The Follow to Lead Podcast

#76: “True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church” with Francis X. Maier, a Senior Fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC

There has been a lot of criticism of the Catholic Church in the United States, but few critics of the Church have taken the time to really talk with her people. The book “True Confessions: Voices of Faith from a Life in the Church” by Francis X. Maier, fills that vacuum, as he talked with 103 bishops, priests, deacons and lay people from every walk of life. 

In this episode of "Follow to Lead," we’ll be talking about this book with Mr. Maier and what we can learn about the church as well as today’s Catholic educational experience.

As a Senior Fellow in the Catholic Studies Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, DC, Mr. Maier’s work focuses on the intersection of Christian faith, culture, and public life, with special attention to lay formation and action.

#75: “A Spotlight on Science” with Dr. Brett Salkeld, author, speaker and theologian.

This week’s Follow to Lead puts the spotlight on teaching science in Catholic Schools. The program features a returning guest, Dr. Brett Salkeld, author, speaker, and  Archdiocesan Theologian for the Archdiocese of Regina in Saskatchewan, Canada. In August, we talked with Brett about his new book: “Educating for Eternity: A Teacher’s Companion for Making Every Class Catholic.” For this program, we are drilling down into his chapter on science in the classroom.

#74: "Mary’s Marines are Ready to Serve" with Mark Middendorf, President of Ave Maria University

Ave Maria University has begun an interesting group called, “Mary’s Marines,” where students make a daily commitment to spend time with Jesus as part of its own Eucharistic Revival. In addition to their time in adoration, each student will read through the Bible in a year and have a religious sister paired with them to pray for them. Join Ave Maria President Mark Middendorf as we learn more about this amazing ministry.

#73: “Souls in the Game” with Fr. Peter Schirippa, and Deacon/Seminarian Marcelo Ferrari

This week on Follow to Lead, we will be talking with our two guests about a new video called “Souls in the Game,” produced by St. John’s Seminary and the Archdiocese of Boston.  This new 30-minute documentary that tells the story of seminary formation and the building of community that goes beyond theology and philosophy classes to the basketball court.

#72: “Looking Back and Looking Forward, with Kyle Pietrantonio, Executive Director of DIA

On January 5 we begin our fourth year of programming for Follow to Lead. We are turning the tables on our co-host Kyle Pietrantonio, and interviewing him about the past, present and future of the Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative. Coming out of a strong year of events in 2023, the new year promises to open up even more opportunities for teachers, administrators and future teachers.

The link for the video of DIA Summit 2023 can be found at https://vimeo.com/880588693. 

#71: Christmas ENCORE - Encountering the Eucharist through the Veil Removed with Chris Magruder

Merry Christmas! On behalf of everyone at the Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative and the Follow to Lead Podcast, we want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

During this Christmas season, we want to share with you one of our most popular episodes from April of 2021 - Encountering the Eucharist through “The Veil Removed,” with Chris Magruder. “The Veil Removed” is a short film that portrays the Mass in a new and beautiful way, giving us a new awareness that this is a time and place where heaven and earth touch. I have seen this film dozens of times and am deeply moved every time. You can view this amazing film at theveilremoved.com.

#70 - ENCORE: Exploring the Opportunity of Becoming a DIA Fellow

Today, we’re going to be revisiting the DIA Fellows program through an ENCORE of the program “Exploring the Opportunity of Becoming a DIA Fellow.” This Fellows program provides administrators, teachers and campus ministers the structure and space for a year-long experience supporting and encouraging candidates to take their school or diocese to the next level, grow as a Catholic educator, and become a beacon of light for passionately Catholic education and the Catholic Church at-large.

Hear from two past Fellows about the rewards of taking part in this important DIA program, how it impacted their school communities and their own spirituality. We have two DIA Fellow graduates, Carol Szymanski from St. John XXIII College Preparatory School in Katy, TX and Austin Krause, Director of Campus Ministry at St. James Academy in Lenexa, KS.

We would like to invite you to consider taking part in the the 2024 Cohort of DIA Fellows, and in the process take your community to new heights, while impacting your own spirituality. The application deadline is December 15, 2023. You can find more information on our website at diaschools.org. 

#69: Encountering Beauty in a Noisy Culture with Jimmy Mitchell, Dir. of Campus Ministry, Jesuit Tampa

On this episode of Follow to Lead, we will be talking with Jimmy Mitchell, Director of Campus Ministry, and hear the story of an amazing “culture of conversion” that exists at Jesuit High School, Tampa, Florida. Students are encountering the Lord and being transformed as they experience the beauty of the Gospel in word, deed and visually. We will also talk to Jimmy about his new book: “Let Beauty Speak: The Art of Being Human in a Culture of Noise.”

#68 - Encountering the Eucharist in Parishes and Schools - Kris Frank, Chief Mission Officer, National Eucharistic Congress

As Chief Mission Officer for the National Eucharistic Congress, Kris Frank supports the work in parishes and schools in bringing about a great embrace of Eucharistic life. Part of this support is coming through a new resource for Faith Formation called, “Jesus and the Eucharist.” In addition to talking about the National Congress, Kris also shares some great ways that parishes and schools can come alive during the Eucharistic Revival.

#67: Exploring the Journey to Excellence Academy. With Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ, President of the Magis Center

October is Fr. Robert Spitzer month as he will be joining us for both podcasts. On this episode we will be discussing the Journey to Excellence Academy for Professional Development from the Magis Center. As the Center President, Fr. Spitzer will share with us about their mission to provide faith-focused professional development for Catholic leaders..

 

Fr. Robert Spitzer, is a Catholic Priest in the Jesuit order and President of the Magis Center in Garden Grove, CA. He was formerly the President of Gonzaga University and currently appears weekly on EWTN in “Father Spitzer’s Universe.”