Jesuitical

When Millennials move in with Nuns   Every year, more people—particularly those who skew younger—opt out of identifying with a religious tradition. In many ways, the spiritual lives of the next generation will look drastically different than their predecessors.    At the same time, nearly 90 percent of all women religious (these are the much talked about “nuns”) are over the age of 60. Given these shifting demographics, the future of religious life will look wildly different too.    Could the future of these two groups be tied up somehow? This was the question first posed by Nunes and Nones, an organization that brings these two groups—both spiritually seeking, both distinctly committed to justice—together for conversation, relationship and even shared housing.    This week we talk to Katie Gordon, a national organizer of Nuns and Nones, about the impetus behind starting the organization, the benefits and challenges of intergenerational and interreligious dialogue, and why aging women religious and mi

Chloe Becker was upset when she realized she could not name a single African or African-American saint. A junior at Magnificat High School in Rocky River, Ohio, Chloe was inspired to learn more about racial justice after attending a school-sponsored conference on racism. It led to the creation of a semester-long project: a mural depicting African-American saints and holy people in contemporary clothing, holding up the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Chloe took a break from her summer vacation to talk to us about using the saints to fight racism, how her community has responded and why she chose to depict the saints in contemporary dress. In this week’s Signs of the Times, we look at two new Catholic initiatives: a Vatican podcast in Latin and a new Catholic cryptocurrency backed by former Senator Rick Santorum. We also break down the U.S. bishops’ latest protocols for holding themselves accoutnable for sexual abuse and its cover up. Finally, we look at a Belgian group of monks who are changing the way they sell their

Pat Gothman is committed to creating welcoming spaces for L.G.B.T. Catholics. Pat, who is gay and Catholic, is a writer and editor of Reaching Out, an online publication that highlights the stories of L.G.B.T. people of faith. In December, Pat co-launched Vine & Fig, an online community where the lives and experiences of queer Catholics are “affirmed as true, holy, and beautiful.” Vine & Fig provides community members with books, videos and other resources and gives them a digital space—via Slack—where “queer Catholics can safely get to know one another and grow together.” We talk to Pat about Vine & Fig, his experience as a gay Catholic man and why he stays in the church. In Signs of the Times, David Haas, a composer of Catholic hymns, releases a new refrain for Pride Month; 90 Catholic airport chaplains meet in Rome; Joe Biden retracts his support for the Hyde Amendment; and the Toronto Raptors forward who almost became a priest. Finally, we discuss the Vatican’s most comprehensive statement yet on gende

Dawn Eden Goldstein was born into a Jewish family, but in her teens and 20s—dealing with cycles suicidal depression—charted her own path as a journalist and devotee of the religion of punk rock. In the early 2000s, as the first round of the sexual abuse crisis was unfolding in the Catholic Church, Dawn, herself a survivor, began making her way to that very church. Since converting, she has written several books, including My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints and her new memoir, Sunday Will Never Be the Same. We ask Dawn about her spiritual journey, how the latest abuse revelations have tested her faith and what lessons the church can learn from the arduous healing process of survivors. In Signs of the Times, the U.S. church is reporting a rise in new sex abuse allegations. What’s being the recent spike? Next, the bishop in Rhode Island warns Catholics not to take part in Pride marches and an Irish archbishop tells parents not to give their kids smartphones for Holy Commun

Onita Estes-Hicks has been Catholic her entire life. Men in her family were named “Nace” after St. Ignatius, a testament to the influence of the Jesuits in her family’s life. But her relationship with her faith was forever changed in 2004, when her family discovered that they were the descendents of one of the 272 enslaved persons sold by the Jesuits who ran Georgetown University in 1838. We talk to Onita about what it was like to find out about her family’s history, what Georgetown has done to ask for forgiveness and what it’s been like to form a community of other descendants. In Signs of the Times we unpack the latest developments from the case of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick (for a fuller discussion, listen to this week’s episode of Inside the Vatican) and discuss the new Archbishop of Washington, D.C. In our new segment, “Being Frank,” we talk about the pope’s advice to young travelers to focus on encounter, not consumerism (or Instagram likes). Links from the show: GU272 Descendants Associatio

