The Pilgrim Soul

Latest Episodes:

The Christian Presence on Campus Oct 05, 2023

Show notes

Sofia, in conversation with Michelle Zaleski, explores what it means to be Christian on a college campus. This is a recording from the inaugural Communion & Liberation University Conference, which was hosted at Benedictine College. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠. Our website is ⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠. //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

Following Christ Oct 02, 2023

Show notes

Join all three hosts for a conversation about following Christ. How does the drama of this path unfold? What helps us say “yes” to His invitation during seasons of change and challenge? Who are we learning from as we strive to be with Christ instead of remaining with our attachments? //

Our media recommendations are the writings of Servant of God Takashi Nagai, including "The Bells of Nagasaki" and "Thoughts from Nyokodo" (or, if you read Italian, "Ciò che non muore mai"). And our monthly challenge is to do lectio divina with Matthew 14:22-33, in which Jesus invites Peter to walk on water. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠. Our website is ⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠. //

Other resources we mention:

St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s autobiography Story of a Soul
Luigi Giussani’s address in St. Peter’s Square in 1998: https://www.clonline.org/en/current-events/articles/1998-06-01-in-the-simplicity-of-my-heart-i-have-gladly-given-you-everything
A homily by Fr. Mike Cairnes, whose preaching you can listen to as a podcast called Church Talk: www.tinyurl.com/3knesu35 //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

Pain Sep 01, 2023

Show notes

Adrianna is back! In this episode, she and Sofia have a conversation about pain. How does Christ transform the otherwise meaningless experience of pain? What helps us discover His presence instead of remaining in despair, anger, or apathy? What have we learned from our pain, and whose examples do we want to follow in living it with the Lord? //

Our media recommendation is Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion. And our monthly challenge is to meditate on the 9th Station of the Cross, which commemorates Jesus falling a third time on the way to Calvary. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠⁠. Our website is ⁠⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠⁠. //

Other resources we mention:

“Witness to Hope”, a biography of St. John Paul II by George Weigel
Fr. Aldo Trento’s book of letters entitled “Yo Soy Tu Que Me Haces”
Demi Lovato’s song “I Love Me”
The movie “50 First Dates” //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

The Neuroscience of Ruptured Relationships and Restoring Communion Aug 01, 2023

Show notes

This month, we are sharing with you a talk that Sofi gave to the Catholic Chaplaincy of the University of Cambridge. It was inspired by Pope Francis' urgent and insistent call for Christians to work for peace throughout the world. Drawing on her work as a developmental neuroscientist, she exposes the wounds inflicted by violence and proposes ways for us to collaborate in Christ's victory over sin and death. We’ll be back next month with a regular episode. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠⁠⁠. Our website is ⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠. //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

Journalism, featuring JD Flynn Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

Sofia hosts JD Flynn, co-founder of The Pillar, for a conversation about journalism. JD begins by explaining the needs of the Church that led him and Ed Condon to start this news outlet, particularly the need for reform and renewal that is free from ideology.

Then he and Sofia talk about journalism as a vocation. Can working with the media be an exercise of the prophetic calling we receive in Baptism? What sustains JD’s hope as he investigates scandals and sins in the life of the Church? How does he experience the unity of his domestic church with the universal Church? //

Our media recommendation is the novel Mr. Blue by Myles Connolly. And our monthly challenge is to check out The Pillar at www.pillarcatholic.com, offer a prayer for their work, and consider subscribing. //

Other resources we mention:

“A Place for Life”, a talk that JD gave at the 2020 New York Encounter: www.tinyurl.com/2m8x9e2p
Mario Puzo’s book “The Godfather”
Luigi Giussani’s booklet “The Meaning of Charitable Work” //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

Memory and Desire, featuring Fr. Mike Cairnes Jun 01, 2023

Show notes

Sofia is joined by Fr. Mike Cairnes for a guest episode on living the memory of and desire for Christ. Fr. Mike starts by telling the story of how he fell in love twice, a first time that led him to nihilism and a second that definitively led him to the love of God. Then he and Sofia talk about the struggle against moralism, which is the suffocating reduction of morality into a set of rules. Fr. Mike shares what helps him follow the path of discovering that God’s mercy – and not our fight to live up to an ideal – is the center of life. //

Our media recommendations are Terrence Malick’s film The Tree of Life, Joseph Roth’s novella “The Legend of the Holy Drinker”, and Walker Percy’s novel “Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book”. And our monthly challenge is to think back through your life year by year and try to identify how God has romanced you. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our website is ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠. //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson's "Dolphin Kicks."

