PODCAST · religion
What Matters Most
by John W. Martens
What Matters Most is focused on listening to people and what is on their minds, particularly dealing with the big questions of religion and spirituality. It emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement, a Centre at St. Mark's College, the Catholic college at UBC, but our programming is intended for all interested parties, Catholic or not. In the What Matters Most podcast, we talk to people, some well-known, some not so well-known, some Catholic, some Christian, some not affiliated with any religion, some affiliated with other faiths (Muslims, Sikhs) to find out what matters to them. It is a podcast focused on spirituality and faith, but truly focused on listening to others, to learning from those connected to the Church and to those who are not. It is grounded in personal conversations that ask guests to talk about what has motivated their vocations or their work and what gives their lives meaning and purpose. The format can best be described as a conversation that allows us to g
Episodes
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"That Culture of Encounter is truly an eschatological moment": A Conversation with Dr. Jane Barter on Magnifica Humanitas & AI
Welcome to What Matters Most, episode 5 of our fifth season. You were just listening to Dr. Jane Barter, a professor in the University of Winnipeg Religion and Culture department and Joint Masters Program Chair. I’m Dr. John Martens, the host of What Matters Most and Director for the Centre for...
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What Matters Most 5th Anniversary Podcast!
5th Year Anniversary! Welcome to What Matters Most! I’m Dr. John Martens, the host of What Matters Most and Director for the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at UBC. Do you know I have been saying that for 5 years now? On October 7, 2022, we released the first episode of What...
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How to Build a Civilization of Love: A Conversation on Magnifica Humanitas with Dr. Fiona Li, Rev. Dr. Nick Meisl, and Dr. Nick Olkovich
Welcome to What Matters Most, episode 3 of our fifth season. This is also the third episode on What Matters Most to discuss the encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and every conversation reveals nuances to the document and aspects of it we have not discussed previously. I surveyed the encyclical on my...
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Childhood, Education, and Family Relations in Early Christian Communities”: A SSHRC Insight Grant Podcast, Episode 1. Featuring Drs. Cornelia Horn, Margaret MacDonald, and Teresa Morgan.
Welcome to What Matters Most, episode 2 of our fifth season and episode one of the “Childhood, Education, and Family Relations in Early Christian Communities” SSHRC Insight Grant Podcasts. This episode is the first in a series of episodes that are funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant. SSHRC is the...
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The Joys and Limits of Humanity: A Conversation with Drs. Tisha Rajendra and Ruben Rosario Rodriguez on Magnifica Humanitas
Welcome to Season 5, Episode 1 of What Matters Most! In this episode I welcomed Dr. Tisha Rajendra and Dr. Ruben Rosario Rodriguez to discuss Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. I delved into the encyclical on my own a couple of months ago, but I wanted to bring in experts in...
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Apocalypse and Liturgy in Orthodox Christianity: A Conversation with Fr. Matthew Francis
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 29 of What Matters Most! In this episode I speak with Fr. Matthew Francis about Orthodox Liturgy and about the connections between Orthodox Liturgy and the book of Revelation. Fr. Matthew is currently completing his book Apocalypse and Liturgy and we delve into some…
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The Dying Child and the Personhood of Children in Ancient Judah: A Conversation with Dr. Kristine Garroway
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 28 of What Matters Most! T In this episode I welcome my friend and colleague Kristine Henriksen Garroway to discuss her recent book The Dying Child: The Death and Personhood of Children in Ancient Israel (Oxford UP, 2025). Kristine is a prolific scholar and a...
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Securitizing Religion Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War: Nationalism, Identity, and Religious Freedom: A Lecture by Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 27 of What Matters Most! This episode focuses on a lecture given by Dr. Pavlo Smytsnyuk, "Securitizing Religion Amid the Russo-Ukrainian War: Nationalism, Identity, and Religious Freedom," given for the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark's College on March…
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A Catholic Boy in Montreal: A Conversation with Dr. Gerry Turcotte
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 26 of What Matters Most! This episode focuses on a Gerry Turcotte’s new novel The Space Between (EnRoute Books and Media, 2026). This novel is a coming-of-age story of a catholic boy in Quebec, caught between the French and English worlds, or perhaps a part of each of...
