August 27, 2025 • 35 mins
From Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh (“The Big Dumper”) to Cracker Barrel pancakes to mother-son saints, Father Dave and Deacon Bob serve up another classic mix of sports, pop culture, and faith. This week’s wide-ranging conversation moves from baseball nicknames and Ryder Cup golf to the Solemn Blessing of Christ the King Chapel and Franciscan University’s theme for the year: keeping Jesus at the center.
Along the way, they debate Cracker Barrel’s new logo, celebrate St. Monica and St. Augustine, and swap stories from recent travels to Corpus Christi and Superior. And since the podcast is nearing its final episodes, they invite listeners to share both favorite nicknames and treasured podcast memories as this chapter draws to a close.
Highlighted Sections
(00:00) A Podcast Nearing the Finish Line
Father Dave and Deacon Bob reflect on the bittersweet reality of wrapping up the show and invite listeners to send in nicknames and stories from past episodes.
(01:22) Nicknames and Sports Roundup
The guys kick things off their sports banter with Cal Raleigh’s unforgettable nickname before rolling into football predictions, Buccaneers talk, and Ryder Cup golf. They even touch on Notre Dame’s Sunday night matchup with Miami and the return of the so-called “Catholics vs. Convicts” rivalry, popularized in ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary.
(11:46) Cracker Barrel and Breakfast Theology
Cracker Barrel’s new logo sparks a lively debate about breakfast chains, maple syrup, and cultural shifts. From First Watch to Bob Evans, the guys weigh in on their favorites.
(15:47) The Best-Named Diocese
From Superior, Wisconsin, to Corpus Christi, Texas, the hosts trade stories from recent travels and give shout-outs to friends and listeners along the way.
(19:07) Christ the King Chapel Blessing
Franciscan’s newly expanded chapel is blessed and opened, a joyful moment for the University and its largest freshman class. The new space is full of Franciscan beauty, from the San Damiano Cross to a nativity carving at the altar.
(22:01) Saints of the Week and Theme of the Year
St. Monica and St. Augustine take center stage, with reflections on Monica’s perseverance as encouragement for parents praying for their children. The episode closes with Franciscan’s theme for the year: Jesus at the center of all things.
Resources Mentioned
- Why is Cal Raleigh nicknamed 'Big Dumper'?– USA Today
- Notre Dame vs. Miami Rivalry: Catholics vs. Convicts– ESPN 30 for 30 documentary
- Cracker Barrel Rebrand Coverage – Coverage of the new logo and redesign
- Christ the King Solemn Blessing Mass – Watch the solemn blessing
- Catechesi Tradendae (On Catechesis in Our Time) – St. John Paul II on catechesis
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Deacon Bob (00:00):
This week on they that Hope we get to talk about the big dumper and golf.
Father Dave (00:05):
We also talk about the important topics of Christ the King and the Cracker Barrel.
Deacon Bob (00:12):
And, most importantly, finish, about a focus on our theme of this year, which is Jesus.
You can check out this podcast and many others at theythathopepodcast.com.
(00:35):
Welcome to they that Hope, with Father Dave and Deacon Bob celebrating 2025, the Jubilee of Hope.
And I'm Deacon Bob and I'm Father Dave, and this podcast is brought to you by Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Check out other exciting faith-based content on faithandreason.com and also sponsored by osvpodcasts.com.
(00:58):
This is episode 222.
We have three episodes left.
People have been reaching out in sadness and horror.
We will maybe we'll save it for the last episode talk a little bit more about why we're doing that, but I can tell you one of the reasons right now why we're doing it it's because I'll never have to ask a question like this again.
(01:18):
Father Dave, can you tell me about the Big?
Father Dave (01:22):
Dumper, I can, and for our sports update, it's a nickname.
If you had a nickname, I wonder what your nickname would be.
It wouldn't be the big dumper.
Okay, so he is the catcher for the Seattle Mariners.
Deacon Bob (01:36):
Wait a second.
I don't want to skip over your question because I want to honor what you just asked, you do Apparently, you do.
No, the question you asked was what would—so you give me a nickname?
Father Dave (01:47):
What would I be?
I don't know.
I'm going to ask ChatGPT later on.
Okay, yeah.
Deacon Bob (01:51):
All right, I would call you the force to be reckoned with.
Father Dave (01:58):
Okay, I'm going to ask ChatGPT about yours.
Deacon Bob (02:01):
By the way, heather, that was Father Dave just drinking that yeah so Cal Raleigh is the catcher for the Seattle Mariners.
Father Dave (02:08):
He broke the record for the most home runs by a catcher, which is pretty significant.
Catchers are generally big hitters, but not like this man.
He hit 48, 49 home runs.
Deacon Bob (02:18):
I read somewhere he's on pace to break.
I mean like to have 61 home runs.
Yeah, which is I mean he's on pace.
Father Dave (02:25):
Yeah, yeah, that'd be interesting.
Deacon Bob (02:26):
But I guess of a catcher that's, he's got.
There's like still 30 games left and he already broke the record, so he's a catcher.
Father Dave (02:33):
This is a family show, so we'll try to be able to do this.
Okay, he has a large gluteus maximus.
Okay, so that's what the name is about.
Yeah, it is, exactly, I was hoping.
Deacon Bob (02:42):
Maybe he worked with a dump truck or something like that as his youth?
Father Dave (02:47):
No, they said that that's how he was able to hit home runs.
He gets his rear end into it.
He just really shifts his body weight.
Deacon Bob (02:53):
So that's what it is, and they asked him about his nickname.
Father Dave (02:57):
He said well, you can't choose your own nickname.
He said you know that's a part of the rules of nicknames.
You can't be like.
I want to be called this.
So he said that's what the guys have called him.
Even before he was hitting all these home runs, they called him that.
So that's his nickname, of which he will go down in infamy with.
Deacon Bob (03:14):
So we're asking all you listeners send us an email at hopeatfranciscanedu to let us know your favorite memories of the podcast, which we'll share, that's probably it, but I'd love to also know if you have nicknames for us, since we can't come up with our own nicknames.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
That would be great, and you can ask ChatGPT and see what it says.
That's a good idea.
(03:34):
Yeah, exactly Any other.
I mean, the best thing about baseball is it seems to be coming to close.
Father Dave (03:40):
Yeah, we're getting close and we're getting almost the last preseason football game.
Was there, right, yep?
Deacon Bob (03:46):
NFL is just about to start, but it doesn't start next week?
Father Dave (03:48):
Does it take a week off?
Deacon Bob (03:50):
It takes a week off and I think that's to make room for the college launch of things.
I feel like that's unusual but I thought so too.
Father Dave (03:58):
It's interesting Notre Dame actually starts on Sunday evening.
Okay, so this whole starting college football on Sunday is probably to give it a place of prominence, and then maybe NFL starts the following Thursday Do they start with a Thursday game.
Deacon Bob (04:10):
It's usually the Thursday after Labor Day.
Okay, all right.
Okay, they might have started.
I feel like they started earlier.
Father Dave (04:16):
Do you wear white shoes at those games?
Which games At the opening of the Thursday after Labor Day?
Aren't you supposed to not wear white shoes?
Deacon Bob (04:24):
I think it's white pants.
Father Dave (04:25):
Okay, I think you can always wear white shoes All right, I wasn't sure about that, but you ought to take a fashion sense from me.
Deacon Bob (04:32):
Yeah, because you wear white sandals maybe.
Father Dave (04:34):
The starting.
Well, college football's actually started, but the big game is going to be Sunday evening Notre Dame versus Miami.
Deacon Bob (04:41):
Notre Dame, I think is ranked, maybe four.
It depends what poll you're looking at.
Do they still call that the Catholics versus the convicts?
Father Dave (04:46):
They do.
Actually, that shirt is being sold again, as you can imagine, one of the most popular 30 for 30s on ESPN.
But yeah, so that's a big game.
Notre Dame is they'll probably go in as maybe a slight underdog because it's in Miami.
Miami's ranked around 10.
Notre Dame's ranked around 4 or 5.
So I'm just a stack I have on my calendar, you know four hours blocks.
Deacon Bob (05:08):
I have not seen a good football game.
Will you be home?
Will you be able to relax and recline?
Oh, I'll be home, nice.
Father Dave (05:14):
Feet are going to be up.
I'm going to be relaxing.
The Friars know Don't bother Father D, I don't have TV in my room, so it does sometimes become a little bit problematic, especially when there's guys that aren't real sports fans and they don't realize that we're starting football time so you'll go in Saturday afternoon and watch Gunsmoke from 1947.
Deacon Bob (05:39):
It's like, oh, this is my favorite episode.
Father Dave (05:41):
Is it?
I was wondering what kind of thing.
I didn't know if it would be HGTV or maybe a Telemundo soap opera of some sort.
Deacon Bob (05:50):
That's right.
Speaking of football, so right, we're about to kick off.
Father Dave (05:54):
Okay, so you're called.
Deacon Bob (05:55):
The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks.
They do, they do.
Joe Flacco is back.
Yeah, he's going to start In action.
It's Joe Flacco, kenny Pickett, formerly of the Steelers, a guy named Dylan Gabriel, who I don't know, and Shador Sanders Yep, so they've all made it.
Speaking of Sanders, there was a Sanders on the Tampa Bay.
Father Dave (06:13):
Buccaneers.
Deacon Bob (06:14):
Colonel Sanders right, he's also very active.
He plays for a team in Kentucky, yep.
And Shiloh Sanders punched a guy he was on, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Punched a guy and then he got cut.
Father Dave (06:28):
Well, that'll happen.
Yeah, okay, and we may be going to a game.
Deacon Bob (06:31):
Yes, or I may be going to a game with you.
Oh yeah, we have to talk about that after this thing.
Father Dave (06:36):
Well, just logistically Okay Okay, good Okay.
Question how?
How many games will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win?
Deacon Bob (06:44):
I'm going to say they go 11 and—.
Father Dave (06:47):
Five oh, 11 and seven.
