AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

Cameron Bellm, a writer who works at the intersections of creativity, spirituality, mysticism and activism, is the editor of our Jesuit Media Lab Lenten email series: "In Praise Of: Daily Lenten Letters of Recommendation for the Spiritual Life." In the series, more than 30 writers fix their attention on where they have found God at work in their lives, often in small, everyday places and moments: the library, the act of making pesto, a gifted knife, a fireplace and dozens more. Each essay is accompanied by an original piece of art painted by either Allison Beyer or Erin Buckley, two of our multi-talented community members.

In this episode kicking off the Lenten season, Cameron joined hosts Mike Jordan Laskey and Eric Clayton to discuss the project and why focusing on the quality of our attention this Lent, seeking God laboring in our lives and in the world, might be a suitable way to approach the liturgical season. Then all three podcasters discussed how their views of Lent have evolved over the years and the important human truths the season reveals.

You can get "In Praise Of" in your inbox every weekday in Lent by subscribing for free here: https://mailchi.mp/jesuits/in-praise-of

Cameron Bellm:
https://www.cameronbellm.com/

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

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From the earliest years of the Society of Jesus almost 500 years ago, Jesuits have been involved in the performing arts. Fr. Michael Zampelli, SJ, today’s guest, is a leading scholar on the history of Jesuit performance. Fr. Zampelli teaches theatre history at Fordham University, where he also directs a master’s program in philosophy and society that Jesuit scholastics take in a period of their formation called first studies. Before arriving at Fordham in 2020, Fr. Zampelli taught and directed theatre at Santa Clara University for 22 years.

Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Zampelli to give us a historical overview of Jesuit performance and why the very first Jesuits were so committed to bringing drama and performance into the schools they established. They raced through history and talked about the evolutions of Jesuit performance after the global suppression of Society of Jesus ended in 1814. It was a fascinating conversation and Fr. Zampelli is truly an ideal guide through this part of the Jesuit charism and tradition.

Fr. Michael Zampelli, SJ: https://www.fordham.edu/academics/departments/theatre/faculty/full-time-faculty/michael-a-zampelli-sj/

A nice collection of resources on the history of Jesuit performance: https://libguides.scu.edu/c.php?g=1428569&p=10599707

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Today’s guest is no stranger to the AMDG podcast. Fr. James Martin is a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large at America Media. His newest book, “Work in Progress: Confessions of a Busboy, Dishwasher, Caddy, Usher, Factory Worker, Bank Teller, Corporate Tool and Priest” is now available. In it, Fr. Martin details his own experience of summer jobs — how they shaped him, what they taught him, who crossed his path as a result of them and how he found God dwelling within them. It’s a memoir that is both funny and poignant, and it’s a wonderful invitation for each of us to reflect more deeply upon our own lives.

You can get Fr. Martin’s new book wherever books are sold, and you can read an excerpt over at America Magazine:

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2026/01/15/james-martin-lessons-from-mowing-lawns-riding-bikes-and-a-fateful-walk-to-school/

https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/jamesmartin

As Catholics formed in the Ignatian tradition, we are called to welcome the stranger, to care for our neighbor and to respect one another as we answer our inherent call to live in community. Nowhere is this more needed today than the streets of Minnesota. So, to better help us understand both what is happening in Minnesota and how the Gospel calls us to respond, we called Fr. R.J. Fichtinger, SJ, who is the pastor of St. Thomas More Catholic Community, the Jesuit parish in the Twin Cities.

Fr. Fichtinger offers a number of resources for our discernment. Check out these links:

• Learn about and support the work of St. Thomas More Catholic Community: https://www.morecommunity.org/

• Read Archbishop Hebda’s op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/we-need-comprehensive-immigration-reform-now-88791d35

• Read more about Fr. Fichtinger in this America Magazine article: https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/dispatches/2026/01/26/minneapolis-pastors-alex-pretti-ice-killing/

• Subscribe to the Jesuit Border Podcast to learn more about how Jesuits are accompanying migrants: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jesuit-border-podcast/id1593208023

You might have read or thought about how the rise of artificial intelligence is affecting the economy or higher education or medicine or pretty much any other area of life. Our guest today has been focusing on an intersection you might not have thought about yet.

Father Phil Ganir has been spending time recently writing and teaching about AI’s impact on liturgy and sacred music. An assistant professor of religious education at Boston College’s Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Fr. Phil focuses on liturgical theology and music among other subject areas. He’s also one of the very best singers you could ever hear.

Host Mike Jordan Laskey was excited to welcome Fr. Phil onto the show to reflect on how artificial intelligence is already affecting the prayer and worship of the church, and how its impact could continue to grow. They also talked about what liturgy and sacred music claim and reveal about the nature of the human person, and how there are some human activities that computers will never be able to replace or take away. It was a fascinating conversation with a fabulous scholar and practitioner who is responding to Pope Leo’s call to wrestle with big questions about technology and humanity facing all of us today.

Fr. Phil Ganir, SJ: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/stm/faculty/faculty-directory/phillip-ganir.html

An article on a recent talk by Fr. Phil: https://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.php?ID=201316

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/