Old St. Pat's Podcast

When a newborn enters the world for the first time everything is unfamiliar. There’s noise, light, movement—nothing makes sense. The only response is to cry, to reach, to react. And yet, in that moment of total vulnerability, there are arms waiting. Loving. Steady. Certain. Meeting us exactly as we are. Maybe faith is a little like that. Not something we arrive at fully formed or fully understanding—but something we grow into. Just like birth, Easter doesn’t begin with certainty—it begins in the dark. With Mary in the garden, searching and not yet recognizing. With disciples who believe… but still don’t understand. And maybe that’s the good news. That faith doesn’t require everything to make sense. That even when we’re grieving, confused, or just trying to survive—something deeper is already unfolding. Because the resurrection isn’t just something that happened long ago. It’s happening now. Bringing hope out of despair. Meaning out of confusion. Life out of what feels like death. Today, Fr. Rossmann reminds us that even when we don’t have the words, feel like we’re just holding on and clinging in the dark— God sees us and comes to find us!

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir Happy Easter!  The featured songs today are: Hallelujah Chorus How Can I Keep From Singing? To Where You Are

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir The featured songs today are: Blessed Be Here In This Place A Pilgrim's Journey 

When you’re on a long road trip, there’s a certain comfort in the signs along the highway. You know the ones — a sign a few miles out letting you know a rest stop is ahead… and then another right before the exit. One to alert you, and one to remind you. That’s usually all you need to trust it’s there. But imagine if, instead, there were one hundred signs between you and that exit. At some point, it wouldn’t feel reassuring — it would feel unnecessary… maybe even a little ridiculous. And yet, in our spiritual lives, we often want many signs from God to reassure us. We tell ourselves, “If I just saw something more, I would believe.” But the real issue isn’t the absence of signs. It’s our struggle to recognize and trust what’s already been revealed — what’s right in front of us. Because faith doesn’t come from endlessly receiving more proof. It comes from responding to the signs we’ve already been given. At some point, the question shifts from: “Will God show me more?” to: “Will I trust what I’ve already seen?” So today, Father Pat McGrath challenges us — when we find ourselves asking God for a sign — to stop and wonder if He already has.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir The featured songs today are: The Lord Is My Shepherd I Lift My Soul Be Thou My Vision

What are you giving up for Lent? Or maybe a better question is: what have you started doing this Lent to become a better person? Are you praying more, fasting, trying to get your spiritual life in order as we prepare for Easter? All of those things are good. In fact, they’re part of the beauty of the season. But sometimes, if we’re not careful, they can subtly reinforce a deeper assumption — the idea that we need to improve ourselves first… that we need to become worthy before we can really encounter God. We often think the spiritual life is about getting our act together, becoming disciplined enough, holy enough, or good enough to finally approach God. But the Gospel tells a very different story. We have a God who goes looking. A God who approaches us first. A God who seeks us out and wants a relationship with us as we are today — not someday when we’ve perfected ourselves in the eyes of our own inner critic, or in the eyes of our family, our workplace, or the culture around us. The surprising message of the Gospel is this: we are already enough. Today, Father Michael Rossmann reflects on this beautiful truth — that the real joy of the spiritual life isn’t that we finally reach God, but that God never stops searching for us

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We hope you'll enjoy this special St. Patrick's Day 2026 collection of Irish music.

Have you ever noticed how the most memorable characters in movies are the ones hiding behind a mask — performing a version of themselves they think the world expects? In The Lion King, Simba runs away after his father’s death and hides behind the carefree philosophy of “Hakuna Matata.” It sounds fun and freeing, but it becomes a mask — a way to avoid guilt, responsibility, and the truth about who he really is. In The Wizard of Oz, the great and powerful wizard turns out to be something very different — just an ordinary, frightened man hiding behind a curtain. And Shrek hides behind the mask of the grumpy ogre to avoid rejection, convincing himself he doesn’t need anyone… until the truth breaks through. These stories resonate with us because we recognize something of ourselves in them. Like those characters, many of us spend part of our lives wearing a mask, too. We wear a mask and perform for protection. To hide our fears, doubts, or insecurities. To appear more confident, successful, or worthy than we sometimes feel. But while the mask may help us temporarily fit in, it often leaves us feeling unseen. It promises protection, but it can create exhaustion and distance. Authenticity can feel risky at first. But it’s also where freedom and real connection begin. Many of us spend years constructing versions of ourselves we hope the world will accept. Today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to take off the mask, live authentically, and become the person God created us to be.

