The Engaged Parish Podcast

He couldn't learn Latin — but he mastered a language spoken in only a couple of Guatemalan villages, gave his life for the people he served, and inspired a movie now heading to nearly 900 theaters nationwide.

In this episode of The Engage Parish Podcast, we sit down with Michael and María Ruiz Scaperlanda — María is the author of The Shepherd Who Didn't Run: Blessed Stanley Rother, Martyr from Oklahoma, and together they've spent decades advancing the cause of Blessed Stanley Rother, the first American-born priest recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church.

We talk about how a Catholic-school story their kids brought home turned into a life's work, what made an “ordinary” Oklahoma farm boy resonate with Guatemalan villagers and American parishioners alike, and the remarkable behind-the-scenes story of how Martin Sheen came to narrate — and personally help rewrite — the new documentary American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story, in theaters nationwide English Aug. 25–26 and Spanish Aug. 27, 2026.

Whether you serve at a parish, work in Catholic media, or are simply looking for a story of ordinary faithfulness this week, this conversation will stay with you.

Show Notes / Links

• American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story (Fathom Entertainment): https://www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/american-martyr-the-stanley-rother-story/
• Official film site: https://www.rotherdoc.com
• Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine: https://www.rothershrine.org
• The Shepherd Who Didn't Run by María Ruiz Scaperlanda: https://www.osvcatholicbookstore.com/the-shepherd-who-didn-t-run-blessed-stanley-rother-martyr-from-oklahoma-revised.html
• Carmel Communications (film publicity — group/theater buy-out inquiries): https://carmelcommunications.com

Subscribe to the Engage Parish Podcast for more conversations at the intersection of faith, ministry, and parish life.

Your parish has stories that could change someone's life–you just have to go find them and tell them well.

In this episode of The Engaged Parish Podcast, recorded live at the 2026 Catholic Media Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, host Mike Josephs sits down with Dennis Kellogg, Director of Communications for the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska. After 35 years in broadcast journalism, Dennis brought his storytelling skills into diocesan ministry, and he's using them to help parishioners encounter Christ in the stories of the people around them.

Dennis shares the story of a young girl's miraculous recovery, the last recorded testimony of a convert who was about to lose his voice, the diocese's "Echoes of Faith" project (30 stories in 30 days honoring the faithful departed), and how Bishop James Conley's year-long "humanities syllabus" columns are now becoming a book with Word on Fire. He closes with a simple word of encouragement for every overwhelmed comms director: pick one thing, and do it well.

Subscribe to The Engaged Parish Podcast for more conversations that help parish and diocesan communicators grow in mission and ministry. Available now on Fio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, and YouTube.

Explore digital tools built for your parish's mission at eCatholic.com.

How we earn, spend, save, and give aren't just financial decisions. According to the Church, they're moral ones.

In this episode of The Engaged Parish Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Gabriel X. Martinez, professor of economics and statistics at Ave Maria University, to explore what Catholic Social Teaching actually says about economic life, and what that means for everyday Catholics.

Dr. Martinez teaches "Economics and Catholic Social Teaching," a free course in Ave Maria's Pursuit of Wisdom online series. Drawing from landmark Church documents such as Rerum Novarum and Centesimus Annus, he makes the case that faith and economics are never really separate, and that Catholics are called to bring both together in their daily lives.

In this conversation, we cover: 

• What Catholic Social Teaching is and why most Catholics have barely scratched the surface
• The "divided life" problem: why faith and economic life so often run on separate tracks
• Subsidiarity, solidarity, and the universal destination of goods explained in plain language
• What Rerum Novarum and Centesiums Annus say that still matters today
• An honest assessment of the current economic climate through a faithful lens
• Practical ways Catholics can live out their faith in spending, saving, investing, and work
• Dr. Martinez's free "Economics and Catholic Social Teaching" course and how to access it

Show notes:

• The Pursuit of Wisdom - Free Online Courses from Ave Maria University: https://thepursuitofwisdom.org
• Ave Maria University: https://avemaria.edu
• Contact Dr. Martinez at [email protected]

The Engaged Parish Podcast is produced by eCatholic, the engagement platform of the Catholic Church, built for Catholic parishes, schools, minstries, and dioceses.

