The Pillar Podcast

JD is joined by Father James Martin to talk about his work with Catholics who identify as gay, his new memoir, and more.

Then, Fr. Martin plays a round of bridges ‘Yes or No?’

This conversation was recorded July 8, 2026.

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Show notes:

Work in Progress: Confessions of a busboy, dishwasher, caddy, usher, factory worker, bank teller, corporate tool, and priest by Father James Martin

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Ed’s choice of news this week! He and JD talk about a curial snub and Pope Leo XIV’s meeting to mark the 10th anniversary of Amoris laetitia.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin. Credit: Claude Truong-Ngoc/wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

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They got the hats, at least!

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JD and Ed talk about the final report issued by the Vatican’s synod on synodality’s commission charged with suggesting changes to the Code of Canon Law, and why they think Pope Leo XIV needs to respond.

Then, they look ahead to Leo’s planned meeting on Amoris laetitia with the heads of international bishops’ conferences.

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JD Flynn is joined by Bishop William Wack, CSC, of Pensacola–Tallahassee to talk about his experience serving in prison ministry and common catalysts for conversion for the incarcerated. Then, Bishop Wack weighs JD and Ed’s idea for a personal ordinariate for prison ministry.

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Book a call with Jim today at EverydayEvangelization.org

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JD and Ed are St. Louis this week for the beatification of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.

A very special thank you to our guest producer Kyle Heimann.

This episode of the Pillar Podcast is brought to you by the Catholic Education Fund, an initiative of Aequitas Education in partnership with ACE Scholarships.

To learn more, visit catholiceducationfund.org

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pillarcatholic.com/subscribe

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What would you do?

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JD and Ed speculate what could be on the horizon for the Diocese of Steubenville.

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Ed is joined by Aaron Dominguez, Ph.D., a particle physicist and former provost at The Catholic University of America.

Aaron talks about his time at the CERN laboratory and fields Ed’s questions about the relationship between faith and science, dark matter, and extraterrestrial life.

This conversation was recorded before Dominguez left his role as provost in August 2026.

This episode is brought to you by Anchor Consulting, helping parish and diocesan leaders move from managing decline to making disciples.

Book a call today by visiting EverydayEvangelization.org.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pillarcatholic.com/subscribe