Faith Full Podcast

It’s been 12 years since St. Kateri Tekakwitha ("The Lily of the Mohawks") was declared a saint by the Catholic church, in October 2012. She was a Mohawk/Algonquin woman who lived in the late 17th century in present-day New York and Quebec, declaring herself a virgin for Christ. Her sainthood has sparked both pride and soul-searching within and beyond Canada’s First Nations. St. Kateri’s earthly remains are entombed at the National Saint Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine, in St. Francis Xavier Mission Catholic Church in Kahnawake, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. The church is not far from the Kateri school and Kateri Memorial Hospital—visible reminders that she lived here, or nearby, in a Catholic community before her death at age 24. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. In this episode we are not retelling St. Kateri’s life story, but rather we’re bringing you voices from a few members of the present-day Catholic community in Kahnawake: Beverly Anna Sky Dolormier, a volunteer

What does it mean for a baby to be “incompatible with life?” Even before a baby is born, doctors are doing tests, reviewing ultrasounds, and monitoring the mother closely for unexpected results or problems. If the unborn baby has too serious a condition, parents might be told by doctors that their baby is “incompatible with life.” That’s to say, it’s not expected to live long, if at all, and parents can face a choice of life or death for this person they’ve not yet met. After doctors identified Trisomy 13 in John Paul Hauser, his parents were coached to consider having an abortion. Despite having this major genetic corruption, and a life that might last for minutes if at all, John Paul's parents chose to give him that life. And live he did. /// Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Tami and Tracy Hauser, and Barb Baxter, the parents and godmother of John Paul Hauser. Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscri

To hear of a man crushed by a giant crucifix, it should rightly give us pause. Years ago I heard of a man who prayed before a statue of Christ on the cross every day, asking God’s mercy for the man’s wife who was battling cancer. His wife made it through, and after enduring the pain and emotional exhaustion of that fight, the man wanted to clean the statue in appreciation. Except, the statue fell on him, leading to his leg being amputated. The church raised money and donations for the man, but he ended up suing. /// Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features a news report from 2012, and reflections on what a falling crucifix might mean (if anything at all.) Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Before we get too deep into this

The chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (Our Lady of Good Help) is Montreal’s oldest stone church, sitting for hundreds of years as a beacon of hope. It celebrates a special milestone this year, 250 years, having acted as a refuge for residents, pilgrims, sailors and travelers arriving by the St. Lawrence River and Seaway. Today we’ll explore together a fascinating chapter of Catholic history in North America, and learn that key to the story of this chapel, and the Catholic community of Nouvelle France, is St. Marguerite Bourgeoys. She was the first teacher of the colony of Ville Marie, and founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame, and was laid to rest on the site she worked so hard to consecrate for the Lord, with help of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Carole Golding, Pastoral Coordinator of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel in Montreal.  Learn more: https://margueritebourgeoys.org/en/history/  Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod

Christian duty and panhandlers. What’s the right thing to do? For a long time I’ve struggled when approached by panhandlers, people on the street asking for money. I want to help, but I don’t want to be taken advantage of, or feed an addiction, or endanger myself. As a Catholic, as a Christian, I know helping the less fortunate is central to my faith. In one of the most famous passages from Scripture, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says in a parable ‘whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.’ Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Gary Sole, the CEO of Society of St. Vincent de Paul in the Diocese of Cleveland, learn more at https://svdpcle.org/  Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com/  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscri

Just to mention aliens turns some people off, but to a Christian, to a Catholic, thinking about extraterrestrial life can hold tremendous value. If you replace the word “alien” with “the other” then we start down a familiar path. Does “the other” exist in the universe? Would “the other” mean us peace or harm? Should I will the good of “the other?” Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Paul Thigpen. The book is published by TAN Books: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/tan-books/pre-order/extraterrestrial-intelligence-and-the-catholic-faith/ Some of the greatest Catholic thinkers wrestled with this question of “the other.” Whether you’re thinking about so-called aliens, people who live in the center of the earth, or maybe creatures at the end of the world, how we approach our theoretical brothers and sisters of the universe might tell us a lot about what our faith really means to us.  Introduction Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com Donate: https://www.fait

Angels seem mysterious and familiar all at the same time. Angels are by definition different than you and I are—they’re spiritual beings, without bodies, but can be present in our world. St. Augustine says “angel” is the name of their office, or what they do: they are servants and messengers of God. In this episode we hear about what another saint, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, thought about angels in his newly translated Meditations on the Holy Angels. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Fr. Robert Nixon, OSB. The book is published by TAN Books: https://tanbooks.com/products/books/Meditations-on-the-Holy-Angels/ Visit our website: https://www.faithfullpod.com Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9m

War and Catholicism. On today’s episode we’ll hear from a Catholic Bishop and a former member of the British armed forces talk about how our duties as Christians, striving to walk the path to Heaven, square with the hell of war? Our conversation is driven by a powerful scene in the movie Kingdom of Heaven. This episode features Bishop Neal Buckon of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, and Catholic and military veteran Rebecca Clemenz. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/your-quality-known-among-your-enemies/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ YouTube: https://youtu.be/ex2Fd1f1Gv4 Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M This is a big topic, with many twists and turns, so we’ll attempt a somewhat narrow conversa

This episode is the third connected to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode talks about needing to take mini-pilgrimages in our everyday life, and not just wait for big trips. You can stop for a moment of prayer anywhere, anytime. This episode features again Fr. Edward Looney, Fr. John Broussard, Fr. Carlos Esparza, and Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-wayside-chapels-and-everyday-pilgrims/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M Standing on the shore of a mount

