Catholic interview

A 1069 Word Interview with A Catholic Coach

/ chicoinematt

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: 

  1. Nature
  2. Other people 
  3. 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.

Thank you for sharing!

A 1295 Word Interview with Sam Nunnally

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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? 

It’s Okay to Be Catholic and my Instagram account. Look for more podcast appearances, books, and speaking engagements to come! 

Thank you for sharing!

A 931 Word Interview with Fabiola Garza

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Fabiola Garza via phone call on April 23rd, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given. 

Tell me a little about your faith journey. 

I was born a cradle Catholic and come from a pretty strong Catholic family in general. I actually only went to one year at a Catholic school due to my family moving a lot. I lived in Mexico, Columbia, and Istanbul. I always thought you lived faith on your own and wasn’t aware of youth groups. 

In college I started dating a Protestant Evangelical and this gave my dad some pause. He gave me some Scott Hahn books to read. His language is accessible and added depth to helping me understand my faith. I eventually got involved in youth groups in Boston. 

What got you interested in art? 

I was an artistic kid, always loved drawing. I loved animated movies as a kid and my main interest was to work for Disney. I was absolutely mesmerized by the art of animation. Art was a thing I was good at and understood. I loved creating characters and creating stories. 

How did you get started with Disney? 

After college, I worked several jobs including a video game and toy company. Finally, I found a job at Disney Creative Group. We did the art for all the merchandise that goes out to retail stores. I worked in that division for ten years.

How does your Catholic faith inform your approach to character design, especially when working on secular projects at Disney?

I only designed one character at Disney. I always like putting myself in a place of prayer before work. But with Mickey, you just draw Mickey. Thankfully, I was never put in a position to have to worry about having the work on a project that would conflict with my conscience. 

Could you share how creating “The Story of Saint John Paul II” differed from your other artistic projects, both technically and spiritually?

The great part of doing saint stories is you get to delve into their stories. You can’t help but be changed by learning about their stories and writing. When I am creating saint stories, I ask the Saint for intercession and how they would be presented and in the best way for children. It’s really interesting and wonderful to bring the saints along in the process. 

The saints are not dead, they are alive!

My portrayal of the Saint is only a glimpse of their amazing life. It’s like a movie. You can only capture an aspect to bring children to understand the saints more as they grow. I do try to approach the creation of the saint story like a movie. 

Are there specific Catholic artistic traditions or sacred art styles that have influenced your personal work?

Growing up, I never really looked at artwork as being separate from religious and non-religious art. To me anything that is beautiful is of God. That’s my view on art. Sometimes we as Catholics feel forced to love certain religious art over others. 

For instance, I love Da Vinci and the Renaissance. I don’t compartmentize art, I don’t feel like putting a wall between my work and the Holy Spirit. I think a truly Catholic person is going to make truly Catholic art without it being thematically religious. It is important for me to never confuse my work with what I am doing spiritually. You could be a terrible person and do spiritual/religious work. 

The Lord cares about your heart. It can be a temptation when you are working in a Catholic sphere. 

Art nouveau is a style I love. The most famous artist is Alphonse Mucha in this movement. He has a mastery of anatomy and these beautiful romantic shapes. It reminds me a lot of the elven architecture in the Lord of the Rings. It is very dreamy and has a magical soft quality. It is based on natural shapes. This movement preceded Art Deco which has more harsh/rigid lines and shapes. It has more structure and architecture. 

How has working in the entertainment industry shaped your perspective on creating media that resonates with Catholic audiences?

I think you need to make beautiful things. Catholic audiences are also looking for quality and good stories made with care and time. A lot of Catholic audiences are tired of entertainment media that isn’t up to par with the rest of the industry. 

We want to create things that are good and beautiful. Nothing can substitute for a good story. You can have all the money in the world and technology, but it needs a good story. 

What advice would you give to young Catholic artists who want to pursue careers in mainstream creative industries while staying true to their faith?

I think it is important to have a faith community. When I moved to Orlando I plugged myself into the local Catholic community. You aren’t meant to live out your faith alone. Your community keeps you accountable. 

Is there a particular saint or biblical figure whose story you’d love to bring to life through your art in the future?

So many, I have a whole list! I can tell you one that didn’t make it into the princesses of Heaven. I really want to make a story and art for Hildegard of Bingen. She was so smart and was so cool. She’s definitely one saint that I would love to portray. 

Do you have a saint quote? 

