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What if the most powerful pilgrimage your family could take this year started just a few hours down the road? Jason Spoolstra, creator of the Light and Heavy Pilgrimages YouTube channel, joins Jim and Meghan to make the case that every Catholic family is called to pilgrimage, and that it is far more accessible than most people think. Drawing from nearly two decades of Catholic ministry and years of personal experience leading pilgrimages around the world, Jason unpacks both the spiritual depth and the practical steps that can turn any journey into a sacred act of faith.

What’s in this episode:

• Pilgrimages as accessible, affordable, and doable for every Catholic family
• Tying a pilgrimage into your next road trip or family vacation
• The spiritual warfare and sacrifice woven into every pilgrimage journey
• The American Saints tour: finding blesseds, venerables, and saints near you
• Adapting pilgrimages to your children's ages, temperaments, and interests
• A moving story of consecration to Our Lady and answered prayer in Brazil
• Practical steps: devotions, budget, timeframe, and choosing your destination
• The difference between a pilgrimage and a regular vacation
• Using AI tools to discover Catholic shrines along your travel route
• One resource every Catholic family should know: Handbook of Prayers & Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Book he is currently reading: The Theology of the Body
• Advice to his younger self: Learn to pray more and trust in the Lord more
• Final wisdom for listeners: In the words of JP2, do not be afraid to go on pilgrimage

Resources Mentioned:

National Association of Shrine and Pilgrimage Apostolate (NASPA)

Catholic Pilgrimage Sites

The Faithful Traveler - Map of US Shrines

The Little Pilgrim

Looking for meaningful ways to deepen your family’s connection with God outside of Sunday Mass? Download our free guide to discover 10 practical and fun faith-based activities that will bring your family closer to Christ—no matter how busy life gets. From sharing gratitude at the dinner table to watching faith-filled media together, these ideas make living your faith easy and enjoyable.

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What if the most radical thing a Catholic family can practice is simply learning to shut up and listen? Father Augustine Wetta joins Jim and Meghan for an episode packed with laughter, vivid storytelling, and hard-won monastic wisdom. Drawing from encounters that range from classroom rap battles to an unexpected night with LA gang members, Father Wetta reveals what genuine humility looks like when it is lived out in the messiest corners of real life.

What’s in this episode:

• The Kendrick Lamar lyric that echoes Father Wetta's first piece of monastic advice
• Silence as the hidden key to real humility and genuine human connection
• Father Wetta's creative approach to teaching Theology of the Body with humor and AI
• A rugby teammate whose quiet attention made the girls think he had beautiful eyes
• Why a monk ended up drinking Coronas with LA gang members until sunrise
• The Black Lives Matter protest encounter that launched an unlikely friendship and podcast
• Chesterton's invitation to present Catholicism as an exotic near-Eastern religion
• The crisis of beauty in modern culture and how art can heal the imagination
• One resource every Catholic family should know: The Rule of St. Benedict
• Book he is currently reading: The Hidden Hindenburg by Michael McCarthy, A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, and Why I Am Not an Atheist by Christopher Beha
• Advice to his younger self: Don't bother trying to be popular
• Final wisdom for listeners: Spend five minutes a day in complete silence and listen with the ear of your heart

Resources Mentioned:

jaugustinewetta.com – Father Wetta's website and books

Disagreement Podcast – Father Wetta's podcast with Umar Lee, where unexpected common ground unfolds

The Hidden Hindenburg by Michael McCarthy – A New York Times bestseller written by a St. Louis Abbey alumnus with a Catholic lens

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson – A witty and wide-ranging guide to science and the world

Why I Am Not an Atheist by Christopher Beha – A philosopher's honest account of his journey from atheism to faith

Looking for meaningful ways to deepen your family’s connection with God outside of Sunday Mass? Download our free guide to discover 10 practical and fun faith-based activities that will bring your family closer to Christ—no matter how busy life gets. From sharing gratitude at the dinner table to watching faith-filled media together, these ideas make living your faith easy and enjoyable.

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What if the anxiety you carry every day is not who you are but a temptation you were never created to bear alone?

Jim and Meghan sit down with Dr. Jillian Hawks to explore what it truly means to move from managing anxiety to healing from it. Drawing from her personal journey through breast cancer, burnout, and a renewed encounter with God, Jillian shares how surrendering her work to Christ transformed her practice and her own heart. With honesty and hope, she points every family toward the radical peace that is fully available through daily relationship with the Lord.

What’s in this episode:

• The difference between managing anxiety and truly healing from it
• Jillian's story of burnout, breast cancer, and being called back to God
• The dangers of becoming a "checklist Catholic" and losing depth in faith
• Why anxiety is a temptation to resist, not an identity to accept
• The surrender prayer and how to personalize it throughout your day
• Anxiety as an invitation to run to the Lord rather than carry it alone
• The light bulb moment when clients discover they were not created to be anxious
• The distinction between shame and guilt in the healing process
• Simple strategies: surrender prayer, daily walks, good nutrition, and rest
• The Little Way of St. Therese as a foundation for spiritual and mental wellness
• One resource every Catholic family should know: Catholictherapists.com
• Book she is currently reading: I Believe in Love by Jean C. J. d'Elbée
• Advice to her younger self: Discover and embrace the concept of surrender
• Final wisdom for listeners: Embrace the little way and trust that God is in control

Resources Mentioned:

Catholictherapists.com – Directory to find Catholic therapists searchable by state

Catholic Familyland – Faith-based family camp and retreat center near Steubenville, Ohio

I Believe in Love by Jean C. J. d'Elbée – A personal retreat based on the Little Way of St. Therese

@thecatholictherapist on Instagram – Jillian's platform for Catholic mental wellness

Looking for meaningful ways to deepen your family’s connection with God outside of Sunday Mass? Download our free guide to discover 10 practical and fun faith-based activities that will bring your family closer to Christ—no matter how busy life gets. From sharing gratitude at the dinner table to watching faith-filled media together, these ideas make living your faith easy and enjoyable.