The Fountains of Carrots Podcast

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for awhile, you know how much we love to talk about literature and the Catholic imagination. However, we find that we’re often coming back to the same handful of Catholic novelists and we wanted to talk to our friend Sergio Bermudez about expanding the Catholic literary canon and thinking about other writers who are influenced by the Catholic imagination. Sergio is a proud uncle and writer from California who loves Latin American literature. In this episode we talk about how writers influenced by a sacramental worldview end up participating in the Catholic imagination even when they are no longer practicing Catholics, what Latin American magical realism and medieval literature have in common, and how storytelling can wrestle with faith and communicate something that’s ultimately hopeful. We also talk about fighting against the tendency to canonize our favorite writers instead of being willing to wrestle with their art. We talk about a lot of writers and artists in this episode so grab a pencil so you can add to your reading list and enjoy the episode! J.R.R. Tolkien Graham Greene Flannery O’Connor Evelyn Waugh Franz Kafka Bruno Shulz Romulo Gallegos Gabriel Garciz Marquez Guillermo del Toro Ernest Hemingway Shusaku Endo Mike Mignola Juan Rulfo To find Sergio: * Twitter Today’s episode is sponsored by Catholic Homeschool Conference‘s Life After High School Homeschooling parents often need a little help and direction in preparing children for life after high school. With this in mind the same team that put together the Catholic Homeschool Conference this past June with over 9000 Catholic families, and folks from 20+ countries have put together a FREE 3 DAY LIVE event on October 15-17th! Topics include: * College Prep* Career exploration* Military and Skilled Trade Programs* Vocation Discernment * And Gap Year options. With 30+ Catholic speakers, dozens of colleges, ministries and Catholic resources you and your teens will find direction, be inspired, and get the support you desire. And Haley will be sharing a talk for teens about how to become a writer so don’t miss it! Visit catholichomeschoolconference.com today for details! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs (new one starting up in mid-September reading Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon!) and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,800+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group?

How do you know when you’ve made an idol of something? Why are we prone to creating idols and how do they interfere with our relationship with God? That’s what we’re talking about today with the wonderful Elizabeth Scalia! Elizabeth has been one of our favorite Catholic writers for over a decade. She’s a Benedictine Oblate and the author of Strange Gods and Little Sins Mean a Lot. She’s the Editor at Large over at the Word on Fire blog and you can find her at her site The Anchoress. Idols are certainly a timely topic as we watch politics become an idol to so many during this election year. But there are other things we can turn into idols. In fact, humans are great at turning anything into an idol–even good things! We’re diving in to some of these pitfalls and what to do when we recognize idols in our lives, so grab a cup of something seasonally appropriate for the fall weather and enjoy the episode! (Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links) Elizabeth’s books Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday LIfe Little Sins Mean a Lot: Kicking Our Bad Habits Before They Kick Us To find Elizabeth: * her blog* Twitter Today’s episode is sponsored by Annunciation Designs Annunciation Designs is a Catholic shop focusing on ethically made practical products including apparel, gifts, kitchen goods, and more. Their goal is helping your family call to mind the Sacred in the midst of the ordinary. Head over to www.annunciationdesigns.com/foc for special coupon codes exclusive to FoC listeners! And be sure to check out the kids activity options like their reusable water brush reveal book (is your toddler obsessed with water brush books? Haley’s is!) Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs (new one starting up in mid-September reading Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon!) and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,800+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)* Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and 