Seven I was going to say— Is it 18 games or 17 games this year.
That's a great question.
I always get mixed up, I think it's 17.
I think it's 17 games this year 11 and six.
Deacon Bob (06:56):
I think they'll go 11 and six.
Father Dave (06:57):
That's a good season.
Deacon Bob (06:58):
I think they'll Okay.
I mean again, barring all injuries, right?
So Mayfield's fantastic Mike Evans is still super sharp.
We got that new wide receiver, Amike Mdola.
I don't know, he was awesome.
I went to see them in Pittsburgh.
Father Dave (07:18):
That was a lot of fun.
Your son posted some pictures.
It was good.
Deacon Bob (07:20):
Yeah, we had a great time.
Father Dave (07:21):
The preseason game.
Deacon Bob (07:23):
Yeah, we went to a preseason game and then you know Chris Godwin, who was amazing.
I mean, we started off last season destroying everybody because we had these two incredible wide receivers.
He tore his ACL so he was out.
So then we're just down to Mike Evans.
Well, it's easy to double team one good wide receiver, but he's supposed to come back midseason.
(07:43):
So it would actually be kind of cool if we get a good rhythm going and then we add somebody like Chris Godwin.
Father Dave (07:49):
They seem to be doing really well with ACL recoveries, like they don't rush them, and when they show up they make quite a splash, so it was easy to get tickets, I suppose for that preseason game.
Deacon Bob (08:00):
Oh yeah, dirt, cheap, did you?
Father Dave (08:02):
just show up and get them.
Deacon Bob (08:04):
No, I got them online a few hours before.
I just waited and I got like lower bowl seats for the whole family.
None of the starters played like.
Mayfield didn't play, evans didn't play.
Father Dave (08:14):
Even on the steelers side rogers didn't play um tj watt I went to the training camp no I've never done before.
So the training camp happens on the campus in Latrobe at St Vincent, so the president there invited myself and another president to spend the day there, which was lovely.
It was really very gracious.
It was a fun day, but I've never been.
(08:34):
Have you been to a training camp before?
No, it's really kind of fun.
It's a lot like spring training in that the players are just kind of around the kids.
Deacon Bob (08:41):
The kids are thrilled, I mean they get all the autographs I.
Father Dave (08:44):
I had dinner or lunch with the in the team room, which was kind of fun oh, that is really cool.
Rogers was sitting there just holding court.
Deacon Bob (08:51):
It was kind of fun I um as a season ticket holder for the tampa bay buccaneers.
I get all of those email invites yeah but of course I don't live in tampa and I'm very busy over the summer, but it's one of those, like I would have been able to go to an autograph session.
Father Dave (09:04):
My kids would have just lost their mind.
Deacon Bob (09:06):
I could have gone to a train.
You know, like all those things, I could have gone to, and I'm preaching the gospel.
Father Dave (09:12):
Praise be Jesus Christ.
It's a better.
Deacon Bob (09:13):
It's a better thing to do?
Do we want to maybe just mention briefly golf?
We absolutely do.
Father Dave (09:19):
Because golf, golf is the.
Basically the season is over and it kind of builds up to the FedEx Cup, which is a big tournament that happens and each week there are fewer and fewer golfers that make it.
So the one interesting story of this is Scotty Scheffler didn't win, and we always want Scotty to win.
Deacon Bob (09:35):
But the kid that did win— Hasn't he won enough, though.
Father Dave (09:37):
He has won a lot.
The kid that did win has finished in the top five 30 times but never won.
Aw, he finished like number two in the whole FedEx Cup as he was going on twice and then choked in the final round Yikes.
So Tommy Fleetwood, a kid from England, just a really nice, nice guy.
He's a little boy.
He's got a little son that he interacts with a lot, so he won.
(09:58):
That makes us happy.
We can cheer for Tommy Fleetwood today.
Okay.
Deacon Bob (10:03):
And never again.
Father Dave (10:04):
Well, we start the Ryder Cup in a couple of weeks and he's of the evil team of the Europeans, so we can root for him for about another 48 hours, and then on Wednesday, the official teams for the Ryder Cup will be coming around and he is dead to us after that.
Deacon Bob (10:20):
So enjoy your time, Tommy.
Father Dave (10:21):
Fleetwood, and we'll catch you up on the Ryder.
Deacon Bob (10:23):
Cup later, by the time you hear this podcast he's dead to us.
Father Dave (10:25):
Yeah, he's dead to us, that's right.
So don't enjoy us talking to your daughter, don't even think for a moment, that moment you just had let it go.
The Ryder Cup is an absolute blast.
I know a lot of people are not golf fans, but it's team like golf.
Particularly it's one of the funnest.
Deacon Bob (10:42):
Where is it occurring?
It's in the United States.
Father Dave (10:44):
And we're going to get I'm afraid we're going to get smoked.
All right, we're just not.
We're not that good at the Ryder Cup lately and the Europeans are great, and the big thing is we think that our captain is also going to make himself a player, which is not a good thing.
It's only happened once in 50 years.
Keegan Bradley don't get me started.
Don't get me started, I won't, I won't you just did, no, I you did, I did, yeah, you said, you said golf who's on the who's on the American team though?
Deacon Bob (11:12):
Scotty Sheffler.
Father Dave (11:13):
Scotty Sheffler.
Yeah, scotty's on it.
Well, the big question is Keegan I mean some of the guys, the guy who won the US Open will be on it, as you say that I'm going to get.
Deacon Bob (11:23):
Windham, Windham Clark, he's going to be on the other side.
Oh he's.
Father Dave (11:26):
British, yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
He wouldn't American would never name a kid Windham, windham, windham, it sounds like a hotel, it does it does.
Deacon Bob (11:33):
Well, that's excellent.
Well, those are to go we don't have an update, we don't.
Father Dave (11:42):
Okay, no, so this is just like to make something up.
Deacon Bob (11:46):
Go to.
Father Dave (11:46):
France no, no, no, I've got it.
When you and your no, no, no, when you and your family are out to eat, you should go to Cracker Barrel.
That's our promo when everybody seems to be going crazy and I don't know what it's about.
So there you go.
Deacon Bob (12:09):
Enjoy Cracker Barrel.
How many times have you eaten at Cracker Barrel?
Oh, I love Cracker Barrel, or I imagine you would, because pancakes and bacon, and not only pancakes and bacon they have real maple syrup.
They're one of the only restaurant chains where you can say give me the real maple syrup.
They come out in happy little bottles and it's absolutely delicious.
Father Dave (12:21):
So I think the food isn't basically changing, it's just kind of the marketing and the look of the restaurant.
Deacon Bob (12:26):
So yeah, and in some ways I think they're over exaggerating.
Oh, I would say, you know, like there's kind of like, oh he's gone, woke Like that's like the trigger and it's decided to be a new story there.
So on one level, they rebranded the logo, yeah, and they took out the guy sitting by a barrel and the cracker barrel, the whole barrel, the whole barrel is gone from the logo.
(12:49):
Okay, and then inside the restaurant and I'm not as much of a fan, I did like the logo.
Father Dave (12:53):
It's like a country store isn't it when you go into it.
Deacon Bob (12:56):
So now you go in and it's, you know it's more clean, it's more edgy.
Father Dave (13:00):
It's cleaner.
Deacon Bob (13:01):
It still has a lot of.
I mean, I've only just seen some videos.
It's a bit more open, it's not as dark, so there's like whiter colors that are there, whiter or wider.
White-er as in the cracker yes, exactly, that's exactly this is exactly the whole problem, that's right.
I think they're trying to move away from the look of like a redneck garage sale into more of a polished thing.
Father Dave (13:25):
That's actually one of the references they were saying is that it's kind of like the.
You know, redneck was a word that they used.
Deacon Bob (13:31):
I use that word lovingly.
Father Dave (13:33):
Another word that I wouldn't use, but it's.
I mean, it's amazing the amount of attention it's got over the last couple of days.
I know right, come on people.
Deacon Bob (13:41):
It's just a restaurant.
Father Dave (13:42):
That's right.
Deacon Bob (13:43):
Yeah, I mean, but I love Cracker Barrel.
I love, I mean, whenever I'm driving places I think, well, I can always stop at a Cracker Barrel.
Father Dave (13:51):
Yeah.
Deacon Bob (13:51):
You know if I'm doing like a long distance.
You know if I'm coming back from Cleveland in the morning.
Father Dave (13:55):
That's two hours.
Deacon Bob (13:56):
There's a Cracker Barrel.
I'll know exactly where I'm going of what I would consider a long-distance drive.
Father Dave (14:02):
Yeah.
So I've been to Cracker Barrel maybe three times in my life.
It's always around breakfast, it's a breakfast place.
This was a topic of conversation amongst the friars because it's been a slow week Okay.
And everybody said that.
They said it's a breakfast place.
Deacon Bob (14:16):
Yeah.
Now I'm sure they serve other meals, but yeah, they all serve other meals, but nobody goes there for that, so it's breakfast.
It's known for its breakfastness.
Father Dave (14:24):
There you go.
Well, for the people who are just really really anxious about our podcast stopping and Cracker Barrel changing, we'll be there for you for the next couple of episodes.
Deacon Bob (14:33):
You know, my favorite chain breakfast place is though.
Father Dave (14:37):
Yes, it's going to be Daywatch.
What's that Daywatch?
It's Baywatch.
Deacon Bob (14:42):
It's not Baywatch.
Day watch.
What's that Day watch?
It's Baywatch.
It's not Baywatch.
Father Dave (14:45):
I love sitting on the beach and watching.
What's the?
What is it First, watch First watch.
Deacon Bob (14:48):
Yes, that's what it is right.
Yeah, that's a great one.
Father Dave (14:50):
But it's not your favorite.
Deacon Bob (14:51):
No, that is.
Oh, it is.
Oh, I guessed it, you got it right.
Yeah, I, yeah, it is, but the food's really really good, it really is.
