AMDG: A Jesuit Podcast

Before host Mike Jordan Laskey hit “record” during a recent conversation with the Thomas Merton scholar Dr. Patrick O’Connell, he told Pat that the way he writes about the famed theologian, author and Trappist monk feels like Pat is writing about a friend. Even though they never met before Thomas Merton died tragically in 1968, Professor O’Connell didn’t dispute this characterization. There’s something about Merton’s work, the combination of spiritual depth and insight, the clarity of expression, the vulnerability, that can make even relative newcomers to his work feel like they really know this man.

And Pat O’Connell is no newcomer. He’s one of the world’s leading experts on Merton’s work. An emeritus professor of English and theology at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Pat is a founding member and former president of the International Thomas Merton Society, longtime editor of The Merton Seasonal and copy editor of The Merton Annual. He has edited 16 volumes of Merton materials, and his latest book is titled “Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality.” It was published earlier this year by Liturgical Press.

In this interview, Mike asked Pat how he came to be so interested in the life and work of Thomas Merton, and what this prophet of the mid-20th century might have to say to us today. Pat reflected on some of the key themes from his book, including Merton’s theological thought on the self and the world, plus his deep concern for ecological justice. It was a lovely conversation that will help you get to know Merton’s work better.

“Thomas Merton’s Holistic Spirituality”: https://litpress.org/Products/02683/Thomas-Mertons-Holistic-Spirituality

Photo of book cover courtesy of Liturgical Press.

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

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Autumn in the US means football season, and our guest today is one of the greatest teachers and coaches in the history of Jesuit high school football. Coach Chuck Kyle led
Chuck Kyle was the head football coach at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1983 until his retirement in 2022. His teams racked up 353 wins and an Ohio-record 11 Division I state championships. More than a dozen of his players reached the NFL, including longtime quarterback Brian Hoyer and current Patriots starting linebacker Dre’Mont Jones. And earlier this year, Amazon Prime Video released a documentary on Coach Kyle called “The Object of the Game,” which features interviews with football luminaries such as Bill Belichick and Mike Tomlin.

During our recent interview, host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Coach Kyle about his coaching philosophy and what made him so successful. Coach Kyle embodies the idea that football can be a powerful venue for teaching virtues like teamwork and perseverance that apply to life both on and off the field. And as Kyle also served as an English teacher throughout his coaching career, they discussed his favorites books to read and teach. It was such a fun conversation that revealed Coach Kyle’s passion for teaching and how he cared for his players using some of that good old-fashioned Jesuit cura personalis.

“The Object of the Game” documentary: https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/amzn1.dv.gti.07310b0e-9ed5-463e-8f37-ac1a375c6343?ref_=atv_cf_strg_wb

More about Coach Chuck Kyle: https://www.clevelandsportshall.com/kyle-chuck/

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
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www.jesuitmedialab.org/

A great lesser-known Martin Luther King, Jr., quote is “that before you’ve finished eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world.” It’s even truer today than when Dr. King spoke the line during his Christmas sermon in 1967. Think of the millions of unseen hands that worked to bring you your toothpaste, your smartphone, your shoes, your clean running water, your toast, your cup of coffee.

Our guest today is a Jesuit economist who’s particularly interested in that last one on the list — your cup of coffee. Fr. Stephen Pitts, SJ, is an economics professor at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A lot of his research and ministry work has been done in connection with a cooperative of farmers called Capeltic Coffee. Based in Chiapas, Mexico, Capeltic is a word from the local Tseltal Maya language that means “our coffee.”

Capeltic is a Jesuit-supported project that was founded in 2001, and it brings together more than 300 local farmer-owners who grow, harvest, process and sell their coffee together. Host Mike Jordan Laskey asked Fr. Pitts to share Capeltic’s story and why he finds their cooperative approach to be an interesting economic model. They also talked about the intersection of economics and Catholic social teaching more broadly, including what Fr. Pitts thinks the church tradition has to offer the discipline and what good economics can offer the church. It was a fascinating conversation with someone whose intellectual and pastoral vocations are so beautifully integrated.

