AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

Ten years ago, on March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected Pope. Do you remember those first hours and days? We found out he was from Argentina, the first Pope from the Global South. Then we heard his name would be Francis the First…or maybe just Francis? Then we saw him step to the window above St. Peter’s Square, looking fairly calm but probably also a bit overwhelmed, and he asked the pilgrims thronging below to pray for him before he offered his first papal blessing. He seemed humble and warm. Then there were other stories of his humility: he checked himself out of the hotel he’d been staying in. He celebrated his first Holy Thursday Mass washing the feet of inmates at a prison. Since then, it’s an understatement to say it’s been quite a decade for the church and the world. Host Mike Jordan Laskey wanted to reflect on the first 10 years of Francis’ papacy. What have the major themes been? How has the church changed – and not changed? Where might we be headed? Today’s guest today is perhaps the most qualified person to talk about these questions in the English-speaking world. Austen Ivereigh is a journalist, author and commentator who has written two books about Pope Francis: “The Great Reformer” and “Wounded Shepherd.” He also collaborated with the Pope himself on a book called “Let Us Dream”, which charts a path forward from the Covid pandemic. In this conversation, Austen offers his characteristically sharp insight on everything Pope Francis; few people on the planet have such a strong understanding of the Holy Father’s heart and mind. Learn more about Austen: https://www.austeni.org/ His America Magazine piece on the 10-year anniversary: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2023/02/16/francis-revolution-decade-244685 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

The Academy Awards are coming up March 12th, so we wanted to recommend a couple of Oscar-nominated movies that fans of the podcast might enjoy. And there was one person host Mike Jordan Laskey was hoping to interview for this episode: his favorite film critic of all time, Alissa Wilkinson from the website Vox, where she’s the senior culture writer. Nobody writes on the intersections of cinema and theology and spirituality like Alissa does. Over and over again, she finds angles that no other critics see. Alissa writes essays that are profound, funny, moving, and eminently readable. She joined Mike to talk about two Best Picture nominees: “Women Talking” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Alissa talked about both films and what makes them especially compelling for a Catholic audience. She also discussed what goes into the art of criticism more broadly, and what she thinks about the current trend of religious communities depicted on the big screen. Alissa on "Women Talking": https://www.vox.com/culture/23345084/women-talking-review-tiff-augustine Alissa on "The Banshees of Inisherin": https://www.vox.com/culture/23413305/banshees-inisherin-review-history-civil-war Alissa's newsletter: https://wilkinson.substack.com/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

You may have never heard the name Fr. Clarence Rivers before today. Fr. Rivers was a renown composer and liturgist, among other things, and he was helping people better understand—better see themselves—in the liturgy long before the Second Vatican Council made such actions the norm. Fr. Rivers was also the first Black priest ordained in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and his own heritage and lived experience greatly informed his approach to the liturgy and to his own priestly ministry. But Fr. Rivers is slowly being lost to the relentless march of time. His legacy is interwoven in so much of how we understand Catholic liturgy today, and yet his name is far from our lips. Fortunately, our guests today—Emily Strand and Eric Styles—host their own podcast, and it’s called Meet Father Rivers. Emily has taught religion at the collegiate level for more than 15 years, and currently does so at Mt. Carmel College in Ohio. She is the author of two books on Catholicism and has published several essays on religious and literary themes in popular culture in peer-reviewed publications. Emily is also a life-long Church musician, serving her parish as a cantor, accompanist and ensemble director, and serving the National Association of Pastoral Musicians as Chair of the Forum on Communication. Eric Styles has served as the Rector of Carroll Hall, an intentional undergraduate residential community at the University of Notre Dame, since 2016. He holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Loyola University Chicago. Eric worked as a Parish Liturgy Coordinator at Saint Benedict the African Catholic Church in Chicago and as a House Manager for the Theatre School of DePaul University. He spent time discerning the call to religious life with the Society of Jesus, though eventually discovered that was not where God was inviting him to be. Eric remains active in the performing arts as a collaborator with Afro House, a Baltimore based music driven performance art ensemble. Eric writes about theology, liturgy, and contemporary culture. Both of our guests are passionate about the liturgy, deeply inspired by the legacy of Fr. Rivers and determined to help form the imagination of people of faith today. Listen to the podcast, "Meet Father Rivers:" https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/meet-father-rivers/id1590237311 Learn more about Emily: https://emilystrand.liturgyandlife.com/ Photo courtesy of "Catholic Telegraph" (Cincinnati)

