Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Matthew Bond via phone call on June 28th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
“Making Ends Meet” blends science fiction, faith, and frontier grit—what inspired you to set this story on Mars?
I picked Mars because it’s a tangible place to colonize in the near future and I think the plot needed a little distance from Earth (further than the moon). Mars and the wild west have always made great settings for story, because of the hazards, unknowns and sense of adventure. I wanted to portray Mars as an obtainable goal much like going West in the 1800s was for the average citizen.
How does your Catholic worldview shape the narrative?
That’s a very good question! It’s really integral to the story. But I try to present the faith in everyday clothes. I wanted a story that feels like a saint story of old but brought to a future we can look forward to. I feel that C.S. Lewis used a direct approach with Christian allegory whereas Tolkien was more subtle. I wanted to strike a balance between these two approaches.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Father Edward Looney via phone call on July 1st, 2025. We have rearranged and edited some of the questions. This provides the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
You’ve written and spoken extensively about the Blessed Mother. What first sparked your devotion to Mary, and how has that relationship deepened over time?
What really started it was—I joke—I came out of the womb loving Mary. My mother and father were separated by the time I was born. I grew up in Oconto, WI, and in my hometown, there was a woman who organized pilgrimages to Medjugorje. And I think she had a great influence on Marian devotion in our parish. I remember starting later with rosaries.
Once you realize our Catholic tradition is 2,000 years old, and once you start reading the Early Church Fathers, it only deepens your devotions. The writings and quotes of the saints inspired me too.
In your book A Heart Like Mary’s, you offer practical ways to imitate Our Lady. What’s one Marian virtue you personally find the most challenging to practice as a priest?
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Joshua Mazrin via phone call on June 18th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
You’ve described real estate development as your “St. Joseph job.” How has this vocation helped shape your understanding of holiness in ordinary work?
This job is a contributor to that, but I think the sacramental grace of marriage helped me learn this. So long as my work is morally good or at least morally neutral, that even the most mundane work can be seen as the best work as it is helping to provide for my family. While my apostolate work is important, the ordinary work is to provide for my family. Saint Joseph worked with dirt and wood and maybe stone. And learning how to pray during the real estate development is something I am working on. I am blessed to work a very flexible schedule. My office downtown is three blocks away from the Catholic Church so I can pop in for adoration or Confession.
Fr. LaGrange, in The Three Ages of the Interior Life, talks about how we all have an evergoing monologue in our day. And the challenge is to turn that monologue into a dialogue. And to find the random things and the challenges we face to bring those into dialogue with God.
Your latest book, Led by the Immaculata, dives into St. Maximilian Kolbe’s spiritual battle plan. What’s one surprising insight about Marian consecration that Catholics often overlook?
You know the attitude that surrounds Confirmation being just a graduation step? But really it is a change and a confirmation of our faith. In a similar way, not ontologically, Marian consecration should be a transformative moment. Catholics often see Marian consecration as a mere devotion. But it really should shape your outlook. Saint Maximilian saw himself as a soldier under the guidance of Mary. The spiritual battle is ongoing. His outlook on this battle was so peculiar to me, Maximilian was going against the actions of freemasonry. The victory is not in destroying people (the freemasons) but to convert them to our side. And Mary is the surest way to convert people to Christ.
As someone deeply formed in both academic theology and practical ministry, how do you balance intellectual formation with spiritual intimacy in your daily life?
It might just be my outlook or my temperament, but my primary intention is never to focus on winning an argument. My first intention with theology is to know God and the end intention is to love God. The primary objective of theology is to know and love God. I think Aquinas is brilliant but he was also very mystical in his prayer life.
You’ve edited over 30 theology textbooks—how do you keep theology from becoming “just academic,” especially when forming students or catechists?
That one’s got to be a grace. I don’t know. I have been doing this for over five years. And I like doing this. Some of the more academic stuff you can get burned out on but I am not doing as much. I genuinely enjoy editing! Your intention has to be Jesus. You are encountering a person, not just an event.
The Holy Spirit plays a central role in your first book. What’s a simple way Catholics can begin to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit today?
I would start by intentionally talking to Him. In an interesting way, the Holy Spirit is the action of God. Anytime God does something it is by the action of the Holy Spirit. So simply ask the Holy Spirit to help learn about Him. Start by rote prayer and then turn those into more conversational, spontaneous prayers. It requires an ongoingrelationship to get to know a person and it’s no different with the Holy Spirit.
