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 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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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 6/8/22 Taylor Schroll 6/8/22

Jon Unleashed, Unanswered Prayer & Weird Traditions w/Jon Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 292

Taylor has a backhanded compliment for Jon & shares a few food takes & reactions to some odd news stories with Jon that leads to a conversation about a Scripture verse Taylor has struggled with. Finally, they rant about a weird Catholic tradition. Enjoy!

Taylor has a backhanded compliment for Jon. This unleashes Jon's full potential!!! They discuss an odd article about Jon that Taylor found in the deepest parts of the web.

Taylor shares a few food takes & reactions to some odd news stories with Jon that leads to a conversation about a Scripture verse Taylor has struggled with: Ask, Seek, Knock. They try to figure out how that verse works for seemingly unanswered prayers.

Finally, they rant about a weird Catholic tradition. 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 6/1/22 Taylor Schroll 6/1/22

Stepping on Toes, Bad Decisions & The Saints w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 291

A recent fiasco at one of Fr. Anthony's Masses drove Taylor crazy and he's no longer worried about stepping on people's toes. Fr. Anthony wants a tattoo and Taylor yells at him. We close out the show with a Fr. Anthony Q&A session. Enjoy!

Fr. Anthony recently gave communion for 45 minutes straight at a Mass because he didn't have help. This drove Taylor crazy and makes him share a recent change to how he goes about life. He's tired of worrying about stepping on people's toes and he's just going to step up instead. (Not like in the movie Step Up though. He can't dance)

Then Fr. Anthony shares about two life changes he wants to make and Taylor isn't really on board with either: a consecration to Mary(which he has questions about) and a tattoo(which Taylor thinks is dumb for Fr. Anthony). It's quite a wild conversation.

Finally, Taylor asks Father Anthony small group questions from a recent retreat he led for High School students. Tune in to see how Fr. Anthony does!

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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 5/25/22 Taylor Schroll 5/25/22

Wrestling, Paracletus & Decision Fatigue w/Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 290

Taylor has a quick update on a conversation from last episode and talks with Liv about wrestling with God. They also talk about where the title "Paraclete" for the Holy Spirit came from and decision fatigue.

Taylor & Liv spent the day together and then recorded this episode in her studio! They give an update on their lives, Taylor has a quick update on a conversation from last episode and they talk about wrestling with God. They also talk about where the title "Paraclete" for the Holy Spirit came from and what that means today.

Finally, they discuss decision fatigue, christian over-discernment and use the book of Acts as proof we shouldn't freeze in decisions. We just gotta chill bro.

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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 5/19/22 Taylor Schroll 5/19/22

Surprises, Mental Health & Prayer w/Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 289

Allison is back! She talks with Taylor about where she's been, mental health and they both talk about some surprises they've had to deal with recently. Taylor complains(typical) and shares some insight into doing things contrary to how he usually does things and it turned a terrible day into an incredible day! Finally, they discuss their favorite words to pray with. 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 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 4/28/22 Taylor Schroll 4/28/22

Easter Joy, the Four Loves & Eastern Catholicism w/David Bates | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 287

David Bates of the Pints with Jack podcast guest cohosts with Taylor as they share their insight from Holy Week and this Easter Season. They also discuss two things right up David's alley: CS Lewis & Byzantine Catholicism.

They dive into Lewis' book "The Four Loves" and Taylor pesters him with questions about why he is different than him. It's quite fun. Enjouy!

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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 4/13/22 Taylor Schroll 4/13/22

Holy Week, Freestyle Preaching & Healing w/Fr Anthony & Fr Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 286

Happy Holy Week y'all! Here is our "Holy Weak" episode discussing our favorite(and most annoying) parts of Holy Week. We also discuss healing and if we should be asking for miraculous healings. And Fr. Harrison Ayre joins us to play our Freestyle Preaching game against his Clerically Speaking cohost, Fr. Anthony :)

We're back! After taking a week off due to Taylor having the plague, he and Fr. Anthony Sciarappa kick off our Holy Week episode by discussing healing. There are many stories of healing in the Scriptures but do they still happen today? Should we be asking for miraculous healings? What happens if we ask for healing and it doesn't come? They dive into a discussion on these deep issues.

In the next segment, Fr. Anthony is surprised to find out that this week's guest is none other than his Clerically Speaking cohost, Fr. Harrison Ayre. Fr. Harrison has been discussing preaching off the cuff more so Taylor invited him to challenge Fr. Anthony to our Freestyle Preaching game where they each take turns giving 60 second sermons but the catch is they have to include three random words that Taylor gives them. Priest vs. Priest preach-off. This is not a segment you want to miss!

