Interview

A 620 Word Interview with the Founder of Catholic Family Crate

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Elissa Tiprigan, founder of Catholic Family Crate via phone call on September 4th, 2023. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any  integrity of the answers given.

Describe your faith journey:

I’m a cradle Catholic and attended Catholic schools through middle school. We went to youth groups and went to a few Steubenville conferences. My husband and I got married and moved to Denver. We were awakened to the richness of the Catholic Church through the witness of large Catholic families. In my adult life, I learned more about our faith. It’s not just a Sunday experience but it’s a joyful and beautiful and a rich history.

When was Catholic Family Crate created?

We started it in 2018.

What led up to the creation of Catholic Family Crate?

My oldest was two at the time and I was learning more about the liturgical feasts (I knew about Advent and Lent). I felt overwhelmed with wanting to share all these rich Catholic traditions. My sister experienced a Catholic community in Steubenville and I was talking with her on the phone about how to learn about the faith. I started to research saint feast days. My sister suggested a monthly Catholic subscription box. For about a year or two I was hoping someone else would develop a company to create a subscription box for Catholics.

Logo provided by Catholic Family Crate.

Enter in Catholic Family Crate. I formulated a team: my parish priest Fr. Luis Granados, DCJM- our theologian, a few writer friends, and a couple friends who were Catholic Montessori teachers.

Eventually we hired our own artist to help us create more of our own content. At the end of every box we provided a survey. The most popular items our customers selected were the items we created.

I was on a date with my husband at Barnes & Noble and remember telling him how we couldn’t find high quality Catholic products that were affordable. I wanted my kids to have good quality Catholic resources.

After the fourth box, it became apparent we needed to switch to include all our own products.

In 2019 we adjusted our mission statement: to provide high quality and affordable Catholic resources.

Do you have a specialized illustrator for your products?

Yes, since 2019 we hired an illustrator, new writer, and a new theologian.

I didn’t have a desire to be a business owner when I began this journey. It started as a need to fill for my family. I said “yes” to the little “yeses” God sent my way.

How did find your illustator?

We found her through Instagram. We also have had various graphic designers helped with colors and backgrounds when it comes to mass production.

What’s your favorite product you have created for Catholic Family Crate?

Our Pray by Sticker Book. It’s 10 different Catholic images. You match up the stickers with the numbers on the page. At the end you have a beautiful Catholic mosaic. It is an opportunity to keep your child busy with screen-free activity.

Image provided via email by Elissa, Founder of Catholic Family Crate.

I’ve played with your Catholic Playing Cards and enjoyed the artwork and the saints you picked. Describe the symbolism and intention beyond the cards.

We planned to have the Jesus as the King, Mary as the Queen, Joseph as the Jack, and the Holy Spirit as the Ace. We did plan to have a diversity of older and modern saints along with having an equal number of male and female saints.

I could see doing other card themes such as boy and girl saint decks or a Marian deck.

What other products do you have in the works?

A Bingo deck for Catholic-themed party, an oversized activity sheet for the Doctors of the Church, and A Card Ring-Doctors of the Church Edition.

Why should you be Catholic?

Because of the Eucharist.

About Elissa:

Elissa Tiprigan is the founder of Catholic Family Crate. Catholic Family Crate makes Catholic educational resources, games, art, stickers, subscription boxes, and more to make growing in the Catholic faith easy and fun. They are on a mission to revolutionize Catholic resources and make them affordable, accessible, high-quality, and engaging. In her mind, she’s an accidental entrepreneur, but she’s grateful for God’s wild plan for her life. She lives in Denver, Colorado with her husband and four children.

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A 568 Word Interview with Allie Kintz— The Board Game Mom

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Allie Kintz via phone call on August 21st, 2023. 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 bit about yourself and your family.

I have two boys (5 and 8) and live in Central Oregon. I love teaching board games to family and friends. Our kids are in a local Catholic school. We live in a unique region of Oregon where there are lots of outdoor activities: snowboarding, hiking, and paddleboarding.

How did you develop a passion for playing board games?