Like first watch is like a treat and then Cracker Barrel's good.
Father Dave (15:06):
And then IHOP's good, if you bring your own syrup, and where's Bob Evans going to that?
Deacon Bob (15:10):
Oh, that's a good question.
I like our local Bob Evans a lot because I know all the people there and I eat there all the time because it's literally two blocks from my house.
I think because of that I would never go to a Bob Evans.
Anywhere by at home Other than the one that's like two blocks away and just also kind of tired of it a little bit, I get it.
And Duncan's got to be up there.
(15:30):
I get it, so that was good.
Father Dave (15:31):
That was so much better than a Franciscan promo.
We didn't expect to spend so much time on Cracker Barrel, but there you have it, folks there you have it, so maybe maybe you do know why we're not gonna be around anymore uh, so this week I got to go.
Deacon Bob (15:47):
Well, here's a question for you.
What do you think the best?
In your opinion, the best name of a diocese in the united states?
Oh, that's easy.
Superior, is that right?
Father Dave (15:57):
yeah, wow, you have a superiority complex not san francisco no superior w's my choice Yep.
Where'd you go?
Deacon Bob (16:05):
Well, I did go to Superior Wisconsin.
Father Dave (16:07):
Oh, you did.
Deacon Bob (16:07):
But I was leaning into Corpus Christi Texas.
Father Dave (16:09):
Oh, I thought it was Superior.
That was the one you liked.
Deacon Bob (16:12):
Well, no.
Father Dave (16:13):
Oh, never mind.
Deacon Bob (16:14):
It's a nice name, corpus Christi is my favorite and, by the way, I just want to.
They don't gloat about it.
That's great.
They could easily say we are the best diocese in the United.
Father Dave (16:25):
States.
I wonder is Corpus Christi Texas?
Is that the only one named Corpus Christi?
I believe so.
In the world, yeah.
Deacon Bob (16:32):
I don't know, maybe Can you duplicate names without throwing some kind of qualifier in there.
Father Dave (16:39):
I don't know.
Deacon Bob (16:39):
I don't know either.
Father Dave (16:41):
I was talking to the bishop no, I'm sure you can.
There's got to be another San Francisco.
Deacon Bob (16:44):
Diocese of them yeah.
Or archdiocese of I'll find out.
Father Dave (16:47):
We'll find out folks.
Okay, We'll get right on that.
That sounds great.
Deacon Bob (16:56):
So yeah, I actually got to serve at mass with the bishop of Corpus Christi and I said he said I have the best named diocese in the world.
Father Dave (17:02):
Yeah, I thought you're not wrong, there you go.
You're not wrong, there you go.
He called that.
Deacon Bob (17:06):
He did call that, but right now, in the beginning of the last week, I was in Superior, wisconsin.
Shout out to everybody there.
I got to talk to parish catechetical leaders and then I was the wonderful opportunity every couple years to be in Corpus Christi, texas.
(17:28):
Shout out to Deacon Santos.
Shout out to Heath Garcia, who's a huge fan of the podcast, listening to it from day one.
An Astros fan, he's a big baseball fan, so he likes that part of the show.
Father Dave (17:38):
Who's the?
Deacon Bob (17:39):
bishop there, the bishop.
Oh, that's great.
It's Mr Bishop to you, okay.
Father Dave (17:43):
Yeah.
Deacon Bob (17:44):
He's about to—it was his birthday, which was also the same day as my daughter Eliana's birthday.
She turned 21.
Happy birthday, Eliana.
And he turned 76.
Father Dave (17:55):
So when he was 75, he sent the letter in and he hasn't heard anything yet.
Deacon Bob (17:58):
Okay, but I think he's ready to be—he didn't seem ready to be done, but he's ready to be done.
Father Dave (18:03):
The bishop, who was the head of the Dicastery in Rome, had been a little busy, you think.
So there you go, I do yeah, yeah, yeah, so getting things done.
Deacon Bob (18:11):
But it was a gift.
It was such a gift to be this is always a busy week and time in terms of training catechetical leaders.
Everybody's starting their school year Today.
I sent you know as I got up before I came to do the podcast.
I gave a blessing to my son who's starting seventh grade, which is really fun.
My daughter is a senior in high school.
Father Dave (18:32):
I ran into Aiden.
Yes, two days ago he was on campus Soccer practice or something like that.
So he came up on his little scooter.
It's good he's old enough now that like he'll stop and we can have a little bit of a chat.
He's not like I don't know what I'm supposed to say, so it's good we had a great opening.
So obviously school starts today.
(18:53):
You have how many classes?
Deacon Bob (18:54):
today I have two classes today.
I cannot wait.
Father Dave (18:57):
So school starts today.
So we had an exciting, wonderful opening orientation.
We've got our largest class ever, I think our numbers for new students this year is 840 something.
Deacon Bob (19:07):
Golly yeah.
So this weekend all the freshmen came in.
You had orientation.
Yeah, freshman transfers, come in right, we'll have a few that'll bleed.
Father Dave (19:13):
So that'll be about what our numbers will be around, probably 830, which is the largest class ever.
Wonderful moms and dads and parents.
It's always fun, there's always tears and it's just it's wonderful and the big thing was last week.
And if people have not seen this, if you go to YouTube and just type Franciscan University of Steubenville, or the Instagram had reels of this.
(19:34):
Yeah, reels, but you can watch the whole liturgy.
Oh great, you can watch the whole liturgy of the dedication of Christ the King.
Actually, solemn blessing was what it was technically, because it was already dedicated, right, but the altar was consecrated, which is first off.
The chapel turned out beautiful.
Our desire was on a very practical level to make it larger more seats.
(19:55):
So we went from about 375 to about 590.
So that's beautiful, but we wanted it to be more theologically rich, more Franciscan, more beautiful.
Yeah, and it's funny because at the end of the consecration of the altar and the end of the liturgy afterwards we said, you know, there's going to be tours of the chapel and, just walking around, the fact that we're having tours of the chapel was a blessing, because you might, you didn't have tours of the previous chapel, right.
Deacon Bob (20:22):
You didn't walk people in.
Father Dave (20:23):
There's not much to see, yeah you wouldn't walk people in and say okay, let me show you the cross, yeah that's the sign.
So now we wanted to.
You know, one of the things that I love about Franciscan theology is that it represents the humility of God, and Francis experienced that in the crib, the cross and the Eucharist, that God would humble himself and he would take on flesh, and then God would once again humble himself and allow himself to be crucified on a cross, and then he would finally be humbled again and come to us in the Eucharist.
(20:52):
So when you see the altar, which is quite beautiful, at the base of it there's a nativity scene that Franz has started and he invited the early followers to reflect on the humility of God, so to reflect on the humility of God.
And then there's a beautiful, beautiful.
The San Damiano Cross is a replica of the one which hangs in Santa Chiara, which is the first one that Francis saw.
That spoke to him.
So it's just, it's really, really beautiful.
(21:13):
There's stained glass windows that were done by one of our alumni.
Deacon Bob (21:15):
A beautiful icon of Christ the king at the end of the church by Amber.
Father Dave (21:20):
Yeah, by Amber.
It's just really beautiful and you've not been in yet.
Deacon Bob (21:23):
No, I've not been in yet.
Right, I was out of town this weekend.
Is it open yet?
Father Dave (21:27):
I know they yeah, yeah, yeah, masses start.
It was open all weekend actually.
Deacon Bob (21:30):
Oh, okay, great, great.
Yeah.
I heard they let people in for the opening mass and then they said get out, we have to fix some when's your class 1 o'clock.
Father Dave (21:45):
If you came early we could walk through it.
Ok, that'd be fun.
We'll figure it out.
My day's pretty open.
Deacon Bob (21:49):
That'll be great and, yeah, that round's really, really exciting and it's a great start to a new year.
Do we want to talk about the theme of our year?
Father Dave (22:01):
yeah, and then do we eventually want to say just a word or two about Monica and Augustine, just because we love them, and let's close with the year.
Deacon Bob (22:06):
Okay, that sounds great.
So this week we've got some really fun Well today, just for the record we have today.
Father Dave (22:11):
St Louis, king of France, who is the patron and priest for the Franciscan.
Deacon Bob (22:13):
Tour de l'Oreille, today being two days ago.
For those listening, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Third order.
How does that work?
Father Dave (22:21):
Yeah, he was the third order, he was not a regular, he was a lay person, but yeah.
Deacon Bob (22:24):
Great, and we have a dorm named after him.
Yes, we do, we do so today's a big feast for us.
Father Dave (22:28):
He's our patronal feast.
He was a king, I think, father of 11, but he taught his kids the greatest.
Deacon Bob (22:36):
Thing is to love God.
Are you celebrating?
I am, you're celebrating that.
Father Dave (22:41):
Yeah, we're celebrating him.
Actually, we're going to go ahead and have a vote of mass of the Holy Spirit, but we'll celebrate.
Deacon Bob (22:47):
But we'll mention San Luis, we will.
Father Dave (22:49):
But I love Monica and Augustine.
Deacon Bob (22:52):
If you're hearing it drop today Wednesday.
Wednesday is Monica, thursday is Augustine and Friday is the beheading of John the Baptist.
Father Dave (23:00):
That's like trifecta.
Deacon Bob (23:02):
It is right yeah.
Father Dave (23:03):
So I just love Monica.
There are so many moms out there and I probably said this before I love being in a confessional and a mom comes in and she's just frustrated with herself and she's not being patient enough and she's not getting enough done, and this, that and the other, and then all I will say is being a mom is tough, yeah.
And then they just break up crying, right?
(23:24):
I mean it is, it's just hard.
And I think Monica is such a beautiful example of her desire for her son, for his goodness and his kindness, and become who he was supposed to be.
So it's just a beautiful story.
And then, augustine, you always wait.
Deacon Bob (23:38):
Well, can I say something about Monica?
I think something that's beautiful to reflect upon St Monica, which hit me a year or so ago, is that it's easy to think, oh, st Monica is a saint because Augustine became a saint Right, like that's kind of the connection.
