← Called (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Called (with Fr. Mike Schmitz)
Called to Form the Young w/ Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Josh Johnson
00:54:12
What if evangelization started with showing up? In this episode of Called, Fr. Mike Schmitz sits down with Fr. Josh Johnson to talk about reaching young people on the margins and building parishes that go beyond the pews. Fr. Josh shares his powerful conversion story, the importance of invitation, and how Vagabond Missions meets teens where they are—on the streets, in neighborhoods, and in real life. This conversation challenges us to rethink discipleship, responsibility, and what it really means to follow Jesus today. To receive updates on the podcast text CALLED to 33777. If you have a question or a story of someone living out their calling to serve others, email info@thecatholicinitiative.org.
Loading summary
Transcript49 lines
- [00:00]
A
Coming up, in today's episode of Called.
- [00:03]
B
In High School, I left the church, the Catholic Church. I was hanging out in the streets after I went on this conference where I did encounter the Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, completely transformed my life. I discovered that there was actually someone in the church who tried to stop me from going. Really? Yeah. Because this person in church didn't want me around the youth group kids. I may have never encountered Christ in the Blessed Sacrament at that conference. How many other future saints are there out there who aren't saints just because we didn't do our role of inviting them to encounter Jesus Christ? Jesus Christ, he encountered people while simply being out there in the streets. Peter was in sin when Jesus Christ encountered him. Peter was transformed over time. And Jesus Christ didn't say, hey, you need to behave like a disciple. He just said, just follow me like you belong with me.
- [00:54]
A
Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and welcome to Called a podcast from the Catholic Initiative and produced in partnership with Ascension. When I joined the Catholic Initiative board, I was immediately drawn to the mission of Catholic Initiative to renew the church by restoring parishes and schools, strengthening communities, and serving those who are most vulnerable. It's a reminder that our faith is not only something we believe, it is something we live. This podcast is where we share those live stories, stories of courage, stories of mercy, stories of hope that challenge us to bring the gospel into every corner of our lives. In Psalm 78, 4, 7, it's written, we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord so that they too may set their hope in God. Today, we're discussing the importance of shepherding our youth. Forming the youth isn't just the work of individuals. It's the work of communities. It's the work of parishes and families. It's the work of the whole body of Christ. And it's one of the most profound ways we can make a lasting impact on this world. To help us explore this call, I'm joined today by a good friend, Father Josh Johnson. He's a pastor at Sacred Heart of Jesus in Baton Rouge, the propaneutic house director for the diocese. He's an author, a speaker. He's also the chaplain for Vagabond Mission. Father Josh. Welcome to called Father Mike.
- [02:07]
B
So good to be with you, brother.
- [02:08]
A
Hey, a quick, quick little clarification for some people here. You are the direct. The propaeutic house director for the diocese. Tell me, what. What's the. What's the propradeutic house direction?
- [02:18]
B
Yes. So it's the first year of seminary. So we have seminary formation now is broken up into different pro phase discipleship, configuration, and synthesis. And so all the first year seminarians live with me at Sacred Heart of Jesus. We have our own little minor seminary here called the Blessed Stanley Rother Seminary House of Formation. And so they go to school, say, some theology at Franciscan. We pray together, we cook together, share meals, share life. And they serve the poor with me here in the neighborhood. And so it's been a great year formation for the guys to, like, really be rooted in this land. And one thing I think you've experienced, I probably experienced as well, like when we went to seminary, you kind of go away to a seminary and then you go home to your diocese for the summer. But like summer assignments, you don't get to actually see real parish life. And so the seminarians now will have a full year of being immersed not only in my parish, but every Friday we also visit other parishes like the diocese and other apostolates. So they get to fall in love with the land of Baton Rouge. And we have a university, we have Angola prison, We have homeless shelters, women's shelters. We have a home for women who are victims of human sex trafficking. And so they're going to visit all the different things that happen in this land, so that way they can actually discern, like, this is my bride that I'm preparing to espouse myself to as a priest if I'm to be ordained.
- [03:31]
A
That's awesome. I mean, that's. That. That is. No. Did you know that? But you're still pastor. Is that accurate?
- [03:36]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So I'm still pastor of Sacred Heart Church and School as well, so pretty busy. Yeah, there's. It's. It's. It's. The Lord gives me a lot of grace, you know? Yeah.
- [03:44]
A
It gives us what we need to get to respond to his call, which is amazing. So I think a lot of people who will be watching this or listening to this, they might have a sense of your background. So what I've gotten so far is priest of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, pastor at Sacred Heart. You're the director of the Propradutic Year. You have a number of books. One of your books that actually one of your favorite books. I love that Pocket Guide to Confession. I thought it was really good. Reconciliation.
- [04:12]
B
One of my good friends. Yeah, it was with you, bro. I love that book. That book, by the way, it's born so much supernatural fruit. Like, so many people come to confession. Like, man, like that book. Has brought me to the confessional. So thank you for, like, doing that book with me.
- [04:24]
A
No, I, I, I always say at least half of that book is great, and the other half is okay. The other half is the part I wrote. But I just, I really am really grateful for you. We also, you know, a year ago, you had come to, well, you were going to come to Duluth to speak to our students, but there's a massive snowstorm in Louisiana, and so you weren't able to come, but you, you were, you were coming up here to talk about the, the, the deadly sins, right? The vices and virtues.
- [04:50]
B
Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So a snowstorm happened, but by the grace of God technology, I was able to visit your students via Zoom. But yes, that, that book was the latest one. We did that one for Lint last year. Pocket Guy. To overcome the seven dead sins. And even like that, like, super, like, so grateful to God because, like, a lot of supernatural fruit, like, some of the confessions I've been hearing from that book have been so thorough. And it's, I'm so grateful to, I'm like, dang, Jesus, he's so good to us. You know, he's so generous. Yes.
- [05:14]
A
So good. And that was, the thing is, I really was bummed that you weren't here present, but it was one of the situations. We're in that auditorium on campus, and I think after a moment, after a few minutes, the students forgot that you were somewhere else because you were speaking to them. I mean, it was so clear that you were speaking to them. It wasn't kind of like this. This is a recorded talk of this guy who's in Louisiana. It was like, yeah, it's so, so remarkable. And I kind of segues into this first question, which is, so our students, our college students, you know this about me. I'm also the director of youth ministry for our diocese. And so almost my entire priesthood has been spent with middle school through, you know, grad school. That's kind of like a lot of where I've lived, but that's because that's where I was told to go. I mean, and I love them. That's how I was told to go. You are someone who, you also go where you're told to go. Praise God. But you have a heart for young people.
- [06:12]
B
Yeah.
