Saints for Slackers

St. Bernadette was the humble saint of Lourdes who loved to unite with Christ's suffering. She was called to reveal the Immaculate Conception by Mary. After, she lived a hidden life in a convent, where she practiced simplicity and uniting her sufferings with those of Christ. She reminds us that whenever we’re in need, turn to our "mama" in heaven and rest in her arms peacefully.

Our podcaster today is Michelle Hillaert. Michelle was the slacker, a.k.a. saint-in-training, who brought us the legendary St. Faustina in Episode 6. So, if you missed that, including her proper introduction by my sister, Lisa, then get your boot in a scoot and catch up on your podcasts, Slacker! 

And while you’re at it, go follow Michelle and Trent Hillaert’s podcast, Catholic Family Uncorked, also on Spotify. Plus, more beautiful saints and inspiration through Michelle’s new outreach at Woman Genius on Facebook and Instagram. 

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-bernadette/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; Teammate/podcaster Michelle Hillaert; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Ignatius of Loyola reminds us of the call to live our faith amidst life's struggles. Julie’s reflection today on St. Ignatius reminds us of the desire to live out what God calls us to—total dependence on Him and appreciating the true gift of our faith. A gift that means we are never alone. St. Ignatius and Julie both remind us that our growth in faith, hope, and love are part of our daily journey through life.

Our guest podcaster today is Julie Mouton. Julie is a social worker who has a passion for helping others. She appreciates faith, family, friends, and the simple pleasures in life. Julie has two dogs – aka ”double trouble”— that she calls the woof pack. She is grateful for everything that she has, and the one thing that she does count is the many blessings God has granted her.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-ignatius-of-loyola/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; Guest podcaster Julie Mouton; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Catherine Laboure had a special mission from Mary. Mary appeared to this young woman, charging her with the special missions of spreading devotion to the Immaculate Conception and wearing the Miraculous Medal. Although St. Catherine was chosen for this mission, she humbly kept it a secret until her last moments on earth.

Our guest podcaster today is Caroline Kennedy. Caroline is a 16-year-old junior at Kingwood High School. She is a varsity player for her high school volleyball and basketball team and an active member of the Health Occupational Students of America and National Honor Society.

Outside of her high school commitments, Caroline loves being involved as a discipleship team leader for St Martha Catholic Church. As a discipleship team member, Caroline helps guide small group discussions for teens preparing for the Sacrament of Confirmation. Caroline first began volunteering for her church as one of the lead technology individuals that manage the PowerPoint slides for the Lifeteen Mass and music ministry. She has attended several Archdiocese Youth Conferences in Houston and volunteered at the SHINE (Serving Him In the Needy and Elderly) high school camp in McAllen, TX for two different summers.

Throughout her middle and high school career, Christian music has always woken her love of Christ. One of her first Christian concerts was a variety of artists including Toby Mac, Matt Maher, MercyMe, Hillsong UNITED, and for King & Country.

Caroline has a strong devotion to Our Lady and recently counted over 20 rosaries that she has been given as gifts or received while attending conferences. One of these days she hopes to learn to make rosaries as a reflective prayer and relaxing hobby.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-catherine-laboure/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; Guest podcaster Caroline Kennedy; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Christopher was an early Christian committed to following Christ to the end. We can all relate to St. Christopher's thirst for more, to find our ultimate meaning and purpose in life. He eventually found it in Christ, and He served His king to the end, and to the point of death! Legend tells us this saint carried the child Jesus across a raging river! 

Our guest podcaster today is Charlie Jardine. Charlie is currently a Senior at St. Thomas High School looking to study Philosophy and Theology at Franciscan University. He is the captain of the St Thomas’ Rugby Team and a member of the school’s Pro-Life club. Charlie is also heavily involved in St. Martha’s Parish youth group, being both of the high school and middle school ministry teams. He also runs his own Podcast A Catholic Guy’s thoughts where he talks about his faith experience and gives a catholic youth perspective on the world!

Charlie has lived overseas in Nigeria and Angola for four years of his life and experienced backlash and oppression for his faith in a predominantly atheist community. And although he was not perfect in persevering through these trials, he soon found an intimate relationship with God and has never turned back since.

Charlie is very passionate about sports, cooking, and God! At most all times you can find him doing one of the three either watching or playing sports, cooking or learning to cook something, or growing deeper in his faith.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-christopher/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; Guest podcaster Chris Jardine; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Joseph, the Foster-father of Jesus, Dedicated Spouse to Mary, and Patron of the Universal Church. Meet the man chosen to father, protect, teach and love the Messiah of the world. Marty Hebert shares with us just how special this powerful man is, the saint chosen to care for the Infant Jesus and His Holy Mother. And St. Joseph's work is not done! He eagerly awaits us to ask Him for His help and protection for all of our needs.

Our guest podcaster today is Marty Hebert. Marty is the happily married husband of Ann, and they have four wonderful children. They reside in Abbeville, Louisiana, and are parishioners at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church.

He is the Director of Marketing and Development for Magnificat Travel, where they are all about "Taking Pilgrims to Holy Places"! Marty is also involved in athletics management at John Paul the Great Academy and serves on the board of the Association of Christian Educators of Louisiana athletic league. He enjoys traveling on pilgrimage, reading about the saints, fishing, and sports.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-joseph/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; Marty Hebert; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Edith Stein was a saint who inspires our courage amidst life's most difficult moments.

