Candid Catholic Convos

Candid Catholic Convos

by Diocese of Harrisburg

Christianity Religion

Catholic Marriage Advice Pt 2 - feat. Tom and Patty Strunck

Last week, we sat down with Tom and Patty Strunck, marriage prep and natural family planning instructors for the Diocese, and really dove into the sacrament of marriage – why the church requires marriage prep, what marriage looks like after the wedding, and how to fight fair. Today we’re continuing that conversation with what it means to be submissive to your spouse, practicing forgiveness, resources for when marriage is hard and some ways we can model healthy relationships for our children.

Catholic Marriage Advice Pt 1 - feat. Tom and Patty Strunck

This year, my husband and I will be celebrating thirteen years of marriage. We are not the same people we were when we got married, and that’s okay. But I’d be lying if I said it was easy. So today I’m sitting down with Tom and Patty Strunck, marriage prep and natural family planning instructors for the Diocese, to really dive into the sacrament of marriage – what it means, how it’s influenced by our lived experiences, and how it’s affected by different seasons of life.

Iron Sharpens Iron: The Importance of Creating and Maintaining Authentic Friendships Part 2- feat. Zack Haney

Last week, we chatted about why quality friendships are important and why it may feel like it was easier to make friends as a kid versus now as an adult. Today we’re continuing our conversation with Zack Haney, our director of youth and young adult ministries, focusing primarily on the deep vulnerability required in meaningful relationships, the effects of social media and isolation, and some tactful ways we can maintain or pursue new friendships.

Iron Sharpens Iron: The Importance of Creating and Maintaining Authentic Friendships Part One - feat. Zack Haney

Lately I've been thinking about all the friends I’ve had over the years – the ones that didn’t stand the test of time, the ones who walked away when it got hard, the ones I walked away from, the friendships I outgrew and the friends I left behind when I changed jobs or moved to another city. It also got me thinking about how challenging it is to make friends anymore, especially as a busy adult, how committing to and fostering a new relationship takes time and effort we may not have or be willing to give. And what about those lifelong friends? How do we maintain them in different seasons of life? Today I’m sitting down with Zack Haney, the director for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, to really dive into how we can cultivate and foster authentic friendships as busy adults.

Parish Picnics - feat. Makenzie Kelley and Georgiann Benkovic, Prince of Peace Parish

Summer is primetime for picnics and festivals, and we have a lot of them happening in our Diocese this summer. We fling our church doors open and say, let’s take this outside. It’s a great way to reconnect with church friends or make some new ones, and it’s an even better way to invite someone to experience our Catholic Community. Today, we’re sitting down with Makenzie Kelley and Georgiann Benkovic from Prince of Peace Parish in Steelton to talk about how they’re building community with their parish picnic and why you should consider attending one this summer. **BONUS content in this episode - hear two previously un-aired episodes of Musings of a Catholic Evangelist with Sister Geralyn Schmidt, SCC Parish Picnics and Festivals Near You https://www.catholicwitness.org/festivals-picnics/ Prince of Peace Parish https://popsteelton.org Upcoming Events https://www.hbgdiocese.org/events/category/featured-events/

How to Practice Your Faith in the Summer - Feat. Margot Kimmick

The fact that June is already over has woken me up to the fact that yes, while I have more space in my days because our schedules are more relaxed – no more rushing to school or sports – that “space” has easily been filled with other things. With weekends full of fun plans, it’s easy to put off going to church. It’s easy to forget morning prayer when your morning schedule is more relaxed. It’s easy to fill our time with something else rather than building upon the foundation we worked on throughout the year. So how can we use these months to actually grow and enrich our faith rather than neglecting it? How can we transition our time with God from something we “have to do” to something we “want to do?” Today, we’re chatting with Margot Kimmick of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Mechanicsburg about some small, realistic and impactful ways we can use this season of relaxation and renewal to enrich our faith this season. Ministries we mentioned: Gather together (steas.net)

Bishop Senior: A Look Back on His First Year - feat. Bishop Timothy Senior

One year ago today, hundreds of people gathered both inside and outside St Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg to witness the installation of our Diocese’s twelfth Bishop, Bishop Timothy Senior. Since then, Bishop Senior has jumped into his roll with both feet. He’s visited all the corners and counties of the Diocese, beginning with Masses in all ten of the Diocese’s deaneries last summer to introduce himself to the faithful and get to know them, as well as making visits to the Diocese’s six high schools and a number of its elementary schools. Today, we have the honor and privilege of sitting down with Bishop Senior to reflect on his first year as Bishop of Harrisburg, and to look ahead at his vision for the future of our Diocese

Faithful Fatherhood - feat. John Leonetti

As a society, we’ve viewed children as more dependent on the mother than the father, we’ve forgotten that men and fathers, hold an equally important place in the family as the mother, that there’s a lot of pressure put on fathers to both provide and be present. More than a quarter of the children living in the United states are growing up without a father – that number jumps to over 70 percent in the inner city – even though it’s been shown statistically, sociologically, and psychologically, that fathers have a massive role in positively impacting their children. They are an example of both masculinity and tenderness, a physical, earthly extension of God the Father. So how can we encourage and remind fathers of the value in their vocation? Today we’re chatting with Jon Leonetti,a nationally known Catholic speaker, best-selling author, and radio host about using Saint Joseph as a model for our livelihood, our love life, and our big V vocations.

Letting God Orchestrate Our Lives - feat. Sr. Geralyn Schmidt, SCC

In my mind, summer is the collective turning of a page, a time of endings, but also of new beginnings, a real season of change. And for some, change can be scary, but change is the only constant in life. So how do we engage with change when it happens to us to begin this new season, this new chapter, as seamlessly as we can? How do we transition well? If you ask Sister Geralyn Schmidt of the Sisters of Christian Charity, who’s about to embark on her own transition, she’ll tell you the key to transitioning well is listening to and following God’s plan for your life. It’s about letting him orchestrate your life – all we have to do is say yes.

Cultivating Our Journey Toward Him - feat. Donna Gilberti

In just a few short weeks, Bishop Senior will be leading a pilgrimage from our Diocese to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis and today, today we're excited to welcome back spiritual director Donna Gilberti who has led pilgrimages all over the world to talk about how God curates our journey towards Him just for us.

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