Recorded live at the 2026 Catholic Media Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Mike Josephs (eCatholic Director of Marketing) and Brandon Duncan (eCatholic Evangelist) sit down to introduce eCatholic's newest book, The Ministry of the Inbox: The Art of Mastering Parish Email and SMS Communications — the second volume in the Engage series.

In this episode, they cover the temptation every parish faces to send one email to everyone, the "trust deficit" that quietly forms when messages aren't relevant, the power of list segmentation, how to write subject lines that actually get opened, when text messaging should (and shouldn't) be used, and why the liturgical calendar is the Church's built-in content calendar.

📖 Get your free digital copy on our Connect product page, or grab a paperback copy on Amazon.

🔗 Free download: https://ecatholic.com/connect🔗 Paperback: https://a.co/d/0bj8rGzP🎧 Subscribe to the Engage Parish Podcast wherever you listen — Fio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or iHeartRadio.

What if a film could lead someone back to the sacraments after thirty or forty years away? That's exactly what's happening across Europe — and now, Sacred Heart: His Reign Has No End is coming to U.S. theaters.

In this episode of The Engage Parish Podcast, we're joined by Hubert de Torcy, Chairman of Saje Distribution, to talk about this powerful new film, the spiritual story behind its creation, and why its June theatrical release in the United States is a moment the Church simply cannot miss.

Hubert shares his own personal encounter with God's love at Paray-le-Monial, the very place where Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque to reveal His Sacred Heart, and how that experience became the foundation for both Saje Distribution and ultimately this film. He also reflects on the fruits already being witnessed: lives transformed, confessions heard after decades, and hearts opened to the love of Christ.

🎬 In Theaters: June 9, 10, 11 & 14(June 10 screening is for Spanish-speaking audiences)Tickets & showtimes through Fathom Events

🗓️ Coincides with:

• The USCCB's Consecration of the United States to the Sacred Heart of Jesus — June 11
• America's 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

⛪ For Parishes — eCatholic VOD:Starting July 10, Sacred Heart: His Reign Has No End will be available for parish screening licenses through eCatholic VOD, our newest platform built specifically for parish communities who want to host screenings in their parish hall, school gym, or any gathering space outside of a movie theater.

🔗 SHOW NOTES & LINKS:

📽️ Film Resources & Ticket Links (Fathom Events): https://ecatholic.com/sacredheart (Free downloadable parish resources available here, e.g., bulletin inserts, posters, promotional materials)

⛪ Host a Parish Screening with eCatholic VOD (starting July 10): https://vod.ecatholic.com

📧 Email us about parish screenings: [email protected]

🌐 Learn more about eCatholic: https://ecatholic.com

What happens when a Silicon Valley engineer, Harvard lecturer, and Catholic priest walks into a business school? He builds one of the most unique programs in Catholic higher education — the Catholic Management Program at The Catholic University of America.

In this episode, we sit down with Father Robert Gahl, Ph.D., to explore how the CMP is forming priests, parish administrators, and diocesan leaders to manage with both excellence and faith.

📚 SHOW NOTES & LINKS

• 🔗 Learn more about the Catholic Management Program: https://cmp.catholic.edu

• 🔗 Contact Father Bob: [email protected]

• 💰 Special offer: Graduate Certificate for $7,500 (normally ~$10,000) — mention eCatholicCMP when applying. Valid through May 31, 2026.

• 🔗 Learn more about eCatholic: https://www.ecatholic.com

What happens when a Catholic parish is nearly closed — and a 17th-century martyr intervenes?

In this special on-location episode of The Engage Parish Podcast, brought to you by eCatholic, we sit down with Father Chris Korcz, pastor of the Shrine of St. Andrew Bobola in Dudley, Massachusetts — the only shrine dedicated to this remarkable saint in the entire United States.