You founded The Immaculata Institute to continue Kolbe’s mission. What’s the biggest challenge—and biggest joy—of trying to evangelize through Marian devotion in today’s world?
The challenge is getting everything out there because people are distracted by a million different things. We have moved to a culture where we are too busy. Lack of intention, people don’t say yes or no anymore. They say maybe. The joy occurs in that Marian consecration changed my life. And to share that with others is exciting because you can see an intense transformation in others.
If someone has never heard of St. Maximilian Kolbe before, what’s the one reason you’d tell them to get to know him?
The actions on Auschwitz was the icing on the cake. It was the natural actions of how he lived out his life. We live in a time where cultures are influenced by bad things. Saint Maximilian’s response was to do something about it. He was very patriotic in Poland. Originally he thought he was called to be a soldier, but he was actually called by Mary to be a priest. He found his mission, and poured his energy into his vocation. How we actually orient ourselves towards our callings.
Plus he was brilliant (insanely high IQ): as a kid he drew military strategies; and in college drew blueprints for a satellite. He organized a structure with his magazine that grew to 1-2 million subscriptions and organized his monastery to be printing 24/7. He went to Japan with no money and had his magazine in print in a month. He grew his beard as a sign of respect in Japan (it was a cultural symbol of a wise elder).
Maximilian Kolbe was the first Fulton Sheen, the first Mother Angelica. He was the precursor to all digital evangelization and media.
A husband and father first, Joshua holds bachelors and masters degrees in Theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville, and has completed PhD-level coursework in Systematic Theology at Ave Maria University. He spent years in ministry as the founder of an apostolate in New York City and later as Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Venice, FL.
Now, he helps to build up both souls and structures. His “St. Joseph job” is in real estate development, while his passion for theology continues through his work as a technical editor, author, and curriculum writer. He’s edited more than 30 theology textbooks and other Catholic books, and has contributed to diocesan institutes, graduate programs, and national publications.
Joshua is the author of Knowing the Unknown God: A Practical Guide to How the Holy Spirit Will Make You Holy, and his most recent book, Led by the Immaculata, which unveils St. Maximilian Kolbe’s spiritual battle plan for Marian consecration.
He has been featured on EWTN, Catholic Answers, iHeart Radio, popular Catholic podcasts and radio shows, and at international and diocesan conferences on evangelization, apologetics, and spirituality. He has taught theology at multiple levels, helped design graduate programs, and served in academic publishing for international Mariological organizations and other Catholic organizations.
Joshua specializes in Marian theology and devotion, the Holy Spirit, Catholic spirituality, Scripture, and dynamic evangelization. His goal is to help Catholics live a Spirit-filled, Marian-led, radically holy life—whether they’re preaching, parenting, or laying bricks.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Joanna Loop via phone call on May 24th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
What inspired you to begin writing Catholic books for children?
To have a resource for mothers teaching their children about the faith. Because it is really difficult to find this information about the faith and help them fall in love with the faith.
It started as a desire to help build the domestic church. It is our job as Catholic parents to help teach our kids about the faith.
My books are tools to help teach the faith. There’s a lot of moms who attended Catholic school but didn’t realize there’s so much more to it. We have to tell our children from birth about Jesus.
I realized how learning the faith is simple. So much of Scripture feels like that I have known my whole life because it was internal to me or because God is speaking to you. There’s no religion out there that is so straight-forward.
We have the ABC book to get that early exposure and the numbers book was a fun way to connect Scripture and Tradition. For example, there’s Seven Sorrows of Mary and there’s Eight people in Noah’s Ark (not everyone knows about this).
The shapes and colors books are my favorite. They are tailored to the youngest office. When my son is tracing the circle he can learn the shape of the Eucharist. It’s been a lot of fun putting these books together.
The most mature book I wrote was on the Marian Apparitions for Kids. All the proceeds from this book go to help the Our Lady of Guadalupe Home in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
The books are available at the Sanctuary Gifts Store in Kingsville, Ontario, The Mustard Seed in London, Ontario, and the Peaceful Dove, also in London, Ontario. Please support these local brick and mortar stores! They are doing so much for our Christian community.
I also travel to different Catholic events to sell the books in person.
More information about the Our Lady of Guadalupe Home:
Our Lady of Guadalupe Home is a registered Catholic charity in Windsor, Ontario, that offers a loving, faith-filled residence for pregnant women and new mothers in crisis. Inspired by the Gospel and guided by Divine Providence, this home provides shelter, food, and around-the-clock care to women who have nowhere else to go. Mothers of any background—regardless of race or religion—are welcomed with compassion and dignity.
The home is unique in offering 24/7 paid staff support, providing stability and hope to women during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. They offer assistance for up to a year and rely entirely on donations and the grace of God to continue their mission.
As a way to help support this life-saving work, I wrote a children’s book called My First Catholic Marian Apparitions. It’s a beautiful introduction to Our Blessed Mother’s appearances throughout history and is available on Amazon Prime.
* All proceeds from the sale of this book are donated directly to Our Lady of Guadalupe Home in perpetuity.
This is a simple and meaningful way to share the Catholic faith with children while also helping vulnerable women and babies in need.
Thank you for sharing about the Our Lady of Guadalupe Home! It’s a wonderful ministry.🙂 How does your own faith and family life influence your storytelling?
I haven’t really thought about that before. I come from that teaching background (my parents and sister were teachers) so books were a very important part of my children. We had a library in my house. I wanted to have something similar for my kids. In the Marian Apparitions book I wrote it in a way where I told the story like I was talking to my one and two year old son.
What’s been the most meaningful response you’ve received from a reader or parent?
Sometimes this happens a lot actually, parents and grandparents are so excited about my project that they are so joyful. They become champions of my project and encourage me. It’s been really meaningful. The parents want to help get their children closer to the Church.
Natalia from The Peaceful and Jackie specifically have been so helpful to me. I reached out to them and they were immediately supportive of my project.
Your books cover everything from Marian apparitions to Mass symbols—how do you choose which topics to explore?
Very simply, it was about babies. I wanted to make baby books that were approachable for all mothers. I didn’t want to make the books too intimidating. There’s lots of feeling that we carry that we aren’t ready to study certain holy topics. So I figured I would start with more universal things like ABCs and Colors that there’s no requirements for holiness.
For some reasons, these religious topics come with pressure and a feeling of insignificance.
What do you see as the biggest challenge and opportunity in catechizing young children today?
This is kind of complicated. I see a lot of parents trying to catechize their kids and it’s confusing because we live in a secular world. I was there before, and there’s a lot of external pressure to work. So there’s very little time to spend time with your family. There’s a challenge with parents who don’t feel like they have the time and want to rest/relax.
I realized I need to have my priorities. Refocusing our schedule so it involved sacrifices like working from home so I could spend more time with my children and more time for faith events. The importance of being with grandparents and aunts and uncles. To sum up I feel like the biggest challenge is building up the domestic church.
Can you walk us through your creative process—from idea to finished book?
Once I got the idea I started on the book. I cannot stop until it’s 100% done. For a few days there I was telling my kids that I needed to finish the book. So on these occasions my kids found themselves in their independence. It took me about 3 weeks to get the books done from start to finish.
I self-published and I talked to a friend who also self-published.
What advice would you give to other Catholic creatives who feel called to evangelize through storytelling?
I think about the early Church Fathers and how they wrote letters to each other. They always addressed/started the letters with love. Speak from your heart. While the New Testament is the “end of the Bible” it doesn’t mean that the Bible is done.
Understand your own testimony and what drew you into Jesus. You don’t have to make it complicated. Once you know your story and testimony, who knows where this journey will take you.
My journey wasn’t complicated, I just shared my love of Jesus. Don’t be afraid to start.
Pray for the home: “Thy will be done: nothing more; nothing less!”
Buy the book: Search My First Catholic Marian Apparitions on Amazon Prime. It makes a beautiful gift for First Communion, baptism, or family prayer time.
Donate or volunteer: Visit www.ologhome.com to make a donation, sign up to volunteer, or learn more.
Mail a donation: Make cheques payable to: Our Lady of Guadalupe Non-Profit Home of Windsor 591 Alexander St. Windsor, ON N8X 3B8
For tax receipts and monthly donation info, visit their CanadaHelps page.
Together, we can be the hands and feet of Christ to women in crisis. Thank you for your generosity and prayers!
About Joanna:
Joanna Loop is a passionate author and educator from Ontario, Canada, on a mission to share the ancient traditions of the Catholic faith with young readers. With a heart for storytelling and a love for teaching, Joanna has written over five titles devoted to sharing the Catholic faith with the world’s littlest friends. Her books, including the beloved “My First Catholic Books” series, bring the spirit and symbols of the Mass and the stories of Christ into the comfort of homes around the world.
