As What Matters Most prepares to begin its second season in September 2023, I thought we should return to the first episode with Fr. Jim Martin, released on October 7, 2022. Many of you were not listening to the podcast when this episode was released, so to prepare you for the upcoming season, this is a taste of what's on offer. I will say that a number of tweaks have taken place since Fr. Martin's episode was released, especially with the Intros and the Outros, and beginning with a bit of the conversation at the beginning of each pod. Still, this gives you a real sense of what we do here at What Matters Most.

As I wrote at the time, "In this episode, I discuss with Fr. Jim Martin, a Roman Catholic priest based in New York City, his outreach to the LGBTQ community and his associated book Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of  Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity. We also talk about his pilgrimage to Israel and Jesus, which lead to his book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage.  The conversation ranges widely, though, discussing his early life and how he became a priest.

Fr. Martin is the editor-at-large at America Magazine and the author of many other books, including My Life with the Saints and Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone.

Please enjoy this encore epsiode with a priest who has a huge social media following and is clearly a major Catholic public figure, but who in person is as warm, kind, and pastoral as his public image. He receives a lot of vitriol and anger online, but my own experience has always been of a good man and a good priest.

John W. Martens

Professor of Theology

Director of the Centre for Christian Engagment

St. Mark's College at the University of British Columbia