CALLED to Sing with Guest LMU's Choral Director John Flaherty

CALLED to Sing with Guest LMU's Choral Director John Flaherty

🎧 Episode Title: Called to Sing Guest: Dr. John Flaherty – Director of Liturgy and Music, Loyola Marymount University Episode: Special Feature for the LMU/CALLED Music Minister Retreat In this heart-opening episode, Dr. John Flaherty reflects on a lifetime of sacred music, multicultural liturgical service, and the transformative power of voice. From acting as special assistant to the Vice President of LMU, directing choirs and events at Loyola Marymount University to guiding future ministers through the CALLED initiative, John shares his journey as a musical bridge between diverse communities, Catholic tradition, and deeply personal faith expression. 🎶 Themes & Highlights * Singing as Sacred Vocation John’s early calling to music ministry began as a young boy in parochial school and continues as a deep form of embodied prayer. * Multicultural Liturgical Music A leader in developing and directing culturally rich liturgies at LMU, John emphasizes music’s power to unite people of diverse backgrounds through rhythm, melody, and shared prayer. * Formation Through Beauty Liturgical music isn’t performance—it’s formation. John challenges listeners to reflect on how song and ritual shape the inner life of faith. * The CALLED Initiative John reflects on his role as a CALLED cohort guide, emphasizing that every person—regardless of title—is called to participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church. Singing is just one expression of that call. * Mary, Imagination, and the Heart Echoing themes from Marian theology, John shares how music engages the full self—imagination, memory, intellect—and leads us deeper into the mystery of God. * The Role of Silence and Listening Silence between notes. Stillness before song. These too are parts of liturgy, forming space for God to speak and hearts to awaken. 📚 Resources & Mentions * Loyola Marymount University (LMU) Learn more about LMU's programs in liturgy, theology, and music: https://www.lmu.edu * CALLED Retreats and Formation Cohorts Explore how to join a cohort, attend a retreat, or deepen your own faith through storytelling and formation: 👉 https://www.preachingjourney.com * Multicultural Liturgical Music While not mentioned explicitly, John's work aligns with that of composers and scholars like: * Jaime Cortez * Tony Alonso * Marty Haugen * Mary Louise Bringle * Psalms and Sacred Song John often returns to the Psalms in his ministry: “I will sing to the Lord all my life” (Psalm 104:33) 🕊️ Quote Highlights “There is a singing in us that is deeper than performance—it's prayer with breath.” — John Flaherty “Liturgical music is how we form hearts. And it starts with listening.”— John Flaherty “The first evangelists weren’t professionals. They were people who had encountered Christ and couldn’t help but share it.”— John Flaherty 🔗 Stay Connected 🌐 Discover the CALLED Initiative Free resources, cohort sign-ups, and event info: 👉 https://www.preachingjourney.com 📧 Join the CALLED Community Newsletter Get retreat updates, podcast drops, and formation resources delivered weekly. 📥 Sign up at preachingjourney.com 📱 Learn More About and Follow Sunday to Sunday www.sundaytosundayproductions.com * Instagram: @sundaytosundaytv [https://www.instagram.com/sundaytosundaytv] * Facebook: Sunday to Sunday Productions [https://www.facebook.com/sundaytosundaytv] 🎙️ Listen & Subscribe Find The Attentive Heart Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. 🗣️ Rate and review to help us reach new listeners!

More Than Words with Guest Mike Sauter

In this week’s podcast, Fr John sits down with Mike, a longtime campus minister, parish leader, and now diocesan director of the Diocese of Rochester NY, whose story winds through backroads and retreat houses, late-night factory shifts and unexpected holy moments. Together, John and Mike explore what it means to live the Gospel not just as a message, but as a way of being. It’s a conversation about presence, permission, and the quiet courage to follow the Spirit (sometimes a little off-script!)  Recorded the day after Pentecost, the episode explores the call to live authentically in a world that is increasingly mediated by institutions, systems, and narratives that often obscure our deepest spiritual needs. 🔊 Quote Highlights “The more you can learn to speak from your heart, the more universal it becomes.” — Mike “We are most ourselves when we are most with others.” — Mike “Jesus didn’t say ‘learn this content.’ He said, ‘follow me.’” — Mike "The medium is the message in the form of Jesus Christ" 🌟 Topics Covered * Mass Media as Formation: The influence of Marshall McLuhan (“the medium is the message”) and how mass media shapes not just what we learn, but how we live. * Ivan Illich's critique of institutional religion: education, healthcare, and even the Church as systems that can alienate rather than liberate. * Faith as Personal and Incarnational: Preaching and proclaiming the Gospel by telling our real stories—speaking from our own wounds and callings. * Youth and Authenticity: What today’s high school and college students teach us about resisting systems that don’t serve the soul. * The Divine Feminine and the Holy Spirit: Drawing from Pentecost and the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, the episode explores how nurturing others and being nurtured ourselves is central to Christian life. * Preaching from Personal Experience: Referencing the CALLED initiative and Sunday to Sunday’s mission, Mike affirms the power of ordinary people sharing their extraordinary moments of grace. * The Power of Community and Cohorts: Reflections on being part of the first CALLED cohort, and how lay people can become evangelists through community, vulnerability, and formation. 📚 Deeper Dive Resources & References * Ivan Illich * Deschooling Society * Rivers North of the Future (interviewed by David Cayley) * David Cayley's work on Illich [https://www.davidcayley.com] * Marshall McLuhan: “The medium is the message” and “The medium is the massage” * Wendell Berry: Used in Mike’s campus ministry writing courses * William Blake: Referenced for his visionary theology and poetic influence * Daniel Andreev: Russian mystic and author of The Rose of the World * Rudolf Steiner & Owen Barfield: Philosophers/theologians discussed in relation to imagination and mystery * Simone Weil, John Milbank, William Cavanaugh: Referenced for further theological engagement * Jordan Peterson: Noted for contemporary cultural critique and appeal to youth searching for answers and faith, de facto apologist * First Things: [https://firstthings.com/] Mike’s article on the Immaculate Conception featured there.  * Dioceses of Rochester, NY [https://www.dor.org/] 🔗 Links 🌐 Learn More About the CALLED Initiative Discover retreats, workshops, courses, and join the digital community: 👉 https://www.preachingjourney.com [https://www.preachingjourney.com] or www.callcommunity.com [https://www.callcommunity.com] 📣 Join the CALLED Newsletter Receive weekly inspiration, workshop invites, and formation resources. 📧 Subscribe at preachingjourney. [https://www.preachingjourney.com] Follow Us on Social Media * Instagram: @c [https://www.instagram.com/sundaytosundaytv]alledtopreach * Facebook: @ [https://www.facebook.com/sundaytosundaytv]calledtopreach 🎙️ Listen & Subscribe Subscribe to The Attentive Heart Podcast on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Also check out the new Work Your Values Podcast from Sunday to Sunday Productions 🎁 Support Our Work Share this episode, rate and review us, and invite a friend into the CALLED journey.