What are the top moments in your life that changed you forever? Was it the day you met your spouse? The moment you held your child for the first time? The day you graduated — or the day you took a risk that scared you but opened a new door? Throughout our lives, there are moments we never go back from. Some are deeply personal — marriage, parenthood, a new beginning. Others are collective. You remember where you were when you heard the news. The assassination of John F. Kennedy. September 11th. Covid. The first time you realized how much the smartphone would change everything — and now, how artificial intelligence is reshaping our world. When history shifts, something in us shifts too. Disruptive events — can stir fear, uncertainty, even a sense that the ground beneath us isn’t as steady as we thought. And what do faithful people do when something consequential happens? We gather. We pray. We lean into the mystery rather than run from it. Because faith is not escape from reality; it is courage to enter it. When something happens, we do not respond with fear alone — we go deeper into the mystery of God at work in the world. We remember that God invites us not just to observe history, but to shape it — to become instruments of peace. Today, Father Jack Wall reminds us that we are called to incarnate God’s love, mercy, peace, and hope right in the middle of a changing world. To be peacemakers. To courageously and creatively build communion in one human family.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir The featured songs today are: Eye Has Not Seen Rejoice in Love Love Divine, All Love Excelling

There is a delicate line in the spiritual life — so subtle we often cross it without noticing. It is the line between wanting to be like God… and wanting to be God. The first is holy. The second is destructive. What makes it dangerous is how thin that line can be. We may begin with pure intentions — wanting to love, to help, to stand for what is right. But somewhere along the way, the ego slips in. We start believing we are righteous simply because we started with good motives. And before we know it, we are no longer reflecting God — we are acting like a god. Our actions drift from humility into control, from service into self-importance, and the result is hurt, division, and destruction. We act like we are a god when we condemn rather than discern… when we try to control everything… when we redefine truth to suit our comfort… withhold mercy… seek glory over service… assume we know the whole story… equate retaliation with righteousness… or allow pride to quietly convince us that everything revolves around us. But there is another way — not to be a god, but to be like God. To be like God is to be merciful. To trust. To forgive. To be generous. To heal and to serve. It looks like humility, mercy, kinship, justice without vengeance, and truth spoken with love. We get to choose which path we take. And Lent becomes the perfect time to reflect on our choices. Today, Father Ed Foley invites us to decern how we can be more like God — not by replacing Him, but by reflecting Him.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Healer of Our Every IllWho Is the Alien?If Today You Hear the Voice of God

Strike a pose. Curate the image. Build the brand. But forgiveness, generosity, and kindness? Those don’t always photograph well. You can’t filter them. You can’t stage it. You can’t hashtag “letting go of resentment” and expect applause. In fact, forgiveness can often looks weak. It can even look like losing. And kindness looks naïve. And yet — Jesus says it’s the way. Living the Gospel often requires us to do things the world doesn’t understand. Things that won’t land us on a magazine cover. Things that may not even make sense in the moment. Like holding your tongue when you want to fire off a cutting remark. Like accepting an apology you didn’t want to receive. Like forgiving someone who will never ask for it. This isn’t about striking a pose. It’s about striking at the root of pride. It’s about loosening the grip of resentment. It’s about choosing love when the ego wants revenge. So while forgiveness may not be in fashion, it is at the very heart of the Gospel. Today, Fr. Michael Simone reminds us that when we dare to forgive, we step off the cover… and into communion with the God who loves us.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:From Now On - The Greatest ShowmanSeasons of Love - RentLullaby

