2020 brought us a pandemic, a reckoning on racial injustice and ongoing challenges to our democratic norms. How can pop culture help us process these events? And how did pop culture fail to prepare us? Fr. Jim McDermott, SJ, returns to AMDG for a conversation on pop culture, storytelling and finding hope as we change the calendar year. There are a lot of stories to be told as we begin a new year -- and a lot of voices we need to hear from. This final episode of 2020 will help get those creative ...
Dec 30, 2020•45 min
Fr. Peter Rožič, SJ, is the director of the Jesuit European Social Centre (https://jesc.eu/), based in Brussels, Belgium -- the de facto capital of the European Union. He talked with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the pandemic year in Europe, the importance of forming young leaders with Ignatian values, and his colorful childhood and early inklings of a Jesuit vocation in his native Slovenia. Learn more about Fr. Peter: https://jesc.eu/peter-rozic-sj-appointed-as-new-director-of-jesc/ Subscribe t...
Dec 23, 2020•54 min
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guide us in praying through the Sunday readings for the final week of Advent. Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.
Dec 19, 2020•12 min
The Advent and Christmas seasons are most welcome this year. To celebrate the yuletide, two Christmas music fans from the Jesuit family join host Mike Jordan Laskey to talk about their favorite seasonal tunes. Dr. Susan Bigelow Reynolds is a professor of Catholic Studies at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and has two degrees from Boston College. She’s also a top-notch singer and percussionist. Fr. Mark Mossa, SJ, is the director of campus ministry at St. Mary Student Parish at the ...
Dec 16, 2020•54 min
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guide us in praying through the Sunday readings for the third week of Advent. Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.
Dec 12, 2020•15 min
On Monday, the Vatican made a surprising announcement: Pope Francis is planning to visit Iraq next March, his first international visit since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He will be the first pope to visit this majority-Muslim country and wants to make the visit what the Vatican called a “concrete gesture of closeness” to the people of Iraq, who have suffered through years of war and instability. As we look forward to Pope Francis’ visit, and pray it will be an occasion of bridge build...
Dec 09, 2020•45 min
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guides is praying through the Sunday readings for the second week of Advent. Music by Borrtex. Accessed via FreeMusicArchive.org.
Dec 05, 2020•13 min
The arrival of December means college semesters are either finished or wrapping up. This was the first academic term that happened entirely within the pandemic, and there’s nobody better suited to give a bird’s-eye view of how the 27 Jesuit colleges and universities in the US handled the semester than Fr. Mike Garanzini, SJ. Fr. Garanzini is a Jesuit priest and the president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU). He’s also the secretary for higher education for the worldw...
Dec 02, 2020•50 min
Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, guides is praying through the Sunday readings for the first week of Advent.
Nov 28, 2020•12 min
Many of us won't be traveling or seeing loved ones for Thanksgiving this year. So host Mike Jordan Laskey called up his old college roommate to connect from afar: Fr. Michael Rossmann, SJ. They discussed finding spiritual nourishment during the pandemic and how the Eucharist, which means "thanksgiving," can help heal divisions even when we can’t all get to Mass. Fr. Rossmann is a vocation promoter for the Midwest Jesuits. He joined the Jesuits in 2007, just after graduating from the University o...
Nov 25, 2020•32 min
Join Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, and Damian Torres-Botello, SJ, this Advent in a new podcast reflection series, "Along the Way."
Nov 24, 2020•1 min
It's not shocking to say that the United States is a divided nation. And no matter who you voted for in the 2020 presidential election, you probably know someone who voted the other way. You probably know someone who feels discouraged and angry, just as much as you probably know someone who feels vindicated and hopeful. You yourself likely fall into one of those camps. As we barreled through those last few weeks of the election, guest host Eric Clayton came across a book that he thought might br...
Nov 18, 2020•42 min
Dr. Jeanette Epps is an aerospace engineer and a NASA astronaut. Earlier this year, it was announced that Jeanette had been chosen for a six-month mission to the International Space Station, where she will become the first Black woman to live and work in space for an extended amount of time. Jeanette is also a product of Jesuit education: she graduated from Le Moyne College in Syracuse, NY, in 1992 and currently serves on the school’s board of directors. She talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey las...