More about Capeltic Coffee: https://www.capeltic.org/home

Order coffee in the USA: https://shop.ignatiansolidarity.net/collections/coffee/products/capeltic-origin-roasted-gourmet-coffee-2-20-lbs-1-kg

More about Fr. Stephen Pitts, SJ: https://spittssj.github.io/

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
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www.jesuitmedialab.org/

In Rome, Ignatius and his companions endure accusations, obtain public vindication and begin works of spiritual and practical service that anticipate the Society of Jesus. Da Câmara closes the story by tracing the Spiritual Exercises to Ignatius’ own experiences and describing how, through the years, he grew ever more able to find God in every moment.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

There aren’t many people on Earth more famous than the Pope. It can be easy to think that there’s not much new to learn about a person with that level of fame. But we think you’ll learn something on literally every page of a new biography of Pope Leo XIV, which is titled “American Pope: Leo XIV’s Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City.”

The book is by two NPR journalists, Daniel Burke and Scott Detrow, and they’re our guests today. Daniel serves as NPR’s Senior Editor of Religion and Spirituality and Scott is a host of “All Things Considered.” “American Pope” is the first deeply researched and reported biography of Pope Leo, and it covers his entire life from childhood through the 2025 conclave. Daniel and Scott traveled to Peru and all over the United States to report this story, talking to dozens and dozens of people who knew Robert Prevost during all stages of his life. And their reporting shines through throughout the book, which is filled with vivid story after vivid story about Pope Leo gathered from these interviews, 70-year-old church bulletins, historical archives, and more. Host Mike Jordan Laskey found the biography to be a truly moving portrait of a priest, a missionary and a leader.

It was so fun to have Daniel and Scott on the show just before the book released on October 6. We know you’ll enjoy hearing their behind-the-scenes stories of reporting and writing “American Pope.” And we think what they shared about the project in this conversation will make you eager to track down a copy as soon as you can.

"American Pope: Leo XIV’s Road from the South Side of Chicago to Vatican City": https://bookshop.org/p/books/american-pope-leo-xiv-s-road-from-the-south-side-of-chicago-to-vatican-city-daniel-burke/c6b282694ebe4270?ean=9781250446053

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

After returning briefly to his homeland to recover, teach and settle unfinished matters, Ignatius travels to Venice to rejoin his companions. When war prevents them from sailing to Jerusalem, they serve, preach and prepare for priesthood until their pilgrimage is redirected toward Rome, strengthened by Ignatius’ profound experience of being placed with Christ.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

For 12 years, the Catholic author, speaker and minister Meg Hunter-Kilmer lived out of her car, driving all over the US and beyond to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. If that sounds to you like someone with incredible zeal for the Lord, that is an accurate impression. Meg is a powerhouse of discipleship. She’s also an incredibly gifted writer, and we were thrilled to publish a series of her essays on lesser-known Jesuit and Ignatian holly men and women over the past couple of years. We’ll leave a link to her series, which we called “Friends of Ignatius,” here in the show notes.

The occasion for her recent conversation with host Mike Jordan Laskey, though, was the publication of Meg’s newest book, titled “Eyes Fixed on Jesus, Volume 2: A Journey Into the Gospels.” In the book, Meg combines storytelling, Scripture study and cultural history to present the Gospel accounts in vivid ways. Mike asked Meg about the project and why she’s so excited to encourage Catholics to read more Scripture. She also shared the fruits of returning to the same Scripture stories time after time, and how there’s always more for us to discover in the text. They talked about one of the holy Jesuit priests she wrote about for our “Friends of Ignatius” series, the Venerable Eusebio Kino. Finally, as Meg serves as a campus minister at the University of Notre Dame, they talked about what she finds young Catholics to be hungering for these days. It was such a fun conversation and you’ll hear Meg’s passion and deep faith come through so clearly.

“Eyes Fixed on Jesus, Volume 2”: https://www.orderosv.com/product/eyes-fixed-on-jesus-vol-2-a-journey-into-the-gospels

More about Meg: https://www.piercedhands.com/

Read Meg’s 10 “Friends of Ignatius” essays here: https://www.jesuits.org/profile/meg-hunter-kilmer/

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Through years of poverty, study, illness and setbacks in Paris, Ignatius gradually learns a more patient and sustainable way of pursuing his mission. He also gathers companions — including Peter Faber and Francis Xavier — who commit themselves to serving souls together in Jerusalem or wherever the pope might send them.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

This past summer, the Scripture scholar Amy-Jill (AJ) Levine, Ph.D., was elected as the first Jewish president of the Catholic Biblical Association (CBA). Sadly and horrifyingly, AJ’s election led to a torrent of antisemitic online comments and posts directed her way. Subsequent statements of support from the CBA and the US Conference of Catholic Bishops were positive, and we thought the way we could show our support was to invite her onto the podcast for a conversation about her distinguished scholarly career, which she has dedicated to countering Biblical interpretations that exclude and oppress. We were honored she accepted our invitation. AJ spoke with host Mike Jordan Laskey last week.