And it is true that she was canonized as a saint because of what Augustine wrote about her and what we saw in Augustine's life, but I think one of the beautiful things to reflect upon St Monica and I think this goes out to all the parents out there, particularly parents, as I meet them all the time who are struggling with not having kids who are practicing their faith is that it wasn't about Monica's success.
(24:21):
It was her faithfulness.
We know about her because of the success, but she wasn't canonized because she was successful.
Father Dave (24:28):
Right, because he came around.
Deacon Bob (24:29):
If Augustine had not become a saint, we might not have known about her, but her holiness would not have diminished, and so I think that's an important thing about St Monica.
I think St Monica gives hope, particularly for those parents that have kids who aren't practicing in the faith, which is a lot, by the way.
You know, as we look at the culture and young people leaving the faith.
(24:53):
Well, they're leaving the faith, which is the faith that their parents had, and so I think Monica is a great symbol of hope and encouragement, regardless of the outcome.
That that is our role as parents to be praying.
Father Dave (25:05):
So many parents feel like failures.
Yeah, they do they failed and that's a weight that you know, obviously I can't imagine Although, no, I can't imagine because my students are not my kids but there is this like when you know a student goes wayward, somebody graduates, and they kind of just wander away from the church.
There is the sadness, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what a parent feels.
(25:26):
So, again, your point is well taken that their job is to continue to pray, continue to be open, I think my personal opinion, to keep that door open to your children.
Deacon Bob (25:36):
Yeah, but it's hard to navigate all those things right, that's great.
Father Dave (25:41):
And then, augustine, late Hiv.
I love the information Like I get excited.
It's Thursday, right, thursday morning you go down pray, before morning prayer and just that office reading is so beautiful.
Yeah, it really is outstanding.
That's cool.
Yeah, that's cool.
All right, but our theme this year is it's funny because we always have a theme and it's a fancy theme that you have a T-shirt.
Deacon Bob (25:58):
Because you have to have a T-shirt if you're doing something, you have to have a T-shirt.
Father Dave (26:01):
It doesn't exist if you don't have a T-shirt Right, right, right, but you're wearing one.
What is that?
Deacon Bob (26:07):
It's a boat.
Where did you get that?
I got it in Perth.
What's on the back?
The back it says the name of the boat.
Okay, and the name of the boat is the Galway Hooker.
Okay, and that was the name of the pub.
Father Dave (26:23):
Okay.
Deacon Bob (26:23):
And the Galway Hooker, before anybody makes a double entendre was one of the first boats from Ireland to come bring immigrants to the United States.
That's fantastic, so it kind of has a cool little history to it.
Father Dave (26:34):
That's fantastic.
That's just a great shirt you're wearing.
Deacon Bob (26:37):
Thank, you, you're welcome.
Father Dave (26:38):
Do you mean?
Deacon Bob (26:39):
that it's hard to tell.
Father Dave (26:41):
But it's just weird for you to have, like, this boat on your chest On my pectoral.
That's right, yeah, but so we always have a theme and this is self-evident, right, but the theme sometimes can be is it actually a theme or is it what we want is a really good t-shirt?
Yeah, exactly you.
Is it actually a theme or is it what we want is a really good T-shirt, right?
(27:01):
Yeah, exactly you do have to think of the visuals.
Deacon Bob (27:02):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean they could have done a different visual with the Galway hooker on my shirt and I think the boat was the good call.
Father Dave (27:09):
A little image of Galway would have been great, sure, but I was thinking that I really wanted our focus to be on Jesus.
So I said, well, our theme this year is going to be Jesus.
And they go oh, that's great, but like, what's the theme?
So it's cool that the t-shirt actually has the name of Jesus in Greek, hebrew and English and then the text is from 1 Timothy.
(27:33):
And it's interesting you were saying at the beginning and we can unpack that a little bit more about kind of an anxiety to really proclaim Jesus or the centrality of Jesus.
You know we live in such a diverse culture, very pluralistic, we want to be careful saying that there's one way, an only way, and it doesn't seem open and doesn't seem tolerant.
And yet I was just praying over the last many months, and Jesus is the way.
(27:56):
I mean, there's no other way.
And so the text is from 1 Timothy and it says that Jesus is the one, he's the one's, no other way.
And so the text is from 1 Timothy and it says that Jesus is the one, he's the one mediator between God and man.
So that's our theme is really our desire is to bring our community at the university into a deeper relationship with Christ, and there's no other way to salvation other than him.
Deacon Bob (28:14):
Amen.
It reminds me of our conversations back in the year 2000.
I think you were, were you still in charge of the youth office at that time?
Father Dave (28:25):
The youth conferences?
Oh, in 2000.
I was thinking 2020.
No, no, I'm thinking 2000.
Deacon Bob (28:31):
So the theme that you wanted that year was God.
Yeah yeah, yeah, and everybody was saying we need a tagline.
You're like no, do we God?
That's the theme of our conference.
God.
At least I'm consistent it was, and I think they settled on God.
There is no other.
Father Dave (28:48):
Yeah, there you go.
Deacon Bob (28:49):
We kind of had to throw in the no other clause.
Father Dave (28:52):
That's right, but I absolutely agree.
Deacon Bob (28:54):
I think that centrality of the person of Jesus, when I was in both in Superior and Corpus Christi.
I mean, I say the same thing in different ways wherever I go, but so much of what I'm trying to communicate and I think we do this so well here at Franciscan it's easy to take for granted that it's about the person of Jesus.
(29:16):
It's about proclaiming Jesus Even in the ministry of catechesis.
One of my favorite quotes is from St John Paul II and he said that the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch with, but in intimacy, in communion with Jesus Christ, and that, you know, I say like the difference of something that's educational might be wow, I didn't know that before but the difference of something catechetical should be.
(29:41):
I had no idea Jesus loved me that much.
And always making sure, as catech, there's an educational component to catechesis, to be sure, but that if the end goal isn't, they feel they should feel closer to Jesus as the end goal, and that should be the measuring rod.
Not did I get through everything, but are they more deeply in love with Jesus, praying to Jesus, recognizing Jesus in the sacraments?
(30:06):
You know, we had a beautiful movement the last year of the Eucharistic Congress and the Eucharistic Revival, and there was a great desire that people would recognize Jesus in the Eucharist.
But I think another step away from that would also say do people recognize Jesus at all?
Do they know who Jesus is?
And so that's at the heart of our mission to make disciples as a church, that we're out there proclaiming Jesus and that Jesus is Savior and Jesus is Lord.
Father Dave (30:32):
Amen, and it's easy.
It's interesting.
I met with the friars.
We always have kind of a day of retreat before classes start and we were just talking about this and really proclaiming Christ and again it seems like of course, but it's amazing on how quickly you can become tangential.
Deacon Bob (30:47):
Yes, yes, because there's so many exciting things Right, right, right.
Father Dave (30:50):
That are, on one level, that are important, yeah, but we're just gonna, you know, the primary focus.
Deacon Bob (30:57):
You can so quickly become talking about liturgy or about music or about moral issues and again those Theology of the body Right.
Father Dave (31:06):
We don't want to be dismissive of those in the importance but at the exclusion of the person of Christ, who centers everything.
Deacon Bob (31:15):
And it sometimes, I think, is a presumption.
That's not the right word, assumption.
Whatever it is Like, I think we who love Jesus get that.
Father Dave (31:24):
And so we talk about these other things.
Deacon Bob (31:28):
And in our brain, of course, we're connecting it to Jesus.
But to those to whom we're preaching, not necessarily one of my classes.
I teach a methods class and in the beginning I'll say you're all going to do a number of presentations, but I'm going to tell you right now, some of you will do an entire presentation on something faith-based and you won't mention Jesus.
And they all look at me and say surely it is not I, lord, and I say it's going to be you and sure enough, like a few presentations in, somebody does it and I'm like you didn't even mention Jesus and they go what.
(32:00):
But this is really good stuff and it was all accurate.
But again, that's the goal, and I think that's the goal of our life that with all the beautiful devotion, even our Marian devotion, it's to Jesus through Mary.
Mary desires to bring us to Jesus, All the saints, their example and I do this in another class of saints.
It's like there's a difference of being a history lesson about saints or a catechetical lesson about saints.
(32:22):
History lesson about saints tells the facts and figures.
The catechetical one shows that what they're doing in their life was trying to be like Jesus.
Father Dave (32:30):
And so I think— and that we imitate his life to be more like Jesus.
Deacon Bob (32:33):
Yes, exactly, and so that's the goal of our lives the relationship and just keeping him at the focus, because when you do that, everything else fits.
Father Dave (32:41):
I remember we were in Assisi filming the Sign of Contradiction and our waiter just loved Francis and just went off on how much so he could have given a great talk on how great Francis was.
Deacon Bob (32:53):
Yeah, this is in Assisi.
Father Dave (32:54):
Right, yeah, and then he talked to him and then he goes on, he goes.
But I'm not that whole Jesus thing, I'm not at all into that.
So right, so he might have missed.
Yes, right, you know it's easy to do that.
I mean he really did.
He spoke so beautifully and eloquently about Francis, his love for the poor, his humility, his care for those who have been forgotten.
Deacon Bob (33:14):
Yeah, all fundamentally true yeah.
Father Dave (33:17):
But had no clue on what motivated that yeah.
Deacon Bob (33:20):
I was talking to a Protestant friend of mine who was asking about these orders like Franciscanism.
And why are they trying to follow Francis?
Why aren't they trying to follow Jesus, was the question, and the answer was they're trying to follow Jesus in the way that St Francis did.
But again, that's always got to be the focus of it.
It's about following Jesus, and so I'm really excited about our theme for this year and just a new school year.
(33:44):
It's.
Father Dave (33:45):
Ready or not?
Baby, everything's new.
Ready or not, baby, here we go.
Deacon Bob (33:48):
It's going to be great.
