Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Ave Explores
Religion & SpiritualityChristianityReligionEducation

Ave Explores

Ave Maria Press

A project of Ave Maria Press, Ave Explores helps you discover and learn about aspects of the Catholic faith from a variety of different angles, looking at topics relevant to the spiritual life in a fresh, engaging, and practical way.

Play
Open in
  • 25 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 44 min
  • English

Episodes 25

NewestOldestLongest
All5Unplayed5In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • February 17 · 50 min

    Ash Wednesday: Starting Lent with a Plan with Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, and Tommy McGrady

    Lent invites us to trust God’s providence—but it also calls for intention. In this episode, Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, author of Witness, joins Katie and her husband, Tommy, to reflect on approaching the season with purpose. Fr. Patrick shares how writing a Lenten reflection journal helped him contemplate the Cross more deeply and why we’re invited to stand at its foot—ready to receive all the grace the Lord desires to give through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.

  • February 12 · 42 min

    NEW SERIES: Not a Fan of Lent? You’re Not Alone with Fr. Gregory Pine, OP

    In this teaser episode of Ave Explores: Lent with Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, host Katie McGrady sits down with Fr. Gregory Pine, OP, to name a familiar tension: many of us resist Lent, even while longing for the work God wants to do in us. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving aren’t ends in themselves—they’re pathways into deeper participation in the divine life and a renewed ability to recognize God in the ordinary. Fr. Gregory invites us to begin simply, with an honest prayer: Lord, I need you.

  • Dec 19, 2025 · 41 min

    Fourth Sunday of Advent: The Wonder of the Journey with Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP

    In the final days of Advent, Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, reflects on Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem—sudden in appearance, yet deeply intentional and necessary. Their path invites us to consider our own journeys during this liturgical season and throughout life, and to recognize the deeper purpose meant to be received with wonder.

  • Dec 12, 2025 · 40 min

    Third Sunday of Advent: Joy in the Chaos of Advent with Rachel and Jason Bulman

    With six kids, busy schedules, and long to-do lists, Deacon Jason and Rachel Bulman understand what it means to try and slow down in the Advent season, and how even best laid plans to slow down are often thwarted. In today's episode, they share how Jesus actually finds us in that chaotic family life, is present to us, and shows us his tenderness and brings joy even when we feel like everything is moving too fast.

  • Dec 4, 2025 · 41 min

    2nd Sunday of Advent: A Peaceful Aesthetic with Eliza Monts

    Walk into any Target or Home Goods and you'll see nothing but perfectly curated Christmas décor selling you the right kind of holiday aesthetic, all in pursuit of a perfect Instagram post. Eliza Monts, a popular Substack writer and Instagram influencer, shares how we can't let perfect be the enemy of good while pursuing peace and harmony in the Advent season.

Showing 21–25 of 25 episodes