Nov 11, 2020•25 min
Sr. Colleen Gibson, SSJ, offers her original poem, "The Signs," written in the waning hours of November 3, 2020. Sr. Colleen is a Sister of Saint Joseph, who currently serves as coordinator of services at the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Center in Camden, New Jersey and is a regular contributor to Give Us This Day, National Catholic Reporter, and Global Sisters Report.
Nov 04, 2020•3 min
We made it to Election Week in the strangest, most stressful presidential election campaign season of our lifetimes. Today's guest, Bill McCormick, SJ, is such a hopeful, faith-filled guy you might leave the episode feeling maybe even a little optimistic about things. A Jesuit-in-training and a political science professor, Bill is the perfect person to wrap up our series on faith and politics. He and host Mike Jordan Laskey discuss Pope Francis' political vision and how we might respond to the n...
Nov 02, 2020•42 min
There are lots of tricky phrases that pop up often in Catholic faith and politics conversations these days: Constitutional originalism. Intrinsic evil. Prudential judgment. "Non-negotiable issues." Professor Cathleen Kaveny of Boston College helps host Mike Jordan Laskey unpack and understand these ideas and more. Dr. Kaveny is the first person in the history of BC to hold joint appointments in the theology department and law school, and has made her unique career at the intersection of faith, m...
Oct 28, 2020•47 min
Congressman Francis Rooney is a conservative Republican from a conservative district in Florida, but the issues he wanted to discuss with host Mike Jordan Laskey were not standard GOP talking points: he wanted to talk about fighting climate change, protecting the Everglades and stopping offshore drilling in Florida. He brought up economic inequality and his vote for a $15 per hour minimum wage. He railed against partisan gerrymandering. It's disappointing the Congressman isn’t running for reelec...
Oct 21, 2020•27 min
Sr. Quincy Howard, OP, is the Coordinating Director of advocacy, outreach and campaigns for the Faithful Democracy coalition, which is a multi-faith community of organizations and congregations who share the moral imperative of fixing our democracy. She talks with host Mike Jordan Laskey about the threats to our democratic systems and how we can address them. She also shares her vocation story, which is one of the most incredible paths to religious life you'll ever hear. Get involved with Faithf...
Oct 14, 2020•46 min
To help you spiritually prepare for Election Day, we’re kicking off a series of episodes on faith and politics. You know, those topics you’re not supposed to discuss in polite company. These episodes are inspired by a new document by the Jesuits of Canada and the USA called “Contemplation and Political Action: An Ignatian Guide to Civic Engagement,” which reflects on how Ignatian spirituality can help shape the way we participate in political life. Our guest today is no stranger to these topics:...
Oct 07, 2020•43 min
Fr. Jason Downer, SJ, had been studying to be a Jesuit priest for the better part of the last ten years. Somehow, though, ordination during a pandemic wasn't on the course list. Jason is today's guest. He reflects on how Ignatian spirituality grounded him during the uncertain months surrounding his ordination. And how his closeness to God continues to ground him during his first assignment in Saipan -- an island in the Western Pacific. As you'll hear, Jason's vocation story comes full circle wit...
Sep 30, 2020•37 min
Paisley Sierra grew up in a community where clean water is scarce. Her family's water sources are threatened by contamination from uranium mining and oil pipelines. Sierra lives in South Dakota, on the Pine Ridge reservation. As a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, Sierra believes that "water is life." But, the Lakota must fight for this basic resource. On this episode of AMDG, guest host MegAnne Liebsch talks to Paisley Sierra about her community's battle for land and water rights. We also hea...
Sep 23, 2020•31 min
On last week’s episode, we talked to Australian Jesuit Fr. Michael Hansen about the First Spiritual Exercises – otherwise known as the 18th Annotation Retreat – and dug into how this seemingly forgotten form of the Exercises can transform our thinking and approach to Ignatian Spirituality. Think of this week as “part 2”. Fr. Rob McChesney discovered the 18th Annotation Retreat only recently. He’s just back from three years working with the Jesuit Refugee Service in Amman, Jordan, and he’s reflec...
