Ave Explores

Oct 30 2024 209 ep. 40 mins 220
Ave Explores Podcast artwork

A project of Ave Maria Press, Ave Explores helps you discover and learn about aspects of the Catholic faith from a variety of different angles, looking at topics relevant to the spiritual life in a fresh, engaging, and practical way.

  Religion & Spirituality  Education
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Ave Explores Teaser Trailer

Sep 28 2019 6 mins  
Katie Prejean McGrady introduces Ave Explores, a new project from Ave Maria Press. This season, we explore Mary, our Blessed Mother, answering some big questions about her and the role she plays in our lives. Why does she matter, and how can we get to know her? What does it mean to pray with Mary, to emulate Mary, to trust like Mary? Who is she, really? You'll hear stories

Week Six: Monks, Nuns, and Their Habits with Fr. Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP

Oct 30 2024 56 mins  
Religious orders wear a wide variety of habits, from brown robes reminiscent of Jedi attire to white robes with black capes similar to Gandalf’s. With so many distinct styles, it’s hard for anyone to keep track of them all. Beyond their attire, religious communities are diverse, unique, and an enriching part of the Church—though they may seem a bit unusual at first. Fr. Patr

Week Five: A Baptist Becomes Catholic Because of the Bible with Sonja Corbitt

Oct 23 2024 46 mins  
Catholic author and speaker Sonja Corbitt embraced Catholicism after a lifetime of being a Southern Baptist, and she did so because of the Bible. Her entrance into the Church, which included a deep study of some of the stranger teachings of the Faith, became a source of both inspiration and consternation in her own family, and her love of her faith today is even deeper as a result.

Week Four: Big Honkin' Candles and Fun Feast Days with Steffani Aquila

Oct 16 2024 63 mins  
Why do we bake cakes for Shrove Tuesday or use chalk to mark our doors on the Epiphany? Why do we crown statues of Mary with flowers or sing hymns to the biggest candle of them all, the Paschal Candle, on Easter Vigil? Steffani Aquila, author of Festive Faith, walks us through the liturgical year and explains some of the most cherished, and oddest, liturgical living traditions an

Week Three: The Oddities of the Early Church with Mike Aquilina

Oct 09 2024 48 mins  
When we declare that Catholicism is two thousand years old, we must do so knowing that this means the earliest days of the Church were, at times, peculiar and challenging. The liturgy had to be developed, sacramental practices clarified, disputes settled, and the life of the Church established as we now know it. Mike Aquilina, Catholic scholar and prolific author, discusses the u

Week Two: Unveiling the Mystery of Relics with Sean Pilcher and Sharing Holy Stories with Jonathan Roumie

Oct 02 2024 71 mins  
Sean Pilcher, from Sacra, an apostolate focused on the restoration and recovery of relics, shares the meaning and importance of relics for all Catholics. Sean discusses how relics are verified, what it looks like to restore relics that have been damaged, and offers insight into how relics impact our spiritual lives. Then, in a special bonus Ave Explores exclusive, Katie sits down

Week One: How Saints are Studied and Made with Meg Hunter-Kilmer and Deacon David Keene

Sep 25 2024 77 mins  
Join Meg Hunter-Kilmer, author and storyteller of saints, and Deacon David Keene, an archeologist and canon lawyer, as they delve into the fascinating process of uncovering the lives of saints. From researching their stories to studying their relics, they explore the challenges and discoveries that bring these holy figures to life. We would love it if you could leave a written rev

Teaser: Embracing the Oddities of Catholicism with Matt Maher

Sep 18 2024 62 mins  
Matt Maher wouldn’t describe himself as a “peculiar” or “weird” Catholic, but he wouldn’t mind if you described him like that, because he knows that’s just sort of part of being Catholic. World renowned, Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and producer, Matt Maher sits down with Katie McGrady to talk about what he loves about his Catholic faith, how he shares it in l

Katie McGrady Welcomes Oscar Rivera to the Ave Podcast Family

Aug 19 2024 32 mins  
In this bonus episode of Ave Explores, Katie Prejean McGrady sits down with Oscar Rivera, new host of Ave Spotlight. Together, they discuss the origins of their collaboration, dive into their experience at the National Eucharistic Congress, and share thoughts on the Olympics. Follow along at avemariapress.com or subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. We would l

Week Seven: On Pilgrimage in the U.S. with Tim O'Malley and Chenele Shaw

Jun 24 2024 72 mins  
Catholicism is incarnational and tactile. We exist in reality, and so does our faith. Remembering that is essential to growing in our Catholicism, and Timothy P. O’Malley explains how “matter matters” in the places and spaces we worship. This summer, Catholics in the United States will have the chance to experience that incarnational reality on the National Eucharistic Pilgri