Jesuitical

This week, we talk to Kaya Oakes, a contributing writer for America and a teacher at the University of California, Berkeley. Kaya is the author of The Nones Are Alright: A New Generation of Believers, Seekers, and Those in Between on the religiously unaffiliated or religious “nones.” Most recently, she wrote an article on spiritual direction and why so many non-Christians are seeking the practice. We talk to Kaya about Ignatian spiritual direction, her training to become a spiritual director and more. In Signs of the Times, we discuss the appointment of Cardinal Luis Tagle, a.k.a. “Chito,” as the prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples; Nancy Pelosi’s viral “As a Catholic” moment; the Nativity scene depicting Mary, Jesus and Joseph in cages; new research on how the gap between church attendance among the poorest and richest in America has grown since the 1970s; and how Blue Christmas services can help people struggling during the holidays. Feel free to send us your questions, concerns, cocktail recipes or join us for discussion on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can help other listeners find the show by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! If you’re not doing so already, please consider supporting us on Patreon, where we have started a newsletter exclusively for Patrons! Thank you to those already supporting us. We would not be able to do this without you. Links for the showPope Francis appoints Cardinal Tagle to head Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples Why Nancy Pelosi doesn’t hate President Trump and prays for him instead A church nativity scene depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph as refugees separated in cages Jesus Came to Proclaim Good News to the Poor. But Now They’re Leaving Church. ‘Blue Christmas’ services help Christians in down times in holiday season What’s on tap? Chamomile Tea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The story of Catholics and the AIDS epidemic in the United States is often told as one of “gays versus the church.” But the reality was much more complicated than that. So complicated that our colleague, Michael O’Loughlin, has spent years talking to people who lived through that harrowing period to paint a fuller picture of how Catholic patients and activists, religious sisters and bishops, hospital administrators and volunteers responded to the crisis. And now you can hear their stories in a new podcast from America Media, “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church.” We ask Michael how the church was a source of both healing and hurt, whether the relationship between the church and the L.G.B.T. community has changed since the height of the epidemic and what the deep faith of gay Catholics who lived through this period can teach us today. In Signs of the Times, a Jesuit priest wants to create a less toxic gaming environment and Pope Francis wants you to set up a nativity scene. Plus, a groundbreaking new survey of Catholic employees and a Catholic school faces a lawsuit over what critics consider a racially discriminatory hair policy. Tell us what you think about the episode on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and help other listeners find Jesuitical by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a member of our Patreon community. Patrons get access to an exclusive newsletter written by one of your hosts each week! Links from the show A Catholic Priest is Creating a Non-Toxic Minecraft Server Questions Of Faith: Exclusive Survey of Catholic Church Employees NYC Catholic schools hold fast on boys’ braid bans despite laws banning hair discrimination Pope Francis, at site of first nativity scene, issues letter on the importance of the crèche What’s on tap?St. Germain hot toddy Nursing students treat a patient in the AIDS ward of Saint Vincent's Hospital in the 1980s. (Courtesy: Archives, Sisters of Charity of New York) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the Jesuitical team are bringing you a new podcast from America Media. In “Plague,” America’s Michael O'Loughlin investigates stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church. The release of the first episode coincides with World AIDS Day. In this first episode, Mike tells the story of David Pais, whose journey exemplifies the experience of many gay Catholics who were personally affected by the AIDS epidemic in the early days. He describes the role his faith played helping him cope with his own diagnosis—and his struggle as he walked away from the church in anger.  You can learn more about "Plague" at americamag.org/plague. You can find Mike on Twitter @mikeoloughlin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, we welcome, for the second time, Stephanie Butnick and Liel Leibovitz, two-thirds of the Jewish podcast, “Unorthodox.” They just published an amazing new book, The Newish Jewish Encyclopedia: From Abraham to Zabar’s and Everything in Between. We talk to them about Jewdar, Chinese food and Christmas, Drake, Thanksgivuhkuh and other fascinating entries in the book! In Signs of the Times, Pope Francis urges us to ask: “Do I, a Christian, have at least one poor person as a friend?” And he considers updating the Catechism to include “ecological sins.” In our third and last story, we discuss a new study from the Pew Research Center that analyzes how American adults feel about the relationship between religion and politics. Feel free to send us your questions, concerns, cocktail recipes or join us for discussion on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. You can help other listeners find the show by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts! If you’re not doing so already, please consider supporting us on Patreon, where we have started a newsletter exclusively for Patrons! Stay tuned for things like .gifs from Ashley, advice requests from Zac or book recommendations from Olga. Thank you to those already supporting us. We would not be able to do this without you. P.S. America Media will be launching a new podcast next month called “Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church,” hosted by our national correspondent, Michael O’Loughlin. The first episode premieres on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. Please visit the show’s page or wherever you listen to podcasts and listen to the trailer and subscribe. Links from the show: Pope Francis calls on Christians to remember the poor, ‘the treasure of the church’Pope Francis: Catechism will be updated to define ecological sinsAmericans Have Positive Views About Religion’s Role in Society, but Want It Out of Politics What’s on tap?  