Jesuitical

Latest Episodes:

Tattoos are deeply meaningful—and religious—for many young people Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

Behind (almost) every tattoo is a story, and this week’s guest thinks the church should start listening to those stories. Gustavo Morello, S.J., an associate professor of sociology at Boston College, has studied the religious significance of tattoos and found that even tattoos that don’t seem particularly religious can have a deep spiritual meaning for those who have them. We ask Gustavo about religious hang-ups around tattoos, their rising popularity and what they can teach us about the faith lives of young people.

In Signs of the Times, we’re talking about the pope’s monthly prayer intention encouraging nuns to fight back when they’re treated unfairly by men of the church and we remember a Catholic music icon.

Links from the show:

LIMITED TIME ONLY: $350 our pilgrimage to Italy

Pope Francis tells nuns: Fight back when you are treated unfairly ‘by men of the church.’

Catholic sister whose rock version of Our Father topped charts dies at 84

For many, a tattoo isn’t just ink. It’s a religious experience.

What’s on tap?

Malbec from Argentina

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Teaser: You will never regret going to the funeral Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

We're having a conversation with Kerry Weber, author of a new essay in America titled "You will never regret going to the funeral."

Read the article here and listen to the full conversation at: https://www.patreon.com/americamedia

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

St. Irenaeus fought heresy in the 2nd century. What can we learn from him today? Jan 28, 2022

Show notes

And just like that, with a papal decree last week, St. Irenaeus of Lyon became the 37th “doctor of the church.” Who was Irenaeus? What was the church like when he lived, sometime during the second century? And how did interpret and defend Scripture and Christian theology in a time before the Bible as we know it and the Creed even existed? To find out, we brought on Scott Moringiello, an associate professor in the Catholic studies department at DePaul University and an expert on Irenaeus and the history of biblical exegesis. We also get into what it’s like to teach undergraduates theology, often against their will.

During Signs of the Times, we discuss the report on sex abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich, where Pope Emeritus Benedict served as bishop for four years, and Gonzaga University’s decision to revoke alumnus John Stockton’s basketball seasons tickets. Finally, we discuss the role of literature in our faith lives.

Links from the show:

Pope Francis declares St. Irenaeus a doctor of the church

Explainer: Pope Francis is naming St. Irenaeus a ‘Doctor of the Church.’ What does that mean?

“The Rhetoric of Faith: Irenaeus and the Structure of the Adversus Haereses”

Podcast: What you need to know about Pope Benedict’s record on sexual abuse

Gonzaga revokes John Stockton’s season tickets over his refusal to wear masks.

What’s on Tap:

Bourbon (for some French influence to honor Irenaeus)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How does the Catholic Church decide what counts as a miracle? Jan 21, 2022

Show notes

You have probably heard that in order for someone to be declared a saint they (usually) need to have two miracles attributed to their intercession. But how does the Catholic Church decide what’s a miracle and what is just a rare healing—or a hoax?

To find out, we spoke with Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Seattle who has served as the “devil’s advocate” in the canonization process. The devil’s advocate (today formally known as the “promoter of the faith”) is appointed by the church to make the case against a candidate’s sainthood. We ask Bishop Elizondo what kinds of questions the devil’s advocate asks, how modern science has changed the church’s understanding of miracles and why most miracles today involve healing—as opposed to, say, water and wine or loaves and fishes.

In Signs of the Times, we preview the Jan. 22 beatification of Rutilio Grande, a Jesuit priest and martyr from El Salvador, and discuss an advice column about Catholic weddings that raises interesting questions about the role of parents in the sacrament.

Links from the show:

What’s on tap?

Last night’s leftover wine

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What’s it like being Catholic in Hollywood? Jan 14, 2022

Show notes

For every A-list celebrity, there are thousands of people working behind the scenes and in supporting roles. They hustle from gig to gig, stitching jobs and roles together to make a living. They’re people like Marianne Muellerleile. Marianne is a distinguished actor who has appeared in hundreds of films, TV series and commercials. We talk to Marianne about what it’s like being Catholic in Hollywood, and what makes for a funny commercial (she’s been in quite a few, including Geico’s “Aunt Infestation”).

On Signs of the Times, we talk about the ethics of a Catholic school running up the score in a basketball game and discuss some new research about the true identity of Mary Magdalene.

Links from the show:

Come to Italy with Jesuitical!