During my tough “hell” year, before work I prayed the prayer (The Mission of My Life) by Saint Cardinal Henry Newman. 

Where can my audience learn more about your work?

Instagram: Fabiolagarzacreates

Website: Fabiolagarza.com

About Fabiola: 

Fabiola Garza is the author and illustrator of the children’s book best-seller Princesses of Heaven: The Flowers. She worked as a character artist at the Walt Disney Company for over a decade. Her other work includes A Boy Who Became Pope: The Story of Saint John Paul II, Pixar/Disney’s Little Golden Book Coco, and the cover of A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of the Most Magical Place on Earth. Fabiola has lived all over the world. Born in Mexico City she eventually settled in Orlando, Florida. She loves fairytales, London Fog lattes and France. 

Thank you for sharing!

An Interview with a Malankara Catholic

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Describe your faith journey. 

I am a cradle Catholic. In my childhood, my parents would take me to Sunday Catechism classes. During my college years, I fell away from the Church. I think mainly because it was due to not having Catholic friends. Most of my friends were Hindu or Atheist. For about six years I was a nominal Catholic. In 2022, I came back to the Church. I went to some Latin Rite Masses when I was far away from my home. During Covid I was getting used to the online Masses, but eventually I stopped going. I met a woman who asked me if I was going to Mass. I had a powerful experience when I returned back to the Church. After about a month, I had a desire to go to Confession. There was only one Mass on Sundays and Confession was before it. The lines were long for Confession and by the time I got to the confessional, the priest told me that he was out of time and had to be ready for Mass. 

In 2022, I found my first Catholic friend who referred me to another priest who had the time to administer the sacrament of Confession in October. He told me after my Confession, “Welcome home!”. That was the first time I felt back in the Church. In the months prior to my Confession, I was studying the Scriptures and attending the Mass.

This is my home parish: St. Thomas Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, Nalanchira, Trivandrum.

The Malankara Catholic Church represents a fascinating blend of Eastern Syrian tradition and Indian cultural elements. Could you describe some distinctive features of your liturgy and how it reflects both your Syrian heritage and Indian identity?

Saint Thomas came to India 52 A.D. In the 15th century the Portuguese came to India and started missionaries. This is out when the Latin Church was first brought. We were under the guardianship of the bishops. When the Latin missionaries and bishops came there were some problems in the Indian church as they were following some Hindu. The Synod Diamper (1599 A.D.) gave the church more restrictions. There were a variety of reasons beyond religious for the synod, including political. A lot of the Syrian textbooks were burned, they Latinized the Mass, while keeping the Syrian language, they changed some elements. 

Many people didn’t like this and protested the changes. During the synod no one opposed it due to fear of excommunication. But about 50 years later, protests started. “Coonan Cross Oath”. The protesters pledged to not be under Portuguese rule. They wanted a bishop from Rome, not a bishop from Portugal. After many years, a split happened in the church. Some stayed with the Latin bishop (the older faction) and those who opposed the Latin bishop (new faction). The new faction is no longer under the umbrella of the Catholic Church. Syro-Malabar Church was a name for the old faction. 

The new faction wanted to be under a Syrian bishop and didn’t want to be Latinized. No bishops were coming, but eventually a Western Syrian bishop, from the Jacobites, came to India. What happened was that the new faction joined this Western Syrian bishop. Again a split happened in 1912. The new faction wanted to have self-governance not under a Jacobite bishop. Some people in the new faction said they would be under the Jacobite bishop and the others would be under the Indian Metropolitan. The Metran faction formed under the Indian Metropolitan. And the others under the Jacobite patriarch were known as the patriarch faction (eventually known as the Jacobite-Syrian Church). And the Metran faction became known as the Indian Orthodox Church. 

  In 1930, Rome accepted the request by the Indian Orthodox Church to be under their governance. One priest was the primary contact in this communication and he became the first bishop of the Malankara Church. His name was PT Geevarghese and became Mar Ivanios.  My great-grandfather’s family was one of the first to join the Malankara Church. Also my grandfather was a personal assistant to Mar Ivanios near the end of his life. 

There was a college started during Mar Ivanios’ tenure. My aunts and uncles attended this college along with my mom. 

What role does the Syriac language play in your liturgical celebrations, and how has the balance between Syriac, Malayalam, and other languages evolved in your worship practices?

Initially it was all Syriac. Later, everything was in the vernacular. Now it is fully in Malayalam (it’s a newer language). About 20 percent of the liturgy is in Syriac. People are comfortable with Malayalam because they know the songs. They also like singing in Syriac. 

