Voices From the Pews

Lorna DesRoses
  • 4.3 (3)
  • Christianity
  • Biweekly

Conversations with Catholics of color and those from communities of non-European origin, where we can get to know about each other’s faith experiences, stories, spirituality, and culture.

  1. Oct 19

    Building Bridges of Faith

    Building Bridges of Faith: Fr. William “Bill” Joy Voices from the Pews is back! In this episode, Lorna DesRoses speaks to Fr. William “Bill” Joy, a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston whose more than five decades of ministry have taken him across communities, cultures, and continents. From St. Mary’s in Charlestown during Boston’s turbulent school desegregation years to the Black Catholic community at St. Francis de Sales in Roxbury, and the Haitian Catholic community at St. Angela Merici in Mattapan, Fr. Joy reflects on the people and experiences that have shaped his priesthood. Our conversation also touches on his time at the University of Notre Dame, his work with Catholic Relief Services, and the importance of reaching across cultural and social divides. Since this conversation was recorded, Fr. Joy has received the 2026 St. Joseph the Worker Award, recognizing his many years of dedicated service. What does it mean to be a bridge-builder in a world too often divided by differences? Resources and links The Boston Pilot — Celebration of the Priesthood (September 25, 2026) Cardinal Seán's Blog — August 27, 2010 — Visit to the Haitian Catholic community at St. Angela Merici in Mattapan. Stay connected! Find Voices from the Pews on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Follow the show and leave a rating or review to help others discover us. Email: voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Facebook and Instagram: @voicesfromthepews Send us your feedback online: https://pinecast.com/feedback/voices-from-the-pews/4753ce35-d597-458c-a8ec-18cb475071e4 This podcast is powered by Pinecast. Read transcript

  2. 09/01/2023

    Reflection

    Reflection Sharing the Vision of Black Catholic Congress In this episode, I share impressions and highlights of the 13th National Black Catholic Congress which brought almost 3000 black Catholics from around the United States together in Maryland this past July.     To read today’s transcript go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wSTojDUvmGdgYLDpYOD1JN2riu0e0tfV/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107774066431502474908&rtpof=true&sd=true   What is the National Black Catholic Congress? Go to www.nbccongress.org See some photos from the closing Mass at Congress XIII, https://nbccongress.org/photo-gallery-closing-mass-at-national-black-catholic-congress-xiii/ Cardinal Gregory speaking at Congress XIII, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSN-zGqV7hA Black Catholics from Boston attend Congress XIII, http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=195285     Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Send an email to voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Call and leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook,  Instagram and Threads @Voicesfromthepews This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

  3. 07/15/2023

    Fr. Paul Zirimenya

    Fr. Paul Zirimenya Be A Light for Others Today, we are joined by Fr. Paul Zirimenya, a priest for the Archdiocese of San Francisco who currently serves as the chaplain for the Deaf community and administrator of St. Benedict's Parish. Fr. Paul shares about discerning his vocation to the priesthood, his journey from Uganda to the United States and his ministry to deaf and hearing, different cultural backgrounds and all walks of life. Transcript of today’s episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1U05xC_do8BiuSMw_aXHCCDYmqUWfKitF/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107774066431502474908&rtpof=true&sd=true To learn about St. Benedict parish for the Deaf in San Francisco sfdeafcatholics.org Deaf people have their own language with distinctive cultural and linguistic features and consider their communicative abilities to be fully thriving. Read about Deaf Culture, https://ncpd.org/disability-ministry/deafness-hearing-loss the ministries and programs of The national Catholic Office for the Deaf https://www.ncod.org and the International Catholic Deaf Association https://www.icda-us.org/ the history of American Sign language (ASL) www.startasl.com/history-of-american-sign-language/ Pray the Our Father in ASL, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYkvQps_QBE Ugandan Sign Language https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugandan_Sign_Language Brief lesson in Ugandan Sign Language (USL) www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAfLZ-BgK60 During this episode, I mention that I will be attending Congress XIII and will be presenting during one of the break out sessions. To learn more about the National Black Catholic Congress www.nbccongresss.org Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Send an email to voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Call and leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook and Instagram @Voicesfromthepews This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

  4. 06/23/2023

    Kimberly Pérez

    Kimberly Pérez  Counseling Through the Eyes of Mercy   Kimberly Perez, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Founder of the Divine Mercy Healing and Counseling Center joins us today for a conversation about her journey of faith, the way in which her faith in Christ shapes how she sees her role as a therapist, the importance of mental wellness and the stigma surrounding mental health in communities of color NOTE: if you or someone you know is in need of support, please reach out to a licensed professional. You can also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number .   To learn more about Kimberly's practice, go too: https://divinemercyhealingcounseling.com    Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers: https://catholicmhm.org   national Catholic Partnership on Disability Council on Mental Illness and Wellness https://ncpd.org/councilonmentalillness       Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Send an email to voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Call and leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook and Instagram @Voicesfromthepews This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