Mary May 01, 2023

Show notes

Join all three hosts for a conversation about Mary, the Mother of God. What does it mean that Mary is our mother? How does an ordered veneration of Mary lead us to a deeper worship of the Triune God? And personally, how are we trying to follow her in obedience, virginity, and passion for the salvation of the world? //

Our media recommendation is Caravaggio’s painting “Madonna di Loreto”, also known as “Pilgrims’ Madonna”. And our monthly challenge is to pray Fr. de Grandmaison’s Prayer to Mary throughout the month of May. You can find that here: www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com/prayer-to-mary. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Our website is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. //

Sofia's episode with This Whole Life can be found at: www.tinyurl.com/u7f3n7yt //

Other resources we mention:

Luigi Giussani’s book “Generating Traces in the History of the World”
Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical “Deus Caritas Est”
Fulton Sheen’s book “The World's First Love: Mary, Mother of God”
St. Augustine Sermo 293
Alberto Savorana’s biography of Luigi Giussani
St. Irenaus’ text “Against Heresies”
Mother Mary Francis’ book “Come, Lord Jesus”
Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical “Ecclesia de Eucharistia” //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

Living the Resurrection Apr 09, 2023

Show notes

Adrianna, Sofia, and Giuli talk about the experience of the resurrection. What’s at stake in the Resurrection of Christ? What does the promise of new life have to do with our daily experiences of suffering, boredom, and the search for meaning? Where have we seen, in our own lives and in the world, evidence of the presence of the Risen Lord? //

Our media recommendation is the dystopian novel The Children of Men by P.D. James. And our monthly challenge is to pray the Regina Caeli (www.tinyurl.com/uj4f435m). //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠. Our website is ⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠. //

Other resources we mention:

“Awesome Glory” by Abbot Jeremy Driscoll OSB
The homily at the funeral of our friend Silvia: https://www.clonline.org/en/current-events/articles/2023-03-03-silvia-simoncini-homily-carbajosa
Chiara Corbella’s biography “A witness to hope”
Romano Guardini’s book “The Lord”
A homily by Fr. Mike Cairnes, whose preaching you can listen to as a podcast called Church Talk: www.tinyurl.com/3knesu35
The Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America: www.myfranciscan.org
Fr. Kevin Grove’s book “Augustine on Memory”
The Confessions of St. Augustine //

Our theme music is Nich Lampson’s “Dolphin Kicks.”

The Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary with Luigi Giussani Apr 01, 2023

Show notes

Join Sofia and Adrianna in praying the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, guided by reflections from Father Luigi Giussani. We pray this Lent is a deepening into your own encounter with the Lord in the desert. We'll be back with an episode on April 10th for Easter and then resume our normal monthly episodes on May 1st.

The Body Mar 01, 2023

Show notes

Join Sofia, Adrianna, and Giuli for a discussion about the body. What does it mean that, in Romano Guardini’s words, there is no religion as materialistic as Christianity? How does God’s esteem for our embodiment change our gaze on ourselves and others? Can we learn to affirm Christ in our bodies? What do we do when faced with the fallenness or woundedness of our embodied nature? //

Our media recommendation is Lorenzo Bernini’s sculpture The Ecstasy of St Teresa: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecstasy_of_Saint_Teresa. And our monthly challenge is to pray in gratitude for the gift of your body. //

We’d love to hear from you! Write to us at ⁠⁠pilgrimsoulpodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠ or find us on Instagram at ⁠⁠@pilgrimsoulpodcast⁠⁠. Our website is ⁠⁠www.pilgrimsoulpodcast.com⁠⁠. //

Other resources we mention: