Two Priests on the Patio

stcuthbertoakville
  • 4.5 (2)
  • Christianity

This Podcast explores areas in which the sacred meets the scientific, and soul-deep questions find space to breathe. The Reverend Canon Sue-Ann Ward and The Venerable Jeff Ward are Anglican priests and partners in life.  In conversation with Che Merville, the “Two Priests” explore questions that matter - about purpose, belonging, and the wonder of being alive. This podcast invites you into honest, heartfelt conversations at the intersection of spirituality and science. Whether you’re a seeker, a skeptic, or simply spiritually curious, there’s room for you here. Come as you are. Each conversation explores how awakening plays out in real life: through trauma, love, leadership, ministry, service, and doubt. Listeners will experience intimate, vulnerable storytelling and practical guidance for awakening their own spiritual capacity.

  1. Sep 3

    Rest Is Not Laziness: Escaping the Hustle Culture Trap

    Two priests unpack hustle culture, burnout, and Sabbath—reclaiming rest, joy, and an identity beyond productivity.

  2. Sep 2

    The Dream Job Myth: Your Work Is Not Your Worth

    What if your dream job doesn't exist? We explore work, money, anxiety, vocation and why your worth and purpose are about far more than your career.

  3. Jul 8

    S4 E4 The Great Spiritual Search

    Why are so many people leaving churches while others—especially young people—are actively seeking spiritual community? In this episode of Two Priests on the Patio, Jeff and Sue Ann explore one of the great paradoxes of our time. They discuss why many have become disillusioned with institutional religion through experiences of exclusion, hypocrisy, abuse of power, and fear-based faith. At the same time, they reflect on a growing spiritual hunger among people seeking meaning, belonging, ritual, and connection in an increasingly anxious and fragmented world. Drawing on stories from parish ministry, encounters with teenagers exploring faith, the wisdom of Christian mystics, and the role of meditation and silence, they ask what people are really looking for when they seek God today. Is the future of faith found in certainty—or in authentic community? What role do ritual, beauty, compassion, and spiritual experience play in a culture marked by loneliness and rapid change? And how can churches become places where people encounter love, belonging, and the sacred rather than judgment and exclusion? A thoughtful conversation about faith, spirituality, community, and hope in a changing world.

  4. Jun 6

    Radical Love Grows on Trees

    Why do so many people encounter churches that seem nothing like Jesus? In this episode of Two Priests on the Patio, Jeff and Sue Ann Ward explore one of the most important spiritual questions they’ve ever received from a listener: If the Church is supposed to be the Body of Christ, why do so many people experience something that looks nothing like Jesus? Using the story of Zacchaeus from Luke 19, they reflect on radical inclusion, judgment, belonging, compassion, and the difference between rule-centered religion and Christ-centered living. Together they discuss: • why Jesus consistently chose people over purity rules • how fear and power distort faith communities • the spiritual danger of exclusion and “insider” religion • how love transforms people more deeply than shame • real examples of churches living out radical compassion through refugee sponsorship, disability inclusion, food security, and community care This is a conversation about the kind of Christianity that heals rather than harms—and what it means to truly reflect the heart of Christ in today’s world. Come as you are.

  5. May 12

    The Common Good

    Is Faith About YOU… or ALL OF US? | Straight Talk About The Common Good What does it mean to live not just for ourselves—but for one another? We explore the tension between individual good and the common good, beginning with a provocative insight from Thomas Aquinas: “The good of the multitude is more divine than the good of the individual.” But what does that really mean in our lives today? We reflect on how Jesus consistently draws people into community, relationship, and shared flourishing—from feeding the crowds to the breaking of bread on the road to Emmaus. ⏱️ Timestamps 00:44 – Welcome + episode introduction 01:28 – Introducing the common good vs individual good 01:49 – Aquinas: “The good of the multitude…” 02:24 – Who was Thomas Aquinas? 04:04 – What is the common good? 05:16 – Jesus and community formation 06:27 – Feeding the multitude (shared provision) 07:11 – Sacrifice for the greater good 07:29 – Road to Emmaus (community + recognition) 08:50 – Wedding at Cana (abundance for all) 10:55 – Acts: early church sharing everything 12:19 – Individual salvation vs communal salvation 14:10 – Climate change and shared responsibility 16:06 – Regulation, sacrifice, and collective wellbeing 17:59 – Healthcare and education as common good 19:28 – Truth, misinformation, and social harm 21:05 – Truth in the Gospel vs cultural confusion 22:47 – Personal responsibility and daily choices 23:21 – Fear vs community 24:20 – Caring for the vulnerable 25:23 – Aquinas closing quote + blessing   Co-Produced By: Jim Spirou musicboxx.ca; Che Marville, and Lori Kennedy

  6. May 6

    Earth Day Everyday

    In this opening episode of a new season, recorded from a more intimate home setting, we explore a timely and deeply spiritual question: What does it mean to be awake in a world where everything is connected? As spring unfolds and Earth Day invites reflection, we move beyond a once-a-year awareness toward a deeper recognition—that every day is an opportunity to encounter the sacred woven into creation. Drawing from Celtic and Franciscan spirituality, we reflect on a theology rooted not in separation, but in original blessing—a vision of the world as inherently good, alive, and shimmering with divine presence. This conversation invites us to rediscover ourselves not as observers or rulers of creation, but as participants in a living, relational whole—where God is not distant, but present in and through all things.

