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.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Kira Andrea via phone call on September 3rd, 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.
Journey of Music and Faith
You’ve had incredible success in the mainstream music world, from America’s Got Talent to TV placements and charting songs. What led you from that path to writing and performing music specifically for the Church?
We lived in Los Angeles for about five years. We started in secular rock bands playing in clubs. We moved back home in 2011/2012 (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio), had our daughter and we were asked to play for the Life Teen Mass at our local parish. I had cantored at Mass since I was 13.
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.
Sponsored: This article is made possible by Pockets of Heaven, supporting quality and engaging Catholic content.
Evangelizing children isn’t always about complex theological lessons or far-off mission trips. Sometimes, the most powerful encounters with God happen right in your own backyard or even your living room. Just as adults benefit from pilgrimages that draw them closer to God, children can encounter Christ through small, intentional “journeys” of faith that fit within everyday life.
Let’s explore how these small pilgrimages can help pass on the faith to your kids while strengthening your domestic church.
The Domestic Church: Where Evangelization Begins
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us of the parents’ vital role:
“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule… Parents have a grave responsibility to give good example to their children” (CCC 2223).
In many ways, the home itself becomes a sort of permanent pilgrimage site, a sacred place where children encounter God daily through prayer, forgiveness, service, and love.
As I’ve written before, even small actions like having holy images in your home, praying before meals, answering questions during Mass, or visiting a local Catholic bookstore create micro-moments of evangelization. One of my daughters, for example, loves flipping through pamphlets about the Eucharist. That small curiosity leads to natural conversations about the Real Presence. These little moments plant seeds that the Holy Spirit can grow over time.
Adding sacramentals and liturgical resources to your home can also help foster these everyday encounters. Catholic businesses like Pockets of Heaven provide beautiful, handcrafted tools that help families create prayer spaces, celebrate feast days, and make the liturgical year come alive for kids in simple but meaningful ways.
You don’t need a master’s degree in theology to evangelize your kids. What matters most is creating a loving environment where faith is part of daily life, where Christ is present in both words and actions.
Pilgrimages Teach Kids That Life is a Journey Toward God
Father Dave Pivonka wisely reminds us that “Every single one of us is a pilgrim on a journey. For us Christians, as Pope St. John Paul II said, this journey should ultimately lead us to the heart of the Father.”
Pilgrimages, whether big or small, teach kids that faith is not static. It’s a living, breathing adventure toward God’s heart. And this journey doesn’t require international travel. While trips to Lourdes, Fatima, or Rome are beautiful, they’re not necessary to experience the graces of pilgrimage.
Small pilgrimages could include:
Visiting your diocesan cathedral for Mass.
Spending an hour in adoration at a nearby chapel.
Walking as a family to a local Marian shrine.
Going on a nature walk while praying the Rosary.
Visiting a cemetery and praying for the dead on All Souls’ Day.
These intentional acts pull kids out of their daily routines and help them encounter God anew. As Fr. Pivonka puts it, “Do something intentional that takes you out of your ordinary routine. Seek to encounter Jesus. You will be amazed what God can do in your heart.”
The Sacraments: Theological Rest Stops Along the Journey
Life is exhausting. I’ve written before how my own fatigue nearly led me to despair. Yet, in that weakness, I was reminded of Bishop Paul Swain’s beautiful words:
“Sacraments are not the end or graduation of the Catholic life, rather sacraments act as theological rest stops to give us strength.”
Confession, for example, is like a pit stop where we release burdens and receive grace to keep walking. As the Catechism explains, “The sacrament of Penance repairs or restores [fraternal communion]” (CCC 1469).
The Eucharist provides nourishment for the journey ahead — our manna in the desert:
“The principal fruit of receiving the Eucharist in Holy Communion is an intimate union with Christ Jesus… Life in Christ has its foundation in the Eucharistic banquet” (CCC 1391).
