St. Philip Institute Podcast

As we journey through a Lent like no other – unable to attend public Masses – it is more important than ever for us as Catholics to remain plugged into the Church’s liturgical year. This week we have entered Passiontide; next week we begin Holy Week; Easter is on the horizon. Fr. Braun and Dr. Luke Arredondo discuss why Holy Week is, as Pope Emeritus Benedict put it, “the most important week of the year”.

While we should be cautious in jumping to conclusions regarding why God has allowed the COVID-19 global pandemic to occur, we know as Catholics that God is always speaking to us through the events of our lives. How should we respond? Fr. Justin Braun sits down with Mikki and Luke to discuss how Catholics can respond with Faith in Christ to this global emergency.

Next week the Church will celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25th). This feast celebrates the moment in time when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, and she consented to be the mother of the Messiah. Prepare yourself to celebrate this feast by joining Mikki, Deanna, and Luke as they ponder over the lessons to be learned from this event in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

Dr. Stacy Trasancos, Executive Director of Bishop Strickland’s St. Philip Institute with homeschool and online learning experience, is here with advice and encouragement on best practices as families embark on being quarantined at home. She offers creative guidance on how to make this a successful time for parents and kids alike. 

Mikki and Deanna sit down to discuss a beautiful Marian devotion that is traditionally prayed during Lent: the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Tune in to discover how meditating on the life of Christ through the eyes of Mary can profoundly deepen your faith.

The reality of original sin affects all aspects of human life, but it is perhaps in family relationships where we feel the effects of our fallen nature most acutely. Every family is wounded or broken in some way and falls short of what it is truly meant to be: a reflection of God’s divine life. Join Bishop Strickland and Dr. Trasancos for an open, honest discussion of the challenges of family life and how the Gospel of Jesus Christ can bring hope and meaning to each and every family circumstance. 

Faith within the Family was chosen by Bishop Strickland as the theme of the 2020 Bishop’s Annual Appeal in the Diocese of Tyler. 

There is a saying among Catholics: Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi, Lex Vivendi. (as we worship, so we believe, so we live) In other words, worship is intimately connected to what we believe and how we live. All Catholics are called to enter into the liturgical year with its feasts, seasons, and cycles in order to be catechized and evangelized by it. As the season of Lent begins, Fr. Braun and Doug sit down to discuss what sets the Lenten liturgy apart from the rest of the liturgical year and how knowing this can deepen our experience of this penitential season.

Lent is only a week away! Do you have a plan? As Lent draws closer we can often feel anxious or overwhelmed, and this feeling can be even stronger for parents. What should I do? How do I talk about Lent to my children? How can I avoid the failures of last year’s Lent? God doesn’t want your experience of Lent to be one of stress and anxiety but rather a time for you and your family to turn back to Him with all your heart. In this episode of the St. Philip Institute Podcast, Mikki and Luke discuss practical ideas parents can use to successfully draw their children into the spirit of the Lenten season. Have a listen and get some inspiration for how to have a successful family Lent this year!

Faithfully following Jesus Christ requires that we first have mastery over ourselves. In a word, it requires discipline. As the liturgical season of Lent draws closer, Doug and Fr. Braun sit down to discuss how the spiritual practices associated with Lent – prayer, fasting, and almsgiving – help us grow in self-mastery in order to follow Our Lord .

God has a profound design for the Sacrament of Marriage. Through it He provides the grace for every couple to continually draw closer to each other, to co-operate with Him in the creation and education of children, and to be a visible sign of His love to the world. Due to Original Sin, however, this design is so often marred by confusion and selfishness. As a culture we have lost sight of what marriage is meant to be. This is why, in his Constitution on Teaching, Bishop Strickland described ongoing marriage formation in the Diocese of Tyler as “perhaps the most important project we undertake”. (18) Join Deanna and Mikki as they sit down with Jodi Todd, Marriage Formation Coordinator at the Cathedral in Tyler, to discuss, in practical terms, what it takes for the Church to form healthy, thriving Catholic marriages.