Stephanie and Liel brought us Arak, “a delightfully alcoholic beverage made of grapes and aniseed.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pope Francis’ reforms of the Catholic Church are, depending on whom you ask, a long-awaited breath of fresh air or a slippery slope toward surrender to the modern world. Austen Ivereigh, who has already written one biography of Pope Francis and closely documented the historic events of his papacy, is out with a new book, Wounded Shepherd: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church. We ask Austen about why exactly some in the church are resistant to or skeptical of the pope, what Francis’ biggest reforms have been and what complaint Pope Francis had with his first book.  In Signs of the Times, we look at an exciting new initiative in San Diego, where Bishop Robert McElroy proposed that by the end of 2022, 25 percent of parish leadership positions should be filled by young adults. We also talk about the U.S. bishops’ meeting in Baltimore, where they elected their first Latino president, and what it could mean for the present and future of the church. Plus: a look at the falling number of Latino Catholics in the United States and Georgetown University’s plans to make reparations to the descendants of slaves sold by the Jesuits in 1838. Tell us what you think about the episode on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and help other listeners find Jesuitical by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a member of our Patreon community. Patrons get access to an exclusive newsletter written by one of your hosts each week! Links from the showArchbishop Jose Gomez elected first Latino president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Study finds US Latinos are no longer majority-Catholic. Here are some reasons why. San Diego’s Catholic Church works to recruit more millennials Georgetown reparations plan for slaves sold by university draws criticism from students Pope Francis on prison systems: ‘We will be judged on this’ USCCB Statement on Wounded Shepherd What’s on Tap? Iranian Earl Grey Tea Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’ve all heard Jesus’ command to “love your enemy.” But can you love your enemies if you don’t know who they are? On the podcast “Know Your Enemy,” hosts Matthew Sitman and Sam Adler-Bell—self-described Bernie Bros—try to understand their political rivals on the right’s own terms, providing “a leftist’s guide to the conservative movement.” We sat down with Matt, an associate editor at the Catholic magazine Commonweal, to talk about his own political conversion (he was a conservative well into his 20s), what the left can learn from the conservative movement and how the Trump era is reshaping Catholic politics. In Signs of the Times, we discuss the decision of a South Carolina priest to deny Communion to former Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Marco Rubio’s challenge to Republicans to take up the cause of working people and to build a “common good capitalism.” Plus, seven anti-nuclear activists are convicted for their acts of civil disobedience and a church in Arizona has its first sensory-friendly Mass for people with disabilities. Tell us what you think about the episode on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and help other listeners find Jesuitical by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a member of our Patreon community. Patrons get access to an exclusive newsletter written by one of your hosts each week! Links from the show Cardinal Dolan: I would not have denied Joe Biden Communion Explainer: When can someone be denied the Eucharist? Marco Rubio calls for an ‘economics of the common good’ Catholic peace activists Kings Bay Plowshares 7 convicted Chandler Catholic church to host first sensory-friendly Mass What’s on tap? Bulliet Bourbon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week Ashley and Olga interview Ruth Graham, a staff writer at Slate who consistently reports on religion with sensitivity and nuance. Ruth isn't afraid of tackling the most difficult topics—she recently got an interview with former Cardinal Theodore McCarrick by traveling all the way to Victoria, Kansas. She talks about what she learned about the small town where the former cardinal now lives, why the former cardinal still won't confess and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Synod of Bishops for the Amazon is underway in Rome. This week, we welcome Luke Hansen, S.J., a former associate editor at America and special correspondent for the synod, to discuss why the synod is so significant. Since the start of the synod on Oct. 6, Luke has been reporting on the ground. He has written on indigenous leaders sharing their experiences with bishops in Rome, ministries for women in the Amazon and the possibility of ordaining married men.    We talk to Luke about why Catholics all around the world should care about the synod, Pope Francis’ involvement at the gathering, the influence of laypeople and more. (You can find all of Luke’s reporting and all of our coverage on the synod here.)    In Signs of the Times, we talk about Pope Francis going viral on Twitter, and how he is asking us to stop being hypocrites; New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio squaring off in the latest edition of Cabrini-Gate; the $3,000 “Jesus Shoes” that sold out in 24 hours; a church bingo scandal in New Jersey; and, finally, how Democratic presidential candidates discussed faith at a CNN town hall.    Feel free to send us your questions, concerns, cocktail recipes or join us for discussion on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.  You can help other listeners find the show by leaving us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts!   If you’re not doing so already, please consider supporting us on Patreon, where we have started a newsletter exclusively for Patrons! Stay tuned for things like gifs from Ashley, advice requests from Zac or book recommendations from me.   Thank you to those already supporting us. We would not be able to do this without you.   — Olga   Links from the show:  Pope gives New Orleans Saints unexpected boost on Twitter Pope at Mass: Learn to point the finger at yourself, to be freed of hypocrisy Cuomo Swoops In On Columbus Day, Says State Will Help Build Mother Cabrini Statue $3,000 Nike sneakers that are filled with HOLY WATER and blessed by a priest sell out just minutes after the ‘Jesus shoes’ were released Church bingo players charged with cheating Democratic presidential candidates talk faith at CNN Equality Town Hall What you need to know about the 2019 Synod on the Amazon   What’s on tap?  Post-wedding detox: Pedialyte from Zac’s wedding gift bag Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Loneliness: When you’re experiencing it, it can seem like you are the only person in the world who feels this way. But when you say it out loud, you find out almost everyone, at some point, has had the feeling that they are missing out or that they don’t belong.  That is why I am so grateful that this week’s guest, Gabriella Jeakle, was willing to write so openly about being lonely in college in an article for America magazine. She writes not from the perspective of having graduated and knowing “things will get better” but as someone in the thick of it—a freshman at a Jesuit college, determined to get her degree but unsure if she will ever really feel like she belongs.  We ask Gabriella how she is learning to live with loneliness and how her faith has helped her in this time of transition. In Signs of the Times, the Synod of the Bishop on the Amazon opens in Rome and Pope Francis creates 13 new cardinals. Stateside, the Supreme Court opens its new term and a big abortion case is on the docket. Next, was Mother Frances Cabrini snubbed in New York City’s She Built NYC initiative, which is meant to bring gender balance to the city’s public monuments? Finally, Molly Burhans (a former guest!) was recognized by the United Nations for her work mapping the Catholic Church worldwide.  You can tell us what you think about the episode on our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and help other listeners find Jesuitical by leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts. Please consider supporting the show by becoming a member of our Patreon community.  — Ashley Links from the show Pope Francis opens Amazon synod, says to ‘light the fire of the Gospel’ in the region Here’s what happened on the first day of the Amazon Synod Pope Francis creates 13 new cardinals, emphasizes the need for ‘compassion’ and ‘loyalty’ New Supreme Court agenda features abortion, immigrants and L.G.B.T. rights Chirlane McCray accused of ‘anti-Catholic bias’ over Mother Cabrini statue snub U.N. honors Catholic activist using data to fight climate change What’s on tap? Boozy Fall Tea: Trader Joe’s Harvest Blend Herbal Tea + a shot of Jim Beam (I swear it’s better than it sounds) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forget what you think you know about Saint Augustine. Maybe you only know the cities that take his name, or you had a tough experience in your introduction to philosophy class and found him medieval (in the pejorative sense) and scrupulous.  But what if Augustine was actually the first to hone in on and clearly express our human desire for authenticity, that restlessness that all of us have felt at one point in our lives? What if, “Augustine might make Christianity believable for you even if you’ve heard it all, been there, done that, and left the stupid Christian t-shirt at home.” James K.A. Smith is not the first to write a book explaining Augustine’s relatability, but he is perhaps the best at communicating it. This week we talk to Smith about his new book On the Road with St. Augustine: A Real World Spirituality for Restless Hearts.  In Signs of the Times we preview the upcoming Synod for the Amazon region and talk about how the Vatican marked the World Day of Migrants and Refugees. We also look at one of Philadelphia’s newest permanent deacons: longtime NBA referee Steve Javie. Oh, and it’s not every day that a friend and coworker sits down with Pope Francis for 30 minutes. James Martin, S.J., did just that this week.  Links from the show: On the Road with Saint Augustine Refugee advocates decry Trump administration’s plan to cut refugee cap Pope Francis reminds Christians that migrants and refugees should be welcomed around the world Synod for the Amazon Pope Francis meets with Father James Martin in private audience He Was the NBA’s Best Ref. Then He Went to a Catholic Seminary. Image Journal What’s on tap?  To quote our guest this week: “Negroni in the summer, Manhattan in the winter. Does that mean a Boulevardier for the fall?!” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices