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This week Michalene speaks with Bobbi Gallagher and Randy Kissell about our amazing Food Justice Garden, how it began, and how it continues to thrive and provide literally tons of fresh produce for those in need in our local community.

We were enjoying Root 1 Carmenere wine from the Calchuaga Valley region of Chile.

Michalene recommends the Matt Maher song "Garden"

Jeff recommends the "You Bet Your Garden" podcast and show hosted by Mike McGrath.

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This week is just the three of us sharing about the upcoming parish celebration, the kickoff to the new ministry year, and some of the awesome events the parish has planned for this year of Eucharistic revival, "Nourishing our bodies, souls, and communities."

This week we're drinking Fit Soda Root Beer Vanilla Float, which we can't in good conscience recommend, but maybe you will enjoy it.

Here's the official vide of the Sarah Hart/Tom Booth song "The Feast Meant for Everyone" that we'll be singing a lot this year!

Michalene talked about this great new song, Monday Morning Faith.

Join us next week to get some gardening tips from the leaders of our wonderful Faith Justice Garden.

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This week Michalene returns from her east coast adventures as we talk to Lloyd Smeidler and Jason Blanton about the Bread for the World organization, and how we can get involved in advocating for an end to hunger in our nation and world right here at Holy Infant.

Click here to learn more about Bread for the World.

Watch the film A Place at the Table on the hunger epidemic in the United States.

This week we were eating Baltimore's famous "Berger Cookies" (yes, you can order them).

Click here to take the "What bread are you?" quiz we did on the show.

Amber recommends eating at Chef Chick's Bakery in Durham.

Michalene recommends eating at A Place at the Table in Raleigh.

Jeff recommends eating at Saladelia Cafe in Durham.

Next week we'll preview our upcoming parish celebration Mass and party on August 26th, kicking off our new ministry year of nourishing our bodies, souls, and communities.

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This week Amber and Jeff got to hang out with Fr. Robert, Fr. Labosky, with special guest appearances by Zoe, Bolli, and Queso (and Annie, Cap, and Chewie in spirit).  We talk about our dogs past and present, how they've become intertwined in our lives and the lessons they teach about dependence and unconditional love.

Congratulations to our Mickey McGrath book drawing winner Diane Arsenault!  Big thanks to Diane and the over 40 folks who have signed up to help out with our celebration on August 26th.  It's not too late to sign up to help.  We especially need more hands for setting up (that morning at 9am) and cleaning up after both outside and in the kitchen.  Click here to sign up to help!

Click here and here to see a couple of pictures of Fr. Labosky's beautiful Annie.  And visit our Facebook Page this week to see some pics of the staff with their furry friends.

The root beer float ice cream bars we sampled were from Aldi.

You can get your own "Dogfather" t shirt like Fr. Robert here.

Here's that survey of dog-owning clergy in England and Wales Amber mentions which we all agree is bogus :)

Click here to learn more about St Guinefort, the 13th century French greyhound who killed a viper to protect his master's infant son, and, much to the church's chagrin, has continued to be venerated as a local saint and martyr.

Click here to check out Vetality dental care which Fr. Robert and Amber have been using to keep their pups' teeth clean.

Next week we'll here from Lloyd Smeidler and Jason Blanton from Bread for the World about their organization that is working to end hunger in the world, and how we can directly and easily contribute to their effort right here at Holy Infant.  And, Michalene is back from her globe trotting!

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This week we have a special interview with Brother Mickey McGrath, an Oblate of St Francis de Sales and a wonderful Catholic artist whose works are very familiar to us here at Holy Infant, as they are all around the campus.  You can learn more about Brother Mickey and how to get any of his art or books through his website, https://www.bromickeymcgrath.com/

Amber and Jeff were drinking Fever-Tree Premium Ginger Beer Light "Crisp & Spicy" during their chit-chat.

With our big church dedication anniversary Mass and parish bash coming up on August 26th, please consider signing up to help out for just one small volunteer role!  We still have a bunch of jobs to cover.  Sign up via this Signup Genius or get in touch with someone in the office if you need assistance: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e4aadad2caafbc25-parish#/

If you signed up to help, email us at [email protected] and you will be entered into a drawing for a copy of Brother Mickey's beautifully illustrated book "Blessed Art Thou: Mother, Lady, Mystic, Queen"

Next week's episode features both Fr. Robert and Fr. Labosky sharing about their dogs, and how we receive God's unconditional love through our furry family members.