AJ Levine is University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita, Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita, and Professor of New Testament Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt University. Since retiring from Vanderbilt, she is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace.

Her publications include “The Misunderstood Jew: The Church and the Scandal of the Jewish Jesus”; “Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi”; “Jesus for Everyone, Not Just Christians”; and “The Jewish Annotated New Testament,” the third edition of which has just been published.

In our conversation, Mike asked AJ about some of the central theses of her intellectual project, plus why a self-described Yankee Jewish feminist has spent so much of her career thinking about Jesus. We also talked about her recent election as president of the Catholic Biblical Association, the horrible anti-Jewish backlash, the subsequent support she received, and how she might use her position with the CBA to continue her work.

“The Jewish Annotated New Testament”: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-jewish-annotated-new-testament-9780190461850

More about AJ Levine: https://www.hartfordinternational.edu/faculty/amy-jill-levine

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Questioned and jailed again in Salamanca, Ignatius remains joyful in chains and continues speaking about God. Although the authorities find no error in his teaching, their restrictions convince him that he needs further education, and he resolves to study in Paris.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

A few weeks ago, we welcomed Dr. Michele Murray here on AMDG. Dr. Murray is the new president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. To keep up this back-to-school theme, our two guests today are leaders of the Jesuit Schools Network of North America (JSN), which is the network of 90 Jesuit secondary and pre-secondary schools in our region of the world. JSN serves as a hub, bringing together faculty and staff from our schools to help them learn from each other and grow into even stronger institutions.

Our first guest is Jen LaMaster, who began serving as JSN’s executive director this past July. Before taking on this role, she was a leader for secondary education for the Jesuits’ Midwest Province. She also spent 13 years in leadership roles at Brebeuf Jesuit Prep in Indianapolis. Our second guest is Lauren Hackman-Brooks, who is JSN’s director of mission formation. She spends her time helping schools to live out their Catholic, Jesuit identities in bold and creative ways. Lauren has spent her entire career in Jesuit education, from post-college volunteer service at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Chicago to four years leading mission engagement at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

Host Mike Jordan Laskey loved hearing Jen’s and Lauren’s 30,000-foot perspective on Jesuit education. He asked them about the biggest challenges school leaders are facing today and how Jesuit schools can stand out in a very crowded high school marketplace. What makes our schools unique? Jen and Lauren both bring a huge amount of passion, energy and insight to the work, and we think you’ll learn a lot about the state of Jesuit secondary education today.

More about the JSN: https://jesuitschoolsnetwork.org/

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Ignatius humbly begins again as a student, learning that even apparently spiritual consolations can distract him from the work God is asking him to do. In Alcalá, his teaching and spiritual conversations bear fruit but also attract scrutiny, investigation and imprisonment.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

1773 was the year in which the Society of Jesus ceased to exist. Pressured by European leaders, Pope Clement XIV issued a Papal brief formally suppressing the Jesuits worldwide. 41 years would pass before, in 1814, Pope Pius VII formally restored the Society.

In those intervening years, a number of important questions emerged that would shape the Jesuits, the Church and the world. Arguably one of those pressing questions, one that pointed to the foundation of the Ignatian charism, was this: What would become of the Spiritual Exercises? Countless lives had been changed thanks to Ignatius’ spiritual wisdom, and the Church knew that to lose that wisdom—to lose the Exercises—along with the Jesuits would be disastrous. The world needed the Exercises.

So, in the wake of the Suppression of the Society of Jesus, different religious order emerged to carry on the mantle of the Ignatian tradition. One such order—the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, founded by Venerable Bruno Lanteri who himself was formed by Jesuits—took it upon themselves to continue offering the Spiritual Exercises. Their work and mission continued, even after the restoration of the Society of Jesus.

