Month: October 2025

A 1446 Word Interview with the Papal Ninja

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Sean Bryan via phone call on September 12th, 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

How did your journey of faith lead you to embrace the mission of being the “Papal Ninja”?

Providence throughout my whole life, I have always been athletic. I did gymnastics through college. When I was with the Salesians, I was doing athletics through youth ministry work. After my time with the Salesians, I continued to do gymnastics. I saw one of my former teammates from when I was on the gymnastics team at Cal Berkeley participate on the show. I found a Ninja gym in my area. I found the culture of Ninja Warrior inspiring and I found a community there. Some of the veterans took me under their wing and gave me advice. 

When I was developing my story, they told me that people want to hear about you being Catholic. So I took on the name Papal Ninja. In the talks that I give for the youth, I tell them that they are papal ninjas too. Ninjas are individuals who are skilled in training and following the master. And papal refers to the Vicar of Christ. So anyone who is Catholic is technically a papal ninja following the Master of Christ.

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Saint Jude the Apostle: Patron of the Impossible and Apostle of the Heart

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Each year on October 28, the Church honors two lesser-known Apostles, Simon the Zealot and Jude Thaddeus. Their names might not appear as often in Scripture as Peter or John, yet their quiet faith continues to echo across centuries, especially in moments when life feels impossible.

For many Catholics, Saint Jude has become a spiritual companion in times of desperation. He’s the Apostle you call on when all the stoplights turn red, the deadlines loom, and hope seems just out of reach. I’ve learned that firsthand.

The Apostle with Many Names

The Gospels refer to him in several ways: “Jude Thaddeus,” “Judas the son of James,” and sometimes “Thaddaeus” alone. In his own short New Testament letter, he simply calls himself “Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James.”

Pope Benedict XVI reflected on this humble introduction, noting that Jude’s identity wasn’t found in his status as an Apostle but in his relationships—to Christ, to his brother, and to the faith. He was, in every sense, a man of communion.

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From the Court to the Cross: The Power of Humble Love   

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on Luke 18:9-14 

Dear Friends in Christ, 

Imagine you’re watching high school basketball tryouts. The gym’s humming with energy and nerves. Two players stand out for totally different reasons. 

First, there’s Jake. He’s confident—maybe overconfident. He’s telling everyone how many points he scored last year, how hard he trains, how much better he is than the other guys. When he makes a shot, he celebrates; when someone else messes up, he rolls his eyes. He’s talented, no question. But it’s obvious who’s at the center of Jake’s universe: Jake. 

Then there’s Marcus. Marcus isn’t flashy. He fumbles sometimes, and sometimes he misses easy shots. But when he trips, he picks himself up and keeps hustling. When someone passes him the ball, you can hear him whisper thanks. When the coach gives feedback, Marcus listens—not defensively, but with genuine openness. He doesn’t act like he’s above anyone else, but you can tell he loves the game and the people around him. 

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Saturday Chores and the Spiritual Life: How Cleaning Teaches Us to Prepare Our Souls

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Saturday mornings in our home tend to begin with the whir of vacuum cleaners, the lemony scent of Murphy’s wood soap , and the predictable chorus of “Who left this here?” from one of our kids. This week, our mission was clear: clean the house before my brother’s visit. The incentive? A mix of familial pride, the joy of welcoming someone we love, and a few mystery bribes still to be determined.

Our four kids dove into the task with surprising enthusiasm. My oldest, who inherited my love for organization and task completion, made the garage his domain. I’d casually mentioned earlier in the week that we should clean it out, and apparently that seed took root. He was unstoppable, sorting tools, sweeping corners, and directing his siblings like a foreman at a holy construction site.

Watching my children work, I felt a quiet joy. Not just because the garage was finally walkable, but because I glimpsed something deeper at work: a desire to prepare. There’s something profoundly human about that. When we love someone, we want to make ready a place for them.

That, in a nutshell, is the spiritual life.

Preparation as a Form of Love

We often think of preparation as drudgery, checking boxes before the “real thing” begins. But in the Christian life, preparation is part of the encounter. The work of getting ready disposes our souls to receive grace. It’s the difference between rushing through confession before Easter and slowly, intentionally, letting God sweep through the clutter of our hearts.

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An 1871 Word Interview about The Scriptorium Project

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed D.P. Curtin, founder of The Scriptorium Project , via email in October 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

The Scriptorium Project seeks to make rare texts from Christian antiquity accessible for the first time in English. What inspired you to begin this work, and why is it important for the Church today?

In short: a really bad orientation group in college. My first day at Villanova involved an overly perky student orientation leader. After one too many fun facts and ice-breakers, I asked to use the bathroom. I never came back. Instead, I went to the library, where by chance I discovered the catalogue of the Jesuit Father Jacques Migne. That would prove to be providential. For the unfamiliar, Fr. Migne compiled many significant works of the Greek and Latin church into large books called “Patrologias” during the 19th century. They were massive works, but they obviously struggle with being relevant now as the use of Greek and Latin has fallen out of favor.

When I discovered them at Villanova, they were in bad shape. Many of the works of the Scriptorium Project are drawn from Migne’s collected texts. In terms of their importance to the modern church, you might say that the Scriptorium Project is a primary source movement. Rather than relying on commentary or later works about saints and church councils, these are the original texts themselves, laid bare in English so that everyone has access to them. 

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5 Things That Make Saint Pope John Paul II, Well—Great!

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Catholics enjoy the opportunity to look to holy men and women as role models and guides in fulfilling our true purpose in life. The more I read and learn about the saints, the more profoundly I experience fellowship. Saints lived through suffering experiences with patience and reliance on God’s help.Perhaps no other 20th century figure, and this includes a legendary list, provided a better example of following the golden rule and forgiving others as St. Pope John Paul II. Being my personal hero, I was overwhelmed with joy upon his canonization a mere five years after his death! While countless reasons exist for why I love and admire John Paul II, here are five facts that make the great Polish pope, well, great.

JPII MORE THAN GOOD GREAT

A lifetime of tragedies

Born in 1920 Karol Wojtyla, who became John Paul II, grew up during one of the most tumultuous eras in Polish history—Nazi occupation and later during the reign of Communism. Before he turned 22, Karol lost all of his immediate family members (his mother passed away during childbirth, his sister died before Karol was born, and his brother and father stated reason/manner). As if losing a family was not enough suffering to last a few lifetimes for anyone, in the beginning of his pontificate, John Paul was shot in a failed assassination.

The leader of the Catholic Church united himself so much to the suffering of Christ on the Cross. According to Jason Evert author of Saint John Paul the Great: His Five Loves, “When someone mentioned the impending suffering that would be required by one of his surgeries, [the pope] replied, ‘The Church needs suffering.’”

Marian devotion

John Paul II and Mary

The Polish pope’s famous motto was Totus Tuus. This Latin phrase translates as “Totally Yours” and was a reference to Mary’s total obedience to the Father’s will.

Among the defining events of the sainted pontiff’s life, the assassination attempt on May 13th, 1981 certainly had to be a monumental turning point. Already possessing a strong piety to the Blessed Virgin, this only increased after the bullet missed hitting vital organs by mere millimeters. He quipped, “It was a mother’s hand that guided the bullet’s path.” Totally trusting in the mediation of Mary in his life, John Paul II provides a good example for other Catholics to rely on the Mother of God to be a good protector and guide towards Christ.

Jason Evert in his biography talks of the pope’s admiration to Mary in this way, “In True Devotion to Mary, St. Louis de Montfort wrote, ‘the most faithful servants of the Blessed Virgin, being her greatest favorites, receive from her the best graces and favors from heaven, which are crosses.’ If suffering is a sign of predilection, then John Paul II must have been one of our Lady’s favorites!” Of the importance of the rosary John Paul II declared, “[The rosary is] our daily meeting which neither I nor the Blessed Virgin Mary neglect.”

Recently, my family started praying a decade of the Rosary each night before putting the kids to bed. My outlook on life and graces for patience have never been higher. I am thankful for John Paul the Great’s great witness to Marian devotion!

A people’s pope

John Paul II and World Youth Day

Thousands of young people cheer Pope John Paul II during the 1992 World Youth Day in Czestochowa, Poland.

John Paul II instituted World Youth Day, a worldwide gathering of Catholic youth every four years. He saw the importance of youth, especially teens as being the future of the Church. The excitement that revolves around this event continues even in the years after his death. The Polish pope traveled extensively across the globe administering to all God’s people and showing the love of Christ. His long tenure afforded the opportunities for a generation to grow up under his papacy and enjoy stability of leadership for the Catholic Church.

Lover of confession

Pope John Paul II quote on confession

Although John Paul II lived a remarkable life and endured his sufferings of Parkinson’s disease to the end, the most impressive feat of his papacy (and priesthood) was his daily reception of the Sacrament of Confession. He declared,

“It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation. Those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress, will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives.”

I feel out of whack spiritually when I fail to go to the proverbial “Medicine Box” for over a month. His near mastery of virtue—through the aid offered by the Holy Spirit in the confessional—is evident by his encounter with all he met and his quick canonization less than half a decade after his death.

Heroic herald of truth

Along with John Paul II’s ability to forgive others, such as the man who attempted to murder him, the Polish pope safeguarded and articulated the Catholic Church’s teaching boldly and clearly. Intrepidly standing up to the evils of Communism, the sainted pope never watered down truth for the sake of diplomacy.

St. John Paul II stated, “Remember that you are never alone, Christ is with you on your journey every day of your lives!” Truly God gifted the world with the holiness of Karol Wojtyla. St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote, “You cannot be half a saint. You must be a whole saint or no saint at all.” Following in the footsteps of Pope John Paul II will not be an easy feat, but it is a surefire and joyful path toward closer union with God.

Thank you Lord for the life of this wonderful saint, John Paul II!

Related Links

St. John Paul II & the Eucharist

St. Pope John Paul II

Here’s why John Paul II said “Do not be afraid”

Analysis of JPII’s The Splendor of Truth

On Polish Horseshoes, Karol Wojtyla, Accordions, and Other Possibly Polish Things

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