Who are the saints your rite has a particular devotion to (besides Saint Thomas)? 

Not really, we have a devotion to all the Catholic saints. Some of the popular saints are Saint George. Before the Synod, there were many Churches named after the Syriac saints, but after the synod many churches had their names changed to Roman saints.

Many Catholics in the West are unfamiliar with Eastern Catholic traditions. What aspects of Malankara spirituality, devotional practices, or theological emphases do you wish were better understood by the broader Catholic community?

These things I came to know about recently, the basics of the Western Church is the emphasis on reasoning and Scholasticism. Compared to that, the Eastern Catholic Church has more of a focus on mysticism. We called the Mass Quarbana. It has a meaning called “offering”. We also use the term Divine Liturgy. In the Malanakara Liturgy the first thing that happens is the offering. And it occurs behind the curtain. The priest will be offering the bread and wine. The first service is called Melcizdek and the second service is Aaron. He will incense the offering and after that we will start the Mass. Once the curtain is open the public life of Jesus is presented. We say a shorter version of the Creed. There is a short prayer (Trisagion). After the readings happen (Two Epistle and Gospel). There is no Psalm reading. The Old Testament reading is read at the beginning of the Liturgy before the preparatory service. 

After the Liturgy of the Word, prayers from the priest are like a catechism (it’s like 10-15 minutes), followed by the Creed (we don’t use the filioque clause- because our church came from the Orthodox, and this was a compromise made with Rome), anaphora is next it’s where the service of offering happens. During the anaphora the Institution of the Eucharist happens. 

Immediately after the anaphora we have the intercessory prayers. Then the Service of Fraction (meaning the Crucifixation of Jesus) and during this time the curtain is closed. After this, the curtain is open to symbolize the Resurrection of Jesus and we sing many songs (devoted to Mary, saints, faithful departed, priests). It’s more like a chain of songs. 

After the songs the priest starts a procession for the congregation to Adore Jesus (this was  a tradition started before the widespread use of Eucharistic Adoration Chapels). Then the faithful receive Communion. A similar procession happens after Communion. This procession is more of a thanksgiving. Closing prayers happen and the Divine Liturgy concludes. 

Thanks for sharing your experience with my audience! Any words of encouragement or thoughts about the Eucharist to share with my readers? 

Whenever I think about the Holy Mass inside one of the songs there is a line that is similar to this quote by Saint Maximilian Kolbe, “If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion” –-St. Maximilian Kolbe

Additional information: 

The Divine Liturgy of the Malanakara Church is kind of like a minor scale whereas the Syro-Malabar and Latin Masses have more of a major chord and happy tone. 

We don’t kneel during Sundays because we are celebrating the Resurrected Jesus.

About Jibin:

Jibin Jose, Mechanical Design Engineer from Kerala, India, settled in UAE, Syro Malankrite.

Thank you for sharing!

A 580 Word Interview with Joan Watson

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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.

Thank you for sharing!

An 880 Word Interview with a Maronite Catholic and His Roman Catholic Wife

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Amanda and Anthony Sloan via phone call on March 31st, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

Tell your faith journey as a married couple. 

Amanda: On my first date, I learned that Anthony was Maronite Rite. He invited me to this liturgy. We opted to go to a Roman Rite for our marriage. We wanted to get married in a Maronite church but the priest was out of town the weekend we were going to get married. 

Anthony: Baptism is a separate Sacrament from Chrismation. Most kids receive both Sacraments from a young age. I am learning more and more about the Maronite Rite as an adult. For me, growing up my father was Roman Catholic and my mother was Maronite. Once I went to college and left the state, I went to a Roman Catholic liturgy due to there not being a close Maronite parish. About ten years ago I started receiving more access to the Maronite liturgy. And around four years later when we moved to South Carolina there was a Maronite church close by and my faith became alive in a way that was incredible.

Growing up my family would do a mix of the two liturgical calendars. So for when I got reacquainted with the Maronite Rite in the weeks leading up to Christmas we don’t have Advent. It’s the Season of Announcement.

Amanda: It’s six weeks long and the color is blue. Blue is related to Mary and you are traveling with her this season. 

Anthony: It’s like a journey with Mary. So many of the Maronite hymns and songs are connected to Mary. In these ancient hymns we hear her voice and see things through her eyes. 

Image from Wikipedia Commons.

Who are your favorite feast days and sacred art?

