Jesuitical
Welcome to Jesuitical, a podcast for young Catholics hosted by two young, lay editors at America—Zac Davis and Ashley McKinless. Each episode features a guest who offers a unique perspective on faith, culture or current events. We also bring you some of the top (and maybe more obscure) Catholic news of the week. And we'll ask: Where do we find God in all this?
Episodes
October 10, 2025 • 54 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Kate Williams, the vice president of sacred music at GIA Publications, publisher of the “Gather” and “Worship” hymnals.
Ashley, Zac and Kate discuss:
- Why Catholics don’t sing at Mass
- How the role of music in liturgy changed post-Vatican II
- Why the slightest changes in language make all the difference when it comes to hymns
In a brief “Signs of the Times,” Ashley point...
Mark as Played
October 3, 2025 • 51 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac speak with Sam Sawyer, S.J., president and editor in chief of America Magazine, to discuss the recent controversy surrounding Cardinal Blase Cupich’s decision to present Senator Dick Durbin with a “lifetime achievement award” for his work in defense of migrants.
Ashley, Zac and Sam discuss:
- Senator Durbin’s decision to decline the award in the face of mounting controversy
- How the “co...
Mark as Played
September 26, 2025 • 61 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac sit down with Dean Detloff, a research and advocacy officer at Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, to talk about the importance of foreign debt relief in the Jubilee Year.
Ashley, Zac and Dean discuss:
- The biblical roots of forgiving debts in a jubilee year
- How foreign debt stunts the development of poor nations
- Why framing matters when it comes to debt forgiveness versus reli...
Mark as Played
September 19, 2025 • 52 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley sits down with Sam Sawyer, S.J., president and editor in chief of America Media, and J.D. Long-Garcia, senior editor for America to respond to the murder of Charlie Kirk.
Ashley, Fr. Sawyer and J.D. discuss:
- Why this is a difficult (but necessary) conversation
- Why people rush to say, "This is terrible, but..."
- Significance of the murder in national political life
In Signs of the Times, A...
Mark as Played
September 12, 2025 • 59 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian sit down with Jack Bentz, S.J., a Jesuit priest and the host of the “Catholics in Ordinary Time” podcast and Substack. Father Jack also works in campus ministry at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
Ashley, Sebastian and Father Jack discuss:
- What kids are looking for in campus ministry and parish settings
- Surprise lessons from a Jordan Peterson talk
- The wa...
Mark as Played
September 5, 2025 • 74 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Ashley and guest host Sebastian unpack the trend of “hot priests” on social media with Maggie Phillips, a contributing writer for Tablet Magazine. Maggie recently published an article exploring the phenomenon of the “hot priest”: Thou Shalt Not Scroll Past a Hot Priest.
Ashley, Sebastian and Maggie discuss:
- What the “hot priest” trend says about the cultural status of the Catholic Church
- Is there...
Mark as Played
August 29, 2025 • 34 mins
On this last "best of" episode of summer 2025, Zac and Ashley resurrect an interview with the always entertaining Father Dave Dwyer, the executive director of Busted Halo, a media outreach of the Paulist Fathers, and the author of the book “Mass Class: Your Questions Answered.”
Is there a question you have about the Catholic Mass that you’ve always been too embarrassed to ask? Like: When we say, “Only say the word and my soul shal...
Mark as Played
August 22, 2025 • 26 mins
This week, Jesuitical is bringing back a poignant yet hopeful conversation with Sister Donna Dodge, the president of the Sisters of Charity of New York, which recently decided to embark on a “path to completion.” That means the over 200-year-old congregation will no longer accept new vocations (though their ministry continues). We discuss:
- How religious life has changed since Sister Donna joined in 1966
- How the sisters discer...
Mark as Played
August 15, 2025 • 29 mins
Pope Francis' 2021 decree, Traditionis custodes, which limited the celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass, set off a heated and at times toxic debate between more traditionalist Catholics and those who want to see the reforms of the Second Vatican Council more fully implemented. Is there a way for us to talk about the liturgy without it turning into a war?
On this "best of" episode, we're revisiting a conversation with Rev. Pie...
Mark as Played
August 1, 2025 • 27 mins
Forget what you think you know about Saint Augustine. Maybe you only know the cities that take his name, or you had a tough experience in your introduction to philosophy class and found him medieval (in the pejorative sense) and scrupulous.