- [06:13]
A
What was it that first stirred that up, that heart for young people, especially for young people on the margins?
- [06:20]
B
Yeah. Well, honestly, the Lord uses our own wounds to become wellsprings of mercy, I think, for us and our ministries. And so whenever I was in High school, I left the church, the Catholic Church, for a number of years. And one of my good friends, her name is Brandy, she had a profound encounter with Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament at a Steubenville south conference. As many of us have my conversion out of Steubenville as well, years later. But when she had her encounter with Jesus, she would always invite me and my friends to youth group and to mission trips and to conferences and retreats. And we'd always say no. We had no desire to do anything in the Catholic Church, anything with regards to, of what was happening in youth ministry. But she kept consistently and intentionally inviting us again and again and again. And so eventually, after over a year and a half of her inviting me, I finally told her that I would, I would love to go. I didn't know why I said I would love to go because I didn't want to go. But I, I later found out that after I went on this, this conference, which was Steubenville south, where I did encounter the Lord Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, perceives his love in a way that completely transformed my life, and it continues to transform my life to this day, I discovered that there was actually someone in the church who tried to stop me from going. Really? Yeah, because they saw me as somebody who, they looked at me and I wasn't a bad kid, right? There's no kids who are bad kids. But I wasn't living a sacrament of life. I was hanging out in the streets and this person in church didn't want me around the youth group kids. And, and so she tried everything in her power to prevent me from going to the conference. And Brandy and her mom fought for me to go. And because they continued to fight for me to go, I was this all behind the scenes. I had no idea this was going on. But because they fought for me to go, I was able to have an encounter with Jesus Christ that radically transformed my life. And I've seen the way that the Lord has used me to be an instrument and be a bridge for other people to encounter is love and mercy. And I just can't help to think like, if that person who like, worked in the church had their way, I may have never encountered Christ in the Blessed Sacrament at that conference. And I may not be a disciple of Jesus Christ today. I might be living in mortal sin today like I was 20 something years ago. And so, and so that when I, when I found that out, whenever her and her mother told me that that really transformed everything within my heart of like I have to be that bridge for kids who are unseen, who are unnoticed, who are living in the margins, who are disenfranchised, who are marginalized, who are living in the streets, who have never been evangelized or catechized or discipled. Like, I've got to be that person to begin that conversation on the local level and on the national level, because how many other future saints are there out there who aren't saints just because we didn't do our role of inviting them to encounter Jesus Christ?
- [09:16]
A
Wow, that's. That last thing you just said reminds me of. We just, we celebrated the feast of St. Francis Xavier not too long ago, and he has that letter where he's, he's in India. He's missionary to India and he's writing back to Europe. I mean, you know this letter I.
- [09:31]
B
Was reading, it's like a few days ago. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
- [09:33]
A
And he says, he says the only. He said, the only reason they're not Christians is because there's no one here to make them Christians, no one here to help them, introduce them to Christ. And he, and he. And he says this, these such convicting. He says, I wish I could go back to the halls of the universities in Europe and run up and down them like a crazy person shouting out that people are lost, they're going to hell because you have more learning than you have love. And that sense of just being able to. The only reason they're not becoming Christians is because there's no one there. And so it sounds like you're like, no, that was me.
- [10:05]
B
Whenever I read that office of Readings the other day, my heart was on fire. And I was like, yes, this is it right here. Because, I mean, I feel that that's why I'm so grateful to have the seminarians live here for, for a full year, every year going forward is because, like, we, we. We're in the hood, right? And so like, we're in a very low income, underprivileged neighborhood. But, but my seminarians are in this neighborhood praying the rosary, meeting our neighbors, praying over them, like visiting with the poorest of the poor, sitting at the homeless shelters, eating with the homeless, and really encountering Christ in them. And I'm like, if they're doing this their first year of seminary, this is going to transform their priesthood. God willing, if they're ever ordained, to really care about the geographical boundaries. Because as you know, canon law says that we are responsible not just for the people who are sitting in our pews at Mass, but as priests, we are responsible for every single soul that lives within the geographical boundaries of our parish, whether they're Catholic, Protestant, atheist, agnostic, Muslim, Hindu, or Jew. They are our bride. They are our people. And so the question that I think God's going to propose to us on Judgment Day is like, why did you not go out to me and invite me to small group Bible study? Why did you not invite me to Eucharistic adoration? Why did you not invite me to OCIA Becoming Catholic program? Why did you not invite me to the sacraments? Life of the church. And we're gonna say, but, Jesus, we did all these great retreats and these missions. We had these awesome books and podcasts and, like, look at all the stuff we did at Seek. And he's gonna say, yeah, but what about your neighbor, like, your actual neighbor that I placed you in that parish to invite and you never did. And so, obviously, as priests, we can't do it all, but we can certainly encourage our people to be our co workers in the vineyard, to go out there with us and to use their charisms and their talents and their gifts to invite everybody to the gospel and to invite everybody to a relationship with Jesus.
- [11:50]
A
That's. That's amazing. Here's two quick questions follow up from that. Here what? Here's what both questions are going to be. One is you personally as well as the seminarians. How do you individually do that? Secondly, I mentioned your parish as a. You know, canon law says the parish has a geographic boundary. Or my bishop, our bishops say, like, no, I'm responsible for every soul that's in our geographic boundary. So what does it mean for first for you to go out, like, what does that look like for you personally, if you don't mind me asking? And then secondly, what's it. Look, what's it mean for a parish to be responsible not just for the people who are showing up, but also for everyone who lives in the parish boundaries? First of all, let's start with you. What's that look like? Personally?
