AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, we’ve been talking with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. We’ve reflected back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and we’ve wrestled with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination. This is the final episode of the season—so we went big. We have two Jesuits today: Orlando Portalatin and Joe Lorenz. Orlando is from Puerto Rico. Before joining the Society of Jesus, he had a 20 year career in human resources management. He says he doesn’t have a late vocation—he was just late to respond! Joe is from Maryland. He studied Arabic in college and as a Jesuit, taught English in Beirut for over 200 students. As you listen to Orlando and Joe share their stories and reflections, I invite you to consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org. And I invite you to pray for all of the Jesuits who will be ordained this year as the begin their priestly ministry.

If you stop and think about it, it’s amazing that the work of William Shakespeare, more than 400 years old, is still read by pretty much every student in the English-speaking world starting in high school or before. Our guest today, Luke Taylor, SJ, has recently co-written and edited a volume that brings together two of his passions: the Bard’s work and Catholic education. The book is called “Exploring Catholic Faith in Shakespearean Drama: Towards a Philosophy of Education,” and Luke worked on the text with fellow authors David Torevell and Brandon Schneeberger. Luke is a Jesuit scholastic from the UK who’s studying theology at Boston College. Before he entered the Society of Jesus, Luke earned a doctorate in comparative literature from Harvard and taught at the college level. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Luke about how the book came about and why he thinks Shakespeare’s work continues to be studied all these centuries later – and what particularly about the Bard’s work makes him perfect for a Catholic audience. They also talked a bit about Shakespeare’s disputed religious background and the likelihood he at least had some brief encounters with Jesuits. It was a fascinating conversation and we think you’ll love getting to know someone who has thought so much about the intersections between Shakespeare’s work, Ignatian spirituality and Catholic faith. "Exploring Catholic Faith in Shakespearean Drama": https://www.routledge.com/Exploring-Catholic-Faith-in-Shakespearean-Drama-Towards-a-Philosophy-of-Education/Torevell-Schneeberger-Taylor/p/book/9781032741864?srsltid=AfmBOooEudxwsHTMxBt97rbMFZePoyvTFahb0t9LXLlQHBa64Kg7SL02 AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project 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 www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination. On this episode, Eric talks with Chris Williams about what it means to integrate the various facets of Jesuit life into a single vocation. Chris was raised in Spearfish, South Dakota. He studied theology and secondary education at Creighton University; it was there that he began to feel the call to the priesthood and Jesuit life. For Chris, spiritual direction—both the opportunity to receive direction from wise directors and give direction himself—has been a key part of his Jesuit formation. For that reason, as you’ll hear, he has particular love for the great Jesuit spiritual master, Peter Faber. As you listen to Chris’ stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.

The Easter season is about new life. Jesus rises from the dead and in so doing resets the horizon on what is possible for each and every one of us. We see in the risen Lord God’s own invitation, an invitation that calls us beyond ourselves, beyond what even dreamed was possible. Ignatian spirituality offers us time-tested tools to embark on this journey. Ignatius himself was not only a soldier-turned-saint; he was a strategic thinker, an administrator of a global company. He knew that what he offered for the spiritual life had to be both scaled up to meet needs across the world while being relevant to the unique needs and experiences of each and every person. So, how do we respond to the call of this Easter season? How do we embark on our own journey of renewal and deepening faith? Let’s look to the Ignatian tradition. Today’s guest is author Lisa Kelly. She is a wife and mother of four, the co-director of the nonprofit La Storta: Center for Spirituality and Leadership and the author of the new book, “The Spiritual Path: Embarking on the Journey of a Lifetime.” Lisa has written at the intersection of strategic planning, organizational development, leadership training and Ignatian spirituality for years, so she comes to us with deep wisdom on how to set faith-based goals that result in meaningful, mission-oriented action. And she challenges us to reassess what success looks like in our lives. This is a really fun conversation—and super informative. Lisa helps us think in new ways about our own lives, and helps us ferret out some unhealthy spiritualities of desolation in which we may unknowingly be trapped. Lisa is also an Ignatian Associate—an organization of lay Catholics who are grounded in Ignatian spirituality and make promises in that tradition. We begin our conversation there, talking about why the Ignatian Associates have been so important to Lisa’s own spiritual path. Get her book: https://store.loyolapress.com/the-spiritual-path Learn about the Ignatian Associates: https://ignatianassociates.org/ Learn about her nonprofit, La Storta: https://www.lastorta.org/

Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination. On this episode, Eric talks with Fernando Saldivar. Fernando reflects on what it has been like to enter the Society of Jesus after a long career as a lawyer — he’s a so-called “late” vocation — and also what he believes the world needs from a priest today. Fernando is from California. He first met the Jesuits as an undergraduate student at Georgetown University. After earning his law degree from Southwestern University in 2005, he practiced law up until 2016 when he entered the Society of Jesus. One of the highlights of his Jesuit formation, as you’ll soon hear, was when he was missioned to Nairobi to serve as the global policy and advocacy officer for the Jesuit Justice and Ecology Network Africa. As you listen to Fernando’s stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.