Encourage all of you.
I know many of you are parents.
You're dropping kids off at school.
It's an insane logistical time.
You've spent way more money than you should have at Staples or on uniforms or whatever those things might be, and I would just say, to have that hope in Jesus, the busyness of it.
We're worried about our kids.
(34:09):
How are they going to do in school?
Are they going to make friends, all the other things?
Let's just place them in the care of Jesus.
Let's just pray that Jesus is proclaimed and have that faith and confidence that comes from being disciples of Jesus.
Father Dave (34:22):
And Heavenly Father, we just ask your blessing upon us as we at the university begin a new semester.
In some ways, every day is a new opportunity to be able to love you, to be able to serve you, be able to honor you.
Pour forth your Holy Spirit upon us that we know your peace and your presence, particularly those who are suffering today.
May Almighty God pour his blessings on us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Deacon Bob (34:42):
Amen.
Thank you everybody, and thank you, father Dave.
You can shoot us an email to tell us your favorite memories of the podcast.
And, of course, whatever nickname you think we should have, we can't give it to ourselves.
Hope@Franciscan.edu.
Hope at Franciscan E franciscanedu.
(35:10):
God bless everybody.
All right they that hope is a production of franciscan university of steubenville and is distributed in partnership with osv podcasts.
This week on they that Hope we get to talk about the big dumper and golf.
Father Dave (00:05):
We also talk about the important topics of Christ the King and the Cracker Barrel.
Deacon Bob (00:12):
And, most importantly, finish, about a focus on our theme of this year, which is Jesus.
You can check out this podcast and many others at theythathopepodcast.com.
(00:35):
Welcome to they that Hope, with Father Dave and Deacon Bob celebrating 2025, the Jubilee of Hope.
And I'm Deacon Bob and I'm Father Dave, and this podcast is brought to you by Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Check out other exciting faith-based content on faithandreason.com and also sponsored by osvpodcasts.com.
(00:58):
This is episode 222.
We have three episodes left.
People have been reaching out in sadness and horror.
We will maybe we'll save it for the last episode talk a little bit more about why we're doing that, but I can tell you one of the reasons right now why we're doing it it's because I'll never have to ask a question like this again.
(01:18):
Father Dave, can you tell me about the Big?
Father Dave (01:22):
Dumper, I can, and for our sports update, it's a nickname.
If you had a nickname, I wonder what your nickname would be.
It wouldn't be the big dumper.
Okay, so he is the catcher for the Seattle Mariners.
Deacon Bob (01:36):
Wait a second.
I don't want to skip over your question because I want to honor what you just asked, you do Apparently, you do.
No, the question you asked was what would—so you give me a nickname?
Father Dave (01:47):
What would I be?
I don't know.
I'm going to ask ChatGPT later on.
Okay, yeah.
Deacon Bob (01:51):
All right, I would call you the force to be reckoned with.
Father Dave (01:58):
Okay, I'm going to ask ChatGPT about yours.
Deacon Bob (02:01):
By the way, heather, that was Father Dave just drinking that yeah so Cal Raleigh is the catcher for the Seattle Mariners.
Father Dave (02:08):
He broke the record for the most home runs by a catcher, which is pretty significant.
Catchers are generally big hitters, but not like this man.
He hit 48, 49 home runs.
Deacon Bob (02:18):
I read somewhere he's on pace to break.
I mean like to have 61 home runs.
Yeah, which is I mean he's on pace.
Father Dave (02:25):
Yeah, yeah, that'd be interesting.
Deacon Bob (02:26):
But I guess of a catcher that's, he's got.
There's like still 30 games left and he already broke the record, so he's a catcher.
Father Dave (02:33):
This is a family show, so we'll try to be able to do this.
Okay, he has a large gluteus maximus.
Okay, so that's what the name is about.
Yeah, it is, exactly, I was hoping.
Deacon Bob (02:42):
Maybe he worked with a dump truck or something like that as his youth?
Father Dave (02:47):
No, they said that that's how he was able to hit home runs.
He gets his rear end into it.
He just really shifts his body weight.
Deacon Bob (02:53):
So that's what it is, and they asked him about his nickname.
Father Dave (02:57):
He said well, you can't choose your own nickname.
He said you know that's a part of the rules of nicknames.
You can't be like.
I want to be called this.
So he said that's what the guys have called him.
Even before he was hitting all these home runs, they called him that.
So that's his nickname, of which he will go down in infamy with.
Deacon Bob (03:14):
So we're asking all you listeners send us an email at hopeatfranciscanedu to let us know your favorite memories of the podcast, which we'll share, that's probably it, but I'd love to also know if you have nicknames for us, since we can't come up with our own nicknames.
Yeah, that's a good idea.
That would be great, and you can ask ChatGPT and see what it says.
That's a good idea.
(03:34):
Yeah, exactly Any other.
I mean, the best thing about baseball is it seems to be coming to close.
Father Dave (03:40):
Yeah, we're getting close and we're getting almost the last preseason football game.
Was there, right, yep?
Deacon Bob (03:46):
NFL is just about to start, but it doesn't start next week?
Father Dave (03:48):
Does it take a week off?
Deacon Bob (03:50):
It takes a week off and I think that's to make room for the college launch of things.
I feel like that's unusual but I thought so too.
Father Dave (03:58):
It's interesting Notre Dame actually starts on Sunday evening.
Okay, so this whole starting college football on Sunday is probably to give it a place of prominence, and then maybe NFL starts the following Thursday Do they start with a Thursday game.
Deacon Bob (04:10):
It's usually the Thursday after Labor Day.
Okay, all right.
Okay, they might have started.
I feel like they started earlier.
Father Dave (04:16):
Do you wear white shoes at those games?
Which games At the opening of the Thursday after Labor Day?
Aren't you supposed to not wear white shoes?
Deacon Bob (04:24):
I think it's white pants.
Father Dave (04:25):
Okay, I think you can always wear white shoes All right, I wasn't sure about that, but you ought to take a fashion sense from me.
Deacon Bob (04:32):
Yeah, because you wear white sandals maybe.
Father Dave (04:34):
The starting.
Well, college football's actually started, but the big game is going to be Sunday evening Notre Dame versus Miami.
Deacon Bob (04:41):
Notre Dame, I think is ranked, maybe four.
It depends what poll you're looking at.
Do they still call that the Catholics versus the convicts?
Father Dave (04:46):
They do.
Actually, that shirt is being sold again, as you can imagine, one of the most popular 30 for 30s on ESPN.
But yeah, so that's a big game.
Notre Dame is they'll probably go in as maybe a slight underdog because it's in Miami.
Miami's ranked around 10.
Notre Dame's ranked around 4 or 5.
So I'm just a stack I have on my calendar, you know four hours blocks.
Deacon Bob (05:08):
I have not seen a good football game.
Will you be home?
Will you be able to relax and recline?
Oh, I'll be home, nice.
Father Dave (05:14):
Feet are going to be up.
I'm going to be relaxing.
The Friars know Don't bother Father D, I don't have TV in my room, so it does sometimes become a little bit problematic, especially when there's guys that aren't real sports fans and they don't realize that we're starting football time so you'll go in Saturday afternoon and watch Gunsmoke from 1947.
Deacon Bob (05:39):
It's like, oh, this is my favorite episode.
Father Dave (05:41):
Is it?
I was wondering what kind of thing.
I didn't know if it would be HGTV or maybe a Telemundo soap opera of some sort.
Deacon Bob (05:50):
That's right.
Speaking of football, so right, we're about to kick off.
Father Dave (05:54):
Okay, so you're called.
Deacon Bob (05:55):
The Cleveland Browns have four quarterbacks.
They do, they do.
Joe Flacco is back.
Yeah, he's going to start In action.
It's Joe Flacco, kenny Pickett, formerly of the Steelers, a guy named Dylan Gabriel, who I don't know, and Shador Sanders Yep, so they've all made it.
Speaking of Sanders, there was a Sanders on the Tampa Bay.
Father Dave (06:13):
Buccaneers.
Deacon Bob (06:14):
Colonel Sanders right, he's also very active.
He plays for a team in Kentucky, yep.
And Shiloh Sanders punched a guy he was on, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Punched a guy and then he got cut.
Father Dave (06:28):
Well, that'll happen.
Yeah, okay, and we may be going to a game.
Deacon Bob (06:31):
Yes, or I may be going to a game with you.
Oh yeah, we have to talk about that after this thing.
Father Dave (06:36):
Well, just logistically Okay Okay, good Okay.
Question how?
How many games will the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win?
Deacon Bob (06:44):
I'm going to say they go 11 and—.
Father Dave (06:47):
Five oh, 11 and seven.
Seven I was going to say— Is it 18 games or 17 games this year.
That's a great question.
I always get mixed up, I think it's 17.
I think it's 17 games this year 11 and six.
Deacon Bob (06:56):
I think they'll go 11 and six.
Father Dave (06:57):
That's a good season.
Deacon Bob (06:58):
I think they'll Okay.
I mean again, barring all injuries, right?
So Mayfield's fantastic Mike Evans is still super sharp.
We got that new wide receiver, Amike Mdola.
I don't know, he was awesome.
I went to see them in Pittsburgh.
Father Dave (07:18):
That was a lot of fun.
Your son posted some pictures.
It was good.
Deacon Bob (07:20):
Yeah, we had a great time.
Father Dave (07:21):
The preseason game.
Deacon Bob (07:23):
Yeah, we went to a preseason game and then you know Chris Godwin, who was amazing.
I mean, we started off last season destroying everybody because we had these two incredible wide receivers.
He tore his ACL so he was out.
So then we're just down to Mike Evans.
Well, it's easy to double team one good wide receiver, but he's supposed to come back midseason.
(07:43):
So it would actually be kind of cool if we get a good rhythm going and then we add somebody like Chris Godwin.
Father Dave (07:49):
They seem to be doing really well with ACL recoveries, like they don't rush them, and when they show up they make quite a splash, so it was easy to get tickets, I suppose for that preseason game.
