Ignatius Press Podcast

When Mark Wahlberg’s hit movie “Father Stu” was released in 2022, audiences all over the country were introduced to Father Stuart Long, a former boxer-turned-wannabe-actor-turned Catholic priest who died in Helena, Montana in 2014 at the age of 50. The motorcycle-riding tough guy who found his way to Christ and the priesthood captured the hearts of many moviegoers, but the film only told part of the story of the real Father Stu’s remarkable life and spiritual legacy.

Few people knew Father Stu as well as did Father Bart Tolleson, Stu’s close friend and fellow diocesan priest. His new book “That Was Father Stu: A Memoir of My Priestly Brother and Friend” recounts Stu’s often-bumpy road to conversion and ordination, but also tells the story of his transformative priestly ministry and his fight against the degenerative disease that ultimately took his life. In this episode, Andrew Petiprin speaks with Father Bart about his friendship with Stu and about the tremendous witness of holy suffering Stu gave in the final years of his life.

“Grief is a call to expand our hearts.” Dr. Daniel and Bethany Meola have worked with hundreds of individuals from broken homes who are grieving—grieving the divorce or separation of their parents, grieving the loss of the “ideal” family, even grieving a sense of identity rooted in parental love. They have pulled together valuable insights and wisdom from their work into a new book, “Life-Giving Wounds: A Catholic Guide to Healing for Adult Children of Divorce or Separation.”

In this episode, host Andrew Petiprin speaks with the Meolas about their book and their work with adult children of divorce—work that is particularly critical in our day and age, in which huge numbers of people come from homes broken by divorce or separation. Grief, anxiety, anger—these emotional wounds from parental separation are often hidden. But, according to the Meolas, these same wounds can be opportunities for healing and redemption. Their message is ultimately one of hope—that these wounds do not have to define us, but can become sources of life and strength.

In times of civil unrest and heightened public discourse about racial issues, it can be tempting—even for Catholics—to look only for political solutions to the divisions that plague our society. But if, as the Catholic Church teaches, racism is a sin and, as such, an obstacle to the soul’s growing in holiness, political arguments about policies and party platforms will not eradicate it. We will need to go deeper.

Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers is the author of the new book Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism. He is passionate about having those deeper conversations about race and the moral and spiritual groundwork that must be laid in order to successfully combat racism in society. In this episode, he speaks with host Andrew Petiprin about how an authentically Catholic approach can help facilitate healing in our society and promote reconciliation across racial divides.

Related reading:

Building a Civilization of Love: A Catholic Response to Racism by Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers

Learn more about Deacon Harold: DeaconHarold.com

Living wills? Palliative care? Brain death? Cremation? Many of us know we need to think about these and other end-of-life questions for ourselves and our loved ones, but how many of us know where to look for guidance?

Dr. Stephen Doran, M.D. is uniquely positioned to help us think about these often uncomfortable topics. An experienced neurosurgeon, a bioethicist, and a Catholic deacon, Dr. Doran brings insights from modern medical practice as well as from the timeless wisdom of the Faith to the many complicated situations surrounding the end of life.

In this episode, host Andrew Petiprin speaks with Dr. Doran about Doran’s new book, “To Die Well: A Catholic Neurosurgeon’s Guide to the End of Life.” They cover many of the ethical decisions that often take Catholics by surprise when faced with terminal illness, as well as the even bigger questions of what a “good death” really looks like, and how our attitudes toward suffering can have a significant impact on how we face our final end.

Thomas Howard had a unique perspective on contemporary Christian life. The son of a prominent evangelical family who was drawn to liturgical worship, a friend of C.S. Lewis who eventually converted to Catholicism, Howard was a keen observer and erudite writer, an articulate defender of the truths of the Gospel and the power of art to bring man closer to God.

In this episode, host Andrew Petiprin speaks with Keith Call, editor of a new collection of Howard’s writings, “Pondering the Permanent Things: Reflections on Faith, Art, and Culture.” Call gives background on Howard’s life and intellectual formation, as well as the cultural forces he watched play out in Christian life during the tumultuous 20th and early 21stcenturies. Call offers insights into why Howard’s writings remain compelling after his passing in 2020, and why the invitation to consider the “permanent things” is perhaps more pressing today than ever.

Related reading:

“New collection of Thomas Howard essays explores ‘the drama of redemption’” by Carl E. Olson | Catholic World Report