What does it mean to be a woman and what does it mean to be a human person?
In an age which seems unable to answer fundamental questions about the nature and identity of the human person, what can Mary teach us about how we can present this fundamental truth of human dignity anew to the modern world?
In her lecture, Sr Carino Hodder OP explores what Mary teaches us about the dignity of all human beings, through the thought of St Pope St John Paul II.
In her response, renowned British journalist Mary Harrington explores Mary through the joyful mysteries of the rosary, a series of stories that highlight the dignity and mystery of motherhood.
Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our studio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CTSStudios
---- Chapters(0:00) Intro(1:52) Sr Carino's opening remarks(5:27) Mary's Magnificat (7:37) How God reveals Himself in relationships (9:51) Genesis: Created Male & Female(11:46) Human Dignity (14:26) Modern Gender Ideology(16:31) What is the human person for?(19:22) Mary's words to Bernadette(22:41) Discovering your identity(25:50) God's vision of Motherhood(29:49) Modern confusion about gender(32:47) Motherhood, vulnerability & power(36:54) Forming the conscience(43:52) Renovating sanctuaries of human dignity(49:28) Mary Harrington's opening remarks(52:32) What does it mean to be a mum?(54:52) What is in the Mother-shaped blindspot?(57:40) The Annunciation (59:16) The Visitation(1:00:41) The Birth of Jesus (1:02:17) The Presentation in the Temple(1:03:48) The Finding of Jesus in the Temple(1:05:29) Motherhood & dignity
----
Sr Carino Hodder OP is a Dominican Sister of St Joseph based in the New Forest, Portsmouth Diocese, where she assists her community with their apostolate of adult faith formation and catechetical training, Light of Truth. She also writes regularly for publications including The Lamp Magazine and Plough Quarterly, and is the author of 'The Dignity of Women in the Modern World' published by the Catholic Truth Society.
The book: https://www.ctsbooks.org/product/the-dignity-of-women-in-the-modern-world/
Sr Carino on Substack: https://substack.com/@srcarino
The Dominican Sisters of St Joseph: https://www.dominicansisters.net/
Mary Harrington is a contributing editor at UnHerd and author of Feminism Against Progress. Mary on Substack: https://substack.com/@reactionaryfeminist
With thanks to the Rosary Shrine for allowing CTS to film their annual lecture. Discover their ministry here: https://rosaryshrine.co.uk/
When we lose someone we love, life can feel deeply changed. How do we find God in this experience of grief?
When Br Giovanni Castellano's father died suddenly, he soon found himself writing. It wasn't long until he had written a whole book of his spiritual reflections on grief.
In this episode, Piero and Br Giovanni explore a Catholic understanding of what happens when we die, how to find God in grief, purgatory, CS Lewis's experience of grief and why we should pray for the dead.
Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our studio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CTSStudios
(00:00) Intro
(2:51) Why write a book about death?
(4:48) Experiencing a sudden death
(6:24) 'Sister Death'
(10:46) Can you know if someone is in heaven?
(13:11) Theology & experience of bereavement
(15:10) How to find God in grief
(16:55) How God spoke through others
(20:58) Last Words & Regret
(25:00) Strength in absence
(27:16) Momento Mori
(31:35) Reflecting on mortality
(33:12) God speaks in our lowest moments
(36:00) Praying for the Dead
(42:03) What is Purgatory?
(47:58) What is Heaven like?
(50:57) Advice for those grieving
Today, St John Henry Newman is declared a Doctor of the Church! This has only happened to 38 people in the history of the Church, so why Newman? What did he contribute to the Catholic Church? What did he help us to understand about the life of faith?In this episode, Piero talks to Fr George Bowen, who was instrumental in Newman becoming a saint and in him becoming a Doctor of the Church. Together, they explore what Newman told us about how God speaks to us, how doctrine develops, how his work on conscience inspired resistance to the Nazis and how he lived his life in pursuit of truth.(0:00) Intro(4:19) What is a Doctor of the Church?(7:15) Newman's letters & diaries(8:28) What were Newman's main insights?(15:00) Newman's search for the truth (20:00) Newman on Conscience (23:00) Being awakened by the truth(26:20) How do we come to have faith?(28:34) An English Doctor of the Church(31:39) Where should you start reading Newman? (33:12) The Brompton Oratory(34:30) Newman for the English Church (36:33) Fr George's journey with Newman(38:16) Newman on friendship
In today's society, many people have experienced the pain of broken sexual relationships and the confusion of attempts to redefine what it means to be male and female. What if there is a better vision for sex and gender? What did God intend when He created us male and female?
