AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

A cannonball wound ends Ignatius’ pursuit of worldly glory and confines him to a long recovery at Loyola. Reading the lives of Christ and the saints, he begins to notice how different desires affect his spirit — and sets his heart on a radically new life.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special -edition series of 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/

Here at AMDG, we are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic. Today, the series premiere, features two introductions to the text written by St. Ignatius' Jesuit contemporaries: Jerome Nadal explains how Ignatius’ companions persuaded him to recount the ways God had guided him from the beginning of his conversion. Luís Gonçalves da Câmara then describes the long, interrupted process by which Ignatius dictated the story and he committed it to writing.

Episode 2 will drop Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of 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 a fable hunter. Fr. Greg Carlson has traveled the world, rummaging through old book stores, flea markets and the like to track down ancient manuscripts, forgotten illustrations and everything in between all for the love of fables. He’s done this for decades, even waging battles at online auctions, to amass a preeminent collection of fables that has become the Carlson Fable Collection at Creighton University. What was once a personal hobby evolved into an academic career.

But Aesop isn’t the only wisdom figure with whom Fr. Carlson is well acquainted.

Fr. Carlson is a Jesuit priest, and so for him, finding God in fables comes as second nature. He sees Jesus as a master storyteller — and one whom we may better understand after having developed a deeper appreciation for the wonder of fables.

As you’ll soon hear, Fr. Carlson defines a fable as a “past-tense short narrative inviting a hearer or reader to perceive something about living life.” That’s not so far off from the sorts of parables Jesus told. In fact, developing our own ability to perceive life more intimately, more deeply, more intentionally — this is a great spiritual gift.

And so, we're excited to share today’s conversation. Fr. Greg Carlson is a wonderful storyteller and teacher, and if you’d like to hear more from him, you can visit JesuitMediaLab.org where he’s written a reflection to further illuminate some of the points he makes on this episode. You can also get in touch with him and learn more about the collection and a booklet that he has published on this very topic.

The collection is viewable online at both https://creightonarchives.omeka.net/s/carlson-fables-collection/page/home and https://www.creighton.edu/aesop

On July 1, 2026, Russia bombarded the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 90 more. More weapons were used in the attack than in any other barrage of the city since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It was just another reminder that while this war has faded from the headlines, it continues to ravage families and communities. It is the deadliest war in Europe since World War II.

The Jesuit network in Europe has been responding to the needs of displaced Ukrainians and the receiving countries taking in refugees since the full-scale invasion began. Our guest today is Fr. Alberto Ares, a Spanish Jesuit based in Brussels who has served as the director of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Europe since 2021. JRS Europe coordinates work in more than twenty countries with over 8,000 professionals and volunteers. Each year these teams accompany more than 200,000 refugees and migrants, in work that combines political advocacy with European institutions and direct accompaniment on the ground.

Fr. Ares is a scholar-practitioner who has worked with migrant communities around the world for decades, so host Mike Jordan Laskey asked him about what he has learned leading JRS Europe during the war and how the Jesuit community has been putting their faith into action alongside some of the most vulnerable people in the world. It was a difficult conversation but deeply moving and inspiring. And it was an important reminder to not forget about this humanitarian crisis even when so much of the world seems to have moved on.

Fr. Alberto Ares, SJ: https://jrseurope.org/en/news/alberto-ares-new-regional-director-at-jrs-europe/

JRS Europe: https://jrseurope.org/en/home/

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, Dr. Chase Mitchell, is an associate professor of media and communications at East Tennessee State University, where he teaches courses in multimedia production and media theory. He’s also a recent convert to Catholicism, having entered the Church this past Divine Mercy Sunday.

Host Eric Clayton has been talking with Chase for a few months now about the role Ignatian spirituality and media ecology played in his own discernment to become a Catholic. It’s a fascinating story—and one he’s written about, both for Jesuits.org and the Jesuit Media Lab.

On media and its effects on our society, Chase writes: “In an age of total mediation, [that is, our lived experience is fully affected by media] the task is no longer simply to analyze environments but to discern within them — to recognize where Christ is present, where the spirits are at work and where one is being called to respond. Media ecology, in this light, becomes not only a theory of communication, but a pedagogy of attention ordered toward love.”

We knew a conversation with Chase on the pod would be a valuable one—and we weren’t wrong. If you’re interested in reading more of Chase’s work, check out the links below.

On Chase’s journey to Catholicism: https://www.jesuits.org/stories/39-years-364-days-and-gods-merciful-grace-a-spiritual-autobiography/

On Ignatian spirituality and media ecology: https://jesuitmedialab.org/from-environment-to-encounter-toward-an-ignatian-media-ecology/