For over two years, Father Eric Sundrup has provided the hosts of Jesuitical with spiritual formation. Every week, we sit and talk to him about where we found God—and where it was a little harder. Sadly, it’s Eric’s last week as an associate editor at America (though he’s sticking around as Jesuitical’s faith formator), so we decided to interview him and give listeners a behind-the-scenes look. We talk to Eric about spiritual direction and what makes it different from counseling, the role of spiritual direction for the Jesuits and the best—and most awkward—parts of talking to the hosts about their consolations and desolations. In Signs of the Times, we share some Catholic school news: a new policy from the Archdiocese of Detroit is asking Catholic parishes and schools to stop scheduling athletic games and practices on Sundays; and Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego has banned skirts. In our Being Frank section, where Pope Francis teaches us to be better Christians, the pope reminds us: “to throw fo

Hans Zollner, S.J., has dedicated his life to protecting children from the horrific crime of sexual abuse. A psychologist and Jesuit priest, he has guided the church’s efforts to bring healing to survivors and to prevent such abuse from happening again. Father Zollner meets regularly with survivors and as one of the organizers of the Vatican summit on sexual abuse in February helped to lift up their voices. We spoke to Father Zollner back in March and asked him what concrete steps need to be taken after the summit, how hearing from survivors has shaped his perspective and how he maintains his own spiritual and mental health. In Signs of the Times, we discuss the new rules for reporting sexual abuse issued by Pope Francis as well as the pope’s remarks on the possibility of women deacons. Plus: the cardinal who went down a manhole to restore power to a homeless shelter, Asia Bibi finally joins her family in Canada and Louis Farrakhan makes anti-Semitic remarks in a Catholic Church. You can share your thought

Like so many, we were devastated by the news of Rachel Held Evans’s death last weekend. Rachel’s willingness to write candidly and prophetically about her faith inspired countless believers and doubters. The importance of Rachel’s life and work is clear from the outpouring of grief and love that’s emerged from her death. To honor her life and legacy, we wanted to re-air our interview with Rachel from last year. We spoke to Rachel about her book, Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again. Rest in peace, Rachel. In Signs of the Times, we discuss whether or not we like when priests improvise at Mass, the legacy of L’Arche founder, Jean Vanier and the new editorial director of the Vatican women’s magazine. Thoughts on this week’s show? Join the discussions happening with other Jesuitical listeners (and hosts and producers!) on our Facebook group. This week’s episode was sponsored by Sunday to Sunday with Fr. Mike Russo, a new online video series that explores the art, craft and

On this week’s episode, we talk with Kate Bowler, the author of the New York Times bestseller Everything Happens For A Reason (And other lies I’ve Loved). She just won a Christopher Award for the book. (The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 to celebrate authors, illustrators, writers, producers and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit.”) Kate is a professor of Christian history at Duke Divinity School. For years, she has taught and written about the prosperity gospel, and, in Everything Happens For A Reason, she gives readers a personal perspective into what this theology represents. We talk to Kate about her memoir, what her stage-IV cancer diagnosis taught her about American Christianity, her upcoming book on evangelical Christian women leaders and more. In Signs of the Times, we discuss the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka; changes to the Roman Curia at the Vatican; Peter’s Pence and how Pope Francis donates; affordable housing in New York City; and f

Zac, Olga and I have had the chance to interview some pretty incredible people over the course of 99 episodes—from Father James Martin and Sister Helen Prejean to Sarah Silverman, Audrey Assad and so many more. But this week, we’re turning the tables: To celebrate our 100th episode, former guest and CNN analyst Kirsten Powers interviews your hosts to give you a behind the scenes look at how we got here. At a live recording at the America Media headquarters in New York City, Kirsten asks us: Who’s idea was Jesuitical? What do the hosts fight about? Do we feel “censored” because we work for the Catholic Church? And what’s next for Jesuitical? A huge thank you to everyone who came out for the live show and to the Catholic Travel Centre for sponsoring the event. And thank you to everyone who listens to and supports Jesuitical. We are so grateful that we get to make this podcast, and we literally could not do it without the wonderful community that has grown up around the show over the past two years (nor wo

