CHNetwork Presents

Living Your First Year as a New Catholic - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 29

Whether you entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, or at Pentecost, or at some other time, that first year of getting your bearings and living the sacramental life can be full of excitement, disappointment, encouragement, and culture shock.
Matt Swaim, Keith Nester, and Shaun McAfee reflect on what that first year as new Catholics was like for them: the biggest surprises, the most rewarding moments, and the things they wish they had done differently.
Hopefully the conversation is an encouragement to those of you who are navigating your first year in the Church!
Shaun on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/shaun-mcafee-former-southern-baptist-non-denominational/
Shaun's book, "I'm Catholic, Now What?" https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Now-What-Shaun-McAfee/dp/1681923432#:~:text=%22Shaun%20McAfee%20has%20packed%20this,how%20engaging%20Catholicism%20can%20be!%22
Keith on The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/keith-nester-former-methodist-pastor/
Keith's book, "The Convert's Guide to Roman Catholicism: Your First Year in the Church" https://www.amazon.com/Converts-Guide-Roman-Catholicism-Church/dp/1700289772/ref=sr_1_1?crid=13QCCI3HNM2NX&keywords=keith+nester&qid=1685613835&s=books&sprefix=keith+nester%2Cstripbooks%2C62&sr=1-1
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A Protestant Guide to Catholic Bibles - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 28

For Protestants of any background exploring Catholicism, the idea of a Bible with a bigger table of contents than they're used to can be a bewildering proposition. So why do Catholics have a different list of Old Testament books than Protestants do? And what are some good starting points for a Protestant who wants to get to know these books? Matt Swaim welcomes Gary Michuta, author of "Why Catholic Bibles are Bigger" and "The Case for the Deuterocanon" to unpack the differences between Protestant and Catholic Bibles, and the history behind how those differences came about. Gary Michuta's website: https://www.handsonapologetics.com
Gary's YouTube channel, "Apocrypha Apocalypse": https://www.youtube.com/c/apocryphaapocalypse
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Pro Baseball and the Journey to the Catholic Faith - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 27

Dan Venezia grew up in New York City, and while his baseball skills caught the notice of the Minnesota Twins, spiritually he was in the wilderness. Wade Gaynor came from a strong Christian family in Kentucky, and when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers, he took his strong Methodist faith to pro baseball with him, and met his wife, Neena, along the way. Neena, Wade and Dan share the ways their experience of Minor League Baseball shaped their way of looking at the world, especially in regards to faith, and how the things they encountered ended up uniquely leading each of them to the Catholic Faith. Dan's written testimony: The Sacrifice that Brought Me Home https://chnetwork.org/story/sacrifice... Neena's written testimony: A Pick-up, a Pope Book, and a Profession of Faith https://chnetwork.org/story/a-pick-up... Neena's children's book: A Garden for Mary https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Mary-Ne... Our Online Community: https://community.chnetwork.org Support our work: https://www.chnetwork.org/donate

Becoming Catholic While Teaching at a Private Christian School - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 26

Many private Christian schools have their staff sign an annual doctrinal statement, to ensure consistency of belief and teaching in their communities.
But many of those doctrinal statements are also crafted so as to exclude Christians from certain theological backgrounds, especially Catholics.
So what happens when a teacher at one of those schools decides to become Catholic?
Matt D'Antuono and Dr. Annie Bullock both had that experience, and share how their interest in Catholicism affected their work as private Christian high school teachers, what happened when they actually became Catholic, and how they've found ways to use their gifts and passion for education now that they've come into the Church.
Dr. Bullock's episode of The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/dr-annie-bullock-former-baptist-and-episcopalian/
Matt D'Antuono's episode of The Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/matt-dantuono-former-evangelical-protestant/
A written version of Matt D'Antuono's story: https://chnetwork.org/story/discovering-the-beauty-of-the-truth/
Matt D'Antuono's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Matt-DAntuono/author/B0764HQM3H?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
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Do Converts Really Make the Best Catholics? – CHNetwork Presents, Episode 25

Often, due to their zeal and the amount of research they do, converts to Catholicism are treated like experts on the Faith, who have somehow figured it out more even than people who've been Catholic their whole lives.But is that really the case?Matt Swaim talks to Casey and Erin Phillips and Lorelei Savaryn about their own experience of being active Evangelical Christians, the way that formed them to think about Christianity, and how it fueled their passion about being Catholic once they discovered the reality of the Church. They also discuss the pitfalls that can be present to new converts, and how those who are new to the Church shouldn't let the fact that they've learned a lot of information serve as a substitute for actually experiencing formation in their newfound faith.
Casey and Erin's podcast
Lorelei's website

