Varsity Catholic Podcast

FOCUS Catholic
FOCUS Catholic
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Biweekly

Where Athletes Become Leaders. Discover that sport is more than a performance - it's a place to grow in purpose, inspire teammates, and shape culture that lasts beyond the game. Listen to our hosts and amazing guests, to find out how you can make an impact longer than the season.

  1. 6d ago

    The 5 R's of the Gospel Every Athlete Needs to Know | with Anne Bloomer

    In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Stier sits down with Anne Bloomer to talk about how to live the Gospel both on and off the ice, just like the early disciples did in Acts 2:42.Anne was part of the gold-medal-winning US Under-18 Women's National Hockey Team at the 2018 IIHF Championships before heading to Harvard, where she became a four-year member of the ice hockey team, an All-Ivy First Team selection, team MVP, and team captain her senior year, helping Harvard win the ECAC regular season title, the Ivy League title, and the Beanpot in 2022. Today she's a Catholic missionary and team director at Columbia University in Manhattan.This conversation is a reminder that your sport can be a training ground for something much bigger than the scoreboard.Join THE CATHOLIC MOVEMENT FOR ATHLETES.Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholicEmail us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

  2. Sep 28

    The Coach Who Hasn't Gotten a Technical Foul in 2 Years. Here's His Secret | with Casey Bruggeman

    The late Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian once said a good coach makes his players see what they can be, rather than what they are. As Catholic athletes, that's exactly the kind of coach we need in our lives — someone who sees us as saints in the making, on and off the court. In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Stier sits down with Casey Bruggeman, head coach of the University of Jamestown Jimmies basketball program, to talk about coaching as a witness, a ministry, and a vocation. Casey grew up in the gym watching his dad coach girls' high school basketball, and traces his own coaching path through mentors like his college coach Rich Glass, and Father Mike Schmitz at the University of Minnesota Duluth. He gets honest about the Catholic missionaries who pulled him (kicking and screaming) into daily holy hours, and how "training in the chapel" transformed a faith that had been mostly Sunday-morning-only into something real. Join THE CATHOLIC MOVEMENT FOR ATHLETES.Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholicEmail us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

  3. Sep 14

    The Bible Study That Changed My Game | With Dylan Layne

    From The Mighty Ducks to Miracle to Remember the Titans, sports stories capture our imagination and make us want to step into the arena. However, there's a story even more powerful than any of those: our own story about coming to know Jesus Christ.In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Stier sits down with Dylan Layne, a linebacker at Oregon State University and a recent convert to the Catholic faith. Dylan's twin brother Jack is a quarterback at New Mexico, and the two grew up playing every sport together, but it wasn't until they got to playing that their faith journey really began. Join THE CATHOLIC MOVEMENT FOR ATHLETES.Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholicEmail us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

  4. Aug 31

    God Changed a Football Locker Room, & Pursuing The Interior Life | with Jake Wieneke

    Sport is viewed on a macro level with final scores and highlights, but it's actually made up of thousands of small moments and individual decisions. The same is true of our lives. In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Stier sits down with Jake Wieneke — South Dakota State football legend, former CFL wide receiver (Montreal Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders), and now a Catholic missionary serving with his family at a parish in Georgia. Jake and Brady dig into the book The Soul of the Apostolate and what it actually means to "live from within." Join THE CATHOLIC MOVEMENT FOR ATHLETES.Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholicEmail us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

  5. Aug 13

    Faith in the Arena: How Varsity Catholic Is Reclaiming Sports Culture

    In a culture obsessed with sports, stadiums often receive more passion and devotion than church pews. So how do we leverage athletics to build up the Kingdom of God instead of letting the world consume student-athletes? In this episode of The Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Stier sits down with Thomas Wurtz, the founder of Varsity Catholic—a specialized division of FOCUS (focus.org). Thomas takes us back to the early days in 2007, sharing how a single car trip to Nebraska and a bold "yes" to Curtis Martin birthed a movement that now equips hundreds of college athletes to become missionary disciples.

  6. Jul 27

    What Do You Do When the Game Ends? A Conversation on Faith After Sports | with JJ Niekro

    Every athlete faces it eventually: the day the game ends. In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, Brady sits down with JJ Niekro, nephew of Hall of Fame pitcher Phil Niekro and son of a late MLB player, to talk honestly about what it means to walk away from a sport you've built your whole identity around. JJ shares his journey through four and a half years of minor league baseball with the Atlanta Braves, a Tommy John surgery that reshaped his path, and the deep grief of losing his father, grandfather, and uncle within 100 days as a child. He opens up about how the Catholic faith became the anchor that carried him through it all, and offers practical wisdom on finding structure, humility, and purpose once the uniform comes off. Whether you're still competing or already facing your own "life after sport," this conversation is a reminder that our true identity is never found in a stat line, but in being a beloved son or daughter of God. Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholicEmail us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

  7. Jul 13

    D1 Volleyball Legend: The Secret to Playing (and Living) Free From Perfectionism

    What happens when you achieve your ultimate dream, win two National Championships, become an All-American, and still find yourself feeling completely empty? In this episode of the Varsity Catholic podcast, hosts Brady and Ry sit down with Nebraska Husker volleyball legend Annika Moulder. Annika candidly shares her hilarious and humbling journey from being a homeschooled kid in a big Catholic family to navigating isolation as a pro athlete in France (surviving on daily Mass and Trader Joe's-level croissants). She opens up about the exact moment her identity crashed, how surrendering her sport to God actually improved her game, and the messy, beautiful reality of setting hard boundaries as a D1 college coach and a mom of two. Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/ Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholic Email us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

  8. Jun 29

    He Had the Dream. Then He Walked Away. | Fr. Chase Hilgenbrink

    What drives a person to give up their lifelong dream?In this episode of the Varsity Catholic Podcast, host Brady Stier sits down with the remarkable Fr. Chase Hilgenbrinck: a former D1 soccer player at Clemson University, a professional athlete who competed in Chile, and now a Catholic priest serving as Vocation Director for the Diocese of Peoria, Illinois. Fr. Chase is a beloved speaker and spiritual Father. Follow Us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/varsitycatholic/Find us Online: https://focus.org/what-we-do/varsity-catholicEmail us at: varsitycatholic@focus.org

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Where Athletes Become Leaders. Discover that sport is more than a performance - it's a place to grow in purpose, inspire teammates, and shape culture that lasts beyond the game. Listen to our hosts and amazing guests, to find out how you can make an impact longer than the season.

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