Free Daily Podcast Summary
Practicing Catholic: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Augustine Institute
A weekly podcast for everyday holiness featuring real conversations and practical wisdom to arm you in the ordinary pursuit of sanctification.Join the Augustine Institute’s Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger as they explore topics such as work, family life, prayer, and Catholic culture. Each episode encourages and equips you with timeless wisdom drawn from Scripture, the lives of the Saints, and the Tradition of the Church, offering practical ways to grow in holiness in the midst of daily life.Have a question or an idea for a future episode? We’d love to hear it! Click here: http://bit.ly/3IHWk5q
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago42 min
How to Grow in Virtue, One Choice at a Time
What is virtue, and how do we actually become more virtuous? Taylor Kemp sits down with Dr. Joe Scherrer—retired Air Force colonel, leadership coach, and secular Discalced Carmelite—to explore how the habits we practice shape the people we become. Together, they discuss the cardinal and theological virtues, the relationship between prudence and leadership, the need for temperance in everyday life, and why humility is essential for holiness. Dr. Joe Scherrer also offers a practical approach to growth: identify one virtue, practice it through small concrete actions, and cooperate with God’s grace over time. Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Learn more about Dr. Joe Sherrer and the Leadership Forge: https://theleadershipforge.com Watch The Rescue Project on Formed: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/1492637 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 2 weeks ago43 min
Catholic Rules for the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Taylor Kemp and Scott Hefelfinger continue their conversation on artificial intelligence, this time focusing on practical principles for using AI well in daily life and work. They discuss why Catholics should think before prompting, protect their areas of expertise, avoid treating chatbots like real relationships, and stay rooted in the human goods of creativity, work, conversation, and prayer. Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: https://formed.org/practicing-catholic-podcast Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- 3 weeks ago43 min
We Read Pope Leo's Encyclical, Here's What We Think
Artificial intelligence promises greater efficiency, easier access to information, and solutions to many everyday problems. But what happens when efficiency becomes the standard by which we measure human worth? Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger examine the Church’s response to AI and the technocratic mindset behind it. They explore how technology shapes our habits, weakens our capacity for patient thought, and can tempt us to treat people as problems to be optimized rather than persons made for relationship and communion. How can Catholics evaluate new technologies without rejecting their benefits or embracing them uncritically? This conversation invites us to pause, examine our use of AI, and ask whether our tools are truly helping us become more human. Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Jun 29, 202640 min
Why Patriotism is Actually a Christian Virtue
What does authentic patriotism look like for Catholics? In this Fourth of July episode, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger explore the virtue of patriotism through the lens of gratitude, justice, and Catholic tradition. Drawing from St. Thomas Aquinas, Chesterton, and their own experiences living abroad, they discuss how love of country differs from nationalism and why gratitude is the foundation of patriotism. They reflect on God's providence, civic responsibility, and how Catholics can love their country without idolizing it. The conversation also offers practical ways to contribute to the common good through family life, local communities, and charitable engagement in an increasingly divided culture. Plus, they answer a listener question about maintaining relationships with family members who have left the faith. Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Get American Pilgrimage by Dr. Christopher Shannon here: https://catholic.market/books/american-pilgrimage/?srsltid=AfmBOopYpTM47rxVjDIxQo7yk3uu7RIJMFnrwvg7mreqtcS6ev9Lp0XJ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Jun 22, 202647 min
How to Get More Out of Mass (Even When You're Distracted)
In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Dr. Scott Hefelfinger and Taylor Kemp explore how to participate more deeply in the Mass, even during seasons of distraction, dryness, or spiritual fatigue. Drawing from their own experiences as parents and pilgrims in the faith, they discuss why the Mass is not primarily about what we get out of it, but about entering into Christ's sacrifice and allowing the liturgy to form us. The conversation covers practical ways to listen more attentively, the relationship between confession and the Eucharist, the importance of thanksgiving after Mass, and how learning more about the Liturgy can deepen our love for it. Whether you're a lifelong Catholic or a recent convert, this episode offers encouragement to bring your "five loaves and two fish" to the Lord and trust Him to transform even your imperfect offering. To learn more about the show, visit http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Jun 15, 202648 min
What It Means to Be a Disciple Today: Student, Transformation, and Mission in a Distracted World
What does it actually mean to be a disciple of Christ today—and how is it different from the time of the Apostles? In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Ben Akers reflect on the heart of discipleship as it appears in Scripture: to be called by Jesus, transformed by Him, and sent on mission with Him. They walk through key Gospel passages like the calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, showing how discipleship begins with hearing Christ’s call (“Follow me”), continues through surrender and transformation (“I will make you”), and culminates in mission (“I will make you fishers of men”). Along the way, they explore how modern life—especially distraction, technology, and comfort—can pull us away from that pattern of discipleship. They offer practical ways to return to the basics: daily prayer, Scripture reading, the Sacraments, and intentional habits of attention that keep us rooted in Christ. This conversation also highlights a central truth of the Christian life: discipleship is not primarily our achievement, but our response to God’s initiative in us. -Watch Sacred Art with Taylor Kemp and Dr. Ben Akers on Formed: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/1140847 -Watch The Rescue Project on Formed: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/1492637 -Watch Littlest Saints on Formed: https://app.formed.org/app/collections/801622 Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Jun 8, 202641 min
The Our Father: Learning to Pray with Jesus
We pray the Our Father so often that it can become easy to say the words without really hearing them. But this prayer, given to us by Jesus himself, is more than a familiar Catholic prayer—it is the perfect prayer, teaching us what to ask for and how to order our hearts toward God. In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger reflect on the depth of the Our Father, the gift of rote prayer, and how this simple prayer can shape our desires, strengthen us in distress, and lead us more deeply into trust, surrender, forgiveness, and communion with God. Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: http://practicingcatholicpodcast.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
- Jun 1, 202658 min
How to Practice Leisure This Summer
What does real leisure look like for Catholics? In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger discuss why leisure is not laziness, escapism, or endless consumption, but a deeply human and spiritual practice rooted in rest, wonder, worship, and delight. Drawing on Joseph Pieper, St. John Paul II, Scripture, family life, and the rhythm of Sunday, they explore how Catholics can reclaim leisure as a way of becoming more present to God, family, creation, and the good things that restore the soul. From keeping Sunday holy to embracing boredom, taking pilgrimages, reading, praying, playing, and simply watching the sunrise, this conversation offers practical ways to make summer more restful, intentional, and joy-filled. Support the Augustine Institute by joining Mission Circles: Heralds, and get exclusive content like this live Practicing Catholic episode! https://give.augustineinstitute.org/campaign/745239/donate Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
About Practicing Catholic
A weekly podcast for everyday holiness featuring real conversations and practical wisdom to arm you in the ordinary pursuit of sanctification.Join the Augustine Institute’s Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger as they explore topics such as work, family life, prayer, and Catholic culture. Each episode encourages and equips you with timeless wisdom drawn from Scripture, the lives of the Saints, and the Tradition of the Church, offering practical ways to grow in holiness in the midst of daily life.Have a question or an idea for a future episode? We’d love to hear it! Click here: http://bit.ly/3IHWk5q
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