City on a Hill: Kansas City

For our last episode of Season 4: Fr. Mattingly sits down with Rey Wilkinson, where Rey shares about making his way back to the Catholic Church through the graces of great communities in Kansas City. Rey was raised Catholic by his grandma and mom, though he sparingly went to Mass. Upon graduating college, he moved to Kansas City and through a few invitations got connected with a good community of young adults. Rey attributes the his reversion to the Church through the intentionality of the communities that he found in Kansas City, friendships that centered on a pursuit of holiness... rather than the current secular trend! Rey's radical openness to say yes to invitations, which allowed Rey to encounter Christ through community. (Matthew 18:30, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”) Show Notes: - Mir House of Prayer (St. Joseph): 24-hour adoration chapel [https://mirhouseofprayer.org/] - Morning Glory Ministries [https://morningglorykc.org/home]: a local ministry for homeless - Saint Paul's Outreach [https://www.spo.org/kansascity]: young adult community - Young Catholic Professionals [https://www.ycpkansascity.org/cpages/home]: Kansas City Chapter

Justin & Kaylene Brown sit down with Fr. Mattingly, to share of their individual testimonies which coincide in a mutual conversion to the fullness of the Catholic Church. Justin grew up in a small town, with a lively Catholic Church, but Justin notes that there seemed to be a general sense of culture over faithfulness. Kaylene grew up in a home with one Catholic parent and one non-Catholic parent. Justin and Kaylene had their own experiences and encounters with the Lord prior to meeting one another - confirmation retreats, Teens Encounter Christ, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and more. Their story culminates in meeting one another (hint: on St. Patrick's Day while in college). From this point, Kaylene began to experience healing from her brokenness and eating disorder while dating Justin. Justin allow Kaylene to be a source of truth in his life, which led to a full belief in Catholicism. Tune in to hear how their pursuit of sainthood continued in marriage.

Miss Catherine Kluempers hailed from Atchison, KS to sit down with Fr. Mattingly and Taylor Furrer. This episode is steeped with goldmines of truth and encouragement in learning to more clearly hear the Father's voice in prayer! Catherine started off with a story of when she was in kindergarten. When asked what she would want to be when she grew up, she answered 'Saint Catherine of the Rainbow' spreading joy wherever she goes. And it is true that she does so! Catherine shares of her realization of how important prayer is, that without daily prayer we lack a necessary piece of our relationship with the Lord. She notes the perseverance it took to cultivate the habit of prayer - through reading good books and conversing good friends. Catherine notes that in Time for God, she read that the devil will stop at nothing to distract us from prayer... and that alone ought to prove how important prayer alone is! Show notes: - Time for God [https://scepterpublishers.org/products/time-for-god] - Catherine's music [https://www.catherinekluempers.com/] - Reform Wellness [https://www.reformwellness.co/]

Madi Abbott shares of her humble beginnings on a farm in Oklahoma, learning to love the simplicity of life. Before too long, she fell into the allure of secular success and desire to be the best in all she did. At the beginning of high school, a broken foot led to being benched for the season... and Madi shares that one by one, her idols were smashed! Through life experiences, Madi has learned that the Lord did not need to create her... but He did, and continues to give gift after gift in her life! Madi reflects that in the midst of the day to day, it can be easy to allow suffering to distract us and detract from the gifts we receive... but suffering can be embraced as a gift, too! A true conversion that her broken foot allowed her to embrace suffering and allow her idols to be smashed - that she might live life more fully.

Esteban Rubio sits down with Father Mattingly to share of his conversion from a protestant to Catholic in his recent past. After growing up in Houston and moving to Kansas City to attend a Bible School, his mind opened up to receive answers he was seeking. ​​​​​​​​ Through his formation in Bible School, he began asking some big questions and seeing robust answers: Who is Jesus Christ, What defines the Trinity, What is the Church. Which led him to entering into the Catholic Church in 2019. Esteban shares of his first experiences with the Sacraments as a Catholic.