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Catholic Studies
Almost Good Catholics February 1, 2023

“Quintessence of Dust?”

Friendly Argument about God and Man

Peter Hall

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Peter Hall is my old friend, a once-atheist who now calls himself an agnostic; we’ve known each other for fifteen years since we both taught English literature at an international …

Catholic Studies

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Peoples & Things January 31, 2023

War, Plague, and Confession in Fourteenth-Century Provence

A Discussion with Nicole Archambeau

Nicole Archambeau

Hosted by Lee Vinsel
Nicole Archambeau, associate professor of history at Colorado State University, talks about her book, Souls under Siege: Stories of War, Plague, and Confession in Fourteenth-Century Provence (Cornell University Press), with …
Jewish Studies January 30, 2023

Anthology of Religious Poetry from the Mexican Inquisition Trials of 16th-Century CryptoJews

Mark A. Schneegurt

Hosted by Ari Barbalat
A century after being expelled from Portugal, cryptoJews in Mexico, false converts to Christianity, could not speak of their beliefs for fear of becoming embroiled in the imprisonment, torture, and …
World Christianity January 29, 2023

The Politics of Persecution

Middle Eastern Christians in an Age of Empire

Mitri Raheb

Hosted by Byung Ho Choi
Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been a recurring theme since the middle of the nineteenth century. The topic has experienced a resurgence in the last few years …
Catholic Studies January 28, 2023

Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States

A History

Michael T. Rizzi

Hosted by Allison Isidore
Jesuit Colleges and Universities in the United States: A History (Catholic University of America Press, 2022) provides a comprehensive history of Jesuit higher education in the United States, weaving together the stories …
Almost Good Catholics January 28, 2023

Chatting with the Homeless

Looking for Jesus among the Least of Our Brothers

Brother John Vianney Russel, OP

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Dominican Friar John Vianney Russel has made a habit of talking with homeless people and shares what he has learned. He doesn’t have all the answers and, in fact, we …
Almost Good Catholics January 27, 2023

What if You're Gay?

Starting Conversations with and about LGBT Catholics

Father James Martin, SJ

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Since 2016, and with the blessing of Pope Francis, Father Jim Martin has been talking with LGBT Catholics about their relationship with their church. That’s the subject of his book …
Almost Good Catholics January 26, 2023

In the Swiss Guards

Reflections on Two Years Guarding the Pope

David Geisser

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
David Geisser was a Swiss Guard protecting Pope Francis and the Apostolic Palace between 2013 and 2015. He was following the footsteps of his father who had been in the …
Almost Good Catholics January 25, 2023

Stabat Mater

A Sandy Hook Mom Stands with Mary at the Foot of the Cross

Laura Phelps

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
One morning in December of 2012, Laura Phelps’s little children went to school and lived through an attack by a madman who shot 20 of their classmates. Laura’s community was …
Almost Good Catholics January 24, 2023

Faithful Frontiers

A Turkish Scholar Describes How She Became a Catholic Apologist

Derya Little

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Derya Little has been a Muslim, an atheist, and a Protestant; today she is a Catholic writer and apologist. She tells the story of her conversion, talks about faith, family …
Almost Good Catholics January 23, 2023

Catholic in Karachi

Living as a Christian in an Islamic Country

Ayyaz Gulzar

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Ayyaz Gulzar, journalist and Catholic youth leader in Pakistan, describes the challenges and persecutions the Church faces in the Islamic Republic, which includes the county’s blasphemy laws. He also talks …
Almost Good Catholics January 22, 2023

The Feminine Genius

Everyday Mysticism and How to Organize Your Life around It

Danielle Bean

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Danielle Bean talks about everyday mysticism and learning to listen for God in her book, Whisper: Finding God in the Everyday. God is there in our daily tasks and especially …
Medieval History January 21, 2023

Marriage Litigation in the Western Church, 1215-1517

Wolfgang P. Müller

Hosted by Jana Byars
Wolfgang Muller, Marriage Litigation in the Western Church, 1215-1517 (Cambridge University Press, 2021). From the establishment of a coherent doctrine on sacramental marriage to the eve of the Reformation, late medieval …
Almost Good Catholics January 21, 2023

Reflections of a Mormon who Became a Catholic

A Discussion with Jeremy Christiansen

Jeremy Christiansen

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Jeremy Christiansen’s autobiography, From the Susquehanna to the Tiber, tells the story of his happy Mormon upbringing, the questioning of his faith, and his ultimate pilgrimage to the Catholic Church …
Peoples & Things January 20, 2023

The Thought of Ivan Illich

A Conversation with L. M. Sacasas

L. M. Sacasas

Hosted by Lee Vinsel
Author L. M. Sacasas talks about the life, thought, and legacy of the Catholic priest, philosopher, and social critic Ivan Illich with Peoples & Things host Lee Vinsel. Sacasas and …
Almost Good Catholics January 20, 2023

Bless Me, Father, for I have Sinned

Understanding the Sacrament of Reconciliation

Father Joe Horn

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Father Joseph Horn explains the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where it comes from, how it works, and what many of us don’t know about it. At its inception, the Sacrament of …
Almost Good Catholics January 19, 2023

Better Call Paul

How Did the Early Jewish Christians Understand “Works of the Law”?

Matthew Thomas

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
In his new book, theologian Matthew Thomas takes on the big question of what the Apostle Paul means when he talks about "Works of the Law" -- as opposed to …
Almost Good Catholics January 18, 2023

We Shall Overcome

Sister Thea Bowman and the Black Catholic Experience

Father Maurice Nutt, CSsR

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Though we are all one—“there is neither Jew nor Greek,” St. Paul wrote to the Galatians—each of us brings a particular heritage to the mosaic of God’s universal pilgrim church …
Almost Good Catholics January 17, 2023

Words and the Word

How Scripture Brings Us into God’s Eternal Moment

Jeremy Holmes

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
Jeremy Holmes, Theology Professor at Wyoming Catholic College, describes his study of scripture through the lenses of narrative criticism and theological exegesis, following the model of St. Matthew. he needed …
Almost Good Catholics January 16, 2023

Pray like a Mystic

Mystical Traditions and What to Do with Them

Bishop Don Hying

Hosted by Krzysztof Odyniec
I asked Bishop Don Hying of the Diocese of Madison, Wisconsin, about mysticism and evangelization. He describes Christianity as unique among the world’s religions because “the universal, mysterious, all-powerful, invisible …