Lent is just around the corner, and there are so many vivid symbols of this liturgical season. You’ve got ashes and palms and purple stuff everywhere. No Alleluias, no Glorias, no meat at the Friday fish fry. One of the best Lenten symbols is the CRS Rice Bowl, those little cardboard boxes we fill with cash to support the work of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) overseas. It’s easy to grab a Rice Bowl, fill it up, turn it in without thinking twice about where our money is going. Today’s guest can help us fill in the gaps and learn about the incredible work going on in about 100 countries around in the world on behalf of Catholics in the United States. Bill O’Keefe is CRS’ Executive Vice President for Mission and Mobilization. He oversees the agency’s efforts to build a movement of Catholics and others of good will to support CRS’ global mission and build action-oriented global solidarity with poor, vulnerable, and marginalized people around the world. These efforts include lobbying Congress and the Administration on a range of foreign policy issues and engaging U.S. Catholics in public campaigns to change U.S. foreign policy in ways that promote justice and reduce poverty overseas. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Bill to share some of the most inspiring things he’s seen CRS working on around the world, and how our faith inspires us to care for all who are suffering, no matter what country they live in. In the days since they recorded their conversation, we have all seen the unimaginable destruction from the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. You can visit crs.org to see how CRS and their partners are responding to the incredible amount of need in those countries. AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

On this week’s AMDG, host MegAnne Liebsch talks to historian Nicholas Lewis about his research into the history of Jesuit-run boarding schools for Indigenous children. These schools were part of a larger U.S. government attempt to assimilate Indigenous peoples into white European culture from the 1820s to as late as the 1970s. Indigenous families were compelled to send their children to boarding schools, effectively stripping children of their language, culture and community. Jesuit leadership in the U.S. knew that Jesuits administered a number of such schools, but accounts varied as to how many, where they were located, and for how long. So in January of 2022, Nick was hired to examine the archives and identify some of these basic facts. His research has confirmed 24 mission locations where the Jesuits ran a boarding school for Native children, a full list of which can be found on our website and is linked below. We invited Nick on the podcast to discuss his findings and give us a broad overview of this history. ***Warning: This episode deals with trauma, as well as mentions of physical and sexual abuse. Take care while listening.*** Further resources: Our website: www.jesuits.org/native-boarding-schools Full list of Jesuit-run school locations: https://www.jesuits.org/press-release/list/ Report on boarding school funding: https://inthesetimes.com/article/catholic-church-mission-schools-investigation-treaty-ojibwe-native-people Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition: https://boardingschoolhealing.org/ Truth and healing efforts at Red Cloud Indian School: https://www.redcloudschool.org/pages/truth-and-healing Education for Extinction David Wallace Adams: https://kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700629602/ Converting the Rosebud by Harvey Markowitz: https://www.oupress.com/9780806159850/converting-the-rosebud/ Boarding School Seasons by Brenda Child: https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska/9780803214804/ Churches and the Indian Schools by Francis Paul Prucha: https://www.amazon.com/Churches-Indian-Schools-1888-1912-Francis/dp/0803236573

One of the big challenges in higher education today is polarization in the classroom, which of course reflects the polarization of the country at large. Professors like Dr. Amy Uelmen are trying to figure out how to encourage their students to speak and listen to each other across divides on complex social issues where there are no easy answers. Amy is a professor at the Georgetown Law Center, where she’s also a special assistant to the dean and the director of mission and ministry. Just in case that’s not enough to keep her busy, Amy is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Berkley Center on Religion, Peace and World Affairs. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked her about her work at the intersections of faith, morality and law, and also to see if they could tease out some tips that those of us who aren’t in law school could use when trying to connect with people we disagree with on thorny issues. Amy is also a member of the Focolare Movement, a lay ecclesial movement and international organization founded in Italy by Chiara Lubich in 1943. Focolare is centered on Christ’s prayer from the Gospel “that they all may be one,” so it’s clear to see how Amy’s faith life is leading directly to her research and work in the classroom. Learn more about Amy: https://www.law.georgetown.edu/faculty/amelia-j-uelmen/ Essay on dialogue after the January 6 riot: https://canopyforum.org/2021/01/13/whither-dialogue-after-the-capitol-riot/ Learn more about Focolare: https://www.focolare.org/en/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