When Christopher West & Mike Mangione were in London for their event 'The Well', they joined Pierpaolo to talk about St Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. They explore why the Sexual Revolution didn’t free us, how contraception harms couples, the mystery of being created male and female and where to take our desire for more.
Enjoying our content? Please consider supporting our studio on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CTSStudios
You can find out more about Christopher's work here: https://tobinstitute.org/& you can discover Mike's music here: https://www.mikemangione.com/
(0:00) Intro(3:09) How is Theology of the Body doing?(5:57) What John Paul II foresaw(8:52) Why gender is under attack(11:03) Altering the body(17:08) Has Theology of the Body been understood?(20:48) Mike & Christopher's collaboration(27:42) What do you worship?(31:56) Young people seeking more(34:40) Created for more
Author Fr Antonio Ritaccio joins the podcast this week to talk his new CTS book, 'Finding God in Anxiety and Depression'.In this very practical episode, Fr Antonio explores what we mean when we use the words anxiety and depression, what to do if you suffer from them, Catholic teaching about suicide and why forgiving those in our lives who cause us pain allows us to live more freely.
(0:00) Intro
(3:44) Depression in my family home
(5:37) Defining Anxiety & Depression
(9:01) Gen Z: The Anxious Generation
(13:24) The four elements of depression
(18:18) Mental Health & Spirituality
(25:09) Understanding Suicide
(32:16) The need for community
(36:45) How to forgive
(43:11) Why do bad things happen to good people?
(50:05) How to find God in our suffering
(1:00:21) Advice for those struggling
Want to go deeper? Get the book here: https://www.ctsbooks.org/product/finding-god-in-anxiety-and-depression/
About the book:When you’re navigating anxiety and depression, it’s hard not to feel abandoned by God.
However, in Finding God in Anxiety and Depression, Fr Antonio Ritaccio reveals how mental health struggles can lead to deeper intimacy with Him.
Accessible, honest and rooted in Catholic spirituality, this book offers practical ways to find hope, healing and meaning amid your suffering.
What do we know about Pope Leo XIV? First of all, he is an Augustinian!
The Augustinians are a religious order of friars who live out the spirituality of St Augustine of Hippo, the author of the spiritual classic, 'Confessions'.
Piero met up with Fr Gladson Dabre, Provincial of the Augustinians in Britain, to explore what we can expect from Pope Leo's leadership.
St Augustine was the author of the highly influential works 'Confessions' and 'The City of God' - both of which Fr Gladson explores, before unpacking how they might influence Pope Leo's leadership of the Catholic Church.
Did you know that Church attendance in the UK is growing, especially among young people? This year, 'The Quiet Revival Report' demonstrated that Church decline in England and Wales has not only stopped, but the Church is growing, as Gen Z leads an exciting turnaround.The authors of our new book, 'After Secularisation' joined us to explore that Catholic story of The Quiet Revival, live at our book launch at WeBelieve Festival!Authors Bernadette Durcan, Dr Hannah Vaughan-Spruce & Professor Stephen Bullivant explore what happens after a society has become as secular as it can, how COVID changed things and why young men seem to be leading this renewal in the Church.You can get the book here: https://ctsbooks.org/after-secularisation/
And you can find out more about WeBelieve Festival here: https://webelievefestival.com
'The question what is a woman rests on a prior question which is what is a person?'This week, we have a great guest with us, Dominican sister Sr Carino Hodder OP, author of the new book, 'The Dignity of Women in the Modern World'!In this episode, Piero and Sr Carino explore her conversion from new atheism and her journey to becoming a nun, why a feminism that asks women to be like men doesn't work, St Pope John Paul II's call for women to create a new feminism and why feminists are coming to catholic conclusions.In the book, Sr Carino invites us to look directly at woman in the light of God and find her true meaning, offering an inspired and inspiring understanding of woman’s nature and mission as virgin, bride, and mother, shaped by the nature and mission of the Church herself, the Bride of Christ.You can get the book here: https://www.ctsbooks.org/product/the-dignity-of-women-in-the-modern-world/
How did the first Christians sing their prayers? What traditions did they draw on? And how do we sing our prayers today?
Sir James MacMillan is one of today’s most successful composers and performs internationally as a conductor. In this podcast, we explore how his Scottish heritage and Catholic faith inform his work as a composer and the contribution he has made to Church music.