Anthony: Saint Charbel (Maronite). My favorite sacred art piece is “Saint Charbel” by Heart of IVSUS.


Amanda: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Roman), Commemoration of the Righteous and the Just (Maronite – its basically the equivalent of All Saints Day, but there is more emphasis on souls that haven’t necessarily been canonized yet). And my favorite sacred art is “Pentecost” by Jean Restout the Younger.

What’s another major difference between Roman and Maronite?

Amanda: Maronites have more Holy Days of Obligation. All of Holy Week is its own season. There’s more different liturgies during Holy Week, there’s a burial of Christ liturgy. 

Anthony: There’s a coffin that the congregation brings to the parish and roses are put into the coffin. If there’s a corpus to come off the crucifix or a crucifix is placed in the coffin. Usually four strong men from the parish carry the coffin around the church. There’s these songs of mourning. More of the hymns are in Arabic. In my opinion, one of the most powerful days is Good Friday.

And the “Holy Saturday” which in the Maronite tradition is referred to as the “Saturday of Light” there’s a ceremony that’s called the prayer of forgiveness and it celebrates the forgiveness won by the death of Jesus Christ. Parishioners are encouraged to go to confession ahead of time.

Wednesday of Job is the Wednesday of Holy Week. Since Job is a prefigurement of Christ, this day is a reminder that Christ willingly sacrificed himself for us like Job willingly suffered in the Old Testament.

What’s another difference between the two Rites in terms of structure?

Amanda: There are two eparchies in the United States. And these are like the equivalent of the diocese in the Roman Rite.


Are there particular feast days or celebrations that hold special significance in the Maronite?

Amanda: In terms of feasts, Saint Maron is a major feast on March 9. 

Anthony: Probably the Season of the Glorious Birth of Our Lord.”

Amanda: Maronites are passionate about the names of their seasons There’s no Ordinary Time. And even with Lent it is called “Great Lent”. 

Anthony: Which is interesting because in the Latin Rite, Ordinary Time is such a long period of time.

What challenges have you encountered as an inter-ritual family?

Amanda: I think when we moved here the transition to the Maronite liturgy was tougher because it was a bit longer than the Roman Rite. And the order of the liturgy is different.

Anthony: And on the flip, there’s a lot more music to the (Maronite) liturgy. There’s not a lot of variance with the patterns, but it has a depth. Even our two-year old was able to pick up on the hymns and sing at home. Our bishop mentioned in a homily that much of the Maronite hymns were written for a farming community. They were designed to be prayed/sung during the movement of the day and your work. 

Amanda: And the tune is the same each week although the words of the hymns change each week.

How has being inter-rite enhanced your understanding of the universal Church?

Anthony: I love that our Church is so diverse. There’s so much beauty that while there’s different liturgies that we all adhere to the same core truths. 

You experience that the same words/language Christ used at the Last Supper is the same in both rites. There’s so much depth to our Catholic Church and our faith! 

Amanda: I would say that a broadening of understanding of liturgy occurred. Being able to experience the other lung of the Church as Pope Benedict XVI referred to it was so beautiful. There’s so many beautiful expressions of our faith we miss if we only see things one way. There’s a richness to our Catholic faith. 

About Amanda and Anthony:

Amanda is a wife and mother to four daughters, and two more souls in Heaven. Channeling her years in parish ministry as well as her background in theology, Amanda is the Owner and Creative Director of Worthy of Agape, a Catholic business that aims to encourage families to become Saints together! 

Anthony is a Maronite Catholic as well as a FOCUS Missionary. After moving to various campuses around the country, Anthony and his family now call South Carolina home, where they’ve been able to dive deeper into their Maronite roots. Anthony enjoys tending to their family chickens as well as spending time exploring with his wife and daughters.

Thank you for sharing!

A 1045 Word Interview with the Carmelite Homemaker

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Cecelia Allen via phone call on March 26th, 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 spent nearly a year in a Carmelite monastery before discerning a different path. Can you share more about that spiritual journey and how you recognized God’s call shifting in your life?

I started discerning religious life when I was little. I first wrote to the monastery when I was 14. Because they were cloistered I couldn’t visit, but when I was 16 I was able to stay in their guest room. I entered the monastery when I was 19 and felt a tug towards throughout High school. Eight months after I entered, I started feeling a tug towards some type of ministry, a more active service or retreat ministry. At first I thought this was another phase in the adjustment of contemplative life. I continued to feel this draw towards more active ministry. I really struggled to leave because I loved all aspects of that. I was given this advice by a priest, “to discern where you find peace.” When I left the monastery I felt peace but I still miss it. 

