365: An Evangelical Encounters the Early Church Fathers (w/ Mike Aquilina)

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic I'm joined, by one of our favourite guests and a good friend of the show Early Church historian Mike Aquilina to walk through what an Evangelical – like myself! – encounters the very first time they begin to read the Early Church Fathers.Based on my own experience, and the experiences of so many of the guests of this show, we talk about what it's like to encounter the Early Church Fathers, those who learned at the feet of the Apostles, and the picture of the Early Church they provide: a church with the Eucharist at its centre, bishops and apostolic succession, and a model of Christianity that looks decidedly Catholic! For more from Mike visit his website. You can also find Mike's new book The Church Fathers for our Time from the St. Paul Center.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic I'm joined, for a very unique and fascinating one-of-a-kind stories, by Michael Bell. Michael isn't a Catholic convert but the incredible story of his life – being shot in the eye and nearly dying! – is something that significantly deepened his faith and he's on a mission to share it wherever he can. We talk, in this episode, not only about Michael's amazing story but about suffering and Catholicism, the importance of the prayers of the saints, the importance of remembering stories, like Michael's, and what they can teach us going forward and the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding our walk with Christ, day in and day out. For more from Michael follow him on Instagram.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, apologist, and Catholic convert Shaun McAfee to talk about his new – and incredibly fantastic – book on Eucharistic miracles. As a non-Catholic Christian who believed that the elements of communion – the bread and wine – were merely symbolic, encountering Eucharistic miracles, miracles that seemed to validate Catholic doctrine like the Real Presence of Christ and yet defy explanation through science were like a gut punch. How can the Catholic Church be a false religion when God seems to be working miracles that only serve to prove that they teach?!It was questions like these that led me deeper and deeper into Catholicism and exactly what Shaun brings to us this week: amazing stories of science- and reason-defying miracles that confirm Catholic teaching. The consecrated host levitating, bleeding, surviving natural disasters or attempts at destruction and so much more. This is an absolute gem of an episode packed with evidence that will leave the non-Catholic Christian, we hope, scratching their heads!Check out Shaun's website and his new book Compendium of Eucharistic Miracles from TAN Press.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author and apologist Parker Manning to talk about some of the mistakes Evangelicals make when discussing, considering, and engaging with Catholicism. And this is deeply personal! I was drawn to Parker's book because many of these mistakes were the exact ones that I made as an Evangelical. Coming to recognize these mistakes is a large part of what made me consider Catholicism. We tackle topics like cherrypicking Scripture, misquoting the Early Church Fathers, picking and choosing which Christian traditions to believe in, misunderstanding arguments from silence and so much more – touching on topics of church hierarchy, Sola Scripture, and more!Check out Parker's book The Protestant Fallacies and read more of his articles from Catholic Answers.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by author, speaker, and Bible teacher Melissa Overmyer to talk about her conversion to Catholicism. It's a wild story featuring one of the most amazing miracles I've ever heard – you're going to know when you hear it!Melissa shares the story of how, as a Baptist Bible teacher, and someone profoundly in love with Christ, she ended up converting to Catholicism – and how she loves the Catholic faith! For more from Melissa visit her website. You can also buy her books and follow her ministries at Ascension Press.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Joel Robertson, The Accidental Catholic on Instagram, to share his incredible journey from an anti-Catholic Reformed Baptist to full communion with the Catholic Church. It's a wild ride, buckle up. We tackle Joel's experience as a Christian musician, touring Protestant churches and recognizing a problem in their different and conflicting beliefs, we dig into the Early Church Fathers, issues of interpretation of Scripture, and some of the biggest barriers to becoming Catholic – plus so much more! Please find and follow Joel on Instagram. Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my new friend (and potential blood relative) Father Joseph-Anthony Kress, OP to talk about the surge of recent Catholic converts, the role of the saints and the rosary in this conversion wave, and why non-Catholic Christians considering Catholicism shouldn't be afraid of giving the rosary – an ancient, powerful prayer practice rooted in Scripture – a try! It's a great conversation with a wonderfully generous and cordial Dominican! The best kind! For more from Fr. Kress check out the Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage.You can also listen to him on the Godsplaining podcast.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Diane Pietras to share the story of her incredible faith journey. Raised Catholic, Diane's story isn't the typical story of a Catholic convert from another faith tradition – although she does, indeed, become a non-denominational Evangelical at one point – but rather a story of proper conversion: of falling away and coming back to the faith, again and again. Diane's story is one of deep tragedy and trauma, of spiritual warfare and physical violence, of demons and dreams and visions, of incredible mystical experiences and a near-death encounter. It's an amazing story. Listener discretion advised: some content is not suitable for all listeners.Please do listen to Diane's daughter, Carolyn, in Episode 353 of the podcast.For more from Diane and her daughter Carolyn, please follow her brand new YouTube channel.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by my friend theologian, Bible scholar, and former Protestant pastor Dr. John Bergsma to dig into one of the most nefarious misconceptions about the Catholic Church versus Protestantism and, cordially, share some of his shocking conclusions. Is Protestantism really more "Biblical" than Catholicism? Dr. Bergsma says, no. On topics of how the Church is organized, what worship looks like, what Jesus taught, how authority is passed on, and how decisions and interpretations of Scripture are made Dr. Bergsma shows, over and over again, that the Catholic Church is more closely aligned to Scripture than Protestantism at its very core.This is a truly fantastic episode!For more from Dr. Bergsma visit his website. Check out this book Stunned by Scripture from Our Sunday Visitor Press and his podcast of the same name.To purchase any of John's fine books visit the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology.Send your feedback to [email protected] up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show!For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!Theme Music: "Splendor (Intro)" by Former Ruins. Learn more at formerruins.com or listen on Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp.A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic

In this episode of The Cordial Catholic, I'm joined by Deacon Mark Komula to share a conversion story like nothing you've ever heard before! Raised in the New Apostolic Church – a Christian sect (or cult) headed by a leader called the "Chief Apostle" – Mark was part of a dynamic and faithful family of devout "New Apostolics." His father, brother, and other extended family members were deeply involved in  church leadership so it was no surprise that Mark became involved too. But it was when Mark met a Catholic theology professor, began to look into the Early Church, and began to ask questions about Communion following some doctrinal changes in the New Apostolic Church, he realized that things he'd believed and taught faithfully all of his life didn't quite add up.This and so much more is part of Deacon Mark's conversion story this week on the show. For more from Deacon Mark please check out his website. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram.Send your feedback to [email protected]. Sign up for our newsletter for my reflections on  episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and exclusive contests.To watch this and other episodes please visit (and subscribe to!) our YouTube channel.Please consider financially supporting this show! For more information visit the Patreon page.  All patrons receive access to exclusive content and if you can give $5/mo or more you'll also be entered into monthly draws for fantastic books hand-picked by me.If you'd like to give a one-time donation to The Cordial Catholic, you can visit the PayPal page.Thank you to those already supporting the show!A very special thanks to our Patreon co-producers who make this show possible: Amanda, Elli and Tom, Fr. Larry, Gina, Heather, James, Jorg, Michelle, Noah, Robert, Shelby, Susanne and Victor, and William.Support the showFind and follow The Cordial Catholic on social media:Instagram: @cordialcatholicTwitter: @cordialcatholicYouTube: /thecordialcatholicFacebook: The Cordial CatholicTikTok: @cordialcatholic