Upon This Rock

John Hewitt is the Lansing Correctional Program Director and oversees the Donnelly College, "College In Prison," degree program at the Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas. Originally from Kansas, he has traveled the world, living on various continents and in places during civil upheaval. He speaks numerous languages and has helped unite people from different nations as they assimilate into American culture.

He...

Michelle Carlstedt is the executive director of The Bishop Sullivan Center (BSC). It has operated for over half a century in Kansas City, Missouri, uniting people in need with people of goodwill who provide food, relief, and countless opportunities for less fortunate citizens. From a small town in Kansas, she was educated both in school and through life experiences in ways that spurred her into the non-profit world of caring for ot...

Mark Thompson is the fourth of Byron and Jeanne’s eleven children. This conversation goes deeper into how the virtues and lessons of their parents continue to teach them, their children, and now their grandchildren. 

We also discuss in a deeper way how the injuries and deaths of their young sisters impact him and them in lasting ways. As we begin a new year and resolve to do better in the future than we did in the past, Mark offers ...

Mary Thompson O’Connor was the firstborn of eleven Thompson children. She and her siblings were blessed with a happy childhood and the grace of tremendous parents who taught patience and perseverance. As young adults, they had to endure unexpected suffering when their sister, Amy, was shot in the head by a criminal, and two years later, their sister, Tricia, was hit by a drunk driver, also enduring a major head injury for the remai...

Father Mike Roach retired as a pastor after 45 years of service in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph, mainly in the KC Northland. A repeat guest (hear episodes 54 & 61), Fr. Mike has quite a following throughout the local church. On this podcast, he speaks about his current chapter of life and the rejuvenation he embraces beyond collapsing after his final Mass as pastor. His words offer a Christmas message for us, remindi...

Vince and Amy Hodes started this audible ministry nearly two years ago by gifting Fr. Don with podcast equipment. They return from the earliest podcasts for this milestone episode #100. Being December, the podcast conversation quickly turns to the journey of Advent, memories of Christmas, reminiscing about the grace of giving, and the privilege of bringing light to a world wrapped in darkness. You’ll enjoy hearing stories of their ...

Tonia Gilbert is the Executive Director of The Upper Room (or Upper Room KC), a nonprofit literacy center that helps thousands of urban children each year to excel academically, knowing that it starts with an ability to read and write. The center began at Saint Louis Catholic Church over twenty-five years ago and continues under Tonia’s leadership. 

Her background as a lawyer and educator assists in her administrative tasks now. She...

Al Kaine grew up in rural Kansas, met his wife, Kathleen, and settled with their three children in the Kansas City area after a stint in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Al’s dad taught him to be a gentleman, a lesson he lives and passed along to his sons.  Their oldest, Tim, became a United States senator and Democratic nominee for vice president. They each gave time and energy to helping less fortunate outcasts in our country or elsewhere....

Michael McGlinn, founder of Sistine Films, discusses with Father Don the faith that he has deepened through pursuits as a musician, football player, film producer, and Catholic husband and father. Influenced by his parents and grandparents, he has come to appreciate the Holy Eucharist and numerous devotional practices, including the rosary, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and his Divine Mercy apostolate. Visit sistinefilms.com ...

Saint Thomas More (STM) Parish has a sister community relationship with San Andrés Itzapa, a rural parish in south-central Guatemala. STM Parishioners Phil Smith and Marla Byrne have visited frequently in recent decades, often leading groups on work retreats and pilgrimages of faith that support foreign friends. The STM group has escorted thousands of Kansas Citians, including over a thousand teenagers, to Central America to encoun...

Shanita McAfee Bryant speaks with Father Don and Mary Coppinger Orndoff about food waste, food rescue, and food redistribution in the Kansas City area. Shanita is a chef who empowers communities through nourishment. Her groups, The Prospect KC and Nourish KC Community Kitchen, address food insecurities, create culinary employment opportunities, improve nutrition education, and transform lives by connecting people and through econom...

Father Greg Haskamp sits down with Father Don one year after their first podcast together to continue talking about the mysteries of the priesthood. Both are in their sixties and look back on a combined seventy years of service as priests in our diocese. They look at priest-characters of the past and the kinds of things that might happen in the church’s future. Both are lifelong learners and want to get better at their vocation whi...

Mike Kopp rejoins Father Don for his annual October check-in. Mike talks about stages of life and faith, starting with his role as a son to remarkable parents, a brother to ten siblings, a classmate to countless peers and friends from Visitation to Rockhurst to Mizzou. 

From these growing up communities to current groups in his neighborhood, parish, clubs, and social circles, he emphasizes the importance of friendships. Though incre...

Mary Coppinger Orndoff joins Father Don in the first of a two-part discussion about reaching out to those in need. She has volunteered at various nonprofit organizations throughout Kansas City, and through her experiences, discovered that these numerous entities can do more when we work in unison. 

Realizing that volunteerism has decreased in recent times, she is on a mission to help those willing to volunteer find a place that is l...

Anne Bethune is a licensed clinical social worker who offers ketamine assisted psychotherapy. She explains some medical, psychological, legal, and religious parameters placed upon her work, as well as opportunities that patients are given to encounter spiritual experiences through psychedelic methods, according to religious doctrine. 

As a Catholic, she hopes that spirituality and psychotherapy will work hand in hand to help people ...

Jessica McGannon, a member of Saint Francis Xavier (SFX) Parish in Kansas City, Missouri, comes to the table to reflect upon faith formation in Kansas City, from Saint Peter and Saint Catherine schools to O’Hara High and later at St. Elizabeth and Saint Francis parishes. She reflects on people who influenced her and our call to influence others who follow us. 

Along with her husband, Paul, they landed at SFX and have found a place t...

Jerry Reardon joins Father Don to bat around some thoughts in our very challenging times, when many people turn their opponents into enemies. Christ reminds us that there is one enemy: it is the devil, it is evil, it is sin and death. Jesus overcame and continues to overcome the enemy for us and with us. 

They discuss earthly battles, from war, sports, debates, and ideological differences. Jerry reminds listeners that if we are cent...

Lane Lucas joins Father Don to discuss the fallout from a recent blog and podcast that encouraged people to love in imitation of Christ when their instinct directs them toward hate in political exchanges. Rather than ceasing dialogue about controversial topics, they agree that the church needs to encourage discussion while discerning the will of God. 

And when conversation enters the realm of disagreement or debate, we should do our...

Father Don and his sister Barbie Faranan continue their discussion, this time on how people can help one another through their own stories and struggles. They talk about those who have gifts to give, including wisdom and experience, as well as those who just need a little help from a friend or someone unknown to them who is willing to reach out and offer hope.  This leads to an invitation to join them for Mass and a Chiefs’ Watch P...