- [12:33]
B
Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, I'm just super proximate to my people, right? So I pray the rosary in my neighborhoods that are in the geographic boundaries of Sacred Heart of Jesus. I spend time in the businesses, like, the local businesses. I make sure they see me and my clerics there so I can meet the people there. I go to the local high schools, like, so I have an amazing Catholic school, Sacred of Jesus. It's the best Catholic school in the diocese of Baton Rouge. But I also go to the public school. So, like, Right down the street from our church is Capitol High School, which is my dad's public school that he went to a long time ago. And so we. We actually go there as well to the public schools, and we're present there at the football games. We're present there after school cooking burgers. That way they see us and the kids come, and that's. We become a bridge for them to come here because we first went out to them first. Right? Yeah. And so ye. Yeah, so that. That's. And also we have a very active, like, conference, same with Paul, who. Who's active in the neighborhood. So. And then we pray. We pray at every single Mass. We pray for the geographical boundaries of Sacar Jesus Parish. And so it's become like a joke. Everybody, like, they're. They make fun of me now, like, oh, geographical boundaries. But it's. They. Everyone knows, like, this is our responsibility. Like, the people in this community, like, we offer our holy hours. We're interceding for them. We're super present. So, like, even, like, the other day, me and the seminarians, on Thursdays, we pray the Rosary with our vagabond missionaries in the neighborhood. And so people stop us because I'm in my clerics, and the neighbors, like, hey, like, what are y' all doing while we're praying? Oh, you're Sacred Heart. Yeah. Can you pray for us? So let me start praying over them. And, like, time and time again, they're like, man, like, your parish has always been there for us when we needed groceries, whenever we needed our light bills taken care of. Like, y' all are so present. And they always tell us, like, other churches in this community, they don't. They don't care about us with it. Your parish does. Even though they're not even Catholics, some of these people. But, like. But by us praying with them, feeding them, like, inviting them to our coffee shop, inviting them to Bible studies, like, hopefully one day they'll become Catholic, right? That's the goal, is to have them also living the sacrament life of the church, too. But it's being present to our neighbors. Like, so one of my seminarians, we have a neighbor down the street, Ms. Shirley. And every Tuesday, he now goes to her house. She's not mobile. And so he goes to her front porch. She sits on the front porch. If you live in a poor neighborhood, people are always on the front porch. And so he encountered her when we were picking up litter one day. So we do a litter ministry. We pick up litter, pray the rosary, and he encountered her there. And so first we invited a coffee shop. And she said, I can't come. I can't walk. And I was like. And I felt so bad because I was always like, why won't Ms. Shirley come to the coffee shop? And he was like, father Josh, she can't walk. And I was like, my bad. I didn't notice that. So now he goes to her. And every Tuesday he sits on her porch with her. He brings her coffee and muffins. And they sit there and they pray with each other and they talk about the Lord with each other. Really beautiful. My other seminarian, Landry, he sits every Monday with one of our homeless members in our community, Mr. Sam. Mr. Sam can't come to our OCA becoming Catholic class because the class is late at night and in the homeless shelter, you have to be back in the shelter at a certain time. And so every Monday morning, my seminarian Landry is doing a one on one becoming Catholic class with them over coffee in our coffee shop. My seminarian Alex is going to our homeless shelter every Thursday to have lunch with the homeless. And then my seminarian Charlie is daily praying the rosary, encountering our neighbors in the streets. And so it's just really beautiful how like, each one of them has found their own little niche of how they're doing this in the parish. But I always tell all parishes like, like anybody could do this kind of stuff. And it always for me starts with first getting a map of your geographical boundaries of your parish, and then praying like, get rosary groups and just start walking in different neighborhoods, wealthy neighborhoods, middle class neighborhoods, low income neighborhoods, and just pray the rosary there and meet people. Jesus Christ met people throughout his ministry. Like, if we're going to like our, our, I guess our, our roadmap for everything we do, whether it's with vagabond or with the seminarians or with parishioners, is like we look at Jesus and, and Jesus Christ literally would walk. And as he was walking, he would encounter the woman who was hemorrhaging. He encountered the woman at the well, the woman caught in adultery, the tax collectors, the public sinners, the blind people, the lepers. Like, he encountered people while simply being out there in the streets. And so that's what we're called to do as well. We're not called to spend all of our time in the church. We should spend some time in the church to get filled up by the grace of God at mass in adoration. But then go out there and meet people where they're at and just build relationships. Like, tell Them your name. And then if they consistently see us and we see them, they're. Then we can begin to invite them to something deeper.
- [16:47]
A
Yeah. That's incredible. So a couple. What I heard, first of all, is you mentioned prayer in that sense of. Well, I mean, before that is recognizing your own responsibility. That sense of, this has been entrusted to me. This is what is my plot of land, right. What's the area of this world that God has said, okay, this is. You're the steward now. You're responsible for this area. So first of all, it seems like there's that knowledge. That's why your parishioners make fun of you for. Or laugh at the fact that you're always reminding them of the geographic boundaries. But that sense of, like, no, this is not optional. This has been entrusted to us. This is the 10 talents that we've been given, and we could just hold on to them, or we could do something with them that's so responsible. Secondly, sounds like you just pray like, everything is less. Let's innovate. I mean, it sounds like you have some innovation. I want to talk about that. But more along the lines of, okay, before anything else, if anything happens here, it's God. It's gotta be God.
- [17:43]
B
Totally, Totally, Lord. Yeah. We were praying the rosary the other day, and we were in the mystery, the luminous mystery of which one was it? No, it was not the luminous mystery. It was the sorrowful mystery of Jesus carrying the cross and Simon Cyrene helping him. And so, like, I just felt inspired by the Holy Spirit to like, like, lean into, like, with my seminaries. And I ragged my missionaries, like, hey, y', all, like, let's be vulnerable with each other and let's ask, invite people to help us because Jesus Christ allowed people to help. It's like, we, like, as a priest, I have a. I have a therapist, I have a spiritual director, I have a confessor. I have lot of people who are helping me out. So I was like, I just want to encourage this, like, be free to ask for help. As I said that before we started the Our Father, a car pulled up and she was like, father, I need help. And like, okay, cool. What? You need help? And she. And all she wanted was prayer. She like, father, I need prayer. She said, like, mike, I'm a single mother. I'm going through it right now, and I just need prayer. And we're like, let's pray right now. So the seminarians and I gathered around her with the vagabond missionaries, and we just began to ask God to, like, give us his heart for her. And we got different words of knowledge to, like, encourage her. And it was just so beautiful. And again, like, when we pray, like, the Lord will open up doors. So, like, you're saying, like, projects and plans, they have their place in what we do in our parishes. But what's most important is the person Jesus Christ. And if we are, like, cultivating that relationship with the Lord and prioritizing Christ in adoration and just in like, however he's inviting us to grow in holiness, like, he will inspire us with his spirit to do something different for different people so that they can encounter him through us.
- [19:07]
A
That's awesome. So responsibility, prayer. And then so you, when you go out, you mentioned how Jesus walked around and that sense of, like, I, and I love how you other, other priests too. Just when you have, like, the caller, it's kind of like, okay, so now you clearly know what you're getting when you come over here, you know, situation. So you go out and walk. But here's a question that I kind of like, can see when it comes to the parish that there can be a way in which, like you mentioned, we have to be in the parish, we have to get filled up. How do you, like, you know, discern? How do you balance that sense of, okay, we actually need to be able to retreat in some ways, like to become a community and be strengthened and know who the Lord is before we can go out and share. Or maybe it's not before we go out and share, but it both has to happen. How do you make sure that both happen?
