What is the Church for? Does the Church have a mission? Or, does the mission have a Church? What is your understanding of God? Fr. Stephen Bevans, SVD, raises these questions in this week's edition of Deacons Pod.

In this episode of Deacons Pod, the deacons speak about the film with Paulist Fr. Tom Gibbons, vice president of Paulist Productions and an executive producer of "Fighting Spirit." The film shares the stories of multiple U.S. military chaplains who died while serving.

Do today's Catholic leaders have the knowledge and understanding to help people become disciples of Jesus Christ? Do parish leaders have the empathy and relationship-building skills to create a culture of welcome? Those are two of the questions raised in this episode of Deacons Pod featuring an interview with Dan Pierson of Grand Rapids, MI.

The Paulist Deacon Affiliates speak with Dr. Steven Millies, author of the new Paulist Press book "A Consistent Ethic of Life: Navigating Catholic Engagement with U.S. Politics." Dr. Millies directs The Bernardin Center at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.

The Deacons welcome Fr. Daniel P. Horan, OFM, author of the new Paulist Press book "Fear and Faith: Hope and Wholeness in a Fractured World."

In this rebroadcast of a 2022 episode of Deacons Pod, the deacons speak with Kevin Tuerff, the real-life “Kevin T.” portrayed in the Broadway musical “Come From Away” about the thousands of airplane passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, on September 11, 2001.

It is often in unlikely individuals and places that we discover God's transforming love. That is a premise of "Why God?: Stories to Inspire Faith," the new Paulist Press book from Fr. Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest, author, and film critic from Australia. Deacon Patrick Murphy-Racey speaks with Fr. Richard in this great new episode of Deacons Pod.

When a Catholic leaves their parish, should we call them and ask "why"? Should departing parishioners be asked to complete marketing-style exit surveys? Is the abuse crisis a factor for those leaving the Church? These are just some questions posed to Diane Blair in this episode of Deacons Pod.

In this special installment of Deacons Pod, five of the Paulist Deacon Affiliates share stories of sacred moments they experienced while traveling.

The deacons speak with Matt Kappadakunnel, author of the Paulist Press book "The Catholic Church and the Struggle for Racial Justice."

This episode of Deacons Pod features Sr. Mary Margaret Funk, OSB, a Benedictine nun of Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Beech Grove, IN. Sr. Meg is author of "The Matters Series" and other books from Liturgical Press. She also is a leader in interreligious dialogue.

Meditation and contemplative prayer may help people take a break from the drama in their lives, and be a balm to polarization in our society. Those are just two of several takeaways from this special episode of Deacons Pod featuring Fr. Laurence Freeman, OSB, a Benedictine monk and director of the World Community for Christian Meditation.

Heidi Busse, editor of the devotional periodical Give Us This Day, has a lively conversation with the Paulist Deacon Affiliates about Benedictine values, addressing polarization, and ministry with Catholics on the threshold.

Helen Osman, a longtime leader in faith-based communications, joins us for a conversation about providing hope for the Catholics at the threshold of the Church door; trends in Church media; and more.

In this special episode, we compile responses from our several of our pod guests to our regular question: "What words of hope would you give to Catholics at the threshold of the Church door, both those who are thinking about returning to Church and those who are thinking about leaving?"

In this episode, the deacons have a wonderful conversation with Paulist Deacon Chris Lawton and Paulist Deacon Dan Macalinao. They are both Paulist seminarians and transitional deacons who are slated to be ordained priests on May 18, 2024.

The deacons speak with Heidi Schlumpf, senior correspondent at National Catholic Reporter, about trends in the Church, Catholic publishing, and more. This is a rebroadcast of an episode from October, 2022.

The deacons have a great conversation with Jesuit Fr. James Martin, editor-at-large of America magazine, about his new book "Come Forth: The Promise of Jesus's Greatest Miracle." In the book, Fr. Jim takes a deep dive into the Gospel account of Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead.

The deacons have a great conversation with Paulist Fr. Rich Andre, director of the Paulist Center in Boston, about his faith journey, his call to the priesthood, preaching styles, music, the intersection of faith and science, and ministry in Boston.

Deacon Dennis and Deacon Tom share thoughts and tips for navigating the sacred season of Lent.

The deacons speak with Sr. Simone Campbell, SSS, who served from 2004 to 2021 as executive director of the NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and helped to organize the "Nuns on the Bus" lobbying tours around the country.

The deacons speak with Diana Macalintal, co-founder and co-director of TeamRCIA, a resource for parishes and ministers working with adults who are becoming Catholic. She also is an author and speaker on topics related to liturgy, music, prayer, and intercultural ministry.

The deacons are joined by Jesuit Fr. Thomas Reese to discuss his essay "15 Hidden Gems in the Synod on Synodality Report" that appeared November 9, 2023, in the National Catholic Reporter.

Media literacy education, digital literacy skills, artificial intelligence, and the power of movies are topics in this first Deacons Pod episode of 2024. The deacons' wonderful guest is Sr. Rose Pacatte, a Daughter of St. Paul, the founding director of the Pauline Center for Media Studies, and a film critic.

The deacons speak with Robert Ellsberg, publisher of Orbis Books, writer of the "Blessed Among Us" column in "Give Us This Day," and one-time managing editor of the Catholic Worker newspaper.