He Leadeth Me

How can I grow in my spiritual life and become a saint? Fr. John Ignatius gives us one of his top recommendations: get a spiritual director.In this episode, Fr. John Ignatius and Jessica discuss:How a spiritual director can help you overcome your spiritual blind spotsHow a spiritual director can help you discern God's will for your lifeThe difference between spiritual direction and counselingFr. John Ignatius' answer to the question, "Does everyone need a spiritual director?"Fr. John Ignatius is a priest of the Miles Christi religious order and a FOCUS National Chaplain.

In this episode, Dr. Joseph Hollcraft returns to talk about roadblocks to vocational discernment and how God overcomes them. Dr. Hollcraft and Jess discuss:Can broken family backgrounds be a roadblock in vocational discernment?What is the role of healing in the discernment process?How does someone know if they are ready to discern or if they should pursue more healing?What advice do you have for someone who is experiencing "vocational stagnation"?Dr. Joseph Hollcraft is the Director of the Avila Institute's High Calling Program, an online program which offers men discerning the priesthood spiritual, intellectual, and human formation to assist them as they discern God's will. Dr. Hollcraft is also the author of the book "Unleashing the Power of Intercessory Prayer."To learn more about the High Calling Program, please visit their website: https://avila-institute.org/high-call/

How do I know if I am in the Dark Night of the Soul or if I just have dryness if prayer?The Dark Night is a metaphor used by St. John of the Cross to express ways that God purifies a soul and brings it deeper into union with Him. In this episode, Fr. Pier Giorgio, OCD, returns to talk with Jessica about the writings of St. John of the Cross related to the Dark Night. Jess and Fr. Pier Giorgio discuss:What is the Dark Night of the Soul?What is the Dark Night of the Senses?What are signs that a person might be experiencing the Dark Night?How can a person tell the difference between the Dark Night vs. dryness in prayer vs. depression?Fr. Pier Giorgio Pacelli, OCD, is a Discalced Carmelite Friar and the Managing Editor of the Institute of Carmelite Studies Publications. He currently studies Language, Literature, and Translation at UW-Milwaukee.

How can I go deeper in prayer?In this episode, Fr. Pier Giorgio Pacelli, OCD, joins Jessica to talk about the 4 Waters of Prayer that St. Theresa of Avila writes about in her autobiography. Jess and Fr. Pier Giorgio discuss:St. Theresa's analogy of watering a garden and the 4 "waters" of prayer she describesHow God moves a soul from active to more passive prayerThe prayer of recollectionHow a soul can cooperate with God to receive contemplative prayerF. Pier Giorgio Pacelli, OCD, is a Discalced Carmelite Friar and the Managing Editor of the Institute of Carmelite Studies Publications. He currently studies Language, Literature, and Translation at UW-Milwaukee.

What makes a person a saint?Msgr. James Shea, President of the University of Mary, joins Jessica to talk about FOCUS alumna Michelle Duppong, who passed away from cancer in 2015. The Diocese of Bismarck recently opened an investigation into Michelle's life of holiness, which could eventually lead to her canonization. Jessica and Msgr. Shea discuss:What does it mean that the diocese has opened an investigation into Michelle's life of holiness?When a diocese begins the investigation process to declare someone a saint, what are they looking for? What does it mean to be a saint?Why could Michelle Duppong be a saint?To read more about Michelle Duppong, please see this article: https://www.ncregister.com/cna/focus-missionary-on-the-road-to-sainthood-bismarck-diocese-opens-inquiry-for-michelle-duppongMsgr. James Shea is the President of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota. He is also a member of the FOCUS Board and a Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.

In this episode, Jessica sits down with Dr. Joseph Hollcraft, Director of the Avila Institute's Higher Calling Program, to ask him questions about vocational discernment.Questions include:* How do you know if God is calling you or if it's just your own mind?* What tips do you have for how to pray about your vocation?* Can I discern the priesthood and marriage at the same time?The Higher Calling Program is an online program which offers men discerning the priesthood spiritual, intellectual, and human formation to assist them as they discern God's will. To learn more about the program, see their website: https://avila-institute.org/high-calling/ 

Everyone experiences discouragement, but do you use your discouragement for the purpose God has allowed it for? In this episode, Jessica sits down with Fr. Martin Latiff to discuss why God allows us to go through discouragement and how we can use it to catapult us forward in our spiritual lives.Fr. Martin Latiff is a priest with the Miles Christi religious order and a FOCUS National Chaplain. He is a popular retreat master and spiritual director.

Many people are surprised to learn that Fr. Doug Grandon is a married Catholic priest!In our last episode, we left off with Fr. Doug's undercover missionary work in communist Yugoslavia as an Evangelical Christian. In this episode, Fr. Doug shares with us how Jesus took him from sharing the Gospel in Yugoslavia to becoming a priest in the Anglican Church and finally to converting to Catholicism. Fr. Doug also shares with us the Biblical concept of the "death and resurrection of a dream". When Fr. Doug converted to Catholicism from the Anglican Church, he thought his dream of being God's priest could never be fulfilled, but God surprised him!Fr. Doug Grandon is a priest of the Archdiocese of Denver and a FOCUS National Chaplain.

After converting to Christianity at the age of 13, Fr. Doug Grandon devoted his life to bringing others to Jesus, and eventually answered God's call to become a missionary in communist Yugoslavia.In this episode, Fr. Doug shares lessons Jesus taught Him during his discernment to become a missionary and later when he risked arrest to proclaim the Gospel in a communist country.Join us next week as Fr. Doug shares with us Part II of his conversion story: his conversion to Catholicism!Fr. Doug Grandon is a priest of the Archdiocese of Denver and a FOCUS National Chaplain.

St. Ignatius of Loyola said that there was one prayer a person should never neglect praying: the Examen Prayer. In this episode, Jessica and Fr. John Ignatius will discuss:* How do I pray the Examen prayer?* Why did St. Ignatius think the Examen prayer was so important?* What are some common pitfalls in praying the Examen prayer?* How can I pray the Examen prayer well?