Father Chris shares the full story of how three providential signs during a moment of crisis — a mysterious phone call from Chicago, an unexpected inheritance, and a miraculous healing from cancer during the first-ever novena — led him to ask his bishop to elevate this struggling parish to a diocesan shrine. On May 11, 2025, that became a reality.

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The history and martyrdom of St. Andrew Bobola, a 17th-century Jesuit who died for his faith
• How St. Andrew has appeared and interceded throughout history — and why he's making himself known again
• The three signs Father Chris received that changed the course of his parish
• The story of a parishioner healed from colon cancer during the first novena
• How you can visit, join the anniversary celebrations this May, or watch via live stream
• Resources including a new book and papal encyclical on St. Andrew Bobola

🗓️ First Anniversary Celebrations — May 2025:

• Novena: May 1–3 & May 8–10 (featuring Fr. Mitch Pacwa from EWTN)
• Feast Day Mass: May 16 at noon (celebrant: Bishop Robert McManus, Diocese of Worcester)
• Polish-language celebration: May 17
• All celebrations available via live stream at standrewbobola.com

📖 Resources mentioned:

• The Apparitions of St. Andrew Bobola After His Death — available in English & Polish at standrewbobola.com
• Invicti Athletae— Encyclical by Pope Pius XII, also available at the shrine website

In this episode, host Mike sits down with Brian Shields, a devoted husband and father of nine, and the founder of Lumen Entertainment and the Lumen Institute.

Brian opens up about his early success as a young actor in Hollywood, including booking a role on the HBO series "From Earth to the Moon". Despite his outward success, Brian felt unfulfilled until a life-changing encounter with the Eucharist at a retreat shifted his entire perspective. This profound experience gave him the courage to walk away from a lead role on "Dawson's Creek" after realizing the script promoted immorality to teens.

Today, Brian is dedicated to equipping the next generation of Catholic filmmakers. We discuss his mission at the Lumen Institute to train artists so they don't get chewed up by the secular industry, and why he believes we need a modern "Catholic Renaissance" modeled after the 1500s. Plus, get a sneak peek at his upcoming family comedy film, Race Car Monks, hitting theaters in the spring of 2027!

Show Notes:

• Learn more about Brian's work and the Lumen Institute: lumen.tv
• Follow and support the upcoming film: racecarmonksmovie.com
• Discover how eCatholic can help your parish thrive online: eCatholic.com

Is modern dating broken? Daniel Hussem, co-founder of SacredSpark, believes the current system treats people like products in a "romantic vending machine". Join us as we discuss how he and his wife, Emily Wilson, are using technology to bring humanity, formation, and community back to Catholic dating.

In this episode, we dive into the app's unique "Matchmaker" feature that lets friends and family vet matches for you , the importance of video verification for safety , and how parishes can support singles in their vocation.

• Catholic and single? Take the free Dating 101 course for a Christ-centered guide to intentional relationships: https://formation.sacredspark.app/courses/dating101

• Download the SacredSpark app: https://sacredspark.app

• Follow SacredSpark on IG: @SacredSparkApp

In this episode of The Engaged Parish Podcast, we sit down with Pierre Ferragu, co-producer of Bernadette the Musical—a critically acclaimed stage production that has captivated audiences across Europe and is now launching its North American tour.

Pierre shares the unexpected story of how a former Wall Street analyst found himself producing a musical about Saint Bernadette, why the show focuses on Bernadette’s humanity and courage rather than spectacle, and how faithful storytelling can open doors for evangelization without being preachy.

We also explore why Bernadette the Musical has resonated with both Catholic and secular audiences, what makes it uniquely accessible for inviting friends, neighbors, and parish communities, and how parishes can play a role in spreading the word as the show premieres in Chicago this February.

Bernadette the Musical begins its North American run in February, with additional cities planned throughout the year.

Learn more and view tour dates at BernadetteTheMusical.com