Upon This Rock

Father Don and his sister, Barbie, drop a podcast about podcasts, particularly this podcast, Upon This Rock, as we pause operations to assess its impact and how the church can reach people in our twenty-first-century virtual society. They reminisce about messages from the hundred-plus conversations and how we can encourage people to talk with one another about matters of faith and faith that matters to us, our families and friends, our community, and our world.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

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John Hewitt is the Lansing Correctional Program Director and oversees the Donnelly College, "College In Prison," degree program at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas. Originally from Kansas, he has traveled the world, living on various continents and in places during civil upheaval. He speaks numerous languages and has helped unite people from different nations as they assimilate into American culture.

He invites listeners to engage their faith by reaching out to prisoners, immigrants, or others who suffer because of circumstances that limit them. If you want to learn more, contact him at [email protected].

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Learn More About John & Donnelly College:
John Hewitt
Donnelly College Website
Donnelly College In Prison Program

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Michelle Carlstedt is the executive director of The Bishop Sullivan Center (BSC). It has operated for over half a century in Kansas City, Missouri, uniting people in need with people of goodwill who provide food, relief, and countless opportunities for less fortunate citizens. From a small town in Kansas, she was educated both in school and through life experiences in ways that spurred her into the non-profit world of caring for others. If you would like to help the BSC effort, you can contact her at [email protected].

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Learn More About Bishop Sullivan Center
https://www.bishopsullivan.org

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Mark Thompson is the fourth of Byron and Jeanne’s eleven children. This conversation goes deeper into how the virtues and lessons of their parents continue to teach them, their children, and now their grandchildren. 

We also discuss in a deeper way how the injuries and deaths of their young sisters impact him and them in lasting ways. As we begin a new year and resolve to do better in the future than we did in the past, Mark offers good advice as we all approach a new beginning in 2026.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Mary Thompson O’Connor was the firstborn of eleven Thompson children. She and her siblings were blessed with a happy childhood and the grace of tremendous parents who taught patience and perseverance. As young adults, they had to endure unexpected suffering when their sister, Amy, was shot in the head by a criminal, and two years later, their sister, Tricia, was hit by a drunk driver, also enduring a major head injury for the remainder of her life. 

Our conversation reflects upon the joys and sorrows of this life and trust in the life that awaits us. We also touch on the impact of Country Club Bank, which became an essential aspect of family life.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Father Mike Roach retired as a pastor after 45 years of service in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, mainly in the KC Northland. A repeat guest (hear episodes 54 & 61), Fr. Mike has quite a following throughout the local church. On this podcast, he speaks about his current chapter of life and the rejuvenation he embraces beyond collapsing after his final Mass as pastor. His words offer a Christmas message for us, reminding us of the glad tidings of great joy that God is one with us.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Vince and Amy Hodes started this audible ministry nearly two years ago by gifting Fr. Don with podcast equipment. They return from the earliest podcasts for this milestone episode #100. Being December, the podcast conversation quickly turns to the journey of Advent, memories of Christmas, reminiscing about the grace of giving, and the privilege of bringing light to a world wrapped in darkness. You’ll enjoy hearing stories of their childhood Christmases and how their family traditions continue.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Tonia Gilbert is the Executive Director of The Upper Room (or Upper Room KC), a nonprofit literacy center that helps thousands of urban children each year to excel academically, knowing that it starts with an ability to read and write. The center began at Saint Louis Catholic Church over twenty-five years ago and continues under Tonia’s leadership. 

Her background as a lawyer and educator assists in her administrative tasks now. She invites us to join her on December 17 for a holiday event where we can learn more about the good things happening in the center of our city.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Learn More About Upper Room:

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Al Kaine grew up in rural Kansas, met his wife, Kathleen, and settled with their three children in the Kansas City area after a stint in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Al’s dad taught him to be a gentleman, a lesson he lives and passed along to his sons.  Their oldest, Tim, became a United States senator and Democratic nominee for vice president. They each gave time and energy to helping less fortunate outcasts in our country or elsewhere. Al brings peace to chaotic situations, light to dark circumstances, and offers some stories for how people might get along better.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible. 

Michael McGlinn, founder of Sistine Films, discusses with Father Don the faith that he has deepened through pursuits as a musician, football player, film producer, and Catholic husband and father. Influenced by his parents and grandparents, he has come to appreciate the Holy Eucharist and numerous devotional practices, including the rosary, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and his Divine Mercy apostolate. Visit sistinefilms.com to view the beauty and truth of his ministries.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier Parish 
#farnanspiritualitycenter
#fatherdonfarnan
#uponthisrockpodcast

Learn More About Michael McGlinn:
Sistine Films 
Face of Mercy
Adore Him Daily

Like this podcast? Please consider donating.
Your gift (in any amount) will help us continue this show, reach our mission, and lift the Farnan Spirituality Center into a future filled with hope, progress, and success. All contributions are secure and tax-deductible.