Should you care about what’s going on at the Vatican? It seems clear that you should pray for the pope and for the people making important decisions about the church’s governance, but should you follow the updates about hirings and firings, exhortations and motu proprios?   Colleen Dulle, host of America’s podcast “Inside the Vatican,” will tell you why paying attention to the Vatican regularly could become a spiritual practice and put the headlines you see about the church in context.   In Signs of the Times, we look back at Pope Francis’ trip to Morocco (his third visit to a Muslim-majority nation), ask why were there Catholic priests burning Harry Potter books in Poland and give our initial thoughts and reflections on Pope Francis’ new apostolic exhortation on young people and the church, “Christ Lives.” Oh, and we wade into the Legging Wars underway at the University of Notre Dame.   You may have heard, we’re celebrating our 100th episode this month with a live event featuring James Martin, S.J., an

Matias Benitez and Matt Chen are students at Regis High School in New York City, and in February of 2018, the teenagers started HeForShe, the school’s first feminist club. Every week, a dozen or so students gather after school to discuss the treatment of women and topical, sometimes difficult topics, like the Kavanaugh hearing. We talk to Matt and Matias about HeForShe, how they define feminism and what they hope fellow students learn from their club.   In Signs of the Times, following the massacre at Christchurch in New Zealand, Bishop Kevin Doran criticizes “faith-filled” Catholics who demonize Muslims. We discuss the upcoming book by our Vatican correspondent, Gerry O’Connell, on the election of Pope Francis. The founder of Women Church World, Lucetta Scaraffia, resigns as editor in chief of the all women’s magazine. And an archbishop in New Mexico reminds Catholics that “Santa Muerte” goes against church teaching.   Feel free to send us your questions, concerns or cocktail recipes at jesuitical@americ

“Walk together, work together, love each other.” That is how Pope Francis described the journey of building Christian unity in the 21st century. Michael Rudzena is walking that path as part of the John 17 Movement, an ecumenical group dedicated to responding to the prayer of Jesus that “all who believe in me be one.” Michael was born into a Catholic family that eventually found a new spiritual home in the Baptist church. Today, he is the founding pastor of Trinity Grace Church, a non-denominational church in New York City, and is part of a group of evangelical and Pentecostal faith leaders that has met with Pope Francis to advance “a communion of friendship and love.” We asked Michael about his encounter with the pope, the internal diversity of the evangelical Christian community and the misconceptions Catholics have about evangelicals (and vice versa). In Signs of the Times, we say a prayer for Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who recently suffered a stroke

Marquette University men’s basketball standout Markus Howard is having a banner year. He’s earned the Big East Conference Player of the Year award on his way to leading Marquette toward a (hopefully) deep run in the N.C.A.A. tournament. He’s also become a leading advocate for mental health care. We talk to Markus about why he decided to start going to therapy and why he started talking about it publically. Are we closer to ending the stigma surrounding mental health care? In Signs of the Times, we lament the Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed 157 people, many who worked for humanitarian agencies. We ask: was Pete Davidson’s joke comparing support for R. Kelly to support for the Catholic Church offensive? Why did an elementary school teacher tell her student to wash off his ashes on Ash Wednesday? Why was a child of a same-sex couple denied admittance to a Catholic school? Finally, what’s the future of religious life going to look like when fewer people are entering orders? This week I talked about how i

When Mireille Twayigira was two, she fled Rwanda with her family after her father was killed in the country’s genocide. At the age of eight, she entered a Jesuit Refugee Service school in Malawi. After she graduated from secondary school as one of the best students in the country, she traveled to China, where she learned Chinese and, in 2016, graduated as a doctor.   We talk to Mireille about the role of education in her life, how her faith has kept her strong and what it means to be a symbol of hope in your 20s.   In Signs of the Times, during the 2016 presidential campaign, Michael Cohen threatened to sue Fordham University if they released Donald Trump’s grades or SAT scores. Pope Francis will open the secret archives of Pope Pius XII. Why is this significant? The Leadership Roundtable, a church reform group, has released a 40-page report that lists recommendations for dealing with the sexual abuse crisis. We discuss some of the takeaways.   And finally, we tell you what we’re giving up for Lent.  