And marriage? It’s not simply a contract but a covenant of mutual sacrifice. As I’ve joked before, marriage often feels like a holy war against pride, impatience, and selfishness. But it’s also a place of peace, where we strategize, rest, and receive grace for the road ahead.
When we bring our children into these sacramental rest stops by taking them to Confession, preparing them for First Holy Communion, and witnessing the beauty of a sacramental marriage, we’re showing them how to draw strength for their own pilgrim journey.
Penance, Solidarity, and Thanksgiving — Lessons Even Kids Can Learn
Pilgrimage isn’t always comfortable. Fr. Pivonka shares stories of pilgrims enduring blistering heat, unexpected thunderstorms, and travel mishaps. Yet these struggles become opportunities for offering penance, teaching kids a profound lesson: suffering can be united to prayer.
On a small pilgrimage to a local shrine, a child might get tired or frustrated. That’s a chance to gently explain:
“You can offer this tiredness for Grandma who’s sick, or for a friend who’s struggling.”
Solidarity is another beautiful fruit of pilgrimage. Whether walking together as a family or participating in parish events, kids learn that they’re not alone in their faith. They belong to the wider Body of Christ — a Church filled with fellow pilgrims, saints, and sinners all journeying home.
Finally, pilgrimages naturally lead to thanksgiving. As Fr. Pivonka writes about his own Camino de Santiago:
“Going on pilgrimage does something to our hearts and to how we see the world… We begin to see [God] in places where we didn’t before.”
When kids see the beauty of God in creation, family, sacraments, and community, gratitude becomes a habit that sustains their faith long after the pilgrimage ends. Even creating little “pockets of heaven” in our homes — through prayer corners, seasonal decor, or feast day celebrations — can help foster that spirit of gratitude.
Evangelizing our kids doesn’t require perfect words or elaborate plans. It begins with small acts of intentionality, small pilgrimages of the heart, the home, and even the neighborhood.
As parents, our job is to guide our children toward Christ through daily witness, sacramental life, and occasional small pilgrimages that draw them deeper into God’s presence. With each little step, they’ll discover that their whole life is a beautiful, lifelong journey toward the Father.
As Proverbs 16:3 reminds us:
“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.”
Buen Camino.
Thanks again to today’s article sponsor! Visit Pockets of Heaven where you’ll find resources to help your children journey with Jesus, Mary, and the Saints in the pockets of everyday life.
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Sam Nunnally via phone call on May 12th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
Your journey from Protestantism to Catholicism is central to your story. Could you share a pivotal moment or realization during that search for “the fullness of truth” that ultimately led you to the Catholic Church?
It was kind of a series of moments. At age 20, I had an experience about the Eucharist that didn’t fit into my Protestantist worldview. Later when I was in seminary in 2004, I had to read the Early Church Fathers. After reading them, I had my head in my hands and realized I had it all wrong. Even though I was a pastor at a non-denominational church by then, I knew then that the Catholic Church was the fullness of truth. I continued to study trying to fit Catholicism into my Protestant framework. I became a Methodist Pastor for about five years hoping that would be the fix. But I was never able to settle into my feelings about the Catholic Church. After a failed attempt at church planting, I left full-time ministry and went into banking.
As God began working on my heart, I remarried in 2018. Around 2020, I began to pull the pieces together and truly consider converting. I was reading Catholic theologians like Yves Congar, Karl Rahner, plus a host of apologetical material. It was becoming clear that the Catholic way was the way to go. In 2022, I told my wife, Amber, that I was converting to Catholicism (she herself was a convert to Catholicism in 2005 from Mormonism).
Prior to my conversion, we found a way to split the difference by going to a Protestant service one week and the Catholic Mass the next. Through this exposure and this gentle approach from my wife, I felt comfortable eventually converting to Catholicism. She never put pressure on me.
Women in general are looking for strong Christian men. The whole New Evangelization approach was something that my wife was doing intrinsically. If we choose to love our brothers and sisters in Christ then we would approach evangelization like how my wife did.
