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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
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Wednesday Jul 28, 2021
Never be overwhelmed by discerning religious life again! In this Q&A episode, follow this simple method to narrow down your search from the entire universe to the communities you're going to visit in person.
Questions for journaling included in this episode:
- Do I see myself in a cloistered or an active community? Why?
- Is wearing a habit as part of religious life important to me? Why?
- Do I want to travel and serve in many places, or would I prefer to stay in one location? (I included this one because certain orders may station you around the world in several different convents!)
- What are my unique talents? (If you don’t know, think about what people often tell you you’re good at, or what people often ask you for help with.)
- What forms of prayer am I most attracted to- charismatic praise and worship? Rote prayers like the rosary? Lectio Divina?
- Who are the particular groups I feel called to serve? (The elderly, homeless, mothers in need, children?)
- Where do my gifts particularly shine? (teaching, nursing, cooking, writing, hospitality, etc?)
- What service experiences have I found most satisfying in the past, and why?
- When I envision myself in religious life, what do I picture myself doing?
- Are there any particular orders whose spirituality I’m attracted to- Dominican, Carmelite, Franciscan, etc.
Questions for Zoom conversations:
- What do you love about your life?
- What does the schedule of a normal day look like?
- What do your community members do for fun and recreation?
- What’s the story of your founder?
- What do you most love about your charism?
Resources
- The God's Adventure Awaits Summit: 40+ Talks on Vocation and Catalog of 56 Religious Communities and Mission Organizations (Get 50% off using code DISCERNMENT50)
- Vision Vocation Network Matching Quiz
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
Sunday Jul 18, 2021
“Listening with a capital L is the secret to life, the secret to love, because you can’t love what you don’t understand, and you can only understand if you listen.”
What if it were your actual job to contemplate? To perceive deeply? That’s how Dony MacManus sees his calling as an artist. He spent three weeks just drawing Michaelangelo’s Pieta, and he shares how that experience healed and changed him.
Living in our distracted world, I know it’s a struggle to concentrate enough to enter into authentic contemplation. Dony’s artistic perspective will help you counteract fast culture with slow gratitude, appreciation, and relationship.
- Perception is the “grammar” of contemplation
- How Dony vacillates between conceptual (“architectural”) and perceptual (“musical”) realities when he begins a work of art, and how it relates to Christian prayer life
- What "Forward in tradition" means, and how that creates great culture
- How to begin to contemplate using sacred art
- Why contemplation is like dating
- How to concentrate in a distracted world
Resources
- Dony's website
- Dony MacManus Studios
- Worthy of Wearing by Nicole Caruso
- Theology of Home by Dr. Carrie Gress
- The Fundamental Secret of Happiness by Dominick Albano
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
Wednesday Jun 30, 2021
A little while back I got a message from Kathryn who’s struggling to surrender to God’s will for vocation, career, and living situation. She wrote, “Every time I surrender what I want to God I just get sad, like I’m giving up. How can I surrender my desires God when I don’t even think he cares, when I don’t think he wants to give me what I want?”
My heart went out to Kathryn and I knew right away I wanted to devote an entire episode to her question. During my vocational discernment journey, I did many ugly cries in adoration struggling with exactly this same issue. In this first-of-its-kind Q&A episode, I’m sharing how to build your trust in God for true peace and an unstoppable faith.
Leaning into this massive question is scary, hard, and uncomfortable. But I’m absolutely stoked for Kathryn and anyone in this particular struggle because it’s the threshold of an entirely new, authentic life.
In this episode:
- 2 journaling prompts to diagnose the cause of a lack of trust in God
- Practical steps to take to see God’s faithfulness and providence in your life
- How to give God your “down payment of trust,” even if you’re nervous about it
- The moment that made me love surrender (I hated it at first!)
Resources
- Visit StaceySumereau.com: Subscribe and instantly get “How to Make the Right Choice” packet (Surrender prayer on p. 3) While you’re there, click the Pilgrimage tab to check out Stacey’s 9-day Holy Land pilgrimage in 2022, and consider joining!
- Get a FREE premium 3-month trial to Hallow, the #1 Catholic mediation and prayer app by following this link: hallow.com/staceysumereau
- Surrender Novena by Fr. Dolindo Rubino
- Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence: The Secret to Peace and Happiness by Bl. Claude de Colombiere and Fr. Jean-Baptiste Saint-Jure https://www.amazon.com/Trustful-Surrender-Divine-Providence-Happiness/dp/0895552167
Tuesday May 25, 2021
Tuesday May 25, 2021
“The Holy Spirit is moving now- he doesn’t want to wait five years until you’ve got your life together.”
