Ave Spotlight

Episode 13: Forming & Fostering Community

November 9th, 2020  |  20 mins 11 secs

ave maria press, community, faith, family, gathering together

Catherine Fowler Sample, author of Gather Together and creator of The Dating Project documentary, shares how forming community is essential to our faith and valuable for our well-being and happiness. Fowler Sample offers tips on ways we can foster friendships and relationships even during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Learning New Saints

November 2nd, 2020  |  16 mins 23 secs

ave spotlight, catholicism, saints

Meg Hunter-Kilmer, a Catholic blogger and speaker who is known as the "Hobo for Christ," discusses how learning the stories of the saints, especially those who are lesser-known, is an opportunity to grow in personal holiness.

Episode 12: Preparing for Advent

October 26th, 2020  |  14 mins 38 secs

Tommy McGrady, a high school teacher and coauthor of Advent and Christmas: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens, shares ways to intentionally prepare for Advent and enter into the new liturgical year with purpose and a desire to pray daily.

Episode 11: The Indispensable Role of Women in the Church

October 19th, 2020  |  24 mins 34 secs

ave maria press, catholicism, church, women

Jessica McMillan explores the role of women in ministry and authority in the Church. She also discusses women’s understanding of themselves, what they have to offer, and their unique wisdom and insight.

Episode 10: Christ in the Storm

October 12th, 2020  |  22 mins 32 secs

ave explores, ave spotlight, catholicism, covid-19, faith, pontifex, pope francis, rome, urbi et orbi, vatican

Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, an acquisitions editor at Ave Maria Press, reflects on the extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing from Pope Francis on March 27th, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains that the new book Christ in the Storm is a school of prayer for those who find themselves navigating challenging times.

Episode 9: The Family That Prays Together...

October 5th, 2020  |  31 mins 36 secs

ave maria press, family, family theater company, fr. patrick peyton, pray, prayer

Fr. David Guffey, C.S.C., shares the story of Venerable Patrick Peyton, the founder of Family Rosary who is famous for the phrase “The family that prays together stays together.” The forthcoming documentary Pray tells the story of Peyton’s life and shows how his wisdom can help families navigate media today.

Episode 8: Discerning Truth & Civil Discourse

September 28th, 2020  |  24 mins 10 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, civil discourse, conversations, dialogue, political, politics, truth

Ann M. Garrido, professor of homiletics at the Aquinas Institute of Theology and author of Let’s Talk About Truth, explains the definition of “truth,” how we determine what truth is, and how we can use truth to engage in civil discourse and grow in relationship with others.

Episode 7: Black Lives are Sacred

September 21st, 2020  |  23 mins 27 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, black lives matter, blm, catholicism, faith, racism

Chenele Shaw talks about her experiences of racism and how it’s affected her relationship with God and explains how recognizing and resting in the sacredness of Black lives is more important than merely acknowledging that Black lives matter.

Episode 6: Sharing Faith with Kids

September 14th, 2020  |  24 mins 17 secs

ave maria press, catechism, catholic, catholicism, faith, faith sharing, jared dees, religion, religion teacher

Catholic author and speaker Jared Dees talks about how sharing faith with kids is not only an essential part of the mission of a family, but a great way for parents to engage more with the faith themselves.

Episode 5: Parenting through the Pandemic

September 7th, 2020  |  58 mins 7 secs

ave explores, ave maria press, catholicism, covid-19, faith, family, gaffigan, pandemic

Ave Spotlight features a special rebroadcast of the episode from Ave Explores: Catholic Family Life with actress, writer, and producer Jeannie Gaffigan, who shares the challenges and joys of being quarantined with her husband comedian Jim Gaffigan and their five children during the pandemic.

Episode 4: Taking a Social Media Break

August 31st, 2020  |  23 mins 11 secs

ave maria press, ave spotlight, catholic, catholicism, fast, racism, social media

Catholic speaker and author Chika Anyanwu shares about her recent decision to take a break from social media, not only to use her time better, but also to focus on the voice of Jesus in her life and to return to deeper prayer.

Episode 3: Helping Teens Transition to the New School Year

August 24th, 2020  |  22 mins 1 sec

anxiety, ave maria press, catholic, coronavirus, covid-19, cross, pandemic, parents, roy petitfils, school opening, students, teachers, teenagers, transition

Roy Petitfils, a licensed professional counselor, speaker, and the author of Helping Teens with Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, talks about how to help teens and young adults get back into the routine of the new school year. Petitfils suggests how everyone can achieve a sense of normalcy and balance by keeping their eyes focused on the Cross.

Episode 2: Dealing with Anxiety

August 17th, 2020  |  21 mins 28 secs

anxiety, ave maria press, catholicism, covid-19, faith, pandemic, university of notre dame

Gary Zimak, author of Give Up Worry for Lent! And the forthcoming Let Go of Anger and Stress!, joins the show to discuss how to deal with anxiety and fear of the unknown, especially during the pandemic. He also chats about rules for schools opening and share their hopes for the week.

Episode 1: Introducing Ave Spotlight

August 10th, 2020  |  24 mins 56 secs

Introducing Ave Spotlight with a brief discussion of Taylor Swift’s new album, Folklore and an overview the vision for this new show: hope as an anchor for all Christians, especially as we face an uncertain and potentially stressful fall.