The Church has a wonderful gift to offer in her Catholic Social Teaching. We’re talking a little bit about how much we miss when we ignore CST and why we should care about it with the fabulous Karianna Frey in this episode. Karianna is a mom, a classical educator, a speaker, and the author of Serviam Non Serviam: A Daily Examination of Conscience Journal. And lucky you because she’s sharing her gift of teaching to teach us all about the different themes of Catholic Social Teaching! In fact, we got so wrapped up in all the great thoughts and insights into these Church teachings that we had to make this episode a two-parter (this is part 2 so be sure to listen to part 1 first!) We’re diving into what the different themes of Catholic Social Teaching are and what the Biblical basis for each is. Karianna also chose a different Catholic woman (saint or figure) that exemplifies each theme so we can understand each theme in action. You will learn so much (and likely get to know a few friends in heaven as she shares about these holy women.) So grab a cup of iced tea while it’s still summer and enjoy! Things we talked about today: (Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links) Karianna’s books Serviam Non Serviam The Virtuous Path To find Karianna: * her website* Instagram Today’s episode is sponsored by Zelie Beans Coffee Zelie Beans Coffee is a small family-owned business committed to sourcing high quality, ethically sourced coffee beans. They ensure that growers receive fair prices so they can reinvest in their farms and families. And they provide delicious coffee mailed straight to your doorstep. (And it’s GOOD. Ask Haley. She’s been ordering from them for almost a year!) With a minimum purchase of 2 bags of great coffee, use the discount code CARROTS to get 15% off any coffee order (subscriptions excluded). Head over to Zelie Beans Coffee to order! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs (new one starting up in mid-September reading Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon!) and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,800+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook...

The Church has a wonderful gift to offer in her Catholic Social Teaching. We’re talking a little bit about how much we miss when we ignore CST and why we should care about it with the fabulous Karianna Frey in this episode. Karianna is a mom, a classical educator, a speaker, and the author of Serviam Non Serviam: A Daily Examination of Conscience Journal. And lucky you because she’s sharing her gift of teaching to teach us all about the different themes of Catholic Social Teaching! In fact, we got so wrapped up in all the great thoughts and insights into these Church teachings that we had to make this episode a two-parter (so tune in next week for part two). We’re diving into what the different themes of Catholic Social Teaching are and what the Biblical basis for each is. Karianna also chose a different Catholic woman (saint or figure) that exemplifies each theme so we can understand each theme in action. You will learn so much (and likely get to know a few friends in heaven as she shares about these holy women.) So grab a cup of iced tea while it’s still summer and enjoy! Things we talked about today: (Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links) Karianna’s books Serviam Non Serviam The Virtuous Path To find Karianna: * her website* Instagram Today’s episode is sponsored by Zelie Beans Coffee Zelie Beans Coffee is a small family-owned business committed to sourcing high quality, ethically sourced coffee beans. They ensure that growers receive fair prices so they can reinvest in their farms and families. And they provide delicious coffee mailed straight to your doorstep. (And it’s GOOD. Ask Haley. She’s been ordering from them for almost a year!) With a minimum purchase of 2 bags of great coffee, use the discount code CARROTS to get 15% off any coffee order (subscriptions excluded). Head over to Zelie Beans Coffee to order! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs (new one starting up in mid-September reading Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon!

We’re back from our summer break and excited to kick off the new season of the podcast with none other than the fabulous Sally Clarkson! If you don’t already know and love Sally, you will after you listen to this episode. Sally is the author of many bestselling books on parenting, Christian living, and education. She is a podcaster, speaker, wife, and mama to four grown children. One of her daughters has even joined us on the podcast before to talk about books! Sally’s books and podcast have been sources of inspiration, encouragement, and wisdom to us in our parenting and homeschooling journeys, so it was an absolute treat to get to chat with her this week. (We tried our best not to fangirl the whole time but…well…you be the judge of whether we succeeded or not.) We’ve both been homeschooling our crews for awhile, but we know that many of our dear listeners are unexpectedly being pushed into homeschooling for the first time (thanks, a lot, pandemic!). Whatever your schooling situation is this year, it’s probably highly irregular, and we ALL need some encouragement and vision right now. And Sally just released a new book, Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning, that is sure to be just what you need. In this episode, Sally is sharing from her experience and wisdom about lighting the fire of curiosity, wonder, and love for learning in our children and her insights will apply whether you’re homeschooling, virtual schooling, or sending your kids to a brick and mortar this year. We talk about how so much of our children’s education isn’t merely academic. It’s all intertwined with parenting and cultivating our children’s little souls and equipping them with what they need. And when we do this well, the academic stuff flows naturally! We also chat a little bit about educating out-of-the-box kids (Sally and Haley have some of those and maybe you do, too!) and being the mentors and models that our children need to thrive during this crazy year. We know that in this very difficult season, you will benefit so much from the grace that Sally has to offer in this episode! So grab a cup of tea and a scone (really, Sally would want you to!) and enjoy her wisdom. Things we talked about today: (Links to Amazon.com are affiliate links) Sally’s new book Awaking Wonder: Opening Your Child’s Heart to the Beauty of Learning The Awaking Wonder At Home Conference (register now! It’s available at no cost!) To find Sally: * her podcast: At Home with Sally* her website: SallyClarkson.com* Instagram* Facebook Today’s episode is sponsored by 

