Upon This Rock

Maggie Viles and Jennifer Harris became friends while mothering children within the Saint Thomas More Parish Community at church, school, and youth group activities. Now their children are in their twenties. This conversation with Father Don contemplates the faith that we received and the faith that we pass along, especially as it relates to young people today. They offer great hope and good ideas for reaching out to, respecting, e...

Vince Hodes and his son, Vinnie, join Father Don to converse about the faith they received and the faith they want to transmit. After Saint Ann Elementary and Rockhurst High, Vinnie attended Mizzou, where he discovered that his religious instinct and spiritual perspective got integrated into other activities within his college experience. Now that he is a graduate, Vinnie takes advantage of opportunities to strengthen his faith in ...

Because of listeners’ interest, Mark shares more information about therapy and counseling for common people in today’s world. He offers insights into what those who choose counseling can expect. Not wanting clients to waste their time, he offers paths for us to search for and find a well-suited counselor quickly. He also offers some good ideas and exercises to deal with common anxieties and other negative impulses. There is somethi...

Mark McGonigle and Father Don continue their conversation about psychology and spirituality from two weeks ago on the Upon This Rock podcast. They talk about the evolution of counseling in the 21st Century, including EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing) as well as the evolution of faith that expands beyond religious teachings to include mystical relationships with God and the spiritual world. Mark’s sense of the...

Todd McCullough and his son, Quinn, join Father Don to discuss the importance of faith in the McCullough Family and how it has helped them navigate life's many challenges. Quinn, who was diagnosed with a learning disability in infancy, excelled in school from Saint Thomas More Elementary to Saint Michael the Archangel High School to Benedictine College. Part of the Cupertino Society, Quinn has served in many leadership roles t...

Mark McGonigle grew up in Saint Peter Church in Brookside in the 1970s amidst a large family and supportive neighborhood culture. Influenced by parents, grandparents, family members, and people of faith, Mark’s experiences landed him in a world where faith and personal growth intertwined. 

His vocation as a counselor and spiritual mentor inspires him to host contemplative prayer sessions on the second and fourth Sunday mornings of e...

Father Don and Barbie discuss synodality, a term that's topical in the Catholic Church in the 2020s but is not well understood by many Catholics, and is even avoided by some because it’s such an unusual word. Hopefully, by listening to their conversation, you will gain a better understanding of synodality (essentially moving forward together, guided by the Holy Spirit) and its importance in our parishes. Pope Francis laid the ...

Father Don offers thoughts about the importance of putting faith into action as Catholic workers commissioned to live by the social guidelines of our religion. With the election of Pope Leo XIV, there is increased interest in them because of his predecessor, Leo XIII, who wrote an encyclical called “Rerum Novarum,” which set a foundation for the teachings of engagement in society to transform our world into a healthier, holier, and...

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, Father Don and his sister, Barbie, muse about the Holy Spirit as the promise of Christ and the gift of love. We feel this divine energy in numerous active ways, yet most often in quiet, pensive, or prayerful moments, even in times of darkness. We are reminded that God is always with us, and the Spirit of love is closer to us than we can know. 

Follow Father Don:

Website: farnanspiritualitycenter...

Father Don offers a reflection for Memorial Day as we honor deceased Loved Ones in a directed way at the end of May. In doing so, we celebrate their lives and give thanks. “Opacarophilia,” refers to our attraction to sunsets; spiritualists suggest that we are drawn to sunsets because it helps us find comfort in our future death when the sun sets on our earthly life. The beauty of the sun setting, according to the nature of each day...

Ruth Dakotas grew up in western Kansas, influenced by family, farming, faith, and food. Honoring her past, she promotes a “kitchen spirituality” today that nourishes both body and soul. Driving a significant distance for church services and events, Ruth and her husband, Dan, find nourishment and sacred energy at Saint Therese Little Flower, 58th Street and Euclid Avenue, where she is currently co-chairing the community’s hundredth ...

Steve and Nicole Pierce join Father Don and talk about their life together, which moves from their home as parents and spouses to their vocation as proprietors of Muehlebach Funeral Home. They encounter people at times when they are most vulnerable, such as when they lose a loved one, and, through that, they learn much about human care, emotion, and passion at crucial junctures in our earthly existence.

Follow Father Don:
W...

Dr. and Mrs. Smith (Tim and Trish) continue the second half of their interview with Father Don as he reflects upon his pastoral assignments: Visitation, Saint Therese Little Flower, Saint Louis, Saint John Lalande, Saint Thomas More, and Saint Charles Borromeo before his return to inner city ministry. He plans to live out the remainder of his priesthood in the urban core because of the great need there.

Follow Father Don:
Websit...

One year after our first interview at the end of their freshman year (episode #18), Avila students Hadley Price and Sophia Giorgio update listeners on their college experience. Still playing for the Eagles’ volleyball and baseball programs, they busy themselves as student athletes. Their housing situation changed from the first cycle, and they have broadened their circle of friends. Now they look ahead to planning for life after co...

Tim and Patricia Smith of Saint Francis Xavier Parish interview Father Don in this first of a two-part conversation about growing up in a large Catholic family from rural Missouri. Claiming that people who attend his three urban parishes want to know more about his background, they inquire about his life and formation.

Follow Father Don:
Website: farnanspiritualitycenter.com
Blog: fatherdonfarnan.com
St. Francis Xavier P...

Tim and Jean Donaldson grew up in Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Redemptorist) Parish on Broadway at Linwood Boulevard. They reminisce about their formative years in that Irish Catholic community and the lasting influence it made on them. Their daughter, Katie, the second of four sisters, had a similar experience growing up in south Kansas City at Saint Thomas More School and Church, where her (and her sisters’) children now attend. I...

Jim Kopp is the fifth of eleven siblings. They grew up in Visitation Parish during the 1950s and 1960s, influenced by the childhood priests and nuns. Jim was inspired to attend seminary high school and college for two years each before starting a family and working for the Kansas City Police Department, and later at various places in North America for petroleum companies. 

Along with his childhood friends, he now dedicates apostolic...

Barbie Farnan and Father Don continue their discussion from last week as the topic of forgiveness turns to mercy. They speak of Corporeal Works of Mercy and Pope Francis’ desire for the “mercification” of the world. 

Catholics, through the Penitential Act at Mass and Sacrament of Reconciliation, are inspired to forgive the faults of others and accept God’s divine mercy. Perhaps their dialogue will encourage your conversations with f...

An essential aspect of Christianity, highlighted during Lent, is the concept of forgiveness. Barbie Farnan and her brother, Father Don Farnan, discuss the forgiveness process that is introduced to children at a young age. 

As we mature and navigate more complex relationships and serious issues, forgiveness becomes an even more crucial component of living well. As you listen in, you may discover personal aid in offering and/or receiv...