God's Healing Love with Guest Ryan Pemberton

In this episode of The Attentive Heart, Fr. John Gribowich and guest Ryan Pemberton explore how faith, suffering, and embodiment intersect in the journey toward wholeness. Drawing from personal experience and thinkers like C.S. Lewis and Thomas Merton, they reflect on how listening to our wounds, our bodies, and one another opens us to God’s healing love.

Exploring the Third Space with Guest Paul Fahey

✨ Episode Overview In this deeply moving conversation, Fr. John Gribowich sits down with Paul Fahey, a counselor, catechist, and founder of Third Space, to discuss what it means to stay rooted in Catholicism while lovingly confronting its failures. From the experience of spiritual abuse to the hope of reconstructing faith, Paul shares how healing, nuance, and honesty are not enemies of the Church—but vital signs of life. This episode is for anyone who has ever struggled to reconcile their love for the Catholic tradition with the pain caused by instances of institutional brokenness. 👤 Guest Bio: Paul Fahey Paul Fahey is a limited licensed professional counselor, retreat leader, and catechist who serves those who have been spiritually and sexually abused within the Catholic Church. Through his platform Third Space, Paul offers tools, reflection, and workshops for people who desire to remain Catholic while having the freedom to call out dysfunction. He is a voice of compassionate reform—a true preacher proclaiming the Gospel not just from the pulpit, but from the pew. (as one who yearns for the Church to become who She is—the healing Body of Christ). 🔗 Mentions & Resources * Paul’s site and podcast: catholicthirdspace.com [https://catholicthirdspace.com] * The Name of God Is Mercy – Pope Francis * Fratelli Tutti – Encyclical on human fraternity * On Job – Gustavo Gutiérrez * Learn more about Sunday to Sunday’s CALLED community and programs: preachingjourney.com [https://preachingjourney.com] 💡 Key Themes * How to walk with those who have been hurt by the Church * Why nuanced Catholicism may be the future of evangelization * The spiritual power of holding contradiction without coercion * Letting go of possessiveness and control in ministry * Seeing Christ in the wounded and marginalized

Preaching, Attention, and the Human Heart with guest Fr. Edward Foley, Capuchin Priest, Theologian, and Preaching Scholar

What does it really mean to preach with power and presence in today’s world? In this deeply inspiring episode of The Attentive Heart, host Fr. John Gribowich welcomes Capuchin Father Edward Foley—a prolific scholar, preacher, and teacher whose work fuses theology, neuroscience, and the art of storytelling. 👤 About the Guest: Fr. Edward Foley, OFM Cap. Fr. Foley is a Capuchin Franciscan, Catholic priest, theologian, and internationally renowned speaker on liturgy and preaching. A recipient of a Lilly Endowment grant for his work on compelling preaching, he teaches at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and has authored numerous books, including Preaching as Paying Attention. His current research explores the intersection of neuroscience and homiletics. Their conversation explores: * What makes preaching compelling across generations * Why "attention" is the foundation of all effective ministry * How neuroscience is helping shape better homilies * The evolution of Catholic liturgy and its impact on preaching * Why we must meet people in their humanity, not just with doctrine Fr. Foley offers a wise and pastoral voice—showing us how liturgy, storytelling, and lived experience can become deeply transformational, especially in today’s distracted, digital world. 🔍 Themes * Preaching as Pastoral Presence: The homily isn’t about giving content—it’s about inviting transformation. * Attention as Ministry: To preach well is to listen deeply—to the community, to culture, to God. * Science & the Soul: Fr. Foley's current research explores how neuroscience can inform and strengthen homiletics. * Catholic Identity in a Postmodern World: A moving discussion on engaging “eavesdroppers” at weddings, funerals, and other moments of grace. * Hope in the Next Generation: Why Gen Z may be the spiritual catalyst we’ve been waiting for. 🔗 Resources & Mentions * Learn more about CALLED and SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter at: preachingjourney.com [https://preachingjourney.com] * Follow Sunday to Sunday [https://www.instagram.com] on Instagram & Facebook * Vatican II’s Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy * Communities of women religious like the Sisters of Victory [https://www.olvm.org/] 🕊 Final Reflection “I don’t want to start with scripture—I want to start with the human condition. That’s where Christ enters.” — Fr. Edward Foley