We’ve kept you waiting for our deep dive attention to Greta Gerwig’s new adaptation of Little Women, but we think this episode is worth the wait! Mary Rose Somarriba, writer, speaker, editor of Natural Womanhood, and associate editor of Verily Magazine, is with us today talking about the beauty of seeing a classic through fresh eyes. We discuss why adapting a film isn’t the same as copy and pasting a book onto the screen, and how this film brings together Louisa May Alcott’s life and perspective with her masterpiece novel. We of course talk about the actors, their performances and casting, as well as the choices Gerwig made in bouncing back and forth through time. But you won’t want to miss our individual opinions about the ending and how each one of us came away with different opinions. To find Mary Rose: * her website Today’s episode is sponsored by Kolbe Academy. Kolbe Academy is a faithfully Catholic and academically rich home education program created out of the desire to revitalize Catholic education. The ultimate goal of a Kolbe education is to guide your children to salvation through a recognition of truth, beauty, and goodness. Kolbe Academy offers three flexible options including traditional home education, live online classes with an instructor, and self-paced homeschooling to fit your family’s needs. In response to current circumstances Kolbe has expanded it’s online courses to include full programs for grades K-5. With Kolbe Academy, you never have to face the unique challenges of homeschooling alone. Their passionate and qualified team will help you every step of the way—whether it’s grading, customizing a curriculum to suit your child’s needs, or learning the ropes of home education. And to download the Kolbe Academy reading list with over 5,000 titles for children of all ages head to their website!Thank you to Kolbe Academy for supporting our podcast, and thank you for supporting our sponsors – you’re the best listeners around! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons (our latest is about the new Emma film adaptation) as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,

In today’s episode, we’re talking with Dr. Scott Hahn, renowned speaker, professor, and best selling author of many wonderful books including Rome Sweet Home and The Lamb’s Supper. Dr. Hahn is also the founder and director of the St. Paul Center and he has a new book out, co-authored by our friend and yours, Emily Stimpson Chapman, titled Hope to Die: The Christian Meaning of Death and the Resurrection of the Body. We’re so excited to share this conversation with you because it’s all about living (okay, and dying) in the reality of our resurrected Lord. Dr. Hahn shares about releasing a book about death during a global pandemic, why our bodies are more than a shell for our souls, how our Christian beliefs affect how we treat bodies after death, and what burial rituals and funeral liturgy reveal. But, just as the title of his book claims, it’s a hopeful conversation full of the joy of the Resurrection! We are indeed an Easter people. Dr. Hahn’s new book: Hope to Die How to connect with Scott Hahn: * web site* Twitter* Facebook* Instagram Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons (our latest is about the new Emma film adaptation) as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. We’re also just beginning our book club of Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Phillippe. Become a patron today and join us! Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,750+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)* Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog* Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review.

How are we, as Christians, called to participate in politics? How does our faith inform our vote? How do we find a way forward when the two-party American system leaves us without options that line up with the Gospel? These are the questions a lot of us are wrestling with–now more than ever. In today’s episode, we’re chatting with Amar Patel, running-mate of Brian Carroll, the presidential candidate for the American Solidarity Party–a 3rd party built on Christian Democratic values. Amar and his family live in the Chicago area where he and his wife are teachers. We talk with Amar about a consistently pro-life party, why voting for a small 3rd party isn’t throwing your vote away, the moral nightmare Christians face in our two-party system, racism in America, and how even families in the thick of raising young children can participate in political life. Enjoy this thought-provoking and timely conversation! Things we talked about: Amar’s blog posts: The False Meritocracy and What Christian Democracy Means to Me Alasdair MacIntyre’s brief essay: The Only Vote Worth Casting in November How to connect with Amar: * American Solidarity Party site Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons (our latest is about the new Emma film adaptation) as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. We’re also just beginning our book club of Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Phillippe. Become a patron today and join us! Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,750+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)* Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog* Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests,

