The Based Catholic

Episode 28 Special Guests include: Brent Hull, Founder of Hull Historical Millwork & Author Jack Cashill. How much did America change after World War II? The short answer: a lot. For starters, we accelerated our standard of "cheap and fast" to the utmost degree in our architectural design and building. Mr. Hull comes on to share his passion for craftsmanship and historical restoration, as well as explain the history of how we got to the ugliness we see today. Turns out, Catholic universities are the only remaining hold out on beauty, and might be our only hope in the restoration of it. Then Mr. Cashill comes on to discuss his book, "Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight From America's Cities." We discuss how the urban ethnic Catholic parishes were the center of community for immigrants and how that was just never recreated in the suburbs. He also made the connection that while our cities were crumbling due to crime (the fallout of the sexual revolution in the black community), our Church also decided to reimagine itself.

Episode 27 Special Guest includes: Tim Carney, author of the book, "Family Unfriendly: How Our Culture Made Having Kids Much Harder Than It Needs To Be." Civilization is in crisis. The birth decline continues to drop as marriage rates plummet and suffer from further delay. But how responsible is our culture for this? Does it play a role in family formation, making it intentionally harder to have kids? Would a more religious culture that encourages married couples to have more babies catch on? Listen to my discussion with Tim where we address all this and more!

Episode 26 Special Guests include: Franciscan Theology Professor, Dr. John Bergsma & Father David. Are we willing to suffer for our beloved? If we liken the analogy of marriage to our relationship with God, how many of us simply use God rather than love Him for His own sake? In this episode I get into the different perspectives on suffering between protestants and Catholics with fellow Catholic convert, Dr. Bergsma. We discuss why we have to suffer, why Catholics "offer up" their sufferings, why it seems the wicked prosper and the just are punished, and what we can learn about enduring faith from Joseph in the Old Testament. Then I talk with Fr. David about spiritual discernment, if suffering is sent from God or the devil, and I learn something I did not know about the book of Job! *Jordan Peterson/Father Dave Pivonka Clip *Father Patrick Schultz Homily - "We Become The Saints We Don't Want To Be"

Episode 25 Special Guest includes: Father Patrick Schultz from the Diocese of Cleveland. I'm sure you've heard that famous Dr. Peter Kreeft quote: "Abortion is the Antichrist’s demonic parody of the eucharist. That’s why it uses the same holy words, “This is my body,” with the blasphemous opposite meaning." You could say that secular liberalism's sacramental substitute for the eucharist is a body *not* given up for another. In the same way, consider our culture's obsession with therapy. Is it a cope for a lack of sacramental confession and/or spiritual direction? Is meditation and manifesting alternative replacements for prayer? Is the Anti-Christ society's warped preference for a savior? I pose all these questions to Father Pat, one of my favorite young priests! We also discuss the sacrament of confirmation and the need to bring back reverence and beauty in the liturgy, something that was suppose to remain in the mass post-Vatican II, but has unfortunately been obliterated by cringe suburban Catholicism.

Episode 24 Special Guests include: Them Before Us President and Founder, Katy Faust & The Spectator's Teresa Mull. Issues related to marriage and family within liberalism's structure have long been decided based on what's best for the individual (i.e. the parent, the adult), never considering or in favor of what's best for the child. Katy goes child-centric in our conversation surrounding why biology matters, the agendas of adoption agencies, and how a regime that allows for reproductive technology like IVF to exist makes Ishmaels (like thousands of frozen embryos). Then I talk with Teresa about why moving to small town America might be the answer to our prevailing woes of wokeness!

Episode 23 Special Guests include: Declan Leary & Brent Bozell III. If one of the founding fathers of the modern conservative movement, Brent Bozell Jr were alive today (and still living in America), he'd probably be on the FBI's Catholic Extremist watch list. I interview Declan and his son Brent to discuss this lost piece of conservative media history and the Catholic giant he was, his disenchantment with conservative politics after returning to the States from Catholic Spain, and his legacy with Triumph Magazine...and ask, could a *new* Triumph be the answer to the growing dissatisfaction with conservative media many on the Right are experiencing?  Episode 23 Segments include: Krames Korner

Episode 22 Special Guest includes: Professor James Wilson. We conclude our discussion on John Paul II's The Jeweler's Shop with the third and final act of the play. Then I give my take on what I consider the missing rhetoric surrounding the two-parent household discussions and how they benefit children. Are the roles of mother and father interchangeable? Are two parents in the home all that matter, or do children deserve a married mother and father? Then I ask Catholic millennial women their thoughts on motherhood! Episode 22 Segments include: Call Her Traddy, Krames Korner

Episode 21 Special Guest: Professor James Wilson. They say divorce is down but that's only because marriage rates are too. In a post-marriage culture, how do we defend marriage if we don't even know what it is? I speak with Professor Wilson and we break down the first two acts of the profound play written by Pope Saint John Paul II, "The Jeweler's Shop," a meditation on marriage. Each of the three acts dives into a couple's marriage and teaches us something about love. You won't want to miss this one!

Episode 20 Special Guests include: Christopher Chapman & Jacob Beckwith. Do fools rush in or do men "know?" Ever heard of a decade-long friendship getting out of the friend-zone? After this episode, you will have! Meet the man behind the legend that is Emily Stimpson Chapman. Her husband Chris tells me his vocation story and his perspective in their shared love story. Then I discuss the growing trend of Gen Z ditching their smartphone for a dumbphone with Jacob. This is the last episode of 2023. Keep a look out for our return after the new year in 2024.