The name “It’s Okay to Be Catholic” suggests there’s a certain hesitancy or shame some feel about embracing Catholic identity. What experiences led you to identify this as a problem worth addressing through your ministry?
That’s a great question! People resonate with the name. I resigned to the fact that it’s okay to be Catholic. It’s almost like an understatement. It’s obviously more than okay to be Catholic – it’s the best way to live! Sometimes it’s tough getting people to the place that it’s comfortable to explore Catholicism. It kind of requires a “veil” to be lifted. The Instagram account takes my backlog of seminary training and reading and speaks to the spiritually curious using Protestant language but through a Catholic lens.
The whole idea of It’s Okay to Be Catholic is to simply open the door. We live in a very Protestant nation which requires people to want to explore the Catholic faith. It takes time and people need grace to move at their own pace. In my Diocese of Pensacola, Florida there’s only about 3-4% Catholic population.
As Director of Campus Ministry at Florida State University, you work with young adults at a critical time in their faith formation. What unique challenges do Catholic college students face today, and how does your conversion story help you relate to their questions?
This is the way I try to mentor the students: I simply try to be open about my struggles with faith and life. I try to be personable with them and talk about the differences between Catholicism and Protestantism. Because I come from that background, I can speak to those issues directly. A lot of these students are converts. There’s a huge influx of (mostly men) coming back to the faith.
When students go home after OCIA and confirmation, they often experience criticism from their families. The students struggle with the hurt caused by this. I try to relate to their situation and lean into my experience with Protestant misunderstandings about the Catholic faith.
You’re involved in several media initiatives, including a partnership with Truthly, “the world’s first Catholic AI app.” How do you see technology and new media serving the Church’s mission, and what excites you about these possibilities?
It’s the future. As much as I love the tradition of the Church, when people talk about AI and digitization there’s a skewed view. AI doesn’t have to conflict with tradition. It behooves the Church to move quickly with this technology to help share our ancient faith.
What Truthly does is help get information like, for example, the Early Church Fathers to people in an easy to digest fashion. It’s AI that is trained to give balanced and helpful information about the faith. When I first got involved with this app, I put it through the ringer with various prompts. If you push it, Truthly will go to higher level theology.
It’s a great example of a way that the sacred traditions of the Church can be placed in a new vehicle to share the truth. The truth never changes. But sometimes the medium needs to change.
I love the fact that Pope Leo XIV is leaning towards social justice in the world of AI.
What elements of Catholicism do you find yourself most passionate about sharing with others?
On the social media front, I love uncovering the truth about Catholic history. This requires some digging and reading. I try to whittle down each reel to about a minute. I love to uncover the history of the Catholic Church and dispel myths.
The other thing I personally love is contemplative prayer. One thing that led me to the Catholic faith was the mystics. From Bernard of Clarivaux to Julian of Norwich. Those are the kind of things that drew me to the Church and those are things I am still reading. I am currently reading a treatment of St. John of the Cross (based on the Dark Night of the Soul). Before that I was reading St. Bernard of Clairvaux.
Looking ahead to your forthcoming book and other projects, what’s the core message you hope readers and followers take away from your work?
Simply that the Catholic Church is true and it’s beautiful. If you can shine a bright light on the Church, it does make mistakes of the past disappear. But the focus is on the beauty. Let’s say you are out in a dark ocean. And you don’t realize there’s a lifeboat 50 yards from you. What I find is there are tons of people struggling and wading through the stuff they heard about the Catholic Church over the years – much of it incorrect. My job is to simply show them the lifeboat by shining a light on it. Once they are in the lifeboat you can clean them up, warm them up, and get them to shore. As long as you have them focusing on the Church’s beauty – for example, like the beauty of the Eucharist – you can work on the other things they may have questions about.
For those who might be in the position you once were—curious about Catholicism but hesitant—what would be your encouragement to them about taking that next step in exploration?
