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How do we interpret and understand what God is calling us to, both in our vocation and in other life choices? Join Stacey Sumereau on coffee dates with Catholic friends for insight and inspiring guidance. From touring with Broadway hit shows to discerning religious life on Lifetime’s reality TV show ”The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns,” Stacey hasn’t stopped searching for God’s will! Original music by JF Church.
Episodes
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
Tuesday Aug 02, 2022
My heart went out to a listener named Victoria, who wrote to me of her eating disorder. Her discomfort with her looks pushed her toward perfectionism and an extreme fear of failure. As I read her words, I knew exactly how she felt, because for years I was there as well.
You can't discern your true purpose when you're living in fear of failure and self-dislike. Even after your body heals and you begin eating normally again, long-term healing of your heart and your outlook is absolutely essential. If you're stuck in that in-between, this one's for you. In this episode, I'm sharing my experience and then reducing my entire healing journey down to just ONE simple question. Answering that one question broke me out of years of spiraling self-hatred and anxiety. How you answer this question will hopefully do exactly the same for you.
Resources
- Watch on YouTube HERE!
- Stacey's episode with Dr. Scott Hahn includes the topic of fasting for people recovering from body image issues.
Monday May 23, 2022
Monday May 23, 2022
“So, what then is life about? To what — to whom — will we entrust our heart? There are plenty of suitors, but only one worthy spouse. For, as we’ll find, a human life is a weighty thing, and some goals simply can’t bear the burden of our whole heart’s love.”
If there's one thing I crave in all my decision-making, it's confidence. If I knew for sure what the right thing was, I would be so happy and choose it immediately! Sadly, there's usually no burning bush or angel appearing in a dream to tell me.
Developing the virtue of prudence is the best guide. The brilliant Fr. Gregory Pine is on the pod to discuss the 8 parts of prudence, formulating a vision for who I want to be on the other side of each decision, why we call prudence the "charioteer of the virtues," and so much more.
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
There are a million parenting advice books, homeschooling books, how-to's on organizing, and spiritual books. Much, much more rare is a book helping us parents know when to work and when to put your feet up, how to make your marriage last with boisterous youngsters claiming your every ounce of energy, how to form a philosophy for educating your children, and how to keep one million tasks in balance... or discern when to cut down the list!
Leila Lawler, founder of the popular blog Like Mother Like Daughter and now author of the aptly (and cheekily) named Summa Domestica, has been on my 'hit list' for quite some time. She channels the collective memory every family needs to navigate those decisions, both large and small, no one else talks about. I recommend this episode for any parents but also those who feel called to marriage and want to benefit from early preparation for family life.
Resources
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Tuesday Apr 05, 2022
Anyone else totally lose steam at this point in Lent? It's not Holy Week yet and the "smells and bells" of special liturgies haven't arrived. And TBH I'm busy and the excitement of growth at the outset of Ash Wednesday wore off weeks ago. If you're like me, you will absolutely LOVE my interview with the inimitable Dr. Scott Hahn.
There's so much more to fasting than giving up: It will increase our JOY. It unites us in brotherhood to the millions of people in our Universal Church who have fasted throughout the centuries. Give this a listen to gear you up for Holy Week; it won't disappoint!
Topics Discussed
- How to find joy in fasting
- Discerning when you've taken your resolutions too far (or not far enough)
- Fasting for those suffering from body image anxiety
- Collectively building the Kingdom of God through fasting
- Does fasting "prove" our faith to God?
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
Tuesday Mar 15, 2022
"God does not reject the places even we reject within ourselves."
I've never thought of Lent as a time for healing, but my conversation with Sr. Miriam James Heidland changed that. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving: the purpose of these is not to do them for their own sake, but in order to enter into the desert with the Lord. To let him heal the places that most hurt us.
If that scares the living daylights out of you... it should. It will. But only in exposing our wound to the healer can he truly heal us. If you've followed Sr. Miriam's heart-centered ministry as I have and have loved her Abiding Together Podcast, this one is absolutely for you. Be sure to listen right to the end as I share a healing image from my own testimony of post-NICU recovery.
Topics Discussed
- Seeing our sins as wounds
- How to achieve deep, intimate prayer
- What to expect when we are truly vulnerable with God
- Ongoing healing: When the road feels never-ending
- Fasting so that you can feast on something else
Resources
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
Tuesday Mar 01, 2022
“If you do not know how to feast, you do not know how to feast.” -GK Chesterton
Not gonna lie… as a teen I usually weighed my Lenten resolution options against how good I’d look in a swimsuit by Easter. To be honest, I never “got” fasting. I still don’t know if I do, but this year I’ve received a few great new books that completely transformed my outlook on Lent and fasting and, dare I say, made me look forward to this penitential season!?
Today I’m going way beyond the McDonald’s fish sandwich and Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I’m interviewing one of the editors of Sophia Institute Press’s The Lenten Cookbook. Kristen Van Uden is a wealth of knowledge regarding how Lent and different fasting traditions came together over the centuries. You’ll also learn about the TRUE purpose of fasting and how to do it well, and the continuity of fasting traditions throughout the centuries.
Topics Discussed
- Fasting as preparation and reparation
- Importance of integrating our physical bodies and spiritual souls
- Overview of the history of Lent
- Early fasting traditions: The Black Fast, Xerophagia, Collations, Ember Days, Rogation Days
- The Church’s current fasting requirements
Resources
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
Thursday Feb 17, 2022
My dad had aggressive cancer in 2019 that almost killed him. Watching him go through chemo was an extremely intense experience for my whole family. When I heard about Sr. Diana Marie's mission of dedicating her life to caring for terminally ill cancer patients, my first reaction was "How do you DO that?"
Not only does she spend her days loving people in their last days, but she's also young, full of joy, and hilarious (sarcasm is her love language.) We cover a whole range of topics from her conversion from Mormonism to Catholicism in grad school, her discernment process, and her falling in love with the life of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne. If you need a relatable story of someone who didn't feel "holy enough" and struggled with all the big questions, this one's for you.
Topics Covered
- Navigating religious life discernment as a convert
- Why Sr. Diana Marie chose a nursing order even though she didn't see herself as a nurse
- Handling anxiety about life choices
- When to know you should seriously discern religious life
- Telling your family you're entering religious life when you know they'll be disappointed
- Charism and life of the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne
Resources
Monday Feb 07, 2022
Monday Feb 07, 2022
Did you know C&C is a YouTube show too? Watch here!
We discuss the following saints and their virtues:
- Faith exemplified by St. Bassa
- Courage exemplified by St. Perpetua
- Forgiveness and mercy exemplified by St. Gladys
- Perseverance exemplified by St. Theneva
- Detachment exemplified by St. Frances of Rome
- Generosity exemplified by Bl. Marianna Biernacka
Resources
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
Well, well, well. My husband John actually asked to come up with the ideas for this episode and I was like 'YES thank you honey.' I always feared as a single person that my husband and I would fall out of love and out of like, and 5 years in, I'm happy to report we're more into each other than when we got married!
We're sharing today our top tips for maintaining a healthy marriage:
- The importance of surrendering everything in marriage to God
- How to make your suffering fruitful
- What to do when your spouse sins or irritates you
- How to keep spiritually healthy
- The importance of making love as often as possible
- And more!
Mentioned in this episode: Get the life-changing Prayer of Surrender FREE when you subscribe at StaceySumereau.com. It's inside a packet called "How to Make the Right Choice."
Friday Dec 31, 2021