Vici Mundum

Neil and Kelly Tallent join the show and share some of the fruits in their spiritual life from raising a large family together. The conversation opens up the idea of reducing a person (particularly our children) down to a few characteristics (a pigeon hole), and then see the whole person through that lens. Do you do that to God? How should we raise kids so that they value virtue? All this and more in this week's episode!

Anywhere you go in the world, your "self" will follow you. How do we deal with our self? How do we deal with the world of our self, and better understand who we are and what we should be doing? One possible answer: Poustinia.

What carved the Pieta? Michelangelo or his chisel? Steve Hemler from CAINA (Catholic Apologetics Institute of North America) joins us for this show on how evolution, science, and God work together. Check out the good work Steve is doing with CAINA here: http://cainaweb.org/Also, check out Steve's books here: https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/author-steven-r-hemler.html

Whatever we have placed ourselves before is the song that will be sung within us. Nature has a way of evoking a desire for the transcendence and a way of opening our hearts and minds to the wonder of God. We get lost in the present and the beauty of now. Libby Kotula reflects on life in West VA with 4 kids ages 6 and under and recognizing the silences and songs that our hearts sing to Our Lord.

Fr. Brian Capuano is a canon lawyer for the Diocese of Richmond, and is pastor of St. Joseph's in Petersburg, VA. He joins the show to discuss a topic on which there is much misinformation today: Divorce and Annulment. If you have questions about annulment or know someone who does, this show is worth listening to.If you have further questions about annulment, feel free to contact Fr. Brian Capuano at bcapuano@richmonddiocese.org

What does it mean to be human? Tina Wandersee kicks off a lively discussion with this loaded question, between herself, Fr. Nick Redmond, and Austin Farinholt. We know we are different than the animals, but what are some of those distinctions? Beyond that, what are some clues that we can recognize when we are not being truly human? All this and more in this week's episode!

"Hey, how are you?""Ehh, I'm ok.""Great. See you later!"Does your small talk ever look like this? What are some anxieties that we have over engaging in small talk, particularly when the door opens to something deeper? Tina, Austin and Ken start with some small talk, and then break open a conversation on its value and the importance of communication leading to deeper knowledge and mystery of the other.

James Carrano of The Evangelical Catholic joins Tina, Austin and Ken to talk about Good News-izing. Have you experienced Good News? How do you find it and what do you do with it when you experience it?Email James for the list of God's promises: jacarrano@gmail.com

One of our new parishioners here at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, John Ward, spent some time working with men in prison, and he shares some of his experiences practicing this corporal work of mercy. This experience sends Ken, Austin and John into a deeper conversation about the dignity of the human person and how prisoners, the poor, and the vulnerable are all people, but sometimes we can reduce them to their situation. 

Sometimes the Lord chooses the least likely person we would expect to speak through in order to tell us something. We need to be open to the Holy Spirit moving through us to love one another and be His vessel. Anthony Ferguson joins this episode with Tina, Austin and Ken.

"Admonish the sinner" is one of the spiritual works of mercy; however, it is not necessarily something we are excited to do. Tina, Austin and Fr. Nick talk about some of the challenges of admonishing, including the parable of the plank and splinter in the eye. Father gives some practical advice, and even encourages us to practice admonishing with charity.

What is the interplay between creativity and boredom? Do we need to be bored in order to be creative? Tina, Austin and Ken continue last week's conversation to discuss how boredom is ever on the rise in our society, and how it is difficult to be creative when we are bored. How do we get "unbored?"

Is being unproductive a bad thing? Why do we hold productivity and efficiency at such a premium? Join Ken, Austin and Tina as they talk about the ironies of being productive. What are we productive for? Sometimes, its just to make room for more productivity.

Austin traveled down to James Madison University's Catholic Campus Ministry to talk about talking. Bruno Ferrari (FOCUS Missionary), Austin Evans (Student), Eric Horne (Director of CCM) and Joan Zimmerman (CCM Intern) all jump into a conversation about what makes a good conversation and why it seems so hard to come by these days. What roles do vulnerability, responsibility and silence play in healthy communication? All this and more on this episode of the Vici Mundum Show!

We all want bacon. But it's Lent. What is the merit in fasting and abstaining? Turns out, it's not really about our sacrifice, it's about us joining into the one sacrifice of Jesus. Check out this episode where Father Nick Redmond leads us in a conversation of some of the theology of the Lenten sacrifices.

In this show, Sarah Hart – speaker, song writer and musician - joins Austin and Ken (and Cristy) to talk about what it means to have a joy filled and meaningful Lent. Sarah shares some funny stories about Lent, how she doesn’t just survive but thrives during the Lenten season, and gives practical ways we can remain full of joy during this penitential season. Learn more about Sarah Hart at www.sarahhart.com. Also, stick around for the end of the show for one of Sarah's Songs - Gather at the Water

Pilgrimage: A physical journey that coincides and exposes in great beauty the spiritual journey. Ken White is back on the show this week, and is joined by Cristy Barton and Kevin Riedel as they talk about pilgrimage. Kevin and Cristy recently got back from World Youth Days, and they share how this pilgrimage can shine a light on the normal, everyday pilgrimages of our lives today.

Fr. John David and Heber Dunkle join Austin and Tina as they let St. Josephine Bakhita inspire and lead their conversation about suffering. We often try to avoid suffering and it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel when we are suffering. St. Bakhita is a great saint who shows us that there is a light in the midst of great trial.

Father Nick shares with Tina and Austin that some of the most powerful moments of his priesthood so far (8 months and 5 days) have been his hospital visits, especially the Anointing of the Sick. He shares stories of physical and spiritual healing, and what this particular sacrament is all about.#FrNickistheBest

Austin and Andrew Minarik talk about asceticism. They both did Exodus 90 together last year, and Andrew is currently doing it again. It's a 90 day ascetic program to rid yourself of too many attachments and grow closer to Jesus Christ. But what does asceticism do for us? Why should we consider it? Andrew and Austin share the fruits of their experience practicing asceticism together.