Sir James explains how the Christian faith shaped Western Music as a whole and how the Jewish chant of Jesus' day went on to develop the Church's tradition of Gregorian Chant.
Drawing from their experience of parenting ten children, Mike and Alicia Hernon of the Messy Family Project share how to reveal God’s love to the world through your marriage and family, the keys to authentic parenting, how to nurture the Catholic faith at home, and why accepting the joyful messiness of life is essential for raising a happy, holy family.
Learn more about the Messy Family Project: https://messyfamilyproject.org/
Catholic books for families: http://bit.ly/4eSsl6A
Catholic children's books: https://bit.ly/3ICJ41n
If "wellbeing" and "self-care" are supposed to make us happy, why are we unhappier than ever? Professor Jacob Phillips explores how today's therapeutic trends measure up against the Catholic vision of true human flourishing.
Why do children need real heroes, clear villains, and fairy tales that tell the truth?
Author Haley Stewart joins Into the Truth to explore how stories shape children’s imagination, prepare them for the Gospel, and why today’s Disney falls short. From Tolkien and Jane Austen to Harry Potter and the Brothers Grimm, this is a call to reclaim storytelling that forms virtue and reveals eternal truths.
✏️ Haley's Substack: https://haleystewart.substack.com/📚 More from CTS: https://www.ctsbooks.org/
What if belief in God isn’t about blind faith, but about asking the right questions?
Join Dominican sister and Catholic theologian Sr Hyacinthe Defos du Rau as she explores what we can truly know about God, and how reason and faith work together in the search for meaning. Together with Pierpaolo Finaldi, Sr Hyacinthe touches on some of the big questions in Catholic theology - who God is, how Christian hope offers strength in uncertain times, and how faith helps us make sense of what we see and feel in the world around us.
What does it mean to say that God is love? How do we respond when prayers seem to go unanswered? Why is belief in God deeply relevant in today's world? Find answers in this insightful episode and learn why ultimately, belief in God isn't irrational at all, but a reasonable conclusion.
About This Week's Guest:
Sr Hyacinthe is a Dominican Sister of St Joseph based in the New Forest, England. Originally from France, she discovered her vocation in her late teens and joined the community in 2000. She has worked extensively in catechesis and adult faith formation, and now leads Light of Truth, an initiative offering live, online theological training. Sr Hyacinthe is known for combining deep theological insight with a passion for evangelisation and a commitment to making the Catholic faith accessible, grounded and alive.
Explore the work of Sr Hyacinthe and her community:
Explore "Light of Truth" faith formation by the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph: https://www.lightoftruth.uk/
Find out more about the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph: https://www.dominicansisters.net/
More from the Catholic Truth Society:
What do Catholics believe? https://bit.ly/3YV1srV
Get email updates from Into the Truth: https://bit.ly/3H809jm
What does the Bible really say about power, politics, and peace in our divided world?
In this compelling episode of Into the Truth, Pierpaolo Finaldi sits down with one of the most influential New Testament scholars of our time - Professor N.T. Wright - for a wide-ranging and refreshingly honest conversation on faith, culture, and scripture.
Filmed at the Bishop Barron Conference on the Bible in East
London, this dialogue moves beyond stereotypes and easy answers to explore how Christians - Catholics and Protestants alike - might faithfully respond to the "powers and principalities" at work in the modern world.
The conversation explores:
* The spiritual forces behind our political and cultural crises
* What St Paul teaches us about empires, identity, and resistance
* Whether "wokeism" is a Christian heresy or a call for justice gone awry
* Christian nationalism, post-liberalism, and the danger of distorting the Gospel
* Why the Church must be a "working model of new creation"
* How listening - truly listening - can open hearts to the Gospel
Drawing from his latest book "Jesus and the Powers", Wright urges a rediscovery of biblical values - not as nostalgia, but as radical, transformative hope. With insight into scripture, early Church history, and contemporary society, this episode offers a deep yet accessible entry point for Christians seeking to engage the world without losing their soul.
Is assisted suicide really about dignity - or is there another agenda here?
In this episode of Into the Truth, Pierpaolo Finaldi speaks to Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP about the growing push for assisted suicide and euthanasia. As a Dominican friar, bioethicist, and Archbishop of Sydney, he brings a Catholic perspective to this urgent debate, challenging the cultural shift towards normalising death on demand.
* What does true compassion look like in end-of-life care?
* How does assisted suicide undermine medical ethics and the doctor-patient relationship?