Drawing inspiration from her faith and family, Joanna creates stories that nurture children’s hearts and minds. Her works, such as “My First Catholic: Marian Apparitions” and “My First Catholic: Shapes”, invite young readers to explore Catholic traditions, learn about the saints, and grow in their relationship with God.
When she isn’t writing, Joanna enjoys spending time with her family, engaging in parish life, and exploring new ways to bring the love of Christ to young hearts.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Kramer Soderberg via phone call on May 14th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Growing up as the son of a college basketball coach, how have the lessons you learned from the court shaped your Catholic faith journey and your approach to spiritual “coaching”?
That’s a great question! I have been around the game of basketball my whole life. My dad was a college coach when I was born. Growing up in my early life I was the typical cradle Catholic. But after college I found myself learning more about the faith.
I realized that the stuff I learned on the court could be applied to my faith life. That I should approach my faith life with excellence like I did on the court. Another aspect that made me revert to the faith was the concept that if I wanted to achieve my goals in sports that it was really hard. Only later when I was reinvestigating the faith that I realized it was hard. The Catholic Church challenges you. It wouldn’t make sense if this journey was easy. Christ is challenging us to holiness and greatness. This is the same mentality that any great athlete pursues.
I love the word “strive”. It’s very connected to the title of my book: Fill Your Cup. My dad brought out three different sized cups to represent different types of athletes. And his message was that success was filling your cup (that you were given). True success in God’s eyes is to realize your potential and strive to fulfill your vocation and potential. It is so freeing to not worry about what anyone else is doing. That’s true success and sounds like the virtue of magnanimity.
Your dual identity as both a basketball coach and Catholic evangelizer is unique. How do you find these two callings complement each other, and what strategies from coaching translate most effectively to spiritual guidance?
I think my faith and vocation as a coach go hand and hand. Your Catholic faith should be intertwined with your life. It is simple for me to connect the two. When your faith is the most important part of your life it’s this mindset to not limit it to Sunday. To pray unceasingly. There’s certainly challenges: to a referee that’s annoying you or when players aren’t playing to their potential. But my faith helps me in these situations.
When I became a head coach, I thought I would get a lot more time to work on my Xs and Os and the gamplans. But what I learned was that I also focused on helping my players get in the right mindset and the idea of motivating my players for greatness was really the main role as a coach. The biggest crossover from being a college coach and my ministry is helping motivate and inspire people to that greatness, that sainthood and that desire to pursue it.
As a former player who excelled at both high school and college levels, how does your competitive background influence the way you approach challenges in your faith life and family leadership?
I think competitiveness is a great attribute. Like all good things, it can be skewed in the wrong direction. Competitiveness is so important in the athletic field and life in general. It comes back to this idea of pursuing greatness. It is not necessarily competitiveness against someone else, it is more so being the best I can be and challenging myself to the limits. That competitive fire as a player has never died as a coach. But when I realized that being Catholic is hard, the competitiveness translated to the spiritual life to drive me.
I have used the term crossover often, I don’t think I have paid attention to it.
Many Catholics struggle with bringing their faith into public spaces. As someone who moves between the athletic and faith worlds, what advice would you give to those looking to authentically integrate their Catholic identity into their professional lives?
I think that’s challenging. Most of us separate the two. On Sundays I go to Mass and on Mondays I go to work. During my reversion, I had a fascination with Jesus the person. I was thinking how he could be at peace all the time. What made him different? I grasped this idea that Jesus was always aware and connected with God’s Presence. This point hit home when I wrote this book. Constant awareness of God’s presence in your life is transformational. When I started to practice this, my life started to all become one (coaching, family life, and life).
So my suggestion is to be constantly aware of God’s presence. Three triggers helped me to be reminded of God’s presence:
Nature
Other people
Struggles, annoyances
These triggers helped to remind myself to practice being aware of God’s Presence. When you practice you form habits. And when you have habits you will start to blend Sunday into Monday.
About four or five years ago I hung a Rosary on my hip and I grabbed my Rosary to help center myself and remind me of God’s Will during stressful moments during a game.
With the intense schedule of basketball season and raising five children, how do you maintain spiritual disciplines and prayer life during particularly busy seasons?
