Plugged In - The Official Podcast for JSerra Catholic High School

Steve Minnis took over a struggling Catholic college with not much more than a lot of vision and a lot of prayer. Twenty years later, Benedictine College has made its mark as one of the top Catholic schools of higher education in America. In this candid podcast, President Minnis shares the three major decisions recent sociological findings show young people make while in college and explains why some colleges have a better influence on those three decisions than others. You don’t want to miss Steve Minnis’ experience-driven wisdom and his practical college-application-worthy advice.

Mother Assumpta and Sister Joseph Andrew, two of the four foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, join the podcast to talk about the beauty of Catholic education and what makes their Sisters so apt for teaching in and transforming Catholic schools not only in theology classrooms but in every discipline. The Sisters explain what makes Catholic education so essential today and why religious sisters as spiritual mothers have a unique charism for leading young people to Jesus Christ, the ultimate goal and purpose of Catholic schools.

Mother Mary Assumpta Long, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and the former (and first) prioress general of the order, ensuring the sisters' spiritual, physical, and educational needs were met. She was a driving force behind the founding of the order in 1997 and led the community for nearly 25 years. She has a STL in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She has also taught at the elementary, secondary, and junior college levels. 

Sr. Joseph Andrew is one of the four founders of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan and serves as Vocations Director of the community. Sister Joseph Mary lectures on topics related to religious life and theology, speaking at youth conferences, parishes, and on Catholic radio and social media to high school and university students, religious women, priests, and seminarians alike.

According to Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, Catholic Education is distinct not only in that it offers classes in theology or “religion.” Integration of the curricular and co-curricular is the true hallmark of Catholicism. That means that in Catholic schools – and especially Catholic universities – the goal should be much more than skills building for a future profession and even more than character formation. The ultimate purpose of Catholic education is to guide students into a deeper recognition and understanding of God’s revelation of the true, good, and beautiful across all disciplines and in every arena of human life. Dr. Kilpatrick articulates this and discloses the unique way that the Catholic University of America executes on this noble educational venture.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Dr. Peter K. Kilpatrick was appointed president of The Catholic University of America in March 2022 and took office on July 1, 2022. His prior roles are numerous. He served as provost and senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Illinois Institute of Technology and previously as professor and McCloskey Dean of Engineering for ten years at the University of Notre Dame. He launched Notre Dame’s first joint Ph.D. program with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, later expanding to programs with universities in Brazil and Hungary. 

Dr. Kilpatrick also served on the faculty of North Carolina State University in chemical engineering for 24 years, from 1983 to 2007, the last eight-plus years as the department head. Dr. Kilpatrick also served as the founding director of the North Carolina Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center.

He is the author of more than 100 refereed journal articles in the areas of colloid and interfacial science, emulsion science, and molecular self assembly, particularly as they apply to energy and to bioseparations. His work has been cited more than 5,300 times and he holds or shares 12 patents.

He received his A.B. in chemistry from Occidental College (summa cum laude) in 1978 and his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He and his wife, Nancy, are the parents of four adult children. 

From Florida to Los Angeles, from public schools to private, school cell phone bans are on the rise. Is this just fear mongering? Is there any sound evidence to support radical school policies such as secure cell phone lockers for all students? Dr. Leonard Sax and his 17-year old daughter, Sarah,s share their opinion on no-cell-phone zones and answer the most common objections from students, parents, and teachers.

Cara Morales returns to the JSerra podcast studio, this time to share with parents of teen and tween girls the causes of and solutions to a growing social epidemic: mean girls. Having spoken to the entire JSerra female student population, Cara shares her approach to reaching the hearts of young women who are often both suffering from and contributing to the mean girl culture. In her trademark manner, Cara analyzes some of the major causes of the sharp spike in nastiness among young female teens with laser-like precision and offers insights that can help parents and educators curb this ever-growing American phenomenon.

In his sixth appearance on the podcast, Dr. Leonard Sax takes on what it means for parents to be the first and most important educators of their children. “Kids are not born knowing what’s right and what’s wrong,” attests Dr. Sax. Accordingly, parents serve the foundational role in the life of their sons and daughters of teaching them how to live well, that is, how to live virtuously. As always, Dr. Sax offers insights that will embolden parents of adolescents and younger children alike to embrace the primacy of their God-given role as their kids’ most necessary and respected role models, while suggesting practical tips for shaping the minds and hearts of their sons and daughters with confidence.

Adolescence does not end when young men and women go off to college. In a sense, their education for life has only just begun. That’s why it is crucial to send our sons and daughters to universities that understand how to complete the comprehensive education they need to live a flourishing life. Join University of Dallas President Jonathan J. Sanford as he talks to parents about the essential role the college years play in forming young men and women of virtue, and what makes some Catholic colleges and universities more suited for that than others.

Every parent and every educator who has tried knows that getting teenagers interested in daily prayer requires perseverance and a commitment to the long game. Getting Gen Z-ers to put down the cell phones and turn to contemplation makes that task even more daunting. Now they don’t have to give up one for the other. Hear Hallow App co-founder, Alessandro DiSanto, walk us through the genius of the technology that is marrying social media and the interior life and helping millions to return to Christ through prayer. Alessandro explains the personal crises that led him and two friends to begin seeking God at a deeper level, why he believes they were able to create a platform that would resonate with over 14 million subscribers, and the warp speed with which Hallow has taken not only the Catholic world, but the digital world by storm.

“You don’t build the house; you give them the foundation.” In this inspiring podcast, the “Dynamic Deacon” and father of five outlines practical tips for how to build your sons’ and daughters’ spiritual muscle memory. Engaging, entertaining, deep, and practical!

Listen to Deacon Harold, the “Dynamic Deacon,” as he coaches parents in concrete ways to lay the foundation for their sons’ and daughters’ growth in personal maturity. Pulling from talking points he shared the evening before in his presentation to JSerra parents, Deacon extrapolates on: What ;”e Church means when it calls parents “educators”; the importance of one-on-one time with children as well as weekly family time; modelling Christ-like behavior; taking full advantage of “teachable moments”; and the what and the why of discipline in the life of our kids. You will walk away from this conversation edified, inspired, and full of ideas for how to be the primary educator your children need… and God made you to be!

In this second part of our series on, “Parents as Primary Educators,” Catholic school leader, Debbie Nearmeyer, shares some basics on how to move forward confidently in our vocation as mothers and fathers.

In this second episode of “Parents as Primary Educators,” mother of five and Vice President of Faith and Mission, Debbie Nearmeyer, elucidates with detail the meaning of being a “primary educator.” With gentleness, depth, and humor, Debbie explains what it means to educate in the real sense of the word , while sharing examples from home and school life that serve to make the task realistically accessible. Tune in to this month’s podcast and hear how Debbie steers parents towards success and fulfillment in their number one vocation.