Outside The Walls With Timothy Putnam

Michael Grasinski is the Assistant Director of Admissions at Sacred Heart Major Seminary (SHMS.edu). He joins us to talk about the Philosophy of Personalism and its influence on the landscape of Catholic Theology.

Dr. Matthew Breuninger is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Franciscan University of Stuebenville, and the Director of Teaching Excellence. He has research interests in the role of religion in one’s psychological well-being • Attachment to God—the experiences of felt security with God • Understanding the overlap between psychological habits and theological virtues • Virtue formation.  Dr. Breuninger is the author of Finding Freedom in Christ: Healing Life’s Hurts published by Emmaus Road Publishing, and the Co-founder of KNOWN: Embraced by the Heart of the Father.  We talk today about how our own experience of Fatherhood shapes our understanding of who God is as Father, and the accompanying challenges brought on by negative or incomplete experiences of belovedness as a child of our father, coupled with the importance of handing on a good experience of attachment and belovedness to our own children.

Chenele Shaw, is one of the project leads for the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage, which consists of four routes from the four corners of the US converging on Indianapolis for the National Eucharistic Congress. The events take place across the country from May 17th through July 16th. You can find a listing of those events at EucharisticPilgrimage.org.  She also serves as the Co-Director of the Before Gethsemane Initiative, host of the podcast Ave Spotlight with Ave Maria Press, Secretary for The Human Condition Community, and a contributing writer to various Catholic publications, including Grotto Network, The Catholic Woman, and Our Sunday Visitor. Today we talk all about Pilgrimages and what spiritual benefit you can expect from the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. In our Patreon segment we talk all about the Human Condition Community! Learn more at Patreon.com/outsidethewalls. (Photo by Chupich Photography)

Dr. James B. Prothro is an associate professor of Theology and Sacred Scripture and the director of the MA Biblical Studies program at the Augustine Institute just outside of Denver Colorado. Today, we’re talking about his book The Bible and Reconciliation: Confession, Repentance, and Restoration, part of the Catholic Biblical Theology of the Sacraments series from Baker Academic. He is also the author of: A Pauline Theology of Justification: Forgiveness, Friendship, and Life in Christ (Published by Cascade Books) The Apostle Paul and His Letters: An Introduction (Part of the Verbum Domino series on CUA PRESS) The Future of Catholic Biblical Interpretation: Marie-Joseph Lagrange and Beyond (Published by Eerdmans)

Dr. Kevin Clarke, Dean of the Institute for Lay Ministry and Associate Professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, joins us to talk about his 2018 book “The Seven Deadly Sins” from the “Sayings of the Father’s of the Church” series from Catholic University of America Press, and a free, online course on the same topic at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit. https://explore.shms.edu/seven-deadly-sins

Dr. Pia de Solenni is the Senior Director of Corporate Engagement at IWP Capital. She is a Theologian, ethicist, and cultural analyst. In addition to various policy and academic roles, Pia was a principal founder of the Global Institute of Church Management. Previously, she served as chancellor and theological advisor to the Bishop of Orange in California. She is an expert in issues relating to Catholicism, Culture, Ethics, the new Feminism, and Church governance, and is a consultant member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas. She joins us today near International Women’s Day to talk about what Pope St. John Paul II called “The Feminine Genius” and the importance of elevating the voices of Women in the Church.

Sr. Nancy is the Director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Culver City, California. She is a Media Literacy Education Specialist, theologian, international speaker, film/TV reviewer, and author of an award-winning theology of popular culture called, A Sacred Look: Becoming Cultural Mystics. Sr Nancy is a Doctoral Candidate in Ministry at Catholic University of America in the area of Liturgical Catechesis and holds degrees in Communications Arts and a Masters in Theology and the Arts from Fuller Theological Seminary, along with certificates in Catechetics and Media Literacy Education. Sr Nancy has extensive experience in the creative aspects of social media, print media, radio and video production as well as in marketing, advertising, retail management and administration.  She joins us to talk about her free Zoom-based, Lenten retreat, iFaith: What's God Have to do With My Media?

Bo Bonner is the Director of the Center for Human Flourishing, and Senior Advisor for Mission Initiatives at Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines, IA. He joins us in a discussion to reframe our concept of Lent and Pennance to one of Joy and anticipation. What if we thought of our Lenten preparation the same way we thought about preparing for Date Night with our Beloved.

Dr. Elizabeth Klein is an Associate Professor of Theology At the Augustine Institute, a contributor to Formed, and the author of Augustine’s Theology of Angels and God: What Every Catholic Should Know, which is the topic of our patreon segment this week. She specializes in patristic theology, particularly the writings of St. Augustine. She is the director of the Augustine Institute’s Short Course Program. Klein earned a doctor of philosophy degree in historical theology at the University of Notre Dame, where she also served as a post-doctoral scholar, course instructor, and graduate assistant.  She joins us today to talk about her book Angels and Saints: Who They Are and Why They Matter, published by Ave Maria Press in partnership with the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Mark Giszczak, who received his Ph.D. from The Catholic University of America, is a professor of Sacred Scripture at the Augustine Institute just outside Denver, Colorado. He is the author of “Bible Translation and the Making of the ESV Catholic Edition (Augustine Institute), ”Light on the Dark Passages of Scripture (OSV), What Every Catholic Should Know about Suffering (Augustine Institute, Ignatius Press), and He is one of the Series editors for Baker Academic’s Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. He has written the first Old Testament volume for that series on the Wisdom of Solomon. He joins us today to talk about the new commentary volume and the benefit of using biblical commentaries in your own spiritual reading. The Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture is available on Verbum.