This episode is the second about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. This episode features Fr. Edward Looney, and Fr. John Broussard. We also learn about the Peshtigo fire on 1871. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-blessed-virgin-mary-appears-in-champion/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=179335&refid=stpr Google: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYWl0aGZ1bGxwb2QubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M There’s a crisp hint of Autumn in the air when a young Adele Brise first catches sight of the mysterious figure. It’s October 1859. Adele carries her bag of wheat toward the grist mill, in a wooded patch of Northern Wisconsin, when she freezes, frightened. There, be

This episode is the first of three about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. In 1859 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Belgian immigrant, Adele Brise. Mary identified herself as “The Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners,” and told Adele to teach children their catechism, how to make the sign of the cross, and how to approach the sacraments. And then Mary said, “Go and fear nothing, I will help you.” Our next episode will go a little deeper into the apparition, and the miracles at Champion, but today we’re preparing for that pilgrimage with the help of Jesuit priest, Fr. Carlos Esparza. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-a-pilgrim-seeks-a-guide/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/faith-full-podcast/id1363835811 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/34sSHs8hHpOCi5csuTtiIv

Switzerland is one of the world's wealthiest countries, and poverty doesn’t manifest itself in the same way as in other places. The numbers of people needing food and shelter are exponentially less, even when considering Switzerland’s size. But there can be another kind of poverty, a spiritual poverty. In this short episode of the Faith Full Podcast we talk a little about the poor in spirit, and the need for a bit more compassion in our approach to each other. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/11-spiritual-poverty-and-helping-hands/  Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ 

When you think of Legos, you no doubt envision the small bricks that ignite children’s imaginations by their possibilities. You sift through a box of tiny pieces looking for one to make that spaceship just right, or house a little more functional. John Kraemer takes that to a different level. He doesn’t just build a church, it’s a working model of parish life for a Lego world not unlike our own. You can pray in many ways, and for John, building these Lego parishes and communities are a prayer. Find pictures and more on the episode page. Donate to Faith Full. Learn more about John and The Lego Church Project.  

"The Church hasn't always been good at dealing with people who are, quote unquote different. It's difficult." Fr. Jamie Dennis is one of what he estimates are only 10 Catholic priests in the U.S. He's a fascinating person, who lives in a train caboose, and runs his own railroad, on his family farm near Owensboro, KY. He talks to us about why the Latin Mass and Byzantine Liturgy are more accessible than the Ordinary Form of the Mass, and he talks about the challenges he faced growing up while losing his vision. “It's a difficult world we live in. But it can be dealt with,” he says. "With God, lots of things are possible." Please visit the episode page for text and pictures! Support Faith Full!

For some Catholics who are blind, the experience of the Mass can be very different than for sighted people. In normal times, it can be a tactile experience. But not during the pandemic. In Scripture, Jesus is recorded as saying where two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in the midst of them. And that goes for times when the two or three need to be two or three meters apart for social distancing. As with many Catholics, those who are blind have found technology as a way to continue to express their faith even when so much of life is disrupted. Many are also helped by an organization in New York, the Xavier Society for the Blind, which for 120 years has kept coming Catholic and inspirational materials in Braille and audio formats. We learn about that, and hear from a number of Catholics who are blind about their experience of the pandemic. Visit the full episode page for pictures and more. Donate to Faith Full.

The world remains gripped by a pandemic; an unseen, but very present coronavirus has caused us to rethink a lot of things: how we work, how we spend time, how we show respect and communicate. I’ve been sitting on a fun anecdote for a while, and thought these dark days are as good a time as any to share. So coming up: the story of a giant Jesus Christ (in hot air balloon form) and the two German monks, in this short episode of Faith Full. Find a full transcript on the episode page!

In times of struggle for the institution of the Catholic Church, some look for inspiration and intercession from the Saints. St. Jean Vianney is said to have faced regular attacks by Satan, yet his ministry in the face of those attacks positioned him as the Patron Saint of Parish Priests, having walked the Earth during a time of great difficulty for the Catholic church in France. The incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney is touring the U.S. during another time of trial in the Church. More on that, and the young man traveling with the relic in this episode of Faith Full. We meet Evan Holguin, custodian of the relic and a manager-in-training with the Knights of Columbus. And Fr. Stephen Dominic Hayes, O.P. of St. Patrick Priory in Columbus, Ohio talks about the life of St. Jean Vianney, and faith. Find more pictures at the episode page. If you feel inspired, you can support Faith Full.

Hundreds of years ago a man dressed as a bear murdered a Catholic freedom fighter in Switzerland. The details of the crime are somewhat important, but more so are the details of a Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism on account of his idea of authority and power. The crime stemmed from a time fraught with religious division during which moderation seemed extinct. It's a sharp contrast to today, of course, where it's not uncommon for Christian denominations to pray together, and discuss the faith from their own perspectives. In this episode we explore the life and death of Swiss pastor and fighter Joerg Jenatsch, and think a little about praying together nowadays. Full episode with pictures and text 

If a loved one dies, it’s natural to want to hang on to something to remind you of them—maybe a ring, maybe a favorite book or picture. That’s the same idea, in a very basic way, behind the relics of the saints held in high esteem by many faith traditions. And in Pittsburgh, oddly enough, there is said to be the largest Catholic collection of relics outside of Rome.  Join us for a visit to Saint Anthony’s Chapel in this episode of Faith Full. Find the full story at http://www.faithfullpod.com/4-of-relics-saints-and-solace/

Even if our grief and heartache have sapped our strength, as Sirach said, the Catholic faith teaches that God provides love and support and grace, that we desperately need.   Our last episode followed the story of Fr. Cirilo Nacorda who had been captured by Jihadist militants. His story was relayed to Faith Full host Tony Ganzer by his grandfather before his death. In this half-episode we hear a little about that backstory, and what Ganzer's Grandfather wanted shared about his faith. Visit the episode page at http://www.faithfullpod.com/3-5-a-grandfathers-faith/