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Magnifica Humanitas: An Encyclical Against Dehumanization in the Age of AI
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 25 of What Matters Most! It’s just me today, Dr. John Martens, the host of What Matters Most and Director for the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark’s College at UBC. This episode focuses on a short introduction to Magnifica Humanitas, the new Pope Leo...
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Confronting Judeophobia in the NT: A Conversation with Meredith Warren
Welcome to Season 4, Episode 24 of What Matters Most! In this episode I speak with Dr. Meredith Warren. Dr. Warren is Senior Lecturer in Biblical and Religious Studies at University of Sheffield and the Director of the Sheffield Centre for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies. She took up her...
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Pop Culture Matters: Pluribus with Megan Fritts
Welcome to the ninth episode of Pop Culture Matters, Pluribus, with the smart and insightful Megan Fritts. Megan is a philosophy professor at UALR, co-host of the Philosophy on the Fringes podcast with her husband Frank Cabrera, occasional essayist, techno-pessimist, book-optimist, and previous...
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Rulers, Religion, and Riches: A Conversation with Dr. Jared Rubin
Welcome to Episode 22 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with economist Dr. Jared Rubin. Jared Rubin is an economic historian interested in the political and religious economies of the Middle East and Western Europe. His research focuses on historical relationships between political and…
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Was the Synod a Success? A Conversation with Michael W. Higgins
Welcome to Episode 21 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Michael W. Higgins. Michael W. Higgins is a distinguished educator, media commentator, and author. He has been president of St. Jerome's University, St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and at St. Mark’s College…
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Faith, Reason, and the Unconscious: Psychoanalysis and Catholicism: A Conversation with Dr. Adam Schneider
Welcome to Episode 20 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Adam J. Schneider. This episode focuses on the history and relationship, often rocky, between psychoanalysis and Catholicism. This is Adam’s first appearance on What Matters Most. Adam J. Schneider, PhD, is a psychologist and...
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Easter Reflections
A bonus episode for Easter! As we are in the midst of Easter, Holy Week, I wanted to offer a few reflections on Easter season, in this case a reflection on Palm or Passion Sunday, which has just passed, and on Easter Sunday, the Resurrection of the Lord, which will soon be with us. These...
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Incarnation: A Poem by and a Conversation with Rev. Dr. Rob James
Welcome to Episode 19 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with (and listen to) the Rev. Dr. Rob James. This episode focuses on the Christian understanding of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and what that means theologically for Christianity, but what it means for followers of Jesus to reflect on...
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The Language(s) of Christianity: A Conversation with Dr. Ekaputra Tupamahu
Welcome to Episode 18 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Ekaputra Tupamahu. This episode focuses on language, post-colonial biblical studies, and how colonialism turned the Bible into a weapon of power and oppression around the world. Ekaputra Tupamahu is an associate professor of New...
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Be Transformed: A Conversation with Dr. Micah Kiel
Welcome to Episode 17of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Micah Kiel. This episode focuses on being transformed and what it means to take seriously not only our spiritual lives, but the temporal lives and needs of others, particularly those who are struggling with poverty or have…
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"Soulwork:"Decolonizing and Indigenizing the Curriculum: A Conversation with Dr. Judith Scholes and Dr. Nick Olkovich
Welcome to Episode 16 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Judith Scholes and Dr. Nick Olkovich. This episode focuses on decolonizing curriculum and indigenizing curriculum, and what that means particularly at Catholic colleges on Musqueam land at a large public university, UBC. Today’s...
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Confronting Colonial Theologies through Acts of the Apostles: A Conversation with Dr. Jordan J. Cruz Ryan
Welcome to Episode 15 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Jordan Ryan. This episode focuses on decolonizing theology, particularly biblical theology, using as an example Jordan’s new commentary on Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament in Color, a new one volume commentary. Today’s...
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"Religion is Not Going Away:" Shinnyo-En and NRMs in Japan: A Conversation with Dr. Casey Collins
Welcome to Episode 14 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Casey Collins. This episode focuses on religion in Japan, particularly Buddhism, and, we can break that down even further, a new religious movement known as Shinnyo-En which is related to an esoteric school of Japanese Buddhism...
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A Short History of MAGA Catholics: A Conversation with Dr. Matthew J. Cressler
Welcome to Episode 13 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Matthew J. Cressler. This episode is a distinct episode in the project, following that of Steven Tyra, which covers Christian nationalism in the reformed Protestant tradition, and Ruth Braunstein, who discussed Christian...
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Pop Culture Matters: Christmas Movies (Part Two) with Martin Strong
Welcome to the eighth episode of Pop Culture Matters, a conversation with my good friend and a great friend of the podcast, Martin Strong. We returned to a discussion of Christmas movies for this episode, but not our favorite Christmas movies, which we have already discussed; so please check out...
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The Politics of Christian Nationalism: A Conversation with Dr. Ruth Braunstein
Welcome to Episode 11 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Ruth Braunstein, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University’s SNF Agora Institute. A cultural sociologist interested in the role of religion and morality in American political life, Ruth's award-winning research has been published...
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An Introduction to the Christian Nationalism Project at the CCE
Welcome to the first What Matters Most podcast that is also offered in video form on YouTube. This episode introduces our Christian Nationalism project and our plans for the next few years in terms of podcasts, webinars, and lectures, culminating with an international and ecumenical conference in...
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Pop Culture Matters: The Great Speckled Bird and Gospel Music with Martin Strong
Welcome to the seventh episode of Pop Culture Matters, The Great Speckled Bird and Gospel Music with Martin Strong, the ninth episode of season four. Martin is on fire in this episode, maybe due to the Louvin Brothers’ plywood Satan burning in the background, and I lower the temperature with a...
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Who is a Martyr? A Conversation with Dr. Elizabeth A. Castelli
Welcome to Episode 8 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Elizabeth A. Castelli. Elizabeth A. Castelli is Professor of Religion at Barnard College, Columbia University She is a specialist in biblical studies, late ancient Christianity, and feminist/gender studies in religion. As you will...
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"We are the Church Together Now:" A Conversation with Dr. Sarah K. Johnson
Welcome to Episode 7 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Sarah K. Johnson. The Rev. Canon Dr. Sarah Kathleen Johnson is Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Pastoral Theology at Saint Paul University in Ottawa and the author of Occasional Religious Practice: Valuing a Very Ordinary...
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Pop Culture Matters: Halloween, All Saints, All Souls, and Samhain
Welcome to the sixth episode of Pop Culture Matters, the sixth episode of season four. In today's episode I discuss Halloween, All Saints Day, All Souls Day, and Samhain (sow-in) too. Growing up, I was clear what Halloween was: a night to get candy and dress up. Halloween is All Hallows Eve,...
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"The Way We Exercise Dominion is Through Justice:" A Conversation with Dr. Steven W. Tyra on Christian Nationalism
Welcome to Episode 5 of Season 4! This episode marks the formal beginning to the Christian Nationalism project, which might acquire a new name soon, that will run from 2025 to 2028, culminating in a conference in May or June 2028. In this episode I speak with Dr. Steven W. Tyra. Dr. Steven W.…
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Ancient Christianities, or How the God of Israel Conquered the West: A Conversation with Dr. Paula Fredriksen
Welcome to Episode 4 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Paula Fredriksen. Paula Fredriksen is the Aurelio Professor of Scripture emerita at Boston University, where she taught for 30 years, and, since 2009, Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Hebrew university in Jerusalem. In...
