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Practicing Catholic

Augustine Institute

A weekly podcast for everyday holiness featuring real conversations and practical wisdom to arm you in the ordinary pursuit of sanctification.

Join the Augustine Institute’s Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger as they explore topics such as work, family life, prayer, and Catholic culture. Each episode encourages and equips you with timeless wisdom drawn from Scripture, the lives of the Saints, and the Tradition of the Church, offering practical ways to grow in holiness in the midst of daily life.

Have a question or an idea for a future episode? We’d love to hear it! Click here: http://bit.ly/3IHWk5q

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30 episodes
weekly
Avg 45 min
English

Episodes 30

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#59
Yesterday · 44 min
We DISAGREE | Can Halloween be Catholic Again?
In costume, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger take on Halloween: childhood memories, how their families approach it, and where the holiday comes from. They talk about how the Church took up older harvest-season customs into All Hallows’ Eve, All Saints, and All Souls, and why today’s secular Halloween shows a deep human longing around death. They also ask how Catholics should think about horror movies. Scott’s tip is to treat All Saints’ Day as the center of the three feasts and explain the
#58
October 19 · 44 min
Fulton Sheen: Lessons from the Beatification on Being a Missionary Evangelizer
Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger, along with Jordan, debrief their trip to the beatification of Fulton Sheen. They look back at Cardinal Tagle’s homily and the three keys it offers for being an authentic missionary evangelizer: communion with Jesus, humility, and poverty. They also reflect on Sheen’s description of himself as a “porter” leading people to the door of God’s house. Each host closes with a personal challenge, from a small commitment to living the spirit of poverty to 20 minute
#57
October 12 · 50 min
How to Fight Discouragement (With God's Help)
Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger, joined by guest producer Madison Frank, talk about how to fend off discouragement, one of the devil's favorite tools. Taylor shares the sting of being sent down after his first-round draft and a missed penalty kick in the Final Four. Scott shares the steps he takes to climb out of a funk and the prayers and saint quotes that help. They close with a challenge for the week: name what's discouraging you, and bring it to God. Have a question or topic idea for
#56
October 5 · 40 min
Breaking Open the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius
Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger begin praying through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, not as experts but as novices just starting out. They share how each of them came to Ignatius, and the episode also includes a send-off for their producer, Emily LeGrand. They look at Ignatius's own story: the cannonball injury, the lives of the saints that set his heart on fire, and the humility of studying Latin with schoolchildren before earning his theology degree at 43. Then they open the E
#55
September 28 · 43 min
The Catholic Guide to Hospice, Legacy, and Story
Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger talk with guest Eileen Spinner, a hospice counselor and author, about the guided Catholic journals she co-created with Sister Gianna Casino. Eileen shares family stories that came out of the journal (a mix-up over her mother's confirmation name, her father's answer to "how do you want to be remembered"), previews an Archdiocesan grandparents' workshop this October on passing on the faith, and unpacks her idea of "actual death" — the day people stop talking
#54
September 21 · 43 min
Why We Love Archbishop Fulton Sheen
This week on Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger celebrate Archbishop Fulton Sheen just days before his beatification in St. Louis. Emily joins the conversation as the guys trace Sheen's remarkable life story and reflect on why his witness has meant so much to them personally. Taylor and Scott walk through Sheen's biography — born in 1895, ordained in 1919, and shaped for life by a daily Holy Hour he kept without fail. They cover his advanced studies at Louvain, the Sorbo
#53
September 14 · 41 min
How to Cultivate Silence for a Better Prayer Life
On this episode of Practicing Catholic, hosts Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger tackle a challenge almost every praying Catholic knows well: sitting down for prayer only to find that silence is anything but quiet inside. Drawing on a year of listener response to their episodes on prayer, Taylor and Scott turn to the question underneath it — why cultivating real silence is so difficult, and why it's essential to the spiritual life anyway. Scott opens with a passage from St. Teresa of Avila's
#52
September 7 · 42 min
One Year of Practicing Catholic: Behind-the-Scenes, Bloopers, and Lessons Learned
Taylor, Scott, Jordan, and Emily celebrate one full year of Practicing Catholic with a special anniversary episode! They share never-before-seen bloopers and behind-the-scenes footage, revisit favorite moments from the past year, and reflect on the biggest lessons they've learned about pursuing holiness with consistency rather than intensity. The crew looks back on standout episodes — the Book of Ruth study, the coffee episode with Father Rennier, and Fr. Ken Geraci's vocation story — while sha
#51
August 31 · 39 min
The Secret to Joy When Life is Hard
What do we do when we're called to Christian joy but find ourselves in difficult, frustrating, or even painful circumstances? Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger explore how Catholics can cultivate joy even when life isn't joyful. Drawing on the witness of Mother Teresa and St. Maximilian Kolbe, they discuss the power of changing our perspective, seeing Christ in others, surrendering our circumstances to God's providence, and turning outward through gratitude and service. They ultimately offe
#50
August 24 · 44 min
Why 4th Century St. Augustine Is More Relevant Than Ever Today
