Mystery Through Manners Catholic Podcast

In our final episode of this second season, we discuss the power of the arts to help provide healing, particularly through music. Whether it's the individual, the culture, or the Church, music can enliven our spirits and help us to face big, deep emotions on the journey of faith.

Featured in today's episode:

Shaun Garrison, musician, missionary, founder of Windswept Ministries. You can learn more about Shaun at his website: https:/...

In today's episode, we dive into the world of beauty through the medium of theater. We talk with experts in the theater, including playwrights, directors, and actors, about how the medium can build bridges in today's fractured world, why storytelling is essential in the Christian life, and how theater can move our hearts perhaps more than any other art form.

Featured guests for today's episode: Dr. David E. King, professor at Kenne...

In 2018, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York hosted its annual MET Gala, the kick-off to an exhibit under the same theme. Oh...and the theme for the night? "Heavenly Bodies, and the Catholic Imagination." I mean, was there any chance I WOULDN'T do an episode on it? :)

Featured Guests for the episode:

Dr. Anne Carpenter, associate professor of theology at St. Mary's College

Dr. Jennifer Frey, professor of philosophy at Univer...

Many months ago, as I began to create storylines and episode ideas for an entire season on Beauty, I came across an interesting dilemma: how to talk about beauty when our world has so many ideas about it? It seemed to be that the only way to have an honest and real discussion about the importance of Beauty in our lives, we have to address the ways the culture has weaponized beauty to cause harm and anxiety.

In today's episode, we d...

Throughout this season, we've explored the Catholic arts and the gift of beauty through visuals, and the power of creating alongside our Creator. In today's episode, we'll jump into what happens when our BODIES are engaged in the careful beauty of pen to paper.

Featured in today's episode:⁠
Sybil MacBeth, bestselling author of "Praying in Color". https://prayingincolor.com
Ali Hoffman, curator of the Instagram page The Oodl...

In this week's episode, we dive into the world of the graphic arts through one of the most popular mediums: T-shirt design. Through the stories of the three most popular designs of our artists, we get at the heart of why the graphic arts are so important, and what these simple and beautiful designs can teach us about the role of the arts in our spiritual life.

Music for today's episode:
Skyscrapers 
Words and music by...

In the second part of our two-part series on creating, Jules tries to answer a question central to her own journey: what now? Now that we understand the spiritual significance of creating with our Creator, what are we to do with the creation itself? How can the creative works of artists also aid us in our spiritual journeys?

In today's episode, we journey with Laurence Pierson, an artist we featured last episode, to understand the ...

SEASON 2 STARTS TODAY!

In the first episode of our new season,  we start with a simple question: "WHY DOES BEAUTY MATTER?"  Under the guidance of three experts, David Clayton, Elizabeth Lev, and Cory Heimann, we seek to answer that question and why beauty is important in our spiritual journeys. We also tell the story of an amazing couple, Ennie and Cana Hickman, about how they integrate beauty into their everyday lives.&n...

In our final episode of our mini series "On My Bookshelf," Jules interviews one of the most influential figures in the American arts scene: Dana Gioia. Mr. Gioia has spent his professional life attempting to bring the arts back into the lives of everyday Americans, including as an award-winning poet, serving as the head of the National Endowment for the Arts, and ending his career as the current Poet Laurette of the state of Califo...

In today's episode, we talk with the creator of a new Catholic comic book series (and publishing house!), Phil Koslowski, about his new comic book "Finnian and the Seven Mountains." In our story, we dive into the history of comic books, why learning through visuals has always been an essential tool in the Church, and the importance of finding Jesus in hero stories. 

Untethered 

Words and music by Joe Zambon 

© 2017 J...

Adding to our series "On My Bookshelf" is a brand new literary journal for Catholics, Ever Eden Literary Journal. Curated, created, and written entirely by women, the Ever Eden Literary Journal is an absolutely delightful addition to the rich tradition of storytelling in the written word in the Catholic tradition. 

In our episode today, we speak with Amy O'Connell, Ever Eden's co-founder and creator. We talk about the necessit...

As we enter into this Lenten season, Jules talks with Dr. Kelley Spoerl, a professor of theology at Saint Anselm College, about a mighty spiritual classic, Caryll Houselander's "Reed of God." During their chat, Dr. Spoerl guides the audience through Caryll Houselander's simple yet extraordinary life, her time writing for a Catholic publishing powerhouse, the importance of Marian devotion, and the renewed interest in recent years to...

In the second episode of our book series, On My Bookshelf, we interview Deacon Harold Burkes-Sivers about his new book, "Father Augustus Tolton." As we close Black History Month, Deacon guides the listeners through the incredible story of Father Tolton, and how Father Tolton's life can be a witness to Gospel-centered love in our modern world. 

Music for Today's Episode:

Exceeding

Words and music by Shaun Garrison. 

© 2015...

In the final episode of our first season, we decided to end with a bang! In the first half of our episode, we journey to the small borough of Roseto, PA, to uncover the secrets to a stress-free life. Using the lessons of Roseto, the second half of the episode tells the story of the Catholic subculture with the help of some friends. :) We interview six different Catholic podcasters, and ask each a single question: what should an aut...

In the third episode of our series on the Catholic subculture, we seek to find out just what happened to the world of American Catholicism that led to such drastic change over the course of a single decade. Using the medium of music, we'll explore how protest movements, the suburbs, and this one, small encyclical led to our current situation as modern day Catholics. 

Music for today's episode:

"Exceeding"

Words and music by Sh...

In our Part II on our series on the Catholic subculture, we dive into the world of the movies in the heart of the Golden Age of Hollywood. We speak to scholars and one of my favorite people to ask just how much the Church influenced the broader American culture in the post-war era, and how this influence so quickly fell apart.

"Exceeding"

Words and music by Shaun Garrison. 

© 2015 Shaun Garrison. As recorded on Exceeding  ...