Plugged In - The Official Podcast for JSerra Catholic High School

JSerra Catholic High School

Plugged In is a monthly podcast offering personal and professional insights from guests with hands-on involvement in the life of adolescents and expertise in education and related fields. Our goal is to partner with parents and adults involved in the formation of young men and women by inviting them to tune into ongoing and engaging conversations that offer insight into the lives, habits, culture, gifts, and challenges of the current generation of adolescents. We hope these insights will enable all of us to raise young men and women of deep faith, sound intellect, and exceptional character.

  1. Jan 30

    "Making Our Families Make Sense" with Msgr. Shea

    Msgr. James Shea visited JSerra to celebrate an all-school Mass in December of 2024, and graciously agreed to arrive early that day to address a couple hundred parents at our annual Advent Tea. With his usual wit, wisdom, and winsomeness, he delivered an engaging, entertaining, and (as always) deeply moving set of remarks that far exceeded our hopes for the event. Hear his presentation in full on this month's Plugged In. Msgr. James Shea is a priest for the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota. He took over as president of University of Mary in Fargo in 2004. Since then, the college has seen increases along every meaningful metric and has taken its place among the top Catholic colleges and universities in the nation. In addition to seeing a huge uptick in enrollment, more importantly it has benefited from an authentic Catholic curriculum and established a vibrant culture of faith formation on its campus, drawing an increasing number of young, well-formed, disciples of Jesus Christ to University of Mary. Msgr. Shea earned a bachelor's degree and a licentiate in philosophy at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, and his theology degrees at the Gregorian and Lateran universities in Rome.

    25 min

  2. 11/13/2025

    Forgiving the Unforgiveable

    Immaculée Ilibagiza endured an unimaginable horror that few survive and, quite literally, from which few who do actually recover. In her case, through the grace of God, she not only overcame the rage she felt for those who killed her family and villagers, she forgave them. In this candid podcast, she speaks practically about what is perhaps Christianity's most compelling –and seemingly most impossible—task: to love our neighbors and even our enemies. Join Immaculée as she articulates with profound compassion the steps required for us as followers of Christ to love those who harm us and to forgive those hate us. As she will tell us, it is the secret to both freedom and inner peace. About Immaculée: Immaculée Ilibagiza survived the 1994 Rwandan genocide by hiding in a 3ft. x 4ft. bathroom for 91 days with seven other women. Enduring fear, anger, despair, and near starvation, she was filled with hatred knowing her family, community, and nearly one million of her tribe were being slaughtered.  Remarkably, those 91 days became a school of prayer and love as she meditated on the words of the Our Father, "… as we forgive those who trespass against us." While in that tiny bathroom her relationship with Jesus Christ grew and her vengefulness was transformed into forgiveness. Immaculee now travels the world sharing her story and healing the hearts of those struggling with fear, doubt, and hatred, and leading them to the peace, freedom, and joy of forgiving our enemies. Her autobiography, Left to Tell, has sold more than two million copies and is in the process of becoming a major motion picture.

    37 min

  3. 09/04/2025

    Gentle Parenting: The Winning Formula?

    Citing the latest and most thorough scientific research, Dr. Leonard Sax discusses the differences between the four major parenting styles and compares them based on their proven outcomes. One of them takes the lead in mental wellness, security, attachment, health, and happiness. What are the benefits of gentle parenting compared to authoritarian, neglectful, and authoritative and which one has the best impact on children and future adults? Dr. Sax explains in this insightful podcast. Dr. Leonard Sax graduated in three years from MIT and went on to obtain his MD and PhD simultaneously from University of Penn. Since 1990, he has provided care for children and adults in a family practice outside Washington, D.C. He has spent more than two decades visiting over 500 schools to research the causes of American adolescent's decline in academic performance and social-emotional well-being. He has put his gifts at the service of young people, families, and schools. [He has spent over 20 years visiting schools around the country and world to determine what is behind the unique American adolescent challenges he has encountered in his practice. For the past 20 years, Dr. Sax has lead workshops, authored books, and given keynotes to address the conclusions of his research. He has been a guest on countless national and international media sources, including the TODAY Show (five times), CNN (three times), Headline News, PBS, Fox News (four times), NPR's Weekend Edition, and the BBC. His books include Girls on the Edge, Boys Adrift, Why Gender Matters, and The Collapse of Parenting, a New York Times bestseller.

    30 min

  4. 06/02/2025

    Five Years, One Hundred Converts - With Sr. Miriam, O.P.

    JSerra Catholic High School has had nearly tripled its average number of student converts to the Catholic faith in the past five years, with 130 baptisms since 2016 and almost 100 of those since 2021. In this insightful podcast, JSerra's OCIA leader, Sr. Miriam, shares her five essential ingredients to building a culture of discipleship in a Catholic school that teens find attractive and that maximize their determination to give their lives to Christ.