My encouragement to them that if I can do it, they can, too. It took me 20 years to put the pieces of Catholicism together. Take your time and investigate it fully. Find someone that you can trust to talk to or go on the internet and look up Catholic apologetics. It’s Okay to be Catholic!
Where else can my audience find more about your ministry?
Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Cameron Riecker via phone call on February 17th, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.
How did you get involved in Catholic apologetics?
Well, I supposed initially it started when I was dating a Protestant girl in college. We started talking about our future. Through that relationship and a real occasion to study (through Augustine’s work and other Church teachings). After that relationship ended with the girl, I developed a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. I went into seminary in 2018 (eventually discerned out) and I am married now with two children. During these experiences I learned I had a knack for theology and explaining the faith to others.
Much of modern Catholic apologetics focuses on defending the faith against secular critiques. How do you balance addressing contemporary challenges while staying rooted in the Church’s traditional apologetic approaches from figures like Augustine and Aquinas?
It’s just an application of the same knowledge to different situations. The Church has already answered most of these questions. It’s a matter of presenting these questions and defenses of the faith in a way modern readers can understand but the main aspects of the answers are the same.
Your channel covers both theological depth and accessibility for seekers. Could you share how you approach making complex Catholic doctrines understandable without oversimplifying their richness?
You proceed to the unknown through the known. The knowledge of principles allows you to proceed to unknown conclusions. In order to be a good teacher you need to know what your students already know and where you want to guide them.
I think God has been able to give me the ability to use analogies to help teach the faith. In order for people to get the concept at a basic level I think these stories and analogies are helpful.
What has been the most surprising or transformative insight you’ve gained through your work in Catholic apologetics, from studying the tradition?
I think one of the more profound insights I got from studying Saint Thomas Aquinas is the imminent proximity that God exists. This notion that anything good I do or anything someone else does is that it is because of God. All that is evil comes from creatures. All that is good comes from God. Isaiah 26:12 refers to this. God is sustaining our being all the time. Having my eyes opened to this changed things for me.
Engaging with people’s questions/comments?
People are really fascinated with the Blessed Virgin Mary for good or ill. It is the most common objection related to this subject. The Devil realizes that at this point in human history Jesus has given a lot of influence to Mary. Satan can see the spiritual battlescape and he knows that once people receive Mary they are out of his grasp.
Many young Catholics today struggle with questions about faith and science. Which resources or approaches have you found most effective in demonstrating the harmony between Catholic teaching and scientific understanding?
I taught senior physics from 2020-2024. Studying physics is studying God’s creation. There is nothing for authentic religion to be concerned about science. The main principle is that God is the author of creation and the Scriptures go hand-in-hand.
When engaging with people from other faith traditions or non-believers, what do you find is the most commonly misunderstood aspect of Catholic teaching, and how do you address it?
It’s always Mary. I address that a little bit and why. The main distinction that Protestants struggle with is that you can venerate a saint without worshiping them. Not fully understanding the classical distinction between latria, hyperdulia, and dulia.
Your channel aims to serve both lifelong Catholics and seekers. Could you share a particular moment or conversation that exemplifies why you believe apologetics remains vital for the Church today?
Once again going back to the Mary thing, recommending the Rosary has been fruitful in my work. Saint Louis de Montfort said in his book True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Mary has produced, together with the Holy Ghost, the greatest thing which has been or ever will be— a God-Man; and she will consequently produce the greatest saints that there will be in the end of time.”
Looking ahead, what do you see as the most pressing challenges facing Catholic apologetics in the next decade, and how can we best prepare to address them?
I think sexual ethics is coming down the pipe. Additionally, the role of the Pope internationally. Many people have lived their life without knowing who the Pope is even now in the 21st century. We respond to this by making distinctions and defending the same faith the Church has taught for 2000 years and pray. That’s it!
About Cameron:
Cameron Riecker is a Catholic apologist, life coach, and speaker who lives in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife and two kids.
When he’s not working, he enjoys basketball, weightlifting, and going on hikes with his family.