It’s challenging for sure. I have always been a routine based guy. I think most athletes are similar. I have about five to six simple morning prayers. I read the Gospel each day. Anytime I am driving to and from work I pray the Rosary and I try to go to Mass throughout the week (4-5 times).
During the season, I find it easier to be more focused on the Lord. My habits during the stressful times I have the habit of running to the Lord. It’s interesting that in the off season I find it tougher to stick to my routine and be aggressive in my prayer life.
As a basketball enthusiast myself: If you could compare your Catholic faith journey to any current NBA player’s career trajectory or playing style, who would it be and why?
I’d probably say Kobe Bryant. Early on in my faith life I had a lot of youthfulness and excitement. About halfway through that downfall (during Kobe’s career) I had a type of low-point before my reversion. After that low-point it seemed that Kobe grew as a father and basketball player. It is at the low point that we are the most aware of God.
About Kramer:
First time author, Kramer Soderberg, is a devoted husband to his wife, Andrea, and father to his five children with a sixth on the way due in September 2025. Son of long time college basketball coach, Brad Soderberg, Kramer grew up in Saint Charles, Missouri where he excelled on the basketball court at both the high school and college levels. He is the head coach at Millikin for the past four years.
Outside of coaching, Kramer devotes much of his free time to growing in his Catholic faith and spreading his love of Jesus to others through speaking opportunities and personal interactions throughout his community.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Joan Watson via phone call on April 9th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
What drew you specifically to the Holy Door panels as a framework for spiritual reflection?
I have been to Rome about ten times and lived there twice. I studied in my Junior year at Christendom College and a semester when I was a graduate student at Franciscan University. I had been drawn to one panel in particular, it was the Good Shepherd. This panel drew me into the rest of the door. Ave Maria Press reached out to me about doing a book on the Jubilee.
All of my writing and speaking focused on how the Bible should stay with us and change our life. I wanted a book of how the Jubilee can impact our life.
How has your experience as a tour guide in Rome informed your approach to these scriptural reflections?
I wasn’t strictly a tour guide, I led a series of pilgrimages. These experiences helped me notice places in Rome where God could use them as conduits of grace. There’s so many things on pilgrimage He can use as doors to grace so why not the Holy Door. And I wanted this book to speak to all people, not just daily Massgoers, about how Scripture can be part of our life.
Of the sixteen panels on the Holy Door, which one resonates most deeply with you personally, and why?
It was interesting to pray with all of them. Each panel spoke to me differently. Besides the Good Shepherd, probably the panel of the Good Father (in the Prodigal Son story) reminded me to focus on the Father.
Some of the panels are unique and some aren’t as unique, but they are still good reminders like the Prodigal Son to come home to the Father.
How might readers who cannot physically visit St. Peter’s Basilica experience the spiritual significance of crossing a threshold during this Year of Hope?
So that was one of the reasons I wrote the book. Everyone is called to celebrate the Jubilee whether they can go to Rome or not. The world gives us so many reasons to despair even within the Church so many are voices of doom and that the world is ending. Regardless of what the pope or the president or what the stock market does, Jesus is our Savior.
The book connects ancient biblical narratives with our modern spiritual lives. What surprised you most about these connections while writing?
I think the theme that I wanted to bring out is that there’s nothing new under the sun. The Bible is active and not dead. Sometimes we think we have discovered something new or are in “unique times”. But the Scriptures speak to our time and what we need.
Many Catholics may be unfamiliar with the tradition of the Holy Door. What would you like them to understand about its significance in our faith?
I love the quote (JPII- the door is Christ). The door is an outward manifestation of our life. This door is an expression that we are going to start again. That our pilgrimage is just beginning when we go through. What door do you need to open to Christ?
Outside the Jubilee Year the door is closed, what door have you closed to God? Maybe during this Jubilee Year do you need to tear down and open yourself up to Christ?
Where can the audience find more of your work?
My website is joanwatson.faith. This can link to my YouTube channel and my other work.
“It is Christ who is the true ‘Holy Door’; it is he who makes it possible for us to enter the Father’s house and who introduces us into the intimacy of the divine life.”
