FoC 090: Answering God’s Call: Talking About Vocation with a Real Priest with Father Dan Folwaczny

 

Listeners have been urging us to have a priest on the show for ages! We finally made it happen by asking Fr. Dan Folwaczny (who we discovered through his fantastic Twitter feed) to join us to discuss vocation.

Fr. Dan is associate pastor of St. Norbert/Our Lady of the Brook in the archdiocese of Chicago. He studied to be an astrophysicist so his story is literally that of a rocket scientist turned priest!

In this episode Fr. Dan shares the story of how God called him to be a priest. We talk about vocation, pursuing holiness without the anxiety of having to fit into boxes, things that surprised him about becoming a priest, and how lay people can support our priests in their vocations and vice versa. We also touch on ways families can encourage children to consider religious life.  We know you’re going to love Fr. Dan’s wisdom and sense of humor and end this episode wanting to send him gifts of mac n’ cheese! So grab a glass of iced tea  (it’s hot out there, folks!) and enjoy the conversation.

To connect with Fr. Dan:

Hear ye, hear ye!

Haley’s book coming out in September is available for pre-order and you can get 20% off if you use the code STEWART over at the publisher, Ave Maria Press’s site! So head on over to grab the deal.

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current Masterpiece Theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

FoC 089: Willi Graf: Heroic Catholic Resistance in Nazi Germany with Dr. Stephani Richards-Wilson

 


When we heard rumors that a cause for Willi Graf’s canonization might be opened, we knew we wanted to know more about this young Catholic student who participated in resistance against Nazism in Germany as part of The White Rose and met his death as a martyr. Then we found Dr. Stephani Richards-Wilson who has been studying his life for over a decade! We’re thrilled she was willing to join us for this episode on the inspiring figures who heroically shared the truth about the Third Reich, risking their lives to do so.

Dr. Richards-Wilson is the Director of Graduate Business Programs at Alverno College. She wrote a dissertation on Willi Graf and is currently working on the first biography of Graf to be released in the English language.

In this episode Dr. Richards-Wilson shares the story of Willi Graf and The White Rose, the group of five students and one professor who resisted the Nazis. It is an incredible story! We also discuss the preparation for the cause for Graf’s canonization and how getting to know the saints and details about their lives and personalities helps us see them as human beings who struggle just as we do in their journey toward holiness. We touch on the timeliness of Graf’s story considering the recent resurgence of Nazi ideology, anti-semitism, and racism in our world. And we talk about the importance of sharing the stories of the inspiring and heroic figures when it’s easy to obsess over the perpetrators of horrific crimes. We think you’ll be fascinated by the story of Willi Graf and The White Rose, so grab a cup of tea and settle in!

Further reading on Willi Graf:

Faith Under Fire: Willi Graf and the White Rose, an article by Dr. Richards-Wilson

In this episode we talked about:

The Man in the High Castle

To connect with Dr. Richards-Wilson:

Our Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Sock Religious–a family-owned Catholic company creating saint-inspired socks to rock on your favorite feast days.

All Fountains of Carrots listeners can use code FOUNTAINS to receive 15% off their purchase! Grab your socks here.

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.