Dr. John W. Martens is professor of theology and director of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark's College at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. For four years he wrote the Scripture column "The Word" at America Magazine. He has also written extensively on children in early Christianity, including ‘Let the Little Children Come to Me’: Children and Childhood in Early Christianity (2009), and Children and Methods: Listening To and Learning From Children in the Biblical World (2020). He is an Editor of the amazing new Liturgy and Life Bible from Liturgical Press. He joins us today to talk about Pope Francis use of Scripture around the theme of Mercy, and why Mercy often makes us uncomfortable.

Fr. Patrick Gilger, S.J. is assistant professor of sociology at Loyola University Chicago and contributing editor for culture at America Media. Fr. Gilger’s research lies at the intersection of the sociology of religion, political theory, and the study of the secular. Fr. Gilger is an award-winning author and frequent public speaker. His writing has appeared in publications such as Vox, Church Life Journal, La Civiltà Cattolica, America, and Public Seminar. We talk today about what it looks like to live out our faith in the secular world.

Dr. Joseph Vukov is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department at Loyola University Chicago. He is also Associate Director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola, and an Affiliate Faculty Member in Catholic Studies and Psychology. Nationally, Vukov also serves as the Vice President of Philosophers in Jesuit Education. His research explores questions at the intersection of ethics, neuroscience, and philosophy of mind, and at the intersection of science and religion. He is a prolific author of articles and monographs including Navigating Faith and Science, and the topic of today’s conversation The Perils of Perfection: On the Limits and Possibilities of Human Enhancement, Part of the Magenta Series at New City Press.

Ann has been a catechist of the Good Shepherd since 1996. She is a member of the faculty at Aquinas Institute of Theology where she founded the MAPS-CGS program, a pastoral studies degree program with a concentration in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.  She now serves as spiritual formation director for the program.  Ann is a member of the formation committee of the U.S. national association of CGS and offers formation courses at all three levels. She is the author of Mustard Seed Preaching (LTP, 2004), A Year with Sofia Cavalletti (LTP, 2017), and Preaching with Children (LTP, 2022).  She joins us to talk about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd as a way to form our Children in the Faith. 

Katie McGrady is a speaker, author, podcast host, and host of The Katie McGrady Show on The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM 129 that talks about pop culture, current events, Catholic news, and how to live a life of abundant joy. She is a frequent guest on CNN whenever there is a big story on a Catholic topic. She joins me to help unpack the recent Vatican document from the DDF, Fiducia Supplicans. We examine the document and provide context for text, and hopefully alleviate some consternation.

Joe Heschmeyer is a Staff Apologist at Catholic Answers. When not on-air, he is writing exceptionally thorough apologetic treatises, books, or hosting the Shameless Popery Podcast. We reflected on the line from Silent Night, "All is Calm, All is Bright," as a means of focusing our Advent preparations.  In the Patreon segment, we talked about Elf on a Shelf, Santa, and Christmas Myth.

Dcn. Fritz C. Bauerschmidt Is professor of theology at Loyola University Maryland and a permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Baltimore, assigned to the Cathedral of Mary our Queen. He is a prolific author with over a dozen books on multiple publishers. He joins me to talk about his 2020 book The Love that is God: An Invitation to Christian Faith on Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing in light of the Incarnation we are preparing to celebrate.

Greg Metzger is the Associate Publisher at New City Press, part of Focalare Media, the communications arm of the Focolare movement. He's written for a variety of publications, including Christianity Today, Commonweal, and Christian Century. He lives with his wife in Pasadena, CA. He joins us to talk about the new book of Pope Francis's meditations on the Nativity entitled Christmas at the Nativity available from New City Press. We also spoke about the Focolare Movement's way of corporate formation for Christian Living, and their charism of pursuing unity. 

In this rerun from 2020, Deacon Charles Beard, from St. Pius X in Tulsa and the Blessed Stanley Rother Catholic Worker, joins us to talk about the Solemnity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We often imagine this Cosmic Kingship with the implication of his rule over the nations; today we explore the implications of his rule on a personal level. In the Patreon segment, I discuss my recent airplane conversation with a Buddhist. Learn more at patreon.com/outsidethewalls. 

It seems like only yesterday that Outside the Walls launched on St. Michael radio in Broken Arrow, but here we are nine years in and still going strong. It seemed fitting to take this week and look back over the past nine years and reflect.  My wife Kristin joins me to talk about our experiences with the show, and to discuss the idea of looking back as a means to prepare for moving forward. This idea is borne out in scripture, in liturgy, and in sacrament and gives us a method for preparing for our own futures.