After the white smoke poured out of the Sistine Chapel chimney on May 8, we turned on the TV here at the Jesuit Conference HQ in Washington and landed randomly on ABC News. We immediately heard a familiar voice: It was Fr. James Martin, the Jesuit author who certainly needs no introduction to AMDG listeners. In addition to writing bestselling books like Come Forth about the biblical character of Lazarus and working at America Magazine and Outreach, an LGBTQ Catholic organization, Fr. Jim is a frequent commentator on the Catholic Church in the secular media. ABC news sent him to Rome to be part of the team covering the funeral of Pope Francis, the conclave, and the first moments of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Jim on the show to share about his experiences in Rome this past month and to bring us behind the scenes. Fr. Jim also knows Pope Leo XIV a little bit, as they sat at the same table at the Synod on Synodality general assembly last year. He shared his impressions of the Pope and how he thinks he might be an agent of healing especially in the American church. Finally, Fr. Jim shared some of his memories of Pope Francis, who was a big supporter of Fr. Jim’s ministry. We know you’ll enjoy Fr. Jim’s perspective on witnessing Church history in Rome this month. "Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus's Greatest Miracle": https://bookshop.org/p/books/come-forth-the-promise-of-jesus-s-greatest-miracle-james-martin/18814978 Outreach: https://outreach.faith/ AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project 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 www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation, and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination. This episode features Marc-André Veselovsky. He and Eric talk about community life and the various ways in which a Jesuit is accompanied throughout formation and beyond. Marc-André was born and raised in Ottawa. As you’ll hear, he first felt the call to priesthood through his involvement with Catholic Christian Outreach, a Canadian university movement that encourages evangelization and living a personal relationship with God. It was the Jesuits' radical availability for mission, though, that inspired Marc-André to enter the Society of Jesus. And his formation experience has seen him sent on mission around the world! As you listen to Marc-André’s stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.

Fr. Kevin DePrinzio, OSA, is an Augustinian priest who has known Pope Leo XIV -- his fellow Augustinian friar -- since the late 1990s. Fr. Kevin is now the vice president for mission and ministry at Villanova University outside Philadelphia -- Pope Leo's alma mater -- and he talked to host Mike Jordan Laskey about his connections with the Holy Father, the history and charism of the Augustinian order, and what he thinks we can expect from this historic pontificate. AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project 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 www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Welcome to “Pathway to Priesthood”—a special podcast series from the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. We’re back for season 2! In these conversations, host Eric Clayton talks with Jesuits who are in the final days of preparing for ordination to the priesthood. They reflect back on their vocation stories and experience of Jesuit formation and wrestle with some of the biggest questions surrounding priestly ordination. On this episode, Eric talks with David Inczauskis and they consider what it means to be in religious life and a member of a particular religious community. David shares stories from his Jesuit formation and his experiences working at the frontier of justice. David was born and raised in Illinois. As you’ll hear, he encountered the Jesuits while studying liberation theology at Oxford University. He’s the author of two books: one on Honduran cinema and another on Honduran theater. He’s currently conducting research on critical phenomenology and Latin American liberation philosophy as part of his doctoral program at Loyola University Chicago. As you listen to David’s stories and reflections, consider whether you or someone you know might be interested in discerning a call to Jesuit life. If so, head over to beajesuit.org.

How do you pray with the stars? That’s the question underpinning today’s conversation with returning guest, Br. Guy Consolmagno. Guy is a Jesuit brother and director of the Vatican Observatory. He’s also the author of the new book, “A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars: Exploring Wonder, Beauty and Science.” As you’ll soon learn, Br. Guy is infinitely quotable. Let me give you an example. He writes, “To me, miracles have nothing to do with scientific laws. Rather, a miracle is any remarkable sign that serves to direct our attention to God.” For Br. Guy, that’s what his work in planetary science is all about: How do we better understand God? How do we better see God at work in our world? If you’ve heard Br. Guy speak before, you know he sees no conflict between science and religion. Rather, they’re different forms of knowing, different ways of coming into contact with our God of the universe. What does it mean to pray with the stars? Br. Guy tells the story of how many folks often ask him to explain what the star of Bethlehem was. Stars are his thing, right? He should know! But Br. Guy, true to that quote I read above, isn’t interested in collapsing science into religion or vice versa. What’s the star of Bethlehem? Whatever leads us closer to Christ. But that’s not all. We also talk about how formative science fiction and fantasy have been for Br. Guy’s vocation and about that one time he met William Shatner. Get Br. Guy's book: https://store.loyolapress.com/a-jesuits-guide-to-the-stars Learn more about the Vatican Observatory: https://www.vaticanobservatory.va/en/