    48 min

  5. 03/06/2025

    Never Give Up on God - with Jonathan Roumie of "The Chosen"

    Host Pat Reidy had the unique opportunity to sit down to an intimate conversation with Jonathan Roumie in front of a small, live JSerra audience while Jonathan was on campus in August of 2024. The audio of their interview is presented here in its entirety. With both laughter and poignancy, The Chosen actor explains his work and hobbies prior to acting, the crisis moment that led to his total surrender to Christ, and how God's miraculous response to that prayer landed him his first lead role after a 20-year struggle in Hollywood. With humility, sincerity, and approachability, Jonathan discusses why his faith is the center of his life and how playing the role of Jesus has revolutionized not only his career, but his entire life. Jonathan Roumie spent 20 years in Hollywood playing minor roles and doing voice overs when the creator of the hit Christian series, The Chosen, with whom Jonathan had previously work, called and asked Jonathan if he was, "ready to put the sandals back on." That moment changed the struggling actor's career. The Chosen is the first ever crowdfunded streaming series and has come to be known and loved by Catholics and Christians across the world. Many fans and critics call Jonathan's version of Jesus "the best in any film or television depiction." Jonathan grew up in a first-generation American family on the east coast and was raised Catholic. His depiction of Jesus demonstrates a personal intimacy with Christ that comes through in the humanity and accessibility he lends to the role. Jonathan talks about this aspect of learning how to play Jesus, from his prayer life to his being overwhelmed to be associated with the God whom he loves and serves. Besides The Chosen, the actor is also known for his role as evangelist Lonnie Frisbee in the 2023 film Jesus Revolution and in the soon-to-be-released Heart of a Servant. He is also a voice artist and a sought-after public speaker, particularly on the Catholic Conference circuit.

    41 min

  6. 01/08/2025

    Catholic Education: Total Integration

    Dr. Brett Salkeld has become a leader in the work of integrating Catholic principles across disciplines within Catholic schools. But what does that actually look like? And why is it important at all? As Dr. Salkeld asked these questions himself and tried to articulate a response, he realized that although a lot of people were already doing this work in Catholic schools, there was no written resource to assist them. Embracing the challenge, he wrote the book himself. Since then, he has been visiting dioceses and schools across the country conducting workshops on how to involve God in every discipline, which he discovered, not only increases students' joy for learning, but connects every subject back to its source, the person of Jesus Christ. In this podcast, Dr. Salkeld explains how teachers and school leaders can embark upon this critical project for the good of their students, and how parents can parallel the school's work at home. Together, he shows us enthusiastically how to cultivate virtuous young men and women who will have a transformational impact on the culture.

    29 min

  7. 11/18/2024

    Choose Well - Where You Study Matters

    Steve Minnis took over a struggling Catholic college with not much more than a lot of vision and a lot of prayer. Twenty years later, Benedictine College has made its mark as one of the top Catholic schools of higher education in America. In this candid podcast, President Minnis shares the three major decisions recent sociological findings show young people make while in college and explains why some colleges have a better influence on those three decisions than others. You don't want to miss Steve Minnis' experience-driven wisdom and his practical college-application-worthy advice.

    20 min
  8. The Real Backbone of Catholic Education with Mother Assumpta and Sr. Joseph Andrew

    10/15/2024

    The Real Backbone of Catholic Education with Mother Assumpta and Sr. Joseph Andrew

    Mother Assumpta and Sister Joseph Andrew, two of the four foundresses of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, join the podcast to talk about the beauty of Catholic education and what makes their Sisters so apt for teaching in and transforming Catholic schools not only in theology classrooms but in every discipline. The Sisters explain what makes Catholic education so essential today and why religious sisters as spiritual mothers have a unique charism for leading young people to Jesus Christ, the ultimate goal and purpose of Catholic schools. Mother Mary Assumpta Long, OP, is a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, and the former (and first) prioress general of the order, ensuring the sisters' spiritual, physical, and educational needs were met. She was a driving force behind the founding of the order in 1997 and led the community for nearly 25 years. She has a STL in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She has also taught at the elementary, secondary, and junior college levels.  Sr. Joseph Andrew is one of the four founders of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan and serves as Vocations Director of the community. Sister Joseph Mary lectures on topics related to religious life and theology, speaking at youth conferences, parishes, and on Catholic radio and social media to high school and university students, religious women, priests, and seminarians alike.

    22 min
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About

Plugged In is a monthly podcast offering personal and professional insights from guests with hands-on involvement in the life of adolescents and expertise in education and related fields. Our goal is to partner with parents and adults involved in the formation of young men and women by inviting them to tune into ongoing and engaging conversations that offer insight into the lives, habits, culture, gifts, and challenges of the current generation of adolescents. We hope these insights will enable all of us to raise young men and women of deep faith, sound intellect, and exceptional character.

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