When I left that cloistered community I was thinking of joining another religious community. I realized that such women’s communities were either cloistered or very active in teaching 8 hours a day. 

I learned through the call to marriage that I could make my home a cloister, a type of miniature contemplative community. 

What was the most profound lesson you learned during your time in the monastery that continues to shape your life today?

Living the liturgical year. Being at the monastery when you are praying to the Divine Office your whole existence is centered on the liturgy. While I have been Catholic my whole life and received great catechesis, when I was at the monastery, it felt like it was my first Christmas as a Catholic. This was because Advent was such a profound time to prepare for Christ’s birth. It felt like Heavenly time where earthly time stopped and we entered more deeply into the life of Christ. 

You describe carrying “the little cloister” in your heart. How do you practically integrate Carmelite spirituality into your daily life as a homemaker? Are there specific practices, prayers, or rhythms you’ve adopted from monastic life?

I prioritize the Divine Office in my prayer life. I love the whole thing, but one hour I prioritize as a family is Night Prayer. Personally, I do enjoy Morning Prayer. 

St. Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite saint, is known for her “little way” of finding holiness in ordinary moments. How do you see this spirituality manifesting in your role as a wife and homemaker? Could you share an example of how you’ve found extraordinary grace in seemingly mundane tasks?

Actually, it has been so amazing to study Carmelites from the perspective of a wife and mother. The more I study this spirituality, the more I realize it is applicable to our life in the world. Living in the presence of God undergirds all the Carmelite spirituality. I have been so encouraged by reading Teresa of Avila’s writings, The Way of Perfection, for everyone! This contemplative living is accessible for everyone. 

Carmelite spirituality emphasizes contemplation and interior life. In the midst of the busy responsibilities of home and marriage, how do you maintain a deep prayer life and sense of interior stillness?

That’s a good question, it’s definitely a work in progress. I have learned that in terms of maintaining a strong payer life it is not going to look like the days before. The other day I prayed the Divine Office but I was pacing up and down the hallway with my baby on my shoulder. Having that communication with your spouse to have them watch the kids while you pray is something I am working on. The big thing is accepting that prayer life isn’t the same as before marriage. 

For interior silence, I have Gregorian chant in the background playing. I used to think that silence, no background noise, was the way to draw into that interior silence. But I found that my mind wandered. When I have the chant playing in the background I am more drawn to focus on the silence. 

Your husband encouraged you to bring your Carmelite experience into your marriage. How has this unique spiritual background influenced your relationship?

I think it’s allowed me to see how a lot of people see religious life as the ultimate sacrifice. But having come from that religious life perspective I have become more aware of how marriage is also a vocation and a gift of yourself. The gift of totality in my marriage is something I learned, or became more aware of, due to my experience in the monastery. It’s that awareness our vocation (no matter which one you’re called to) is meant to stretch you to make you holy. 

Many young Catholics struggle with understanding their vocation. Having experienced both religious and married life, what wisdom can you share about discernment and listening to God’s call?

The biggest thing is to what the priest told me, “follow your peace.” If you are feeling a consistent tug towards religious life don’t be afraid to take action to pursue it. The postulant period (about the first year) is that time of discernment. Don’t be afraid to take the next step in discernment and don’t be afraid to discern out.

I realize that there’s two different tugs to marriage: the natural and the draw that’s indicative towards a vocation. And to ask God to help me discern the difference between the two. 

Who is your favorite Carmelite saint and why?

My favorite is Elizabeth of the Trinity because of her writings on living in the presence of God. Her main focus is the indwelling of the Trinity in our souls due to our Baptism and living in that presence always. I found this so accessible as a wife and mother. 

I also enjoy the work of John of the Cross and Terese of the Andes. Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux would round out the top five (please don’t be mad at me!)

Where can my followers learn more about your ministry? 

I have a YouTube channel, Instagram profile and I have a blog. Links to these can be found at: Carmelite Homemaker.

About Cecelia: 

After discerning religious life in my high school years, I entered a Carmelite monastery when I was 19 years old. A year later, I discerned out, feeling called from the solitude of Carmel to some form of ministry. 

I am now a wife and mother, but my love for the monastery remains a deep part of who I am. I have made it my mission to bring the beauty of monastic life into my life in the world, and help others do the same.

Thank you for sharing!