What Matters Most
John W. Martens
What Matters Most is focused on listening to people and what is on their minds, particularly dealing with the big questions of religion and spirituality. It emerges from the Centre for Christian Engagement, a Centre at St. Mark's College, the Catholic college at UBC, but our programming is intended for all interested parties, Catholic or not. In the What Matters Most podcast, we talk to people, some well-known, some not so well-known, some Catholic, some Christian, some not affiliated with any religion, some affiliated with other faiths (Muslims, Sikhs) to find out what matters to them. It is a podcast focused on spirituality and faith, but truly focused on listening to others, to learning from those connected to the Church and to those who are not.
It is grounded in personal conversations that ask guests to talk about what has motivated their vocations or their work and what gives their lives meaning and purpose. The format can best be described as a conversation that allows us to get to know our guests.
It is grounded in personal conversations that ask guests to talk about what has motivated their vocations or their work and what gives their lives meaning and purpose. The format can best be described as a conversation that allows us to get to know our guests.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 18, 2022 • 59min
Art Shines Light and Exposes Darkness in the Spiritual Life: A Conversation with Michael W. Higgins
Michael W. Higgins is an educator, professor, university President, author, and journalist. Most recently he was President of St. Mark's College at UBC. We talked about Pope Francis and his life in academia and as a journalist. Finally we turned to focus on the necessary role for the arts to shine a light on the truth and expose the darkness in the spiritual life.
Oct 7, 2022 • 59min
"Neither Categories nor Stereotypes, These are Real People": A Conversation with Father Jim Martin
In this episode, I discuss with Fr. Jim Martin, a Roman Catholic priest based in New York City, his outreach to the LGBTQ community and his associated book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. We also talk about his pilgrimage to Israel and Jesus, which lead to his book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage. The conversation ranges widely, though, discussing his early life and how he became a priest. Fr. Martin is the editor-at-large at America Magazine and the author of many other books, including My Life with the Saints and Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone.
