Talking Catholic

Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King! The rallying cry for the Cristeros who sacrificed their lives in defense of religious freedom, this phrase was uttered by the youngest of the revolutionaries, 15 year-old Jose Sanchez del Rio, just before his brutal death in 1928 at the hands of the oppressive Mexican government. On the now-saint’s feast day, Laurie and Pete unpack the courageous life of this martyr, and how his fight for the Catholic faith can inspire anyone, young and old, to stand up for the truth of the Gospel. Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio, Patron Saint of Children and Persecuted Christians, pray for us!

Love and Marriage, love and marriage go together….in a podcast? This week, Mike and Pete visit the lovely home of Kathy and Michael O’Callaghan for a matrimony-themed episode of Talking Catholic. In conjunction with the upcoming National Marriage Week, from Feb. 7-14 (http://www.foryourmarriage.org/celebrate-national-marriage-week/), our two hosts speak with the couple on their 22+ years of marriage and how their faith has helped them navigate together through the storms of life, the values they try to instill in their three children, the importance of a dedicated prayer life, and how communication makes a happy union. The hosts also try to push Kathy to share stories on her younger brother, Father Robert Sinatra, as Mike and Pete realize they’ve had the wrong Sinatra sibling on the show for the past two years.

This week Mike and Pete are joined by four fantastic Catholic young adults from NET Ministries - Christian Peres, Cecilia Peyton, Joe Bartley, and Casey Buenzli. The group talks about about the retreats they have been offering throughout the northeast United States, most recently in the Diocese of Camden.

NET Ministries challenges young Catholics to love Christ and embrace the life of the Church. Every August, 175 young Catholics aged 18-28 leave behind their jobs, school, family, and friends to devote nine months to serving with the National Evangelization Teams (NET).

Divided into 16 teams, they travel across the U.S. for nine months to share the Gospel with young people and their families.

Our chat with these young people is fantastic, only derailed once by the podcast’s longest and angriest digression ever (32:12 mark), an attempt to inform our midwestern guests where to get their first cheesesteak - Pat’s/Geno’s/Jim’s/Steve’s (the classic’s suggested by Mike) versus Donkey’s (the avant-garde suggested by Pete).

To learn more about NET ministries, go to: http://www.netusa.org/

It's another edition of Talking Saints!

“The things that we love tell us what we are.” These were just ten of the thousands of words attributed to Saint Thomas Aquinas, influential Doctor of the Church, Dominican friar, theologian, and philosopher. On his feast day on this Monday, Laurie Power and Pete Sanchez kick off a new year of “Talking Saints” with a look at the life and work of this incredible 13th Century thinker who still guides Church doctrine and thought through this present age. Laurie and Pete also share stories on his privileged upbringing, the attempts of his family to dissuade him from a religious life, what he thought about boring people, and the origins of his school nickname “The Dumb Ox.”

“Lord, you inspired Saint Thomas Aquinas with an ardent desire for holiness and study of sacred doctrine. In his example, may we understand and live the truth of Christ. Amen.”

This episode of Talking Catholic is a real treat. We sat down with Donna Ottaviano Britt, the lively Director of Missionary Discipleship for the Diocese of Camden and the head of the steering committee for the upcoming Convocation of Catholic Leaders: The Joy of the Gospel in South Jersey. Donna explains how this event came to be, what Bishop Dennis Sullivan and the steering committee are hoping comes from it, and what the delegations from all the parishes of the diocese can expect to encounter at the March 25-28 conference in Atlantic City.

We also talk to Donna about what brought her to where she is today, what keeps her motivated and how she maintains her spirituality.

As thousands prepare to converge in Washington, D.C. at the March for Life this Friday, to stand up for the beauty and dignity of every human life, Pete and Mike welcome two women working to build up a culture of life in South Jersey: Mary Anne Barlowe, President, and Claire Howson, Secretary/Treasurer, of Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, a nonprofit organization based in Cherry Hill that provides support, mentoring, programs, and hope for pregnant mothers. To find out more about their work, visit https://www.helpersnj.org/

After 101 episodes, Mike missed his first episode (feel better, pal). Don't despair though, Pete got a co-host upgrade this week in the person of Marianela Nunez, Director of Latino Enrollment for the Office of Catholic Schools in the Diocese. The duo speak with friend of the show, Dr. Bill Watson, Director of Curriculum and Assessment for the schools office. They chat about the good work that’s happening in today’s South Jersey Catholic Schools, and the difference a Catholic school can make in youth’s lives - think of it as a pre-show for Catholic Schools Week at the end of this month. Pete and Bill also trade hot takes on the Phillies offseason and the upcoming Eagles playoff game and Marianela gushes about the new addition to her family during the holidays (hint: woof, woof!).

Mike and Pete spend Friday night hanging out in Vineland with enthusiastic young adults from Catholic Millennial Ministry: co-founder Jose Rodriguez, Star Martinez, Anthony Lopez, Ashley Gonzalez, and Erik Leon. These five dynamic souls of the young church are passionate about the benefit of this ministry, which is part of the city-wide Vineland Catholic Collaborative - comprised of the parishes of Christ the Good Shepherd, Divine Mercy, and Saint Padre Pio. With our hosts, the guests share how the ministry began, the tight-knit, but welcoming family the ministry has become, and their hopes for young adults and the church.

It’s the 100th episode!!!!

Recorded live at the Collegium Center in Haddon Heights, NJ, in front of 50 of of our favorite listeners, friends and family, Mike and Pete were joined by:

Father Robert Sinatra, pastor of Padre Pio Parish

Laurie Power, Director of Evangelization and Discipleship at Christ the Redeemer Parish

Father Chris Mann, Pastor, Christ the Redeemer Parish

Sister Agnes and Sister Chiara, Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal

Gabi Marigliano, Stockton University Catholic Campus Ministry

Marianela Nunez, Diocese of Camden School’s Office

Kevin Hickey, Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden

Greg Coogan, Diocese of Camden Youth & Young Adult

Alison Filion, Stockton University Catholic Campus Ministry

and a performance from local musicians Forgotten Truth.

It’s a great couple of hours celebrating the fun we’ve had on the podcast, talking about how we live our lives as Catholics and what we see for the future.

We hope you’ve enjoyed these last 100 episodes and we look forward to providing you with many more! Thanks for listening!

How much do you REALLY know about the Talking Catholic hosts? 🤔 For episode 99 we turn The Vault's table on Mike and Pete making THEM the interviewees. Special guest hosts Mary McCusker from Catholic Charities, Maria D'Antonio from the Communications Department, and Mary Beth Peabody from the Schools Office grill the duo about the podcast, their reflections on the highs and lows of this past year, and what’s in store for future episodes and series. Enjoy this Christmas treat!