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"Fostering the tradition of wisdom:" A Conversation with Dr. Paul Spilsbury
Welcome to Episode 3 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Paul Spilsbury, recently appointed President of Regent College in July 2025. Paul came to Canada from South Africa in 1984 to attend Prairie Bible College in Alberta. As you will hear, he also graduated from Regent College and…
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Boy Jesus: A Conversation with Dr. Joan Taylor
Welcome to Episode 2 of Season 4! In this episode I speak with Dr. Joan E. Taylor, Professor Emerita of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College, London and Honorary Professor at Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, Australia. She is a remarkable scholar with...
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"We are here... Chinese Canadian Catholic Women are here": A Conversation with Dr. Fiona Li
Welcome to Episode 1of Season 4! It is amazing and wonderful to begin our 4th season! Today I speak with Dr. Fiona Li, an assistant professor and inaugural holder of the Archbishop J. Michael Miller Chair in Catholic Studies at Corpus Christi-St Mark's College. She is originally from Toronto and...
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The Promise and Praxis of Catholic Education: Hope for a Wounded and Divided World? Keynote Lecture of Rev. Dr. Stan Chu Ilo
Welcome to Episode 23 of Season 3 with the Reverend Dr. Stan Chu Ilo. Stan Chu Ilo is a Catholic priest from Awgu diocese, Nigeria; and Research Professor of World Christianity, African Studies and Global Health at the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University…
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Dilexit Mundum: A Christian Education and the Love of the World: Keynote Lecture of Samuel Rocha
Welcome to Episode 22 of Season 3 with Samuel Rocha on "Dilexit Mundum: A Christian Education and the Love of the World" the keynote Lecture of Samuel Rocha given on May 2, 2025 in Vancouver, B.C. at the CCE Promise of Christian Education: Past, Present, and Future conference in Vancouver. Dr.…
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Educating the Children of God, Infants to Elders: Keynote Lecture of Margaret MacDonald
Welcome to Episode 21 of Season 3 with Margaret MacDonald on "Educating the Children of God, Infants to Elders," a keynote Lecture of Margaret MacDonald from May 1, 2025 at the CCE Promise of Christian Education: Past, Present, and Future conference in Vancouver. Margaret Y. MacDonald is…
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Reading the Bible in the Kingdom of Love: A Conversation with Tom Bolin
Welcome to Episode 20 of Season 3 with Thomas Bolin, who joined me to discuss his important new book An Inspired Word in Season: Reading the Bible Responsibly in a Polarized World, and the always fascinating questions related to how we interpret texts, especially significant texts like those that...
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The Jesuit Disruptor and His Successor Leo: A Conversation with Michael W. Higgins
Welcome to Episode 19 of Season 3 with Michael W. Higgins, who joined me to discuss Pope Francis and our new Pope Leo XIV. We discussed his newest book, a portrait of Pope Francis, titled the Jesuit Disruptor. Michael W. Higgins is a distinguished educator, media commentator, and author, and he...
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Habemus Papam! Pope Leo XIV: A Conversation with the St. Mark's Theology Faculty
Welcome to Episode 18 of Season 3 with my colleagues from St. Mark's College: Dr. Fiona Li, inaugural Archbishop Michael Miller Chair in Catholic Studies, Fr. Nick Meisl, Profess at St. Mark's College, and Dr. Nick Olkovich, Marie Anne Blondin Chair in Catholic Theology. In this episode we talk...
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"The Christian is a man or woman of joy": A Conversation about the Legacy of Pope Francis with Steve Millies
Welcome to Episode 17 of Season 3 with our friend Steve Millies, a Catholic political theorist and the director of the Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and Professor of Public Theology. Steve has written numerous books, most recently A Consistent Ethic of Life:...