  5. 06/02/2023

    Paul Albert (Encore)

    Paul Albert (Encore) Answering the Call to Mission This is a rerelease episode of a conversation with Paul Albert, husband, father, and Director of Missions for Life Teen as well as cofounder of Missionary Impulse. Paul shares his transformative faith journey and the impact that answering the call to mission has had on him and his wife Anna.   invite Paul to speak at your next event, www.catholicspeakersofcolor.com    www.missionaryimpulse.com  Watch Paul talk about (in Haitian Creole) the St. John Paul II Center in Madian, Haiti, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A95AtfStnQ Read about Paul and Anna as they were preparing for their wedding and to become missionaries. www.enterprisenews.com/story/news/2011/08/20/stoughton-couple-prepares-for-mission/40074764007/   learn more about Life Teen, //lifeteen.com  learn about Life Teen’s mission in Haiti. //lifeteen.com/missions/haiti-missions/ Read St. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Redemptoris Missio, that Paul briefly references during our conversation, www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio.html Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Send an email to voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Call and leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook and Instagram @Voicesfromthepews     This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

  6. 05/19/2023

    Richard Lane

    Richard Lane Go Make Disciples.   Richard Lane, Catholic lay evangelist, Director of Evangelization at St. Patrick of Heatherdowns Parish in Toledo,  Ohio, and friend of the podcast joins us today to reflect on the importance of evangelization and why we need to always be ready to share our witness of how Christ has made a difference in our lives. Richard will be featured on a future episode where you will hear his inspiring faith journey.     You can find Richard Lane at richardlaneministries.com   Read about what the Church teaches about evangelization. This is only a small sample Evangelii Gaudium: Apostolic Exhortation on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World, Pope Francis, 2013 www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html U.S. Bishops document, Go Make Disciples, www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/evangelization/go-and-make-disciples/introduction_go_and_make_disciples Inviting All to Follow Jesus: Pastoral Letter on Evangelization, Sean Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap_., 2011_ www.bostoncatholic.org/sites/g/files/zjfyce871/files/2020-01/PastoralLetterRGB_4_EnglishLetter.pdf Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Email voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook and Instagram @Voicesfromthepews

  7. 05/07/2023

    Ashley Piche

    Ashley Piche A Heart for Truth, Beauty, and Creation    Today’s guest, Ashley Piche, wife, mother, educator, and Executive Director of Creatio, shares about her journey of faith and how her search for meaning in suffering led her to find solace in the Catholic Church. We also learn about the ministry of Creatio.   To find out more about Creatio’s mission trips and pilgrimages, go to, https://creatio.org And about the Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati Hiking Pilgrimage, Italy, go to https://creatio.org/causes/frassati-info/. Read about Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/pier-giorgio-frassati-736 https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=6994 Seven keys to finding God in nature, https://denvercatholic.org/seven-keys-to-finding-god-in-nature/ Read LAUDATO SI on the Care of Our Common Home, Encyclical by Pope Francis, May 2015 https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html Learn about St. Patrick, https://www.galwaycathedral.ie/news/saint-month-st-patrick And pray the Lorica of St. Patrick, https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/st-patricks-breastplate.html Ashley is an avid reader. Here are a few selections she has read along her journey of faith: No man is an island by Thomas Merton, https://www.amazon.com/No-Man-Island-Thomas-Merton/dp/0156027739 Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652926  Anthology of short stories by Flannery O’Connor, https://www.amazon.com/Flannery-OConnor-Collected-Everything-Converge/dp/0940450372/ref=asc_df_0940450372/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312014159271&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1016789132087341544&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=90     Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Send an email to voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Call and leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook and Instagram @Voicesfromthepews

  8. 04/22/2023

    Lorna Heron

    Lorna Heron To Grieve with Faith, Hope and Healing   Today, Lorna Heron, a dedicated healthcare advocate, and parishioner of St. Katharine Drexel parish in Boston shares about her journey of faith, the loss of her child and how it has led her to start a ministry for parents who are also experiencing grief.   During our conversation, Lorna mentions that there will be a Mass and reception for parents who are grieving the loss of a child. To learn more about Lorna’s ministry and the Mass, send a message to heronstravel@gmail.com To learn about the history of Black Catholics in the United States, read https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/02/04/history-black-catholics-242339 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-black-catholics-in-america-180969271/ To learn about St. Katharine Drexel parish, https://stkdparish.org  Stay connected with Voices from the Pews Send an email to voicesfromthepewspodcast@gmail.com Call and leave a voicemail at 617.682.0885 Follow or like us on Facebook and Instagram @Voicesfromthepews

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About

Conversations with Catholics of color and those from communities of non-European origin, where we can get to know about each other’s faith experiences, stories, spirituality, and culture.

Information

  • Creator
    Lorna DesRoses
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    32
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Voices From the Pews