We’re so excited to share this wonderful conversation with our friend and yours, Rachel Balducci, about overcommitment, vocation, and balance in your life! But before we introduce Rachel and share the details of what we talked about in this episode, we wanted to let you know that this isn’t the episode we planned to release today. We had scheduled this episode with Rachel for two weeks from today so that we could share a very timely conversation with a wonderful guest about racism, American politics, and how we, as Catholics, can participate in changing our communities. The problem is, the recording cut out partway through and we’ll need to re-record it due to those technical issues–fingers crossed for releasing next week. Why are we bothering to trouble you with details of recording tech snafus? Because we didn’t want you to think that we were ignoring current events and the pain our black brothers and sisters are suffering. Talking about difficult issues that might make us uncomfortable is important. After you listen to Rachel’s great insights today, if you’re looking for wisdom on how we, as Catholics, can address racism, check out our February episode with the wonderful Gloria Purvis. And without further ado…today’s episode! Our guest Rachel Balducci is a mom of six, an author, a speaker, a cohost of The Gist on CatholicTV, and because she has so much free time on her hands, she also teaches journalism at Augusta University. In this episode Rachel shares about the plague of being overcommitted and we discuss how coronavirus has pushed all of us to examine how we order our lives. Rachel guides us through discerning what we spend our time and energy on and shells out some fantastic parenting advice. Get ready for some podcast pep talk! We felt like we should have paid Rachel a life coaching fee after 45 minutes of this conversation! So grab a cup of iced coffee and enjoy this great conversation! Rachel’s new book (links to Amazon are affiliate links) Overcommitted: Cut Chaos and Find Balance How to connect with Rachel: * Instagram* Facebook* Blog Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons (our latest is about the new Emma film adaptation) as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,750+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be...

We are really excited to share this conversation with the fabulous Gracy Olmstead today! This has been such a challenging couple of months and sometimes it helps process this season by framing things in a different light. While we do not want to be Pollyanna-ish over a global crisis (nobody needs that!) we wanted to help ourselves think through what we’re experiencing and the future ahead by exploring what could be. We are well aware of all the things that are falling apart right now and grieving them. But how could this pandemic motivate good changes? What if some things that have come to light during this scary season will convince us to take action or re-examine how we structure our lives? Yes, there may be some wishful thinking in our musings, but we struck on some interesting ideas. We knew Gracy was the right person to have on the show on this topic because we love the thoughtful insights into family, localism, and farming in her writing. If you’re not already reading Gracy’s work, we know you’re just going to fall in love with her. Gracy is a wife, mother, and writer. She’s currently working on a book about her experience growing up in a farming community and you don’t want to miss out on her monthly email newsletter of beautiful thoughts and great reads she finds. In this episode we dive into so many possible results of this pandemic: can we change our food habits to keep things local now that problems with the current system have been highlighted for us? Is sourdough bread baking a fad or have we really rediscovered the beauty of slow food as a culture? Will being stuck at home remind us that we actually really like home? Is working-from-home going to be a permanent shift that helps employees center life around their family schedule rather than their employer’s schedule? Will multi-generational living becoming more appealing? So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this great conversation! How to connect with Gracy: * Twitter* Facebook* Email Newsletter Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons (our latest is about the new Emma film adaptation) as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs and receive a cute sticker in the mail from us. Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,750+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below. * The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)* Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog* Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and 

Today on the podcast we’re chatting with one of our favorite folks: Brandon Vogt. After hearing over and over again about how many Catholics feel uncomfortable in conversations where they might have to explain Church teaching (especially to someone outside the faith), Brandon wrote a book called What to Say and How to Say It. The goal is to help lay people have clarity about what the Church actually teaches so that they can communicate clearly instead of becoming nervous or defensive in conversations about hot button issues. Brandon has been a friend of the podcast for ages and in addition to his work as Content Director of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries he’s the author of several books and the co-host of a new podcast: The Burrowshire. He lives with his lovely wife and adorable children in central Florida. Most of us have certain Catholic topics that we really dread having to explain to friends and family because we’re worried that disagreement might damage relationships or that conversations on these issues will become awkward or heated. Brandon has great advice about how to prevent those anxieties by preparing ourselves so that we can truly communicative well without emotions running high. In this episode we also discuss Brandon’s new podcast and the huge recent event in his life: completing his first Jane Austen novel. So grab a cup of tea (or something stronger–it’s a pandemic!) and enjoy this great conversation: (links to Amazon are affiliate links) Books we mentioned: What to Say and How to Say It by Brandon Vogt Why I am Catholic by Brandon Vogt How to connect with Brandon: * Podcast* Facebook* Web site* Instagram Sponsor A big thanks to this week’s sponsor: Catholic Extension! As people across the globe have been burdened with the struggles and uncertainty of the pandemic, Catholic Extension is providing a creative way to lift spirits during this time, while also promoting the vitality of faith in the poor communities supported by the organization. Catholic Extension launched “Songs in Solidarity” to support mission dioceses across the country who, already struggling for daily survival,

