Ave Explores

Everyday Faith for Everyday Catholics

About the show

A project of Ave Maria Press, Ave Explores helps you discover and learn about aspects of the Catholic faith from a variety of different angles, looking at topics relevant to the spiritual life in a fresh, engaging, and practical way.

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Episodes

  • Our Common Humanity with Joyce Rupp

    March 24th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  32 mins 32 secs
    ave maria press, catholic, catholicism, coronavirus, covid-19, faith, joyce rupp, katie prejean mcgrady, lent, lenten sacrifice, pandemic

    Joyce Rupp, author of Jesus: Friend of My Soul, shares how the season of Lent is an invitation to love other people in more intentional ways, just as Jesus loves us. Rupp also relates how the COVID-19 crisis is a chance to be more aware of our common humanity, seeing Christ in each person we encounter.

  • Lent is a Launchpad with Tommy McGrady

    March 17th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  32 mins 9 secs
    almsgiving, ave maria press, catholic, catholic teens, catholicism, faith, fasting, katie prejean mcgrady, lent, lenten sacrifice, prayer, teenagers, teens, tommy mcgrady

    Tommy McGrady and Katie Prejean McGrady, coauthors of Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, discuss how young people can fully invest in the season of Lent. McGrady shares how fasting, prayer, and almsgiving can be the foundation of a fruitful spiritual life for teenagers long after Lent is complete.

  • What God Wants us to Do with Joel Stepanek

    March 10th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  30 mins 23 secs
    ave maria press, catholic, catholicism, faith, humble, humility, joel stepanek, katie prejean mcgrady, lent, life teen, sacrifice

    Joel Stepanek, author of Chasing Humility: 8 Ways to Shape a Christian Heart, joins Katie Prejean McGrady to discuss how Lent can be fruitful if we pay attention to what God wants us to do with prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Humility is the golden thread that ties together these Lenten practices.

  • Carrying Your Cross with Emily DeArdo

    March 3rd, 2020  |  Season 3  |  38 mins 4 secs
    ave maria press, catholicism, cystic fibrosis, emily deardo, faith, katie prejean mcgrady, lent, memento mori, stations of the cross, the cross

    Emily DeArdo, author of Living Memento Mori: My Journey through the Stations of the Cross talks with Katie Prejean McGrady about her battle with cystic fibrosis and how it deeply affects her friendships, family life, and faith. Emily shares how carrying this cross helped her gain new insights into how to walk through any desert, especially the forty days of Lent.

  •

    You Can't Mess Up Lent with Gary Zimak

    February 25th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  25 mins 23 secs
    anxiety, ave maria press, catholic, catholicism, faith, fast, gary zimak, give alms, katie prejean mcgrady, lent, prayer, stress, worry

    Gary Zimak, “worry” expert and author of Give Up Worry for Lent! 40 Days to Finding Peace in Christ, chats with Katie Prejean McGrady about how to avoid becoming over scrupulous and reassures us that we can’t really ruin the forty days of Lent if we keep our priorities straight.

  •

    Giving Up Starts with Giving with Deacon Greg Kandra

    February 18th, 2020  |  Season 3  |  24 mins 53 secs
    ave explores, ave maria press, catholic, catholicism, faith, katie prejean mcgrady, lent, lenten miniseries, the deacon's bench

    Deacon Greg Kandra talks with Katie Prejean McGrady about how the practice up giving up something in Lent actually starts with giving. Kandra also shares insights into the Lenten devotional Daily Devotions for Lent 2020 and what he’s going to focus on doing during Lent this year.

  • The Power of Healing with Sister Miriam James Heidland & Fr. John Burns

    February 4th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  54 mins 45 secs
    ave maria press, catholic, catholicism, comfort, faith, forgiveness, fr. john, healing, katie prejean mcgrady, mental health, peace, sister miriam

    Catholic authors and speakers Sr. Miriam James Heidland, S.O.L.T., and Fr. John Burns talk about the basic need everyone has to seek healing. Whether it’s from wounds, slights, or deep and long-lasting trauma, the need for healing is directly tied to living a mentally healthy life. Our conversation explores ways to rest in the healing power of God’s mercy, forgiveness, and love.