- [19:55]
B
Yeah, and I think that's the thing is, like, it is a both. And I think it's as we go. Like, think Jesus Christ. Whenever he sings us out, we don't. Like, he didn't have a prerequisite of, like, every apostle was a scribe or a scholar, a Sadducee or Pharisee. Like, they were fishermen and they were tax collectors and they were political zealots. And so we do need that place of, like, formation for sure. But, like, it's like, I like to think about, like, feeding the poor. Like, I don't, I don't have to have a theology degree or a social working, like, background to feed somebody who's hungry or get somebody clothes who's naked or something to drink, who's thirsty. And so we need to cultivate a relationship with Jesus Christ because we have to have a testimony so we can, like, be sharing Jesus Christ. But at the same time, while we are being formed by the Lord, in our small group of communities, this is why I think community is so important. Like, discipleship is important. Like, Paul was formed for three years before he went out. Like, so we need to have, like, that. That place of, like, I am being discipled by somebody, whether it's by a focus missionary or a vagabond missionary or a pastor or my Bible study group or whoever it is. But at the same time, I don't have to wait to go out there to invite other people to encounter Jesus. Like, I can always point somebody to Jesus Christ. I'm not pointing them to myself. I'm not saying, like, hey, y', all, I know everything. All I'm saying is, like, this has been my experience so far in my walk with the Lord. I've been going to Bible study now for six weeks, and it's been really beautiful. And I just want to invite you to come, too. Or I've been going to adoration. It's been super peaceful. Or I've been going to that church and I feel really welcomed and, like, I don't know the answers to, like, Marian dogmas or eucharistic theology or the. Or the trinitarian, whatever. But all I know is, like, this is my experience, and I want to bring you with me, and that way you can encounter. I think a lot of us don't believe Jesus is Jesus. Like, we don't believe that if I bring people to adoration, that he could do everything. Years ago, I was doing missionary work in Calcutta with Mother Teresa's nuns when I was in seminary. And I encountered a Lutheran seminarian. And he came to Calcutta because he was inspired by the witness of Mother Teresa and her sisters. And he. Obviously, Lutherans and Catholics have two different theologies when it comes to the Eucharist, right? They believe in consubstantiation. We believe in transubstantiation. So they believe that it's Jesus, like during their Mass. But after Mass, it's bread again. We believe the bread becomes Jesus Christ and saves Jesus Christ. And so he would come, the nuns would invite him and me every day to adoration. And so every day after we would serve the poor, they would invite us to holy hour. And he would come to holy hour. And again, remember, he's Lutheran. So theologically, he does not believe that's Jesus Christ. But he's watching the sisters, like, the way they're looking at Christ. The way that those of us who were, like, Catholics were looking at Christ, and he was just spending that time with Jesus himself. And by the End of our mission. I asked him, I said, I got to ask you, bro. Like, I've been looking at the way you're looking at Jesus and the way you're looking at the Eucharist. To me, it speaks that you believe that's more than a piece of bread. And he said, after spending this time here, I do believe that that's Jesus. Body, blood, soul, and divinity. There was no catechesis that ever happened. The sisters simply invited him to serve the poor and come and pray. And so I do think that there's like a place for us to also be okay with just saying, like, I can just point people to the Lord. Like, I know my place. I'm embrace my place. I'm appoint people to Jesus Christ and trust that Jesus Christ is God and he's the same God he was yesterday and he can speak to them on his own terms.
- [23:02]
A
Well, that makes so accessible in the sense that. So I remember hearing a story about Curtis Martin, who's the founder of Focus, as you know. And I can't remember who. I can't remember who he was talking to. But. But at one point they brought up Dr. Scott Hun, who, credible scripture scholar, you know, works at Francisca and has done so much good for the church, knows the Bible frontwards and backwards hu. All the languages. Amazing. And Curtis at one point said, I would rather have a Bible study led by a college student than by Dr. Scott Hahn. And the guy was like, wait, what are you talking about? He said, well, because there's one Scott Hahn, there's one of these guys who knows all the answers, who knows scripture so well. There's a million college students to get a Bible study led by. That's what we do on our campus. And I know you are familiar with this. Well, we have students that are invited into growing discipleship and they're discipled, as you say. And then it's like, okay, you're ready for commission. Discipleship. You. You have gotten some things in order. Now, it doesn't mean you're perfect, doesn't mean you know everything, but you have friends and those friends Jesus died for. And so invite them to your Bible study. They're your friends. Invite them to mass. And there's something about that. Like you said, it's not like I'm going to get all set, then I'm going to go out. But you do have discipleship, so this is actually interesting. You have vagabond missions. Can you tell us more about vagabond missions and how that. Well, it what is it and what does it do?
- [24:23]
B
So Vagabond Missions, founded by Bob and Kate Lesneski. I actually met them when I was with you back in 2015. We were invited to the World Meeting of Families when the Pope Francis came in Philadelphia, I think it was. And so through Ascension, I connected with Chris, one of our friends from Ascension. He's worked there back in the day. And he was talking to one of the Andy who was with Vagabond. And so we just had a brief connection. They invited me to a youth camp that they would put on every summer where they would invite all these kids from across the country where they're missionaries were making disciples in low income, underprivileged neighborhoods in the inner city to this beautiful youth camp. And I saw like Jesus Christ in the most messy youth summer camp of my life, where it was like super real and raw and they were encountering Christ and I was like, this is discipleship happening. Like this is like what the gospel calls us to. And so afterwards they asked me, a chaplain and then a board member. Now I'm just a chaplain and we have it here in Baton Rouge. But Vagabond missionaries are, you know, we're all vagabonds. Like Jesus Christ is vagabond. Our home is in heaven. So Vagabond really speaks to the missionaries themselves. It's like that their home is heaven. And so they go out and they live in low income neighborhoods. And so they're invited by bishops and they like focus. They have missionary discipleship partners who help them to fundraise their salaries. But they live in the hood with the people because they don't. And they don't get a lot of money either. So that way they're not like with the people, but like living a wealthy lifestyle, right? So they live in solidarity with the poorest of the poor and simply engage in relationship with inner City teens, 13 to 19 years old. And so we do this first and foremost by like going where teenagers hang out. So like going to basketball courts, going to the bus stop. And so like what we did in Baton Rouge was we first began by like, you know, cooking or whatever and then offering them to come to Sacred Heart Church to play basketball. And so at first we had like two kids come, and then two kids led to 10 kids and 10 kids are 20 and then 20, 40, and then it was like 65 kids from the neighborhood were coming every single Tuesday to play ball, eat pizza, and we would just like a blessing over the pizza. And it was just super like, relational. And again, like. And sometimes you're doing relational ministry with some people for, like, six years before they are open to the gospel. But for us, it was about, like, six months. And then from six months of doing that ministry, we're like, okay, if you want to come back on Thursday, we're going to have more food, but we're going to play video games, do some outdoor sports, and in, like, five minutes, we're going to break open the gospel. And so about, like, 40 kids would come to that. And then we're like, okay, if y' all want to go deeper, on Wednesdays, we're going to have what's called Bible study. And so about 20 kids would come to Bible study. And then after that, I