Catholics in Ordinary Time

We often try to figure out God’s will on our own… and end up confused, stuck, or second guessing everything.In this episode, Fr Jack explores the discipline of guidance, not as a private decision making tool, but as something deeply communal. God does not only speak to individuals. He speaks to His people together.Drawing from the wisdom of Richard Foster, this episode unpacks how true discernment happens when we gather, listen, and seek the Holy Spirit as one body.Fr Jack points to the powerful witness of Saint Francis Xavier and the early Jesuits, who came together in prayer and discernment, open to God’s will. What they discovered went far beyond their own plans and expectations.Try it this week:Do not discern alone.Bring your questions into prayer with others.Listen together.Because sometimes…God’s voice becomes clear when His people seek Him as one.

We don’t just read to learn. We read to be formed.In this episode, Fr. Jack explores the discipline of reading through Celebration of Discipline and how what we take in quietly shapes who we become.Jesus gives a different kind of invitation:“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me…” (Matthew 11:29–32)To read with Him is to let your mind slow down, your heart be trained, your life be reoriented.This isn’t about finishing books.It’s about becoming someone new.

Prayer is one of the most talked about parts of the spiritual life… and one of the most avoided.In this episode, Fr. Jack continues the journey through spiritual disciplines inspired by Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, turning his focus to the discipline of prayer.Drawing from Gospel of Matthew 6:7–15, where Jesus teaches not just how to pray but how not to, this conversation moves past formulas and into something deeper.Not with many words.Not with empty repetition.But from a place of relationship.Why does prayer feel so hard?Is it really a lack of desire… or a resistance to sitting still?What if the struggle isn’t that God is distant, but that we rarely stay long enough to notice He’s already there?This episode is an invitation to reframe prayer not as something to perform, but as a place to remain.A place where transformation begins not in what we say, but in our willingness to stay.Take this week as a challenge:Set aside the time. Sit down. Stay.Even when it feels like nothing is happening.Especially then.

Is service a weakness… or one of the most powerful ways to grow closer to God?In this first episode of our Spiritual Disciplines series, Fr. Jack breaks down what spiritual disciplines actually are and why they matter. They are not about perfection or checking boxes, but about allowing God to transform us from the inside out.This episode focuses on the discipline of service. Not being a doormat. Not being overlooked. But choosing, freely and intentionally, to love, to lower yourself, and to follow the example of Christ.From the witness of Saint Francis of Assisi and Thérèse of Lisieux, to the life of Jesus Himself, service becomes a path of real strength and transformation.Fr. Jack also gives a challenge for the week:Try it.Live as a servant.Choose hidden acts of service.See what it does to your heart.This is where the journey begins.Gospel Reading: Mt 25:31-46

What happens when you step inside something ancient… and come out changed?In this episode, Fr. Jack reflects on his journey through the Latin Mass conversations from this season. What surprised him. What moved him. What challenged him. And where he still sees things differently.This isn’t a conclusion. It’s a reckoning.Fr. Jack unpacks the beauty, tension, and deeper questions that surfaced through these interviews, offering an honest and thoughtful perspective on tradition, reverence, and the life of the Church today.But this episode also opens a new door.He introduces a special 9-episode series on spiritual disciplines inspired by Richard Foster and his work Celebration of Discipline. These episodes will take on a different format than usual, built from a novena Fr. Jack developed for a parish, now adapted for you.This next series is meant to be lived.A personal retreat.A rhythm of prayer.A path you can walk at your own pace.Whether you follow all nine days or choose the discipline that speaks to you most, this is an invitation to go deeper… not just in thought, but in practice.

In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, Fr Jack sits down with Sean Harrel to explore a story that doesn’t come with fireworks or easy answers.It is a conversation about movement. About what happens when something inside you begins to shift. When the life you are living no longer feels like enough, and you start asking deeper questions about meaning, identity, and God.Sean shares his experience of encountering something more. Not all at once, but slowly. Through moments that felt ordinary on the surface, yet carried a weight that could not be ignored.This episode is not about having everything figured out. It is about the process. The tension. The honesty it takes to keep searching.We listen.

