Where Have All the Fathers Gone? Deacon Joe Grote on Men | Heroic Stories

Bart Schuchts on NFL, Heroism, Healing, and Becoming a Man | Heroic Stories

What makes a man truly heroic? Bart Schuchts shares how father wounds, false ideas of masculinity, spiritual wilderness, and surrender to Christ reshaped his life and mission. From football culture and broken identity to healing, repentance, and finding his “roar,” this episode explores what it means for men to stop performing strength and start receiving it from God.What You’ll Learn✅ How Bart’s early wounds shaped his view of manhood✅ Why spiritual wilderness can prepare a man for purpose✅ What “losing your life for Christ” looks like in real life✅ How repentance, healing, and fatherhood changed everythingTIMESTAMPS00:58 Bart Schuchts02:10 Heroism and overcoming02:35 The Rookie Movie04:52 Called up by God05:45 The wilderness years07:37 Learning to love the one09:58 Work, pressure, and provision11:51 The lion in the ocean14:27 Job loss and collapse17:30 Finding his roar18:51 Church on Fire begins20:37 Father wounds and sports24:32 Encounter with Christ26:45 False manhood lessons28:35 Brokenness, vows, and surrender31:14 Losing your life for Christ34:35 Who he serves37:37 Why his father became a hero42:30 Repentance and real heroism#HeroicMen #BartSchuchts #CatholicMen

Olympic Champion Curt Tomasevicz Says His Greatest Hero Was a 12-Year-Old Boy | Heroic Stories

What does real heroism look like? Olympic gold medalist Curt Tomasevicz shares the story that shaped his life—meeting a 12-year-old boy with a brain tumor whose courage and faith left a deeper impact than any Olympic victory. In this conversation on Heroic Stories, Curt reflects on faith, grit, community, and the surprising lessons he learned from small-town Nebraska, Olympic competition, and the hard transition athletes face after success. What You’ll Learn: ✅ Why a 12-year-old boy became Curt’s greatest hero ✅ The surprising reason an Olympic bronze felt more meaningful than gold ✅ How community support shaped an Olympic champion ✅ Why honor and integrity matter more than winning See Catholic Speakers: https://heroicmen.org/speakers 00:00 Olympic champion Curt Tomasevicz 01:21 The 12-year-old boy who redefined heroism 02:56 Faith, selflessness, and facing death with courage 04:11 A moment in college that changed Curt’s perspective 05:02 Rediscovering faith as a young adult 06:02 The hardest transition: life after the Olympics 08:03 Finding purpose after athletic retirement 09:32 Lessons from bobsledding about life and fear 10:54 Goal setting and learning to change direction 12:01 The small Nebraska town that built an Olympian 14:20 Community belief and the pressure of expectations 15:46 Why accountability drives men to action 17:40 Heroes who shaped Curt growing up 20:02 A teacher’s lesson about integrity and honor 21:57 The deeper game behind competition 23:14 Why Olympic bronze meant more than gold 26:14 Who Curt hopes to influence today #HeroicMen #FaithAndCourage #Olympics #CatholicMen #RealHeroism

He Almost Died Twice: Dan Venezia on the Rosary, Suffering, and Men’s Faith | Heroic Stories

He survived a brutal car crash, endured COVID at the height of the pandemic, and came out of both experiences with a deeper hunger for God. In this episode of Heroic Stories, Dan Venezia shares how suffering, his mother’s example, the Rosary, and the Eucharist brought him from lukewarm faith into a life of daily surrender, fatherhood, and bold witness. This is a conversation about heroism, healing, prayer, men’s spiritual leadership, and what it means to let Christ take the wheel. What You’ll Learn ✅ How Dan’s mother shaped his understanding of sacrifice and love ✅ What two near-death experiences revealed about God’s mercy ✅ Why the Rosary and Eucharist became central to his life ✅ What message men need to hear about surrender and spiritual leadership TIMESTAMPS 00:59 Intro 01:20 His first hero 03:15 His mother’s story 05:02 Growing up without a father 07:22 First near-death experience 08:54 Jesus charm moment 10:34 Lukewarm faith years 11:59 Family became his god 13:57 Why Mass changed 16:16 COVID and hospital fear 17:43 Mother Angelica and the Rosary 19:04 Why he turned to prayer 21:57 How he prays now 23:54 Guardian angel and marriage 26:34 Heroes now 30:08 Who he serves 32:19 What men need to hear #CatholicFaith #HeroicStories #DanVenezia

Trial by Fire: Faith, Politics, and the Fight for Truth with Congressman Tim Huelskamp

A Kansas farm boy sets out to become a priest, gets turned away, and thinks the story is over. It isn’t. He meets his wife outside an abortion clinic, adopts four children, and ends up in Congress fighting for faith in public life. Along the way, he finds that the real battle looks a lot like Athanasius against the world. And now, he’s calling other men to step into that same fight.What You’ll Learn✅ Why Athanasius “against the world” still matters today✅ How rejection reshaped a man’s calling and identity✅ The hidden role of daily prayer and brotherhood✅ What real masculinity looks like under pressureTIMESTAMPS00:00 Tim Huelskamp01:45 Hero Story – St. Athanasius04:30 Standing Alone – Faith under attack07:00 Seminary Exit – Life turns09:30 Marriage & Adoption story12:00 Crisis of Faith moment15:00 Daily prayer discipline18:00 Brotherhood and masculinity22:00 Public life and loneliness25:30 Faith in politics29:00 Heroes: Father Kapaun32:00 Fatherhood and legacy35:00 Living faith in publicHashtags#CatholicFaith #Masculinity #HeroicMen

From Gunshot to Deacon: Mike Bellinder's Story of New Purpose and Forgiveness

A husband, father, deacon, and hospice chaplain shares the night that changed everything: a workplace robbery, a gunshot to the spine, and three words that came out of his mouth before he even hit the ground — “I forgive you.” On Heroic Stories, Deacon Mike Bellinder reflects on Desmond Doss, faith under pressure, the fatherhood crisis, suffering, forgiveness, hospice ministry, and why so many men are starving for meaning. This is a raw, deeply Catholic conversation about what heroism actually looks like when life gets brutal. What You’ll Learn ✅ Why Desmond Doss and Hacksaw Ridge still hit men so hard ✅ How Deacon Mike responded after being shot during a robbery ✅ What hospice patients reveal about regret, meaning, and purpose ✅ Why strong fatherhood and a living faith matter so much for men 00:00 Intro – Meeting Deacon Mike 01:14 The heroism of Desmond Doss 03:28 Why faith-first courage matters 06:57 Two jobs, exhaustion, and pressure 10:41 The night of the armed robbery 14:20 Praying for death, receiving peace 16:53 Shot in the spine 19:47 Forgiveness changed everything 21:13 His father’s influence 23:30 How hospice became his mission 25:02 What dying men reveal 28:21 The questions he asks the dying 34:40 How men find meaning 40:35 Saints and heroes he follows 43:03 Final message to young men