental spirituality. It’s radical practicality. It’s fixer-upper faith. So today, Father Pat McGrath hands us tools from the spiritual toolbox—because when mercy and love are put into action, they renovate our lives, transforming what feels worn down into something beautifully restored.
19 min
February 08Music Series: Rejoice Be Glad, I Saw A Stranger, Canticle of the Turning 2.8.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
Rejoice Be Glad
I Saw A Stranger
Canticle of the Turning
13 min
February 03 Polishing the Glass: How God’s Light Shines Through an Open Heart - Fr. Joe Simmons, S.J. 2.1.26
Have you ever seen pictures of—or maybe even stood inside—Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?
It’s one of those places that almost doesn’t feel real. Towering stained-glass windows flood the space with color and light. And when you stand at the center of the chapel and watch that light pour through the glass, something stirs in your soul. You don’t just see it—you feel it.
What makes that beauty even more remarkable is its history. Sainte-Chapelle was built in 1248. It survived the French Revolution, world wars, and centuries of wear and tear. At one point in the 18th century, it was vandalized and even used as a warehouse. The windows became darkened, dirty, and nearly unrecognizable.
But then came restoration—first in the 1800s, and again beginning in 2008, with a painstaking seven-year effort to clean, preserve, and repair the glass. Today, Sainte-Chapelle stands as a jewel once more. The light still shines—but only because the glass was carefully cleared so that the light could pass through.
And in many ways, we are like stained glass. God’s light is always shining—but how clearly it passes through us depends on the condition of our hearts. When our hearts are simple, open, and loving, that light moves through us more freely, more beautifully.
Today, Father Joe Simmons invites us to examine what might be clouding our own glass—and to rediscover the quiet, radiant beauty that emerges when we allow God’s light to shine through us once again. To see images of Sainte-Chapelle, visit: https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en
14 min
February 01Music Series: I Am For You, Gather Us In, Love Endures 2.1.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
I Am For You
Gather Us In
Love Endures
11 min
January 27 Peace: It’s an Inside Job - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.25.26
How many times a day does a thought of fear or irritation toward another person—or even an entire group—pop into your head? And how often does that thought quietly start to become part of who you are?
Picture this: you’re driving along, minding your own business, when a Ford pickup cuts you off. Your shoulders tense, your jaw tightens. Suddenly, it’s not just a bad driver—it’s a Ford F-150. And then the story grows. You decide that all Ford F-150 drivers are terrible.
Before long, every Ford pickup you spot on the road sends your heart racing and gets you worked up… even when they haven’t done anything yet. What started as a split-second moment has now turned into a full-blown narrative—one that adds stress, tension, and a little unnecessary suffering to your daily commute. But what if, the very first time that thought popped up, you caught it—and let it go? What if you realized there’s no link between the type of truck someone drives and how they behave behind the wheel? Odds are, your drive to work would feel a lot more peaceful. And the funny thing is—this little traffic drama is a perfect metaphor for so much more than vehicles.
When we identify too closely with our thoughts—especially thoughts rooted in fear or anger—they begin to shape how we see others. And conflict thrives in that space. The ego wants to be right, to defend itself, to stay in control. Violence and division feed on judgment and “us versus them” thinking. And when those inner divisions take root, they inevitably show up as outer divisions.
But here’s the good news: there’s another way. When we learn to observe our thoughts rather than become them—when we anchor ourselves in the present moment—anger, fear, and judgment begin to lose their grip. From that place of inner peace, we’re able to see others not as threats, but as fellow human beings. This doesn’t mean ignoring injustice or pain. It means responding from love rather than fear. This movement—from inner awareness to outward action—is deeply rooted in the Gospel: when Jesus calls us to repent —to turn inward —to reorient our hearts, this is what He means: to find peace inside. In other words, peace in the world starts as an inside job. So today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to cultivate inner awareness and let love, clarity, and presence guide our actions—so we can become people who bring light into darkness and help heal a divided world.
19 min
January 25Music Episode: Spirit of Life, I The Lord of Sea & Sky, We Have A Dream 1.25.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
Spirit of Life
I The Lord of Sea & Sky
We Have A Dream
14 min
January 21 Say Yes to the Bless - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.18.26
When you receive an invitation to an event or party, it usually arrives in a pretty ordinary way — an email, a text, maybe even a piece of mail. You decide whether to RSVP yes or no. And if you say yes, something shifts. You put it on our calendar. You plan what to wear. You bring a gift, or a dish to share. Then you show up. You engage with fellow attendees. You listen. You participate. And when the event ends, you leave with something new — memories, maybe new friendships, new perspectives. You’re changed, even if only in a small way.
And if the event was especially meaningful, you tell someone about it. You recommend the concert. You post the photos. You share the joy. The experience doesn’t stay with you — it moves through you. In many ways, this is what life with God looks like. God sends us invitations in ordinary ways - through people, through prayer, or through ways we don’t expect. We always have the freedom to decline. But when we say yes and show up with open hearts, we encounter something that changes us. And that kind of encounter is never private. Like John the Baptist and Martin Luther King, those who have seen cannot keep it in. Encounter becomes testimony. Faith becomes mission. To know Christ is to be changed by Christ — and to be sent to speak, to act, and to live differently in response. Today, Father Pat McGrath reflects on how an authentic encounter with God naturally sends us forth — to witness through love and action.
15 min
January 18Music Episode: Light the Fire, How Can I Keep from Singing, Lead Me Guide Me 1.18.26
The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir
The featured songs today are:
Light the Fire
How Can I Keep From Singing
Lead Me, Guide Me
11 min
January 13 Open to the Unexpected - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.11.26
Have you ever noticed how the moments that change us most are rarely the ones we plan for? The events we assume will be meaningful sometimes fall flat, while the ordinary—or completely unexpected—moments can take us by surprise and make a big impression.
After celebrating the story of Jesus’s baptism this past Sunday, we explore the idea that baptism isn’t just something that happened once, long ago. It’s a living identity—a daily invitation to be changed. Baptism reminds us that God doesn’t wait for perfect conditions or polished moments to enter our lives. God meets us in crowded, messy spaces, in lives that are unfinished and complicated. When we loosen our grip on expectations and remain open to the Holy Spirit, those unexpected moments can become holy. Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to reflect on how we can remain open to God, welcome surprises, and allow God to continue shaping us in ways we never imagined.
15 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…