Finally, Taylor and Fr. Anthony discuss their favorite parts of Holy Week: the veneration of the cross, welcoming people into the Church, etc. They also air some grievances about some of the things they'd like to nitpick about Holy Week. And to close it out, Fr. Anthony shares one of the strangest Holy Week customs Taylor has ever heard! Enjoy and have a blessed Holy Week!

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

Character Development, Pop Up Books & Health w/Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 284

Taylor talks with Liv about his recent trip to see multiple doctors, the insights he gained from some wild new discoveries and how it connects to his faith. Next, they discuss if our five hosts have gone through any character development over the course of the show's existence. Finally, Taylor shares a pop up book his daughter made entitled "Where is my Daddy?"

Liv Harrison cohosts as Taylor shares about his recent trip to see multiple doctors. It wasn't the greatest day but he saw a lot of silly, and some serious, connections to his faith life during his day with the docs. He also asked a one doctor a question prompted by Liv and he didn't get the answer he was expecting.

Then, they discuss if this podcast's hosts have had any character development throughout the course of the show. Has Taylor grown in six years since the show launched? How have the cohosts grown in their three years as part of the show? Tune in to find out and let us know your thoughts on social media.

Finally, Taylor shares a pop up book that his lovely daughter made for him entitled "Where Is Daddy?" She wrote this while he was on a trip so it tugs on the heartstrings.

We hope you enjoy this week's episode! Stay tuned for next week's episode live from Chicago with Jon Blevins!

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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 3/16/22 Taylor Schroll 3/16/22

Spicy Takes, Freestyle Preaching & Dry Bones w/Nick Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 283

Whoops! It's a different Sciarappa! Nick cohosts this week as he shares some spicy takes, plays Freestyle Preaching with Taylor and they chat about finding renewal in faith through the story of the dry bones coming to life.

Whoops! It's a different Sciarappa! Nick cohosts this week as he shares some spicy takes and the joys of being a new father.

Then, they play Freestyle Preaching! This is our game where each host has to give a 60 second sermon including three random words given to them by the other host. It's a blast!

Finally, Taylor shares some of his insights from a talk he gave about the Dry Bones at a parish mission. 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 3/9/22 Taylor Schroll 3/9/22

Redemptive Suffering, Catholic Mashup & The Way w/Bearded Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 282

Jon Blevins cohosts as we discuss offering our Lenten sacrifices on behalf of others, our newest trivia game & the best lines from St. Escriva's spiritual classic "The Way."

Jon "Bearded" Blevins cohosts as Taylor shares how he almost died in order to hang out with Jon. Then they discuss Amazon Prime's hit show "Wheel of Time" and how it connects to Redemptive Suffering this Lent.

In the second segment, Taylor tries the Catholic Mashup game with Jon. We combine clues for a Catholic hero and a pop culture star and see if the cohost can guess the name by the clues for each person.

Finally, the walk through some of the best lines of St. Jose Maria Escriva's spiritual classic "The Way." 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 3/2/22 Taylor Schroll 3/2/22

Married Priests, Heaven, Reading Lips & CHVRCH w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 281

Taylor has a lot of off-the-wall questions for Fr. Anthony Sciarappa from married priests, to weird Catholic spelling choices to random thoughts on Heaven. It's quite a fun journey as Taylor tries to entrap Fr. Anthony with his questions. They also play a new game that is either the best thing or worse thing we have ever done.

Taylor has a lot of off-the-wall questions for Fr. Anthony Sciarappa. How do celibate priests feel about married priests? Why do Catholics have to be so weird sometimes(ex. misspell normal words)? And finally, Taylor tries to trap Fr. Anthony in a question about Heaven. Fun!

They also introduce a brand new game that you'll either love or hate called "Read my Lips." They take turns explaining basic Catholic terms to each other, but the twist is, the other person has their volume turned all the way down so it's all based on reading the lips of the other person. This game was hilarious to play. We're interested to hear if you love or hate it lol.

Thanks for watching/listening! Y'all rock! :)

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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 2/23/22 Taylor Schroll 2/23/22

Reminiscing, Lectio Divina & Tragedy w/Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 280

Liv cohosts as Taylor shares about a recent funeral he attended and dealing with tragedy/grief. They also discuss the often hidden gem of Lectio Divina and looking back at moments from the past to remember the good God has done for us.

The show starts on a bit of a somber note this week. Taylor recently attended a funeral and shares a bit about the experience, grieving the loss of someone and the difficulties many people face with mental health.

In the second segment, they discuss the (often hidden) gem of Lectio Divina. This ancient way of praying with Scripture has helped many people grow in tremendous ways in their spiritual life. They walk through the parable of the sower with Lectio Divina in mind.

Finally, Taylor talks about a random moment that brought him back to an encounter with God from 2004. This brings about a conversation about returning to memories of times when we felt God's presence during periods of darkness.

We hope you enjoy this week's episode!

