In this two-part series, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits with Thomas Wurtz, founder of FOCUS Ministries' Varsity Catholic program, to discuss his four pillars of Catholic coaching. They examine the natural goods of sports, their connection to deeper truths, and how participation in sports can offer insights into the human desire for God and the pursuit of excellence.

In this podcast crossover, recorded during a visit to the diocese of Columbus, Ohio, and first aired on the "Becoming Saints" podcast, Dr. Brett Salkeld sits down with Dr. Adam Dufault, Superintendent of Schools with the Diocese of Columbus to discuss his latest book, "Making Every Class Catholic."

In this part two of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld vists with Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman on her most recent book "Parenting: The Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children." Discussing her theologically and biblically rich approach to rasing children in the modern world. Discover more in Dr. Coolman's book "Parenting: The Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children" available at Amazon or, even better, through your friendly local bookstore. https://www.amazon.ca/Parenting-Complex-Beautiful-Vocation-Children/dp/1540961494

In this part one of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld vists with Dr. Holly Taylor Coolman on her most recent book "Parenting: The Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children." Discussing her theologically and biblically rich approach to rasing children in the modern world. Discover more in Dr. Coolman's book "Parenting: The Complex and Beautiful Vocation of Raising Children" available at Amazon or, even better, through your friendly local bookstore. https://www.amazon.ca/Parenting-Complex-Beautiful-Vocation-Children/dp/1540961494

In this three-part series, Dr. Brett Salkeld and Dr. John Jalsevac, headmaster of Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic School in Peterborough, Ontario discuss the growing popularity of Classical education and its distinct approach to student formation and education. Show Snippet: "There needs to be a space where they can read a difficult book and allow themselves to be shaped and formed by it. And that's Skolay. Activism is go out and do, Skolay is rest and be. Learn how to be in a deeper way. None of this is to say that activism is a negative thing; however, if you become an activist and you go out and you try to change the world without being rooted in a strong sense of identity and meaning, what will often happen is the activist world will, will take hold of you and you will lose sense of the higher goods and you will be consumed by the anxiety and the fear and the anger."

In this three-part series, Dr. Brett Salkeld and Dr. John Jalsevac, headmaster of Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic School in Peterborough, Ontario discuss the growing popularity of Classical education and its distinct approach to student formation and education. Show Snippet: "One of the things about the Socratic method that I think is so important is that when you're using it well, it indicates to the student that you think they're important, that you think their views matter and that you think that you're not just there to pound stuff into their head. You are there to elicit, to draw them into a process where they begin to see and experience the pleasure of the chase after truth. William Butler Yeats famously said that education is not the filling of a bucket, it's the lighting of a fire, and so I think that that's the animating idea in many classical schools."

In this three-part series, Dr. Brett Salkeld and Dr. John Jalsevac, headmaster of Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic School in Peterborough, Ontario, discuss the growing popularity of Classical education and its distinct approach to student formation and education. Show Snippet: "One of the characteristics that unites many classical schools is a focus on wonder in the face of all forms of knowledge. And so we need to be feeding that thirst in our schools...they're going to get the full run that you would get in a normal school on the maths and sciences. They're going to get their algebra and their calculus and their physics and their chemistry...And then the classical approach is that we're going to see that there's actually a harmony between what we're studying in philosophy and theology or literature and what we're studying in chemistry and physics."

In this part two of two episodes, Indigenous ally, Javed Sommers and Micheal Leblanc of Development and Peace Caritas Canada join the podcast to discuss treaty and natural resource rights through an Indigenous lens. Show Snippet: "Free prior and informed consent. It's all about free consent. So there's no bullying, there's no harassment, there's not even bribes. The communities get together and decide freely if they want a new project. "Prior" means before anything gets done. There's no construction, no surveying nothing until the communities give their consent. And "Informed", means they have to be educated, they have to know exactly what's going to happen. They have to know what it means."

In this part one of two episodes, Indigenous ally, Javed Sommers and Micheal Leblanc of Development and Peace Caritas Canada join the podcast to discuss treaty and natural resource rights through an Indigenous lens. Show Snippet: "Canada, through the treaties, is trying to gain control in terms of how it understands humans owning land. This would not have even made sense to First Nations, just as First Nations understanding of land would have made sense to Canadian negotiators. First Nations are thinking we're welcoming settlers here to share this land, just as they've been sharing land with other First Nations for generations and generations and generations. For First Nations, treaty is understood to be an agreement to share the land, not to give Canada exclusive jurisdiction."