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“That finger of Jesus, pointing at Matthew. That’s me”: Reflecting on the Death of Pope Francis.
Welcome to epsiode sixteen of season three, an episode recorded on April 21, 2025, the day on which Pope Francis died. I talk about Pope Francis in this episode and the first major interview he gave to Jesuit journals around the world including America Magazine in the USA. I have linked to the...
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Pop Culture Matters: White Lotus Season Three with Martin Strong
Welcome to the fifth episode of Pop Culture Matters, a conversation with my good friend and veteran of radio and television in Vancouver and beyond Martin Strong. In this episode we discussed White Lotus season three. It would not have been on my radar for a Pop Culture Matters episode prior to...
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Pop Culture Matters: The Name of Easter
Welcome to the fourth episode of Pop Culture Matters, different in all sorts of ways, mostly because it’s just me John Martens and also because Easter, our topic today, is not exactly a pop culture matter, but one thing that does seem to be a pop culture matter are memes telling us that Easter is…
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The Habits Needed for Virtue: A Conversation with Dr. Tim Pawl
This is not as late as the last episode, only a day behind this time, but this might be the new normal until the conference is over. Nevertheless, it is worth the wait as Tim and I talk about the stable disposition necessary to create the habits needed to create virtue. This is episode fifteen of...
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A Path to Becoming like God: A Conversation with Dr Paul Gavrilyuk
Sorry for the lateness on this incredible episode! The busy-ness of preparing for the conference and working on a few academic papers led to a two day delay. But this is a long episode and Paul and I had a terrific conversation, so I hope that makes up for some of my tardiness! This is episode...
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Telling Bible Stories for Children (and Adults!): A Conversation with Reverend Dr. Rob James
This is episode 13 of season 3 of What Matters Most, featuring the Venerable Rev. Dr. Robert James, Associate Professor, Anglican Formation and Studies at VST. Apart from his work in Anglican studies, Rob is a biblical scholar and has written and published a book of stories from the Bible…
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The History of Catholicism in Korea, Martyrdom, Persecution, and Resilience: A Conversation with Dr. Don Baker
This is episode 12 of season 3 of What Matters Most, featuring Dr. Don Baker, Professor of Korean Civilization at UBC in Asian Studies since 1987. The story you will hear him tell about Catholicism in Korea and about the Gwangju democratization movement or resistance in 1980, some of which he was...
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Becoming a Catholic Peace Church: A Conversation with Gerald Schlabach
This is Episode Eleven of Season Three, featuring Dr. Gerald Schlabach, an emeritus professor in the Department of Theology at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he taught for twenty years and also served for six years as chair of the Department of Justice and Peace…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
What Matters Most is focused on listening to people and what is on their minds, particularly dealing with the big questions of religion and spirituality. It emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement, a Centre at St. Mark's College, the Catholic college at UBC, but our programming is intended for all interested parties, Catholic or not. In the What Matters Most podcast, we talk to people, some well-known, some not so well-known, some Catholic, some Christian, some not affiliated with any religion, some affiliated with other faiths (Muslims, Sikhs) to find out what matters to them. It is a podcast focused on spirituality and faith, but truly focused on listening to others, to learning from those connected to the Church and to those who are not. It is grounded in personal conversations that ask guests to talk about what has motivated their vocations or their work and what gives their lives meaning and purpose. The format can best be described as a conversation that allows us to g
HOSTED BY
John W. Martens
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does What Matters Most have?
What Matters Most currently has 106 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is What Matters Most about?
What Matters Most is focused on listening to people and what is on their minds, particularly dealing with the big questions of religion and spirituality. It emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement, a Centre at St. Mark's College, the Catholic college at UBC, but our programming is intended...
How often does What Matters Most release new episodes?
What Matters Most publishes regularly with 106 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to What Matters Most?
You can listen to What Matters Most on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts What Matters Most?
What Matters Most is created and hosted by John W. Martens.
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