Episode 19 Special Guests include: Patricia Patnode & J.P. De Gance Writer and repentant former member of the Daddy Gang, Patricia Patnode comes on to discuss the social impact of Call Her Daddy (the #1 female podcast in the world). We ponder if Alex Cooper's Catholic education really screwed her up her views on sex (pssst..she must have never read POPE SAINT JPII's defense of the female orgasm). Then I interview J.P. De Gance on his son's high school homeschool football league and if this could be a budding alternative for Catholic student-athletes who want the varsity sports experience without the less-than-stellar Catholic formation received in a lot of Catholic schools. Episode 19 Segments include: Call Her Traddy

Episode 18 Special Guests include: Dr. R.J. Snell & Dr. Kathleen Sullivan We know what they took from us...beauty, Catholic culture, dancing, erotic weddings, and good storytelling. Dr. Snell gives a whimsical case. Then Dr. Sullivan tries to sell me on Jane Austen...I may be persuaded by Persuasion. You'll have to listen to find out!

Episode 17 Special Guests include: Ivana Greco & Patrick Brown What is the childcare blob? Ivana Greco dives into what the mainstream consensus is when it comes to who will watch the baby, comparing it to the Washington, D.C. foreign policy blob. Then I go back and forth with EPPC's Patrick Brown over whether an agnostic or "neutral" policy (if such a thing exists) is the best approach to take when it comes to what's in the best interest of children. This is part two of a two part series attempting to reframe the childcare debates...instead of asking, "What can we do to help working mothers? Let's start with asking, "What's best for the child? What's best for the family?" Episode 17 Segments include: I'm Listening (Should Catholics flirt?)

Episode 16 Special Guests include: Kelsie Long & Carrie Kaczmarek Bland Research shows that the first three years of a child's life are critically important in developing healthy attachment to their primary caregiver (mother). Instinctively at four I knew daycares were metaphorical orphanages, but what about private nannies? Better ratio, right? I decided to talk with two nannies about their experiences in stepping in for "Mom." This is part one of a two part series attempting to reframe the childcare debates...instead of asking, "What can we do to help working mothers? let's start with asking, "What's best for the child? What's best for the family?" Episode 16 Segments include: Call Her Traddy

Episode 15 Special Guests include: Maria Perrone & Verily Editor-in-Chief Mary Rose Somarriba Does everyone have an attachment disorder? What are some explanations for the relational trends we're seeing? What are some ways we can be more attractive as men and women? How can millennials recreate the Roseto Effect? I discuss with Maria. Then I interview the current Editor-in-Chief of Verily Magazine Mary Rose (who is practically my neighbor) about what sets Verily, the first publication in alternative women's media apart from her competitors.

Episode 14 Special Guests include: The American Conservative's Emile Doak & Maria DeLuca Perrone. Should a Catholic stay in their hometown, move to modern day Sodom and Gomorrah, or one of these Catholic Meccas? I discuss with Emile, long-time defender of staying in your hometown who is on the verge of moving his family to one of these thriving Catholic communities. Then I talk with my newlywed friend Maria about what she's learned in her first few months of marriage and why it's so important to marry the right person who feels like home. Then we pop off about some hot topics including Trad Larpers - who must be stopped! Episode 14 Segments include: I'm Listening, Call Her Traddy

Episode 13 Special Guests include: New Polity's Jacob Imam & Julia Beatty. Are we more pagan or Catholic with our money? Are our economic lives identifiably Catholic and transformed by the gospel? Jacob comes on for a fun exchange on why usury, investing in the market (and understanding investing as pure speculation) goes against Church Tradition, and points out that our desire for big bank accounts in retirement (401Ks) currently fund the exact companies trying to steal the very assets we want to buy. Then my married mom friend calls in to chat about previous episode discussions regarding men and women and gives her take on what's wrong with guys and girls in the dating scene! Episode 13 Segments include: I'm Listening

Episode 12 Special Guests include: Dr. Patrick Beeman, Board Certified in Addiction Medicine and the OBGYN at Veranova Health in Cleveland, and three nurses (including my sister, Elisa!) What happened to the profession of nursing? I talk with three nurses about the medical field, their experience during Covid, and when they have felt morally compromised. I then talk with Dr. Beeman about the new women's clinic, Veranova, and their holistic approach to women's reproductive health. He also brought up addiction and the most prevalent and least acknowledged drug out there..

Episode 11 Special Guests include: Americans United for Life's Senior Fellow Zak Slayback, Catholic Writer and Speaker Leah Libresco Sargeant, and Hillsdale Graduate Matthias Rhein. What is the Catholic approach and ethic to end of life issues? I discuss that with Leah, and then I talk with Zak about the industrialization of healthcare and what's going on in the pro-euthanasia movement. I ask him if there's a connection between the pro-bodily autonomy movement of the sexual revolution and the pro-bodily autonomy movement of "the right to die" movement, and how it's sadly turning into the "duty to die" movement. His answer is interesting! I then I talk with Matthias about a new stat that just came out on the rise of body cremation over traditional burials and the implications that will have on younger generations.

Episode 10 Special Guests include: A lot of Thompson's...& Fr. David. Watching Venmo transctions got me thinking....Who should pay during the course of a romantic relationship? What does it look like for the man to be the provider in marriage and does that start in dating? What weddings can a Catholic attend, and which invites should we decline? What is the origin of SPEAK NOW? Episode 10 Segments include: Call Her Traddy, Undateable, Krames Korner, and Father Knows Best

Episode 9 Special Guests include: Catholic wife, mother, & writer, Emily Stimpson Chapman. This episode was made in response to the growing trend of mostly male conservative commentators placing worldly pressure (mostly on women) to get married young in an effort to solve the country's fertility crisis. But is marriage something you can control outside of God's will, or is it a gift and miracle? And is the marriage decline really due to feminism, or are we instead in the midst of an invisible WWIII with spiritually dead men lost to pornography? Episode 9 Segments include: Krames Korner