Struggling with the up and downs and disappointments of life in, ahem, our current situation? We are, too. So we called a friend to talk about it. The founder of the well-known Catholic Feminist Podcast, Claire Swinarski joins us on this episode! Claire is the author of multiple books, including What Happens Next (available for pre-order!) and Girl, Arise: A Catholic Feminist’s Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World. She lives just outside of Milwaukee, WI with her husband and two kids. In this episode we talk about what our days look like and the little griefs of how this pandemic is affecting all our lives. We discuss the hard things and then the guilt over knowing others are suffering much more! As moms, we notice how different ages of kids make certain things easier or harder and we talk about how different people deal with stress (and that it’s okay not to deal with it the same way as the next person). We hope this episode makes you feel supported during this crazy time. So mix up a quarantini and enjoy! (links to Amazon are affiliate links) Claire’s new book: What Happens Next How to connect with Claire: * Podcast* Facebook* Twitter* Instagram Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Happy Nest Home Goods. Theresa of Happy Nest Home Goods offers modern Catholic embroidery art and patterns, sacrifice beads, and diffuser jewelry to help us embrace everyday holiness at home. If you’re interested in trying your hand at a new hobby these days take a look at the Instant Download Embroidery patterns. (Skill levels from super beginner to very experienced are available.) If you’re looking for a great way to help turn the thousands of small disappoints of quarantine life into offerings of love for God, check out the Sacrifice beads available in a variety of styles including adorable peg doll sacrifice beads. Fountains of Carrots Listeners receive 10% off any order over $10 with code FOC10 and 15% off any order over $45 with code FOC15Both codes are good until May 5, 2020. So head over to the shop today! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs. (We just started  Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery but it’s not too late to join in!) Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,500+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group?...

We have a treat for you today while we’re all waiting out this pandemic. We’re talking about beauty, art, and faith with Dr. Elizabeth Lev. Liz holds degrees in art history from the University of Chicago and the University of Bologna. She teaches art history at Duquesne University’s Italian campus and she has served as a commissioner on the Rome tourism board. She has also worked as a consultant on art and faith for the Vatican Museums and has led tours of the Eternal City for 20 years. Her TED Talk on the Sistine Chapel has garnered over 1.7 million views! In this episode we’re focusing on Liz’s book How Catholic Art Saved the Faith. We talk about what was really happening during the Counter-Reformation and why we should call it the Catholic Restoration period instead. We discuss how artists worked with theologians to communicate great truths of the faith through the beauty of their work and how artists cans till do this today. We think that a discussion about beauty and art will really lift your spirits and encourage you to fill your space with art that challenges you! So grab a cup of tea (or glass of wine because….we’re a month into quarantine here) and enjoy! (links to Amazon are affiliate links) Liz’s book: How Catholic Art Saved the Faith Things we talked about: The Sistine Chapel Caravaggio’s The Entombment of Christ Pan’s Labrynith How to connect with Liz: * Website* Facebook* Twitter* Instagram Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Adoramus Te Studio, a woman-owned small business run by artist and homeschooling mother, Jessica Grosheim. The shop is named for Jessica’s love of Adoration and the line “We Adore Thee” in the Gloria prayer. The shop features original artwork, home goods, and resin castings of vintage wax molds. Jessica’s goal is to use her talents to glorify God and to help bring beauty into your domestic church. Visit her shop at www.etsy.com/shop/adoramustestudio. Use code “CARROTS” to receive 10% off resin castings through May 15, 2020.  Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as ...