was like, all right, on Sundays, we're going to go to Mass. And so we have, like, 12 kids coming to Mass. And now we have five kids in our OCA becoming a Catholic program after three years doing the ministry. But Vagabond, it's across the nation. We have eight different cities. And this is what our missionaries do. We go out and we invest in friendship with these teens who oftentimes would never be invited to youth group in parishes, oftentimes where they can't afford a youth minister even if they wanted to serve. They don't have enough people who feel called and equipped to go out there and to do this work of investing in a friendship with these teens who oftentimes come from really broken backgrounds and, like me, who are sometimes even pushed away from the church. When we started doing this, some of our parishions were super excited about vagabonding. And, like, some of the parishioners are mentoring some of the teens. Like, one of my guys, a photographer, so he has a guy who's his apprentice, another parishioner. He connected with one of our colleges. And so any teen who's in Vagabond in Baton Rouge who wants to go to college goes for free at one of our community colleges. No way. Yeah. So, like, we have people who are, like, super invested in, like, partnering with us, but then other people are like, we're leaving the church. We don't want those kids in our pews at our church. And so they left and went somewhere else. And, like. And so there are some people who are, like, totally against it, but so it's been really beautiful, and it's been really painful at the same time, but it's all worth it, because people who didn't know Jesus Christ in the sacraments, who didn't know Jesus Christ in The church now know the Lord, and if only one kid were to come to the Lord, like, all this would be worth it. And so it's really beautiful. But I'm so grateful for Bob and Kate. You know, they began the mission first as youth ministers for, like, doing, like, life teen youth ministry in New York. And the kids that they saw that weren't being discipled were inner city kids. And it was super messy. Gang fights were happening. And Bob and Kate just, like, they were like, you know what? Like, this is breaking our heart. But we feel called. They left for a period to go, like, do youth ministry in Texas at a very wealthy parish. And while they were there, their hearts were breaking back for the kids who were living in poverty. So they went back to Steubenville, and that's when they started Vagabond back in, like, 2006. And then some of their first kids that they discipled in their original youth group in New York became their first vagabond missionaries. One of those kids became the young adult director for an archdiocese, and now he's also a Vagabond area director. And so there's a lot of supernatural fruit happening where these kids lives are being transformed and where they're falling in love with Jesus Christ. And that's what we're created for. We're created for relationship with God. And so Vagabond is doing work that I just wholeheartedly believe in. And I'm a ride or die for the rest of my life because I see the fruit.
- [29:29]
A
That's amazing. Well, so you're describing your parish, you know, embracing us, some people in your parish, you as a pastor embracing this. What would you say, like, what holds your average parish back from that kind of outreach? Why is that not everywhere?
- [29:45]
B
Yeah, I think, honestly, I think people just don't know. I think most people are like, good people, and they only know what they know. And so sometimes our mindset, like. Like anytime I get to new a different parish, I see things that the people that have been here for, like, forever don't see. And I'm like, why are we doing this? They're like, well, that's what we've always done is this way. So a lot of our parishes, like, they've always just made disciples of the people in the pews, and it was never brought to their attention. So it's ignorance. I think if people would just be educated of, like, hey, like, we have a great gift, like, in the Eucharist. We have a great gift in this sacramental life of the church, like, and we are responsible for sharing this gift. People just don't know. Even priests, a lot of priests don't like. The only reason why I know this so much is because I had a rector in seminary who drilled this in my brain. If I didn't have that rector in seminary, I. I mean, I don't know about you, but I don't read Cannes Law for fun. Bible in a year is amazing, bro. Catechism year. You did a great job. Cannes Law in a year. I don't know about that. Right. So if I didn't have a rector in my seminary formation who, like, emphasized this for me, that's why it's a passion for me, because I was inspired by the witness of a rector who, when he was a pastor, he did this work and he would give us stories. And so it kind of inspired me. And so even, like, I do priest retreats sometimes different dioceses, not often, because I don't leave my parish that much anymore. But before I was the probate director, I traveled a lot more and I would do priest retreats and talk to bishops and priests and even priests, they didn't remember this part of their formation. It's like, I remember I was talking to one young priest, really great guy, super beautiful, amazing. And he was sharing with me how he had all these young families that are coming to his parish, and he was so excited about the different things he was offering them. And I encouraged him and I affirmed him in that. But then I said to him, I said, but, like, are your neighbors coming to the things that you're offering? And he was like, well, no, not really. And I said, well, I said, don't you, like, think that, like, if people are driving in from outside your parish to receive this gift from you, that's really beautiful, but, like, God didn't send you through your bishop, to people outside your parish boundaries. He sent you to those people. And if those people aren't receiving that gift, then maybe you should, like, go back to prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to inspire you with the way that you can communicate this gift and share this gift with the people that are actually entrusted to you, who your actual neighbors. And so even I think sometimes priests don't know. And because priests don't know, they don't form the people to know. And if people don't know, then they won't do the work. And so I really just think that we have to do a better job of formation, probably, and sharing the good news. And then I think a lot of people will Come to the table and say like, hey, look, like, my gift is intercessory prayer. And so I might not be the one going door to door, but I will commit to a holy hour every single week for people in this land to come to Jesus Christ. And someone else would be like, you know what? Well, my gift is evangelization. And so I would be the one to go door to door and other person. My gift is organization. So I will like organize like events for us to like have whatever. So when people become aware, I think that they will actually like be that part of the body of Christ. And so, yeah, so I'm just again, super grateful for vagabond missions. It's one of the greatest gifts I think that God has given to me because so many teens who otherwise would have never been introduced to the church are falling in love with Jesus. And so like shout out to Bob and Kate for, for founding this mission that's now across the nation. And we have about 30 missionaries who are doing beautiful work. And we can always do more missionaries.
- [32:57]
A
So yeah, yeah, seriously, more they can people. Someone listening to this could maybe be called to be a vagabond mission missionary. I have a brother in law, a couple brothers in law, one brother in law. At one point he stayed home. Dad, the youngest was in school and he called, I think he called enough messages or texted one of the two. The pastor in his. My home, my hometown, and this great pastor, great priest. And he said, hey, Father Tony, I'm a stay at home dad. All the kids are in school. I've got a lot of time. How can I help? Like, he just, he just kind of threw it out there. Like, what do you need? I am at your service. I want to serve the parish. I want to serve the church. And he said, he contacted me and he's like, hey, I reached out to Father Tony like a couple of weeks ago. He hasn't gotten back to me yet. And no, I know Father Tony is like, he's an instant texter. Like, he's, he's one of the people that when you're in his presence, it's annoying because he's always texting people back right away. And I was like, that's really funny because Father Tony is not only good communication, he's one of the best pastors we have in our diocese.
