Ave Spotlight

Episode 107: Faith in the Unexpected with Allison Gingras

November 28th, 2022  |  26 mins 17 secs

allison gingras, ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic podcast, chenele shaw, encountering signs of faith, sacramentals

Allison Gingras, author of Encountering Signs of Faith, shares the story of how her daughter's adoption helped her trust and encounter the Lord. Allison and Chenele also talk about sacramentals and how they help us to learn about the faith in unexpected ways.

Episode 106: Let's Talk Mass with Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP

November 14th, 2022  |  25 mins 49 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, busted halo, catholic mass, chenele shaw, csp, fr. dave dwyer, mass class, sirius/xm radio, the catholic channel

Have you ever had questions about the Catholic faith? Perhaps you were confused about something you heard at Sunday Mass? You are not alone.

This week Chenele and Busted Halo's Fr. Dave Dwyer, CSP, discuss ways to learn more about the faith and avoid simply going through the motions. They also talk about Fr. Dave's new book Mass Class and the questions he is most frequently asked about Catholicism.

Episode 105: 5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath

October 31st, 2022  |  22 mins 24 secs

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In this episode of, Chenele and Lisa Hendey, founder of the award-winning CatholicMom.com and author of 5-Minute Prayers Around the Advent Wreath, talk about how to incorporate the Advent wreath into your seasonal traditions while building community and getting out of your normal routine.

Episode 104: Misconceptions of Vatican II with Fr. Blake Britton

October 17th, 2022  |  26 mins 30 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, chenele shaw, fr. blake britton, reclaiming vatican ii, vatican ii

The 60th anniversary of the opening of Vatican II was October 11, 2022. There have been a lot of misunderstandings about what really happened during the council. Fr. Blake Britton, author of Reclaiming Vatican II, joins Chenele to address common misconceptions, why the liturgy is a priority, and hope for the faith of millennials.

Episode 103: Best of Ave Spotlight: The 5 Stages of Self-Change with Regina Boyd

October 3rd, 2022  |  29 mins 4 secs

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Listen to licensed counselor Regina Boyd discuss the challenges of self-change and how we can take action to improve our lives.

Episode 102: The Power of Invitation: A Conversion Story with Santonio Hill

September 19th, 2022  |  30 mins 58 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, chenele shaw, conversion story, santonio hill, vagabond ministries

Join Chenele as she talks with Santonio Hill of Vagabond Missions about his conversion story and how a simple invitation brought the Lord into his life. We are excited for you to hear it.

Episode 101: Giving Thanks and Letting Go with Danielle Bean

September 6th, 2022  |  25 mins 23 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic podcast, chenele shaw, danielle bean, giving thanks and letting go

Danielle Bean joins Chenele to talk about sending your child to college, supporting their independence, and parental paranoia. Danielle shares her personal testimony of trusting God, and what she would tell her younger self.

Episode 100: Celebrating the 100th Episode of Ave Spotlight

August 22nd, 2022  |  22 mins 25 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic podcast, chenele shaw, katie prejean mcgrady

This week we're celebrating the 100th episode of Ave Spotlight! Join host Chenele Shaw and former host Katie Prejean McGrady as they chat about how it feels to host their own show, their favorite episodes, and what gives them hope.

Episode 99: Host Chenele Shares Her Story of Reversion to the Faith

August 8th, 2022  |  12 mins 57 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic faith, chenele shaw, conversion stories

In the final episode of the Ave Spotlights ummer conversion story series, host Chenele Shaw shares her own inspiring story of hope--from getting kicked out of high school to managing a Philly cheesesteak restaurant to becoming director of youth ministry for the Diocese of Orlando.

Episode 98: Leah Darrow on the Power of Personal Development

July 25th, 2022  |  34 mins 50 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, chenele shaw, christocentric personal development program, conversion story, leah darrow, power made perfect

This week Chenele Shaw chats with Leah Darrow of Power Made Perfect, her new Christocentric personal development program. Darrow talks about being your best self and shares about her powerful conversion from despair and shame to hope, mercy, and the love of Jesus.

Episode 97: Eve Tushnet on How the Truth and Beauty of Catholicism Led to Her Conversion

July 11th, 2022  |  22 mins 55 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic faith, chenele shaw, conversion from judaism to catholicism, eve tushnet, gay and catholic, tenderness, truth and beauty

Chenele chats with Eve Tushnet about her conversion to Catholicism. After being deeply inspired by the reliquaries of the Church, Tushnet explored the faith more intentionally and was moved by the beauty and truth of Catholicism. She also shares some insight on how to discuss the topic of conversion with others.

Episode 96: Leah Libresco Sargeant on Her Conversion from Atheism to Catholicism

June 27th, 2022  |  20 mins 32 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic podcast, chenele shaw, conversion stories, from atheism to catholicism, leah libresco sargeant

Chenele talks with Leah Libresco Sargeant about her conversion from atheism to Catholicism. After many debates during college, Sargeant was inspired to investigate Catholicism more fully by the faithful witness of her peers. She also offers suggestions about how to engage in healthy debates with those who have different beliefs.

Episode 95: Gloria Purvis on Her Conversion to the Catholic Faith

June 13th, 2022  |  30 mins 6 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic faith, catholic podcast, chenele shaw, conversion story, gloria purvis, pro-life, sacredness and dignity of black lives

In this episode, Chenele Shaw chats with Gloria Purvis about her conversion to Catholicism when she was twelve years old after encountering the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration. Although her parents were not Catholic, they supported her passion to witness to the faith as an advocate for the sacredness and dignity of the unborn, and Black lives.

Episode 94: Best of Ave Spotlight: Saints who Struggled with Mental Issues with Tommy Tighe

May 30th, 2022  |  28 mins 36 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, chenele shaw, mental health and the saints, st. dymphna's playbook, tommy tighe

You loved this episode from Tommy Tighe so much that we have brought it back! We hope you enjoy this new feature of Ave Spotlight in which we replay these "best of" episodes from time to time.

Oscar Romero. Dorothy Day. Thérèse of Lisieux. Edith Stein. All these great saints struggled with their mental health.

Join Chenele Shaw and mental health counselor Tommy Tighe on this special episode where they talk about saints who strove for holiness and brought their mental struggles to the Lord.

Episode 93: Female Doctors of the Church and Spiritual Direction with Vinita Hampton Wright

May 16th, 2022  |  27 mins 55 secs

and hildegard of bingen, ave maria press, ave spotlight, catherine of siena, chenele shaw, female doctors of the church, ignatian spirituality, set the world on fire, spiritual direction, teresa of avila, thérèse of lisieux, vinita hampton wright

Are you interested in spiritual direction but not sure how to get started? 

Join us this week as Chenele talks with Vinita Hampton Wright about the difference between spiritual direction and therapy, why it is valuable to one's faith journey, and how to find a spiritual director. Wright also introduces us to her new book, Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church. 

Episode 92: Integrating Work and Faith with John Cannon of SENT Ventures

May 2nd, 2022  |  20 mins 24 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, chenele shaw, faith and work, john cannon, sent ventures

Do you wish your work culture reflected the values of your Catholic faith?

Join Chenele Shaw and John Cannon, founder of SENT Ventures—an organization that supports and mentors Catholic entrepreneurs— as they discuss how change in the workplace begins with one person who wants to grow in holiness. Cannon encourages those he mentors—and you—to be more intentional about scheduling time for prayer, Mass, community involvement, rest, and other practices that will allow God to work through you.