Kolbecast

AMDG. Today theologian, author, speaker, podcaster, and homeschool father Brett Salkeld rejoins us on the Kolbecast. Brett joined us on episode 290, but we couldn’t get to everything we wanted to talk about, so he graciously returned to continue our conversation.  In today’s episode we discuss the differences between education and indoctrination, formation versus information, and explore the theme of redemption in learning. Links mentioned & relevant:  Kolbecast episode 290 There Is No Neutral, Dr. Salkeld’s Kolbecast debut  Brett’s Making Every Class Catholic Substack  Thinking Faith podcast  Pope Leo’s apostolic letter “Drawing New Maps of Hope”  The Joy of Being Wrong: Original Sin through Easter Eyes by James Alison  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Catholic clinical psychologist, author, TV and radio host Dr. Ray Guarendi joins the Kolbecast to discuss parenting, the advantages of homeschooling, and his recent and upcoming books. This episode will leave you laughing hard and thinking deeply– don’t miss it!   Links mentioned & relevant:  Dr. Ray Guarendi’s website drray.com  How to Get Along with (Almost) Everybody  Drama-Free Discipline  Related Kolbecast episodes:  55 Humor & Humility with Kolbe mom Heather, who mentions Dr. Ray as instrumental in her decision to homeschool  105 Not Just for Special Occasions  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Standardized testing is a minefield for parents and students, but it does not have to be. Kolbe alum Colin and current Kolbe senior Tobias join the Kolbecast to share their firsthand experiences taking the ACT, SAT, CLT, and PSAT. The duo explains the differences between the tests, breaks down how scoring works, and shares the study strategies that helped them succeed. Whether you are a parent guiding your child through the testing process or a student preparing for your first exam, this episode is a must-listen.   Links mentioned & relevant:  Taking the Classic Learning Test (CLT) as a Kolbe student  College Entrance & AP Exams article in Kolbe Academy Help Center  Career Guidance & Discernment section of Kolbe Academy Help Center (including college planning)  College Planning Timeline  College Planning section of Kolbe Academy website  Related Kolbecast episodes:  265 Chosen to Be a Saint, Commencement 2025 speeches including from Colin Lengyel and Brendan Murphy  163 Postcards from France  193 STEM, State Schools, and Sibling Dynamics   38 Substance Matters with Classic Learning Test founder Jeremy Tate  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Kolbe Alumna and Holy Heroes brand manager Clara Davidson joins the Kolbecast to share how homeschooling served her both personally and professionally, her experience working in a family business, how to talk to children about complex topics, and what is next for Holy Heroes. Don’t miss this insider’s look into a beloved Catholic company!   Links mentioned & relevant:  Holy Heroes  St. Kateri Tekakwitha Glory Story with Clara’s interview of Jake Finkbonner  Very Young Catholic series  Kolbecast episode 63 The Saints Speak for Themselves with Ken and Kerri Davison, the Holy Heroes parents  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Steven and Bonnie are joined by Kolbe’s Megan Lengyel and Leslie Spencer to discuss physics. Physics can be a course that many find intimidating in the high school years, yet it provides an amazing look into the modern natural sciences while exploring the theories behind everything from motion to electricity and light. In this episode, we discuss the place of physics in a classical curriculum, the challenges to including physics in a homeschooling program, and the benefits of undertaking the challenge.   Links mentioned & relevant:  Kolbe Academy Graduation Requirements and Awards  College Planning information from Kolbe Academy  Academics & Advising section of Help Center  Related Kolbecast episodes:  237 Unearthing a Broader Worldview with Mrs. Leslie Spencer  114 Kolbe Past, Present, and Future with Kolbe Academy executive director Mary Rowles   263 Exploring God’s Cosmos: Astronomy for Everyday People  278 Daniel Kuebler on the Compatibility of Catholicism and Evolution  290 There Is No Neutral with Brett Salkeld  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Today, following this Jubilee Year of Hope, we welcome Joan Watson back to the Kolbecast. We’ve talked about pilgrimages in the past, but with the release of her new book Making a Pilgrimage, a Companion for Catholics, we’re able to focus a bit more on approaching life as a pilgrim. We also take the opportunity to live vicariously through Joan’s experiences on pilgrimages throughout the years. Links mentioned & relevant:  Making a Pilgrimage: A Companion for Catholics  Follow @stpaulcenter @emmausroadpublishing and @joan.m.watson on Instagram  Opening the Holy Door  Joan’s website  Pilgrimage to Poland and Lithuania with Joan Watson October 2026  Related Kolbecast episodes:  235 The Disposition of Pilgrimage and 251 A Year of the Lord’s Favor with Joan Watson  183 Gratuitous Gifts: Charisms with Sherry Weddell  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