A disturbing trend over the past couple of years has been the rise of antisemitism. The Anti-Defamation League, which tracks antisemitic incidents, says 2021 was the worst year in decades and that 2022 will look similar once the numbers are tabulated. We’re in a five-year upswing overall. Let’s not give any more oxygen to acts of hate. Instead, we are thrilled to be sharing this conversation host Mike Jordan Laskey recently had with Dr. Phil Cunningham and Dr. Adam Gregerman, two scholars who have devoted their careers to building bridges between Jews and Catholics. Phil and Adam lead the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. The institute was founded in 1967 in response to the Second Vatican Council. Phil is Catholic and Adam is Jewish, and their shared leadership models the type of engagement the institute is all about. You’ll see this sort of collaboration on display throughout the episode. Mike asked them for a brief historical overview of the relationship between Catholics and Jews, and why the promulgation of the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate was such an important turning point. Adam and Phil also talked about the work they’re doing today, and how we can build relationships across religious divides without erasing each faith’s uniqueness. Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations: https://www.sju.edu/college-arts-and-sciences/ijcr Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations: https://ccjr.us/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. www.jesuits.org/ www.beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

If you’ve spent much time reading about Ignatian spirituality, there’s a good chance you’ve come across the work of Jim Manney. He has a great book on the Examen called “A Simple, Life-Changing Prayer” that often serves as introduction for many to this all-important part of Ignatian spirituality. Jim has this way of boiling down his vast—and it is vast!—array of Ignatian knowledge in a way that is accessible, powerful and practical. His writing stays with you. And so, his newest book, which essentially is an exercise in making Ignatian spirituality accessible and practical, is pretty exciting. It’s called “What Matters Most and Why: Living the Spirituality of St. Ignatius of Loyola.” In the book are 365 daily reflections—each less than a page. Jim is today’s guest, and he walks us through his own life story, how he became so enamored with the spirituality of Ignatius, how he goes about sharing it with others and why he thinks it’s important to do so. Learn more about Jim's work by visiting: jimmanneybooks.com.

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been countless reflections on the life and work of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, highlighting his rich theological writings and his decades of church service and even some of the challenging moments he faced before, during and after his papacy. He was a complex man with so much experience. Let us pray that he might rest in the peace of Christ forever. Whenever a world-historical event happens related to the papacy, host Mike Jordan Laskey likes to call up his friend Dr. Christopher Bellitto, Ph.D. Chris is a medievalist, a church historian and a professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey. He’s a frequent media commentator on church history and contemporary Catholicism, and you might have seen him quoted in recent days in the Washington Post, CNN, NBC and other outlets. He always brings the long view to current events as a scholar of history. Chris talked about the history of papal resignations and what lessons the church might learn from how Benedict’s post-papacy unfolded. He also talked a bit about the history of Jesuit superior general resignations, and teased his upcoming book from Georgetown University Press titled “Humility: The Secret History of a Lost Virtue.” Learn more about Dr. Bellitto: https://sites.google.com/a/kean.edu/christopher-m-bellitto-ph-d/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. https://www.jesuits.org/ https://beajesuit.org/ twitter.com/jesuitnews facebook.com/Jesuits instagram.com/wearethejesuits youtube.com/societyofjesus

Today’s guest is Anjela Barnes, the vice president of the Accokeek Foundation. In her work, she helps preserve and protect Piscataway park, located in southern Maryland on the Potomac River. This is part of the traditional homelands of the Piscataway people, of which Anjela is a member. As you’ll hear in this episode, host Eric Clayton met Anjela at Loyola University Maryland. She was on a panel discussing what justice looks like for Indigenous people—and what injustices have been perpetrated throughout our history. And while the conversation certainly focused on the need for justice, one theme kept resurfacing: Too often discussions around issues of Indigenous communities are limited to the mere reality that Indigenous people are not relics of the past but in fact members of our present community with joys and challenges and hardships and triumphs just like anybody. Yet, many of us are still surprised to learn that there are Indigenous folks next to us in line at the supermarket or the next booth over at the diner. And so, what you’ll hear today is a delicate dance, a paradox almost. Anjela and Eric discuss how Indigenous people are more than just stories, more than a window into the past. And yet, at the same time, without understanding and asking after those stories, without looking through that window, we can not grasp the unique experiences—and, as such, the unique injustices and struggles—of Indigenous communities in the present. We can not reduce people to a single story, and yet we still must page through those many chapters. This is an important conversation—and we hope you’ll find it insightful. If you want to learn more about Anjela and her work at the Accokeek Foundation, visit https://www.accokeek.org/.