When the rise of Settlers of Catan came about, my husband and I dove headfirst into board gaming as a hobby. We bought all the Catan variants. Then we went into more Euro-games, work-placement games and moved to Pandemic. During Covid we moved, and we spent more quality time playing board games. We expanded our collection to campaign style games. The games were fun, but the experience was different.

Our collection has grown exponentially in the past three years. Learning strategy and teaching games to people we found fun too.

How important is an easy to follow and clear rulebook?

Really, important. I have found video tutorials helpful too.

How many board games do you own?

At least 250 🙂

What are your favorite games of all-time?

Quacks of Quedlinburg; Space Base (similar mechanic to Catan); Arkham Horror Card Game; Three Sisters; Castles of Burgundy (Deluxe Version)

Describe your Catholic faith.

Cradle Catholic. Both my husband and I were raised by devout Catholic parents. After my husband and I got married, we were thinking about our value system: I went through several bible studies with other women. I heard God’s call and sensed his presence in the decision making. This experienced nudged me closer to trusting in God. Another mini-conversion – occurred when my mom passed away five years ago. We were present for her last rites. Witnessing the last rites, I felt God’s presence. The room was so spirit-filled that no one was afraid. It was a beautiful thing to be a part of.

Do you have a favorite saint(s)?

I love Saint Joseph (as a model for my boys and husband); Saint Therese of Liseux (her life is fascinating, to know in suffering there is a purpose).

Do you find parallels between playing board games and Catholicism?

I’ve been listening to the Catechism in a Year and learned there is a reason for things we do, and a structure for why we pray or believe what we believe. In board games, at the end of a game you take what you were given and the strategies you were given, and the result is good and beautiful (whether you won or lost). Our Catholic faith can be overwhelming just like a thick rulebook in board games. We are given so many wonderful tools to help us grow in the Lord and raise our children.

How do you pass on the faith to your children?

  1. Helping them grow in appreciation for the Mass and the symbolism in the liturgy. Teaching them the why. Revisiting the importance of each major part of the Mass.
  2. Making it a point to put our children through Catholic schools. Being surrounded by catechesis each day is important to us.
  3. Encouraging our children to participate actively in what our church community provides. Giving back to our community and being actively involved. Our older son is currently altar serves.

Thanks for taking time today to chat with me about board games and our Catholic faith!

You too!

About Allie:

Allie Kintz | Board Game Mom
Devout Catholic and tabletop gamer, Allie has been married to her husband Jason for 12 years. They live in Central Oregon with their two boys, ages 5 and 8. When she’s not gaming with friends and family, you can find her enjoying outdoor activities, cooking, and traveling!

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A 526 Word Interview with Father Richard Libby

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Father Richard Libby via phone call on May 31st, 2023. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any  integrity of the answers given.

How would you describe your personal journey of faith and what led you to become a Catholic priest?

My journey of faith started when I was born. I was born into a devout Catholic family. They raised us in the Church. My parents made the sacrifices needs to send all six of us to Catholic school from K-12.

I graduated from a Catholic campus. When I was college, I took a theology course and it really started to get me interested in theology. It started me on a journey of getting closer to Church. It started to become a vocation (who I’m meant to be).

God is persistent. He kept after me. It reached a point I knew I had to join the seminary.
I wasn’t certain about my calling to the priesthood. However, at that point, I was certain about joining the seminary.I applied and was accepted in six months. Overall, my journey through the seminary went relatively smooth.I attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas for philosophy, and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia for theology. I was ordained on June 5th, 1999.

As a priest, what challenges have you encountered in the modern world within the Catholic Church? How do you propose addressing these challenges?

The biggest challenge we have is people having an incorrect, understanding of God and His Church.

Some people believe God will forgive them no matter what and there’s no need for religion. On the other extreme is why would God allow pain and suffering.

The concept of evangelization is central to the Catholic faith. How do you think the Church can effectively spread the Gospel and engage with people today?

One thing that the Church does well is doing the corporal works of mercy so we can believe in the spiritual works of mercy. A powerful way to evangelize. The Church being there with people in their time of need.

We need to look for people in need. Pope Francis focuses on this and that’s why people talk about him a lot. Priests who have the smell of sheep. (quote) The church was there when my father died or when I was hungry.

