Colleen Dulle, author of the compelling new book "Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter," is our guest on this episode of Deacons Pod hosted by the Paulist Deacon Affiliates. Colleen is the Vatican correspondent for America Media where she co-hosts the "Inside the Vatican" podcast. In "Struck Down, Not Destroyed," Colleen shares her personal faith journey and how, at times, her job reporting on the Church has strained that faith. In each chapter, she revisits a recent church crisis and details how, despite feelings of betrayal and hurt, she managed to stay Catholic.

In this episode of Deacons Pod, three of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates take note of some of the things happening in the United States, including the federal government shutdown; the demolition of the White House's East Wing; the banishment of the Pentagon press corps; and more. They also report on happenings in their own ministries and reflect on some of the topics in our recent episodes.

In this special episode of Deacons Pod, Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey and Deacon Mark Asselin remember their moms, Sheila Murphy and Julienne Asselin, who both passed away earlier this year. Deacon Patrick and Deacon Mark share details about their moms' lives and how they each died. The deacons also reflect on how their faith has sustained them over the past year.

In this thought-provoking episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates speak with esteemed Catholic speaker and broadcaster Gloria Purvis. On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, at 6 p.m. Eastern, Gloria will deliver the 2025 Gallagher Talk at the Catholic Information Center, a Paulist Fathers ministry in Grand Rapids, MI, on the topic "The Role of Compassion in a Divided World." Those interested in the Gallagher Talk may register to attend online or in-person.The host of "The Gloria Purvis Podast" from America Media, Gloria recently began a new role at Providence College in Rhode Island as a special advisor for Integral Human Development and Dignity. She also is a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Initiative for Catholic Social Thought and Public Life and serves as a board member of Catholic Charities USA. The Gallagher Talk at the Catholic Information Center in Grand Rapids is named after Paulist Fr. Joseph Gallagher (1923 - 2007).

In this special episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates discuss "the friendship recession" – the possible change in the way adults today experience and maintain friendships, notably due to workplace changes sparked by the COVID pandemic. During their conversation, the deacons consider how "the friendship recession" differs between men and women, as well as the role of friendships in the spiritual life and in parish life. Two recent articles in the secular media inspired this episode. The first was an August 11 column at Fast Company by Mark Crowley called "No one has office friends anymore. Why that’s bad news for employers: How to combat the ‘friendship recession.'"The second article was a May 25 piece in the New York Times by Sam Graham-Felsen called "Where Have All My Deep Male Friendships Gone?"

The new Paulist Press book "Women Responding to the Spirit: Selections from the Madeleva Lectures" is the topic of this special episode of Deacons Pod. Since 1985, the Center for the Study of Spirituality at Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN, has hosted the annual Madeleva Lecture. This book is a one-volume anthology of essential selections from this world-class program. The lectures were delivered by women theologians, scholars of religion, and authors from an array of theological disciplines such as Elizabeth Johnson, Sandra Schneiders, M. Shawn Copeland, Joan Chittister, Kathleen Norris, Ilia Delio, and others. In this episode, Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey, one of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates, interviews the book's editors, Prof. Jessica Coblentz and Prof. Dan Horan. They are both past guests on Deacons Pod to discuss their own books. Prof. Coblentz was a guest in April, 2023. Prof. Horan was a guest in September, 2024.

In this "Back to School" episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates have a wonderful conversation with Marissa Papula, the Director of Campus Ministry at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. They speak about what draws today's college students to Catholic campus ministry; the powerful impact of Kairos weekend retreats; and much more. Marissa also is a contributor to Catholic Women Preach. Earlier this year, she preached for the Second Sunday of Easter.

In this special episode of Deacons Pod, learn about the lives and ministries of our three brand new Paulist Deacon Affiliates. They are Deacon Mike Berstene of Tollan, CT; Deacon Mike Hayes of Cleveland, OH; and Deacon Dennis Rybicki of Grand Rapids, MI.

Rev. Joseph Yoo is an Episcopal priest in Texas with a dynamic presence on Instagram and TikTok. He has a wonderful conversation with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates in this thought-provoking episode of Deacons Pod. Rev. Yoo is the pastor of Mosaic Episcopal Church in Pearland, TX, and author of the book "When the Saints Go Flying In: Stories About Faith, Life, and Everything in Between."

In the wake of the U.S. government's massive cuts to international aid funding, Jesuit Refugee Service USA is persevering in its important work to serve refugees in multiple countries. In this episode of Deacons Pod, Deacon Drew Dickson of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates has a conversation with Hilary Chester, Ph.D., JRS/USA's Vice President for Domestic and Acting Vice President for International Program Operations. Deacon Drew and Dr. Chester speak about how the organization's programs have been impacted by the U.S. funding cuts, as well as how Catholics can assist JRS/USA with political advocacy and private financial contributions. This is the second time the good work of JRS/USA has been featured on Deacons Pod. The organization's past president, Joan Rosenhauer, was a guest in late 2023.

Could "radical non-judgement" be a balm for polarization? Isn't "judging" a necessary part of everyday life? The Paulist Deacon Affiliates consider these questions in this thought-provoking episode of Deacons Pod featuring an interview with Fr. Isaac Slater, OCSO, author of the new Liturgical Press book "Do Not Judge Anyone: Desert Wisdom for a Polarized World." Fr. Isaac is a Trappist monk who lives at the Abbey of the Genesee in Piffard, NY.