Jensen Tait shares his journey from Mormon to Catholic, opening up about the questions, experiences, and moments that led him to faith.He also reflects on discovering the Latin Mass and why it has become a meaningful part of his spiritual life and growth with God.A conversation about searching, conversion, and encountering faith in an unexpected way.We listen.

In this episode of our Latin Mass series, Ken Staal shares his personal journey into the Traditional Latin Mass, not as a trend, but as a response to something deeper.What draws someone to a liturgy they may not fully understand linguistically, yet experience so profoundly?Is it reverence, mystery, beauty… or something harder to explain?Rather than debating which form is “better,” this conversation opens space to listen. To encounter the why behind the choice. To hear the story behind the silence.

Is there really a surge of Catholics returning to the Latin Mass? Or is the story more complicated than the headlines suggest?In this opening episode of Season 5, Fr. Jack sets the stage for a new series of conversations exploring the Latin Mass. Without diving into debates or taking sides, he reflects on the growing discussion around the Traditional Latin Mass and the claims that more Catholics are turning toward it.He also raises an important question about the data often used to support that narrative and why measuring something like this may not be as straightforward as it seems.This episode serves as an introduction to the season ahead, where we will hear directly from Catholics who attend the Latin Mass and learn about their experiences, their motivations, and what draws them to this form of worship.Sometimes the best way to begin a conversation is simply by asking the right questions.

After a full season of conversations, stories, laughter, and honest moments, Fr. wraps it all together.In this episode, he looks back at the voices we heard, the lessons that surfaced, and the quiet themes that kept returning. From music and ministry to struggle, service, doubt, growth, and everyday faith, this season reminded us that holiness is not found in the extraordinary alone, but in the ordinary life lived with intention.What did we learn? What surprised us? What challenged us? And where is God inviting us next?This is not just a recap. It is a pause. A moment to breathe. To notice what has taken root. And to carry it forward.Thank you for walking this season with us. The story continues.

In this episode, Jake Ineck reflects on his experience serving the Church through sacred music, from the joy of weddings to the solemnity of funerals. He speaks about the quiet responsibility of accompanying people during life’s most meaningful transitions and the honor of being entrusted with those sacred hours.We also explore the role of antiphons in the liturgy, why they matter more than we think, and what it takes to guide and support a volunteer choir with humility and clarity. This conversation moves beyond performance and into vocation, examining what it truly means to serve the liturgy and create space for prayer.For musicians, liturgical leaders, and anyone who has ever been moved by the sound of the Church at prayer, this episode offers an honest look at the beauty and weight of leading worship.

In this episode, we sit down with Sara Shakliyan, a choir director whose work is reshaping what parish music can sound and feel like.Having worked closely with Fr. Jack in his previous assignment, Sara shares how she has grown a choir from the ground up by blending the richness of classical hymns with the immediacy of praise and worship. Rooted in tradition yet alive with intention, her approach honors the Mass while calling musicians to something deeper.This conversation explores leadership, discipline, and why holding musicians to a high standard is not about perfection, but about reverence, responsibility, and love for the liturgy. Sara speaks honestly about forming musicians who show up prepared, prayerful, and committed in a way that is still uncommon in many Catholic parishes.An episode for anyone who believes sacred music should both elevate the soul and invite full participation. A reminder that excellence, when offered to God, becomes an act of worship.

In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, we sit down with Daniel Dangca, a music director with a PhD who has spent years serving the Church from the choir loft and the planning table.Daniel shares what he genuinely loves about working in a parish, the beauty and weight of shaping music for the Mass, and the reality of navigating moments when a congregation is not always happy or on the same page. With honesty and wisdom, he reflects on how those challenges have shaped his leadership, patience, and vision.At the heart of the conversation is a simple but demanding goal enhancing the Mass and helping the congregation move from spectators to participants. This episode is for musicians, parish leaders, and anyone curious about what it really looks like to serve the Church faithfully in ordinary time.

