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Gotta Be Saints
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Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Brendan Gotta sits down with Dr. Thomas McGovern to explore the reality of what Jesus endured during His Passion—and why it matters for our spiritual lives today. During Lent, and especially on Good Friday, we hear the Gospel accounts of Christ’s suffering: the agony in the garden, the scourging, the crowning with thorns, the carrying of the cross, and the crucifixion. But many of us have wondered what these events actually meant physically. What did the huma...
Send us Fan Mail Ida Görres is one of the most insightful Catholic writers of the twentieth century—yet many Catholics today have never heard her name. In this episode, Brendan Gotta sits down with Jennifer Bryson to explore the life and legacy of Ida Görres, a fearless German Catholic thinker whose writings on holiness, suffering, and the lives of the saints continue to challenge and inspire readers today. Jennifer shares how she first discovered Görres and why her work remains so relevant i...
Send a text Gossip. Lying. Flattery. Crass words. Most of us recognize that sins of speech quietly undermine our pursuit of holiness. In this episode, I sit down with Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., to discuss his book Training the Tongue and Growing Beyond Sins of Speech and the path toward verbal virtue. Drawing from Thomistic wisdom and pastoral experience, Fr. Gregory explains why speech is ordered toward communion with God and others, why seemingly “small” faults like exaggeration and gossip are...
Send a text About This Episode Lent has a way of catching us off guard. One moment we’re settling into the new year, and the next we’re being invited into forty days of prayer, sacrifice, and renewal. In this episode, Brendan Gotta sits down with author and homeschooling mom Colleen Pressprich to discuss her new book Lenten Prayers for Families and how families can enter more intentionally into the Lenten journey. Colleen shares practical wisdom for cultivating the domestic church, praying wi...
Send a text In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I sit down with Steph Stampfer, a Catholic writer and podcaster living in Vienna, to share her powerful and honest journey to the Catholic faith. Steph’s story moves through spiritual searching, travel, Eastern spirituality, New Age practices, and deep interior brokenness—before ultimately leading her home to Christ and the Catholic Church. This conversation is a testimony to the patience of God, the power of intercessory prayer, the...
Send a text In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I sit down with Dr. George Delgado, a family physician and one of the pioneers of abortion pill reversal (APR), to talk about the science, the stories, and the hope behind a medical protocol that gives women a second chance after beginning a chemical abortion. Dr. Delgado is the founder of the Abortion Pill Reversal Network and the author of Abortion Pill Reversal: A Second Chance at Choice. As chemical abortions now account for the ...
Send a text In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Angela Costley, a Hebrew Catholic theologian and Scripture professor based in the UK, to talk about what it means to be both Jewish and Catholic—not as a contradiction, but as a fulfillment. We discuss why the phrase “Jewish Catholic” can sound confusing at first, how the Church is grafted onto the “olive tree” of Israel (Romans 9–11), what Vatican II helped recover about the Church’s relationship to the Jewish peop...
Send a text The Reason to Stay Catholic (with Colleen Dulle) In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I sit down with Colleen Dulle — wife, mother, Vatican reporter, and author of Struck Down, Not Destroyed: Keeping the Faith as a Vatican Reporter. We talk honestly about why we remain Catholic in a wounded Church: how to stay when you’ve seen the worst, how to wrestle with God without walking away, and where real hope is found when scandals, hypocrisy, and disappointment hit close to h...
Send a text In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Michael Pakaluk — husband, father of 15, philosopher, and author of The Shock of Holiness: Finding the Romance of Everyday Life. We talk about the beauty of the Catholic faith, why holiness is both deeply attractive and deeply demanding, and how God meets us in the very ordinary, sometimes messy, details of daily life. From stories about daily Mass with small children, to reflections on his late wife Ruth (now a S...
Send a text In this powerful and timely episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Dr. Charles “Charlie” Camosy — moral theologian, bioethicist, and author of Living and Dying Well (order here). Charlie shares deep insights into the cultural push toward physician-assisted killing, why our society is at a “tipping point,” and how the Catholic vision of life and death offers a radically hopeful alternative rooted in dignity, community, and love. Drawing from Church teaching, real-wor...