Fitting in at Your Parish as a New Catholic - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 24

Many inquirers feel drawn to the Catholic Church because of the beauty and power of her teachings and sacraments. But many of them are coming from church backgrounds -- especially Evangelical ones -- where they felt welcomed and included, and their experience of visiting a Catholic parish can feel like the exact opposite of that. Matt Swaim talks to Jennifer Fitz and Rakhi McCormick about their own experience of this phenomenon when they were becoming Catholic, how to remedy some of those frustrations, and how the Mass is fundamentally different than the kind of worship experience that so many of us have come from. Jennifer's Substack articles on this topic: http://jenniferfitz.substack.com
Jennifer's Journey Home episode: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/jennifer-fitz-catholic-revert/
Jennifer's written conversion story: https://chnetwork.org/story/tossed-about-then-reeled-in/
Rakhi on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rakstardesigns
Rakhi's Journey Home: https://chnetwork.org/journey-home/rakhi-mccormick-former-hindu/
More of Rakhi's story: https://chnetwork.org/insights/hinduism-and-catholicism-rakhi-mccormick/
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The Ripple Effect of Becoming Catholic – Episode 23

Monica Anyango grew up Catholic, but left the faith for years before feeling a strong pull back to the sacraments. Raven Yohannon lived in Monica's apartment building, and one day when she got locked out, she knocked on Monica's door, and an immediate friendship began.
They talk about how friendship and community are essential components of sharing faith, and what it means to truly walk with people as they seek to grow in relationship with Christ.
Monica's work: monicaanyango.com
Raven's work: saintsalivepodcast.com

Catholic Lent and the Human Desire for Self-Discipline - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 22

Before he became Catholic, Rob Marco sought to shake off consumerism and embrace self-discipline through extreme outdoor adventures and straight edge punk ethos.
Pat Flynn sought it too, through stoic philosophy and hardcore fitness regimens.
They share with Matt Swaim how they approached self-discipline and the desire to reject consumerism and appetites before becoming Catholic, and how those concepts took on new meaning when they began to understand how Catholicism treats Lent.
Pat's website: https://chroniclesofstrength.com
More from Pat: https://www.philosophyforthepeople.com
Rob's blog: https://fatherofthefamily.blogspot.com
Pat's testimony: https://chnetwork.org/?s=patrick+flynn
Rob's Testimony: https://chnetwork.org/?s=rob+marco
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Science Fiction, Christianity, and the Search for Truth - CHNetwork Presents, Episode 20

As kids, both Rod Bennett and Jim Papandrea were captivated by science fiction, from H.G. Wells to Star Trek, to Narnia and more. These stories shaped them, and helped them to ask the most important questions about what it means to be human.
Now as widely published Church historians, Rod and Jim talk to Matt Swaim about how sci-fi and fantasy stories, and the desire to explore big questions in unfamiliar environments, can help us better understand the debates through the centuries about who Jesus is, how we should conduct ourselves in an ever-changing technological world, and what it means to have a truly Christian imagination.
Jim's book, "From Star Wars to Superman: Christ Figures in Science Fiction and Superhero Films": https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Superman-Figures-Superhero/dp/1622823885/ref=sr_1_13?crid=1IRQUO5A089Y6&keywords=james+papandrea&qid=1668699831&s=books&sprefix=james+papandrea%2Cstripbooks%2C57&sr=1-13
Rod's book, "The Popcorn Cathedral: Essays at the Junction of Film, Faith, and Fantasy": https://www.amazon.com/Popcorn-Cathedral-Essays-Junction-Fantasy/dp/153323549X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
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Feeling Unworthy to Go Back to Mass – CHNetwork Presents, Episode 19

Many people who grew up Catholic have just stopped going to Church over the years, and for whatever reason, think the things they've been involved with have made it so they'll never be welcome to come back. They feel unwanted, by practicing Catholics or even by God, and don't want to be just one more hypocrite in a room full of people who they feel will never accept them.
Carlos "C2six" Zamora and Fonzie "Separate M1nd" Pedroza of the Catholic hip hop collective FoundNation share their own experience of getting in trouble with gangs and drugs in their high school years, how that affected their relationship with Christ and the Church, and how they came over time to see God as a loving Father who is always calling His children back to relationship with Him.
Featured track: "Empty Pew" by FoundNation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FZX3qNi5Vc
More tracks: https://www.foundnationfamily.com
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