Contemplatives in the World

AI can generate an answer to any prompt you give it. But what about the question Jesus asks: "Who do YOU say that I am?" In this episode, David DiNapoli sits down with Dr. Timothy Fortin, Associate Professor and Chair of Philosophical Theology at Seton Hall's Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology and a graduate of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, to talk about Christian witness, artificial intelligence and its promise and limits in the area of faith, and why he teaches future priests to go beyond information gathering — to actually love wisdom. Recorded after a conference on Christian witness in the age of AI, the conversation also turns to Dr. Fortin's research on fatherhood and the masculine and feminine as a dynamic of giving and receiving, which began with his doctoral work in Rome. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletter The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

As a young priest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fr. Anselme Ludiga worked to help two communities in conflict live side by side. Now, in Rome, he’s researching how communication can bring divided communities back into relationship.In this episode, David DiNapoli sits down with Fr. Anselme Ludiga, a priest from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now pursuing doctoral studies in social and institutional communication at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Fr. Anselme speaks about his vocation, his work as a peace mediator, and the research he hopes to carry back home.Note: Fr. Anselme speaks in Italian in this episode, and his answers have been dubbed into English.Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletterThe Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

David DiNapoli sits down with Francis Opoku Antwi, a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Accra in Ghana, now in his third year of theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, to talk about the closeness between seminarians and formators, the traditions and rites of the global Church he'd never encountered growing up, and what it's taught him about the true reach of the Catholic faith. Francis also opens up about the road that led him here, and the early challenges of adjusting to life in Rome."The church is not just what I know about home," Francis says. "It's big, and it has so many different spheres."That global reach isn't unique to Francis's experience. The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross itself draws students from more than 80 countries, a living picture of what "universal" means for the Church today.Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletterThe Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

"Open up!" As a dentist, this was what Michael Tupta asked his patients. Now, as a seminarian, it's what he hopes to ask of hearts. In this episode, David DiNapoli sits down with Michael Tupta, a seminarian for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston—the entire state of West Virginia—now studying theology at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, to talk about trading dentistry for the priesthood, his love of walking the streets of Rome in his clerics, and what it means to see the universal Church up close. A fourth-generation dentist, Michael once healed people with his hands; now he feels called to heal them through the sacraments. He describes his Roman collar as a kind of "ask me anything" sign—an open invitation to the tourists and strangers he meets—and sees himself as a bridge between the Diocese of Rome and his home in West Virginia. Along the way he's served for the opening of the Holy Door, stood in the square for the conclave, met Pope Francis, and—two years before that election—shared a Thanksgiving at the college with the future Pope Leo. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletter The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

Feeling called to the priesthood, Father Kelvin did what any millennial would do: Googled it. The first phone number that came up belonged to the bishop, and he called. In this episode, David DiNapoli sits down with Fr. Kelvin Santis, a priest of the Archdiocese of Bombay now studying church history at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, to talk about his unlikely path to the priesthood, the lessons of serving as a cardinal's secretary, and why his time in Rome is a responsibility, not a holiday. Raised in a devout home where faith was more routine than relationship, Kelvin's calling crystallized during missionary work in a remote region where Mass came only once a month. Ordained at the height of the pandemic, he spent four and a half years as secretary to Cardinal Oswald Gracias. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletter The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/ Interested in joining us in Rome on a future pilgrimage? Learn more at https://puhcf.org/Rome

Ask most people about canon law and they'll picture rules, red tape, and Church bureaucracy. Fr. Trevor sees something else entirely: a treasure worth protecting. In this episode, David sits down with Fr. Trevor, a priest of the Archdiocese of Denver now studying canon law at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome, to talk about his winding road to the priesthood, the gift of being "called into the desert" to study, and why canon law is far more than a rulebook. Ordained just four years ago after a discernment that began when he was fifteen, Fr. Trevor reflects on his homeschool upbringing, the great-books formation that first taught him to think, and leaving a parish he loved to serve the Church in a new way. He reframes canon law not as a "power structure," but as the means by which justice is preserved and the gifts Christ entrusted to His Church are handed on to His people. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletter The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