Many people know Dale Ahlquist through his television show, his many writings, or through his work as the president of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton. Today Steven, Bonnie, and Kolbe Academy marketing director Josh Beckman get to hear more about G.K. Chesterton, both as a man and about his writings. So whether you’re a longtime Chesterton fan or new to his work, you’re sure to enjoy this conversation about the Apostle of Common Sense.   Links mentioned & relevant:  I Also Had My Hour: An Alternative Autobiography of G.K. Chesterton by Dale Ahlquist  Books about G.K. Chesterton by Dale Ahlquist in the Chesterton Society online store  The Chestertons and the Golden Key by Nancy Brown  Related Kolbecast episodes  252 The Timeliness of Fulton Sheen with Cheryl Hughes  49 Revealed through Story and 253 Classical Literature Appetizers with Joseph Pearce    Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Any time is a good time to meditate on the life of St. Joseph.  Fr. Lanzetta gives us many insights into the life of this extremely important saint and how, through a devotion to St. Joseph, this wonderful saint will lead us to the Blessed Mother and Our Lord.   Links mentioned & relevant:  The Silent Witness of Nazareth by Serafino Lanzetta  Radio Immaculata  Marian Franciscans  Kolbecast episode 280 St. Maximilian Kolbe and Marian Consecration with Dave VanVickle  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Theologian, podcaster, and author Dr. Brett Salkeld wants to make every class Catholic. Brett contends that faith and science are complementary. Though the two fields answer two fundamentally different questions, their conclusions are inseparably intertwined.   In this lively episode, Brett discusses his experience as a homeschooling parent, his background as a diocesan theologian, and how he approaches complex topics with his own children.  Links mentioned & relevant:  Making Every Class Catholic has links to Dr. Salkeld’s various online offerings  Thinking Faith podcast  Dr. Salkeld’s Substack  Educating for Eternity: A Teacher’s Companion for Making Every Class Catholic  Dr. Daniel Kuebler on the Thinking Faith Podcast  Related Kolbecast episodes  222 Something No One Has Understood Before and 278 On Compatibility of Evolution and Catholicism with Dr. Daniel Kuebler  52 Through a Catholic Lens with Kim Crawford  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Homeschooling parents often feel the pressure to do it all. But sometimes what they need most is a lighter load. In this continuation of our conversation with Curriculum Project Manager Erica Treat, we explore the range of additional support available to parents. Whether you want access to supplemental lectures from our skilled teaching staff or want to have a teacher on call for grading support and questions, Kolbe has something for you.   Related Kolbecast episodes:  288 The Homeschool Compass Part 1  281 Beauty through Words: Classical Reflections on Poetry  285 Joy, Light, Sorrow, and Glory – The Way of the Rosary with Shannon Wendt  260 Flow & Connection through Learning and 261 Make It about Relationship with Lisa Popcak  Visit kolbe.org/podcast and click the “liturgical living” tab for more episodes featuring discussion on liturgical living  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Curriculum Project Manager Erica Treat joins the Kolbecast to walk parents through the many resources available in Kolbe's course plans and how to implement them for a successful homeschooling year. Not only has Erica helped Kolbe create and refine these course plans, but she has also used them in her own home with her children. Erica discusses how the course plans are modified to meet your family's unique needs and offers strategies for balancing the demands of parenting and teaching. Whether you have used Kolbe's course plans for years or are new homeschooling, this episode is sure to provide you with a wealth of inspiration for your journey.  Links mentioned & relevant:  Information about Parent Partnership Meetings  The Kolbe Academy Blog  The Academics & Advising section of the Kolbe Academy Help Center   Blog post corresponding to this topic coming soon!  Related Kolbecast episodes:  281 Beauty through Words: Classical Reflections on Poetry  156 Mission Intent: Formed to Serve with Erica and her husband Kevin as well as other Kolbe military families  29 The February Staredown  243 Drawing Distinctions: Classical Education, Liberal Arts, and Liberal Education  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Best-selling Catholic author Emily Stimpson Chapman returns to the Kolbecast to discuss the launch of her three newest books: Around the Catholic Table: 100+ Simple Recipes for Family and Friends, The Story of All Stories: A Story Bible for Young Catholics, and Sacred Wine: The Holy History and Heritage of Catholic Vintners.   