Dave “The Kangaroo” VanVickle and I are bouncing around (see what I did there?) answering your questions about spiritual direction, Church scandals, and bringing Jesus into secular work environments, like the medical field and academia.

Snippet from the Show

“Every Catholic needs spiritual direction, but you don’t necessarily need a regular spiritual director.” 

SHOWNOTES

*Please continue to pray for Dave’s wife and family during this difficult battle with cancer.

Janet’s Email (7:57) - Using the Kerygma in the Medical Field

Jen’s Email (11:26) - Are Spiritual Directors Necessary? 

Matthew’s Email (21:04) - How to Encourage Parishioners Not to Leave after Scandal

Kiara’s Email Pt. 1 (28:22) - Prayer Request

Kiara’s Email Pt. 2 (33:39) - How to Call Our Colleagues to a Life with Jesus

5 Practical Takeaways

1. Pray for the plenary council mentioned in Kiara’s email
2. Pray for Janet and her group of nurses in Cincinnati 
3. Pray for Matthew’s parish, that God sends them healing and great leaders
4. Pray for Kiara’s PhD thesis 
5. Pray that God sends more spiritual directors to those who need them

Resources

• Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com 
• Text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe and get added to Gomer and Dave’s email list!
• Previous Episode: Prison Stories with Gomer
• Catching Foxes Podcast with Gomer and Luke
• Learn more about Opus Dei and Regnum Christi
• The Activated Disciple: Taking Your Faith to the Next Level by Jeff Cavins
• Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life 

Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)

In this episode, we talk about how priests, lay employees, and volunteers can be leaders in their own right, and you don’t have to wait for someone to formally empower you to lead others.

We want to hear from you! Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com with your story, question, or comment—or if you’ve got a new nickname for Dave.

Snippet from the Show
“The word ‘leader’ can be intimidating, but the Holy Spirit is the primary agent of evangelization. You’re just the lead follower of the Holy Spirit.”

SHOWNOTES

Priests

• The homily needs to be kerygmatic.
• Give a call to action every homily.
• Win your staff.
• Make sure your staff is on board with the mission.
• The parish priests need to be available to the people, especially for sacraments.
• Try to imitate St. John Vianney.

Lay Employees

• It is poor form to give a class or workshop on something you are not willing to do.
• Model what you are teaching.
• Set up regular meetings with your parish priest.
• Witness to your fellow employees the same as your parishioners.
• Don’t view working at the church as a chance to make money.

Volunteers

• Continually discern how God is calling you to lead in your parish.
• Don’t grow comfortable with someone as a leader just because they have been doing a good job.
• Help onboard new leaders before they are needed.
• Be a good disciple outside of your volunteer position.

5 Practical Tips

1. Priests: Ask yourselves honestly, and ask others “how is your leadership holding back the parish?”
2. Kerygma: Explicitly share the gospel with someone.
3. Employees: Are you waiting for empowerment or permission to serve the gospel? Identify areas where you can be more active in the kerygma and come up with an action plan to start implementing this.
4. Prayer: Prayerfully read Acts 14 and read the kerygma from Paul and Barnabbas.
5. Volunteers: Spend more time praying for those people God has placed in your ministry.

Resources from the Show

• Douglas Hyde

Support Every Knee Shall Bow (Your Catholic Evangelization Podcast)