A Conversation of a Vocational Journey

A conversation with an Episcopal priest about his sense of call and how it has changed over the years.

A student affairs professional works out of his faith to help students respond to the larger than life questions.

Nick describes the ways in which he sees God in his work. Many times it's a matter of being an affirming presence for those who have not experienced that in their lives.

Carolyn Cleary and Kevin Cleary

Carolyn Cleary: 2020-08-21 18:41:03 Carolyn Cleary (56) and her brother Kevin Cleary (68) discuss an episode in Kevin's life that Carolyn knew little about. He was a young anti-war activist in the early 1970s and was arrested for praying for...

Klein Family History: Bob and Sally Klein Part IV

My fourth recording session with my grandparents, Bob and Sally Klein, discussing their hopes for our family's future, what they would like to tell their future grandchildren, and the role religion and the Catholic Church has played in their lives...

A welcoming experience of the Church – Paulist Fr. Joe Scott

Paulist Fr. Joe Scott recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a #priest. Fr. Joe served in campus ministry for much of his first decades as priest. He was also an associate editor at Paulist Press from 1998...

Friendships in Ministry – Paulist Fr. Bill Edens

Paulist Fr. Bill Edens is an associate pastor at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew in #GrandRapids, MI. In this audio interview, he shares his #vocation story and more with Emanuele Sesta. To see a short video with parts of this...

“I really loved the preaching…I just kept coming back.”

Once, when Father Matt Berrios was a teen, he missed joining his family for Mass. He looked up an alternative and ended up at the Catholic Information Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's run by the Paulist Fathers. It was...

How does God’s presence shape our lives?

A spiritual director talks about her experiences and God's hand shaping her life. At the very end she proposes a helpful way to look for and describe God's presence in daily life.

“I love that I have a vocation”

Deacon Ryan Casey becomes Paulist Father Ryan Casey on May 19, 2018. As his ordination approached, he talked about everything from binge-watching Christian movies like Holy Man Undercover to his occasional street preaching. (Photo by Ryan Haggerty.)

A Listening Heart

Paulist Fr. Joachim Lally was ordained a priest on May 22, 1965. He was a Benedictine before joining the Paulist Fathers. Fr. Joachim lives today in Grand Rapids, MI, where he offers workshops at the Catholic Information Center. In this...

“Gratitude never gets us in trouble.”

I'm not proud of anything I've done," Paulist Father Tom Hall told the crowd gathered at his retirement party after 30 years as a Navy chaplain. He says that the room was silent. "I'm just overwhelmed with gratitude. Pride--no. There's...

Mary Farrell and Collinn Tran

[Recorded: Friday, February 17, 2023] Mary (70) and Collinn (18) have a One Small Step conversation in Charlottesville, Virginia. Mary is a liberal Catholic and a mother of three from Massachusetts while Collinn is a first-generation student at the University...

Eloise Anderson’s Catholic views

I interviewed Eloise Anderson. Eloise is 78 years old, she was born and raised in Hammond, Louisiana. She talks about her views on God and her experiences as a Catholic.

Thanksgiving listen

Today is November 26th, 2018, and we are in the living room in Mckinney, Texas.

“It’s a service of humility”

"Life in the priesthood is one of humility," says Michael Hennessy in this interview recorded shortly before his May 2018 ordination as a priest. Hennessy is a New Englander who started thinking about being a priest when he was teaching...

“I was looking for…adventure…”

Service is always at the core of Father Stuart Wilson-Smith's adventures and musical pursuits. He says that from the time he was young, he wanted his life to be focused on helping others. It was later that he decided that...

Grace Cangialosi and Susan Oliveri

[Recorded Tuesday, February 1, 2022] Grace (78) and Susan (75) recorded a One Small Step conversation together in Charlottesville, Virginia. They discussed activism, military families, and the influence of their religious and spiritual beliefs on their politics.

Praying at the Piano

Paulist Father Ricky Manalo's main ministry is music. But he's also a teacher at Santa Clara University, and around the world, about liturgy and culture. He writes reflections in the devotional book "Give Us This Day." Fr. Ricky is of...

“I want to give my life in a powerful way for something greater than myself”

I interviewed Sister Faustina of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth during the 2018 FOCUS Student Leadership Summit for Catholic college students in Chicago to ask her about her vocation story and a little bit about her life...

A Distinct Call – Paulist Fr. Mike Cruickshank

Paulist Fr. Mike Cruickshank is an associate pastor at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew and associate director of the Catholic Information Center, both in GrandRapids, MI. In this interview with Emanuele Sesta, he shares his vocation story and more. To...

An evangelist “reaching the unreached”

Paulist Fr. Kenneth "Ken" Boyack is vice president of the Paulist Evangelization Ministries, which has the tagline, "Reaching the Unreached in Faith." In this interview, he describes that work as well as intimate pivotal moments of his faith journey--including an...