Sep 16, 2020•36 min
AMDG hosts Mike Jordan Laskey (dad to three young kids) and Eric Clayton (two young kids) welcome America Magazine executive editor Kerry Weber (three young kids) to discuss trying to parent intentionally in the pandemic. The author of the modern spiritual classic "Mercy in the City," Kerry is incredibly thoughtful and so committed to her faith. Part podcast and part group therapy session, we hope any fellow parents of young kids out there get something out of this conversation. (If you don’t ha...
Sep 02, 2020•54 min
The idea of going on pilgrimage might sound preposterous to our pandemic mindset. Just getting groceries feels like pilgrimage enough! Fr. Brendan McManus, SJ, a Jesuit priest from Northern Ireland, is an expert pilgrim. And not so long ago, he went on the Ignatian Camino, the route that traces St. Ignatius' steps through Spain. He wrote a book about it: The Way to Manresa. And what he learned on his journey is applicable to each of us today -- even if our own pilgrimages are from the couch to t...
Aug 26, 2020•43 min
On August 4, 2020, an explosion devastated the city of Beirut, the capital city – and the largest city – in Lebanon. At least 160 people were killed and more than 5,000 people injured. Homes were destroyed – and countless people suddenly found themselves without any shelter, food or water. Cultural artifacts and historic buildings vanished. And this on top of a global pandemic, a crumbling economy, protests in the streets and a burgeoning number of refugees fleeing to Lebanon seeking safety. For...
Aug 19, 2020•40 min
Cardinal Michael Czerny leads the Vatican’s Migrants and Refugees section. A Canadian Jesuit, he was stunned to hear last fall that Pope Francis was naming him a cardinal because he wasn’t even a bishop at the time. The surprising decision by the Holy Father was yet another example of how migrants have been so close to Pope Francis’ heart throughout his papacy. Cardinal Czerny and host Mike Jordan Laskey discuss that pivotal day when then-Father Czerny learned his life was changing forever, plus...
Aug 12, 2020•33 min
If you were going to pick a Bible passage to turn to in these difficult times, which would you choose? How about the one in the Gospel of Matthew about the inefficacy of worrying? It’s a neat little tidy message from Jesus and such an important lesson. Today's guest, Old Testament Scripture scholar Professor Mahri Leonard-Fleckman from the College of the Holy Cross, picked three sections of the Bible she suggests visiting. And it’s safe to say none of them have a single tidy moral lesson at all....
Aug 05, 2020•51 min
In honor of the Feast of St. Ignatius coming up on July 31, we’ve got a special Jesuit podcast crossover episode today. Ashley McKinless and Zac Davis are the hosts of Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics from America Media. They are real pioneers in the Catholic podcast world. They talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about pandemic life in their shared adopted hometown of New York City, plus their favorite episodes of Jesuitical and what about the story of St. Ignatius inspires them the most...
Jul 29, 2020•1 hr 7 min
Scott Detrow is a political correspondent for NPR and a co-host of the incredibly popular NPR Politics Podcast. He's covering the Joe Biden campaign this year. He shared with AMDG host Mike Jordan Laskey what it's like to attend campaign events with a few dozen people in the room instead of a few thousand, plus some observations on the role of faith in both Donald Trump's and Joe Biden's campaigns. Also, Scott talked about the impact of his Jesuit education on his life and career (he's an alum o...
Jul 22, 2020•47 min
Today's guest is Olga Segura, freelance writer from the Bronx who’s currently working on a book about race, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Catholic Church. Previously, Olga was an associate editor at America Magazine and the co-host of the podcast Jesuitical. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about two pieces she wrote that came out this summer: first, a piece for America about how the Catholic Church can work for racial justice. Many Catholics want to do something to help address the s...
Jul 15, 2020•41 min
