The Springs in the Desert Podcast: Catholic Accompaniment Through Infertility

By Springs in the Desert | Catholic Infertility MinistryReligion & Spirituality Christianity

The Springs in the Desert Podcast: Catholic Accompaniment Through Infertility episodes

May 11, 2022 Idealizing Marriage and Motherhood w/ Sterling Jaquith
Made For Greatness (www.madeforgreatness.co)
Blog Post: The Heart of a Mother is Built into Me (https://springsinthedesert.org/the-heart-of-a-mother-is-built-into-me/)
Blog Post: The Vocation Idol (https://springsinthedesert.org/the-vocation-idol/)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
38 min
April 27, 2022 Infertility and the Parish Family
In today’s episode Ann welcomes Jillian and Alissa, who both work in ministry, to talk about how pastors and fellow parishioners can offer encouragement and understanding to those in a season of infertility. They discuss how priests and parish staff can support women and couples and help them to feel welcome and part of the parish family. And, they give some practical tips on how to approach pastors for support.
Resources:
Blog Post: Mother’s Day is Hard, and Father Should Know - Alissa West
Blog Post: Prayer in a Season of Infertility - Cayce Farina
Resource: 5 Things I Wish My Pastor Knew About Infertility

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42 min
April 13, 2022 Ministering to Catholic Couples Experiencing Infertility w/ Michele Chronister & Danielle Abril
In this episode, Allie welcomes new guests Michele Chronister and Danielle Abril, who both work in the Office of Natural Family Planning within the Archdiocese of St. Louis. We share personal stories of infertility and loss and discuss how the Archdiocese of St. Louis is currently reaching out to couples experiencing these crosses. If you are looking for support locally within your own church or Diocese, Michele and Danielle give some wonderful suggestions and thoughts for you to consider! Please join us and know that you are not alone.
Resources:
Blog Post: Everything Is Yours: Surrendering to God’s Plan by Danielle Abril (https://springsinthedesert.org/everything-is-yours-surrendering-to-gods-plan/)
Video: Archdiocese of St. Louis Monthly Enkindle Rosary w/ Cassandra Taylor: (https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?ref=watch_permalink&v=560115188592194)
Blog: Unrepeatable Blessings by Danielle Dyann Abril (https://unrepeatableblessings.com/)
Blog: My Domestic Monastery by Michele Chronister (https://www.mydomesticmonastery.com/)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
41 min
March 23, 2022 Appreciating the Siesta and Sabbath w/ Jillian Kubik
In this episode, Allie and Cassandra welcome new guest and Springs in the Desert team member Jillian Kubik to share her story of how the Lord is helping her grow in her vocation as a wife, through her adventures as a “roamin' ” Catholic, and through the experiences of infertility and loss. In our discussion, we recall the importance of rest: from the Spanish siesta to God the Father Himself resting on the seventh day to the words of Our Lord, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). The Lord wants us to give Him all of our burdens, including infertility. Join us for an encouraging conversation as we together seek to allow this Lenten season to be a time of truly resting in and growing closer to the Lord.
Resources:
Scripture: Matthew, Chapter 11 (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/11)
Scripture: Genesis, Chapter 2 (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/2)
Blog Post: I believe, help my unbelief - Prayer in a Season of Infertility (https://springsinthedesert.org/i-believe-help-my-unbelief-prayer-in-a-season-of-infertility/)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
30 min
March 09, 2022 Resting in the Lord in Infertility
Lent has arrived and we are reminded that we must begin all things with rest in the Lord! In this episode, Allie, Stacey and Abby discuss the importance of physical, spiritual, and emotional rest and the lies we sometimes believe about rest, especially around the experience of infertility. We also talk about simple ways that we’re learning to rest more fully in the Lord through both prayer and play. Come listen in to feel encouraged as a daughter of God!
Resources:
Blog Post: Mother Theresa and the Struggle with Infertility (https://springsinthedesert.org/mother-teresa-and-the-struggle-with-infertility/)
Book: Do Something Beautiful for God, The Essential Teachings of Mother Theresa (https://www.amazon.com/Something-Beautiful-God-Essential-Reflections/dp/1635821207)
Book: Abide by Heather Khym (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/abide-heather-khym/1140461370)
Podcast: Fit Body, Happy Joints (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fit-body-happy-joints/id1561242280?i=1000545130473)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
30 min
February 23, 2022 Taking Captive Every Thought w/ Sterling Jaquith
