Fountain of Love and Life - The Holy Catholic Brew FLL radio team

Lay Catholics don’t get to see their bishop very often but I remember when I was growing up, I had always admired my bishop like a familiar father figure but simultaneously felt like he was high above my level. This episode is the fifth of my vocational series, where I ask my guests to pick a song relating to their vocational discernment and to answer these seven simple questions: 1. Please introduce yourself and how we got to know each other. 2. Explain your song of choice and how it relates to your discernment. 3. Please explain your vocation in general and what it means to you. 4. How did you discern your vocation in general? Were there any challenges? 5. Why did you pursue your vocation with this diocese/order/person in particular? 6. How has your faith changed since entering this vocation? 7. If you could advise your 18-year-old self about your vocation, what would you say? One day, I emailed the Archdiocese of Toronto and was absolutely delighted when I got to interview the only bishop I ever remembered having … Thomas Cardinal Collins! Cardinal Collins is a man of deep faith and wisdom and has always felt a strong connection with his priests and bishops. From his high school teacher Fr. John Newstead to the bishops of his home Diocese of Hamilton—Bishop Lloyd Ryan, Bishop Paul Reding, and Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Tonnos—and his bishop in London, John Sherlock. Cardinal Collins was ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Hamilton before being appointed rector of the seminary in London (Ontario), consecrated Bishop of St. Paul (Alberta), Bishop of Edmonton, and finally Archbishop of Toronto. I was surprised by how Cardinal Collins discerned his call to the priesthood and found his assessment of the times and his term as bishop to be very insightful. During COVID-19, the Archdiocese is live-streaming daily and Sunday Masses. You can find their website at https://www.archtoronto.org/. The song you heard in the intro was “Wayfaring Stranger”, by The Quebe Sisters and the song Cardinal Collins chose was the “O God Beyond All Praising”, as performed here by the Villanova Pastoral Musicians. If you have any friends and family that you think would like this podcast, please share wherever you listen to your podcasts! You can drop a comment or question for me to answer in a future episode at theholycatholicbrew@gmail.com.  

You might think that God calls men to become His priests in the same way. But no two vocational stories are ever exactly the same. Were they devout as children? Did they always want to become a priest? Did they ever desire another vocation? Did their peers and family support or dissuade them? You generally don’t get to ask your parish priest these sorts of questions, so let me ask one for you. This episode is the fourth of my vocational series, where I ask my guests to pick a song relating to their vocational discernment and to answer these seven simple questions: 1. Please introduce yourself and how we got to know each other. 2. Explain your song of choice and how it relates to your discernment. 3. Please explain your vocation in general and what it means to you. 4. How did you discern your vocation in general? Were there any challenges? 5. Why did you pursue your vocation with this diocese/order/person in particular? 6. How has your faith changed since entering this vocation? 7. If you could advise your 18-year-old self about your vocation, what would you say? I am really excited about this episode because I get to chat with Fr. Peter Turrone whom I know from my time at the Newman Centre, the Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Toronto. Currently the Pastor and Executive Director there, he grew up Catholic but did not take ownership of his faith until a Confirmation retreat experience drew him to a personal encounter with Christ. After his undergraduate studies at York University, he later earned his neuroscience doctorate at the University of Toronto, where he was active at the Newman Centre. At first, he was ordained a priest in the Consolata Missionaries and sent to proclaim the Gospel in Mongolia. For health reasons, he was then incardinated a priest in the Archdiocese of Toronto and then transferred to the Newman Centre chaplaincy. You can learn more from their website at www.newmantoronto.com. The song you heard in the intro was “Wayfaring Stranger”, by The Quebe Sisters and the song Fr. Peter Turrone chose was “What a Beautiful Name”, by Hillsong Worship. If you have any friends and family that you think would like this podcast, please share wherever you listen to your podcasts! You can drop a comment or question for me to answer in a future episode at theholycatholicbrew@gmail.com.  

