Sem Says Podcast artwork

Sem Says Podcast

26 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 rating

Hosted by Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Overbrook, Pennsylvania. We're here to have a good time and share with the outside world an insight to our lives as we study and prepare for the priesthood. What motivated us to join seminary? What kind of things do we study? What are our favorite pizza toppings? Join us as we delve into all these secrets and more!

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Episodes

Ch. 23- The Fruits of Our Retreats

March 14, 2022 12:00 - 24 minutes - 16.6 MB

Nikolai, Alex, Andrew, and Drew. The Seminarians discuss the tradition of the yearly silent retreat. We review where we have been challenged and how we have experienced the Lord through prayer, silence, and meditation. What are the different kinds of retreats? What kinds of things do we pray about? What do we gain by taking retreats? Here are some links to some of the resources we mention: Fr. Michael Gaitley: https://www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/store/speaker/fr-michael-gaitley Fr. Do...

Ch. 22- An Episode About Bupkis

February 20, 2022 20:00 - 27 minutes - 19.2 MB

Nikolai and Alex.  The seminarians discuss what we've been up to recently. From Christmas break, retreat, and exams, to writing a book and generally goofing off, we've got plenty of nothing to chat about! What has the process of getting a book published been like? Has the "problem of evil" ever been answered? Is "bupkis" a bad word? (It's not; I checked!)  Thanks for listening!

Guest Episode - The Importance of Holy Mass

January 17, 2022 21:00 - 19 minutes - 13.2 MB

Guest hosts: Brother Joseph, Brother Richard, Caleb, Tim, Father Dominic. The seminarians discuss the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in light of wisdom from the Church Fathers. What can we learn today about the Catholic Mass from a saint who lived hundreds of years ago? How does it relate to us today? If you liked this discussion, please share our show to others. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/semsayspod Thank you for listening!

Ch. 21- 40 Hours Devotion

November 27, 2021 23:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MB

Nikolai, Alex, and Drew.  The Seminarians discuss the tradition of celebrating the 40 Hours devotion at St. Charles Seminary. How was this traditional devotion started? How do we celebrate it today? Thanks for listening and sharing!

Ch. 20- Brewing Beer and Talking Nonsense

November 17, 2021 15:00 - 27 minutes - 19.1 MB

Nikolai, Alex, and Andrew.  In today's episode, the Seminarians discuss a new hobby: brewing! We talk about some of the process of amateur beer and old-fashioned soda making.

Ch. 19 - Summer Reading

September 13, 2021 14:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MB

Nikolai, Alex, and Drew.  As a follow up to our summer episode, we discuss the reading we did over the summer. Between some spiritual, some pleasure, and some academic, seminarians do a lot of reading! Which authors did we find interesting? What stories impacted our understanding?  This episode is dedicated to the memory of our friend Joseph Creavey.

Ch. 18- In Which We Prepare for the Summer

June 09, 2021 15:00 - 22 minutes - 15.3 MB

Alex, Nikolai, and Drew.  The Seminarians are getting ready to head home for the summer, but that doesn't mean they take a break from the Lord's work! In this episode, we discuss what we have planned for the summer. What do we do during parish assignments? How do we stay engaged in our spiritual formation? Is it weird to wear jeans on the beach?  Thank you for tuning in for our show this school year. Enjoy your summer!

Ch. 17- In Which We Consider Marriage and Divorce

June 03, 2021 15:00 - 33 minutes - 23.1 MB

Alex, Nikolai, and Anthony. The Seminarians discuss the work of French philosopher Louis de Bonald on the matter of divorce and how it relates to our discourse today. How do we recognize the dignity of marriage? Is divorce the sign of a more free society? How are the issues of marriage and divorce addressed in the Gospel in comparison to nineteenth century France? Our discussion is centered on Anthony's article in Social Justice Quarterly, a magazine published by the Leonine Institute for ...

Ch. 16- In Which We Discuss Art and Beauty with Marie Miller

May 18, 2021 20:00 - 25 minutes - 17.8 MB

Alex and Nikolai. In this episode, the seminarians are joined by musical artist Marie Miller! Marie is a talented musician who uses her talents for singing and playing mandolin as a way to glorify God through art. She shares with us some of her inspiration and her experiences as a Catholic recording artist. What does beauty mean for the Christian? What makes art and music enduring or not enduring? Find Marie on her website: https://www.mariemillermusic.com/ Her Instagram: @mariemillersing...

Ch. 15- In Which We Chat About St. Francis of Assisi

April 06, 2021 12:00 - 30 minutes - 21 MB

Andrew and Cole. The Seminarians delve into the purpose and power of having relationships with the saints. In particular, Cole shares how Saint Francis of Assisi has worked in his life and helped him on his vocational journey. How do we choose a patron saint? How do these holy ones lead us closer to Our Lord? What is special about St. Francis in particular? Thank you for listening! Biography by Omer Englebert Contact us! [email protected]

Ch. 14- In Which We Explore the Easter Triduum

March 30, 2021 04:00 - 24 minutes - 17 MB

Alex, Nikolai, and Ben.  The Seminarians discuss the ins and outs of Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. How have we celebrated this holy time in the past? What makes these days so special and important?  Have a blessed Holy Week and a Happy Easter!

Ch. 13- In Which We Explore Marian Devotion

March 18, 2021 03:00 - 36 minutes - 25.3 MB

Andrew, Kevin, Dominic, and Dominic.  The Seminarians delve into the nitty gritty of Marian devotion, exploring topics from the Rosary to Marian consecration. Why do we pray to Mary? What does the Bible have to say about her? What did the saints have to say about her? How can one develop a deeper devotion to the Blessed Mother? Much of today's discussion tends towards a more developed understanding of Mary, beyond just the basic fundamentals. Some of the language may seem intimidating, but d...