What can St. Augustine teach us about living a holy life in the modern world? Taylor and Scott welcome Dr. Elizabeth Klein to explore the life, writings, and enduring influence of this great Father and Doctor of the Church. From his conversion and vocation to his love of Scripture, Augustine shows us how holiness grows through saying yes to God, loving the people closest to us, cultivating friendship, and being radically available to those around us. The conversation also explores how Augustine
#49
August 17 · 57 min
How Music LIFTS the Soul to God with The Annie Moses Band
What happens when a family places faith, beauty, and artistic excellence at the center of family life? Taylor Kemp sits down with the Wolavers of the Annie Moses Band to talk about music, parenting, the arts, and their mission to help families raise children who can use their God-given talents for His glory. The conversation explores why the arts matter for evangelization, how parents can introduce music and artistic disciplines to their children, the importance of community and perseverance, a
#48
August 10 · 42 min
What Kids Teach Us about Living Life to the Fullest
Jesus tells us that unless we become like little children, we cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven—but what does that actually look like in everyday life? In this episode, Taylor and Scott reflect on the surprising spiritual lessons they've learned through raising their children. From wonder and joy to honesty, play, fairness, and presence, they explore how children reveal what it means to live a deeply human—and deeply Christian—life. They also answer listener questions about helping teenagers gr
#47
July 20 · 42 min
How to Grow in Virtue, One Choice at a Time
What is virtue, and how do we actually become more virtuous? Taylor Kemp sits down with Dr. Joe Scherrer—retired Air Force colonel, leadership coach, and secular Discalced Carmelite—to explore how the habits we practice shape the people we become. Together, they discuss the cardinal and theological virtues, the relationship between prudence and leadership, the need for temperance in everyday life, and why humility is essential for holiness. Dr. Joe Scherrer also offers a practical approach to g
#46
July 13 · 43 min
Catholic Rules for the Age of Artificial Intelligence
Taylor Kemp and Scott Hefelfinger continue their conversation on artificial intelligence, this time focusing on practical principles for using AI well in daily life and work. They discuss why Catholics should think before prompting, protect their areas of expertise, avoid treating chatbots like real relationships, and stay rooted in the human goods of creativity, work, conversation, and prayer. Have a question or topic idea for future episodes? Submit them here: https://formed.org/practici
#45
July 6 · 43 min
We Read Pope Leo's Encyclical, Here's What We Think
Artificial intelligence promises greater efficiency, easier access to information, and solutions to many everyday problems. But what happens when efficiency becomes the standard by which we measure human worth? Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger examine the Church’s response to AI and the technocratic mindset behind it. They explore how technology shapes our habits, weakens our capacity for patient thought, and can tempt us to treat people as problems to be optimized rather than persons made
#44
June 29 · 40 min
Why Patriotism is Actually a Christian Virtue
What does authentic patriotism look like for Catholics? In this Fourth of July episode, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger explore the virtue of patriotism through the lens of gratitude, justice, and Catholic tradition. Drawing from St. Thomas Aquinas, Chesterton, and their own experiences living abroad, they discuss how love of country differs from nationalism and why gratitude is the foundation of patriotism. They reflect on God's providence, civic responsibility, and how Catholics can lov
#43
June 22 · 47 min
How to Get More Out of Mass (Even When You're Distracted)
In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Dr. Scott Hefelfinger and Taylor Kemp explore how to participate more deeply in the Mass, even during seasons of distraction, dryness, or spiritual fatigue. Drawing from their own experiences as parents and pilgrims in the faith, they discuss why the Mass is not primarily about what we get out of it, but about entering into Christ's sacrifice and allowing the liturgy to form us. The conversation covers practical ways to listen more attentively, the relati
#42
June 15 · 48 min
What It Means to Be a Disciple Today: Student, Transformation, and Mission in a Distracted World
What does it actually mean to be a disciple of Christ today—and how is it different from the time of the Apostles? In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Ben Akers reflect on the heart of discipleship as it appears in Scripture: to be called by Jesus, transformed by Him, and sent on mission with Him. They walk through key Gospel passages like the calling of Peter, Andrew, James, and John, showing how discipleship begins with hearing Christ’s call (“Follow me”), continues th
#41
June 8 · 41 min
The Our Father: Learning to Pray with Jesus
We pray the Our Father so often that it can become easy to say the words without really hearing them. But this prayer, given to us by Jesus himself, is more than a familiar Catholic prayer—it is the perfect prayer, teaching us what to ask for and how to order our hearts toward God. In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger reflect on the depth of the Our Father, the gift of rote prayer, and how this simple prayer can shape our desires, strengthen us in distre
#40
June 1 · 58 min
How to Practice Leisure This Summer
What does real leisure look like for Catholics? In this episode of Practicing Catholic, Taylor Kemp and Dr. Scott Hefelfinger discuss why leisure is not laziness, escapism, or endless consumption, but a deeply human and spiritual practice rooted in rest, wonder, worship, and delight. Drawing on Joseph Pieper, St. John Paul II, Scripture, family life, and the rhythm of Sunday, they explore how Catholics can reclaim leisure as a way of becoming more present to God, family, creation, and the good

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