The Cravert Chronicles Catholic Podcast

In this week's episode, Nicole and Tara had not one - but TWO wonderful guests, Gabriel Wanous and Chris Nolin with WorshipNOW Publishing company!  Over the summer Nicole met these two at the National Association of Pastoral Musician's (NPM) annual conference  that was sponsored by WorshipNOW. The event featured several christian artists, including  well-known Matt Maher! WorshipNOW is a new Catholic music publisher that was created with the intention to help parishes integrate modern worship music into their liturgies through hymnals, custom arrangements, digital downloads, music planning, and training - all of which has been approved by the Church for liturgical use! Nicole and Tara had a great conversation with these gentleman learning about their backgrounds working in their respective parish’s music ministries and leading up to the start of this company. They both left successful careers within the secular career force to pursue this passion full time!  Check out their newly launched website for more resources and be sure to follow WorshipNOW on social media! https://worshipnowpublishing.com/ Facebook & Instagram: @Worshipnowpublishing

This week, Nicole and Tara reflected on the age old question of what it means to be spiritual versus religious. It was hard to find clear articles stating either sides to this phenomenon as most of them catered toward the spiritual direction (fitting, especially seeing how society operates today).  After some digging they agreed on an article to reference covering 6 fundamental differences between religion and spirituality from the MindValley website. In addition, Tara shares some of her personal experiences prior to converting to Catholicism and how she sought out to be a good person solely through spiritual being. As a disclaimer, the episode refers to Christianity on the religion side of this conversation and is not meant to discount any who incorporate non-religious spiritual practices into their daily lives. It is a means of shedding light upon what some believe. Ultimately, religion and spirituality go hand in hand as a catholic. Spirituality seems to promote self-discovery and traveling your own path. Applying this concept  to the Christian religion is where you can discover who you are in Christ and let God guide your path!

Another Wednesday means another episode! In this one, Nicole and Tara  chat about Kanye West’s new album - Jesus is King, that was released this past week! It has since been declared a new age gospel album, still holding onto that mainstream  andsecular sound. A lot of controversy and questions have stirred following the release, but interestingly, the catholic community has provided a different reaction. With the world that we live in, celebrities have a huge influence and platform that reaches millions of people every day. Is it possible that Kanye might start a new wave of evangelization to christianity? We don’t know! Of course, it is normal to question the popular protestant belief of prosperity gospel, and Kanye’s tendencies to become overzealous when he jumps on a new trend. All of this aside, catholics seem to be drawn to his conversion alone, and his ability to admit he is now seeking to share the truth as a son of God. This definitely appears to be a good step in the right direction. Ultimately, celebrities need prayers to be guided in the right direction. Maybe we are going to witness a shift in Christian music moving forward...

This week, Nicole and Tara tackle the issue of pornography! More specifically, what makes it wrong in accordance with the Catholic faith. In the Catechism, Pornography is defined as “removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties”.  With this information, they viewed a documentary available on Formed.org called Hope Undimmed: Is Porn Naked and Unashamed? In this episode of his interview series, host Steve Bollman talks with a former pornography producer, former porn actress, and a couple who struggled in their marriage. Nicole and Tara break down the  three reasons why pornography is wrong in accordance with the Catechism, relating each point to the testimonies uncovered in this documentary. Ultimately, pornography takes what God intended to be beautiful, and makes sexuality to become seflish, purely physical, and dillusional. This is a real problem and addiction that people suffer from and it is encouraged that they seek help! Resources: Catechism, section #2337 on Pornography and the three reasons it is wrong Documentary - https://watch.formed.org/videos/is-porn-naked-and-unashamed *note you might need login credentials to access this on the Formed.Org website. You can go to your local parish office and request the code you need to access this catholic resource. Sexaholics Anonymous - https://www.sa.org/sa/  Speaker Matt Fradd - https://www.mattfradd.com/resources

This week Nicole and Tara talk about RCIA -better known as, The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults! Both have been through this process, one as an actual catechumen and the other as a sponsor, the ladies delve into their personal takes on the program through their parishes. The typical levels of an RCIA program follows four periods: the Period of Inquiry, Period of Catechumenate, Period of Purification and Enlightenment and the Period of Mystagogy. The three official steps of the process are the Rite of acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, The Rite of Election and ultimately the Celebration of Sacraments of Initiation (which occurs at the Easter Vigil). RCIA is a huge commitment, and a life changing experience. At the end of the day, our faith is a life long journey, and RCIA is a place that can open the door to the catholic faith! If you or anyone you know is interested in learning about what it means to become catholic, the below links give more information about this decision! http://www.beginningcatholic.com/catholic-rcia-stages http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/who-we-teach/rite-of-christian-initiation-of-adults/