Deacon Bob (08:00):
Oh yeah, dirt, cheap, did you?
Father Dave (08:02):
just show up and get them.
Deacon Bob (08:04):
No, I got them online a few hours before.
I just waited and I got like lower bowl seats for the whole family.
None of the starters played like.
Mayfield didn't play, evans didn't play.
Father Dave (08:14):
Even on the steelers side rogers didn't play um tj watt I went to the training camp no I've never done before.
So the training camp happens on the campus in Latrobe at St Vincent, so the president there invited myself and another president to spend the day there, which was lovely.
It was really very gracious.
It was a fun day, but I've never been.
(08:34):
Have you been to a training camp before?
No, it's really kind of fun.
It's a lot like spring training in that the players are just kind of around the kids.
Deacon Bob (08:41):
The kids are thrilled, I mean they get all the autographs I.
Father Dave (08:44):
I had dinner or lunch with the in the team room, which was kind of fun oh, that is really cool.
Rogers was sitting there just holding court.
Deacon Bob (08:51):
It was kind of fun I um as a season ticket holder for the tampa bay buccaneers.
I get all of those email invites yeah but of course I don't live in tampa and I'm very busy over the summer, but it's one of those, like I would have been able to go to an autograph session.
Father Dave (09:04):
My kids would have just lost their mind.
Deacon Bob (09:06):
I could have gone to a train.
You know, like all those things, I could have gone to, and I'm preaching the gospel.
Father Dave (09:12):
Praise be Jesus Christ.
It's a better.
Deacon Bob (09:13):
It's a better thing to do?
Do we want to maybe just mention briefly golf?
We absolutely do.
Father Dave (09:19):
Because golf, golf is the.
Basically the season is over and it kind of builds up to the FedEx Cup, which is a big tournament that happens and each week there are fewer and fewer golfers that make it.
So the one interesting story of this is Scotty Scheffler didn't win, and we always want Scotty to win.
Deacon Bob (09:35):
But the kid that did win— Hasn't he won enough, though.
Father Dave (09:37):
He has won a lot.
The kid that did win has finished in the top five 30 times but never won.
Aw, he finished like number two in the whole FedEx Cup as he was going on twice and then choked in the final round Yikes.
So Tommy Fleetwood, a kid from England, just a really nice, nice guy.
He's a little boy.
He's got a little son that he interacts with a lot, so he won.
(09:58):
That makes us happy.
We can cheer for Tommy Fleetwood today.
Okay.
Deacon Bob (10:03):
And never again.
Father Dave (10:04):
Well, we start the Ryder Cup in a couple of weeks and he's of the evil team of the Europeans, so we can root for him for about another 48 hours, and then on Wednesday, the official teams for the Ryder Cup will be coming around and he is dead to us after that.
Deacon Bob (10:20):
So enjoy your time, Tommy.
Father Dave (10:21):
Fleetwood, and we'll catch you up on the Ryder.
Deacon Bob (10:23):
Cup later, by the time you hear this podcast he's dead to us.
Father Dave (10:25):
Yeah, he's dead to us, that's right.
So don't enjoy us talking to your daughter, don't even think for a moment, that moment you just had let it go.
The Ryder Cup is an absolute blast.
I know a lot of people are not golf fans, but it's team like golf.
Particularly it's one of the funnest.
Deacon Bob (10:42):
Where is it occurring?
It's in the United States.
Father Dave (10:44):
And we're going to get I'm afraid we're going to get smoked.
All right, we're just not.
We're not that good at the Ryder Cup lately and the Europeans are great, and the big thing is we think that our captain is also going to make himself a player, which is not a good thing.
It's only happened once in 50 years.
Keegan Bradley don't get me started.
Don't get me started, I won't, I won't you just did, no, I you did, I did, yeah, you said, you said golf who's on the who's on the American team though?
Deacon Bob (11:12):
Scotty Sheffler.
Father Dave (11:13):
Scotty Sheffler.
Yeah, scotty's on it.
Well, the big question is Keegan I mean some of the guys, the guy who won the US Open will be on it, as you say that I'm going to get.
Deacon Bob (11:23):
Windham, Windham Clark, he's going to be on the other side.
Oh he's.
Father Dave (11:26):
British, yeah, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.
He wouldn't American would never name a kid Windham, windham, windham, it sounds like a hotel, it does it does.
Deacon Bob (11:33):
Well, that's excellent.
Well, those are to go we don't have an update, we don't.
Father Dave (11:42):
Okay, no, so this is just like to make something up.
Deacon Bob (11:46):
Go to.
Father Dave (11:46):
France no, no, no, I've got it.
When you and your no, no, no, when you and your family are out to eat, you should go to Cracker Barrel.
That's our promo when everybody seems to be going crazy and I don't know what it's about.
So there you go.
Deacon Bob (12:09):
Enjoy Cracker Barrel.
How many times have you eaten at Cracker Barrel?
Oh, I love Cracker Barrel, or I imagine you would, because pancakes and bacon, and not only pancakes and bacon they have real maple syrup.
They're one of the only restaurant chains where you can say give me the real maple syrup.
They come out in happy little bottles and it's absolutely delicious.
Father Dave (12:21):
So I think the food isn't basically changing, it's just kind of the marketing and the look of the restaurant.
Deacon Bob (12:26):
So yeah, and in some ways I think they're over exaggerating.
Oh, I would say, you know, like there's kind of like, oh he's gone, woke Like that's like the trigger and it's decided to be a new story there.
So on one level, they rebranded the logo, yeah, and they took out the guy sitting by a barrel and the cracker barrel, the whole barrel, the whole barrel is gone from the logo.
(12:49):
Okay, and then inside the restaurant and I'm not as much of a fan, I did like the logo.
Father Dave (12:53):
It's like a country store isn't it when you go into it.
Deacon Bob (12:56):
So now you go in and it's, you know it's more clean, it's more edgy.
Father Dave (13:00):
It's cleaner.
Deacon Bob (13:01):
It still has a lot of.
I mean, I've only just seen some videos.
It's a bit more open, it's not as dark, so there's like whiter colors that are there, whiter or wider.
White-er as in the cracker yes, exactly, that's exactly this is exactly the whole problem, that's right.
I think they're trying to move away from the look of like a redneck garage sale into more of a polished thing.
Father Dave (13:25):
That's actually one of the references they were saying is that it's kind of like the.
You know, redneck was a word that they used.
Deacon Bob (13:31):
I use that word lovingly.
Father Dave (13:33):
Another word that I wouldn't use, but it's.
I mean, it's amazing the amount of attention it's got over the last couple of days.
I know right, come on people.
Deacon Bob (13:41):
It's just a restaurant.
Father Dave (13:42):
That's right.
Deacon Bob (13:43):
Yeah, I mean, but I love Cracker Barrel.
I love, I mean, whenever I'm driving places I think, well, I can always stop at a Cracker Barrel.
Father Dave (13:51):
Yeah.
Deacon Bob (13:51):
You know if I'm doing like a long distance.
You know if I'm coming back from Cleveland in the morning.
Father Dave (13:55):
That's two hours.
Deacon Bob (13:56):
There's a Cracker Barrel.
I'll know exactly where I'm going of what I would consider a long-distance drive.
Father Dave (14:02):
Yeah.
So I've been to Cracker Barrel maybe three times in my life.
It's always around breakfast, it's a breakfast place.
This was a topic of conversation amongst the friars because it's been a slow week Okay.
And everybody said that.
They said it's a breakfast place.
Deacon Bob (14:16):
Yeah.
Now I'm sure they serve other meals, but yeah, they all serve other meals, but nobody goes there for that, so it's breakfast.
It's known for its breakfastness.
Father Dave (14:24):
There you go.
Well, for the people who are just really really anxious about our podcast stopping and Cracker Barrel changing, we'll be there for you for the next couple of episodes.
Deacon Bob (14:33):
You know, my favorite chain breakfast place is though.
Father Dave (14:37):
Yes, it's going to be Daywatch.
What's that Daywatch?
It's Baywatch.
Deacon Bob (14:42):
It's not Baywatch.
Day watch.
What's that Day watch?
It's Baywatch.
It's not Baywatch.
Father Dave (14:45):
I love sitting on the beach and watching.
What's the?
What is it First, watch First watch.
Deacon Bob (14:48):
Yes, that's what it is right.
Yeah, that's a great one.
Father Dave (14:50):
But it's not your favorite.
Deacon Bob (14:51):
No, that is.
Oh, it is.
Oh, I guessed it, you got it right.
Yeah, I, yeah, it is, but the food's really really good, it really is.
Like first watch is like a treat and then Cracker Barrel's good.
Father Dave (15:06):
And then IHOP's good, if you bring your own syrup, and where's Bob Evans going to that?
Deacon Bob (15:10):
Oh, that's a good question.
I like our local Bob Evans a lot because I know all the people there and I eat there all the time because it's literally two blocks from my house.
I think because of that I would never go to a Bob Evans.
Anywhere by at home Other than the one that's like two blocks away and just also kind of tired of it a little bit, I get it.
And Duncan's got to be up there.
(15:30):
I get it, so that was good.
Father Dave (15:31):
That was so much better than a Franciscan promo.
We didn't expect to spend so much time on Cracker Barrel, but there you have it, folks there you have it, so maybe maybe you do know why we're not gonna be around anymore uh, so this week I got to go.
Deacon Bob (15:47):
Well, here's a question for you.
What do you think the best?
In your opinion, the best name of a diocese in the united states?
Oh, that's easy.
Superior, is that right?
Father Dave (15:57):
yeah, wow, you have a superiority complex not san francisco no superior w's my choice Yep.
Where'd you go?
Deacon Bob (16:05):
Well, I did go to Superior Wisconsin.
Father Dave (16:07):
Oh, you did.
Deacon Bob (16:07):
But I was leaning into Corpus Christi Texas.
Father Dave (16:09):
Oh, I thought it was Superior.