Around the Catholic Table began as an e-book fundraiser to raise money for Emily's second adoption. From there, it grew into an all-in-one guide to hosting, providing recommendations for everything from cleaning to decorating to cooking for guests with food allergies. Emily's 20-year experience as a Catholic writer prepared her for her second project, a story bible for Catholic readers of all ages. Her final book-- Sacred Wine -- tells the story of Catholic winemakers. "Catholicism is like honey," Emily comments, "It gets all over everything."  Links mentioned & relevant:  Kolbecast episode 130 The Gifts We Have, Emily’s Kolbecast debut  Around the Catholic Table   The Story of All Stories  Sacred Wine  The Visitation Sessions podcast  Study with Emily Stimpson Chapman in Austria May 2026   St. Paul Center  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Iconographer Joseph Bremer invites you to discover the “real presence” of the saints in icons. Joseph discusses the rich history of iconography— from its roots in Egyptian art to the separation of eastern and western traditions— and the profound religious significance of iconography. For Joseph, iconography is not just art; it is devotion.   Links mentioned & relevant:  Romanesque Icons by Joseph Bremer  Joey’s article in New Liturgical Movement  Joseph’s icon for the Boethius Conference at The University of Tulsa  Andrei Rublev’s Holy Trinity icon  Painting the LIght YouTube channel  Related Kolbecast episodes:  9 Interview with Monnica Prudlo, Joseph’s wife  23 Imagine Being Homeschooled and 158 The Gift of a Mind featuring Peter Prudlo  36 Embrace the Fifth Day and 140 Burnout Happens with Therese Prudlo  40 Windshield Time with Dr. Don Prudlo  111 What Treasures Remain with Don & Therese Prudlo and Dr. Carl Hasler  259 Seeing the Story: Classical Reflections on Art  198 The Sign of Our Salvation with Dr. Gilbert Lavoie  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Do you struggle to pray the rosary deeply or even to pray it at all? Chews Life founder and author of The Way of The Rosary Shannon Wendt discusses how she went from not praying at all to praying the rosary every day. After a series of tragic pregnancy losses, Shannon found herself in a crisis of faith. Out of her crisis came reconversion, and Shannon was inspired to create a product to help busy parents to embrace the rosary in their daily life. Shannon wants everyone to know that praying the rosary is worthwhile, “even if it’s messy and imperfect.”   Links mentioned & relevant:  Chews Life shop  The Way of the Rosary book  The Way of the Rosary collection  The Way of the Rosary podcast  Rosary resources for the whole family from Ascension Press  Learn more about Shannon, her book, Chews Life, and Ascension Press via these social media accounts:   Instagram: @ascensionpress and @chewslifeshannon  Facebook: @AscensionPress and @ChewsLifeShop  X: @AscensionPress    Related Kolbecast episodes:  280 St. Maximilian Kolbe and Marian Consecration with Dave VanVickle  255 Family Life as Liturgy with Dr. Greg Popcak  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast!  

AMDG. What does homeschooling look like in First Grade? Kindergarten? Pre-K? Advisor Pam Castor and resource teacher Emmanuelle Wilhelm share practical tips that you can implement today to set your youngest students up for success in the home.   Related Kolbecast episodes:  90 Vocations Here, Now, and Eventually with Adam & Pam Castor  269 Resources and Roadmaps   197 Tools in a Toolbox – Kolbe Academy’s Student Support Services program  151 Joyful Discoveries for Preschoolers  81 The When and the How of Online Elementary  82 Move and Groove  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. We all want to grow in virtue, but how do we get there? Dr. Ryan Hanning breaks down how to create a personalized approach to growing in virtue in his new co-authored book, The Willpower Advantage. Dr. Ryan explores what it means to be happy, how different temperaments interact with the virtues, and the universal appeal of virtue.  A professor of historical philosophy and theology, Dr. Hanning has 25 years of experience in homeschooling and runs a homestead farm.   Links mentioned & relevant:  Dr. Ryan Hanning’s website  The WillPower Advantage: Building Habits for Lasting Happiness by Tom Peterson & Ryan Hanning, Ph.D.  