What does it mean to totally surrender to the will of God? In today’s episode we discuss passages from the book Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence and the practical ways we can live this out.    Show Notes:  Book: Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence: The Secret of Peace and Happiness by Fr. Jean Baptiste Saint Jure, S.J. & Saint Claude de la Colombiere, S.J.  Surrender Novena: https://hallow.com/blog/how-to-pray-the-surrender-novena/.  ..read more

We’re launching Season 5 of the podcast with a conversation on “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:11). What does it mean to “be still” and enter into prayer with the Lord when life is busy? We discuss common obstacles to prayer (especially as moms) and how we can still have fruitful and intimate prayer lives with the Lord in different seasons of our vocation.   Scripture:  “Be still and know that I am God.”- Psalm 46:11  “The Lord himself will fight for you, you need only to be still.”- Exodus 14:14  The Calming of the Storm at Sea- Mark 4:35-41  From the ..read more

On our final episode of 2023 we spend time discussing chapters 6-8 of “Hope: An Invitation” by Sister Josephine Garrett.  We discuss Mary’s role in our walk with Christ, revisit the theme of the “Slow Work of God” and how this call to hope in the Lord helps us especially now in the Advent season.     Show Notes:  You can get your copy of Hope: An Invitation at OSV or Amazon.  Download the free reflection guide here. Also: An Act of Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.   ..read more

We are continuing our Fall Book Series of “Hope: An Invitation” by Sister Josephine Garrett. This week we are discussing chapters 3-5 which focus on types of discernment, the importance of community, and the role of the Saints in our lives.     Show Notes:  You can get your copy of Hope: An Invitation at OSV or Amazon.  Download the free reflection guide and reading schedule here.  ..read more

We are beginning our 3-part series on the book “Hope: An Invitation” by sitting down with the author herself, Sister Josephine Garrett!  We discuss some of our favorite parts of the book and the inspiration behind the stories Sister Josephine shares.    Show Notes:  You can get your copy of Hope: An Invitation at OSV or Amazon.  Download the free reflection guide and reading schedule here.   ..read more

Navigating online conversations and spaces can be messy. Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to discern which voices are true and what arguments are worth fighting amidst all the noise. Dr. Luke Arredondo, Director of Faith Formation, joins us today to discuss how Catholics are called to witness the faith, even in online spaces, and how we can be more discerning who which online voices we are listening to.    Show Notes:  Our team wants to give a big shoutout to our producer, Mark, who edits our episodes. This was a particularly challenging episode to edit!  Join us f ..read more

We don’t have a full episode for you this week, but we would like to invite you to join us in an end-of-the-year Book Study! We’ll be reading Sister Josephine Garrett’s book, Hope: An Invitation, and we'll begin discussing the book on the podcast starting in mid-November.   You can get your copy of the book at OSV or Amazon.   Check out Sister Josephine’s podcast, Hope Stories.   ..read more

In today's episode, we interview Father Steven Chabarria, newly ordained priest of the Diocese of Tyler. He shares his vocation story, and the impact his family life had on his discernment and walk with Christ.    Show Notes:  From Catholic East Texas Magazine: It Was All Worth It: The Journey of One Man Who Did Not Want to Be a Priest  ..read more

We sit down with Fr. George Elliott, priest of the Diocese of Tyler and pastor of “Catholic Nacogdoches” to discuss what it means to have a parish that is focused on building disciples. We talk about how his parish is helping people through a discipleship pathway, how they are forming parish leaders, and how this model of discipleship has impacted how they do marriage formation for engaged couples and accompaniment for college students.     Show Notes:  Book recommendation: Made for Mission: Renewing Your Parish Culture by Tim Glemkowski  Learn more about "Catholic Nac ..read more

When the Vatican published the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life document last year, it raised a lot of questions about what marriage preparation should look like: Why is the Church asking for longer preparation? What do all the proposed phases and stages mean? In today’s episode, we talk about what the Marriage Catechumenate is, and why it matters for both engaged and married couples.    Show Notes:  Visit www.stphilipinstitute.org/familylife to see marriage formation opportunities in the Diocese of Tyler.  Read the Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life document here ..read more