- [33:55]
B
Great guy.
- [33:56]
A
And he didn't get back to my brother in law. And I was like, well, Mark, I think here's the reason why I think he's never been asked that question before. I Don't think he's ever had someone come up to him and say, I want to serve. Tell me where to go. And I think that could be a common experience for a lot of pastors who are like, I don't know if someone came out of the woodwork or someone came out of the pews and said, father, I want to serve. We'd say, well, we have class on Wednesday night. We have Sunday school Sunday. We have the Knights, we have the ccw. And I think we might need someone with a vision like yourself in that sense of if someone shows up and says, actually, I'd like to volunteer that someone is there to be able to help them move, does that make sense? That question of that context makes sense?
- [34:44]
B
It totally does. And I think that goes to the part of, like, you and me, we are one member in the body of Christ, and we're super necessary because of the sacrament of life that we are able to provide for the church. What a gift. But we can't do it all. And so this priest needs to have a team of other disciples of Jesus Christ who have charisms and gifts and talents and resources that he doesn't have. So that way, he might not even be the person. One of my best friends is not a visionary at all. Like, so my charism is supernatural faith, right? So that's one of my charisms. Evangelization is charism, writing. So a few different charisms, whatever. But, like, his charisma is not that, but he also is so comfortable with who he is in the body of Christ, he's embraced his place that he's identified someone in his parish who is that person. So that way, when people come to him with, like, these ideas, and he's like, I'm not that guy. Like, I'm. I'm. Right. He's a. He's a prayer warrior. He's like, he has charisma, healing, whatever, but, like, that ain't his thing. He points them to the person in his team who is that person, who can then take that. And then he has discerners on his team who then could discern that really well, and they could bring back to him that. And he's like, okay, like, I'll pray for y'.
- [35:52]
A
All.
- [35:52]
B
I'll bless that. Y' all do your thing. And so I think it's also important for. For priests to be able to, like, embrace our place and, like, acknowledge that this is, like, what my gifts are. Like, here's my temperament. Here's my working genius. Here's my personality. And here's my charisms. And let your bride know. Like, people don't know. It's kind of like marriage. Unless you communicate really well, like what your stuff is, people won't know. So communicate to your people up front, like, here's where I'm at. So where are the rest of y' all at and what are y' all gonna do? I've told my people, like, at Mass, like, in prayer, God always draws me to Moses. And in numbers, I think it's 11, where he was crying out, and he was like, God, I need help. I can't do this by myself. And then God took that spirit that he gave to Moses and gave it to 72 others. And I've told my parishioners, like, I need your help. Like, I cannot be a pastor of a church with a school, serve a vagabond with the neighborhood, run a seminary and do any other like, thing. And also be faithful to Jesus Christ in holy hour and rosary and liturgy hour, all the stuff I can't. And be healthy and sleep and eat healthy and work out right? And have friends, like, I need you. And so I've made this, like, call to my parish, like, from the pulpit. And the people are there. Every gift that's necessary for us is already there in our parish. So they can come forward, be like, all right, your brother in law has this great idea. This is the person that could actually walk with him in that. And to accomplish that idea, that probably was of the Lord, but just needed to be filtered through the right person, not necessarily the pastor. And I always tell people, just do it like Nike, you can already start doing Bible studies in your home without my permission. And you can start praying the rosary in the neighborhood without my permission. You can go out and do the work. And what I love to hear is the fruit of it. So you've been doing this for three months. Here's the fruit. Okay, let me bless that now, and let me, like, give you more resources to, like, help you to do that more versus, like, people coming with, like, a million ideas. Because, like, I don't know about you, Father Mike, but, like, I get like a million emails. I'm like, this is too much. Like, I can't do it, right? Yeah, too much. But if you come to me with, like, I've done this, now here's the visible fruit I've seen or the supernatural fruit that I've been able to witness in my own life and life of others, and I just want to present it to you and do what you want with the Father, but I'm going to keep doing this. Like, cool. Praise God. Bless be God. Let's go. Let's rock and roll.
- [37:59]
A
Well, that's. That's awesome, because it's not. Again, you're not the. I mean, no offense, but you're not the bottleneck. Right? You're not the. The. The kind of. The cap. I. It's. It's a. Is it John Maxwell? I think it was John Maxwell called it the. The law of the lid, in the sense that if the leader is the lid, like the highest that you can go, then that's as high we go. That's as high as we go. We can't go any further than this. And so for you, you're intentionally choosing to say I. You don't need my permission to share the gospel. Yeah, to share the. To be what you were anointed to be at your baptism. A priest, prophet, king. That. That. To be able to say, like, no, this is. This is you. You have my. How about this? You have my permission. Go and do this and then. But be connected to the parish somehow. All these kind of things. So kind of like along those same lines. So, you know, this. This podcast called is. Is sponsored by the Catholic Initiative.
- [38:50]
B
And.
- [38:50]
A
And so the Catholic initiative is Catholic initiative. Just what they want to do is they want to restore. Restore churches and schools. They want to. Actually, what they want to do is find those bright spots, those places in the church right now that are doing what you're doing, but they find themselves underfunded and they find themselves kind of like in a place where God's working, God's moving, God's doing stuff, but. But just need more resources. So here's the question. How can these churches, schools. They have the best school in Baton Rouge Diocese. How can these communities be a place where the youth, in particular, the youth can find guidance and support and belonging. What's the first thing that a parish or a Catholic school should do?