Learn how after giving up her faith, this remarkable woman made her way back to God, a convent, and martyrdom at the hand of the Nazis. Listen as John shares about the miraculous journey of St. Edith Stein — from Jewish roots to no faith in God at all, she finds her way to Catholicism, religious life and ultimately sacrificing her life for her commitment to God. 

Our guest podcaster today is John Brahier. John teaches high school math and theology and enjoys engaging students in dialogue about their faith to introduce them to the richness of the Catholic Church. He is married to Annie and has a one-year-old son named Stephen. John created his own Apple podcast, “The Lamb and the Scroll,” for parents of his students so that they could follow along with what they’re learning in class. They are short and power-packed with inspiration as well – so go give those a listen. 

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-edith-stein/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Patrick is the saint we think we know for the Irish, beer, and four-leaf clovers—who many of us don’t really know at all. Patrick was an unlearned, kidnapped, and unreligious man who overcame the odds and achieved great things for Christ. First off, St. Patrick wasn't even Irish! He was kidnapped by Irish raiders in Britain. But St. Patrick didn't allow this setback, along with his lack of education or religious upbringing, to stop him from doing what God called him to do. 

Our guest podcaster today is Patrick Sullivan. Patrick Sullivan is a Catholic Speaker and the President of Evango, a Catholic Media Organization that seeks to build a culture of Catholic evangelization and missionary discipleship. Patrick travels internationally to speak at Catholic events, parenting conferences, and to lead retreats and parish renewal missions. His new groundbreaking Catholic Parenting program, “Me & My House” has been streamed on Shalom World Tv, and is available on Formed. Patrick draws on his rich educational experience as well as his work in Catholic catechesis and evangelization to inspire the faithful in all walks of life to know, to love, and to live their Catholic faith. Patrick lives in beautiful Barry’s Bay, Ontario with his loving wife, Kyla, and their nine children.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-patrick/

Learn more about Evango + follow here:

Evango site: https://www.evango.net/

Parenting Site: https://www.meandmyhouse.net/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/evango.net

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/catholicministrytv

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; teammates Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Lawrence was infamous as a radical follower of Christ...to the point where he eagerly awaited his martyrdom of being cooked on a grill, which he was sentenced to by the Roman Emperor Valerian in 2nd century Rome. Lawrence is a saint who puts us all to the test with his ability to suffer radically for Jesus - to the point of a slow and tortuous death.

He's been called the "Ragin' Cajun I.T Guru from down on the Bayou.” Ben Boudreaux has been married to his sweetheart Joy (who you heard talking about St. Veronica earlier) for almost 26 years. His varied 27-year career in computers has taken him from banks to business computer agencies to travel agencies, insurance companies, construction companies, and even a few Fortune 500 companies, but his primary and favorite vocation is that of husband and "daddy-man", as his kids call him. He enjoys video games, wood-burning crafts, and being outdoors working on small construction projects. He also gets a kick out of the shocked look on most people's faces when they learn that he and his wife are parents to fifteen kids! He's quick with a dad-joke and on most weekends, can be found working his magic on a bbq pit or on a giant pot of chicken and pork jambalaya. Without any more ado, here is Red Bird Ministries' very own... Ben Boudreaux.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-lawrence/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; teammates Ben Boudreaux, Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Hildegard was a true renaissance woman who enjoyed the fruits of a rich life in God, the creative arts, science and more. If you're looking for a saint to crush on—St. Hildegard is an easy one! While this woman encountered a desire to enter religious life at 15 years old, she pursued a full life inside and outside of the convent. She had visions, wrote music and poetry, and treatises on medicine and natural history, she loved baking, traveled and evangelized, AND - she is one of the only FOUR female doctors of the Catholic Church! She was a saint whose rich life helped her better fathom the mysterious relationship between God and humanity.

Emma Pourciau is a dynamic teen allowing the Lord to take the lead in her life. She is passionate about empowering young women to embrace their feminine genius role through truth, dignity and purity.

Emma is a Breaux Bridge native, attends John Paul the Great Academy, and is a Red Bird Ministries team member. In her free time, she can be found serving her church parish, leading a girls group in her school community and actively participating in her local St. Martin Parish 4-H Junior Leader Club. Emma has a love for dance, good food, good conversation and seeks all things true and just in the eyes of God. Emma desires to pursue a career in journalism or medical research.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-hildegard/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; teammates Emma, Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; Karla Alfaro, and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.

St. Joseph of Cupertino was a simple, holy, and greatly misunderstood friar. A man who encountered rejection, accusation, and skepticism from his peers—he reached the heights of holiness and union with God, as manifested in frequent ecstasies and even levitating in prayer and at Mass. A holy man, St. Joseph of Cupertino was misjudged by others but elevated to great heights by God.

Bridget Holtz is a deep-thinking compassionate caregiver with a love for color, culture, travel, kindness, and the encouraging word. She has been called to seek out and serve the lost, vulnerable, broken, and oppressed. A pediatric nurse, she’s worked in numerous inpatient and outpatient settings, and with the underserved domestically and internationally, and carries a particular call to stand with the impoverished in all capacities. Bridget currently lives in Austin, TX with her dogs, Nigel and Callie.

Read more about today's featured podcaster and saint here: https://www.littlewithgreatlove.com/st-joseph-of-cupertino/

This podcast is sponsored by: Littlewithgreatlove.com + Redbird.love.

Special thanks to slacker, Jeff Sanchez, for voiceover work; teammates Bridget Holtz, Danielle Knight & Alyssa Sanchez; and musician Rev. Dr. Martin Lohrmann.