This week, Nicole and Tara talk about youth ministry! While to some, they might immediately think of the 'mega church', concert strobe lights extravaganza, the education and fellowship of teens and college students is so important in faith formation. It is a critical age group going through so many life transitions and worldly influences. It seems there is no perfect way to run the right program, but they are out there, and they can surely impact one's experience with Christ! The ladies discuss different catholic parish ministries through personal experiences and compare to the non-catholic youth ministry programs around that seem to have a lot of youth involvement.  Ultimately, they relate back to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops  on the three main goals of what a catholic youth ministry should strive to achieve! What have you experienced in youth group  growing up that you feel is important for young men and women of faith?  Resources: http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/youth-ministry/index.cfm

In this episode, Nicole flies solo in our first 'minisode', because normally our episodes are typically a LITTLE bit longer! This week she decided  to talk about a  trilogy of books she has been engrossed in, Through the Eyes of Jesus by Alan Ames. An incredible testimony, Alan started experiencing visions from Jesus in the 1990s, where he would vividly experience some of the daily happenings while Jesus and his Disciples were traveling  the Holy Land a few months prior to the crucifixion. All of these visions, conversations, and thoughts from Jesus were ultimately validated by the Archbishop B.J. Hickey  of Perth in Western Australia who also appointed Alan his spiritual director, Fr. Gerard Dickinson (who also wrote a sweet forward in there!). This information was recorded as individual entries and put into three volumes, where Jesus, himself is the author.  Nicole reflects on her experiences reading volume 1 so far, and how it has positively impacted her faith. There are many resources and videos of Alan Ames also talking about the books and this life changing experience. Alan currently travels around the world where he speaks at events and prays over others with his gift of healing - but that is another topic to talk about in the future, maybe... Check out the resources below: http://www.alanames.org/en/publication-trilogy.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsj8rKoSN4s https://www.amazon.com/Through-Eyes-Jesus-Trilogy/dp/189013709X Entries referenced in Volume 1: Rejection in Capernaum - 16th March 1996 In your weakness I am there - 17th March 1996

This week we discuss a topic that humans have been wrestling with for a very long time - a topic that has been studied extensively by psychologists, philosophers, and theologians alike. It also happens to be a popular subject within the new age movement and it seems to be that our culture is always pushing to obtain it. The topic is... Happiness!  And no, we will not be referencing the Will Smith movie! We begin this episode by defining the worldly view of happiness and talk a bit about our own experiences with trying to achieve it. We look at this topic through a Catholic lens, delving into the four levels of happiness as described by Robert Spitzer of The Spitzer Center. Ultimately it brings us to the question of the difference between joy and happiness through an article found from The Catholic Exchange. So ponder this, are you happy? Or are you joyful? Listen and decide! Here are the article links we referenced below: https://spitzercenter.org/what-we-do/educate/four-levels-of-happiness/ https://catholicexchange.com/the-difference-between-joy-and-happiness

Nicole and Tara decided to delve into the concept of minimalism and what that means in our current culture. To most it is a way of life in which we can better our environment, live with less unused material items and remain present. However, like any good movement it can certainly start to feel like a religious following. When too much energy is placed on the cultural appeal of minimalism and not enough on God, we get distracted from what really matters. Nicole and Tara chat a bit about the concept of spiritual minimalism with a soul centered approach. After looking at an article on Catholic365, the ladies decided to discuss how we can live minimally as catholics with intentional living!

This week, Nicole and Tara had the honor of speaking with Emmanuel "Manny"  Gonzalez, a young man who has been courageous enough to share his story and experience with same sex attraction (SSA). Manny was born and raised in Dallas, Texas to a devout Puerto Rican Catholic family and is one of seven children. He is currently a sophomore at Franciscan University of Steubenville, studying Clinical Psychology. He is fully dedicated to being a daily light of Christ's love to each and every soul he encounters. Manny hopes to one day be able to travel the world spreading the good news of the Church with teachings on homosexuality and chastity. He uses public platforms such as his YouTube channel and blog site, What A Beautiful Cross, to share his perspectives and life journey. His  testimony and overall love for Christ has already inspired and touched the hearts of many, having been featured with Catholic organizations such as Courage International and Theology Of the Body Evangelization Team. Check out his Youtube videos and blog website here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E8_KlNkWT4 https://whatabeautifulcross.wixsite.com/website

We're BAAAACK! After a much needed hiatus, Nicole and Tara  discuss how they are glad to have the opportunity to step back and build up the faith and prayer life! It is the time of year where everyone is starting over: end of summer, school, and ahhh, almost fall! Sometimes changing up how we approach our daily prayer and conversation with God can help rekindle that relationship. It is important to re-center your goals and glorifying God at the same time! Here's to a new and exciting season, and for all of us to be looking toward where God is taking us to. Let's see where this new 'season' takes us!