It was my honor to share a beverage with the incredibly down-to-earth and inspiring gal pal Ali Hoffman. From discussing grieving your dreams to awkward parties and how to host them, Ali and I are your cheerleaders in living out today well, whatever God's calling you to right now.
Show Notes
- Finding your personal charism
- How to get started prayer doodling, especially if you judge your own art abilities
- Praying in a time of desolation
- Letting go of perfectionism
- Grieving lost dreams well and accepting difficulties
- Your questions for Ali answered!
Resources
- See Honora's homecoming here!
- Find Ali on social @theoodlesofdoodles
- Ali's website and shop
- Be Not Afraid Conference talks featuring Stacey, Ali and 40+ other Catholic speakers and musicians- FREE!
- Searching for and Maintaining Peace by Fr. Jacques Philipe
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Tuesday May 11, 2021
Life is mushy. It’s exhausting living in the gray. That’s why tuning into our inner compass- conscience- and learning what the voice of the Holy Spirit sounds like, are vital in discerning everyday decisions. God doesn’t care what color shoes we choose. But many small decisions are important because they add up to the big moments. The more we’re attuned to the ‘quickening’ of the Holy Spirit, the better we can make each little decision (and the quicker we'll know!)
The nerd in me loved learning Greek words associated with discernment from my guest in this episode, author Tim Ferrara. Discernment is both a gift and a muscle that you build and exercise, and today’s episode provides everything you need to form your discernment training plan.
I recorded this episode back in November. At that point I was a week into an unplanned but necessary two-month social media hiatus. If you sometimes wonder why you keep scrolling, I think this one will be great for you.
Topics Discussed
- Diakrisis- the Greek origin and meanings of discernment
- How studying a dollar bill teaches us to identify counterfeit truth
- “Living your best life:” New age or authentically Christian?
- The Holy Spirit as ‘family lawyer’
- Kronos vs. Kairos: How these Greek descriptions of 2 different kinds of time help us discern
- 3 questions to discern whether you’re called to be on social media
- Why the Israelites had to kill a sheep to leave Egypt, and what it means for us
- Learn to tune into how events, things and people affect your spirit
Resources
- Everyday Discernment Book and podcast
- Find Tim on Social @discerningdadd
- St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises
- Come on pilgrimage with me to the Holy Land! January 2022.
Wednesday Apr 14, 2021
Wednesday Apr 14, 2021
It's been the wildest ride of our lives. At publishing time we're on day 93 in the NICU. John and I took listener questions and I think this episode will speak to anyone going through a hard time.
Topics Discussed
- How have John and I supported each other?
- How have we reconciled the human negative emotions with being a faithful Christian?
- How do we deal with the vulnerability of the situation around strangers and sharing this experience?
- Will this experience prevent us from having more kids?
- How can people support parents of babies in the NICU?
- How has the experience been for Raffy and Zelie?
- Where have we seen God?
Resources
- Come on pilgrimage with us! Jan 2022 we are taking flight to the Holy Land and we'd love to have you along for the adventure!
- Stacey's blog on our family's journey
- Fr. James Brent's video- Offer It Up
- Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
“People will listen to whoever steps in front of the mic. Why aren’t we proclaiming the Gospel? There’s people who are hungry and thirsty, who want to be spoken words of truth. It takes boldness, courage, and a certain humility to step in front of the crowd and share what’s on your heart.”
This episode is several seemingly opposite things- half my super vulnerable struggles with my premature daughter's NICU journey (which is 2 1/2 months long and counting!) and half Fr. Mark Goring's wonderful YouTube ministry.
Topics Discussed
- The charism and community life of Fr. Mark’s order, the Companions of the Cross
- Stacey’s struggle with her daughter’s NICU journey
- Why do bad things happen to innocent people?
- Iron sharpens iron: Why your vocation should not be comfortable
- Why do bad things have to happen to us?
- Building a bonfire to enkindle each other: The importance of community
- Having confidence in God through difficulties
- How do you trust God after you’ve been hurt?
- How to discern whether or not to speak up about particular issues
- Mark’s method for making a YouTube video every day
Resources
- Come on Pilgrimage with Stacey to the Holy Land, January 2021!
- Fr. Mark’s YouTube channel
- The Companions of the Cross
- Blessed Carlo Acutis’s website on Eucharistic miracles
- A Call to a Deeper Love by Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin
- Book- Eucharistic Miracles of the World
This episode is sponsored by Catholic Match. To start your FREE profile click here!
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
Tuesday Mar 16, 2021
“We have nothing to prove and everything to share.”