That was the one you liked.
Deacon Bob (16:12):
Well, no.
Father Dave (16:13):
Oh, never mind.
Deacon Bob (16:14):
It's a nice name, corpus Christi is my favorite and, by the way, I just want to.
They don't gloat about it.
That's great.
They could easily say we are the best diocese in the United.
Father Dave (16:25):
States.
I wonder is Corpus Christi Texas?
Is that the only one named Corpus Christi?
I believe so.
In the world, yeah.
Deacon Bob (16:32):
I don't know, maybe Can you duplicate names without throwing some kind of qualifier in there.
Father Dave (16:39):
I don't know.
Deacon Bob (16:39):
I don't know either.
Father Dave (16:41):
I was talking to the bishop no, I'm sure you can.
There's got to be another San Francisco.
Deacon Bob (16:44):
Diocese of them yeah.
Or archdiocese of I'll find out.
Father Dave (16:47):
We'll find out folks.
Okay, We'll get right on that.
That sounds great.
Deacon Bob (16:56):
So yeah, I actually got to serve at mass with the bishop of Corpus Christi and I said he said I have the best named diocese in the world.
Father Dave (17:02):
Yeah, I thought you're not wrong, there you go.
You're not wrong, there you go.
He called that.
Deacon Bob (17:06):
He did call that, but right now, in the beginning of the last week, I was in Superior, wisconsin.
Shout out to everybody there.
I got to talk to parish catechetical leaders and then I was the wonderful opportunity every couple years to be in Corpus Christi, texas.
(17:28):
Shout out to Deacon Santos.
Shout out to Heath Garcia, who's a huge fan of the podcast, listening to it from day one.
An Astros fan, he's a big baseball fan, so he likes that part of the show.
Father Dave (17:38):
Who's the?
Deacon Bob (17:39):
bishop there, the bishop.
Oh, that's great.
It's Mr Bishop to you, okay.
Father Dave (17:43):
Yeah.
Deacon Bob (17:44):
He's about to—it was his birthday, which was also the same day as my daughter Eliana's birthday.
She turned 21.
Happy birthday, Eliana.
And he turned 76.
Father Dave (17:55):
So when he was 75, he sent the letter in and he hasn't heard anything yet.
Deacon Bob (17:58):
Okay, but I think he's ready to be—he didn't seem ready to be done, but he's ready to be done.
Father Dave (18:03):
The bishop, who was the head of the Dicastery in Rome, had been a little busy, you think.
So there you go, I do yeah, yeah, yeah, so getting things done.
Deacon Bob (18:11):
But it was a gift.
It was such a gift to be this is always a busy week and time in terms of training catechetical leaders.
Everybody's starting their school year Today.
I sent you know as I got up before I came to do the podcast.
I gave a blessing to my son who's starting seventh grade, which is really fun.
My daughter is a senior in high school.
Father Dave (18:32):
I ran into Aiden.
Yes, two days ago he was on campus Soccer practice or something like that.
So he came up on his little scooter.
It's good he's old enough now that like he'll stop and we can have a little bit of a chat.
He's not like I don't know what I'm supposed to say, so it's good we had a great opening.
So obviously school starts today.
(18:53):
You have how many classes?
Deacon Bob (18:54):
today I have two classes today.
I cannot wait.
Father Dave (18:57):
So school starts today.
So we had an exciting, wonderful opening orientation.
We've got our largest class ever, I think our numbers for new students this year is 840 something.
Deacon Bob (19:07):
Golly yeah.
So this weekend all the freshmen came in.
You had orientation.
Yeah, freshman transfers, come in right, we'll have a few that'll bleed.
Father Dave (19:13):
So that'll be about what our numbers will be around, probably 830, which is the largest class ever.
Wonderful moms and dads and parents.
It's always fun, there's always tears and it's just it's wonderful and the big thing was last week.
And if people have not seen this, if you go to YouTube and just type Franciscan University of Steubenville, or the Instagram had reels of this.
(19:34):
Yeah, reels, but you can watch the whole liturgy.
Oh great, you can watch the whole liturgy of the dedication of Christ the King.
Actually, solemn blessing was what it was technically, because it was already dedicated, right, but the altar was consecrated, which is first off.
The chapel turned out beautiful.
Our desire was on a very practical level to make it larger more seats.
(19:55):
So we went from about 375 to about 590.
So that's beautiful, but we wanted it to be more theologically rich, more Franciscan, more beautiful.
Yeah, and it's funny because at the end of the consecration of the altar and the end of the liturgy afterwards we said, you know, there's going to be tours of the chapel and, just walking around, the fact that we're having tours of the chapel was a blessing, because you might, you didn't have tours of the previous chapel, right.
Deacon Bob (20:22):
You didn't walk people in.
Father Dave (20:23):
There's not much to see, yeah you wouldn't walk people in and say okay, let me show you the cross, yeah that's the sign.
So now we wanted to.
You know, one of the things that I love about Franciscan theology is that it represents the humility of God, and Francis experienced that in the crib, the cross and the Eucharist, that God would humble himself and he would take on flesh, and then God would once again humble himself and allow himself to be crucified on a cross, and then he would finally be humbled again and come to us in the Eucharist.
(20:52):
So when you see the altar, which is quite beautiful, at the base of it there's a nativity scene that Franz has started and he invited the early followers to reflect on the humility of God, so to reflect on the humility of God.
And then there's a beautiful, beautiful.
The San Damiano Cross is a replica of the one which hangs in Santa Chiara, which is the first one that Francis saw.
That spoke to him.
So it's just, it's really, really beautiful.
(21:13):
There's stained glass windows that were done by one of our alumni.
Deacon Bob (21:15):
A beautiful icon of Christ the king at the end of the church by Amber.
Father Dave (21:20):
Yeah, by Amber.
It's just really beautiful and you've not been in yet.
Deacon Bob (21:23):
No, I've not been in yet.
Right, I was out of town this weekend.
Is it open yet?
Father Dave (21:27):
I know they yeah, yeah, yeah, masses start.
It was open all weekend actually.
Deacon Bob (21:30):
Oh, okay, great, great.
Yeah.
I heard they let people in for the opening mass and then they said get out, we have to fix some when's your class 1 o'clock.
Father Dave (21:45):
If you came early we could walk through it.
Ok, that'd be fun.
We'll figure it out.
My day's pretty open.
Deacon Bob (21:49):
That'll be great and, yeah, that round's really, really exciting and it's a great start to a new year.
Do we want to talk about the theme of our year?
Father Dave (22:01):
yeah, and then do we eventually want to say just a word or two about Monica and Augustine, just because we love them, and let's close with the year.
Deacon Bob (22:06):
Okay, that sounds great.
So this week we've got some really fun Well today, just for the record we have today.
Father Dave (22:11):
St Louis, king of France, who is the patron and priest for the Franciscan.
Deacon Bob (22:13):
Tour de l'Oreille, today being two days ago.
For those listening, right?
Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.
Third order.
How does that work?
Father Dave (22:21):
Yeah, he was the third order, he was not a regular, he was a lay person, but yeah.
Deacon Bob (22:24):
Great, and we have a dorm named after him.
Yes, we do, we do so today's a big feast for us.
Father Dave (22:28):
He's our patronal feast.
He was a king, I think, father of 11, but he taught his kids the greatest.
Deacon Bob (22:36):
Thing is to love God.
Are you celebrating?
I am, you're celebrating that.
Father Dave (22:41):
Yeah, we're celebrating him.
Actually, we're going to go ahead and have a vote of mass of the Holy Spirit, but we'll celebrate.
Deacon Bob (22:47):
But we'll mention San Luis, we will.
Father Dave (22:49):
But I love Monica and Augustine.
Deacon Bob (22:52):
If you're hearing it drop today Wednesday.
Wednesday is Monica, thursday is Augustine and Friday is the beheading of John the Baptist.
Father Dave (23:00):
That's like trifecta.
Deacon Bob (23:02):
It is right yeah.
Father Dave (23:03):
So I just love Monica.
There are so many moms out there and I probably said this before I love being in a confessional and a mom comes in and she's just frustrated with herself and she's not being patient enough and she's not getting enough done, and this, that and the other, and then all I will say is being a mom is tough, yeah.
And then they just break up crying, right?
(23:24):
I mean it is, it's just hard.
And I think Monica is such a beautiful example of her desire for her son, for his goodness and his kindness, and become who he was supposed to be.
So it's just a beautiful story.
And then, augustine, you always wait.
Deacon Bob (23:38):
Well, can I say something about Monica?
I think something that's beautiful to reflect upon St Monica, which hit me a year or so ago, is that it's easy to think, oh, st Monica is a saint because Augustine became a saint Right, like that's kind of the connection.
And it is true that she was canonized as a saint because of what Augustine wrote about her and what we saw in Augustine's life, but I think one of the beautiful things to reflect upon St Monica and I think this goes out to all the parents out there, particularly parents, as I meet them all the time who are struggling with not having kids who are practicing their faith is that it wasn't about Monica's success.
(24:21):
It was her faithfulness.
We know about her because of the success, but she wasn't canonized because she was successful.
Father Dave (24:28):
Right, because he came around.
Deacon Bob (24:29):
If Augustine had not become a saint, we might not have known about her, but her holiness would not have diminished, and so I think that's an important thing about St Monica.
I think St Monica gives hope, particularly for those parents that have kids who aren't practicing in the faith, which is a lot, by the way.
You know, as we look at the culture and young people leaving the faith.
(24:53):
Well, they're leaving the faith, which is the faith that their parents had, and so I think Monica is a great symbol of hope and encouragement, regardless of the outcome.
That that is our role as parents to be praying.
Father Dave (25:05):
So many parents feel like failures.
Yeah, they do they failed and that's a weight that you know, obviously I can't imagine Although, no, I can't imagine because my students are not my kids but there is this like when you know a student goes wayward, somebody graduates, and they kind of just wander away from the church.