In order to renovate a house, you need the new blueprint, the vision… and then you start digging the foundation for the addition—maybe with a shovel or a backhoe. Next comes framing—but you don’t just hammer and hope for the best. You grab a level, a saw, and a measuring tape. You make sure the structure is level, solid and ready to stand. Blue print. Measuring tape. Shovel. Level. Saw. Simple tools. Real results. Now what if creating joy worked the same way? What if deep happiness isn’t mystical or out of reach… but something that can be built with the right tools? The really good news is that there are shockingly practical tools to create joy: Feed the hungry. Care for the poor. Stand up for the voiceless. Heal the sick. Do the good that’s right in front of you. The path to deep joy isn’t self-protection. It’s care for others. In other words, it’s mercy in motion. And when we live that way, something shifts—not just in the world, but in us. This isn’t sentimental spirituality. It’s radical practicality. It’s fixer-upper faith. So today, Father Pat McGrath hands us tools from the spiritual toolbox—because when mercy and love are put into action, they renovate our lives, transforming what feels worn down into something beautifully restored.

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:Rejoice Be GladI Saw A StrangerCanticle of the Turning

Have you ever seen pictures of—or maybe even stood inside—Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?It’s one of those places that almost doesn’t feel real. Towering stained-glass windows flood the space with color and light. And when you stand at the center of the chapel and watch that light pour through the glass, something stirs in your soul. You don’t just see it—you feel it.What makes that beauty even more remarkable is its history. Sainte-Chapelle was built in 1248. It survived the French Revolution, world wars, and centuries of wear and tear. At one point in the 18th century, it was vandalized and even used as a warehouse. The windows became darkened, dirty, and nearly unrecognizable.But then came restoration—first in the 1800s, and again beginning in 2008, with a painstaking seven-year effort to clean, preserve, and repair the glass. Today, Sainte-Chapelle stands as a jewel once more. The light still shines—but only because the glass was carefully cleared so that the light could pass through.And in many ways, we are like stained glass. God’s light is always shining—but how clearly it passes through us depends on the condition of our hearts. When our hearts are simple, open, and loving, that light moves through us more freely, more beautifully.Today, Father Joe Simmons invites us to examine what might be clouding our own glass—and to rediscover the quiet, radiant beauty that emerges when we allow God’s light to shine through us once again. To see images of Sainte-Chapelle, visit: https://www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's ChoirThe featured songs today are:I Am For YouGather Us InLove Endures

How many times a day does a thought of fear or irritation toward another person—or even an entire group—pop into your head? And how often does that thought quietly start to become part of who you are? Picture this: you’re driving along, minding your own business, when a Ford pickup cuts you off. Your shoulders tense, your jaw tightens. Suddenly, it’s not just a bad driver—it’s a Ford F-150. And then the story grows. You decide that all Ford F-150 drivers are terrible. Before long, every Ford pickup you spot on the road sends your heart racing and gets you worked up… even when they haven’t done anything yet. What started as a split-second moment has now turned into a full-blown narrative—one that adds stress, tension, and a little unnecessary suffering to your daily commute. But what if, the very first time that thought popped up, you caught it—and let it go? What if you realized there’s no link between the type of truck someone drives and how they behave behind the wheel? Odds are, your drive to work would feel a lot more peaceful. And the funny thing is—this little traffic drama is a perfect metaphor for so much more than vehicles. When we identify too closely with our thoughts—especially thoughts rooted in fear or anger—they begin to shape how we see others. And conflict thrives in that space. The ego wants to be right, to defend itself, to stay in control. Violence and division feed on judgment and “us versus them” thinking. And when those inner divisions take root, they inevitably show up as outer divisions. But here’s the good news: there’s another way. When we learn to observe our thoughts rather than become them—when we anchor ourselves in the present moment—anger, fear, and judgment begin to lose their grip. From that place of inner peace, we’re able to see others not as threats, but as fellow human beings. This doesn’t mean ignoring injustice or pain. It means responding from love rather than fear. This movement—from inner awareness to outward action—is deeply rooted in the Gospel: when Jesus calls us to repent —to turn inward —to reorient our hearts, this is what He means: to find peace inside. In other words, peace in the world starts as an inside job. So today, Father Pat McGrath invites us to cultivate inner awareness and let love, clarity, and presence guide our actions—so we can become people who bring light into darkness and help heal a divided world.