And in fact, one of the most preeminent writers on Ignatian discernment—Fr. Timothy Gallagher, OMV—is our guest today. And as you’ll hear, he stresses the essential work that is the ministry of the Exercises, and how the Oblates and the Jesuits continue to work together in this mission. The Exercises, after all, are a gift to all of God’s people.

Fr. Gallagher has a wonderful new book out from Ignatius Press that underlines this point. It’s called “Thinking Like a Saint: Discernment of Spirits in the Catholic Tradition.” In it, he walks readers through Ignatius’ 14 Rules for Discernment. But he does so by grounding each rule in the wisdom of saints who came long before or well after Ignatius. In so doing, Fr. Gallagher reminds us that Ignatius’ great contribution was giving language to our shared human experience—and God’s Spirit at work therein.

Fr. Gallagher was ordained to the priesthood in 1979 as a member of the Congregation of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary. In 1983, he obtained his doctorate from The Pontifical Gregorian University, and became a spiritual director and retreat leader. He has taught at St. John's Seminary, Brighton, and Our Lady of Grace Seminary Residence, Boston, both in Massachusetts. In 2015, Father Gallagher accepted the St. Ignatius Chair for Spiritual Formation at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. He has written over twenty books on spiritual themes, published articles in Catholic periodicals, appears frequently on Catholic television, and records many podcasts, radio interviews, series on YouTube, and virtual events used throughout the English-speaking Catholic world.

If you’d like to learn more about Fr. Gallagher and his work, visit discernment.institute. You can also find his newest book “Thinking Like a Saint” and more wherever books or sold. Or visit https://ignatius.com/thinking-like-a-saint-tlsp/

Ignatius survives storms, winter travel, suspicion and arrest as he makes his way back across Europe. Convinced that he must study before he can better help others, he turns toward Barcelona and the next stage of his pilgrimage.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Catholicism is full of weird things. I’m talking about venerating the bones of saints or the bodies of saints that refuse to decay. Or the stigmata, the wounds of Christ showing up on our bodies. I’m talking about bilocation and trippy dreams and Eucharistic hosts that start to bleed.

You know: weird things.

Too often, we dismiss these phenomena. We put our heads down and go about our neat and tidy religious practices. We don’t like things that don’t have logical, rational answers.
Except, we confess a Christ who rose from the dead and a God who is present in all things and the literal body and blood of Jesus present at each and every Mass.

So, if we’re being honest, the strange stuff is kind of the heart of the whole religion. And that means, we need to lean into it. We need wrestle with it. We need to step forward to meet the God who is present therein, beckoning us to find within the strange and the unusual the Spirit speaking.
Because that which is weird and unexplainable? Well, that means the only answer is God. And we would do well to listen.

That’s in large part the mission of today’s guest. W. Tyler Allen is the host of the podcast “St. Anthony’s Tongue,” where he explores mysticism, saints and the strange beauty of God and the Catholic tradition. He lives at the intersection of theology and wonder. And he’s written a great new book from Loyola Press, “The Catechism of the Strange: Stigmata, Relics and the Miracles That Shape the Soul.”

If you’ve ever found yourself drawn to the stranger corners of our faith or just want an introduction to help you make sense of it all, this is the book for you.

Visit his website: https://www.stanthonystongue.com/
Subscribe to his Substack: https://stanthonystongue.substack.com/
Buy his book: https://store.loyolapress.com/a-catechism-of-the-strange

Trusting that God will provide, Ignatius begs and travels through Rome and Venice before finally reaching Jerusalem. He longs to remain in the Holy Land and help souls, but the Franciscan authorities order him to leave — forcing him to surrender even this deeply cherished desire.

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special-edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Earlier this month, a law permitting physician-assisted suicide took effect in the state of New York. It was the 13th state in the county to pass such a law. Opponents of physician-assisted suicide, which often include Catholic institutions, pro-life groups, and disability rights advocates, have not been all that successful in stopping these laws from spreading in recent years. Why is that? What’s behind the continued expansion of the practice? And how might opponents articulate a different vision for how we take care of those who are vulnerable?

