Podcast
Saint In Progress
Hosted by Michael LaMorte · EN
A Catholic show about how to be a saint. Your source for inspiration, information, and directions home to the Father's house.
catholictreehouse.substack.com
catholictreehouse.substack.com
29episodes
Episodes
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Planting the Seeds of Christendom — Saint in Progress Episode #68
2w ago00:13:48Tap to summarizeIn this last podcast before summer hiatus, Mike touches on a very important issue: the impending collapse of Christendom as the dominant force in our society. We’re on the brink right now. How do we reverse course? How do we re-claim our society, our neighborhoods, and even ourselves?Show Notes & Extra Info* Mike’s show notes for St. Gabriel Radio, AM820 in Columbus Ohio (available May 25, 2026)* Tune in live: St. Gabriel Radio or listen later on the Café podcast page* Are you loving your neighbor? Or are you their near occasion of sin? As we surge into summer with the heat wave and that, it’s time for us to consider what we do that gets people hot. (A post from 2025 on modest attire and the giving of scandal.)* The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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Sharing the Beautiful: Hobo Evangelism Part 4 — Saint in Progress Episode #67
3w ago00:11:47Tap to summarizeThis episode wraps up the 4-part series on “hobo evangelism.”Previous episodes (here, here, and here) covered the concept of and how to share the true and the good. Which begs the question: If you’re not in a beautiful church and you’re not walking the cobblestone streets of Italy… how are you going to share the beauty of the Catholic Church?Spoiler: It’s not about art… it’s about you.Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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Sharing the Good: Hobo Evangelism Part 3 — Saint in Progress Episode #66
4w ago00:14:42Tap to summarizePeople are drawn to the Catholic Church because of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful. After explaining the concept of “Hobo Evangelism” in Episode 64 and how to share the True in Episode 65, this week Mike talks about how we “hobos” on the road home to the Father’s House can share the Good. (He also finds a “God wink” moment with the episode number, the topic, and one of the greatest hockey players to ever play the game.)Fair warning: This might be a challenging episode for some listeners, as tough self-reflective questions are asked.Additional Episode InformationIn memoriam: Christino Damo 1961-2015 https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/dispatch/name/cristino-damo-obituary?id=11828685Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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Sharing the Truth: Hobo Evangelism Part 2 — Saint in Progress Episode #65
May 100:18:32Tap to summarizeLast week, Mike talked about “Hobo Evangelism” and “Hobo Code” and how it relates to us helping out our fellow travelers on the road home to the Father’s house, in particular the new converts to the Church.This week, Mike takes a look at how Hobo Evangelists should share the True, with upcoming episodes covering sharing the Good and the Beautiful.Also a reminder that all subscribers get a free PDF download of an examination of conscience based on the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Temperance, Justice, and Fortitude. After this episode… you’ll definitely want it!Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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Hobo Evangelism and the Explosion of Catholic Converts — Saint in Progress Episode #64
Apr 2400:12:31Tap to summarizeIt’s springtime in the northern hemisphere, and with over 100,000 new converts to the Catholic Church this past Easter vigil, it’s also springtime in the Father’s vineyard.In this episode Mike takes a look at what we need to do for these new Catholics by introducing the concept of “hobo evangelism.” What do hobos have in common with saints in progress? Listen and find out!Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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At the intersection of Faith and Politics — Saint in Progress Episode #63
Apr 1700:15:32Tap to summarizeTrump said this… Pope Leo said that… Vice President Vance said…If you’re looking for a hot take, this isn’t it.There is zero discussion about AI generated images, what current politician or figure in the Church said what, or what anyone posted on social media.Instead, Mike talks a little Thomas Jefferson, a little JFK, and quotes a whole lot of saints.So if you’re wondering what’s the right road to take for saints in progress—as well as a look at how we got into this mess in the first place and the dangers of continuing to do what we’re doing—then be sure to listen.Bonus Links* Address of Senator John F. Kennedy to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, September 12, 1960Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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Unapologetic Apologetics—Saint in Progress Episode #62
Apr 1000:16:02Tap to summarizeHe is risen! Indeed, he is risen!This week, Mike gets into the topic of apologetics, in particular when someone comes to you with an honest question… or an attack. He addresses how to handle the situation if:* You are well-informed* You aren’t well-informed* You get the answer wrong* Your response normally starts with, “Well, actually…”Covering the importance of humility and docility to the Holy Spirit, he also includes tips on how to keep the conversation going, as well as the most important apologetic tool you can use.Episode Links* Divine Mercy Sunday is this Sunday, April 12. Here’s everything you need to know: https://www.thedivinemercy.org/mercysunday/ewtn* Great books for your apologetics library:* Forty Anti-Catholic Lies: A Mythbusting Apologist Sets the Record Straight* Seven Lies About Catholic History: Infamous Myths about the Church’s Past and How to Answer Them* Where We Got the Bible... Our Debt to the Catholic Church* The Bible Is a Catholic BookOur work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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To Jesus, through Our Sorrowful Mother— Saint in Progress Episode #61