But what if Augustine was actually the first to hone in on and clearly express our human desire for authenticity, that restlessness that all of us have felt at one point in our lives? What if, ...
Mark as Played
July 25, 2025 • 28 mins
The hot weather couldn’t keep Ashley and Zac away from the mics, so they’re back with a summer “best of” series, featuring some of the most interesting and engaging interviews from the past few years.
What does it mean to be a mystic in the modern age? Many of us think of mysticism as something for spiritual masters who lock themselves away from the world in monasteries and convents and dedicate their lives to constant prayer. But...
Mark as Played
July 18, 2025 • 34 mins
The hot weather couldn’t keep Ashley and Zac away from the mics, so they’re back with a summer “best of” series, featuring some of the most interesting and engaging interviews from the past few years.
In this episode, Professor Kenneth Bartlett, a renowned Renaissance historian and author from the University of Toronto, explores the enduring legacy and allure of the eternal city of Rome for Catholics. Why did Peter go to Rome? Is ...
Mark as Played
June 27, 2025 • 59 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Christopher White, the former Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter. Next month, Chris will start a new position as the associate director for strategic engagement and a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life. Chris’s forthcoming book is, Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.
Zac,...
Mark as Played
June 20, 2025 • 44 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley are thrilled to speak with their friend and colleague Father James Martin about his new podcast, “The Spiritual Life with Fr. James Martin, S.J.,” which launched this week.
We then share Jim’s conversation with actor and comedian Whoopi Goldberg. Whoopi is known for playing a larger-than-life nun in “Sister Act,” but did you know she was also raised Catholic and educated by nuns until the...
Mark as Played
June 13, 2025 • 45 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley talk with U.S. Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat who has served as a senator from Delaware since 2010.
Zac, Ashley and Senator Coons discuss:
How the senator’s Protestant upbringing and the example of his parents shaped his perspective on service
Why Democrats need to be more open about their faith in the public arena
How Senator Coons feels about having the first America...
Mark as Played
June 6, 2025 • 63 mins
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley share a live interview recorded at 6ABC studios in Philadelphia, Pa., featuring prior provincial of the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova, Robert Hagan, O.S.A. Father Rob discusses the case for the canonization of Bill Atkinson, O.S.A., an Augustinan friar who was the first quadriplegic ordained in the Catholic Church and whose life—according to Father Rob—was a miracle.
Zac, Ashley and...
Mark as Played
May 30, 2025 • 61 mins
Joining Zac and Ashley on this week’s episode of “Jesuitical” is Jamie Baxter, Founder & CEO of Exodus 90. The program, which helps men to strengthen their faith through prayer, asceticism and fraternity, faced some early skepticism from the Church—and the Jesuitical team—that led to valuable innovation.
Zac, Ashley and Jamie discuss:
Jamie’s conversion story, going to seminary and ultimately discerning out
How the id...
Mark as Played
May 23, 2025 • 56 mins
On this week’s episode of “Jesuitical,” Ashley and Zac are joined by Mark Francis, C.S.V., who was a seminary classmate of Pope Leo (then known as Bob Prevost) at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago in the late 1970s. Father Mark is the provincial of the Chicago province of the Viatorian community, and he describes Pope Leo as a thoughtful and sensitive leader—even in their seminary days.
Zac, Ashley, and Fr. Mark discuss:
...
Mark as Played
May 12, 2025 • 33 mins
Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. Our editors are on the ground in Rome covering the first days of Leo XIV’s historic papacy.
Today, Pope Leo met with members of the Vatican press corps and the thousands of other media in Rome covering his election, telling them to be peacemakers and calling for the release of all imprisoned journalists.
On our final episode recorded in Rome, the team discusses:
How Pope Leo r...
Mark as Played
May 11, 2025 • 22 mins
Welcome to America magazine’s Conclave Podcast. In this episode, the team discusses the Augustinian (and American) roots of Pope Leo XIV.
They discuss:
Pope Leo XIV is an alum of Villanova University. What’s the atmosphere is like on campus right now?
The Augustinian roots of Pope Leo: the intellectual, spiritual and social principles that will lead his ministry
How poverty, chastity and obedience are a path to fr...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.