AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

You might remember the Jesuits of Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministry. They have a podcast that we’ve aired episodes of on this very channel. Every week for ten seasons now, Fr. Brian Strassburger the director of the ministry, and Joe Nolla, a Jesuit regent, have been dropping us into their work, sharing with us stories from the US-Mexico border, helping us understand the nuances and lived reality of immigration policies and hosting an array of impressive guests who research, write about or work with immigrant communities.

Well, today’s a special episode: Joe Nolla is wrapping up regency and heading to Paris, France to begin theology studies—the next and final stage in Jesuit formation before ordination to the priesthood. So, Brian asked AMDG host Eric Clayton if he’d do a sort of exit interview for Joe as a bonus episode of the podcast. And now we’re airing that episode here for you.

It’s a great conversation. Joe’s reflections and experiences give insight into Jesuit formation, Jesuit ministry and the ongoing needs that Del Camino Jesuit Border Ministry is trying to meet in and around Brownsville, Texas.

We hope you enjoy the conversation. If you want to learn more, visit delcamino.org.

Welcome to the third season of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.

On this episode, Eric talks with Jake Braithwaite. Jake is a Jesuit of the US East province. Originally from Villanova, PA, Jake’s Jesuit formation has brought him to Brooklyn Jesuit Prep where he staged liturgical readings as short plays and slam poetry and to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center where he taught a class on the Old Testament prophets.

As you listen to Jake’s stories and reflections, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.

Last summer, the Vatican hosted a big meeting of what it called “digital missionaries and Catholic influencers.” Host Mike Jordan Laskey admits he felt a little queasy when he saw this advertised. It’s not that he’s a Luddite and totally against the internet; we come to you via the internet every week. But there was something about the institutional church gathering and promoting influencers that just didn’t sit well with Mike. To unpack this overall dis-ease with faith-based influencer culture, Mike called up a scholar who studies this exact topic.

Dr. Kristin Peterson is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Boston College, where she teaches courses related to the intersections of media and religion. She’s also the author of a 2022 book titled “Unruly Souls: The Digital Activism of Muslim and Christian Feminists.” Mike asked her about the phenomenon of social media influencers in general and how religious folks have tapped into that trend. They also talked about some of the reasons behind the rise of influencers and what advice she might give to Pope Leo about the dangers and opportunities of encouraging Catholics to take their faith online.

Kristin Peterson, Ph.D.: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/morrissey/departments/communication/people/faculty-directory/kristin-peterson.html

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/
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www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Welcome to the third season of our annual series “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood this coming June. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination.

On this episode, Eric talks Bryan Galligan and Dan Finucane. Dan is a Jesuit of the US Central Southern Province. His Jesuit formation has taken him on a weeklong pilgrimage to Rome for the Synod on Synodality, to Belize, where he accompanied prisoners and to St. Patrick’s Church in West Oakland, California, as both a choir member and a deacon. Bryan is a Jesuit of the US East Province. His Jesuit formation has brought him to the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, small-scale farming and fishing communities in eastern and southern Africa and to the United Nations.

As you listen to these stories and reflections from Bryan and Dan, we invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.

What words would you use to describe the American healthcare system?

Here are a few:

Broken. In need of healing. Confusing. Centered on making money. Enormous. Stressful. But also: full of compassionate professionals. Full of potential.

Our guest today would probably agree with these words. He might also add that our healthcare system is a privileged place to find God. The Jesuit priest Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ, is a scholar and professor of public health at Loyola University Chicago. He has a brand-new book out, which is titled “Growing Our Moral Imagination: Approaching Health Care with a New Faith-Based Vision.” It’s published by the Johns Hopkins University Press. The book combines elements of memoir, theological reflection, storytelling and commentary on health care challenges. And perhaps the most interesting part of the volume is how in each chapter, Fr. Rozier reimagines one of Jesus’ parables from the Gospels and applies it to healthcare issues today. This approach leads to chapters in the book with titles like “The Good Death of Lazarus,” “The Demons of Anxiety and Fear,” and the “Public Health Samaritan.”

It’s a fascinating read that host Mike Jordan Laskey can’t wait to recommend to the Catholic healthcare professionals he knows. It’s also a compelling read for anyone of faith who’s ever interacted with the healthcare system at all, which means pretty much all of us. You’ll love to hear Fr. Rozier’s passion for public health and the healing ministry of Jesus throughout our wide-ranging conversation.

Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ: https://www.luc.edu/parkinson/ourpeople/facultystaffprofiles/michaelroziersj.shtml

“Growing Our Moral Imagination”: https://www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/54073/growing-our-moral-imagination

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/