Merry Christmas from all of us to all of you! The gang is all hear with our yearly guest, comedian Aaron Weber. All three cohosts join in the celebrations to discuss what we love & hate about this season, if Mary knew & questioning some holiday traditions.
Paths to Holiness, Phone Upgrades & College Football w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 368
Taylor & Kathryn discuss how there are multiple pathways to holiness within Catholicism and somehow how spiritual growth equates to phone upgrades. They also discuss their opinions on the college football playoffs, Jimbo Fisher’s firing, fairness & leadership.
The Shift Film, Advent & Matt Rife w/ Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 367
Allison walked the red carpet for "The Shift" premiere in LA. She & Taylor shares what their ruminating on during their Advent & they debate the cancellation of comedian Matt Rife.
Honky Tonk Confessional, Coolness & Old Church w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 366
Taylor has some confessions to make! Two extremely repressed (for good reason) memories just resurfaced & he wanted to share them with you & Fr. Anthony. They debate which of them are cooler & what coolness has to do with living out our faith. They also talk about how old our Church is, some of the things about it that have made it stand the test of time that might also be the same reasons we get frustrated with it. Fr. Anthony shares some good ol' fancy Catholic words that Taylor (and you!) have to guess what they mean.
Working Together & Finding Love w/ Sarah Allen | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 365
Taylor is joined by his friend & co-worker Sarah Allen this week. Sarah shares what it's like to work with Taylor, how it's different than the first time & gives a glimpse into life behind the scenes here. Sarah also got married earlier this year (yay!). She shares the cool story of how she met her husband, how the early months of marriage have gone & Taylor's role at her wedding. They also discuss people getting married later, the lack of young people going on dates & young Catholic ladies longing for marriage.
Thanksgiving & Mind Ya Business w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 364
Happy Thanksgiving! Taylor was reminded that it is hard to be negative and thankful at the same time so recalling what we are grateful for is a great remedy. He & Kathryn share what they are thankful for & also keep the Thanksgiving spirit alive but talking about minding your own business, especially when you don't have all the facts.
Mid-Life Crisis, Life Verse & Converts w/The Cordial Catholic | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 363
Taylor asks Allison Sullivan if he's too young to have a mid-life crisis because he would like to. They talk about what's been going on and how to find a way out of it. They also play a silly game to lighten the mood. Taylor is also joined by Keith of The Cordial Catholic to chat about being more welcoming to non-Catholics & assisting with their formation.
Spiritual Growth & Hot Ones w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 362
Learning a spiritual growth plan from Teenage Jesus, hearing personal growth quips from the great Zig Ziglar & Fr. Anthony eats spicy stuff while trying to answer Bible Trivia and respond to Taylor's hot takes.
Weddings, Birthdays & Breakthroughs w/ Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 361
This episode was recorded on the Eve of the Nativity of the Taylor. He & Liv reflect on his "Jesus year". The celebrations continue as Taylor shares the excitement of his sister's wedding this past weekend & the joy of family gatherings. They also discuss some breakthroughs they have both made in their personal & spiritual lives, including a bizarre realization about Zechariah & Mary.
Am I a Jerk? w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 360
Taylor shares two awkward stories and asks Kathryn if he is the villain in them. Kathryn speaks on stewardship & catches herself in an Aggie & parenting conundrum.
Getting Old, Wounded Pride & Struggles in Prayer w/ Shaun McAfee | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 359
Taylor explains that he's an idiot that keeps making the wrong choice with cohost Shaun McAfee. They discuss how getting old and pride aren't mixing well & the lessons he still needs to learn. They also share the shocking revelation that the Catechism has passages on struggling in prayer. Who knew!?!?
Money Stress & DaVine Jesus w/Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 358
Allison joins Taylor as he shares about something most people keep pretty close to their chest: money. He shares that money has been a constant stressor for over a decade and Allison thinks he's not alone. They discuss financial stressors, the pit of comparison & what role money plays in on spiritual lives. Allison also helps Taylor prep two new talks on the Vine & Branches and Martha & Mary.
Main Character Energy & Ferocious Faith w/ Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 357
Taylor & Liv discuss battling Main Character Energy in our spiritual lives and relationships. They also have some alliterative suggestions for finding a way out of dryness in prayer.
Change & Battling Shame w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 356
Taylor & Kathryn discuss the importance of continual change in the spiritual life. Taylor also shares a story of a grown man shaming some teenagers and how rage welled up in Taylor when he saw it. It opens up a conversation about how shame has no place in the Christian life.
Catholic in the Workplace & Sacramentals w/ Shaun McAfee | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 355
Shaun is back to discuss being Catholic in the workplace & sacramentals. Living out our faith in a public sector job has been a frequently requested topic for us so we found a gov't employee to help us out lol. And Shaun tries to convince Taylor that sacramentals are more important than he may initially think.
Unique Callings, Egyptian Moses & Positive Reinforcement w/ Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 354
Taylor & Allison both share about their vastly different summers. Allison took on a new mission while Taylor dealt with something he never thought he would have to. They also discuss what we can still learn from Moses 4000 years later about choosing the right thing even if it's not the easy thing & share a moving story about how positive reinforcements can truly work wonders.
Wrestling, Word Association & Wild Claims w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 353
Fr. Anthony tries to make a WWE fan out of Taylor with mixed results. They play a new Catholic word association game that reveals maybe a little too much & Taylor makes some wild claims about Jesus again including about the Lord’s qualifications, liturgy preferences, views on healing ministry, Catholic conferences and more!
Johnny Football, Tribalism, Consequences & Forgiveness w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 352
The Johnny Manziel documentary just came out. Kathryn is a fan of Johnny. Taylor can't stand him! They discuss a plethora of topics surrounding this Texas A&M College Football star, his rise, fall & how we are left to sort through the wreckage.
Battle Mary, Freestyle Preaching & Faith Nostalgia w/ Chris Bartlett | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 351
Taylor & Chris chat about topics they tend to shy away from when giving talks, the reasons behind it and whether they should expand their horizons or stick to the stuff they know? (queue High School Musical) They also give each other a run for their money in Freestyle Preaching & discuss Spiritual Nostalgia with the help of the song "Old Church Basement."
Candlelight Mass & the Morality of the Zombie Apocalypse w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa (Live from Pittsburgh!) | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 350
Our 350th Episode Live from Fr. Anthony's Rectory! They discuss a fancy candlelit Mass that Taylor attended & Fr. Anthony's parish. They have a conversation about fancy Churches, prayer entrapment & the grace of ordination. They also have a long awaited conversation about the morality of the zombie apocalypse! What would you do!?!?