  • Finding Hope in the Midst of Loss with Tommy Tighe

    January 28th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  58 mins 9 secs
    ave explores, ave maria press, catholicism, faith, grief, healing, katie prejean mcgrady, loss, mental health, tommy tighe

    Tommy Tighe is a counselor, author, and podcast and TV host, but he would tell you his most important title is husband and father. In this episode, Tighe shares about the struggle of losing a child and how he, his wife, and their four other sons have lived with their grief, maintained their faith. and remained mentally healthy.

  • Helping Teens be Mentally Healthy with Roy Petitfils

    January 21st, 2020  |  Season 2  |  50 mins 27 secs
    anxiety, ave maria press, catholicism, depression, faith, healing, hope, katie prejean mcgrady, mental health, roy petitfils, stress, teens

    Roy Petitfils counsels teenagers struggling with anxiety, depression, eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, and stress. In this episode, he gives an overview of what teens are facing, how screens and social media are influencing teenagers and their mental health today, and how all of us can have open and fruitful conversations about mental health challenges.

  • Give Up Worry with Gary Zimak

    January 14th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  36 mins 32 secs
    anxiety, ave explores, ave maria press, catholicism, faith, gary zimak, katie prejean mcgrady, stress, worry

    Catholic speaker, author, and "worry expert” Gary Zimak discusses what it’s like to live with anxiety, and helps explain ways chronic worriers can find peace, comfort, and relinquish control to Jesus.

  • Made for More with Leah Darrow

    January 7th, 2020  |  Season 2  |  53 mins 59 secs
    anxiety, ave explores, ave maria press, depression, faith, guilt, katie prejean, leah darrow, mental health, prayer, stress

    Leah Darrow, a speaker, author, Season 2 contestant on America’s Next Top Model, and founder of Lux U, shares about her struggles with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, “mom guilt,” balance, and explores ways one can find peace & strength through spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation, regularly attending daily Mass, and “recalibrating” one’s routine.

  • Introducing Season 2 of Ave Explores

    December 11th, 2019  |  Season 2  |  8 mins 43 secs
    anxiety, ave maria press, catholicism, faith, friendship, healing, hope, katie prejean mcgrady, mental health, stress

    Katie Prejean McGrady is back to give a snapshot of the upcoming season of Ave Explores, as we take a look at stress, anxiety, and mental health.

  • Episode 8: Mary on the Journey with Us

    November 13th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  22 mins 17 secs
    ave maria press, blessed mother, catholic, catholicism, faith, jesus, katie prejean mcgrady, mary, our lady

    Katie summarizes the Ave Explores Mary series, highlighting the key points made by all the guests on Season 1 of the podcast.

  • Immaculate, Miraculous Mary with Michael O'Neill

    November 5th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  43 mins 11 secs
    ave maria press, blessed mother, catholic, fatima, guadalupe, lourdes, mary, miracles, our lady, the miracle hunter

    Katie gets a master class in the 3 most well-known Marian apparitions from the Miracle Hunter himself, Michael O'Neill.

  • Many Hail Marys at a Time with Kristin Reilly

    November 2nd, 2019  |  Season 1  |  29 mins 25 secs
    blessed mother, catholic, catholicism, hail mary, katie prejean mcgrady, kristen reilly, many hail marys, mary, our lady, rosary

    Katie visits with Kristin Reilly, a working mom with 7 kids, a career in finance, and an online ministry that brings hundreds of people together on Instagram Live every morning to pray the rosary together.

  • Making a Holy Family with J.D. Flynn

    October 29th, 2019  |  Season 1  |  27 mins 35 secs
    ave explores, ave maria press, blessed mother, catholic, catholicism, faith, jd flynn, katie prejean mcgrady, mary, our lady

    Katie sits down with J.D. Flynn, Editor-in-Chief of Catholic News Agency and co-host of the popular Catholic podcast, The Editor's Desk from CNA, to talk about the Blessed Mother's importance to his family, how praying a rosary every evening has helped him be a better husband and father, and he puts on his "Canon Lawyer hat" to help give tips on how to explain Mary to non-Catholics.