One of the things that caught my attention is how you embrace the Catholic faith. You didn’t qualify it with an adjective. You were simply Catholic…and bonus you were a curmudgeon about the faith.

(Laughs) Yes, I’m not a curmudgeon. We can find joy in this life.

Describe the place of humor in evangelization.

C.S. Lewis, “Joy is a serious business of Heaven.” People want to be around people who are joyful. We long for Heaven but in the meantime we can laugh. My own bishop tells stories at his own expense and makes us laugh. We as Catholics are joyful. Laughter is an expression of happiness but why can’t it also be an expression of joy.

God does have a sense of humor; he made the duck-billed platypus.🦆🦫 Humor can also lead someone who is grieving through laughter. It helps in the healing process.

Thank you for your time, Father Richard! It was great chatting with you. Let’s do this again!

Absolutely! That’s chat soon.

About Father Richard Libby:

Father Richard Libby is a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, where he serves as pastor of St. Helena Parish and as the chancellor of the diocese.  In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing poems and short stories, and birdwatching.

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A 546 Word Interview with Will Henry from Rings of the Lord

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Will Henry via phone call on December 15, 2022. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any  integrity of the answers given.

Will (second from right), age 15, with his parents and four youngers siblings. Photo credit: Will emailed me image in December 2022.

What inspired you to begin Rings of the Lord?

Around two years ago my mom ordered a rosary from our family friend Steven. He told us about the Irish Penal Rosary and joked about us starting a business to make this type of rosary. The story of the Penal Rosary resonated with me. It reminded me of Jesus’ words about prayer in Matthew 6:6. 

Describe your Catholic journey (so far).

My faith has always been important to me my whole life. My parents became friends with a priest while we lived in Florida. I always had an interest in the sacraments. My dad has a degree in theology and I enjoy talking to him about it. And my mom has a heart listening to God. Both of them influenced my faith.

What have been joys you experienced with this project?

The biggest joy is learning how my work has spread to all these people in the United States and across the world: one rosary was sent to Canada and another to Germany. One customer commented that the first time he prayed the rosary was with the Penal Rosary I made. 

Where did you learn web design?

I picked up my myself and found it interesting to have on the web to look at. My uncle got me involved in website building for his business. I enjoy doing this because I can use design to help display the product(s). Good design reminds me of the beauty in the Catholic Church. We have beautiful church and you look at all the art and it draws you to the main focus (Jesus). In a similar way, my website is about drawing attention to the main focus: to Jesus through Mary.  

What have been some obstacles you encountered?

Hard to give to attention to three to four different areas in my life. But I can give my website a break when I need it too.  

Who is your favorite Catholic saint(s) besides Mary?

My patron saint is Saint John Bosco. I was reading his story and I enjoyed how he had a sense of humor being a priest. He wasn’t a priest who wasn’t sitting in prayer all day. He was among the people. I think his liveliness was amazing! 

How do you incorporate prayer in your life?

I think that praying the Rosary is important in my life. Prayer connects the physical with the spiritual world. Prayer makes me feel that God isn’t a far, distant being. The gift of prayer is amazing. It’s natural for us to cry out to God and it’s great to be personal with our Lord and Savior. Both memorized and spontaneous prayers serve a purpose in my life it depends on the day. I started using the Hallow app and the novena I’m praying is one way God is really speaking to me recently. Remembering the words of the novena helps ease my doubts. 

How’s it like being the oldest of five kids?

It’s both a blessing and a challenging. I often feel more responsible for my siblings than they seem to be for themselves. I put more pressure on myself than necessary. But I enjoy helping my siblings out.

How can my readers find you?

http://www.ringsofthelord.com. Check him out on Instagram @ringsofthelord1

About Will:

Hello, my name is Will Henry! I started Rings of the Lord with hopes of bringing people closer to Mary. I live in the beautiful mountains of western NC with my parents, my four younger siblings, and my dog, Bosco. On the weekends I love serving mass at church (my favorite role is Master of Ceremony). After school I enjoy playing golf, designing websites, and of course making rosaries.

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A 361 Word Interview with Mike Tenney from Pop Culture Catechism

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Mike Tenney via phone call on November 2, 2022. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any  integrity of the answers given.

