Waking Up Goliath

Wrapping Up: An Interview with Sound Engineer Micah Garrido

It has not been possible here in these two seasons to share all of the interviews I did—only just over half. Sometimes the reason an interview is missing is because their life has changed so much in the last two years that it felt like the stories they offered then wouldn’t be the same stories they might offer now. Sometimes it has been because the interview was very personal and information was shared that wouldn’t be appropriate to share publicly. Quite frankly, however, lots of the time it was because of me and my lack of skill as using the technology well. Either I only remembered to hit “record” half way through the interview, or there was something muffling a microphone, etc. I did warn you in the opening of this podcast series that this was an exercise in incompetence for me! The fact that I’ve had anything to share at all is thanks to one very special person in my life: my son Micah Garrido who is a professional sound engineer in Los Angeles and did an amazing job stitching together shreds of audio into something that sounded coherent. Micah is the only person who listened to the audio from the interviews more than I did. He also is 29, and I thought that as a way of wrapping up this project, it would be fun to interview him about what he heard as the youngest person in the whole mix.

Fr. Jeffery Ott, OP

As you’ll be able to tell from the laughter between us, Fr. Jeffrey Ott and I have known each other for a long time. Twenty-five years ago now, we were classmates at Aquinas Institute both pursuing our Masters of Divinity. Fr. Jeffrey Ott is now Pastor at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, referred to as the Mother Church of African American Catholics in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, across the street from the Martin Luther King Jr National Historical Park and only a block away from the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church where King preached. Jeffrey is a member of the St. Martin de Porres province of the Order of Preachers—better known as the Dominicans. Listen and you’ll learn more about Jeffrey’s deep affinity for St. Martin de Porres, but you’ll also learn more about the struggles that many ministers face when trying to lift up the dignity of the whole Body of Christ while also acknowledging power differentials within the Body. (Released September 6)

Mary Mirrione

When you listen to my interview with Mary Mirrione, you’ll quickly figure out that this was not a typical interview for me. I’ve known Mary for around half of my life now as one of my sisters in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd movement—a Montessori-based faith formation experience for children starting in infancy through 12 years old. For many years, Mary coordinated CGS at St. Anne’s Parish in a suburb of Phoenix, serving over 5000 families. Her commitment to sharing CGS with children in poverty has led to extensive collaboration with the Missionaries of Charity and the Franciscan Friars in such diverse places as Kolkata, India, Portugal, Bangladesh, and Honduras. For almost 15 years now she has served as the national director of the US Association of CGS, a position that has made her a well-known voice in the USCCB committee work related to catechetics. Mary was raised in Brooklyn and met her future husband in a karate class. She is tough and direct and protective of those in her care… much like a shepherd might be with sheep. She is also one of the holiest, most loving people I know… much like the “good shepherd” himself. When I talked with Mary, she had just been reading a book on Holy Daring, focusing on the word “parrhesia” meaning frank, direct speech. Her comments on this topic helped to shape Chapter 2 in Redeeming Power in a most particular way. (Released August 30)

Fr. John Thomas Lane, SSS

Jesus once quipped that a prophet is not welcome in his own hometown. Ever the rebel, Fr. John Thomas Lane has enjoyed testing that proverb now for over 15 years as pastor of St Paschal Babylon Parish in Highland Heights, OH—the parish he grew up in as a child, with family members still nearby. Moreover, Fr. Lane now also serves as the Provincial Superior for the U.S. Province of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament—a religious community he has known since childhood. This congregation, founded by St. Peter Julian Eymard, has a commitment to “respond to the hungers of the human family with the riches of God’s love manifested in the Eucharist” (Rule of Life 3) The day I reached him in Fall 2022, he was in the process of manifesting God’s love by signing 2000 Walkathon thank you letters for the parish school. We had a frank, funny conversation about parish life in the modern U.S. with all its multiple opportunities for miscommunication and misinterpretation whenever power is involved. And of course, it is always involved. (Released August 23)

Sr. Megan McElroy, OP

I met Sr. Megan McElroy while I was still full-time on the Aquinas Institute faculty and she was one of the two novice directors for the Interprovincial Dominican Novitiate—a collaborative endeavor of 19 Dominican women’s congregations across the US to offer a shared orientation to Dominican life for women affiliating with any one of the participating congregations. At the time I interviewed Megan, she had been elected to the provinicial council of her own Dominican congregation—the Grand Rapid Dominicans. It was a tough season of life, with Covid still in the rear view mirror. As you listen, it will come as no surprise to you that since our interview, Megan has been elected prioress of her religious community. Megan’s understanding of power is rooted in scripture, particularly Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, chapter 3. Just over five minutes into this interview, you’ll figure out why. Megan’s words on this passage so impacted me that they appear again in Redeeming Power at the end of Chapter 7 (Released August 16)