This week, Tara and Nicole discuss a topic inspired by Fr. Mike Schmitz’s podcast, titled, "How do we spend our time?" and, ultimately, distractions in our life. Distraction can become an issue and get in the way of our vocation, jobs, running a household, acts of service, and most importantly, in our faith! We suffer from something called voluntary distraction where we are choosing not to do what we are supposed to on purpose, out of the desire for personal pleasure and satisfaction (even if not the intention). Unfortunately, succumbing to distractions that consume us is also giving into this demon. To combat this everyday struggle, they go over the 3 steps of mental prayer, created by St. Alphonsus Liguori! In summation, the goal we have found is to learn how to re-focus our attention on God through 'mono-tasking', one thing at a time.  “To will one thing as opposed to multitasking is actually the way to holiness.” - Fr. Mike Schmitz

After another week off, don't worry - we made up for it with a little bit of a longer episode! Nicole and Tara were blessed with the opportunity to have a conversation with Leah Moler, a faith and lifestyle blogger who runs her social media brand 'Life As Leah Knows'. As a convert from a Protestant household, she spent a large part of her teens as an Agnostic. However, she refers to her conversion as being from what she refers to as christian relativism. The story of her conversion and RCIA experience from a few years ago was inspiring to learn about. Currently, she strives to evangelize through her knowledge of philosophical reasoning, apologetics and theology! Her most recent motto is to "think like Aquinas and love like Teresa." Using this mantra, Leah has grown a passion for apologetics and sharing her faith with both logic and love. Her blog posts clearly portray her thirst for knowledge of the truth in catholicism, while maintaining a balance of her personality and foundation in the faith. Go grab a snack for this one, because when Leah discusses what she is passionate about, it is truly captivating.

This is the time of year where emotions and anxiety tend to be high! It prompted Nicole and Tara to talk about ways in which you can approach your mental health as a Catholic when dealing with stress and anxiety.  Going through difficult times can help us to grow in our faith, as well as bring some unexpected graces into our lives. Looking to saints for intercession as well as looking for fellowship can really help engaging a real support system when we are feeling emotional. Ultimately, God wants us to be happy, but it is good to understand why we are feeling the way we do. As a reminder, we encourage our listeners to seek help if feeling down and consider attending therapy or speaking with a spiritual director. There are counselors and therapists trained out there as well to give christian spiritual guidance. Resources such as catholictherapists.com or searching Psychology Today are steps to evaluating our mental health and going that extra step to make sure we are being the best version of ourselves.

This week Nicole and Tara had the pleasure of talking with fellow Instagrammer, Alli Shoemaker (@allilshoemaker). Alli is a work-from-home mom of two little boys and is mostly known as the older sister of Zach Sobiech, a childhood cancer advocate and musician who died of bone cancer at age 18 and wrote the song that went viral called, "Clouds." A film about their family is anticipated to come out in 2020 from Warner Bros. She's also freelance content marketer and writer for childhood cancer nonprofits and private education, and she has recently taken up her more creative passions of writing poetry and painting to convey her faith outward, following her brothers example. Nicole and Tara felt very inspired Alli and her family's story. We encourage all listeners to watch Zach's documentary and the new anticipated movie to come out next year!

This week Nicole and Tara reel it back in after a week's hiatus, having launched new Instagram page for The 'Cravert' Chronicles! Looking at a broader topic, confidence in the catholic faith felt like something to chat about this week. They spoke on personal experiences from not knowing everything in the faith to exuding a confidence in everyday life.

This week Nicole and Tara decided to  take things up a notch by debuting a special guest episode, featuring cradle-catholic, fashion blogger, Cecilia Pappas, on the show. Cecilia is an online student living in Chicago, runs a fashion blog through her own brand, Cecilia Jean, and is co-founder of the 'Modish Movement'. She also works full time and does marketing for the Catholic Match dating website, all the while keeping a fresh (and fashionable) perspective of the faith and what it means to be relatable, relevant, and confident as a catholic in 2019.

In this episode Nicole and Tara unravel the article titled, "5 Ways to Make Sure Your Holy Week Isn’t a Holy Weak" by Marge Fenelon on the National Catholic Register website in preparation for Easter Sunday.

In this episode, Nicole and Tara get into what having a catholic identity might mean to us all personally versus how we may be representing catholicism as a whole to those who are not religious. They then chat about evangelism in modern day and what seems to stick based on faithful interests and identities.

On this week's episode, Nicole and Tara readily admit that they have experienced 'spiritual dryness' at times while at mass, during prayer routines, or even simply lacking the motivation in an everyday faith. They talk about ways to overcome this, referencing an online article written by Fr. Joseph M. Esper on the Catholic Exchange website.