Nowadays, the average Catholic doesn’t get to see many nuns. While they used to run schools and hospitals, these are now secular institutions and we might only catch a glimpse of them assigned to different parishes or at retreats. What is the life of a religious sister like? Do they pray all day in their convents? This episode is the third of my vocational series, where I ask my guests to pick a song relating to their vocational discernment and to answer these seven simple questions: 1. Please introduce yourself and how we got to know each other. 2. Explain your song of choice and how it relates to your discernment. 3. Please explain your vocation in general and what it means to you. 4. How did you discern your vocation in general? Were there any challenges? 5. Why did you pursue your vocation with this diocese/order/person in particular? 6. How has your faith changed since entering this vocation? 7. If you could advise your 18-year-old self about your vocation, what would you say? Listen to me chat with Sr. Mary Grace from the Sisters of Life, whose journey so far has brought her from Australia to New York to Toronto, where she is currently assigned. The Sisters of Life are a female religious order dedicated to protecting human life in our culture and helping women in crisis pregnancies. They also hold retreats for the public. You can find their website at https://sistersoflife.org/. The song you heard in the intro was “Wayfaring Stranger”, by The Quebe Sisters and the song Sr. Mary Grace chose, “I Will Wait”, by Mumford & Sons. If you have any friends and family that you think would like this podcast, please share wherever you listen to your podcasts! You can drop a comment or question for me to answer in a future episode at theholycatholicbrew@gmail.com.  

Deacons have always been a mystery to me – they are married and sometimes have secular jobs outside of their work in the parish but they also help out with a lot of church duties, and even give homilies. Are they closer to lay people or consecrated religious? This episode is the second of my vocational series, where I ask my guests to pick a song relating to their vocational discernment and to answer these seven simple questions: 1. Please introduce yourself and how we got to know each other. 2. Explain your song of choice and how it relates to your discernment. 3. Please explain your vocation in general and what it means to you. 4. How did you discern your vocation in general? Were there any challenges? 5. Why did you pursue your vocation with this diocese/order/person in particular? 6. How has your faith changed since entering this vocation? 7. If you could advise your 18-year-old self about your vocation, what would you say? Listen to me chat with Deacon Mark Neugebauer, whose epic faith journey has included stops at Conservative Judaism, Messianic Judaism, and Evangelical Protestantism on his way home in the Catholic Church. He is currently the Deacon at Blessed Trinity Parish in the Archdiocese of Toronto and formerly worked as an elementary school teacher before being recommended by his parish to become a permanent deacon. The song you heard in the intro was “Wayfaring Stranger”, by The Quebe Sisters and the song Deacon Mark picked was the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul” (I picked the version by Anthem Lights). If you have any friends and family that you think would like this podcast, please share wherever you listen to your podcasts! You can drop a comment or question for me to answer in a future episode at theholycatholicbrew@gmail.com.  

Husband, Wife, Monk, Friar, Sister, Father, and … Consecrated Virgin? If you’re like me, you have never heard of Consecrated Virginity before as a vocation in the Catholic Church. But this vocation’s history stretches back to the early days of the Church and is being revived in recent years. This episode is the first of my vocational series, where I ask my guests to pick a song relating to their vocational discernment and to answer these seven simple questions: 1. Please introduce yourself and how we got to know each other. 2. Explain your song of choice and how it relates to your discernment. 3. Please explain your vocation in general and what it means to you. 4. How did you discern your vocation with this diocese/order/person in particular? Were there any challenges? 5. Why did you pursue your vocation with this diocese/order/person in particular? 6. How has your faith changed since entering this vocation? 7. If you could advise your 18-year-old self about your vocation, what would you say? Listen to me chat with Erin Kinsella, the Directory of Campus Ministry at the University of Toronto’s Newman Centre, as we learn about her conversion, her early years, and how she discerned Consecrated Virginity at the Archdiocese of Toronto. The song you heard in the intro was “Wayfaring Stranger”, by The Quebe Sisters and the song Erin picked was “Halo”, by Beyoncé. If you have any friends and family that you think would like this podcast, please share wherever you listen to your podcasts! You can drop a comment or question for me to answer in a future episode at theholycatholicbrew@gmail.com.  

We’re back to Ordinary Time again and it’s time for a new season! Among the new changes, Lyndon will be the sole host going forward and has found a job. There will also be more interviews and reflections from reading material and prayer. Episodes will be more varied and sporadic this time, so check for updates from time to time. If you have any friends and family that you think would like this podcast, please share us with them wherever you listen to your podcasts! You can drop a comment or question for me to answer in a future episode at theholycatholicbrew@gmail.com.