Today we’re talking with our friend and yours, Jennifer Fulwiler. She’s a mother of 6, author of bestsellers, daily radio show host on Sirius XM, and in her plentiful free time she tours nationally doing stand up comedy. Jen lives in Austin, TX and has a new book available for pre-order titled Your Blue Flame: Drop the Guilt and Do What Makes You Come Alive.   In this episode we talk about how we’re dealing with coronavirus quarantine (not great!), how to discover the reason God put you on this planet, and how to live out your gifts right now–even when we’re all stuck at home with a pandemic. Jen encourages us to dream small and just get started instead of staying paralyzed because circumstances aren’t perfect. We chat about how a true blue flame makes you come alive, but it also blesses other people. Now more than ever we need to be sharing our gifts with each other. Jen is, as ever, funny, clever, and inspiring. This is the pep talk we all need right now. So grab a cup of coffee (or, let’s get real, something stronger) and enjoy the episode! (links to Amazon are affiliate links) Jen’s new book: Your Blue Flame Jen’s free ebook about finding your blue flame during coronavirus How to connect with Jen: * Instagram* Facebook* Twitter* Radio Show Sponsor This episode is sponsored by Catholic Extension which recently launched “31 Days of the Feminine Genius,” a free daily email series that celebrates the tremendous faith and contributions of Catholic women throughout time. You can sign up to receive a month of daily emails, each featuring a quote from women who have played a unique role in sharing the light of Christ. Never heard of Catholic Extension before? It is a national nonprofit that works in solidarity with America’s poorest regions to build vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities. They support many resilient and faithful women themselves—including hundreds of religious sisters and lay leaders on the peripheries. Sign up at  catholicextension.org/femgen to get “31 Days of Feminine Genius” quotes sent straight to your inbox! Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Our Patreon is finally up and running so listeners can support the work we do. Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! You’ll also have access to our patron book clubs (our next pick is Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery). Come hang out with us!

We’ve never done a bonus episode. But we couldn’t imagine just moving forward with our regular programming before connecting with you over the pandemic we’re facing. This episode is basically a brain dump of what we’re thinking and feeling, what’s working for us, and perspectives we think will be helpful. We’re scared and anxious like you. We’re having good days and bad days. We’re grieving life as we knew it. But…here we are. So let’s lean in and reach for things that will inspire us and keep us sane in the coming weeks like rituals and routines, streaming Mass, and more life lines. And let’s give ourselves the grace to have a good cry or too much screentime because there are no rules for getting through a pandemic! (Except social distancing, washing hands, and all that good stuff.) We’re praying for all of you. Please keep us in your prayers. Things we mentioned in this episode: –Daily Mass streaming from Bishop Barron’s chapel -Haley’s books The Literary Medicine Cabinet (use code COMFORT2020) and The Grace of Enough (discount already set up on Amazon) are on super sale for your quarantine reading pleasure Looking for some more ways to connect during this time of isolation? Talks from Raspberry Cordial Catholic Literary Gathering Now Available! Couldn’t come to our Anne of Green Gables retreat last November? Don’t worry! We now have the audio of all three conference talks available for purchase. You can download all three talks for $15 right here. OR you can become a patron of the podcast for $5/month and get access as one of your many patron perks. Patreon! Do you love FoC and want to help us keep doing what we’re doing (and more!)? Well, we have just the thing for you! Our Patreon is finally up and running so listeners can support the work we do. Head on over to support the podcast as a patron and get access to special episodes available exclusively to patrons as well as to the FoC Slack community! Lent Book Club And another great reason to become a patron of the podcast is access to our Lent book club. We’re reading Holy Women. In this beautiful book Pope Benedict explores the lives and importance of 17 women saints of the Church, in short, readable, and compelling essays. We’ll read and discuss two to three women each week and learn more about saints we love, and come to know incredible women we’ve never heard of before. Patrons also get a 25% discount on the book. As patrons of the podcast you’ll receive weekly reflections and thoughtful study questions and we’ll discuss them together in the Slack! (About 150 patrons participated in our Advent book club so we’re excited to coordinate another one for Lent.) Become a patron today! Come hang out with us! Haven’t joined in on the fun with 4,600+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books,