The Gift of Christ-Centered Community with Anna Hurd of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students)

"You’ve been trained to heal my body physically as a nurse, but what I’m inviting you to do is heal my body spiritually as a missionary."

Christ spoke these words into Anna Hurd’s heart when she was discerning what God was calling her to after completing her nursing degree.

Anna’s own life had already been transformed through FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) at Western Kentucky University.

Now God was calling Anna to be a FOCUS missionary herself.

Like nurses who go out to battlefields during war to care for the wounded, Anna could see how God was calling her to care for spiritually wounded students--Anna would invite college students into personal relationship with Christ and Catholic fellowship.

Listen to this inspiring story, as well as Anna's wisdom about how to help encourage your own teenage and young adult children in their faith.

A Hug from Heaven with Lisa Morris

This podcast contains sensitive content, including discussion of suicide.

Lisa Morris stopped going to Reconciliation as a teenager. She figured she could just go to God herself.

Lisa now recognizes her turn away from God was the beginning of many choices that resulted in immense suffering, including an abortion, eating disorder, poor relationship with alcohol and divorce.

Lisa went to church on an impulse the morning she signed her divorce papers--she had a full circle moment when Confession was available and she attended about fifteen years after she stopped going.

Lisa was touched by the unfathomable mercy of God in the confessional and began a healing journey of the soul. Lisa wants you to know this gift is awaiting you, too.

Becoming Who God Dreams Me to Be with Ismael Fierro

Ismael Fierro and his wife Vanessa prepared for three years--and even learned French--to move from Mexico to Canada. However, when the time came to go, Ismael's company didn't offer him a job in Canada--they unexpectedly invited him to work in Nashville, Tennessee.

Ismael learned to let go of his own plan and surrender to God's will. He prayed, “Let me be the person you dreamt of when you created me.”

Soon thereafter, Ismael, Vanessa and their two small children landed in the Nashville airport to create a home in a country they didn't know with a language they didn't speak. Ismael sensed God with him in a sacred moment he will never forget.

In this Easter podcast, be inspired as Ismael shares what “Thy Will be Done” in the Our Father means to him, as well as his love for Saint Joseph and the Surrender Novena.

May we, like Ismael, always invoke the Holy Spirit in prayer and surrender our lives to God's will.

Glorifying God While Carrying a Cross with Lorraine Hess

Lorraine Hess was touring for her new album about glorifying God when she found out that her home had been severely damaged in a house fire.

After returning home she felt drawn to Adoration.

While there, she heard God ask her, “Can you glorify me while you are carrying a cross?”

In this Easter podcast, hear how Lorraine was committed to glorifying God throughout the 20 months her family was displaced while fixing their home.

God sharpened Lorraine to stay in gratitude and recognize how people were watching her living witness.

Hear Lorraine sing about this experience in her song “A Heart That’s Been Purified” at the end of the podcast, and learn more about her at lorrainehess.com.

The First Armless Pilot's Catholic Faith with Jessica Cox of "Right Footed"

There was silence in the delivery room when Jessica Cox was born—Jessica’s parents and the doctors were stunned to see she was born without arms.

As Jessica’s father held her that morning, a stranger approached and said how special he and Jessica's mom must be to bless them with Jessica-- Jessica's parents not only remembered their faith that morning, but they shared it with Jessica.

Jessica, in turn, has been blessed with supernatural perseverance and determination in her lifetime.

Be inspired in this Easter podcast as Jessica shares almost unimaginable achievements (like Guinness World Record: The Only Pilot to Fly With Their Feet), as well as the moment she gave Pope Benedict her Guinness medal.

Jessica has spent her life swimming, surfing, scuba diving, doing Taekwondo and flying planes. All things truly are possible with God.

Love is Everything with Immaculée Ilibagiza

Immaculée Ilibagiza followed her father’s instructions and ran to her neighbor’s house to hide at the start of the Rwandan genocide. She spent the next three months huddled in a tiny bathroom with seven other women, while extremist members of another tribe tried to find and kill them.

It was in this bathroom that Immaculée gave her heart to God and began to pray in a way she never had before—as she recited the words of the Rosary, peace veiled and healed her from the anger and fear that otherwise consumed her.

When Immaculée finally left the bathroom at the end of the genocide, she learned that her parents, grandparents, siblings, 950 schoolmates and so many more had been murdered.

While Immaculée cried out for her loved ones, she sensed God holding her tight and telling her that her journey on Earth was not over. While her family was in heaven, she still had a mission.

Since that moment thirty years ago, Immaculée continues to wake up every day and ask the same question that echoed in her heart so long ago: How much can you love with what God has given you?

In this Easter podcast, learn that love is everything.

Preparing My Husband for Heaven with Kendra Tierney of Catholic All Year

Kendra Tierney's husband Jim was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma sixteen years before he passed away last summer. Kendra faced great ambiguity beginning the day Jim was first diagnosed--that very morning Kendra chose to "wait to worry."

God carried and consoled Kendra each day as she trusted in the Lord and radically surrendered to His plan, rather than her own.

The rich tradition, prayers and Sacraments of our Catholic faith blessed Kendra as she prepared Jim for Heaven, processed all that was unfolding and walked with her children (ages 3-19) through the passing of their father.

Kendra shares intimate moments she witnessed God at work: Jim's last conversation before dying was "a good Confession" and the final thing he saw and ate was the Eucharist.

Kendra is a Catholic homemaker, homeschooler and mother of ten children. She created Catholic All Year (CAY) to use food, prayer, and conversation based around the liturgical calendar to share the lives of the saints and the beautiful truths and traditions of our Catholic faith.

Heartfelt conversations with guests about how god has transformed their LIVES