Our guest today is an ideal person to help us think through these questions. Professor Cathleen Kaveny is Darald and Juliet Libby Professor of Law and Theology at Boston College. Her position includes appointments in both BC’s theology department and its law school, and she is the first person ever to hold such a joint appointment there. In her scholarship, Professor Kaveny focuses on the relationship of law, religion and morality. Back in the summer of 2008, when she was teaching at Notre Dame, host Mike Jordan Laskey took one of Professor Kaveny’s theology classes during grad school and she instantly became one of his favorite teachers of all time. (We think you’ll see why in this episode.)

In addition to her scholarly work, Professor Kaveny regularly publishes essays in the Catholic press, including a recent one on physician-assisted suicide that appeared in Commonweal. Headlined “The Importance of Being a Burden,” Professor Kaveny’s relatively short piece examines the issue from theological, legal and social analysis perspectives. The article is a great example of the way Professor Kaveny works at intellectual intersections and makes thorny topics accessible and engaging.

We think you’ll learn a lot from the essay and from this wide-ranging conversation.

“The Importance of Being a Burden” by Professor Cathleen Kaveny: https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/importance-being-burden-kaveny-physician-assisted-suicide

More about Professor Kaveny: https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/law/academics-faculty/faculty-directory/cathleen-kaveny.html

AMDG is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

Ignatius describes God teaching him “as a schoolmaster teaches a child” through prayer, visions and profound spiritual insight. His great illumination beside the Cardoner River transforms his understanding, while further experiences teach him to distinguish genuine grace from deceptive consolation.

UPDATE 8/24/26: The previous version of this episode, originally posted on August 21, included an incorrect excerpt from the text. We have now fixed the error!

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special -edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/

It’s back to school season: new teachers, new classrooms, new bus routes, new friends. For today’s guest, back to school season has always been an important time — but this year, it brings not only a new academic calendar, but a brand new professional role.

Dr. Michele Murray has just begun her tenure as the president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities — or, AJCU for short. She’s the first lay person to lead the organization, which consists of the twenty-seven Jesuit institutions in the United States and one in Belize, along with three associate members in Canada.

Dr. Murray brings a wealth of experience and insight to this role, having spent the previous three decades serving in Jesuit, Catholic higher education. She holds a Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Maryland and a Master’s in education and student affairs administration from the University of Vermont. Her career has brought her from Loyola University Maryland to Seattle University to the College of the Holy Cross where she has most recently served as senior vice president for student development and mission. She began her work at the AJCU on June 1, 2026. Her new role has already brought her to Rome where she met the Superior General of the Society of Jesus — Fr. Arturo Sosa — and Pope Leo XIV.

She talks with today’s host Eric Clayton about her time in Rome, her discernment around starting a new role and the unique mission of Jesuit higher education and more in our conversation today. Today’s episode is a great way to start off the new school year.

Learn more about the AJCU: https://ajcunet.edu/

At Manresa, Ignatius embraces severe penances but is soon shaken by dramatic swings between consolation and desolation. His scruples and spiritual extremes drive him toward despair until he begins to recognize their destructive source and finds freedom from them.

UPDATE 8/24/26: The previous version of this episode, originally posted on August 14, included an incorrect excerpt from the text. We have now fixed the error!

About the Series
We are bringing you the entire text of “The Autobiography of St. Ignatius Loyola” in podcast form. Over 12 episodes, join our pilgrimage guides Fr. Jack Bentz, SJ, and Cameron Bellm as we make our way through this spiritual classic.

The series premiered on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, with episode 2 dropping Friday, July 31 — the Feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. These first two episodes and the remaining 10 episodes (dropping on subsequent Fridays) will all appear here on the AMDG podcast feed.

The series is edited by Frank Tuson, who also composed all the music you hear on the podcast. The podcast uses a translation of the “Autobiography” by Fr. Parmananda Divarkar, SJ. The text is read by Fr. George Drance, SJ. Produced by Mike Jordan Laskey.

"The Autobiography of Saint Ignatius Loyola Podcast," a special -edition series of AMDG, is a production of the Jesuit Media Lab, which is a project of the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States.

www.jesuits.org/
www.beajesuit.org/
twitter.com/jesuitnews
facebook.com/Jesuits
instagram.com/wearethejesuits
youtube.com/societyofjesus
www.jesuitmedialab.org/