Mar 2700:19:04Tap to summarizeFully understanding the Passion of our Lord can be daunting, and we also run the risk of allowing it to become less-than-special. However, if we meditate on Our Sorrowful Mother, she will constantly invite us to understand the effects of our sins in a new and powerful light. In this episode, meditate on the image above while listening to a meditation by Fr. Bonaventure Hammer OFM.The image above is by French painter, William-Adolphe Bouguereau, and can be downloaded in high-resolution from Wikimedia Commons.The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows as given to St. Bridget of Sweden, which carries with it a promise of seven graces for those who practice the devotion, can be found here: https://carmelitesistersocd.com/devotion-to-our-lady-of-sorrows/Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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St. Patrick, awe, wonder, and hearing God’s voice — Saint in Progress Episode #60
Mar 1300:13:53Tap to summarizeThis week, Mike goes on a purposeful ramble. Join him as he talks about:* The Pearson Integrated Humanities Program at the University of Kansas* St. Patrick* Listening for God’s voice (and why most of us aren’t)For fun, he even throws in a snippet from this comedy bit by Fr. Guido Sarducci. (Yes, Mike is that old.)Note: Just after recording this episode, the power went out in the Treehouse. You’ll realize how appropriate that is after you listen to the episode.Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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Is Baptism necessary for salvation? — Saint in Progress Episode #59
Mar 600:18:03Tap to summarizeA conversation over a lunch of cheese coneys turned to the topic of Baptism, and—believe it or not—Mike didn’t know that many mainline Protestant denominations teach that Baptism is not necessary for salvation.By Divine Providence, Joe Heschmeyer’s recent Shameless Popery podcast provided some starting points for this episode’s discussion on the Sacrament of Baptism, who does the “work” of the sacraments, and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity.For Further Information* Joe Heschmeyer, Shameless Popery Episode #254 “No, Catholics Aren't Pharisees”* On Baptism by Tertullian (Church Father, early 3rd Century)* St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Lecture 3—On Baptism (Church Father, 4th Century)For FunMany Protestants cite the “good thief”—St. Dismas—as not being baptized in water, but still meriting heaven through his faith. A dogma of the Catholic Church teaches that one can also be baptized through blood (martyrdom) or through desire, and it would seem that St. Dismas would fit the bill for “baptism by desire” as in “he desired to be with Christ, but would die before a baptism is possible.” But there’s an old legend that is worth noting that implies a water baptism...In Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s The Seven Last Words, the second chapter is entitled “This day thou shalt be with Me in Paradise,” and it shares this:There is a legend to the effect that when, to escape the wrath of Herod, Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin were fleeing into Egypt with the Divine Child, they stopped at a desert inn. The Blessed Mother asked the lady of the inn for water in which to bathe the Babe. The lady then asked if she might not bathe her own child, who was suffering with leprosy, in the same waters in which the Divine Child had been immersed. Immediately upon touching those waters baptized with the Divine Presence, the child became whole. Her child advanced in age and grew to be a thief. He is Dismas, now hanging on the Cross by the side of Christ!Whether the memory of the story his mother told him now came back to the thief and made him look kindly on Christ, we know not. It might have been that this first meeting with the Savior was on the day when his heart was filled with compunction on hearing the story of a certain man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among robbers. Perhaps, too, his first intimation that he suffering with the Redeemer came to him as he turned his torture head and read an inscription which bore His name, “Jesus”; His city, “Nazareth”; His crime, “King of the Jews.”At any rate, enough dry fuel of the right kind gathered on the altar of his soul, and now a spark from the central Cross falls upon it, creating in it a glorious illumination of faith. He sees a Cross and adores a throne; he sees a condemned Man, and invokes a King: “Lord, remember me when Thou shalt come into Thy Kingdom.”…It was the thief’s last prayer, perhaps also his first. He knocked once, sought once, asked once, dared everything and found everything. When our spirits stand with John on Patmos, we can see the white-stoled army in Heaven riding after the conquering Christ; when we stand with Luke on Calvary, we see the one who rode first in that procession. Christ, Who was poor, died rich. His hands were nailed to a Cross and yet He unlocked the keys of Paradise and won a soul. His escort into Heaven was a thief. May we not say that the thief died a thief, for he stole Paradise?The story can also be found in The Life of Mary As Seen by The Mystics, by Raphael Brown.Our work here on Substack is made available at no charge, but that doesn’t mean that it’s free to make. Your generous support keeps the lights on in the treehouse, and helps us deliver our content to thousands of people every day. Support our work with an annual or monthly subscription. Get full access to Catholic Treehouse at catholictreehouse.substack.com/subscribe
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