– Pope St. John Paul II (6 January 2001)
About Joan:
Joan Watson is a Catholic speaker and author who loves to make Scripture, theology, liturgy, and history accessible and applicable. With degrees from Christendom College and Franciscan University of Steubenville, she has worked for the Church and various religious apostolates for almost 20 years. She is currently the Pilgrim Formation Manager at Verso Ministries. In addition to hosting two podcasts, she is the Associate Editor of Integrated Catholic Life, where she writes weekly. Propelled by Luke 12:48, she is passionate about helping others encounter Christ and enter into friendship with Him through the daily circumstances of life. Her first book, Opening the Holy Door: Hope-Filled Reflections from St. Peter’s Basilica is available from Ave Maria Press.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Daniel Markham via phone call on April 9th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
What inspired you to embark on this journey to attend Mass in all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico?
Version 1.0.0
In 2016, I just dropped off my son to high school soccer practice and I was reminded of a parish and this idea came over me about visiting various parishes across the country. I realized this idea wasn’t from me but it was something I was called to do.
In 2018-2019 I sent letters to all the bishops and archbishops and got permission from my parish. During a span of six months I emailed all the parishes that I had email addresses from.
I started receiving invitations from various churches and I was getting phone calls from various churches and this was when the idea for the book really came into focus. I aimed to start this in January 2021 but due to the Covid Pandemic I wasn’t able to really begin until June 2021. I travelled where I was able to attend. For example, I was in Nebraska writing about a Native American Mission and attended Mass at a school because it made sense in terms of the story I was telling. For most of the Masses it was on a Sunday.
Of all the parishes you visited, which one surprised you the most or left the deepest impression on you?
Great question! It was actually three:
Cottonwood, Idaho (Assumption, Ferdinand; Saint Mary’s, Cottonwood; Saint Anthony, Greencreek)- this state is predominantly Mormon but Idaho County is the one exception where it’s mainly Catholic. The only monastery in the state is just outside of Cottonwood: Center for Benedictine Life at the Monastery of Gertrude. The thing that stood out to me was that I wasn’t expecting this beauty and wonderful Catholic community. I fell in love with the people there! They actually added parishioners coming out of Covid.
How did witnessing so many different expressions of the same faith change your own relationship with Catholicism?
My faith grew without question. If I could go to multiple Masses on a Sunday I tried. Normally, I would hear one homily a week. One particular week, I heard three homilies. Each priest took a different, but equally valid, approach to the reading. These experiences highlighted how rich our Catholic faith is and how we can find so much richness in the Scriptures.
I had experiences that I could see as being negative. There was a weekend I had to stay in a bad motel room, but it reminded me (through a homily that weekend) that in every experience we are blessed. Even in the suffering. The closer one comes to God the greater the understanding that there is blessing in everything we experience here on Earth. An incredible sense of peace occurred and I feel different sharing the Eucharist multiple times a week and in different parishes.
I could drive 15 to 16 hours at a time, and I realized it was the power of the Eucharist that sustained me. When I got tired it was when I allowed my worries and the human desires to creep in. But when I had that faith and trust in God I was truly fueled during my travels.
What common thread did you notice among the most vibrant Catholic communities you encountered?
Wow! That’s a good question. I guess those places where the greater understanding of the Real Presence in the Eucharist existed was the most unifying aspect. It made for the most authentically Catholic communities. Mass is the foundation of our life and the Eucharist is the foundation of the Mass.
After visiting such diverse Catholic communities, what do you think most American Catholics misunderstand about the broader Church in our country?
I think for most Catholics they don’t think much beyond their own parish. For people more engaged there might be a sense of disagreement; maybe some people are more conservative or liberal. I think what we miss in this is that there’s so much more that unites us than divides us. We say the same Creed each week. What we say we believe in the Creed unites us and are more important than what happens in the various differences at the Mass. Some Masses are said in Latin and some in the vernacular. The Eucharist is the same. There’s vastly more that unites us than that divides us.
If readers take just one message from “52 Masses,” what would you hope that message would be?
All of these people I visited had something in common. They answered the call from Christ. Don’t say no to God!
Daniel Markham is the author of 52 Masses, which chronicles his 2021-22 trip to all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to experience Catholicism in America. At each parish he visited, Daniel wrote about someone or something taking place there – a ministry, an effort at evangelization, an individual’s story, etc. He attended Mass in parishes of all sizes, in rural, urban and suburban settings and a few places that weren’t parishes at all. The idea was to explore the many ways Catholics are living the faith in the United States. His book was published at the end of 2022. Daniel and his wife Kemberly, a Catholic school principal, reside in West Chester, Ohio, where they are members of St. John the Evangelist Church. They have three adult children, Ian, Kiera and Cormac.