There is the sadness, but I'm sure it's nothing compared to what a parent feels.
(25:26):
So, again, your point is well taken that their job is to continue to pray, continue to be open, I think my personal opinion, to keep that door open to your children.
Deacon Bob (25:36):
Yeah, but it's hard to navigate all those things right, that's great.
Father Dave (25:41):
And then, augustine, late Hiv.
I love the information Like I get excited.
It's Thursday, right, thursday morning you go down pray, before morning prayer and just that office reading is so beautiful.
Yeah, it really is outstanding.
That's cool.
Yeah, that's cool.
All right, but our theme this year is it's funny because we always have a theme and it's a fancy theme that you have a T-shirt.
Deacon Bob (25:58):
Because you have to have a T-shirt if you're doing something, you have to have a T-shirt.
Father Dave (26:01):
It doesn't exist if you don't have a T-shirt Right, right, right, but you're wearing one.
What is that?
Deacon Bob (26:07):
It's a boat.
Where did you get that?
I got it in Perth.
What's on the back?
The back it says the name of the boat.
Okay, and the name of the boat is the Galway Hooker.
Okay, and that was the name of the pub.
Father Dave (26:23):
Okay.
Deacon Bob (26:23):
And the Galway Hooker, before anybody makes a double entendre was one of the first boats from Ireland to come bring immigrants to the United States.
That's fantastic, so it kind of has a cool little history to it.
Father Dave (26:34):
That's fantastic.
That's just a great shirt you're wearing.
Deacon Bob (26:37):
Thank, you, you're welcome.
Father Dave (26:38):
Do you mean?
Deacon Bob (26:39):
that it's hard to tell.
Father Dave (26:41):
But it's just weird for you to have, like, this boat on your chest On my pectoral.
That's right, yeah, but so we always have a theme and this is self-evident, right, but the theme sometimes can be is it actually a theme or is it what we want is a really good t-shirt?
Yeah, exactly you.
Is it actually a theme or is it what we want is a really good T-shirt, right?
(27:01):
Yeah, exactly you do have to think of the visuals.
Deacon Bob (27:02):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean they could have done a different visual with the Galway hooker on my shirt and I think the boat was the good call.
Father Dave (27:09):
A little image of Galway would have been great, sure, but I was thinking that I really wanted our focus to be on Jesus.
So I said, well, our theme this year is going to be Jesus.
And they go oh, that's great, but like, what's the theme?
So it's cool that the t-shirt actually has the name of Jesus in Greek, hebrew and English and then the text is from 1 Timothy.
(27:33):
And it's interesting you were saying at the beginning and we can unpack that a little bit more about kind of an anxiety to really proclaim Jesus or the centrality of Jesus.
You know we live in such a diverse culture, very pluralistic, we want to be careful saying that there's one way, an only way, and it doesn't seem open and doesn't seem tolerant.
And yet I was just praying over the last many months, and Jesus is the way.
(27:56):
I mean, there's no other way.
And so the text is from 1 Timothy and it says that Jesus is the one, he's the one's, no other way.
And so the text is from 1 Timothy and it says that Jesus is the one, he's the one mediator between God and man.
So that's our theme is really our desire is to bring our community at the university into a deeper relationship with Christ, and there's no other way to salvation other than him.
Deacon Bob (28:14):
Amen.
It reminds me of our conversations back in the year 2000.
I think you were, were you still in charge of the youth office at that time?
Father Dave (28:25):
The youth conferences?
Oh, in 2000.
I was thinking 2020.
No, no, I'm thinking 2000.
Deacon Bob (28:31):
So the theme that you wanted that year was God.
Yeah yeah, yeah, and everybody was saying we need a tagline.
You're like no, do we God?
That's the theme of our conference.
God.
At least I'm consistent it was, and I think they settled on God.
There is no other.
Father Dave (28:48):
Yeah, there you go.
Deacon Bob (28:49):
We kind of had to throw in the no other clause.
Father Dave (28:52):
That's right, but I absolutely agree.
Deacon Bob (28:54):
I think that centrality of the person of Jesus, when I was in both in Superior and Corpus Christi.
I mean, I say the same thing in different ways wherever I go, but so much of what I'm trying to communicate and I think we do this so well here at Franciscan it's easy to take for granted that it's about the person of Jesus.
(29:16):
It's about proclaiming Jesus Even in the ministry of catechesis.
One of my favorite quotes is from St John Paul II and he said that the definitive aim of catechesis is to put people not only in touch with, but in intimacy, in communion with Jesus Christ, and that, you know, I say like the difference of something that's educational might be wow, I didn't know that before but the difference of something catechetical should be.
(29:41):
I had no idea Jesus loved me that much.
And always making sure, as catech, there's an educational component to catechesis, to be sure, but that if the end goal isn't, they feel they should feel closer to Jesus as the end goal, and that should be the measuring rod.
Not did I get through everything, but are they more deeply in love with Jesus, praying to Jesus, recognizing Jesus in the sacraments?
(30:06):
You know, we had a beautiful movement the last year of the Eucharistic Congress and the Eucharistic Revival, and there was a great desire that people would recognize Jesus in the Eucharist.
But I think another step away from that would also say do people recognize Jesus at all?
Do they know who Jesus is?
And so that's at the heart of our mission to make disciples as a church, that we're out there proclaiming Jesus and that Jesus is Savior and Jesus is Lord.
Father Dave (30:32):
Amen, and it's easy.
It's interesting.
I met with the friars.
We always have kind of a day of retreat before classes start and we were just talking about this and really proclaiming Christ and again it seems like of course, but it's amazing on how quickly you can become tangential.
Deacon Bob (30:47):
Yes, yes, because there's so many exciting things Right, right, right.
Father Dave (30:50):
That are, on one level, that are important, yeah, but we're just gonna, you know, the primary focus.
Deacon Bob (30:57):
You can so quickly become talking about liturgy or about music or about moral issues and again those Theology of the body Right.
Father Dave (31:06):
We don't want to be dismissive of those in the importance but at the exclusion of the person of Christ, who centers everything.
Deacon Bob (31:15):
And it sometimes, I think, is a presumption.
That's not the right word, assumption.
Whatever it is Like, I think we who love Jesus get that.
Father Dave (31:24):
And so we talk about these other things.
Deacon Bob (31:28):
And in our brain, of course, we're connecting it to Jesus.
But to those to whom we're preaching, not necessarily one of my classes.
I teach a methods class and in the beginning I'll say you're all going to do a number of presentations, but I'm going to tell you right now, some of you will do an entire presentation on something faith-based and you won't mention Jesus.
And they all look at me and say surely it is not I, lord, and I say it's going to be you and sure enough, like a few presentations in, somebody does it and I'm like you didn't even mention Jesus and they go what.
(32:00):
But this is really good stuff and it was all accurate.
But again, that's the goal, and I think that's the goal of our life that with all the beautiful devotion, even our Marian devotion, it's to Jesus through Mary.
Mary desires to bring us to Jesus, All the saints, their example and I do this in another class of saints.
It's like there's a difference of being a history lesson about saints or a catechetical lesson about saints.
(32:22):
History lesson about saints tells the facts and figures.
The catechetical one shows that what they're doing in their life was trying to be like Jesus.
Father Dave (32:30):
And so I think— and that we imitate his life to be more like Jesus.
Deacon Bob (32:33):
Yes, exactly, and so that's the goal of our lives the relationship and just keeping him at the focus, because when you do that, everything else fits.
Father Dave (32:41):
I remember we were in Assisi filming the Sign of Contradiction and our waiter just loved Francis and just went off on how much so he could have given a great talk on how great Francis was.
Deacon Bob (32:53):
Yeah, this is in Assisi.
Father Dave (32:54):
Right, yeah, and then he talked to him and then he goes on, he goes.
But I'm not that whole Jesus thing, I'm not at all into that.
So right, so he might have missed.
Yes, right, you know it's easy to do that.
I mean he really did.
He spoke so beautifully and eloquently about Francis, his love for the poor, his humility, his care for those who have been forgotten.
Deacon Bob (33:14):
Yeah, all fundamentally true yeah.
Father Dave (33:17):
But had no clue on what motivated that yeah.
Deacon Bob (33:20):
I was talking to a Protestant friend of mine who was asking about these orders like Franciscanism.
And why are they trying to follow Francis?
Why aren't they trying to follow Jesus, was the question, and the answer was they're trying to follow Jesus in the way that St Francis did.
But again, that's always got to be the focus of it.
It's about following Jesus, and so I'm really excited about our theme for this year and just a new school year.
(33:44):
It's.
Father Dave (33:45):
Ready or not?
Baby, everything's new.
Ready or not, baby, here we go.
Deacon Bob (33:48):
It's going to be great.
Encourage all of you.
I know many of you are parents.
You're dropping kids off at school.
It's an insane logistical time.
You've spent way more money than you should have at Staples or on uniforms or whatever those things might be, and I would just say, to have that hope in Jesus, the busyness of it.
We're worried about our kids.
(34:09):
How are they going to do in school?
Are they going to make friends, all the other things?
Let's just place them in the care of Jesus.
Let's just pray that Jesus is proclaimed and have that faith and confidence that comes from being disciples of Jesus.
Father Dave (34:22):
And Heavenly Father, we just ask your blessing upon us as we at the university begin a new semester.
In some ways, every day is a new opportunity to be able to love you, to be able to serve you, be able to honor you.
Pour forth your Holy Spirit upon us that we know your peace and your presence, particularly those who are suffering today.
May Almighty God pour his blessings on us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Deacon Bob (34:42):
Amen.
Thank you everybody, and thank you, father Dave.
You can shoot us an email to tell us your favorite memories of the podcast.
And, of course, whatever nickname you think we should have, we can't give it to ourselves.
Hope@Franciscan.edu.
Hope at Franciscan E franciscanedu.
(35:10):
God bless everybody.
All right they that hope is a production of franciscan university of steubenville and is distributed in partnership with osv podcasts.
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