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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 2/16/22 Taylor Schroll 2/16/22

Los Angeles, Imitate/Intercess/Ignore & Prep for Lent w/Kathryn Whitaker & Fr. Innocent | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 279

Kathryn Whitaker is in town and joins Taylor to talk about his trip to LA and her recent experience of extreme hospitality at Church. They also play our saints game "Imitate, Intercess or Ignore." Fr. Innocent Montgomery joins the show to share how we can enter into the desert with Jesus this Lent.

Kathryn Whitaker is in town and joins Taylor to talk about his trip to LA and her recent experience of extreme hospitality at Church. They also play Imitate, Intercess or Ignore where they each give the other three saints and they have to pick which one they want to be like, which they will ask for prayers and which they will ignore!

Lent is right around the corner so Fr. Innocent Montgomery joins the show to discuss how we can enter into this Lenten season well. Fr. Innocent is a CFR, host of the popular Poco a Poco podcast and author of Born of Fire. This book comes from his years of preparing young men for the priesthood. He takes those lessons and applies them to how we can enter the desert with Jesus in this Lenten season. Get your copy of the book today at https://bornoffirebook.com.

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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 2/9/22 Taylor Schroll 2/9/22

Bored at Mass, Auxiliary Bishops & Worst Dates w/Jon Blevins | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 278

Usually it's Jon bringing the hot takes but this week Taylor is unhinged and Jon is incredibly pastoral. They discuss a common trope about boring Masses that Taylor no longer agrees with & how auxiliary bishops are pretty much made up. This leads to questioning if some of the Church's rules are pharisaical or not. They also discuss their best and worst dates ever in preparation for Valentine's Day.

Usually it's Jon bringing the hot takes but Taylor has some things to get off his chest this week. Spicy!

They kick it off with a conversation about the phrase "If you're bored at Mass, you'll be bored in Heaven." It's a common phrase from people in ministry and online personalities but Taylor doesn't agree with it anymore and he explains why.

Next, they discuss how strange the idea of auxiliary bishops actually is and Taylor argues that Bishops making up rules for their comfort makes him wonder why he has to follow random Catholic rules. Are the rules Pharisaical? The convo includes thoughts on fasting requirements and...NFP!?!?

Finally, as this is the last episode before Valentine's Day, Jon & Taylor both share their best and worst ever date stories and how they met their wives.

Enjoy this episode with unhinged Taylor and incredibly pastoral Jon!

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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 2/2/22 Taylor Schroll 2/2/22

Vindication, Catholic Mashup Game and Q&A w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 277

Taylor created a new trivia game for Fr. Anthony to tackle. They also discuss why the priesthood exists and Taylor asks some questions about prayer. They also share random connections to Forte Catholic from the internet this week.

Fr. Anthony cohosts an episode with a lot of vindication to be had throughout. Taylor feels vindicated by some cool connections to Forte Catholic on the internet this week. He also feels vindicated by making Fr. Anthony play a new game he isn't good at. Payback for all the games Fr. Anthony has made Taylor look dumb in. Finally, Fr. Anthony gets vindication for looking dumb in said game by giving great answers to some tough questions about the priesthood and prayer. 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 1/26/22 Taylor Schroll 1/26/22

Best TV Shows, Jesus Nicknames & a Meaningful Life w/Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 276

Taylor & Liv list off their favorite tv shows from 2021 and their most anticipated shows in 2022. They also discuss nicknames for our Lord & Savior & the price of admission for a meaningful life.

Liv Harrison cohosts this episode recorded in her studio in Houston. She & Taylor list off their favorite shows of 2021 as recommendations and the shows they are most anticipating this year!

Next, they discuss new and old nicknames for our Lord & Savior.

Finally, they discuss the price of admission for a meaningful life: proving that science are our faith are telling us very similar things in this regard. 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 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 1/12/22 Taylor Schroll 1/12/22

Typology, Life Verse, & Biblical Questions w/Dr. Michael Dauphinais & Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Ep 274

New biblical insight into Baptism, a ridiculous Scripture game & a Doctor to make us all smarter

Allison Sullivan cohosts what is guaranteed to be one of our best two shows of 2022 thus far! One of the bedrocks of this show is Scripture and we realized we haven't focused on it in a while so this whole episode is focused on the Bible.

We kick it off with a new insight into typology of Baptism in the Old Testament that Taylor never knew about for 30+ years and that made him feel dumb. They also explain what typology is and why it's not typography like Taylor thought...

Our guest this week is Dr. Michael Dauphinais. He is the head of the Theology department at Ave Maria University(where Taylor's wife went to school). He and Taylor discuss biblical answers to some typical questions about Catholicism in a way that will actually be helpful with your friends and not just make you look smart amongst other Catholics.

Finally, Allison rejoins the show for the return of our Life Verse game where we randomly find a bible verse and apply it to someone's life. Hilarity ensues!

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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.