Ave Explores

Week Six: Monks, Nuns, and Their Habits with Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP

October 30th, 2024  |  Season 25  |  56 mins 38 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, fr. patrick mary briscoe, jonathan roumie, katie mcgrady, matt maher, meg hunter-kilmer, mike aquilina, peculiar stuff catholics do, sonja corbitt, steffani aquila

Religious orders wear a wide variety of habits, from brown robes reminiscent of Jedi attire to white robes with black capes similar to Gandalf’s. With so many distinct styles, it’s hard for anyone to keep track of them all.

Beyond their attire, religious communities are diverse, unique, and an enriching part of the Church—though they may seem a bit unusual at first. Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, a Dominican of the Eastern Province in the United States, shares insights into the vows, rituals, and histories of these orders, highlighting their profound and beautiful impact on the Church.

Week Five: A Baptist Becomes Catholic Because of the Bible with Sonja Corbitt

October 23rd, 2024  |  Season 25  |  46 mins 42 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, fr. patrick mary briscoe, jonathan roumie, katie mcgrady, matt maher, meg hunter-kilmer, mike aquilina, peculiar stuff catholics do, sonja corbitt, steffani aquila

Catholic author and speaker Sonja Corbitt embraced Catholicism after a lifetime of being a Southern Baptist, and she did so because of the Bible. Her entrance into the Church, which included a deep study of some of the stranger teachings of the Faith, became a source of both inspiration and consternation in her own family, and her love of her faith today is even deeper as a result. Sacred scripture can sometimes seem odd or contradictory, but it reinforces all our weird Catholic beliefs. Sonja explains how in today’s episode.

Week Four: Big Honkin' Candles and Fun Feast Days with Steffani Aquila

October 16th, 2024  |  Season 25  |  1 hr 3 mins

ave explores, ave maria press, fr. patrick mary briscoe, katie mcgrady, matt maher, meg hunter-kilmer, mike aquilina, peculiar stuff catholics do, sonja corbitt, steffani aquila

Why do we bake cakes for Shrove Tuesday or use chalk to mark our doors on the Epiphany? Why do we crown statues of Mary with flowers or sing hymns to the biggest candle of them all, the Paschal Candle, on Easter Vigil? Steffani Aquila, author of Festive Faith, walks us through the liturgical year and explains some of the most cherished, and oddest, liturgical living traditions and practices to help us embrace living a festive faith in our somewhat odd Church.

Week Three: The Oddities of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina

October 9th, 2024  |  Season 25  |  48 mins

ave explores, ave maria press, fr. patrick mary briscoe, jonathan roumie, katie mcgrady, matt maher, meg hunter-kilmer, mike aquilina, op, peculiar stuff catholics do, sean pilcher, sonja corbitt, steffani aquila

When we declare that Catholicism is two thousand years old, we must do so knowing that this means the earliest days of the Church were, at times, peculiar and challenging. The liturgy had to be developed, sacramental practices clarified, disputes settled, and the life of the Church established as we now know it.

Mike Aquilina, Catholic scholar and prolific author, discusses the unusual practices of the Church's first few hundred years and how they led to some of today's most cherished traditions.

Week Two: Unveiling the Mystery of Relics with Sean Pilcher and Sharing Holy Stories with Jonathan Roumie

October 2nd, 2024  |  Season 25  |  1 hr 11 mins

ave explores, ave maria press, deacon david keene, jonathan roumie, katie mcgrady, matt maher, meg hunter-kilmer, mike aquilina, peculiar stuff catholics do, relics, sacra, saints, sean pilcher, sonja corbitt, steffani aquila, the chosen

Sean Pilcher, from Sacra, an apostolate focused on the restoration and recovery of relics, shares the meaning and importance of relics for all Catholics. Sean discusses how relics are verified, what it looks like to restore relics that have been damaged, and offers insight into how relics impact our spiritual lives.

Then, in a special bonus Ave Explores exclusive, Katie sits down with Jonathan Roumie, award winning actor from The Chosen and executive producer of the new film Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story to discuss how the joy of his Catholic faith guides him in his career and helps him discern good projects to work on, and he tells the story of meeting Pope Francis, who called him “Jesus.”

Week One: How Saints are Studied and Made with Meg Hunter-Kilmer and Deacon David Keene

September 25th, 2024  |  Season 25  |  1 hr 17 mins

ave explores, ave maria press, david keene, fr. patrick mary briscoe, katie mcgrady, matt maher, meg hunter-kilmer, mike aquilina, peculiar stuff catholics do, saints, sean pilcher, sonja corbitt, steffani aquila

Join Meg Hunter-Kilmer, author and storyteller of saints, and Deacon David Keene, an archeologist and canon lawyer, as they delve into the fascinating process of uncovering the lives of saints. From researching their stories to studying their relics, they explore the challenges and discoveries that bring these holy figures to life.

Teaser: Embracing the Oddities of Catholicism with Matt Maher

September 18th, 2024  |  Season 25  |  1 hr 2 mins

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Matt Maher wouldn’t describe himself as a “peculiar” or “weird” Catholic, but he wouldn’t mind if you described him like that, because he knows that’s just sort of part of being Catholic. World renowned, Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and producer, Matt Maher sits down with Katie McGrady to talk about what he loves about his Catholic faith, how he shares it in lots of non-Catholic spaces, and what it means to be your most authentic self in living and loving your Catholicism.