Anyone else feel simultaneously like the weird Catholic in their artist’s circle, and also the weird artist in their Catholic circle? I firmly believe people of faith are called to creativity. One of my most commonly asked questions is, “How did you keep your faith during your Broadway career?” I knew immediately I wanted to record an episode on this with the Mitchell sisters. Melissa and Madison are NYC actor friends who not only survived, but thrived in their faith while performing in Les Miserables and Cats on Broadway.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to perform on Broadway, feel called to a creative life, or want to crush an unhealthy competitive mindset, this one’s for you! Please be a friend and share with anyone who needs to hear this episode.
Topics Discussed
- Melissa’s story of surrendering her career/passion for theater before she found success on Broadway
- How to keep motherhood and creativity compatible
- Why creative women shouldn’t be afraid of motherhood
- Letting go of the need to prove yourself
- Replacing competition with teamwork
- How to grow and nurture your faith in a secular city/profession
- Handling conversations/comments you don’t want to partake in
Resources
- Join the God's Adventure Awaits Holy Land Pilgrimage, Jan 17-25 2022!
- Be Not Afraid Conference: “Take Courage” by Melissa and Stephen Davies
- Catholic NYC- great resources for Young Adult Catholics in NYC!
- Catholic Artist Connection NYC
- Follow Stacey @staceysumereau, Melissa @treelilymusic, and Madison @madison.mitchell
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
Tuesday Mar 02, 2021
“You might have talents that are weird, like maybe you could work in the Yankee Candle lab to find what scents best induce Christmas cheer. And if you have the best nose, then I say get after it! Get after the candles!”
When I was a kid, I got sculpey clay one Christmas. Sculpting became one of my fun little childhood hobbies. In high school, my mom found a book at the library on making clay caricatures of people. For a 10th grade school project, I made a doll of my teacher and left it on his desk. Mr. Westhoff was so excited he carried it around the school interrupting other teacher's classes to show them his "mini me!" Years later, my weird hobby turned into a nice side business sculpting keepsake replicas of my castmates on the Beauty and the Beast National tour in costume.
When my little sculpting hobby turned into a business, many of my friends and family weren't surprised at all. The standard reaction was, "Oh yeah, I can totally see you doing that." I wondered, what took me so long to see it? So often in my life, it seems everyone else can see me better than I see myself.
God wants us to use all our odd, specific, unique talents. Sometimes learning to recognize them and giving them air is the hardest part. It's easy to write off those individual talents because they don't fit into a neat little box. My guest today, Fr. Gregory Pine (of Godsplaining and Pints with Aquinas fame,) will help instill confidence into following your unique path. Fr. Gregory is one of the smartest, funniest people I've ever met, and he brings incredible wisdom from a contemplative soul.
Topics Discussed
- The art of savoring life through the senses: Good food, company, alcohol, etc.
- Discernment is living in what is real
- Gregory’s vocational discernment story
- Finding God’s will through your desires
- How to stop “analysis paralysis”
- Your vocation is “testimony” and what that means
- God breaking you down, and how it’s actually necessary
- Do you get all virtues when you acquire one?
- How to know which virtues you’re called to manifest specifically
Resources
- Gregory’s Godsplaining podcast on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @Godsplaining
- Come on the God’s Adventure Awaits Pilgrimage to the Holy Land in Jan 2022!
Tuesday Dec 29, 2020
Tuesday Dec 29, 2020
This year I’ve been shadowbanned for being pro-life. I've received dozens of the nastiest comments attempting to shame and insult me for being a conservative and a Catholic. It got me thinking of my visit to Rome a few years ago when I visited the Church of Santo Stephano Rotondo. 34 gory, stomach-turning murals line the walls depicting the most unpleasant torture and death of early Christians. After getting over my initial “ouch ouch ouch” reaction, I began to notice that the martyr’s faces looked serene and even joyful. I'll never forget deeply realizing that, if pain and even death can’t overpower Christ and his followers, literally nothing can.
As censorship on social media ramps up and mainstream media outlets persistently ignore or twist truth, I think of the Apostles. One moment they cowered in the Upper Room; the next they boldly preached to the whole world. God’s opinion of them and his Kingdom were all that mattered. Maybe it won't mean literal martyrdom, but like them, I believe we’re being called to extraordinary heroism in 2021.
I firmly believe that God is waiting to strengthen us in supernatural ways to meet the demands of these dark times, if we ask him to.
New Year’s Resolutions…most years I could take ‘em or leave ‘em. But in these unusual times I believe it’s essential to survey the battleground, size up what we’re facing, and form an action plan. In my first ever solo podcast I’m sharing 5 goals that’ve been percolating in my mind and heart to prepare for 2021.
Topics Discussed
- Setting your expectations: the battle has begun
- Identifying the people, places and things that nourish and strengthen you
- Forming an actionable plan
- Which virtues to specifically pray for
- Identifying your unique call
Resources