Music often starts as a love.For some, it slowly becomes a way of life.In this episode, Alexis Santos shares how directing choirs as a teenager set him on a path that would shape his work, his faith, and his sense of responsibility as a musician. From formal studies in music and theology to composing bilingual sacred music used in churches today, Alexis reflects on what it means to serve both the art and the people it is meant for.This conversation is about discipline, calling, and the ordinary faithfulness it takes to keep showing up to the work. We talk about writing music that carries meaning, navigating life between two languages, and how belief quietly informs the choices we make long after the applause fades.Whether you work in music, serve in the Church, or are simply curious about how faith lives inside everyday work, this episode offers a glimpse into a life shaped slowly and intentionally by sound.

Ben Stone has spent his life in music, beginning at the organ as a child and building a career shaped by years of professional experience. In this episode, he reflects on his journey as a musician, the demands of working within the Church, and the ongoing challenge of balancing craft, vocation, and personal life. A conversation about longevity, discipline, and what it means to make music a lifelong practice.

Ike Ndolo is a musician who speaks openly about the realities of creating and performing music within the Catholic Church. In this episode, he reflects on the tension between being a performer and leading worship, the challenges artists face in church spaces, and how his experience as a Black man has shaped his relationship with faith and vocation. A conversation about music, identity, and what it takes to remain faithful to the work.Ike Ndolo Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7GybhnbNqgYBkIIU7zE90W?si=csP_XnGcSnui6NlHzOwVTg

This season of CIOT centers on musicians and their work. Guests from a range of musical paths share how they understand their craft, how they lead worship, and how their approaches differ. A season about sound, practice, and faith lived through music.

Season three of CIOT brought conversations shaped by real questions, real stories, and ordinary encounters with grace. In this final episode, Fr Jack reflects on the themes, voices, and moments that defined the season and what they revealed about faith lived in everyday life.

Valerie Stivers built her career in cultural journalism, beginning as an intern at a major fashion magazine and later working as a sex columnist for the Moscow based alternative paper The Exile, editing Time Out New York, and writing as a freelance journalist for numerous publications. Raised in an atheist family, she did not arrive at faith through argument or study. Instead, a personal experience led her directly and without hesitation into the Catholic Church. In this episode, Valerie reflects on that moment, her life as a writer, and what it meant to follow something she did not expect.

Troy never expected to become Catholic. A friendship opened the door. Hearing Bishop Barron teach on the Eucharist pushed it wide. That moment became a turning point in his discernment and led him into the Church. He and his husband later married outside the Church and continue living as Catholics. This episode looks at the steps that shaped his story.

Advent invites us into a kind of wilderness. Not dramatic, just honest. A place where waiting becomes its own teacher. In this bonus conversation, Fr Jack talks about how God meets us when the path feels quiet and unfinished.

Jesse Anderson joins Fr Jack to share his journey from being a lukewarm Lutheran to finding a deeper home in the Catholic Church. His story is honest and down-to-earth shaped by questions friendship and the slow awakening of a faith that finally felt alive.It’s a conversation about searching surrender and discovering a place where his heart could truly burn with conviction.I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

Dawn Eden Goldstein joins Fr Jack on Catholics in Ordinary Time to share her journey from the world of rock journalism to a deep and grounded Catholic faith. Her story moves through music, longing, and discovery as she finds her way home in the Church.It’s a conversation about listening, transformation, and the surprising paths that lead us into the light.I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

MacLean Andrews joins Fr Jack to share the unexpected path that led him into the Catholic Church. What started as “pretending” to be Catholic at a Catholic school slowly became an honest search for truth. Over time the questions deepened the desire grew and what once felt like a disguise turned into a real journey of faith.From non denominational roots to discerning with the Jesuits MacLean’s story is full of surprises sincerity and the quiet ways grace works on a heart over time.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Cameron Edman’s journey into the Catholic Church began with curiosity and conversation. What started through friendship grew into a search for truth that was met with patience, wisdom, and unexpected grace.In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, Cameron shares how questions became a bridge and how gentle guidance helped him find his way home.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Deacon Mac Chester joins Fr Jack on Catholics in Ordinary Time to share his story of returning to the Catholic Church after time away. His journey isn’t about conversion from something else but about rediscovering what was there all along, faith, community, and the quiet pull of grace.It’s a story about coming back home, seeing the Church with new eyes, and realizing that sometimes the road away becomes the way back.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Sara Bryan joins Fr Jack to share how she was moved by the beauty and love she found in the Catholic Church. Raised Protestant, Sara began seeking the Church out of curiosity but what she discovered was a sense of home she didn’t expect.This episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time is a story about grace, belonging, and the gentle pull of love that leads a heart toward faith.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Fr Jack kicks off a new season of Catholics in Ordinary Time focused on converts, people who found their way into the Catholic Church from all kinds of places and stories.He shares what to expect this season and why these journeys matter for all of us.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did.

