In Good Faith

What does the monastic life require? Join Steve as he asks four monks at the Holy Cross Abbey about how they got there, what it's like, and why they stay. Father James, Brother Paul, Brother John, and Brother Efrain speak about the faith experiences that support them day to day and how they see themselves as active in the lives of other through prayer, chant, work, and service.

How can we find peace in a busy world? Join Joan Burda as she tells Steve about her experience at a 5-day silent worship retreat, and why she goes back yearly--despite not professing a religion. Joan M. Burda is a writer, Anne Lister Codebreaker, and retired lawyer. She writes for online and print publications on a variety of issues including legal, travel, and retirement. She also writes reviews for the New York Journal of Books.

How can we vary our worship? Join our host Steven Kapp Perry as he discusses silent worship with Susan Bentley. Listen for her stories on changing up her worship in the silence, in chapels and in hospital rooms. The Rev. Susan E. Bentley is an Episcopal priest, canonically resident in the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia. She is currently serving as a PRN-Flex Chaplain at Carilion Clinic Roanoke Memorial Hospital, in Roanoke, Virginia, a trauma 1 center.

What is contemplative practice? Steve sits down with Dani Lee to talk about her experiences with self-emptying. Join them as they discuss the different forms of contemplative practice, and how community plays a part in silent worship. The Reverend Daniela Lee is the priest-in-charge at St. Mary's Episcopal Church in Provo, Utah. Originally from Romania, Dani is married with two children. Currently she is teaching her congregants about Christian contemplation and planning an upcoming contemplation retreat. You can hear more from Rev Dani about her personal conversion in Episode 161.

How can silent worship help us experience the presence of God? Steve sits down with Joan and Rich Liversidge to talk about the experiences that led them to the Religious Society of Friends, commonly referred to as the Quakers. Join them as they discuss the forms and benefits of silent worship, and how they have encountered God in the stillness. Joan and Rich Liversidge have worshipped with the Religious Society of Friends since 1981 and are members of Sandy Spring Monthly Meeting in Maryland, where Quakers have worshipped for over 200 years. Joan and Rich have visited and worked with Quakers from all around the US, as well as in the United Kingdom and Kenya.

Steve heads to the Japanese Buddhist temple in Salt Lake City to learn more about the religious holiday Obon with Reverend Jerry Hirano.

Steve, Lia, James, and Alia test their interfaith trivia knowledge as they take Interfaith America's online quiz! How many answers does our team know?

Steve hosts Corinna Tanner, Sudam Mane, and Joshua Rager for a discussion about what happens after we die. Corinna Trujillo Tanner joined the Brigham Young University College of Nursing as an Assistant Professor in 2019, after completing her PhD and a two-year National Institutes of Health Research Fellowship in cancer, aging and end of life. She holds post master’s certificates in Gerontology, Adult Nurse Practitioner training and an International Certificate in Caring and Healing. She is passionate about guiding students in honoring and fostering late life potential and creating an age-inclusive culture. Sudam Mane is a P.h.D student in Analytical Chemistry at Brigham Young University. He grew up in the Sahyadri Mountain Ranges in India, earned master’s degrees in chemistry from Shivaji University, and then worked 13 years in the pharmaceutical industry before coming to BYU. Joshua Rager is a pastor in the Crosspoint Utah network. Originally from Michigan, he served 14 years in various pastoral roles in North Carolina, where he received a bachelor's degree in Theology. His wife Amanda of 16 years and he moved to Utah in 2019 with their two children, to share the biblical Gospel and serve among a network of house churches in the state.

How can we continue learning and healing as we approach the end of our mortal life? Jewels Olsen sits down with Steve for a conversation about the end of life and how we can approach it with peace and reassurance, and how we can honor those we know who are dying. Jewels Olsen is a chaplain at Applegate Home and Hospice in Utah, where she has a passion for supporting those nearing the end-of-life transition. She is familiar with many traditions and practices and provides spiritual care for a wide variety of people.

What is a holy death and how can we make sure our loved ones experience peace and love as they die? Episcopal Bishop Phyllis Spiegel joins Steve to describe how we can prepare ourselves and those who are dying for a process we all experiences. The Rt. Rev. Phyllis A. Spiegel was consecrated as the 12th Bishop of Utah on September 17, 2022. She is passionate about The Episcopal Church’s work of deepening discipleship through daily practices of faith, believing that deepening our daily walk with God profoundly changes the way we walk in the world. She has done much study on the topic of death and afterlife in her tradition.