- [39:40]
B
Yeah, you know, well, I'll start with parish first, I think, and then we'll get to the school second. But I think you've heard this before. We've done this at conferences, but I wholeheartedly believe this to be true. That if people know that they belong, like, whenever people come, when we know that you belong here, like, look as you are. Like, I'm willing to walk. Remember whenever Jesus went to encounter Peter in Luke, chapter five, Peter was fishing. He was probably cursing because they didn't catch fish at night. We know he had a cursing problem because he cursed in the garden of Gethsemane. Three years after walking with Jesus. We know he had an anger problem because he cut somebody's ear off. Three years after walking with Jesus. So three years before Jesus Christ, I'm pretty sure he was really upset when he didn't catch any fish. And Jesus Christ approaches him and Peter says, depart from me. I'm a sinner. So Peter was in sin when Jesus Christ encountered him. And Jesus Christ didn't say, hey, you need to behave like a disciple and you need to believe in my message. Like, he just said, just follow me, like you belong with me as you are. And as Peter walked with him for a number of years, even beyond the resurrection, through the Holy Spirit, like, Peter was transformed over time. So I think it's really important that our parishes become a place and a space where when someone comes through our doors or when we go out and invite people into our churches, we just invite them to come as they are. Like, you belong here, right? You're living in adultery right now. Just come as you are. Right? You're smoking blunts right now. Just come as you are. Whatever it is, just come as you are. You belong here. And then as they come as they are, and they are around intentional disciples of Jesus Christ who are living radical lives of holiness, then they will begin to believe in the message of the gospel that's being presented to them. And then whenever they believe in that message of the gospel, they will behave as disciples of Jesus Christ. It's super messy. It's not sanitized at all. But it's a method that works because it's the method of Jesus Christ. When he encountered the woman at the well and brought to the light that she was living in adultery, he didn't say, okay, go and change, and then I'm going to have a conversation with you. Like, he continued to have a beautiful dialogue with her. And she was transformed over time, right? And so the Lord Jesus Christ is the same today as he was yesterday. And so he kind of gives us the model in the Gospels for how we're supposed to be in school in churches. But also, keep in mind, when Catholic schools were founded, they were founded for the poor, like Catholic schools today. So, like, my school is. It's. It's. Yeah, we are always needed money, right? In my school, like, again, because where we're located geographically. And so I'm constantly raising money to help, you know, people to attend our school. Because it's. It's just. It's. It's a school. We have nuns, they go to adoration every week, they go to Mass every week. They pray the rosary. They're like. They're like little disciples are being formed here. It's so beautiful, but not everybody can afford it. And so we raise money for them to come here or whatever. But even then, the school, the point of the school is to make disciples. Like, it's not just about academics. And so I think for our Catholic schools to recognize like a. Do our teachers recognize that this school is a ministry of the church? And if it is a ministry of the church, then you're working for the church. If you're working for the church, do you know the one who found the church? Jesus Christ? Have you ever encountered the love of Jesus Christ? The way that he looks at you? Have you heard his voice? The way he speaks to you? And so we need to, like, be making disciples of our. Of our teachers, even if they're math, history, social studies, or science. Like, they all need to be given opportunities to encounter the Lord again and again, just as you and I have to encounter him over and over again. But then as we encounter Jesus Christ and we perceive his love for us, we'll be able to then share that love with the kids and the families and the parents who are coming to our schools. Because most people go to Catholic school, not because they want a Catholic school. They choose Catholic schools because of it's private, because they are academically excellent, and because the parents choose schools based on where they want to have community. So, like, oh, this family goes there. I want to be friends with that family. So I'm going to go to that school. I'm willing to pay that money to have my kids run. Those kind of kids, whatever. In the process, though, as they come to us with their very messy situations, a lot of brokenness, a lot of imperfections, a lot of them are living in mortal sin. Whenever they send their kids to our schools, that's our opportunity to invest in friendship with them, grab coffee with them, invite them to relationship with us first and then from us with Jesus Christ. And then to watch Jesus Christ be the one to transform them slowly over time. Because I'm still being. I don't know about you, but like, I have been doing this discipleship thing now for over two decades. I've been ordained for 12 years. And I'm still. The Lord is still revealing to me, like, so many years. Like, Josh, like, you've not surrendered in this place yet with me. I'm like, I know Jesus. My bad. I do love you, though. I really do. But, like, it's so hard and so to be patient with other people in the process. But it's all about, like, having our schools and our parishes be placed where people can. Can be received and then invited into relationship with Jesus. Like, slowly to not expect them to, like, behave like radical disciples before they've had profound encounters with the Lord.
- [44:16]
A
Well, so you mentioned. We're gonna. We'll come to a close here. I just want to mention two more things. One is, you mentioned messy. And okay, you mentioned, like, people are like, well, I don't know if we want these. These kind of kids. You're reaching out on the, on the margins. You're bringing kids in who might be a little rough or might be like, you mentioned living a life that's like, well, that's kind of dangerous. I don't know if I want my child around that kind of other, you know, teen or whatever kind of thing is. It's messy and. Which means a program can't work. A program doesn't work because what we do in parishes is we say, okay, we're gonna have a program. Here's plug and play. And so you're going to be in this group of people. You're meeting this group of people. This group of people, as opposed to relationship. And to be able to make sure that everyone who's invited, you don't have a relationship with somebody here in that sense that, like. No, you're right. It's too messy for a program, but it's not too messy for a relationship.
- [45:07]
B
Correct.
- [45:08]
A
And that seems to be the big difference in mindset that would be. Yeah, if you're going to be inviting people who don't know their manners. You know, again, it's a bad way of speaking. Right. If people. People don't know to take off their shoes when they come in or take off their hat, whatever the thing is, or to, you know, put the. Don't bring the gun into church that, that someone needs to walk with them so they can say at some point.
- [45:30]
B
Like, yeah, you don't have to be. You don't have to have, like, formation of, like, I was homeless. So therefore, I walk with homeless people. Like, I was never homeless, but I can walk with a homeless person. I was never a prostitute, but I could walk with a prostitute. It's like sometimes we. We allow these, like, these things in our mind to prevent us from actually just, like, just investing in a person. Like, okay, you're a person. You have. You. You. You bleed red. So do I. Yeah. We're connected. Right? And so, like, we can. Like, I have people in my parish, like, I have millionaires in my parish who are investing in, like, there's one family, it's a family who's been homeless. And so they, they were able to acquire a house for them. It's been really beautiful. But, like, to watch that family of, like, millionaires, like, invest in this homeless family and see them sit in the pews together at Mass and, like, go to lunch after Mass and, like, the friendships between this son who came from the homeless family and this son who came from this very wealthy family. And they're just like, buddies. And I'm like, they're friends because they're people and people are investing in people. And it's so beautiful to see what happens whenever we just, like, we're open to. And again, it's not going to be sanitized. But the ministry of Jesus Christ wasn't sanitized. Like, it totally was. Like, it was all about the cross. And so if we're praying, the Lord will give us his spirit and his spirit will lead us and guide us. If we're rooting the word of God, then we will imitate what we see.
- [46:46]
A
Well, so that's so good. Here's the last thing, because I don't want to take up too much of your time, but we always ask this question at the end of the called. If someone is listening to this and they're saying, okay, how do I start? What would you say is their first step? What's the next step someone can take right now and say, okay, I, you know, I know God. I, you keep telling, telling me God has given me a responsibility. He's calling me. What's my first step? What would you say open up the.
