The goal of the Forte Catholic Podcast is to inspire, uplift, and share the Good News in a way that will help you take the next step in your faith, no matter where you are on your journey with God.

Taylor Schroll 12/18/24 Taylor Schroll 12/18/24

Two Roses & a Thorn w/ Chris Bartlett | Forte Catholic Podcast 409

The guys play the ever-faithful conversation starter Two Roses & a Thorn by sharing two things going great in their lives and one thing that is a thorn in their side. The topics run from family, to ministry to a growing list of enemies!!!

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Forte Catholic is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Support the work with a tax-deductible donation here. Thanks! https://www.fortecatholic.com/donate

Produced by Taylor Schroll
Editing & Episode art by Sarah Allen

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 12/11/24 Taylor Schroll 12/11/24

The Yakuza & Lore w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast 408

Taylor & Father discuss some of their favorites when it comes to lore: Star Wars, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the very silly Yakuza video game franchise. They share how all of these universes with deep lore are very fun to engage with. Taylor also has a confession about the Lore of Christianity.

We hope you enjoy this fun conversation (that made Fr. Anthony think less of Taylor)

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 10/9/24 Taylor Schroll 10/9/24

Confusing Homilies & Biblical Narration Game w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast 402

A spicy take about the Mass & a brand new hilarious bible trivia game! Our hosts take turn narrating famous bible passages while the other has to fill in the blanks from memory. It's leads to quite a few laughs.

We kick this week's show off with the State of Sciarappa address. Fr. Anthony lets us know how things have been going in his world: including being pastor for a week, lighting heavy things & more! Taylor shares a hot take about homilies that may stir the pot a little bit! It's a topic we all struggle with but often don't talk about.

Then, they introduce a brand new game revolving around scripture memorization. How much do Catholics know about the Bible! We will find out as our two contestants take turn narrating famou Scripture passages while the other has to fill in the blanks. We hope you enjoy this hilarious new game! Play along and let us know how you did!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 9/4/24 Taylor Schroll 9/4/24

Jesus Christ: Professional Wrestler w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast 398

Fr. Anthony has evangelized Taylor into a wrestling fan and now he and his entire household are watching. This leads to a pro wrestling themed conversation where we decide which of our Catholic heroes would be the best wrestlers and talk through their potential story lines. It's a very fun conversation that we hope you enjoy :)

Fr. Anthony has evangelized Taylor into a wrestling fan and now he and his entire household are watching. This leads to a pro wrestling themed conversation where we decide which of our Catholic heroes would be the best wrestlers and talk through their story lines. It's a very fun conversation that we hope you enjoy :)

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 7/17/24 Taylor Schroll 7/17/24

Old Man Disease, Shattered Window & Hurricanes w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 394

Stories galore in this fun episode! Taylor gets a new, random, old man disease, Fr. Anthony almost killed someone & Taylor was smack dab in the middle of Hurricane Beryl!

Last summer, Taylor got a disease most commonly associated with teenagers: mono. This year, the Lord decided it was time to go the opposite direction and give him an old man disease in his 30's. Awesome!

Fr. Anthony was in quite the car accident! Hear as he explains this wild story involving yelling, a bike, shattered window & the police.

Taylor closes out the show by sharing that his anniversary trip to see comedian Pete Holmes & stay in a nice hotel was not going to be stopped by a mere hurricane! He and his wife braved the eye of the storm of Hurricane Beryl in order to enjoy themselves lol.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 6/12/24 Taylor Schroll 6/12/24

Bad Evangelization & Lost at Sea w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 389

Live from Pittsburgh! Taylor suggests seven Catholic things and asks Father Anthony whether they are more helpful for evangelization or more of a hinderance. Also, Taylor has a new scenario where we explore the grey area of Catholic morality: being stranded at sea.

Live from Pittsburgh!

Taylor visits Fr. Anthony and they record from the rectory. Taylor suggests seven Catholic things and asks Father whether they are more helpful for evangelization or more of a hinderance. They agree on a few, disagree on other but have good conversations about all.

Then, in honor of last year's discussion on the morality of the zombie apocalypse, this year Taylor has a new scenario where we explore the grey area of Catholic morality: being stranded at sea. This is inspired by a true story of men stranded at sea after killer whales attacked their boat and the incredible yet horrifying story of their survival.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 5/22/24 Taylor Schroll 5/22/24

Liturgical Music & Catholic Superstitions w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 387

Taylor shares about a cool "crossover Mass" that the local Catholic school does and then yells about the music at Mass. He has a new rant for Fr. Anthony who tries to help him out with this issue and a strange superstition Taylor has about prayer. Is anyone else as crazy as this?!?!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 4/10/24 Taylor Schroll 4/10/24

Idiots, Eclipse & Gifts of the Spirit w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 383

A total eclipse is as rare as an incredible episode of this show. Both happened this week! Taylor & Fr. Anthony discuss this week’s big event, Fr. Anthony’s silly injury & Taylor’s insight from his lived experience that might disagree with popular theology.

A total eclipse is as rare as an incredible episode of this show. Both happened this week!

Taylor and Fr. Anthony start the show by sharing a few things in their lives/parishes that are going really well, and a few that could use work.

Then, Taylor gets Fr. Anthony ranting about his favorite topic: THE MOON! With the rare eclipse happening this week, Taylor asks our good priest if his thoughts on the moon have changed. (Narrator: They haven't)

Finally, Taylor has an observation from his lived experience that MIGHT contradict some popular theology. He talks through it with Fr. Anthony to see if he's crazy or the other people are!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 3/13/24 Taylor Schroll 3/13/24

Comedy of Errors & Eucharistic Questions w/ Fr Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 379

LENT IS HAPPENING! The suffering continues in a true comedy of errors for today's two hosts. They commiserate about the last couple weeks & then play a brand new game to try and stave off despair. They close the show with a deep discussion about what transubstantiation actually does.

Taylor & Fr. Anthony Sciarappa jump right in to discuss their frustrating and difficult past couple of weeks. Taylor can only laugh as he shares the comedy of errors occuring in his life.

Next, they play a brand new game to try and lighten the mood. The game was stolen from social media and we're not exactly sure how it went. You'll either love it or hate it! lol

Then to close the show, they get into a theological discussion of the accidents and substance of the Eucharist. Taylor thought he knew what all this meant until he thought about it for a while. The more he thought, the more confused he became(typical smh). Fr. Anthony answers his questions and shares his expertise in an attempt to help Taylor (and hopefully you) understand one of the central mysteries of our faith.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 2/14/24 Taylor Schroll 2/14/24

Royal Rumble & Priest Voice w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 376

Fr. Anthony has convinced Taylor to watch wrestling for the second time, and this time it's a family affair! They also discuss "priest voice" and do some rare voice acting!

Fr. Anthony has convinced Taylor to watch wrestling for the second time, and this time it's a family affair! At Fr. Anthony's behest, the entire Schroll family sat down to watch the Royal Rumble and it was a HIT! They discuss how this event really won over these non-wrestling fans and what this experience teaches us about how we can better evangelize.

In the next segment, Taylor shares about a recent podcast he listened to about "pilot voice", when all airline pilots sound the same. They discuss how this extends to priests in homilies and maybe even Catholic speakers/podcasters. It's a fun discussion about conformity, making people feel safe & some bonus rare voice acting work by our hosts.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 1/17/24 Taylor Schroll 1/17/24

Loud American in Ireland w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 372

Taylor is back home from Ireland & shares a plethora of stories from his travels with Fr. Anthony. From wild travel stories, to being a fish out of water in another country, to experiencing TWO new cultures to explaining why he was there in the first place, Taylor has a ton to share. These stories have humor, faith insight & more. We hope you enjoy this storytelling episode of the show!

Last week, we came to you live from Ireland!

This week, Taylor is back home & shares a plethora of stories from his travels with Fr. Anthony. From wild travel stories, to being a fish out of water in another country, to experiencing TWO new cultures to explaining why he was there in the first place, Taylor has a ton to share.

These stories have humor, faith insight & more. We hope you enjoy this storytelling episode of the show!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 12/6/23 Taylor Schroll 12/6/23

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.

Taylor has some confessions to make! Two extremely repressed (for good reason) memories just resurfaced and he wanted to share them with you & Fr. Anthony. They both involve musical performances from Jr High/High School. Fr. Anthony is TRULY shocked by one of them!

They also debate which of them are cooler. After hearing stories about both of their childhoods, they discuss "coolness" and what makes someone cool in childhood & how it may be different than in adulthood. They also discuss what our faith has to do with "coolness" and a revelation Taylor had that shouldn't be a revelation.

Finally, they 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.

This was a really fun episode to record and we hope that you enjoy it! :)

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 11/8/23 Taylor Schroll 11/8/23

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.

Fr. Anthony is back to discuss the lost years of Jesus with Taylor. There is ONE verse that covers the majority of Jesus' life from when He is a teen until His public ministry. We talk about what this verse means for our own spiritual growth & some Father gives some practical tips.

They also discuss one of Taylor's leadership heroes, Zig Ziglar. He played a large role in Taylor's formation in college so they discuss some of his most famous quotes.

Then finally, the moment you've all been waiting for...Fr. Anthony does the hot ones challenge. While he eats progressively hotter hot sauces, Taylor asks him questions about fire in the Bible & gets his thoughts on some Catholic hot takes.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 8/16/23 Taylor Schroll 8/16/23

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!?!?

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!?!?

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 7/19/23 Taylor Schroll 7/19/23

Heavy Burdens, Rejuvenation & In Persona Christi w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 347

Father is back from vacation feeling great! He shares how Jesus' burden is light(even when it feels heavy) & answers questions about when priests are In Persona Christi, especially during Mass.

Fr. Anthony is back from a well-deserved family vacation and joins Taylor to share about the important of rejuvenation, especially for priests. He talks about how changing up the normal routine, spending time with family and simplifying life is good.

Taylor shares about a recent Sunday gospel that he struggled with. Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden light, but it often feels heavy. He shares a hilarious experience he had with the homily that day and Fr. Anthony shares his insight into how Jesus can lighten our burdens.

Finally, Taylor has two questions about when a priest is In Persona Christi & when he isn't particularly during the Mass. What if a priest says something crazy during a homily? Is the priest as Jesus eating Jesus' body in the Eucharist. New and strange questions that we enjoyed exploring the answers to. We hope you enjoy this episode :)

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 5/17/23 Taylor Schroll 5/17/23

Walls of Jericho & Fancy Catholic Words w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 339

Taylor & Fr. Anthony discuss the Jericho story like you've never heard before, Malcolm Gladwell failing forward and play Fancy Catholic trivia!

Fr. Anthony & Taylor kick off the show with some Italian stereotypes & two great moments for God's chosen people in the Old Testament: The parting of the Red Sea & the Battle of Jericho. We promise you've never heard the Jericho story like this!

Next, Fr. Anthony actually did some show prep so that we can play Fancy Catholic Words. The good priest gives Taylor some words that only fancy Catholics would know and he has to guess what they mean. Can you do any better than Taylor did?

They close the show with a conversation about leadership, failure & improving after Taylor was inspired by a recent Malcolm Gladwell story.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 4/20/23 Taylor Schroll 4/20/23

Child Jesus, Indulgences & Addiction w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 336

Fr. Anthony & Taylor discuss what we should be focusing on during this extended Easter season, the questions of if the benefits of indulgences are worth the confusion & the morality of addiction.

Fr. Anthony joins Taylor for a discussion on what we should be focusing on during the extended Easter season. Taylor also shares a strange insight about the people who grew up around Jesus during the "lost years" of his childhood/teen/young adult years.

Taylor also asks Fr. Anthony about indulgences:

-What are they?

-Why the bad rap?

-Are they worth the confusion?

They also discuss the morality of addiction, especially when addiction leads to other sins. It is a complicated and nuanced discussion on sin, culpability & the depths of the moral life.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 3/22/23 Taylor Schroll 3/22/23

Morality & the Sacred Heart w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 332

Taylor has questions about some weird Church rules and some strange morality questions for Fr. Anthony. Father also shares about his recent trip to Canada and shares some reflections on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Taylor has some bones to pick with Fr. Anthony & some strange Church rules. They also talk about Fr. Anthony's recent trip to Canada to lead a parish mission for Fr. Harrison's parish. Fr. Anthony shares an overview of each night of the mission, all focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

In the last segment, Taylor has some morality questions for Fr. Anthony on an array of topics including talking too much, cussing, and in regards to priests chanting in Mass and one of the secret priest prayers during the liturgy. Enjoy!

Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 1/25/23 Taylor Schroll 1/25/23

Topics Galore & the Alphabet Game w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 324

Our topics include Prayer Ministry, our "type", hedges of Protection, hot takes on English vs. Latin, the Gospel writers in Heaven, getting bored with our faith, a brand new hilarious game, the morality of DoorDashing from Hooters, coincidence or God & Catholic pronunciations!

Typically we tackle 2-3 primary topics on an episode. This week we're trying to see how many topics we can jam into this episode, so we GUARANTEE there's something for everyone.

Our topics include:

-Prayer Ministry

-Our "type"

-Hedges of Protection

-Hot takes on English vs. Latin

-The Gospel writers in Heaven

-Getting bored with our faith

-A brand new hilarious game

-The morality of DoorDashing from Hooters

-Coincidence or God?

-Catholic pronunciations

Yes, we discuss all of that in this hour long show and we hope it brightens your day as much as it brightened our to record!

Subscribe/Rate

Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show and #MakeCatholicismFunAgain by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks!

Donate
Forte Catholic is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Support the work with a tax-deductible donation here. Thanks! https://www.fortecatholic.com/donate

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 12/28/22 Taylor Schroll 12/28/22

Christmas Episode with Comedian Aaron Weber & Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 320

Comedian Aaron Weber is back with Taylor & Fr. Anthony to share a hilarious moral dilemma he found himself in. Taylor & Fr. Anthony also share some Christmas insights & Father has to answer spur of the moment theology questions in our new "plane theology" segment.

Aaron Weber, Father Anthony and Taylor unite for their annual Christmas episode! They debate a theory about comedy that Father Anthony has and Aaron shares the funniest moral dilemma he found himself in that we've ever heard! Check out Aaron's comedy at http://aaronwebercomedy.com/.

In the rest of the episode, Taylor & Fr. Anthony touch base on how their Advent went, share some Christmas insights and Taylor shares about a funny announcement made before Mass at his parish.

To close the show, they do their new segment "Plane Theology" where Taylor puts Fr. Anthony on the spot with theology questions he got no prep time for. This week's topics include if the Apostles were baptized, if demons can hear our thoughts and if Mary knew.

Merry Christmas y'all from the Forte Catholic family!

Subscribe/Rate

Donate
Forte Catholic is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Support the work with a tax-deductible donation here. Thanks! https://www.fortecatholic.com/donate

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.