Mary College, a partnership between the University of Mary and Arizona State University  Fraternus  Walker Percy’s Lost in the Cosmos  Related Kolbecast episodes:  123 A Change of the Ages with Msgr. James Shea  199 Jason Craig: Do Good Work and Read Good Work  176 The Agenda Is to Grow and 254 Freedom from Anxiety with Art & Laraine Bennett  123 A Change of the Ages with Msgr. James P. Shea  240 Entry Points for Evangelization – Jimmy Mitchell’s Let Beauty Speak  226 Cultivating Habits of Excellence with Dr. Andrew Abela  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Bonnie and Steven are joined by professor and author, Dr. Michael Pakaluk. They discuss Dr. Pakaluk’s family's homeschooling experience his new book, The Shock of Holiness; and his thoughts about St. Maximilian Kolbe.  Links mentioned & relevant:  Dr. Pakaluk’s new book The Shock of Holiness  The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God by Ruth V.K. Pakaluk & Michael Pakaluk  Recent piece on St. Maximilian Kolbe and the saint’s impact on Dr. Pakaluk  HSLDA episode with Dr. Catherine Pakaluk  Dr. Pakaluk’s piece on Fr. John Tracy Ellis   Related Kolbecast episodes:  174 Kolbe’s Chiaroscuro with Anthony D’Ambrosio, writer and producer of Triumph of the Heart  226 Cultivating Habits of Excellence with Andrew Abela  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Poetry is a cornerstone of many homeschooling parents’ education plans— but why? Curriculum Director Maggie Hayden, Curriculum Project Manager Erica Treat and her son, Eben, join the Kolbecast to break down the reasons that poetry should be an integral part of any well-rounded education. “The children who had done poetry when they were young liked to read when they were older,” Maggie comments, “and they could read harder things.”   Learn more about Kolbe Academy’s poetry resources and preview a poetry course via this blog post: Poetry for the Classical Catholic Homeschooler. Related Kolbecast episodes  175 A Both-And Approach at the University of Dallas with Dr. Jonathan Sanford  156 Mission Intent: Formed to Serve featuring Erica and her husband, among others, discussing military life and homeschooling  271 Building a LIterary Foundation with Maggie Hayden & Mara Matteoli  277 The One and Only Shakespeare  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Catholic evangelist and podcaster Dave VanVickle is “obsessed” with St. Maximilian Kolbe and Marian consecration, and you should be too. In his background aiding exorcists, Dave discovered that “Mary is the lynch pin in almost every case.” Since then, Dave dove deeply into Marian consecration, inviting everyone to “give your life to Our Lady.” He discusses what Marian consecration really is (hint: it doesn’t have to be 33 days long), how to approach the prayer, and why we should not view it superstitiously.   Dave found devotion to St. Maximilian Kolbe through his research into Marian consecration. “This was a man who fell so deeply in love with our lady,” Dave comments, “He was doing theology that was high level… He desperately needs to be studied.”     Links mentioned & relevant:  Dave’s website The Catholic Truth about Angels, Demons, Ghosts, Exorcisms, and Hauntings  Every Knee Shall Bow podcast  The writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe and more information on Marian Consecration via the Militia Immaculata website  Related Kolbecast episodes:  100 In the Beginning with Kolbe Academy co-founder Mrs. Dianne Muth  174 Kolbe’s Chiaroscuro with Anthony D’Ambrosio about his film on St. Maximilian Kolbe Triumph of the Heart  134 For Tinkerers of All Ages highlighting St. Maximilian Kolbe’s engagements with media developments of his time  168 The Adventure of a Lifetime with Melissa Dee of the Saints Alive podcast  268 Pilgrimage & Jubilee with Our Lady of Champion featuring Kolbe Academy alumnus Fr. Nathan Mudd  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

AMDG. Catholic author Susan Peek joins the Kolbecast to discuss her mission: bringing the stories of lesser-known saints alive for teens and young adults. Susan found herself frustrated searching for morally-sound but still engaging stories for teenagers: “the plots might be exciting, the writer might be excellent— and yet there’s so few things that we can give to teenagers to read.”Her first novel began as a movie script about Saint Camillus, whose struggle of conversion (and reconversion) has inspired many young readers. Today, Susan’s collection of books for teens includes Saint Cloud of Gaul: The Prince Who Trades Kingdoms, St Dymphna of Ireland: The King’s Prey, and Crusader King: A Novel of Baldwin IV and the Crusades, among many others. If you are already a fan of Susan or are just hearing her name for the first time, this episode is a must-listen for parents of Catholic teens!   Links mentioned & relevant:  Susan Peek’s website Catholic Writers Guild Catholic Teen Books  Related Kolbecast episodes:  249 Stories Crafted with Care from Kolbe Academy Press 267 Time Traveling through History: Bringing the Past to Life for Young Learners  Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.   We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey!  The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast!