The Cordial Catholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Talia Kruze, a wife, mother, mental health coach, and a convert to the Catholic faith to talk about her absolutely incredible journey of conversion to the Catholic faith.The theme throughout Talia's journey is the effect of good Catholic witnesses. Beginning when her own sister converted to Catholicism after the witnesses of the good Catholics she met at university, Talia's story is full of other Catholics sharing the faith in rich and meaningful ways, leading Talia (and other members of her family!) to become Catholic.Whether it was a Catholic university community, her experience discerning religious life, the diagnosis of a mental illness, or her incredible encounter and friendship with Father Mike Schmitz, Talia's story is one of the powerful impact of living out your Catholic faith in earnest – and how living that life can truly change the lives of others!For more from Talia check out her website or follow her on Instagram.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my new friend Phillip Campbell, a Catholic convert from charismatic, evangelical Christianity, to talk about his truly remarkable faith journey.Raised nominally Catholic Phillip never went to Mass or received any of the sacraments but found Jesus through the evangelization of some close friends and their incredible examples of faith. After spending time in a number of charismatic communities – and a number of impactful religious experiences – Phillip shares what finally drew him into the fullness of the Catholic faith and why the sum total of his experiences in Christianity serve as a kind of trajectory toward Catholicism. He has a great perspective on it all, and some incredibly wild experiences along the way!There's so much in this story. For more from Phillip includes his books, talks, videos, and much more visit his website.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by podcaster, writer, and speaker John Edwards to share what I think is the most incredible conversion story ever. John breaks the record previously held by the wonderful Tsh Oxenreider as he speaks for a full hour unpacking his whirlwind conversion story: through a crippling drug addiction, successes and failures, ups and downs, and an incredible return to the Catholic Church through the grace of vulnerability and the sacraments John's story is absolutely breath-taking. I can promise you'll be on the edge of your seat throughout; and once you start, you won't be able to hit pause! For more from John check out the Just A Guy in the Pew Podcast and his website for links to book him to speak and for more information about the resources he's creating through his ministry.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Bishop Athanasius Schneider to talk about what new Catholics, non-Catholic Christians, and even Catholics who have been around the faith for a long time can, and should, make of the current state of affairs in the Catholic Church. How to thrive and live faithfully, following Christ, when it seems sometimes like the Church is in crisis. How, and why, anyone should even consider becoming Catholic when it seems, some days, like the Church is a mess of confusion.We talk about the roots of the current tensions in the Church, what it means for Catholicism going forward, why certain voices seem to crowd out others, and what hope there is for the future. Not a pessimistic or negative conversation, Bishop Athanasius Schneider brings joy, hope, and a deep and abiding love for Christ and His Church in this fantastic interview. For more from Bishop Athanasius Schneider, check out his new compendium of Catholic teaching Credo, out from Sofia Institute Press.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Joe Goodwin. Joe was an evangelical seminarian, worship leader, and a Catholic convert. Since his conversion, Joe's gone on to work in campus ministry for a number of years and is currently the Executive Director of Canadian Priests for the Third Millennium, a group working to meet the needs of the next generation of priests. This week on the show, Joe tells his incredible conversion story which, remarkably, intersects with my own at several different points. Joe's story is one of deep love of his faith, of Christ, and of studying the Church Fathers in an Evangelical seminary which ultimately led to his asking deeper questions and deciding to become Catholic. Joe's an amazing guy and I hope you enjoy this conversation. It was absolutely thrilling to be able to bring it to you.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Matthew J. Thomas to talk about justification, salvation, and whether or not Evangelicals and Catholics can agree on how we're saved. This is a wonderful topic and one of the bread-and-butter type conversations on this podcast: unpacking what both Catholics and Evangelicals believe about how we're saved and trying to come up with some agreement.Dr. Thomas explains how the definition of words like "justification," "works," and "salvation" can often be misused and misunderstood across different groups and that being clear with our language, looking for similarities, and working through differences is how we can better understand what divided and shockingly still divides Protestant Christianity from Catholic and Orthodox believers.For more from Dr. Matthew J. Thomas, visit  the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology.You can read Dr. Thomas' article, "Justification," at the St. Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology.Be sure to listen to Dr. Thomas' wife's incredible conversion story, too. A female Anglican priest-candidate, Leanne Thomas discerned a different path when she encountered the Catholic liturgy and the Early Church Fathers and ended up, along with her husband, becoming Catholic. Her episode is number 210.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Catholic convert, author, speaker, and, of course, Catholic priest Father Ken Geraci, CPM to talk about the realm of spiritual warfare and the uniquely Catholic tools we have to combat sin, Satan, and the demonic. Father Ken is a truly wonderful priest – with a great conversion story! – and is full of fascinating insights into the spiritual realm and how, as Catholic, we possess the unique tools to draw us closer to Christ and away from spiritual darkness, in all its forms! For more from Father Ken visit his website and check out his book Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Dr. Samuel Klumpenhouwer, an expert in Medieval Catholicism, to talk about the day-to-day realities of what it was like for Catholics in the Middle Ages? Did the Catholic Church really keep the Bible out of the hands of average Catholics? Was doctrine, dogma, and theology out of touch with Scripture and the history of the Church? Did Catholicism really go off the rails? Was the Reformation necessary? We tackle these questions and much more this week on the show with a wonderful guest. For more from Dr. Klumpenhouwer visit his website.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, podcaster, and Catholic convert Tsh Oxenreider to talk, first of all, about how the liturgies like those surrounding Advent drew her and her family deeper into the traditions and practices of Catholicism. And then about how each of us can deepen our own walk towards Christmas through embracing the season of Advent and the liturgical calendar. We talk about trying new Advent traditions (but also doing too much!), how to truly connect with the season through choosing the right Advent traditions to take on, how the Church calls us to embrace that time of waiting, and some of the more quirky celebrations we can take on during the Advent season. For non-Catholic Christians looking at us Catholics through the keyhole, for new Catholics looking to build some Advent liturgies into their lives, and for those Catholics who want to embrace the season even more, this is a conversation for everyone!And I really hope you enjoy!For more from Tsh visit her website. Her fantastic Advent book Shadow and Light is available where most fine books are found.For more, visit The Cordial Catholic. Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests! To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend Taylor Schroll from Forte Catholic, among other things, to talk about what's wrong (and what's right?) about the official process for converting to Catholicism. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (R.C.I.A.) is a long-standing, historical process of initiating non-Catholics into the beauty of the Catholic Church but it's not without its faults, its pitfalls, and its problems and this week Taylor and I talk about what to do when things go wrong, how to stick with it (or move on), and what can be done to make sure the whole thing makes more sense, and creates authentic Catholic disciples. This is such a fun conversation filled with lots of laughter, some great spicy hot takes from Taylor, and our own personal experiences of struggling through teaching and learning in the RCIA program. I know lots of listeners to this show have had struggles (or are having struggles) with this process and we're here to try and help!For more from Taylor check our Forte Catholic website, the podcast (available everywhere) and, in particular, the Catholic Foundations Teaching series, which is fantastic.Send your feedback to cordialcatholic@gmail.com. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Beyond The BeaconJoin Bishop Kevin Sweeney for inspired interviews with Christians living out their faith!Listen on: Apple Podcasts   SpotifySupport the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic