Ave Explores

The Surprises of a Jubilee Year in Rome with Elizabeth Lev

January 15th, 2025  |  Season 27  |  47 mins 10 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cardinal michael czerny, csfn, elizabeth lev, joan watson, jubilee year 2025, katie mcgrady, opening the holy door, sj, sr. josephine garrett, st. peter's basilica, the jubilee year of hope

Art historian and professor Elizabeth Lev unveils the fascinating history of the Jubilee Holy Doors and reveals how Rome itself has been shaped by Jubilee celebrations over the centuries. As preparations for Jubilee 2025 unfold, Lev explores the city’s rich traditions and the monumental moments of past Jubilees. Discover how these events inspire us to adopt a pilgrim’s mindset, embracing the unexpected blessings and gifts of a Jubilee year.

BONUS: Joan Watson Reflects on the Parable of the Good Shepherd Panel of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica

January 15th, 2025  |  Season 27  |  1 min 44 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cardinal michael czerny, csfn, elizabeth lev, joan watson, jubilee year 2025, katie mcgrady, opening the holy door, sj, sr. josephine garrett, st. peter's basilica, the jubilee year of hope

In this reflection from Opening the Holy Door, Joan Watson explains the meaning behind the panel that depicts the Parable of the Good Shepherd.

For more insight into the meaning of this panel, get your copy of Opening the Holy Door at https://www.avemariapress.com/products/opening-the-holy-door.

To meditate on this, see Panel 12: The Hope of Being Found at https://www.avemariapress.com/opening-the-holy-door.

For more insight into the meaning of this panel, get your copy of Opening the Holy Door at https://www.avemariapress.com/products/opening-the-holy-door.

BONUS: Joan Watson Reflects on the Parable of the Prodigal Son Panel of the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica

January 8th, 2025  |  Season 27  |  2 mins 1 sec

ave explores, ave maria press, cardinal michael czerny, csfn, elizabeth lev, joan watson, jubilee year 2025, katie mcgrady, opening the holy door, sj, sr. josephine garrett, st. peter's basilica, the jubilee year of hope

In this first reflection from Opening the Holy Door, Joan Watson explains the meaning behind the panel that depicts the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15.

Embrace the Challenges of the Jubilee Year with Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ

January 8th, 2025  |  Season 27  |  46 mins 10 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cardinal michael czerny, csfn, elizabeth lev, joan watson, jubilee year 2025, katie mcgrady, opening the holy door, sj, sr. josephine garrett, st. peter's basilica, the jubilee year of hope

Join Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, as he unpacks Pope Francis’s bold calls to action for the Jubilee Year 2025. Discover how Catholics—and all people of goodwill—are invited to embrace the challenge to forgive debts, disarm violence, and advocate for human flourishing. Cardinal Czerny also reflects on the true meaning of the Church, not as a building or a place, but as the people of God united in living the gospel.

Learn how the holy doors of the Jubilee symbolize a deeper spiritual invitation—one that opens within our hearts, calling us to renewal and unity.

Introduction: Opening the Holy Door with Joan Watson

December 31st, 2024  |  Season 27  |  45 mins 54 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cardinal michael czerny, csfn, elizabeth lev, joan watson, jubilee year 2025, katie mcgrady, opening the holy door, sj, sr. josephine garrett, st. peter's basilica, the jubilee year of hope

Joan Watson, author of Opening the Holy Door, explores the rich history and purpose behind Jubilees in the Church, shedding light on the profound significance of opening the Holy Doors in Rome's four major basilicas. She offers practical advice on cultivating a pilgrim’s heart, embracing the mercy, hope, peace, and joy of the upcoming Jubilee Year. Joan also delves into the sacred imagery of the Holy Door, inviting us to reflect on how these symbols can uniquely inspire and move each of us on our spiritual journey.

Teaser: The Next Series on the Jubilee Year

December 25th, 2024  |  Season 27  |  11 mins 14 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, cardinal michael czerny, csfn, elizabeth lev, joan watson, jubilee year 2025, katie mcgrady, opening the holy door, sj, sr. josephine garrett, st. peter's basilica, the jubilee year of hope

The Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 began December 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door in St. Peter's Basilica. For the next five weeks, Ave Explores will look at how an Ordinary Jubilee is a chance for hope, repentance, renewal, and revival in the Church.

4th Week of Advent: Seeing and Showing Jesus with Msgr. Roger Landry

December 20th, 2024  |  Season 26  |  31 mins 18 secs

advent with heather khym, ave explores, ave maria press, encountering emmanuel, fr. dave pivonka, fr. john burns, jackie angel, katie mcgrady, msgr. landry, solt, sr. miriam james heidland

In the summer of 2024, Msgr. Roger Landry embarked on an extraordinary mission as the full-time chaplain for the Seton Route of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage. For sixty consecutive days, he and a group of dedicated pilgrims walked alongside Jesus in the Eucharist, journeying from Connecticut to Indiana. Together, they brought Christ to bustling city streets, quiet rural landscapes, and unsuspecting hearts, sparking moments of grace and transformation.

In this episode, Msgr. Landry reflects on the profound impact of carrying Jesus in the monstrance through towns, over rivers, and into the lives of people—both those eagerly awaiting the Eucharistic procession and those surprised by the encounter. He shares how this pilgrimage reshaped his ministry and deepened his approach to Advent and Christmas, inspiring him to see Jesus more vividly and reveal him to others in new and meaningful ways.

Prepare to be inspired by this powerful testimony of faith in action and the beauty of bringing Christ to the world!

3rd Week of Advent: Scripture Shows us Jesus with Jackie Angel

December 13th, 2024  |  Season 26  |  40 mins 54 secs

advent with heather khym, ave explores, ave maria press, encountering emmanuel, fr. dave pivonka, fr. john burns, jackie angel, katie mcgrady, solt, sr. miriam james heidland

Amid the hustle and bustle of this time of year, it’s easy to lose sight of the heart of Advent—and the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus. In this episode, Jackie Angel, author of the upcoming Memorize Scripture, shares how immersing yourself in Sacred Scripture—through daily reading and simple memorization—can transform your experience of the season. Discover how slowing down with God’s Word can help you embrace the joy of Advent, prepare your heart for Christmas, and encounter Christ in a deeper, more personal way.

2nd Week of Advent: Pursuing Holiness Together with Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, and Fr John Burns

December 6th, 2024  |  Season 26  |  37 mins 9 secs

advent with heather khym, ave explores, ave maria press, encountering emmanuel, fr. dave pivonka, fr. john burns, jackie angel, katie mcgrady, solt, sr. miriam james heidland

Advent is more than just a season—it’s an invitation to journey together as a Church, pursuing divine life with the Lord. In this episode, Fr. John Burns and Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT, share their powerful ministry work with priests and religious sisters. They also offer heartfelt encouragement for all vocations, reminding us that holiness is a shared pursuit.

Join us as we explore how Advent calls each of us—whether single, married, or consecrated—to grow in unity and prepare our hearts for Christ.

1st Week of Advent with Heather Khym

November 30th, 2024  |  Season 26  |  38 mins 49 secs

advent with heather khym, ave explores, ave maria press, encountering emmanuel, fr. dave pivonka, fr. john burns, jackie angel, katie mcgrady, solt, sr. miriam james heidland

Advent is a chance to encounter Jesus in a new way, and Heather Khym offers advice on how to settle into the new liturgical season and embrace it as a time of reflection and resolution.

Teaser: Starting Advent with Fr. Dave Pivonka

November 26th, 2024  |  Season 26  |  26 mins 11 secs

ave explores advent with heather khym, encountering emmanuel, fr. dave pivonka, fr. john burns, jackie angel, katie mcgrady, solt, sr. miriam james heidland

In the first episode of Ave Explores Advent with Heather Khym, Fr. Dave Pivonka, president of Franciscan University, reflects on his favorite traditions of the Advent season and offers practical ways we can embrace the slow and intentional moments in the beginning of the new Liturgical year.

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.”