  7. Apr 18

    Thank heavens there is no Hell! - Two Priests on the Patio | Season 3 Finale

    Two Priests on the Patio | Season 3 Finale  "Thank heavens there is no Hell!"   In this episode, Canon Sue-Ann and Ven Jeff explore evolving Christian perspectives on hell, emphasizing love, compassion, and metaphor over literalism, while discussing faith, suffering, societal responsibility, and inclusive spirituality grounded in Christ’s teachings. What did you grow up believing about hell? And does it still hold up? Together they unpack how hell has been used as a tool of fear, control, and exclusion across Christian traditions. They explore how even recent popes have moved away from hell as a literal place, reframing it instead as a chosen separation from God. This is a raw, honest, and often funny conversation about doubt, growth, and what it truly means to follow a faith rooted in good news,  not fear. Plus: a heartfelt send-off to Season 3, gratitude for producer Jim at Music Box in Bronte, and a preview of what's coming next (hint: it involves sex, AI, and science). Show Notes Hosts: Reverend Canon Sue Ann Ward The Venerable Jeff Ward Shea Marville (co-host/interviewer) Producer: Jim @ Music Box, Bronte (Lakeshore, Oakville) a one-of-a-kind gem currently surviving construction! Topics Covered: Hell across Christian traditions — How Jeff's journey through Southern Baptist, United Church, and Roman Catholic faith shaped very different understandings of hell, judgment, and purgatory The Catholic "waiting room" — A deep dive into purgatory: what it means, who it affects, and why it's absent from Anglican teaching Sue Ann's evolution — Growing up believing only Christians went to heaven (meaning Gandhi and the Dalai Lama were condemned), and why she's completely rethought that What do the popes actually think? — Both John Paul II and Francis have described hell not as a place, but as a state of mind, the self-chosen separation from God Mortal vs. venial sins — Breaking down Catholic teachings on sin categories and why they left people feeling trapped and afraid Hell as a tool of tribalism — Why "in or out" theology may be driving people away from church, and the psychology of needing black-and-white certainty The gospel as good news — A passionate reminder that gospel literally means good news — and eternal burning isn't that Why people leave the church — The hosts get candid about how fear-based theology, exclusion, and rigid rules have pushed generations away What the church can offer — Community, service, connection, and a place to belong without fear of condemnation Coming next season — Conversations on sex, AI, and science A Note from the Hosts: "We love Christians of all denominations. We are not attacking any tradition, the different flavors of our faith are a beautiful thing. We simply share where our own journeys have brought us." Subscribe | Share | Send us your questions and ideas  Two Priests on the Patio — Where science meets soul

  8. Mar 21

    The Garden and the Well: Scripture Misinterpreted - Released in honour of International Women's Day

    About This Episode In this special episode dedicated to women for International Women's Day, Reverend Canon Sue Ann Ward (Church of the Incarnation, Oakville) and the Venerable Jeff Ward (St. Cuthbert's Church, Oakville) takes on one of the church's most consequential and contested legacies: the misuse of scripture to diminish, shame, and silence women. Flying solo without producer Che Marville for the first time, Sue Ann and Jeff bring characteristic warmth, theological honesty, and a willingness to confess their own past missteps as they examine stories the church has too often gotten wrong.   What We Explore  The Myth of Eden: Why the story of Adam and Eve was never meant to be taken literally, what it actually says (and doesn't say) about Eve's role, and how the concept of "original sin"  largely shaped by Augustine has been layered onto scripture in ways that placed lasting blame on women. The Woman at the Well: A close re-reading of John 4 and the Samaritan woman Jesus meets at Jacob's well. Sue-Ann and Jeff unpack why this woman was likely a victim of circumstance, not moral failure, and why she may be one of the most faithful disciples in the entire gospel. The Woman Caught in Adultery: Where was the man? What does it tell us that he never appears in the story? It is also important to note that all the men who came out to stone the woman left in shame when Jesus challenged their self-righteousness. Mary Magdalene: A disciple who stayed at the cross, who ran to the tomb, who was the first witness to the resurrection and who has been falsely characterized as a prostitute for centuries, based on nothing in scripture. The Real-World Stakes: The conversation grounds itself in present-day consequences: human trafficking (93% of Canadian victims are women), gendered attacks on female politicians, and the #MeToo movement as a marker of slow, incomplete progress.   Key Takeaways "Original sin" and "the fall" do not appear in the Genesis 2-3 text. These were theological additions made much later. Genesis 1 and Genesis 2-3 are two different creation stories  and Genesis 1 ends with God calling humanity very good. Jesus, in encounter after encounter, treated women with dignity, engaged them as intellectual equals, and revealed himself first to a foreign woman at a well not to his inner circle of male disciples in John’s Gospel. Better scripture interpretation isn't just an academic exercise. It has direct consequences for how women are treated in families, communities, and institutions.   Come for the theology, stay for the spiritual nourishment. Peace and blessings to you. St Cuthbert's Anglican Church 1541 Oakhill Drive, Oakville, ON L6J 1Y6 Church: 905-844-6200 www.stcuthbertoakville.ca   Church of the Incarnation incarnationchurch.ca Anglican church in Oakville, ON 1240 Old Abbey Lane, Oakville ON L6M3Y4   Called to Life Compelled to Love

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4.5
out of 5
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About

This Podcast explores areas in which the sacred meets the scientific, and soul-deep questions find space to breathe. The Reverend Canon Sue-Ann Ward and The Venerable Jeff Ward are Anglican priests and partners in life.  In conversation with Che Merville, the “Two Priests” explore questions that matter - about purpose, belonging, and the wonder of being alive. This podcast invites you into honest, heartfelt conversations at the intersection of spirituality and science. Whether you’re a seeker, a skeptic, or simply spiritually curious, there’s room for you here. Come as you are. Each conversation explores how awakening plays out in real life: through trauma, love, leadership, ministry, service, and doubt. Listeners will experience intimate, vulnerable storytelling and practical guidance for awakening their own spiritual capacity.

Information

  • Creator
    stcuthbertoakville
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Two Priests on the Patio