Ch. 12- In Which We Interview Bishop Burbidge

March 10, 2021 15:00 - 31 minutes - 21.5 MB

Alex, Nikolai, Deacon Jonathan, and Bishop Michael Burbidge. On this episode, we are joined by Bishop Burbidge of Arlington, Virginia and transitional deacon Jonathan Smith. Bishop has a long personal history with Saint Charles Seminary and shares with us some of his experience and insights into how it has changed over time. What are some of the joys and challenges of being an Apostolic leader in the Church? What have been the differences between different dioceses? How can the Church contin...

Ch. 11- In Which We Consider How To Train Your Dragon

March 04, 2021 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MB

Alex, Andrew, and James. The Seminarians get into an in-depth conversation about Alex's favorite movie, How To Train Your Dragon. Do fantasy series inspire us to think about deeper truths? Can we be edified by animated movies? Where do we see the moral life reflected in our entertainment? Featuring the musical talents of seminarians Tim and Dominic who perform the movie's theme for this episode.

Ch. 10- In Which We Explore Language

February 22, 2021 14:00 - 30 minutes - 20.8 MB

Alex and Anthony. As Seminarians, we study a variety of languages, ancient and modern. Anthony is a polyglot, having studied about six different languages in his time. Does learning more languages make it easier to minister to parishioners? How do you practice speaking foreign languages? What benefits are there to learning learning ancient languages? Thank you for tuning in!

Ch. 9- In Which We Explain the Liturgy of the Hours

February 15, 2021 14:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MB

Alex, Nikolai, and Sam. The Seminarians share their knowledge on the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office. What is this prayer? How is it prayed? What effect has praying the Liturgy of the Hours had on our lives? For some more information, check out: https://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgy-of-the-hours Learn to pray the LOH in the Ibreviary app.

Ch. 8- In Which We Banter About Music

February 08, 2021 14:00 - 26 minutes - 17.9 MB

Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew. The seminarians chat about our different experience in the world of music. We compare our favorite artists, tastes, playlists, and radio stations for a lively and fun time.

Ch.7- In Which We Talk About Faith

January 28, 2021 19:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MB

Alex, Nikolai, and Drew. After taking a break for quarantine, we are back! This week, we discuss our retreat experiences, the nuances of the virtue of faith, and daydreaming during the liturgy. If you are enjoying our podcast, share an episode with a friend!

Ch. 6 - In Which We Wish You A Merry Christmas and Sing Traditional Christmas Carols

December 23, 2020 15:00 - 16 minutes - 11.7 MB

The Seminarians are all home for the holidays. As we reflect on the birth of the Son of God as a newborn child, we rejoice in all of the blessings we have been granted this year. The Seminarians of the Diocese of Allentown sing five traditional Christmas carols. Merry Christmas!

Ch. 5, part 2- In Which We Talk Lord of the Rings

December 16, 2020 15:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MB

Alex, Drew, Keaton, and Aaron. Continuing last week's episode about J. R. R. Tolkien, we discuss more in particular about The Lord of the Rings. Why is this series so beloved by seminarians? What parts of the books did we wish had been included in the movies? Thank you for joining us for this discussion! If you are enjoying our show, please share us with a friend!

Ch. 5, part 1- In Which We Talk Tolkien

December 09, 2020 15:00 - 23 minutes - 16.3 MB

Alex, Drew, Keaton, and Aaron. We discuss one of our favorite authors, J. R. R. Tolkien. Why is Tolkien so often popular among Catholics? What kinds of influences has his work had on the fantasy genre? What have we learned from his work? This recording lasted about an hour, so we decided to break it up into two parts. If you are enjoying listening to Sem Says, please share  us with your friends!

Ch. 4 - In Which The Seminarians Play Mandolin

December 02, 2020 15:00 - 12 minutes - 8.93 MB

Alex and Tim. We discuss the ins and outs of one of our favorite musical instruments, the mandolin. Tim discusses how he heard the call to the priesthood. He shares how he became interested in learning to play the mandolin and treats us to a few tunes! Special thanks to Tim who also provided the music for our intro and outro pieces. If you are enjoying listening to our Seminarian chats, be sure to follow, like, and share our podcast!

Ch. 3 - In Which The Seminarians Talk Movies

November 25, 2020 13:00 - 29 minutes - 20.2 MB

Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew.  We watch more than saint movies at the Seminary! This week, we talk about some of our favorite (and least favorite!) movies, tv shows, and how they affect our formation. If you are enjoying our podcast, give us a follow, like, or share. How many windmills out of ten would you rate this podcast?

Ch. 2 - In Which The Seminarians Discuss Poetry

November 18, 2020 13:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

Alex, Dominic, and Nikolai. Seminarians discuss poetry appreciation. Is poetry something men can enjoy? Who are our favorite poets? Dominic reads an excellent poem of his own. If you are enjoying listening to our Seminarian chats, please follow, like, and share our podcast with your friends!

Ch. 1- In Which The Seminarians Introduce Themselves

November 12, 2020 02:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew. Four Seminarians dive into the question, "Why are we here?" We talk about life before Seminary and what led us to discern a call to the priesthood. Warning! May include excessive philosophy.

Ch. 1- In Which the Seminarians Introduce Themselves

November 12, 2020 02:00 - 26 minutes - 18.4 MB

Alex, Nikolai, Andrew, and Drew. Four Seminarians dive into the question, "Why are we here?" We talk about life before Seminary and what led us to discern a call to the priesthood. Warning! May include excessive philosophy.