Mike Tenney

What inspired you to begin Pop Culture Catechism?

I have found since I was in high school I have had a gift explaining the faith to others in an understandable way. I spent 14 years in Catholic schools teaching theology. Developments in my wife’s career and having kids helped to lead me toward this path. This podcast seems to be a natural use of my talents and experiences. It seems like a perfect nexus of my skills, passions, and experiences.

Describe your Catholic journey (so far).

I’m a cradle Catholic but had an reawakening through youth group in high school. I also discerned the priesthood and went on some mission trips. I also served with the Capuchin Volunteer Corp immediately after college. Every few years, I have had these amazing spiritual highs.

What have been joys you experienced with this podcast?

The biggest joy is all the people who have reached out to me. Especially those who aren’t faithful Catholics. I’ve had a few friends who I lost touch with and who I have since rekindled a friendship with. Now I’m getting to be a religion teacher for my friends and family.

Students have reached out. My target audience is my former students.

What have been some obstacles you encountered?

Finding good guests has been one of the toughest challenges. It is tough to align with relevant topic and on people’s minds, or a piece of art that speaks to it, and there’s also guest who’s knowledgeable and passionate about it.

Who is your favorite musical artist?

I have an eclectic taste but alternative rock is my home base. Some of my favorite musical artists include: U2, Dave Matthews Band, Maroon 5, Paramore, Jimmy Eat World, Counting Crows, and Elevation Worship.

How important is Saint Teresa of Avila to you and your faith life?

I discovered Saint Teresa through a book about Saint John of the Cross. My mother-in-law was named Teresa. And I discovered her through Saint Ignatius. The two key concepts is finding these rooms inside yourself and what a castle for. It’s a place of protection and the king lives there.

How can my readers find you?

Popculturecatechism.com

Thank you for sharing!

On Autism and Fatherhood: An Exclusive Interview with Andrew Garofalo

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Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted via email communication in September 2019. Some of the answers provided by the interviewee were edited to provide clarity for the reader. The integrity of Andrew’s answers was not compromised in the editing process.

Describe the special needs of your daughter

Evangeline was born with tethered cord syndrome (lipomyelomeningocele), which is a type of spina bifida. At 4 months old she required a surgery to detach her spinal cord from a large lipoma on her lower back.

At 3 years old she had a second surgery for cosmetic purposes to remove the large lipoma at the base of her back. Hopefully, there are no other surgeries for the future (the cord could re-attach, but it is unlikely in her case).

When was your daughter diagnosed with autism?

At about 3 1/2 years old Evangeline was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. She has been delayed mostly in speech, but due to her spina bifida, she has also had physical therapies to strengthen her legs and improve her walking. She walks very well, but she still does not have the lower body strength and mobility of a normal child her age.

Overall, Evangeline is doing well. Though a bit delayed in certain areas, once she gets the hang of something, she usually excels at it very quickly.

What challenges do you face as a parent to a child with special needs?

My wife and I face many challenges. Evangeline is able to receive most of her therapies at her school (she is currently enrolled in a special needs pre-school program), but she still has many regular appointments with various doctors and specialists in addition to her normal pediatric care (e.g., orthopedist, neurosurgeon, neurologist).

Evangeline looks a little different than most other kids and her behaviors stand out. Because of this, we are aware she may be teased by other kids as she gets older. Though Eva is well-behaved most of the time, she has certain ticks (she might make a strange noise now and then). She has certain rituals too. Some include singing a song she heard in a cartoon when the microwave is on or closing the front door anytime someone leaves our house.

If she is not able to do her rituals or do them the way she wants to, she often becomes distressed and cries. We try not to accommodate her rituals because we don’t want to reinforce them, so we patiently allow her to go through the process and console her when she is distressed.

How do you think these issues will change in the future?

My wife and I also have some concern over Eva’s future. We don’t know how well she will fit in with other people as she gets older and also how she will fit into the workforce as an adult. And sometimes I think about how she will be cared for after my wife and I pass away.

Hopefully there is a lot of time before she has to deal with that (Julie and I are in our 40s), but it is a reality that I still think about. Evangeline has two older siblings who love her very much, so when my wife and I pass we hope they will be there for her if she needs it.