Daryl Russell Grigsby, author of the new Paulist Press book "Catholics for the Common Good: An Eternal Offering" is the guest on this episode of Deacons Pod. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates ask Daryl about the 36 contemporary Catholics profiled in the book, each of whom lived the prayer "Make of us an eternal offering to you" in their commitment to the common good and to human flourishing. In particular, the deacons ask Daryl about his accounts of the inspiring lives of Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ, Mary Lou Williams, Fr. Daniel Berrigan, SJ, Sr. Thea Bowman, FPSA, Dr. Paul Farmer, and Sr. Helen Prejean, CSJ. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to inspire and give hope to people on the “threshold of faith”: Those who are thinking about going to Church and those who are thinking about leaving Church. Deacons Pod is hosted by the Paulist Deacon affiliates. The podcast is a production of the Paulist Fathers. More at ⁠⁠deaconspod.com

Mollie Wilson O'Reilly, Editor-at-Large of Commonweal Magazine, is our guest on this episode of Deacons Pod. The Paulist Deacon Affiliates ask Mollie about her early impressions of Pope Leo XIV; the role of LGBTQ+ people and women in the Church; and why she remains a Catholic when the Church seems to be stuck in some ways. They also chat about Mollie's reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Easter shared by the Catholic Women Preach initiative. Hear more from Mollie on Bluesky.

"You will find your place in the Church. Everyone has one. It may not seem obvious at first where that place is. But everyone has a place inside the Church," says Paulist Deacon Ben Chisholm in this episode of Deacons Pod. Deacon Ben, a Paulist seminarian, is slated to be ordained a priest during a Mass on Saturday, May 17, 2025. He is to be ordained alongside Paulist Deacon Chris Malano, who was our guest on last week's episode of Deacons Pod. This episode was recorded on Friday morning, May 9, 2025, the day after the election of Pope Leo XIV, and includes reactions to the historic news. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to inspire and give hope to people on the “threshold of faith”: Those who are thinking about going to Church and those who are thinking about leaving Church. Deacons Pod is hosted by the Paulist Deacon affiliates. The podcast is a production of the Paulist Fathers. More at ⁠deaconspod.com

In this episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates have a wonderful conversation with Paulist Deacon Chris Malano. He is a Paulist seminarian and transitional deacon who is slated to be ordained a priest on Saturday, May 17, 2025. He is to be ordained a priest alongside Paulist Deacon Ben Chisholm, who will be a guest on a future episode of Deacons Pod.

In this special episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates celebrate the life and legacy of Pope Francis, who entered eternal life on April 21, 2025.

The Paulist Deacon Affiliates recorded this episode of Deacons Pod on Holy Saturday to discuss their consolations and desolations in Lent, 2025, and about how to continue nurturing hope in the Easter season. The deacons also chat about the past two prior Deacons Pod episodes in August, 2022, and October, 2023, featuring Judge Ester Salas, a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey who has publicly forgiven the man who murdered her son and shot her husband in 2020. Judge Salas was recently interviewed on television about new menacing actions directed toward judges and their families.

"I don't have optimism, I have hope – which is a theological virtue. They can't touch my hope but my optimism is in short supply," says Deacon Dennis Dolan in this episode of Deacons Pod. Deacon Dennis and Deacon Drew Dickson, two of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates, host this episode that looks at both a memorable Gospel reading of Lent and troubling issues raised by recent actions of the U.S. federal government. This episode also includes Deacons Pod's first podcast crossover: The inclusion of a powerful interview from a recent episode of "The Francis Effect" podcast between Heidi Schlumpf and Meghan Clark, a professor of moral theology at St John’s University in New York City. In the interview, Professor Clark outlines the devastating impact of the recent federal funding cuts for USAID and Catholic Relief Services.

Could we just skip Thanksgiving dinner when we don't want to talk to our relatives about politics? Do we really need to have that hard conversation with our boss or a coworker? How do we talk to grandpa when the time comes to take away his car keys? These are some of the examples mentioned in this special episode of Deacons Pod in which the Paulist Deacon Affiliates interview Bob Bordone, co-author of the new book "Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In." A longtime professor of law, Bob is founder of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program and founder of the Cambridge Negotiation Institute. He also is a member of the Paulist Center in Boston and a member of the advisory board for the Paulist Initiative on Polarization. ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to inspire and give hope to people on the “threshold of faith”: Those who are thinking about going to Church and those who are thinking about leaving Church. Deacons Pod is hosted by the Paulist Deacon affiliates. The podcast is a production of the Paulist Fathers. More at deaconspod.com

In this episode of Deacons Pod, the Paulist Deacon Affiliates speak with Fr. Robin Ryan, CP, author of the new Paulist Press book "Life is Changed, Not Ended: An Introduction to Christian Eschatology." Christian eschatology is the study of the "last things" including death, immortality of the soul, resurrection, and the end of time. Fr. Ryan's book ends with a reflection on Julian of Norwich's teaching about hope grounded in the love of God as exemplified by the passion of Christ, and considering the mystery of suffering. A member of the Passionists, Fr. Ryan is professor of systematic theology and director of the Master of Arts in the theology program at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He also is author of the Paulist Press books "God and the Mystery of Human Suffering" and "Gazing on the Face of Christ: A Christ-Centered Spirituality." ABOUT THE SHOW: Deacons Pod is a podcast for everyone. But, it’s especially created to inspire and give hope to people on the “threshold of faith”: Those who are thinking about going to Church and those who are thinking about leaving Church. Deacons Pod is hosted by the Paulist Deacon affiliates. The podcast is a production of the Paulist Fathers. More at deaconspod.com