- [47:13]
B
Bible and read the life of Jesus Christ in the Gospels? Because the, the Gospels, like, the Bible, this is our. I'm sorry it's not the Ascension Bible, but I love the Ascension Bible. It's great. I say open up the Gospels and look at Jesus like, Jesus Christ, like, watch how he prays, watch how he ministers, like, what he. What he did. And the more we're looking at Jesus, the more we're going to be able to, like, imitate what we see. And so I say the very first thing we should do is to begin to carve out time every single day to commit time to looking at the life of Jesus Christ. Because we are the body of Jesus Christ and he wants to live his life in us and through us today for his people. And so the very first thing that all of us can do, everybody is just open up the gospel and look at Jesus and then learn from him and listen to him so that way he can tell us what to do next. I think the more we get to know the Lord, he does speak. He didn't just speak to Moses. He didn't just speak to Mary and the apostles. He speaks to us when we read Scripture. And he has so much that he wants to say, but many of us don't know his voice because we don't know Scripture. Like, we know devotional prayers, which is great, but, like, we don't actually know the word of God if we don't know the word of God. Ignorance of scriptures, ignorance of the voice of Christ. And so I just encourage people to, like, look at Christ, imitate what we see, but also, like, spend time, like with Lectio in the Bible, and he will communicate to us and tell us what to do next. And we can let him be the one to tell us how he wants us to pray, how he wants us to love, to serve, to forgive, to heal, to and to evangelize, to make disciples. I mean, if I could say one more thing, one of my preachers just passed away this morning. Super beautiful man. Clyde, I have to share a story with you because I really believe this. So 12 years ago, first ordained, and this guy came to my office, and he was struggling because he wanted to be a seminarian, but he was turned down because he had chronic illness. And his chronic illness sometimes left him in the bed. He couldn't even get out of bed. And so the vocation director on his family said, you can't be a seminarian. Like, there's no way you can do this. Like, it's too much. And so the guy was super depressed, came to me, and I share with him a story I just heard, like, the day before. And it's about Mother Teresa. There was a woman in New York who wanted to be a missionary of charity Sister. And Mother Teresa said, no, like your. Your. Your health issues will prevent you from being able to live the life of an emcee Sister. But she said, what you can do is you could become a suffering soul for our community. And in New York, you can, in your apartment, offer up your pain and suffering. And you knew Jesus Christ crucified when you're hurting the most and offered up for us. And the woman agreed. And Mother Teresa said that when that woman began to offer up her sufferings for Mother Teresa and her sisters, that their order increased in number. The poor, they were able to Serve increased, multiplied. The peace in their order was a lot more profound and palpable. Their ability to pray more was like. It was just everything was so much better. And they attributed to this woman in New York who was suffering soul. So I told this guy in my office, says, hey, like, would you be that suffering soul for me? Like, I need someone in my life to suffer for me. I was. I was a new ordained deacon at that point, before I was a priest. And he began to cry, and he said, you want me to suffer for you? And I said, yeah, I do. And he began to suffer for me. And prior to that moment, I used to spend hours upon hours reading commentary after commentary to prepare for talks, for presentations, for homilies. When he began to suffer for me, I would go to adoration. And the Lord began to fill me up with homilies. So my parishioner Clyde, who passed away today, holy man of God, his wife, Mary Lee, is a radical disciple of Jesus Christ. I love them so much. And so about a month ago, I went to go give him last rites, and I've been, like, struggling with, like, this thing interiorly. Like, you know, whatever. I'm human. I still struggle. And the Lord's been asking something of me for, like, a while, and I've been so reluctant to give it to him. I've been attached to my plans and my will and not following Jesus. And I know he's asking me. And I've been struggling. I've been talking to my spiritual director and my support group and praying and fasting, and, like, nothing's been lifting this off. And so I go to Clyde and I say, clyde, I'm giving you the sacraments. I'm going to pray that your pain decreases. But I'm also going to ask you a favor. Would you be willing to offer up your suffering for me? And Clyde, he said yes. And his hospice bed, he said yes. That was on a Thursday morning. On Saturday morning, I was in my holy hour, and I just felt this peace, brother. That, like, that thing for six months I've been struggling with, it was lifted. It's been over a month. And I've been living in this grace. And I can only attribute that to his prayer of intercession, of, like, offering up his suffering and union with Jesus Christ, crucified for me. And so one thing I want to invite our listeners to is for you, like, because I love you so much and I know that you are, like, you are changing so many lives. I hear so many confessions from people who are like, I came to confession because of Bobby and your podcast because of Father Mike. Whatever. Or. And then also for vagabond, for our missionaries and the work that they're doing in the streets throughout this nation, for our missionaries is if any of our listeners are suffering right now, whether it's mental suffering or physical suffering or emotional suffering. Remember Jesus Christ suffered mentally in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was anxious to the point of sweating blood. He emotionally suffered when Lazarus died and he wept and he physically suffered on the cross. So, like, whatever suffering you're going through, do not let it be wasted. But I invite you and I beg you to unite to Jesus Christ on the cross when you feel it the most, when it's the most painful and offered up for either Father Mike or for our vagabond missionaries, for him and for them to be able to continue to do the work that he's doing to make disciples and that my missionaries are doing to bring teens to Jesus Christ who otherwise may never be invited to the sacraments. Life of the church.
- [52:27]
A
Oh, man. Amen, Father Josh. That is. That's incredible. AA I want to say thank you for not just your time, but for this. Like, just, it's so inspiring to listen to how you're living. So inspiring and so just. I'm grateful for your friendship and your brotherhood, but also for that last appeal to anyone who's listening to be able to offer that suffering. Because, yeah, it's, it's real. We need so much help. And, and I think that's one of the places you mentioned, you know, someone I'm called Intercessory Prayer. That is a place, a real place where people, God is. God is. He's. Lord hears the cry of the poor. And, and there's something so powerful about that. So thank you for that. Thank you for your time. I'm so, so, so glad you joined us on this podcast.
- [53:10]
B
Thank you, brother. Love you, man, very much. I always appreciate when I'm with you, I think that you are the same person on camera as you're off camera, on the stage, as you're off the stage. And so I just, I appreciate that you are like a authentic disciple of Jesus Christ and you continue to inspire me. And so I remember grateful for you and the work that you're doing.
- [53:26]
A
Thank you for listening to called you know. This podcast is made possible by the Catholic Initiative who's inspiring this really bold faith in action and investing in vibrant but under resourced Catholic communities by revitalizing iconic parishes, schools and neighborhoods. If you want to learn more about their projects, or if you want to discover how you can make a difference, visit the CatholicInitiative.org that's the CatholicInitiative.org until next time. Let's keep listening for God's call, and let's have the courage to answer it. God bless.