Catholics love a good nun story. A chainsaw-wielding sister cleans up after Hurricane Irma? Social media gold. Nuns playing soccer? Yes please. And who can forget Sister Jean? (Not Zac). But every day and on every continent women religious are doing life-saving, cutting-edge work in hospitals, research laboratories, refugee camps and prisons. And those are the stories Dawn Araujo-Hawkins tells as a writer for National Catholic Reporter’s Global Sisters Report.   We ask Dawn what she wished more people knew about the work of women religious, especially black sisters, and about her own experience working as a person of color in the mostly white Catholic media world.   In Signs of the Times, we bring you the top takeaways from the Vatican’s historic summit on child sexual abuse and discuss the case of Cardinal George Pell, the highest-level church official ever to be convicted of abusing a minor. Next, Pope Francis plans to write an apostolic exhortation on last year’s youth synod. What is an apostolic ex

Vinson Cunningham doesn’t meet many people who believe in hell—but he still does. We sit down with Vinson, who is staff writer at the New Yorker, to discuss his recent essay “How the Idea of Hell Has Shaped the Way We Think.”   We talk about our first memories of hell, how it still impacts our lives and our culture, and why it might be easier to describe hell than heaven.   In Signs of the Times, we look at the laicization of former cardinal Theodore McCarrick and preview the Vatican’s summit on sexual abuse. Sister Norma Pimentel, a former guest on Jesuitical, runs into conflict with the city commissioners of McAllen, Tex. And could contactless payment be on the way for church donations? One cluster of parishes in Dublin, Ireland, is trialing it, and we are here for it.   We want to hear from you! One great place to do that—and chat with other Jesuitical listeners—is our Facebook group. We’re sharing news and consolations and desolations throughout the week.   Links from the show: “How the Idea o

This week, America and Spoke Studios published “Deliver Us,” a new podcast about the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. Maggi van Dorn is the host and executive producer of “Deliver Us.” Following the release of the Pennslyvania grand jury report last summer, Maggi, like so many Catholics in the United States, found herself asking: How did could happen? And what, if anything, could Catholics do to help? She put her resources and audio skills together and decided to create “Deliver Us,” which features survivors, experts and advocates discussing ways in which the church and Catholics can move forward. We talk to Maggi about how the podcast centers the stories of survivors and what it means to be hopeful as a Catholic during this crisis. In Signs of the Times, Pope Francis has, for the first time, acknowledged the abuse of Catholic sisters. We discuss why this matters and what it shows us about the sex abuse crisis. Last month, Nicolás Maduro was sworn in as Venezuela’s president, which has led to pr

In recent years, there has been a lot of debate around the word “consent” when it comes to preventing sexual assault on campus. What can Catholic colleges and universities bring to these discussions? To find out, we talk with Brianna Maturi, who leads Loyola Marymount University's consent program, called LMU Cares. We ask Brianna about the hook-up and dating scene on campuses today, what a culture of consent looks like after college and what bystanders can do prevent sexual assault and harassment. In Signs of the Times, we discuss Pope Francis’ historic trip to the Arabian Peninsula and Cuba’s newest Catholic Church. Next, how should bishops respond when Catholic politicians support abortions. And in Midwest news: The bishops in Illinois come out against the legalization of recreational marijuana, and the University of Notre Dame covers up murals of Christopher Columbus. Let us know what you think about our conversation with Brianna or any of these stories on our Facebook page or Twitter. And please consid

This week, Jesuitical is coming to you live from Australia. We’ve mastered driving on the left side of the road (sort of); we got up close and personal with a kangaroo; and even though Ashley tried to leave me to drown in the Great Barrier Reef, we managed to record this week’s episode.   On our first international trip, we headlined the Archdiocese of Adelaide’s World Youth Day celebrations. In addition to leading workshops and giving a few talks, we recorded this live show. In Signs of the Times, we talk about Pope Francis’ visit to Panama for World Youth Day, review the pope’s new prayer app, “Click to Pray,” look at a few stories from the Australian church, and break down the Covington Catholic controversy.   In our interview, we chat with Sebastian Duhau, Australia’s representative at the Synod on Young People. We look at the Synod’s final document and talk about what still needs to be done to have young people lead in the Catholic Church.   P.S. A HUGE thank you to the Catholic Office for Youth &