This month, we welcome new guest Sterling Jaquith to discuss how her work as a Catholic life coach can help those of us struggling with infertility, particularly when it comes to our thoughts. We explore the idea of “managing your mind”, which is not the same thing as non-Catholic practices such as “mindfulness”, but instead encourages us to see ourselves the way God sees us, so that we can rest more fully in Him. Join us for this uplifting and thought-provoking conversation!
Resources:
Made For Greatness (www.madeforgreatness.co)
Made for Greatness Podcast, “Being Judgmental” (https://www.madeforgreatness.co/65-2/)
The Discernment of Spirits, Podcast from Dan Burke (https://spiritualdirection.com/2016/04/22/introduction-to-discernment-of-spirits)
The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Presence-God-Brother-Lawrence/dp/0883681056)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
39 min
February 09, 2022 Weathering the Storm: Baby Showers and Infertility
This month, Ann, Allie, and Cassandra talk about the one event that brings some of the most intense feelings for those of us women who experience infertility: the baby shower. Whether you’ve struggled with the decision to attend, felt guilty for declining to attend when you’ve needed space to grieve, or failed to make it through without crying, this episode is for you. We share honestly about the challenges, the real feelings of grief, and the opportunities for living out the virtue of generosity that come with invitations to baby showers. Listen in and know that you’re not alone!
Resources:
Blog post: "Reimagining Generosity" https://springsinthedesert.org/reimagining-generosity/
Blog post: "The Unspoken, Invisible Suffering of Infertility: A Counselor’s Take"
https://springsinthedesert.org/the-unspoken-invisible-suffering-of-infertility-a-counselors-take/
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
33 min
January 26, 2022 Infertility, Work, and Being a Catholic Wife w/Sydnee Blackburn
This month, we warmly welcome new guest Sydnee to the podcast to discuss some of our expectations going into marriage, particularly around our visions for our jobs and careers when it came to our hoped-for children. We talk about how we’re working through some of those unmet expectations and challenges, and finding fruitfulness in our work now, whatever it looks like, even though it might be different than what we hoped. We also discuss the beauty of our primary vocation of being a wife, and how we’re learning and growing in this area to better care for our home and our husbands.
Resources:
The Monk Manual – A Daily System for Being and Doing (https://monkmanual.com/)
Essays on Woman by Edith Stein (https://www.icspublications.org/products/essays-on-woman-the-collected-works-of-edith-stein-vol-2)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
34 min
January 12, 2022 Balancing Work, Marriage, and Rest
This month, we welcome back Abby Kyle to chat with Stacey and Allie about the blessings and spiritual fruitfulness that can come through our jobs and careers. We also talk honestly about some of the unique challenges around working, especially in ministry, when struggling with infertility. If you love your job or career, or if you sometimes feel pressure to “work more hours” when you don’t have children, or if you struggle to find balance between work and rest, then this episode is for you! We share from the heart about these unique challenges and talk about how the Lord is constantly inviting us to intimacy with Him above all else. We also discuss the importance of prioritizing our primary vocations as spouses to our husbands, even as we feel the demanding pull of our jobs. Listen in for this honest chat and know that you’re not alone!
Resources:
Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen (https://www.amazon.com/Life-Beloved-Spiritual-Living-Secular/dp/0824519868)
A Psalter for Couples (https://bookstore.magnificat.net/a-psalter-for-couples.html)
Don’t forget to rate, review and subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode! Join our community by following us on Facebook and Instagram. And if you need prayers, someone to listen, or you want to tell your story on our blog, email us at [email protected].
30 min
December 22, 2021 Making Room for Jesus w/Cassi and Ian Durnan
In our last episode for 2021, Ann is joined by Springs in the Desert team members Cassi and Ian for an open conversation about Advent and Christmas in a season of infertility. Waiting for Jesus can be hard when accompanied by waiting for a gift (a biological child) that we may never receive. Cassi and Ian share their infertility story, including the moments of emptiness that can still challenge their ability to enter fully into the season. They speak candidly about how difficult it can be to “see miracles” in the midst of infertility, and the necessity of looking to the Holy Family not as an unattainable ideal, but to find solace and encouragement in the great hardships and struggles they faced. Christmas is the season of “God with us,” and even when we can’t quite perceive Him, He is travelling this path with us every step of the way.
Resources:
The Reed of God, by Caryll Houselander. This is a spiritual classic that is perfect for reading during Advent and Christmas, or anytime we need encouragement that God is with us.

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30 min