Faith Full Catholic Podcast
20 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 months ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsThe Faith Full Catholic Podcast tells true stories about the Catholic faith in today’s world through compelling, narrative audio journalism. Episodes include interviews, narrative storytelling, and a blend of high-quality production techniques.
The independent, listener-supported project is hosted and produced by Tony Ganzer. He’s a long-time public media journalist and writer by trade, and a Catholic by choice and upbringing. Ganzer has reported on many things over 15 years in the US and Europe, from Swiss Parliament to the plight of refugees. Religion and faith have always held a special place.
We were featured in Our Sunday Visitor’s article on quality Catholic podcasts. We’ve also won two Gabriel Awards from the Catholic Media Association in 2020 and 2021. (For Episode 6 and Episode 9!)
‘The best antidotes to falsehoods are not strategies, but people: people who are not greedy but ready to listen, people who make the effort to engage in sincere dialogue so that the truth can emerge; people who are attracted by goodness and take responsibility for how they use language..’
Pope Francis, 24 January 2018
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Episodes
19: Mary and Montreal's Oldest Catholic Church, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (Our Lady of Good Help)
December 28, 2023 23:48 - 30 minutes - 42.3 MBThe chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours (Our Lady of Good Help) is Montreal’s oldest stone church, sitting for hundreds of years as a beacon of hope. It celebrates a special milestone this year, 250 years, having acted as a refuge for residents, pilgrims, sailors and travelers arriving by the St. Lawrence River and Seaway. Today we’ll explore together a fascinating chapter of Catholic history in North America, and learn that key to the story of this chapel, and the Catholic community of Nouv...
18: Pandhandling and Christian Duty, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul's approach to works of mercy
June 18, 2023 02:18 - 19 minutes - 26.7 MBChristian duty and panhandlers. What’s the right thing to do? For a long time I’ve struggled when approached by panhandlers, people on the street asking for money. I want to help, but I don’t want to be taken advantage of, or feed an addiction, or endanger myself. As a Catholic, as a Christian, I know helping the less fortunate is central to my faith. In one of the most famous passages from Scripture, in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says in a parable ‘whatever you did for one of these least ...
17: Why Catholics should think about "aliens"
December 27, 2022 03:04 - 29 minutes - 23.6 MBJust to mention aliens turns some people off, but to a Christian, to a Catholic, thinking about extraterrestrial life can hold tremendous value. If you replace the word “alien” with “the other” then we start down a familiar path. Does “the other” exist in the universe? Would “the other” mean us peace or harm? Should I will the good of “the other?” Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode features Paul Thigpen. The book is published by TAN Books: https://tanbooks....
16: St. Aloysius Gonzaga and the holy angels
September 23, 2022 02:38 - 28 minutes - 22.4 MBAngels seem mysterious and familiar all at the same time. Angels are by definition different than you and I are—they’re spiritual beings, without bodies, but can be present in our world. St. Augustine says “angel” is the name of their office, or what they do: they are servants and messengers of God. In this episode we hear about what another saint, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, thought about angels in his newly translated Meditations on the Holy Angels. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by T...
Your quality known among your enemies
June 27, 2022 18:50 - 36 minutes - 29.2 MBWar and Catholicism. On today’s episode we’ll hear from a Catholic Bishop and a former member of the British armed forces talk about how our duties as Christians, striving to walk the path to Heaven, square with the hell of war? Our conversation is driven by a powerful scene in the movie Kingdom of Heaven. This episode features Bishop Neal Buckon of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, and Catholic and military veteran Rebecca Clemenz. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpo...
Wisconsin Wonder: Wayside chapels and everyday pilgrims
January 17, 2022 18:03 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBThis episode is the third connected to The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. Faith Full is a Catholic podcast hosted by Tony Ganzer. This episode talks about needing to take mini-pilgrimages in our everyday life, and not just wait for big trips. You can stop for a moment of prayer anywhere, anytime. This episode features again Fr. Edward Looney, Fr. John Broussard, Fr. Carlos Esp...
Wisconsin Wonder: Mary appears in Champion
October 18, 2021 00:34 - 32 minutes - 22.4 MBThis episode is the second about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. This episode features Fr. Edward Looney, and Fr. John Broussard. We also learn about the Peshtigo fire on 1871. Visit the episode page: https://www.faithfullpod.com/wisconsin-wonder-blessed-virgin-mary-appears-in-champion/ Donate: https://www.faithfullpod.com/support/ Subscribe on iTunes: https://itune...
Wisconsin Wonder: A Catholic pilgrim seeks a guide
September 07, 2021 01:34 - 18 minutes - 12.9 MBThis episode is the first of three about The National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, WI. This is the first and only Church-approved Marian Apparition site in the United States. In 1859 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Belgian immigrant, Adele Brise. Mary identified herself as “The Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners,” and told Adele to teach children their catechism, how to make the sign of the cross, and how to approach the sacraments. And then Mary ...
11: Spiritual Poverty and Helping Hands
April 23, 2021 03:19 - 9 minutes - 8.36 MBSwitzerland is one of the world's wealthiest countries, and poverty doesn’t manifest itself in the same way as in other places. The numbers of people needing food and shelter are exponentially less, even when considering Switzerland’s size. But there can be another kind of poverty, a spiritual poverty. In this short episode of the Faith Full Podcast we talk a little about the poor in spirit, and the need for a bit more compassion in our approach to each other. Visit the episode page: ...
10: Praying at a Lego House for God
November 10, 2020 18:34 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBWhen you think of Legos, you no doubt envision the small bricks that ignite children’s imaginations by their possibilities. You sift through a box of tiny pieces looking for one to make that spaceship just right, or house a little more functional. John Kraemer takes that to a different level. He doesn’t just build a church, it’s a working model of parish life for a Lego world not unlike our own. You can pray in many ways, and for John, building these Lego parishes and communities are a p...
9: Fr. Jamie Dennis, a Blind Priest Guiding the Faithful
August 29, 2020 03:32 - 25 minutes - 20.3 MB"The Church hasn't always been good at dealing with people who are, quote unquote different. It's difficult." Fr. Jamie Dennis is one of what he estimates are only 10 Catholic priests in the U.S. He's a fascinating person, who lives in a train caboose, and runs his own railroad, on his family farm near Owensboro, KY. He talks to us about why the Latin Mass and Byzantine Liturgy are more accessible than the Ordinary Form of the Mass, and he talks about the challenges he faced growing up while...
8: Blind Catholics Keeping the Faith in a Pandemic
August 15, 2020 22:26 - 30 minutes - 24 MBFor some Catholics who are blind, the experience of the Mass can be very different than for sighted people. In normal times, it can be a tactile experience. But not during the pandemic. In Scripture, Jesus is recorded as saying where two or three are gathered together in His name, there He is in the midst of them. And that goes for times when the two or three need to be two or three meters apart for social distancing. As with many Catholics, those who are blind have found technology as a...
7: Blessings on a German Breeze
July 20, 2020 01:38 - 6 minutes - 5.91 MBThe world remains gripped by a pandemic; an unseen, but very present coronavirus has caused us to rethink a lot of things: how we work, how we spend time, how we show respect and communicate. I’ve been sitting on a fun anecdote for a while, and thought these dark days are as good a time as any to share. So coming up: the story of a giant Jesus Christ (in hot air balloon form) and the two German monks, in this short episode of Faith Full. Find a full transcript on the episode page!
6: Penance, Prayers, and an Incorrupt Heart
January 22, 2019 01:40 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBIn times of struggle for the institution of the Catholic Church, some look for inspiration and intercession from the Saints. St. Jean Vianney is said to have faced regular attacks by Satan, yet his ministry in the face of those attacks positioned him as the Patron Saint of Parish Priests, having walked the Earth during a time of great difficulty for the Catholic church in France. The incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney is touring the U.S. during another time of trial in the Church. More on t...
5: Zealot's Axe
December 21, 2018 02:41 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBHundreds of years ago a man dressed as a bear murdered a Catholic freedom fighter in Switzerland. The details of the crime are somewhat important, but more so are the details of a Protestant pastor who converted to Catholicism on account of his idea of authority and power. The crime stemmed from a time fraught with religious division during which moderation seemed extinct. It's a sharp contrast to today, of course, where it's not uncommon for Christian denominations to pray together, and...
4: Of Relics, Saints, and Solace
September 06, 2018 02:37 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MBIf a loved one dies, it’s natural to want to hang on to something to remind you of them—maybe a ring, maybe a favorite book or picture. That’s the same idea, in a very basic way, behind the relics of the saints held in high esteem by many faith traditions. And in Pittsburgh, oddly enough, there is said to be the largest Catholic collection of relics outside of Rome. Join us for a visit to Saint Anthony’s Chapel in this episode of Faith Full. Find the full story at http://www.faithfullpod....
3.5: A Grandfather's Faith
August 22, 2018 05:54 - 8 minutes - 7.45 MBEven if our grief and heartache have sapped our strength, as Sirach said, the Catholic faith teaches that God provides love and support and grace, that we desperately need. Our last episode followed the story of Fr. Cirilo Nacorda who had been captured by Jihadist militants. His story was relayed to Faith Full host Tony Ganzer by his grandfather before his death. In this half-episode we hear a little about that backstory, and what Ganzer's Grandfather wanted shared about his faith. Vis...
3: Facing Terror, Finding Hope
April 15, 2018 00:39 - 53 minutes - 37.2 MBThe story of Fr. Cirilo Nacorda is one layered with nuance, spirituality, and humanity. Over the course of two decades, the Catholic priest has lived through two hostage situations; has helped organize Christian militias uniting against Jihadist militants, and armed himself because of the perceived hopelessness of the situation; and has faced what he saw as deep corruption in the Philippines. The trials led Fr. Nacorda to a deeper layer to his faith, but not before seriously challenging it....
2: Sisters Against Slavery
March 31, 2018 02:27 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MB"How many slaves work for you?" It was the provocative, uncomfortable start to Sister Anne's Victory's TEDx talk a few years ago. If you were to judge her by her looks, you might think she was a grandmother or retiree. But Sister Anne is at the forefront of a major effort to shine light on the practice of human trafficking. She's a member of the Catholic Sisters of the Humility of Mary, and also the director education for the Collaborative to End Human Trafficking, in Northeast Ohio. ...
1: Saved at Denny's + The Part-time Friar | Faith Full Podcast
March 26, 2018 02:56 - 15 minutes - 11.4 MBEpisode 1 of the Faith Full podcast brings the story of a late-night Denny's encounter bringing together blackjack and a random theology exchange. We share what we believe about God and about Christianity, glancing over ideas like Sola fide and Once Saved, Always Saved. By the end of the exchange, I realize that a large part of the restaurant has been listening to our exchange, and appreciated the honesty and respect shown. PLUS the story of Switzerland's short-term friar who agree to give...