He wasn't always sure he was called to the priesthood. His parish priest told him, "No one is sure — you have to give it a try." When he asked his rector for proof that God had called him, the answer changed his life forever. Father Daniel Irudayanadhan Vincent is a priest from Bangalore, India — and one of the only people from his entire state studying at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. In this conversation, David DiNapoli sits down with Father Daniel to talk about vocation, trust, joy, and what it looks like to give something to God and actually let go. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletter The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

As a teenager, Brother Stephen Sharpe nearly let YouTube talk him out of his faith. Today, he's spent years helping young people find their way back to it. I sat down with Brother Stephen of the Home of the Mother, a community devoted to the Eucharist, Our Lady, and winning young people for Christ. Raised in Maryland, he studied business, interned in military technology, and seemed set on a conventional path, until a pull he couldn't explain led him to Spain and a leap of faith that changed everything. At the heart of this conversation is evangelization, especially to youth. Brother Stephen makes the case that the Catholic faith is reasonable. He shares that faith and reason aren't enemies, and that the Church's 2,000-year philosophical tradition offers real answers to the questions young people are actually asking. He shares hard-won lessons from years evangelizing skeptical teenagers in Ireland and Florida (and why he learned to juggle to reach them), and why he's convinced the real engine of evangelization is personal holiness. “True joy comes from making your entire life an act of love for Jesus Christ.” Books Brother Stephen recommends for evangelization: Forming Intentional Disciples by Sherry Weddell — orderosv.com The Soul of the Apostolate by Dom Jean-Baptiste Chautard — tanbooks.com If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who loves great conversations about faith, culture, and the search for truth. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://puhcf.org/newsletter/ The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

Growing up in a farming family in northern Ghana, one visit from a missionary priest changed the course of his life forever. Years later, that childhood dream led him thousands of miles from home to Rome, where he's preparing for the priesthood at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. But the journey wasn't easy. In this conversation, Amos shares the sacrifices of leaving his family behind, learning Italian from scratch, adapting to a completely different culture (including his first encounter with pasta!), and what he's discovered about faith, friendship, and the universal Church along the way. More than a vocation story, this is a story about saying "yes" to a calling, even when it means stepping into the unknown. If you've ever wondered what inspires someone to dedicate their life to God (or what life is really like for a seminarian studying in Rome) you won't want to miss this conversation. If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who loves great conversations about faith, culture, and the search for truth. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://mailchi.mp/puhcf/newsletter-s... The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/

What happens when a Harvard graduate, political speechwriter, and aspiring psychologist leaves it all behind to become a priest in Rome? In this fascinating conversation from the heart of the Eternal City, I sit down with Fr. John Wauck, an Opus Dei priest, professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, author, media commentator, and longtime Vatican insider. Having spent more than 30 years in Rome, Fr. Wauck has witnessed historic papal transitions, advised journalists covering the Vatican, and taught generations of students who now serve the Church around the world. We explore his remarkable journey from Chicago to Harvard, from writing speeches for U.S. political leaders to teaching literature and communications in Rome. Along the way, Fr. Wauck shares profound insights on why beauty, storytelling, and friendship remain some of the most powerful paths to truth in an increasingly secular world. This conversation offers a rare glimpse into the ideas and experiences that have shaped one of Rome's most respected Catholic communicators. If you enjoyed this interview, be sure to like, subscribe, and share it with someone who loves great conversations about faith, culture, and the search for truth. Sign up for our newsletter to receive future episodes, reflections, and stories of impact from Rome and beyond: https://mailchi.mp/puhcf/newsletter-s... The Pontifical University of the Holy Cross forms priests and leaders who serve the Church around the world. Your support helps make these conversations—and that formation—possible: https://puhcf.org/donate/