The Religion and American Life Podcast

“The Future of Catholic Education,” with Eileen McLaughlin, Superintendent of the Archdiocese of Boston

Join us for a conversation with the Superintendent of Catholic Schools in the Archdiocese of Boston, Eileen McLaughlin. She and Fr. Massa discuss the benefits and challenges of Catholic education, changes in student populations, and the future of Catholic schools.  Credits: Podcast Host: Mark Massa, S.J. Production: Madeline Jarrett Music: • Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. * Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

“Anti-Semitism, America, and the Middle East,” with Jewish Studies Scholar, Dr. Susannah Heschel

In this episode, Fr. Massa interviews Jewish scholar, Dr. Susannah Heschel about Judaism in America, Jewish-Catholic relations, and the war in the Middle East. Join us for an engaging and informative discussion! Susannah Heschel is the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor and chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College. Her scholarship focuses on the Wissenschaft des Judentums, and she has used feminist, postcolonial, and critical race theoretical models in interpreting Jewish-Christian relations.  She is the author of many books, and she is also the recipient of five honorary doctorates from institutions in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Switzerland. She has held research grants from the Carnegie Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the National Humanities Center, and the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin.  Credits: Podcast Host: Mark Massa, S.J. Production: Madeline Jarrett Music: • Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. * Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

“Catholic Fundamentalism in America,” with theologian and director of the Boisi Center, Mark Massa, S.J.

Join us for a special episode of Religion and American Life in which Fr. Mark Massa, S.J., is interviewed by the student employees of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life about his recently published book, Catholic Fundamentalism in America. This important conversation unpacks the characteristics of Catholic fundamentalism, its social and historical trajectories, integralism, the role of social media, healthy vs. unhealthy pluralism, and more.  Credits: Podcast Hosts: Madeline Jarrett, William Adamczyk, Joseph Monti Production: Madeline Jarrett Music: • Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. * Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

“Conflict Resilience in a Divided Church,” with conflict resolution expert, Bob Bordone

Join us for an engaging conversation between Mark Massa, S.J., and acclaimed conflict expert, Bob Bordone, as they discuss insights from Bordone’s recently published book, Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement without Giving Up or Giving In. In the episode, Bordone, a lifelong Catholic, unpacks the ways that these insights might apply to parish life and help us navigate polarization in the Church.  Bordone is an internationally-recognized expert, author, speaker, and teacher in negotiation, conflict resolution, mediation, and facilitation, recently selected as one of the Top 30 Negotiation Professionals by Top Global Gurus.  A Senior Fellow at Harvard Law School, and the USA Today best selling author of Conflict Resilience: Negotiating Disagreement Without Giving Up or Giving In (HarperCollins 2025), he served on the full-time faculty at Harvard Law School for more than twenty years as the Thaddeus R. Beal Clinical Professor of Law, Director, and Founder of the Harvard Negotiation & Mediation Clinical Program before launching his full-time consulting, advisory, speaking, and training practice.  He also serves as the Director of the Consensus Building Institute Professional Development Academy and as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. Bob has also been a Visiting Clinical Professor of Conflict Transformation at Boston University’s School of Theology. Credits: Podcast Host: Mark Massa, S.J. Production: Madeline Jarrett Music: • Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. * Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.

A Conversation with BC Head Football Coach, Bill O’Brien

This episode is a recording of a live event we hosted with Bill O’Brien, the head coach of the Boston College football team, for a conversation about faith and football. Join us as Mark Massa, S.J., interviews Coach O’Brien about Jesuit culture, cultivating his vision for the program, his hopes for the team, and what made him decide to take the position at BC.  Credits: Podcast Host: Mark Massa, S.J. Production: Madeline Jarrett Music: • Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/. * Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Bourree 4th Lute Suite; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.• Double Violin Concerto 1st Movement; Exzel Music Publishing (freemusicpublicdomain.com); Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.