How has raising a child with special needs impacted your approach to the liturgy?

We have not had parishioners with similar struggles approach us, but we have a group of close supporters we are linked to through a retreat called Emmaus here in the Miami area. When Eva was going through her surgeries we had a strong prayer community within the Emmaus men and women at our parish. Our friends at the parish are still interested in Evangeline’s progress. They love her!

Eva has been generally well-behaved at Mass, but sometimes during quiet times she will make strange noises (not like “normal” fidgeting or talking that young kids do) or she may want to sing a song (not so quietly). She seems to be growing out of that now. We have noticed that her peculiar behaviors usually come and then go after a while.

We have had to leave Mass early only once and we have had to take her outside to quiet down maybe a half dozen times ever. Thankfully, Eva shows an interest in the parts of the liturgy including the Our Father and some of the music. I think Mass is just part of her routine now.

What trials have you experienced?

Those uncomfortable moments when Eva is disruptive during Mass and I get the feeling some people around us might be annoyed and not understand she has ASD. Mostly we do our best to be respectful of the Mass and the other people there. We  ignore any unfriendly looks we might receive from a very small minority of people there. It is harder when we are away from home and visit other parishes because they do not know her there.

What joys have you experienced?

Seeing Eva put her hands in the prayer position during the Our Father with a big smile on her face and seeing her become enraptured by any particular song during the Mass.

We are united in constant prayer for Evangeline and all other special needs children. God bless you.

 

Thank you for sharing!

On Autism and Being a Priest: An Exclusive Interview with Fr. Matthew Schneider

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Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted via email communication in August 2019. Some of the answers provided by the interviewee were edited to provide clarity for the reader. The integrity of Fr. Matthew Schneider’s answers was not compromised in the editing process.

Fr. Matthew Schneider

What challenges do you face as a priest with autism?

My religious community tends to take on other ministries more often. I was the chaplain and on the formation team at a K-12 school for the 2013-2014 school year. I recognized I had not had a perfect year, but I figured everything was within the learning curve of being new to a certain type of ministry. However, the school administration thought otherwise. They asked that another priest from the community take over after a year of what was supposed to be a 3 or 6 year assignment.

The administration also suggested I might have Asperger’s. I felt devastated but it hindsight this is a blessing as it lead to a diagnosis about 16 months later in January 2016. After that, I was transferred to working more behind the scenes on a few projects for my religious community – preparing a course, local administration, and the national communications – while studying grad theology part time and helping out with the sacraments at our retreat center and a few parishes.

How did the parishioners react when found out you were diagnosed with autism?

The regulars at the retreat center knew me kind of like a parish and they responded quite well. They didn’t really ask too many questions and just accepted the diagnosis when I explained it to them.

Given my situation, one family at the retreat center approached me as they have several autistic children. However, the mother of that family has already managed to get most things in order for her family at Mass, etc. so I probably learned as much from her as I helped her.

What challenges did you face after your ASD diagnosis?

As far as challenges, I definitely have some. I realize that I am not great at reading people. This has a lot of side effects regarding how I approach a lot of things. Right now, I am earning my doctorate in hopes be of service to the Church as a writer or teacher.

I’m more insistent on a confessional screen as I have trouble reading faces which people often expect in face-to-face confession. Also a few times, I’ve struggled with hearing confessions with talking going on in the background like at parishes missions or big events. Usually this issue was resolved by moving somewhere the preacher was not so loud.

How ASD ever affected your approach to the Liturgy?

As far as liturgy, I don’t think it has affected it too much.  A “normal” Mass doesn’t set off any sensory difficulties for me. I do tend to prefer a more structured liturgy as opposed to a free-form or charismatic type. I tend to say the black and do the red while tending to simplicity in songs.

Fr. Matthew wants to help you experience Jesus and become his apostle.
He is a priest with the Legionaries of Christ ordained in 2013, and lives in the Philadelphia metro area where he studies at theology doctorate and helps out with a few ministries. Fr. Matthew is also one of the top priests on social media with over 75,000 followers and writes a blog on Patheos. Originally from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Fr. Matthew has worked throughout North America.

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