A School Won 92-4 in Basketball. Then the Coach Was Suspended.

Was Mary Magdalene really from Magdala? Two scholars examine the evidence

Join our Patreon community!

What’s on tap?

Tea and decaf instant coffee, for a “Dry Second Wednesday in January”

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fr. Charles Coughlin: America’s first mass-media demagogue priest Jan 07, 2022

Show notes

A charismatic demagogue with millions of devoted followers. A novel means of communication with little government regulation and few guardrails. The threat of violence in the streets and a country in crisis.

No, we’re not talking about the 45th president but America’s first radio priest, Father Charles Coughlin. On “Radioactive,” a new podcast series from Tablet Studios, Andrew Lapin takes listeners through the history of Father Coughlin, who through a mixture of Catholic piety, anti-Semitism and raw political ambition became the most popular voice on the U.S. airwaves during the Great Depression and the lead up to World War II.

We ask Andrew what Father Coughlin’s story can tell us about the connection between religious demagoguery and authoritarianism; the Wild West of new media platforms; and the failure of the church to reign in Catholics who exploit these toxic forces.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley share some Pope Francis-inspired New Year’s resolutions and give their predictions for Catholic stories coming in 2022.

Links from the show:

What’s on tap?

Bringing in the New Year with some Bubbly

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Teaser: Pope Francis, pets and kids Jan 06, 2022

Show notes

We're unpacking the pope's controversial comments about having children or pets.

To listen to the full conversation, go to https://www.patreon.com/americamedia

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lidia Bastianich on why Jesus was always eating and drinking Dec 17, 2021

Show notes

Why was Jesus always feasting, eating and drinking? What makes the table a place of sacred encounter? And how are you supposed to learn how to cook on a budget?

Lidia Bastianich is a best-selling cookbook author, an Emmy award-winning public television host, restaurateur and the owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. She’s also someone who has overcome extraordinary odds in her life. Born in the Istrian peninsula, her family fell behind the Iron Curtain when it became Yugoslavia. Her family crossed the border into Italy, living in a refugee camp in Trieste before being relocated permanently in the United States by Catholic Charities.

In her new PBS special, “Lidia Celebrates America: Overcoming the Odds,”she tells the stories—and shares the table with—other resilient Americans with inspiring stories.

Links from the show:

“Lidia Celebrates America: Overcoming The Odds.”

Come to Italy with Jesuitical!

Italian Bishop Gives Children Harsh News: There Is No Santa Claus

Wine at Communion, the sign of peace, holy water fonts: Will these parts of the Mass ever come back?

What’s on Tap?

2016 Bastianich Plus White Wine

Tequila for Kevin, our studio manager’s, birthday

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Homelessness isn’t inevitable—and this Catholic woman is proving it. Dec 10, 2021

Show notes

Jesus said the poor will always be with us, but that doesn’t mean we can’t end homelessness. And this week’s guest, Rosanne Haggerty, is dedicated to doing just that. Rosanne is the president and C.E.O. of Community Solutions, which develops innovative, data-driven strategies to end homelessness and strengthen communities. We ask Rosanne how Catholic social teaching informs her work and to break down some common misconceptions about homelessness in the United States.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone’s vaccination status and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s bold parish restructuring plan.

Finally, Friday morning is your last chance to enter your name in a drawing for a signed copy of Michael O’Loughlin’s new book, Hidden Mercy, by becoming a member of our Patreon community.

Links from the show:

Join the Jesuitical Podcast on Pilgrimage in Italy!

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone reveals he is not vaccinated against Covid-19

Archdiocese of Cincinnati to reduce 208 parishes to 57 ‘families of parishes’

Learn more about Community Solutions

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Catholics that ministered to those dying of AIDS in the face of fear Dec 03, 2021

Show notes

In public, the Catholic Church and L.G.B.T. activists were constantly clashing in the 1980s and ’90s over the treatment of gay and lesbians in the church and the institution’s role in responding to the H.I.V./AIDS epidemic. But behind the headlines, there were stories of Catholics responding with compassion and heroism in the face of fear and stigma. Michael J. O’Loughlin, national correspondent for America, joins Zac and Ashley to discuss his new book, Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear.

Links from the show:

Hidden Mercy

How the Catholic Worker Movement inspired one couple to open their doors to people with AIDS

Hark! The Stories Behind Our Favorite Christmas Carols

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected