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 7/5/24 Taylor Schroll 7/5/24

Aggie Baseball, Loyalty & Leadership w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 392

KATHRYN WHITAKER CALLED FOR AN EMERGENCY EPISODE! The Texas A&M Aggie Baseball team has had QUITE the saga over the past few weeks and she has THOUGHTS! It's a story of triumph, failure, loyalty, dishonor, anger and so much more! We hope you enjoy our conversation on this hot stove issue of the summer (with fancy connections to Church issues as a bonus.)

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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 5/15/24 Taylor Schroll 5/15/24

Meltdown May! | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 386

Taylor is back for a solo show after a few weeks hiatus from the podcast. It's been a crazy few weeks and he shares what's been going on, how crazy things have been, some thoughts on how the show will evolve in the future & more. Join Taylor as he tries to find the answers through a lot of tough situations.

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

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

Softball, Germany & Mentorship w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 385

Taylor shares his epic fails over the last couple of weeks while Kathryn discusses her upcoming trip to Germany & the importance of mentorship.

Taylor shares his epic fails over the last couple of weeks & how softball and his spiritual life are showing some similarities.

Kathryn discusses her upcoming pilgrimage to Germany & Austria while Taylor questions what could possibly be Catholic about everyone's FAVORITE country. She actually knocks the question out of the park and makes him look quite dumb!

Finally, they share the importance of the mentors they have both had in their lives and what that shows us about the importance of having and being mentors.

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

Taylor Schroll 2/7/24 Taylor Schroll 2/7/24

Wholesome Media, the Super Bowl & Msgr. Shea’s Talk w/ Chris Bartlett | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 375

Taylor & Chris Bartlett share their favorite wholesome tv shows, play a Super Bowl inspired version of "Read My Lips" & dive into the massively popular talk from Msgr. Shea at the FOCUS Conference.

Chris Bartlett cohosts and shares with Taylor some of the wholesome media he's been watching and Taylor does likewise. They discuss Ted Lasso, Welcome to Wrexham, Everybody Loves Raymond and more borderline family shows.

Then the guys play a long lost Forte game called "Read My Lips." They take turns muting and guessing the Super Bowl themed words that the other is saying and guessing by only reading lips. And of course, they make every word connect with a Catholic concept (many rather loosely lol)

To close the show, they dive into the talk from Msgr. Shea at the FOCUS conference. This talk has swept the nation and seems to really be connecting with people. Chris praises it while Taylor has some mixed feelings about it and questions why the talk worked so well. It's a great conversations that challenges many of both hosts assumptions. We hope you enjoy!

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

Taylor Schroll 9/27/23 Taylor Schroll 9/27/23

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.

Taylor & his kids were on their own this last weekend and it was a glimpse into how much things have changed over the years. We often don't notice gradual change until something special happens(like a rare weekend where Taylor's wife gets a break). Kathryn also shares how she has been in a season of change and the importance of continual change in the spiritual life.

Next, Taylor shares a story about how he saw a grown man shaming some teenagers and it enraged him. He & Kathryn talk about battling shame and how it has no proper place in the lives of Christians.

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

Taylor Schroll 9/13/23 Taylor Schroll 9/13/23

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.

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. They also chat about a moving story about how positive reinforcements can truly work wonders.

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

Taylor Schroll 8/30/23 Taylor Schroll 8/30/23

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.

While Johnny is the impetus for our conversation, we discuss topics from a Catholic point of view like tribalism, sports, consequences for our actions, forgiveness & how all of those things together make life a bit more complicated than we might like.

This is a rare ONE SEGMENT episode because there was just so much to dive in to on this topic. We hope you enjoy this rare episode :)

Check out Kathyrn's viral open letter to Johnny here: https://kathrynwhitaker.net/2013/02/an-open-letter-to-johnny-football/

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

Taylor Schroll 8/2/23 Taylor Schroll 8/2/23

Childhood, Slumps & Alphabet Game w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 348

Kathryn & Taylor discuss how to break slumps in faith & talk about how they're the same/different than they were as kids & play the faith version of the alphabet game.

Taylor kicks off the show by asking Kathryn about her history with sports. They discuss how to break a slump in sports and what that teaches us about breaking slumps in our faith. Kathryn also gives the best sports team name of all time!

Next, they play the faith based version of the alphabet game. They attempt to have discussions about faith topics with every alternating sentences that have to start with the next letter in the alphabet. It's silly and leads to some outrageous statements.

Finally, Taylor realizes that he doesn't know much about Kathryn's childhood so they share stories about how they're very similar now to as they were as kids and some other ways where they are very different.

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

Taylor Schroll 6/15/22 Taylor Schroll 6/15/22

Old Ladies, Sleepy Faith & Back to Basics w/Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 293

Taylor & Allison talk about the play she is in and what it teaches us about mimicry and being present. Taylor discusses the importance of returning to the basics of our faith & how something incredible that happened in the NBA Finals mirrors his faith life.

Allison Sullivan cohosts and talks with Taylor about the play she is in "Steel Magnolias." Taylor has a lot of questions for her, pokes fun at her and then they have a chat about mimicry and being present.

Next, Taylor gives an update on the Foundations course he's leading and how returning to the basics of faith has been good for him and everyone else involved.

Finally, they discuss something incredible that happened in the NBA Finals and it's parallels to Taylor's faith life. Enjoy!

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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 5/4/22 Taylor Schroll 5/4/22

Personal Questions & Breaking the Rules w/Jon Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 288

Taylor shares a story he recently heard in a homily that he's heard many times before, but this time he has some questions about it. It involved following Catholic rules(or not), respect for the Sacraments and martyrdom. They also answer 8th grade small group questions for kicks and giggles.

Taylor & Jon haven't talked in a while so they kick off the show by catching up on each other's lives with stories about life, work, sports.

Next, Taylor shares a story he recently heard in a homily that he's heard many times before, but this time he has some questions about it. It involved following Catholic rules(or not), respect for the Sacraments and martyrdom. Prepare for potential controversy(or to be convinced!)

Finally, Taylor recently led an 8th grade boys small group and thought it would be fun if he and Jon answered some of those questions on the show. It led to some fun answers and some more deep conversations. We hope you enjoy this week's episode! If you do, please subscribe and share :)

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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

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

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

Taylor Schroll 3/30/22 Taylor Schroll 3/30/22

Live from Chicago w/Jon Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 285

Taylor went to Jon's house for his annual March Madness party and they recorded a podcast together. This is their first ever recording in person and it was a blast!

They chatted about the weekend: hanging out with 50 dudes & having Mass in Jon's house. They kept the sports theme going with comparing an elusive baseball stat with our spiritual life. And they played an intense round of our saints game of Imitate, Intercess or Ignore!

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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

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

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

Taylor Schroll 1/19/22 Taylor Schroll 1/19/22

The Internet, Alpha & Catholic Fantasy Draft w/Jon Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 275

In Jon's favorite episode in months, the guys talk about how we take the internet for granted, the parish evangelization tool Alpha that is growing in popularity & play a new game "Catholic Fantasy Draft" where they choose Catholic heroes for their fantasy football teams.

Jon said this was his favorite episode in a while! Taylor kicks off the show with how he's been thinking deeply about the internet and how we take it for granted. It really is incredible the things we can do with it and we never really give it a second thought.

Next, they discuss the parish program growing in popularity, Alpha. Taylor's parish is starting it this week and Jon has led it a few times at his parish so Taylor picks his brain about it. What worked, what didn't and the importance of the work of pre-evangelization.

To close the show, they play a new game called "Catholic Fantasy Draft." They each drafted Catholic heroes from the Scriptures and Church History to play on their fantasy football team. It was a grand ol time!

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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

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

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

Taylor Schroll 9/29/21 Taylor Schroll 9/29/21

Idiotic Idiom & God's Favorite Sport w/Jon Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 259

Jon shares a huge life update! Taylor is frustrated by a common Christian idiom and they decide together which sport God loves the most.

Jon "Bearded" Blevins cohosts and has some big life changing news to share! Hear what has been going on behind the scenes of this big life change and where Jon has found God in the midst of all of it.

Taylor is frustrated with a common idiom used in Christian circles and wants to destroy it once and for all. He also shares his favorite bible verses and gives Jon a pop quiz.

They also debate which sport God loves the most. They go through the pros and cons of many of the major sports and end up narrowing it down to a top 3. Let us know which sport you think God loves the best and why in the comments!

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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

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

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

Taylor Schroll 4/7/21 Taylor Schroll 4/7/21

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 234

Jon Blevins cohosts our Easter episode which kicks off with off the wall insights about Easter you won't get anywhere else. The Houston Texans' priest chaplain joins the show to share where pro sports and faith meet. Finally, Taylor & Jon discuss the illusion of explanatory depth.

Jon Blevins cohosts our Easter episode which kicks off with off the wall insights about Easter you won't get anywhere else: like Jesus being a superhero and possibly messing with the Apostles with his powers.

Fr. Clint Ressler, the Catholic chaplain for the Houston Texans, joins Taylor to discuss his favorite NFL team, how Catholicism and professional sports mix and some wild stories from Fr. Clint's time with the team.

In the final segment, Jon and Taylor discuss a new concept for Taylor that apparently wasn't new to Jon called "the illusion of explanatory depth." They quiz each other on random topics and then get to the point. Enjoy!

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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

Episode art by Becka Gerhart

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

Taylor Schroll 11/18/20 Taylor Schroll 11/18/20

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 214

Liv went to Disney World in the middle of a global pandemic so Taylor has questions. He also shares his big coaching news, lack of patience and they discuss healthy vs. unhealthy pride. Enjoy!

Liv Harrison went to Disney World in the midst of a global pandemic and Taylor has a segment's worth of questions for her. They argue(what's new?)

Taylor coaches at the local Catholic school and their football team had a historic win this weekend! He shares with Liv what happened and they have a conversation about the balance between healthy vs. unhealthy pride.

Finally, Taylor shares that his week wasn't all roses and complains about his first world problems and how his kids apparently view him.

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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

Episode art by Rebekah Landry.

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

Taylor Schroll 10/28/20 Taylor Schroll 10/28/20

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 211

-A story of two football games that made Taylor realize what's been going on in his life

-Allison's adoption story

-A story of two cars that made Taylor realize what's been going on in his life

The show kicks off with Taylor sharing the story of two football games that looked very similar on the scoreboard but were very different experiences for him and his players. It made Taylor realize the unhealthy mindset he's had lately(psst....you might have it to)

In the second segment, Allison shares her story of adoption: the beauty, the struggles and the lessons. This is the first time her and Taylor have discussed it publicly and it gives a big insight into who Allison is. She also shares some of the nuggets of wisdom she's learned through the process.

Finally, Taylor shares how different he treats his new car from his old one and what that says about how we view ourselves.

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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

Episode art by Rebekah Landry.

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

Taylor Schroll 8/19/20 Taylor Schroll 8/19/20

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 201

Bearded Blevins and Taylor discuss a few things getting back to normal like sports, restaurants and (some) schools. Jon gets to judge three new metaphors about confession that Taylor came up with & the guys share stories of intense emotion ranging from embarrassment to rage to fear.

Jon "Bearded" Blevins cohosts what he dubbed the "hangover" episode after Ep 200's celebrations. We discuss some things like sports, dining out and schools opening back up and getting just a taste of "normalcy".

In the second segment, Jon gets to judge three new metaphors about confession that Taylor came up with. They range from terrible to maybe great?? You decide!

Finally, the guys share stories of intense emotion ranging from embarrassment to rage to fear. We had a good few laughs and might have even attempted to make a point. Enjoy!

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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!

Patreon
Exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/ForteCatholic. Hours of more show and a great way to help Taylor feed his three hungry children.

Episode art by Rebekah Landry.

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

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Taylor Schroll 7/31/19 Taylor Schroll 7/31/19

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 146

Shaun McAfee cohosts to force Taylor to share updates to the intro, his thoughts on scary Churches, their failures as parents, the most ridiculous promotion ever, what it actually means to have integrity & how we may have been setting ridiculous standards for ourselves. Our guest is the host of Catholic Sports Radio, Bruce Wawrzyniak.

Everyone loves it when Taylor gets thrown off, and cohost Shaun McAfee delivers! In an episode building towards a conversation on what real integrity is and how we may have been setting ridiculous standards for ourselves, Shaun instead wants to start the show by peeling back the curtain on some updates to the intro Taylor has had to implement.

We also talk about our failures as parents, scary Churches, share the most insane promotion ever and are joined by the host of Catholic Sports Radio, Bruce Wawrzyniak, to talk about...well...Catholicism, sports and radio.

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Exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/ForteCatholic. Hours of more show and a great way to help Taylor feed his three hungry children.

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Taylor Schroll 7/24/19 Taylor Schroll 7/24/19

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 145

Allison and Taylor share travel stories including her getting tackled in an airport! They also discuss the often misunderstood Catholic Social Teaching & share their dueling Forte Five Countdowns of best bible verses to yell in public. Dave Neeson of Catholic Athletes for Christ joins the show to talk about his work with the NFL, providing Sacraments to a high number of Catholics in professional football.

Taylor and Allison Sullivan discuss their recent travel, share stories including her getting tackled in an airport and him being better than her lol. This leads to a conversation on Catholic Social Teaching and how it gets a bad rap.

Our guest this week is Dave Neeson, a youth minister who's side hustle is cooler than anyone else's. He works with Catholic Athletes for Christ, an organization that makes sure every Catholic in the NFL has access to the faith, especially the Sacraments, throughout the season. His stories involving some of our favorite sports heroes being die-hard Catholics are really inspiring.

In the final segment, Taylor and Allison face off in a duel of the Forte Five segment! They countdown their top five bible verses that they would yell in public! There's a point to all this madness....we promise.

Patreon
Exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/ForteCatholic. Hours of more show and a great way to help Taylor feed his three hungry children.

Deals
Catholic Balm Co. Click here for 11% off your next order of anything you've ever need for your beard, lips or skin.

Sock Religious. Click here for 15% off your next order of the best socks around.

Stay Close to Christ. Click here a free Tiny Saint on your order of Catholic gear, Saint Cards, gifts and much more.

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Taylor Schroll 5/1/19 Taylor Schroll 5/1/19

Forte Catholic Podcast Episode 133

The biggest pop culture weekend…ever?!?! Fr. Anthony joins to discuss this, it’s implications on our spiritual lives, & debunk misconceptions about the book of Revelation. We’re also joined by one of Taylor’s role models, Ennie Hickman!

Fr. Anthony co-hosts as we discuss the ridiculously insane weekend with the Avengers endgame premiere, largest battle in television/movie history on GOT & more! NO SPOILERS! Fr. Anthony gets on the biggest soap box he ever has…and he promises not to spoil anything.

In the second segment, we’re joined by one of the coolest dudes in the ministry world, Ennie Hickman. We talk about preaching, actually loving your neighbors and all his work at Del Rey Collective.

In the final segment, the guys debunk some of the common misconceptions about the book of Revelation.

BONUS: The commercials on this episode are all brand new and are honestly Taylor's pride and joy :)

Patreon
Exclusive bonus content at Patreon.com/ForteCatholic. Hours of more show and a great way to help Taylor feed his three hungry children.

Deals
Catholic Balm Co. Click here for 11% off your next order of anything you've ever need for your beard, lips or skin.

Sock Religious. Click here for 15% off your next order of the best socks around.

Stay Close to Christ. Click here for for 10% off your next order of Tiny Saints, Saint Cards and much more.

Become a Patron!