* What lessons can we learn from countries where euthanasia is already legal?
* What meaning can be found in suffering?
* What role does faith play in shaping a culture of life?
Beyond the legal and ethical concerns, Archbishop Fisher reflects on the broader societal implications: how Western secularism, declining faith, and the loss of transcendence have contributed to a culture that sees death as a solution rather than a passage to eternal life with God.
If you care about ethics, human dignity, and the sanctity of life, or if you're not sure what to think about the UK's current push for assisted suicide, this discussion is a must-watch.
💬 What do you think? Join the conversation in the comments!
Follow Into the Truth for more in-depth Catholic discussions!
Is Eucharistic Adoration worth your time?
Archbishop John Wilson’s faith journey began as an Anglican teenager, but an encounter with the Eucharist changed everything. Drawn by the profound reality of Christ’s Real Presence, he found himself on a path he never expected - a path that led him to convert to Catholicism and eventually become a Catholic priest. Now the Archbishop of Southwark, he shares how Eucharistic Adoration continues to transform lives, deepen faith, and renew the Church.
In this powerful episode of Into the Truth, Archbishop John Wilson explores how being in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is not just a Catholic tradition, but a personal encounter with Christ that can lead to profound conversion. Whether you've experienced Adoration before or are curious, this discussion will challenge and encourage you to seek Jesus in the Eucharist like never before.
Discover more about the beauty of Eucharistic Adoration: https://loom.ly/xMGKohg
Has the stunning beauty of a grand cathedral ever directed your heart to the need for something Higher? Specifically, has it ever directed you to God?In this episode, we sit down with Fr Lawrence Lew OP, a Dominican priest, photographer, and author, to explore the power of beauty in faith, the symbolism woven into church architecture, and the challenge of modern consumerism.As we scroll past endless images on social media, have we lost our ability to truly see? Have sacred spaces become just another tourist attraction, rather than a place to encounter God?Join us as we rediscover the purpose of beauty - not as an end in itself, but as a sign pointing us to something far greater.📖 Check out "Entering Heaven on Earth", Fr Lawrence’s latest book on church symbolism and sacred art: https://www.ctsbooks.orgentering-heaven-on-earth/📸 Follow his photography for stunning images of Catholic heritage: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/
Why is it that in a world more connected than ever, so many of us feel lonely? What does true friendship look like - and can we really be friends with Jesus?
In this episode of Into the Truth, Peirpaolo Finaldi sits down with Fr Philip Caldwell, a priest of the Salford Diocese and a new CTS author, to explore the profound theme of friendship with Christ. Drawing from his latest book, Friends of Jesus: A Lenten Meditation, Fr Philip shares his insights on how Jesus formed friendships, what those relationships reveal about His identity, and how we, too, can cultivate a personal bond with Him.
They also discuss the challenge of loneliness in our modern world, the effort true friendship requires, and how deepening our relationship with Christ can transform the way we connect with others.
📖 Friends of Jesus: A Lenten Meditation is available now.
Does modern feminism celebrate womanhood - or try to erase what makes it unique?
In this compelling episode of Into the Truth, Pierpaolo Finaldi speaks with Emily Hawkins, a pro-life activist, Catholic mother of three, and communications director for the Alliance of Pro-Life Students. Their conversation explores the uneasy relationship between feminism and motherhood, the cultural messaging that treats pregnancy as a problem, and why embracing the fullness of womanhood could be the key to a more authentic feminism.Emily shares her journey from university activism to navigating the challenges of modern womanhood, unpacking why the feminist movement has a “motherhood-shaped hole” and how embracing femininity as a gift - not a burden - could transform society.Don't miss this candid conversation on one of today's most controversial topics.Together We March: Emily's book for children on the pro-life cause is available from Catholic Mothers.Learn more about the Alliance of Pro-Life StudentsExplore books and digital content from the Catholic Truth Society
What are the hidden spiritual dangers lurking in our social media? In this thought-provoking episode of Into the Truth, Pierpaolo Finaldi and Fr Toby Lees OP dive into the ancient sin of acedia - restlessness - and how it’s resurfacing in today's digital landscape. Fr Toby exposes the ways the attention economy hijacks our focus, leading to distraction, "brain rot," and a loss of deeper meaning.
Discover powerful strategies to reclaim your attention, foster authentic connections, and find joy beyond the scroll. If you’ve ever felt spiritually drained by endless online content, this conversation is your guide to digital liberation.
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