Jesuitical

Latest Episodes:

How Catholicism became a meme and an online aesthetic Jun 24, 2022

Show notes

This week, Ashley and Zac chat with Rebecca Jennings, a senior correspondent at The Goods by Vox, who is the author of a new article, “How Catholicism became a meme: One of the world’s most powerful religions is now an alt status symbol.” Rebecca explains why Catholicism’s aesthetic is popping up across the internet, and what that says about the church’s place in wider culture.

During Signs of the Times, the hosts discuss the murder of two Jesuit priests in Mexico and the launch of a three year Eucharistic revival in the United States.

This is Jesuitical’s last episode of the season—we’ll be back in your feeds this fall! In the meantime, follow Jesuitical on Facebook and Twitter, and you can support the show on Patreon.

Links from the show:

What’s on tap?

The Jennings: Vodka soda with a splash of St. Germain and a lime.

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Catholics and abortion in a world after Roe v. Wade Jun 17, 2022

Show notes

Jesuitical 2022 Reader Survey

That the Catholic Church is firmly opposed to abortion is not news to anyone. However, what Catholics in the pews think and feel about the issue is not as clear—and we don’t ever talk about it.

In this special episode of Jesuitical, we try to change that. In this show, you’ll hear from three guests on a few topics related to abortion. First, Tricia Bruce, a sociologist affiliated with Notre Dame who authored a landmark study about how Americans (including Catholics) understand the abortion issue. Next, Rachel Lu, a moral philosopher and contributing writer for America, who believes that the next focus point after Roe v. Wade will be about motherhood and honor. Finally, you’ll hear an excerpt from a conversation we had last year with Caitlin Flanagan, who considers herself a pro-choice Catholic but still grapples with both sides of the issue.

Links from the Show:

How Americans Understand Abortion a comprehensive interview study of abortion attitudes in the U.S.

The next issue in the abortion debate after Roe v. Wade: Do we really honor motherhood?

The Dishonesty of the Abortion Debate: Why we need to face the best arguments from the other side

Jesuitical 2022 Reader Survey

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Our conversations about the Latin Mass don’t have to be so toxic Jun 10, 2022

Show notes

Last July, Pope Francis issued a document restricting the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, setting off a heated and at times toxic debate between more traditionalist Catholics and those who want to see the reforms of the Second Vatican Council more fully implemented. Is there a way for us to talk about the liturgy without it turning into a war?

To find out, we brought on the Rev. Pierre Amar, a priest in the Diocese of Versailles in France. Father Amar grew up attending the Latin Mass and was ordained into the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, an order dedicated to the celebration of the pre-Vatican II Mass rite. But he also loves and celebrates the novus ordo or ordinary form, and does not think the two forms of the liturgy need to be in conflict. We ask Father Amar why people today are still attracted to the Traditional Latin Mass over 50 years after the council and what he thinks about Pope Francis’ move to restrict the celebration of the older rite.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley are joined by Colleen Dulle, host of the “Inside the Vatican” podcast, to discuss speculation that Pope Francis is preparing to resign.

Links from the show:

What’s on tap?

Pre-Vatican II Dewars scotch

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Should Catholics be vegetarians? (Also, should Nancy Pelosi have been denied Communion?) Jun 03, 2022

Show notes

If we are what we eat, how could our consumption habits not be morally fraught? This week’s guest, Robert Cruz, believes they are, and he wants Catholics to be more intentional about what goes on their dinner plates. Working in the meat department of his local grocery store opened Robert’s eyes to the way meat is processed, marketed and sold—and inspired him to start a small regenerative farm on his own property. We ask Robert what Catholic social teaching says about ethical eating, how eating chickens he raised himself changed his relationship to food and animals, and why fake meat is not the morally superior option many vegetarians assume it to be.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley weigh in on Archbishop Salvator Cordileone’s decision to bar Speaker Nancy Pelosi from Communion because of her “aggressive” support for abortion rights. Plus, Pope Francis has named a new U.S. cardinal: Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego.

Links from the show:

Archbishop Cordileone on barring Nancy Pelosi from Communion: ‘I cannot in my conscience allow the situation to continue.’

Pope Francis names 21 new cardinals, including Bishop Robert McElroy of San Diego

Dear Catholic vegetarians: Eating fake meat isn’t going to save the planet.

Regenerative Farmers of America

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What’s on tap?

Old Fashioned

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Sad, tired and angry: America’s endless gun debate May 27, 2022

Show notes

This week, an 18-year-old in Uvalde, Tex., killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. The massacre came less than two weeks after a white supremacist killed 10 people at a supermarket in a majority-Black neighborhood of Buffalo, N.Y.

We’ve been here before. This happens all the time in America. And it feels like we have the same reactions, the same conversations, read the same tweets.

Which is why instead of a normal show this week, we’re revisiting a conversation from 2018 about gun control. In the aftermath of a shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., we brought on Patrick Blanchfield, who writes about gun violence in the United States. We discussed what gets missed in our gun control conversations, the familiar debate over “thoughts and prayers” and how violence in American schools and on our streets is connected to American violence abroad.

Links from the show:

Catholic leaders react to Texas school massacre: ‘Don’t tell me that guns aren’t the problem.’

Cardinal Cupich: The Second Amendment did not come down from Sinai

How the Catholic Church in Uvalde is helping a devastated community grieve and heal

Sad, tired and angry: A prayer in the face of gun violence

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What young people need from the Catholic Church May 20, 2022

Show notes

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted nearly every aspect of our lives, and our religious practices were no exception. How this period of uncertainty affected the spiritual lives of young people is the subject Springtide Research Institute’s latest report, “The State of Religion & Young People 2021.” We talk with Springtide’s executive director, Dr. Josh Packard, about why young people have lost faith in the church and its leaders—and what older Catholics need to do to meet Gen-Z where they’re at.

In Signs of the Times, producer Sebastian Gomes joins Ashley as a guest host this week to discuss the U.S. bishops’ decision to cease the domestic operations of Catholic News Service. What does this closure mean for Catholic journalism and the people in the pews?

Links from the show:

Pope Francis’ recipe to heal his painful knee? A shot of tequila

Catholic News Service closure opens the door to partisan and ideological church coverage, Catholic journalists warn

The State of Religion & Young People 2021 – Catholic Edition

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What’s on tap?

Tequila!

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Catholic wisdom from Jane Austen, a cardinal arrested in Hong Kong, and altar serving as an adult May 13, 2022

Show notes

On the surface, Jane Austen’s classic novels like Pride and Prejudice and Emma might seem to be about courtship and marriage, manners and the social hierarchies of Regency England. But while weddings and ballrooms abound in her books, so do lessons about how to live a virtuous life.

This week on Jesuitical, we speak with Haley Stewart, a self-described Jane Austen evangelist and the author of the new book,Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God. We ask Haley how virtues like humility and patience are cultivated in Austen’s fiction; what Jane would say about modern dating and romance; why Catholics (and men) should take her novels seriously.

In Signs of the Times, Cardinal Joseph Zen, the 90-year-old former bishop of Hong Kong, was arrested and briefly detained for his involvement in pro-democracy protests. Zac breaks down what this arrest means for the (very complicated) situation of the Catholic Church in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Links from the show:

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Cardinal Joseph Zen, 90, arrested in Hong Kong

Jane Austen’s Genius Guide to Life: On Love, Friendship, and Becoming the Person God Created You to Be

What’s on tap?

Balcones bourbon, distilled by our guests’s husband!

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If the Catholic Church is pro-life, why is its maternity leave so bad? May 06, 2022

Show notes

Last month, FemCatholic published an investigation on the maternity leave policies at diocesan offices around the United States. What they found wasn’t flattering. Two of the report’s authors, Kelly Sankowski and Renée Roden, join the show this week to talk about their findings.

During Signs of the Times, Ashley and Zac are joined by Gloria Purvis to give their off-the-cuff reactions to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that appears to signal the court’s readiness to overturn Roe v. Wade this summer.

Links from the show:

Podcast: Is a better abortion debate possible?

What's the State of Maternity Leave in the US Catholic Church? FemCatholic Investigates

FemCatholic Mother’s Day petition to U.S. bishops

U.S. bishops respond to Supreme Court abortion opinion leak: We ‘stand ready to help all pregnant women’

Have Catholics been praying the Our Father all wrong?

What’s on tap?

Margaritas, sans lime, simple syrup and contrieua

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The church exists to evangelize. So why are most Catholics bad at it? Apr 29, 2022

Show notes

At a time when young people are leaving the Catholic Church, and those who remain are less likely to attend Mass, evangelizing may not seem like a top priority. It can be tempting for Catholic leaders to think: We need to stop the internal bleeding first, then we can worry about the rest of the world.

Bishop William Wack disagrees: In every age and place, Catholics are called to “make disciples of all nations,” and our time is no different. Named the head of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida in 2017, Bishop Wack recently authored a pastoral letter on evangelization, titled “Sharing the Gift.” Ashley and Zac talk to Bishop Wack about praying in public, talking to friends (and strangers) about Jesus and what makes evangelization different from proselytizing.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley talk with their colleague Jim McDermott, S.J., about how Catholics should think about wearing masks—even when they are not required. What Catholic principles can help us discern our way through what is hopefully the final stages of the Covid-19 pandemic?

Links from the show:

Catholics: Please keep wearing your masks. Listen to the whole conversation here.

Bishop Wack: We need more evangelical Catholics

Pastoral Letter, Sharing the Gift

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What’s on tap?

Threes Brewing Logical Conclusion IPA

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These young Catholics told Pope Francis how they feel about climate change–and he listened. Apr 22, 2022

Show notes

If you had a chance to ask Pope Francis one question, what would it be? That was not a hypothetical question for this week’s guests. Emily Burke and Henry Glynn are two of the students who were selected to take part in “Building Bridges North-South: A Synodal Encounter Between Pope Francis and University Students,” hosted by Loyola University Chicago. The conversation centered on migration, and Emily and Henry used their time with Francis to talk about climate change refugees.

We ask these young climate activists what it was likely to speak with the pope, how they hope to get more members of the U.S. church, including priests and bishops, to make the climate a priority and how they stay hopeful in their fight for the planet.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss the German Synodal Path—and the bishops who are concerned it could lead to schism.

Links from the show:

The German Synodal Way, Explained

74 bishops sign open letter warning of German Synodal Path’s ‘potential for schism’

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Learn more about Catholic Climate Covenant

What’s on tap?

Champagne—Christ is risen and so are our glasses!

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