This week on Thinking Faith, we hear from Cassandra Ursu and Angela Montano with the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechetical ministry at Holy Rosary Cathedral. They discuss what CGS is and how its unique, Montesouri-based approach helps children discover and deepen a relationship with Jesus Christ. Show Snippet: "So my five year old just had a birthday and he was very excited and he got all these presents, but then it's done and over with. And there's often a crash at the end of that.  Whereas in the Atrium, they have this deep joy and deep peace and once they've encountered that, they're less likely to be touching all of the things in the environment. And so that's kind of our job as the catechist, or the guide, is to kind of watch for their needs, meet them developmentally, where they're at." Find out more about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd at: https://www.cgsac.ca/

In this part two of two episodes, Deacon Eric sits down with Dr. Brett Salkeld to discuss three non-fiction, non-theological books that changed his life. This week; You Are Not Your Pain by by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman and a surpise book that changed Brett's life without him ever reading it! Show Snippet: "It's freedom. It's the same thing. Freedom again. It's the same idea as the last two books, right? I was not free in this relationship. My pain was leading to a kind of compulsive behavior and it gives me just a little critical distance, just like from the anger or from the avoidant or attached needs. It gives me a little critical distance to say, 'what's really going on here?'" You Are Not Your Pain by Vidyamala Burch and Danny Penman The Empowered Wife by Laura Doyle

In this part one of two episodes, Deacon Eric sits down with Dr. Brett Salkeld to discuss three non-fiction, non-theological books that changed his life. This week; Good and Angry by David Powlison and Hold me Tight by Dr. Sue Johnson. Show Snippet: "The big feelers among us who express those things. People can't handle them and they need to know that, it's okay to be that kind of person. They still need to figure out how to manage themselves in different situations, but you're actually more equipped to manage yourself well if you're not just ashamed of being the kind of person you are." Good and Angry by David Powlison Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson

In this part two of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits with Catherine Pakaluk about shifting demographics, falling birthrates, and her new book "Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth"  Show Snippet: "I certainly believe that when we're talking about things that are deeply part of the human condition and the types of things that adults ought to be spending their lives doing; having children pursuing meaningful work, trying to serve each other in the community. I don't think the government and the church are locked in a zero-sum. I think that the government can structure things in a way to make it easier and more favorable for people to do the right thing." Find Catherine's book at Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookseller;  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hannahs-children-catherine-pakaluk/1143671820

In this part one of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits with Catherine Pakaluk about shifting demographics, falling birthrates, and her new book "Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth"  Show Snippet: "I saw that the president of France, Emmanuel Macron had given some remarks at a UN conference...he flamboyantly says, "Show me the woman who is perfectly well educated and still has seven or eight children"...I followed up with a tweet with just a photo of me in my graduation cap and gown...lined up with my six children. And I just hashtag postcards for Macron. And I said, Follow suit ladies!" I woke up in the morning and went, Oh no, it caught on! So millions of people all over the world posted beautiful photos." Find Catherine's book at Barnes and Noble or your favorite book seller;  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hannahs-children-catherine-pakaluk/1143671820

This week on Thinking Faith Deacon Eric Gurash discusses the ways that spiritual peer support can help navigate mental health challenges and the role our parishes and Catholic social teaching can play in building caring, supportive communities. Show Snippet: "Our parish communities are uniquely positioned to walk with others, offering prayer-filled support that can rebuild self-esteem and confidence often undermined by experiences of mental illness through a focus on mutuality, self-determination, respect, dignity, equity, and belonging." Find out more about the Archdiocese of Regina's Emmaus Family Support mental health ministry at www.emmaussupport.ca.

In this part two of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld continues his visit with high school theology teacher, Tommy Kostielney of South Bend, Indiana to discuss ways that Tommy has introduced the idea of curriculum permeation to fellow teachers.

In this part one of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits with high school theology teacher, Tommy Kostielney of South Bend, Indiana to discuss ways that Tommy has introduced the idea of curriculum permeation to fellow teachers.

Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett continue to delve into the pile of questions sent to them from the Conquest Boys Club at St. Anne's parish in Regina, Saskatchewan. This week we discuss the cross, baseball bats, and creationism. Show Snippet: "The Church does not pronounce on these matters. The Church does not say, "You must think the world is 4 billion years old, or you must think it's 6, 000 years old." It doesn't. Now, some creationists think it should say that the earth is 6, 000 years old because they think that's what the Bible says, or something like that, and they think that the Church is caving to modernity by not saying that."

Archbishop Don Bolen joins the podcast for a special pre-Christmas episode of Thinking Faith. We'll discuss Pope Francis' new book on the Nativity, Bishop Don's nativity collection, and the impact of the Incarnation on our broken world. Show Snippet: "The incarnation is ultimately not a book and it's not a word spoken in writing, it's spoken in flesh. And so, incarnational faithfulness, in the first instance, is not a verbal witness, but a presence, a walking with, and that's probably what people will value and appreciate, because I think people in grief, people in time of loss and time of deep suffering, often find words that used to be meaningful crashing against the hard waves or wall of suffering and of brokenness and the words lie flat on the ground whereas your presence, you're showing up, matters."

Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett continue to delve into the pile of questions sent to them from the Conquest Boys Club at St. Anne's parish in Regina, Saskatchewan. This week we discuss Jesus' mistakes in the woodshop and altar serving. Show Snippet: "Think of a carpenter shop. How do you learn to make some furniture with Dad in the shop without making mistakes? What do you do when you're teaching your kids about the family business? You hand them a chisel and a mallet and a saw, right?"