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This week we have our new deacon, Tom Hill, in studio with Amber, Michalene, and Jeff, to talk about his vocation and the permanent deaconate, and why he and his wife Judy chose to join Holy Infant upon moving to North Carolina.   We enjoyed a glass of the Pinto Noir from Sunny with a Chance for Flowers winemakers in California.

Next week don't miss Jeff's conversation with artist and oblate of St Francis de Sales Brother Mickey McGrath, recorded in Reno, Nevada at the NPM Annual Convention.

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This is our last re-share of our favorite episodes from Season 1.    Season 2 of Through the Grapevine begins next week!

In this episode from March, Michalene spoke with Andrea Thomas, co-director of The Vigil Project, a community of artists making music for the Catholic journey and inviting the Church into prayer through song.  The Vigil Project led a True Presence Night of music and adoration at Holy Infant on March 12th, 2023.  All the music you hear in this episode was recorded by The Vigil Project.  They will be returning to lead music at the Raleigh diocese Eucharistic Congress Saturday, October 21 at the Raleigh Convention Center.

Since we were recording a little earlier than normal, like, brunch time, we decided to enjoy some mimosas.  Just find the least expensive bottles of orange juice and champagne and enjoy.

Jeff's recommendation is from a list of suggestions from Oliver Burkeman's book "Four Thousand Weeks" to "cultivate instantaneous generosity".... if you get that generous inspiration suddenly, don't hesitate to act on it!

Michalene recommends reading the NC Catholic cover article on St Teresa of Calcutta in Cary, which just became a parish and dedicated their new building.  Their high level of engagement reminded her of how Holy Infant was started 50 years ago.

Amber recommends Busted Halo's creative list of things to do to observe Lent, if you are starting to get into a mid-Lent rut.

All music © Vigil Publishing

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As we re-share episodes from our first season this summer, this was an episode from back in January around the feast of St Francis DeSales featuring a conversation between Michalene and Fr. Jack Kolodziej, the Provincial of the Wilmington-Philadelphia Province of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales about the spirituality of St Francis de Sales and the Oblates.

Our beverage this week was the Gentleman's Collection 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon No. 1 from Lindeman's Winery.

Click here to read Pope Francis' letter on the fourth centenary of the death of Saint Francis de Sales from December 28, 2022.

Click here to see Br Mickey McGrath's image of the quote, "Happy are the hearts that bend, for they shall never break."

Michalene's recommendation was to write a note to someone who's been on your mind who you've meaning to reach out to to let them know you've been thinking of them.

Jeff recommends this article from America Magazine on the lessons the Church could learn from the resurrection of Barnes & Noble over the past few years.

Amber recommends checking out the trivia game on the Hallow prayer app.

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As we re-share episodes from our first season this summer, this was our second full episode when Amber spoke with parishioner Arianna Guitierez who started the Mom's Book Club this fall.  Our wine this week is the Relax Riesling.   

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This week we re-share our episode from June 1 with Fr. Jim Sabak, OFM, director of the office of divine worship for the Diocese of Raleigh, in studio to dive into some of the wonderful liturgical celebrations of June that sometimes get overshadowed in the transition from the end of the Easter season and academic year to the summer months.

Since June 13 is the memorial of St Anthony, we are drinking the Cais Da Ribeira Douro Red Reserva Port Barrel Aged from the Douro Valley in Portugal, the country of St. Anthony's birth.

Michalene's recommendation is to try to go to Mass or observe in some way one of these non-Sunday June celebrations we discuss in the episode.

Amber's recommendation is the Catholic Mass Bops & Bangers Spotify playlist containing an unimaginable nine and a half hours of music you might have heard at Mass in the last 30 years.

After attending his daughter's friend's bat mitzvah this week, Jeff's recommendation is to accept an invite from a friend if you receive it to attend another faith tradition's service.

And Fr Jim's recommendation is to check out his podcast with his friend Mike Watson, Potential to Be Amazing.  In their next episode they talk about the Synod taking place in the church these days.