Send a text In this powerful and deeply moving episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI — priest, theologian, and author of beloved spiritual classics The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire. Fr. Ron shares wisdom from his new book, Insane for the Light: A Spirituality for Our Wisdom Years , exploring what it means to grow old with grace, purpose, and hope. Together we discuss how aging, loss, and even physical diminishment can become powerful acts of love — mirro...
Send a text In this episode of Gotta Be Saints, I sit down with author and Catholic coach Belinda Terro Mooney to talk about living real friendship with Jesus and praying with the saints—especially on their feast days. With All Saints’ Day right around the corner, we dive into why the saints’ stories matter, how ordinary people become holy, and practical ways to invite the saints to intercede for your family, parish, and daily life. Guest Bio Belinda Terro Mooney is an author, Catholic coach,...
Send a text In this episode of Gotta Be Saints, Brendan Gotta welcomes back Dr. Julia Sadusky, a clinical psychologist and author of Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth. Together, they unpack the complex and often misunderstood topic of conversion therapy—how it’s defined, what the law says, and how Catholics can approach questions of faith, sexuality, and identity with both compassion and truth. From Colorado’s 2019 conversion therapy ban to the...
Send a text Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuận spent 13 years imprisoned by the communist regime in Vietnam—nine of them in solitary confinement. In this moving conversation, his sister Elizabeth shares intimate family memories, the roots of his priestly vocation, and the crucible of prison where the Eucharist became his lifeline. She recounts how the meditations that became The Road of Hope were written and smuggled out, the small miracles that sustained him, and the day he was told si...
Send a text In this episode, I am joined by Kevin Matthews, legendary Chicago radio personality and author of Broken Mary. For nearly two decades, Kevin was the voice millions tuned in to hear every morning. Known for his unforgettable characters, sold-out comedy shows, and larger-than-life presence, he seemed to be living at the peak of success. But in 2008, Kevin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—a diagnosis that reshaped his life and faith. Out of that brokenness came an unlikely encou...
Send a text In this episode, I am joined by His Eminence, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and author of Word, Sacrament, Charism: The Risks and Opportunities of a Synodal Church. Drawing on decades of leadership within the Church—including his roles in seminary formation, global episcopal appointments, and multiple synods—Cardinal Ouellet brings a deeply theological and pastoral lens to one of the most debated processes in the modern Church: synodality. I...
Send a text In this powerful and vulnerable episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Dann Aungst, a certified addiction counselor, Catholic speaker, and founder of Road to Purity. Dann shares his courageous journey of recovery after more than 30 years of battling sexual addiction — and how God's grace, the sacraments, and healing from inner wounds led to freedom and a life of mission. 💥 Whether you struggle with addiction or want to better support those who do, Dan’s story reveal...
Send a text In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Sister Betty Ann McNeil, D.C., the foremost expert on Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, to explore the life, legacy, and spiritual depth of the first native-born American saint. As we approach the 50th anniversary of her canonization, Sister Betty Ann shares powerful insights into Mother Seton’s conversion, suffering, motherhood, and the founding of the Sisters of Charity — all rooted in a deep love for Christ and the Eucharis...
Send a text In this special episode, I share my recent conversation on BBC Radio where I had the chance to talk about the Jubilee for Digital Missionaries in Rome. Joining me for the discussion was fellow Catholic content creator Eliza Monts. Together, we reflect on what it means to evangelize in the digital space, the experiences we had during the Jubilee, and how events like this strengthen our mission to bring Christ to others online. What you’ll hear in this episode: How the Jubilee for D...
Send a text In this episode of the Gotta Be Saints Podcast, I’m joined by Jamie Baxter, founder of Exodus 90, to explore St. Michael’s Lent — a centuries-old devotion practiced by St. Francis of Assisi that still speaks powerfully to the challenges of our time. We talk about why this devotion, which runs from the Feast of the Assumption to the Feast of the Archangels, is worth reviving, and how disciplines like night vigils, fasting, and fraternity can help men (and women!) grow in freedom an...