As Season 2 of Catholics in Ordinary Time comes to a close, Fr Jack looks back on the conversations that shaped this season; the courage, honesty, and hope shared by every guest who chose to stay in dialogue with the Church.He reflects on what he’s learned, what’s still stirring in his heart, and what’s coming next for Catholics in Ordinary Time.It’s not goodbye... it’s see you soon!

Lindsey Horvath is a public servant and advocate rooted in faith. In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, Lindsey shares with Fr. Jack how her Catholic upbringing shaped her, how her beliefs inform her work, and how she interprets her calling in a world full of questions.This is a conversation about integrity, hope, and what it looks like to live faith in the public sphere.I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

Eve Tushnet is an author, speaker, and thinker whose life and witness explore what it means to live with both desire and fidelity. In this conversation with Fr Jack on Catholics in Ordinary Time, she shares how she navigates her attraction by embracing celibacy while also walking alongside a romantic partner. They talk about tension, identity, longing, and the grace of staying in relationship with God and others.It’s a conversation about loving well, staying true, and letting faith guide where the heart leads.I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

Kate Carter joins Fr Jack on Catholics in Ordinary Time to share her journey of faith and life in the Church. With honesty and warmth, she reflects on the experiences that have shaped her, the questions that continue to guide her, and the hope she holds for the future of the Church.It is a conversation about resilience, belonging, and the courage to remain rooted in faith even when the path is complex.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Ann Marie Pace is a writer and director based in Los Angeles—Mexican American and proud of it, shaped by a life spent exploring identity. From her thesis film shot in the Amazon to directing for Disney+, she tells stories that bridge worlds and make space for voices that don’t always see themselves reflected.In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, Ann Marie sits down with Fr Jack to talk about the art of belonging, resilience, and finding your truth when you don’t fit in just one box. It’s a conversation about the power of storytelling to heal, connect, and invite us home.I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

Alyssa Duffner shares with Fr Jack her journey of holding faith and identity together and why she continues to find a home in the Catholic Church. It is a conversation about honesty, resilience, and the hope for a community where all know they belong.I hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Yunuen Trujillo is a Catholic lay minister attorney and author of LGBT Catholics: A Guide to Inclusive Ministry She brings her faith into action through her work with immigrant rights LGBTQ ministry and community building in Los AngelesIn this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time Yunuen sits down with Fr Jack to share her story of faith her life in the Church and the ways she works to create spaces of welcome and belongingIt’s a conversation about resilience advocacy and staying rooted in faith even when the path is complicatedI hope you like this conversation I certainly did

In the first episode of Season 2, Fr Jack opens the door to a new series of conversations. This season of Catholics in Ordinary Time is about queer women who have chosen to remain in the Catholic Church. Some have found ways to adjust their lives to Church teaching. Others stay while holding tension with it.Through these voices, the season will explore what it means to belong, to question, and to hold faith in a community that doesn’t always feel simple or easy.This is not about giving all the answers. It is about listening with honesty, humility, and hope.I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

In this season finale of Catholics in Ordinary Time, Fr Jack looks back at the conversations he’s had with young adults over the past months. From the questions they carry to the hope they hold, he reflects on what he’s learned from listening to their stories.It’s part gratitude, part reflection, and part invitation to keep the conversation going into next season.

Grace Cotangco lives and works in Los Angeles where she actively serves as a lector musician and youth minister in the parish she chose as her ownIn this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time she sits down with Fr Jack to talk about what it means to show up where you are called to be even when it’s not the parish you grew up inIt’s a story about service music and finding your place in the Church with joy and intentionalityI hope you like this conversation I certainly did

Vivi Jaramillo is a musician and songwriter living in Los Angeles, originally from Ecuador. Her music blends raw emotion, spiritual depth, and Latin roots—an offering of beauty, honesty, and belonging.In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, Vivi talks with Fr Jack about how she came into the Catholic faith, through doubts, through questions, and through moments of deep beauty. This conversation goes there. It’s real, personal, and full of the kind of honesty that invites others to look at their own story with gentleness and courage.You can find Vivi’s work at vivijamusic.com or any music platform under "Vivija"I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did

Alex Street is a musician and youth minister now serving at a non Catholic church in Boise Idaho. He once worked for a Catholic parish but over time his path led him somewhere new. Still centered on Christ still rooted in service but shaped by unexpected turnsIn this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time Alex talks with Fr Jack about ministry music leaving and longing and what it means to keep showing up for young people even as your spiritual home shiftsIt’s a story about listening to the callEven when it sounds different than expectedI hope you like this conversation. I certainly did

Keaton was raised Catholic but found himself drawn into a different kind of church community as a young adult, a non denominational church in Colorado that felt like homeIn this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time he talks with Fr Jack about growing up in the faith what pulled him away and what keeps him connected to something deeper even as the path looks differentIt’s a conversation about tradition and transformationAbout questions and belongingAnd about the grace of being honest with where you areI hope you like this conversation. I certainly did

Maggie Miller grew up in Brooklyn and now lives in France where she’s studying art history and navigating life far from everything familiar. In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time she joins Fr Jack for an honest conversation about faith beauty and what it means to keep searching especially when belief doesn’t come easyThey talk about doubt distance and the quiet ways art and culture invite deeper questionsThis is a story about being in betweenAnd choosing to stay curiousI hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

Jake McEwan is a couples and family therapist who recently moved back to his hometown of Spokane. In this episode of Catholics in Ordinary Time, he talks with Fr. Jack about his journey away from the Church, what brought him back, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up.There’s laughterThere’s honestyThere’s a little bit of “happy-go-lucky Catholic gets stolen by the devil” energyIt’s real life, and Jake tells it wellI hope you like this conversation.

Tiffany Yvonne Cox is an actor, director, and writer living in Los Angeles with her husband and two boys. You may have seen her on stage, on screen, or in the upcoming season of Reasonable Doubt on Hulu.But in this episode, she steps off set and sits down with Fr. Jack for a real conversation about faith, trust, identity, and what it means to find your place in the Church as a woman, a mother, an artist, and a seeker.They talk about creativity, hard questions, and the kind of faith that’s open, growing, and deeply human.Books mentioned in this episode include The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity,  Making Sense of the Bible,  and Reclaiming Church. I hope you like this conversation. I certainly did.

This week Fr. Jack chats with Ryan Bradshaw, a husband, dad, and parish staff guy trying to live his faith in the middle of real life. They talk about what it means to serve the Church, raise a family, and still find time to breathe and maybe pray tooI hope you like this conversation. I certainly didJingle by Vivija – ASCAP Composer ID #5461356

Maddie Dobrowski is a young adult living with her husband in Spokane, WA.  She teaches at a classic academy and writes.  You can read her on Substack - Love of Literature.  She is also an author of The Lord of the Rings and Catholicism: Exploring the Christian Roots of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.Jingle by Vivija – ASCAP Composer ID #5461356

In this first episode, Fr. Jack, a Jesuit priest, introduces himself and the heart behind the podcast. Catholics in Ordinary Time isn’t here to offer all the answers. It’s here to make space for real conversations.This season focuses on young adults. Some are practicing Catholics. Some aren’t. All are invited to share honestly where they are in their journey of faith.This episode sets the tone for what’s to come. Listening, not lecturing. Curiosity over conclusions. Presence over pressure.Jingle by Vivija – ASCAP Composer ID #5461356