Episodes
In this part one of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits with high school theology teacher, Tommy Kostielney of South Bend, Indiana to discuss ways that Tommy has introduced the idea of curriculum permeation to fellow teachers.
Published 01/02/24
Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett continue to delve into the pile of questions sent to them from the Conquest Boys Club at St. Anne's parish in Regina, Saskatchewan. This week we discuss the cross, baseball bats, and creationism. Show Snippet: "The Church does not pronounce on these matters. The Church does not say, "You must think the world is 4 billion years old, or you must think it's 6, 000 years old." It doesn't. Now, some creationists think it should say that the earth is 6, 000 years old...
Published 12/26/23
Archbishop Don Bolen joins the podcast for a special pre-Christmas episode of Thinking Faith. We'll discuss Pope Francis' new book on the Nativity, Bishop Don's nativity collection, and the impact of the Incarnation on our broken world. Show Snippet: "The incarnation is ultimately not a book and it's not a word spoken in writing, it's spoken in flesh. And so, incarnational faithfulness, in the first instance, is not a verbal witness, but a presence, a walking with, and that's probably what...
Published 12/19/23
Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett continue to delve into the pile of questions sent to them from the Conquest Boys Club at St. Anne's parish in Regina, Saskatchewan. This week we discuss Jesus' mistakes in the woodshop and altar serving. Show Snippet: "Think of a carpenter shop. How do you learn to make some furniture with Dad in the shop without making mistakes? What do you do when you're teaching your kids about the family business? You hand them a chisel and a mallet and a saw, right?"
Published 12/12/23
In this part two of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits Dr. Joseph Vukov of Loyola University in Chicago to discuss the transhumanism movement and promise and the perils of utilizing science and technology to improve human life. "I think a great little pushback to the Luddite who would say, these new technologies are necessarily going to undermine human relationships, are necessarily going to undermine, our capacity to give praise to God appropriately. And I would say the Exsultet and the...
Published 12/05/23
In this part one of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld visits Dr. Joseph Vukov of Loyola University in Chicago to discuss the transhumanism movement and promise and the perils of utilizing science and technology to improve human life. "Roughly what transhumanism is is the idea that human existence as we experience it is Messy, it involves a lot of suffering, it is not all that it could be, and that what our goal should be is to transcend, hence the transhumanism, our own humanity. So how do we...
Published 11/28/23
In this part two of two, Dr. Brett Salkeld and Dr. Brett Fawcett discuss interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of theology teachers in curriculum permeation.
Published 11/21/23
In this part one of two, Dr. Brett Salkeld and Dr. Brett Fawcett discuss interdisciplinary collaboration and the role of theology teachers in curriculum permeation.
Published 11/14/23
This week, Deacon Eric examines four more biblical figures as models for navigating mental health challenges. He discusses Leah, Hannah, Jeremiah, and Naomi and how their experiences can provide guidance and support for our own challenges today. Show Snippet: "Naomi’s story underscores the importance of social support and of opening ourselves to being a support for others.  In spite of her grieving, she recognizes God’s hand in sending the right people into her life at the right time and...
Published 11/08/23
In this part two of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld and returning guest, Brett Fawcett sit down to discuss the implications Bonavanture's examination of the arts and theology might have on Catholic education. Show Snippet: "The third day is the exterior light. And that's the light of mechanical art. The production of artifacts. So the liberal arts are the arts of a free man, as they call them. These are the servile arts which Bonaventure does not seem to look down on. I mean, he puts them...
Published 10/31/23
In this part one of two episodes, Dr. Brett Salkeld and returning guest, Brett Fawcett sit down to discuss the implications Bonavanture's examination of the arts and theology might have on Catholic education. Show Snippet: "So the first day is, for him, he calls it the superior light. He points out, okay, you think about the days of creation, all the days would need light to work. So in one sense, when God creates light on the first day, the first day is therefore informing all the other...
Published 10/24/23
This week on Thinking Faith we are pleased to feature Lisa Canning,"The Possibility Mom," recent keynote speaker at our 2023 ArchRegina Congress and Bishop's Appeal kickoff. Lisa shares her personal journey of trusting God in challenging times, drawing from her own experiences to offer six key tools for remaining hopeful and trusting God when life gets tough. Tune in as Lisa Canning, a mom of 11, mindset coach, and President of the Guiding Star Project, guides us on a path towards abundant...
Published 10/17/23
Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett continue to delve into the pile of questions sent to them from the Conquest Boys Club at St. Anne's parish in Regina, Saskatchewan. This week includes The Second Vatican Council and moral decline, and Hitler. Show Snippet: "So this is a great example because we often hear this story of decline; that everything was going great, Vatican II happens, and then things go into decline. Why does the Pope call a council? Because things aren't going great. The modern world is...
Published 10/10/23
Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett continue to delve into the pile of questions sent to them from the Conquest Boys Club at St. Anne's parish in Regina, Saskatchewan. This week includes Harry Potter, satanism, and The Lord of the Rings plus Feminism and women's rights. Show Snippet: "When the books began just at the turn of the 21st century; the rise of the internet, the rise of the smartphone, the rise of on-demand viewing. Access to media and technology is becoming ubiquitous. And it's within...
Published 10/03/23
This week Dr. Brett welcomes Father Cristino Bouvette from the Diocese of Calgary for a conversation about truth and reconciliation, and the intersection of personal experiences with public expectations. Father Cristino shares his unique journey as an Indigenous Catholic priest and the complex blend of heritage that shapes his perspective. Join them as they explore the challenges and insights that come with navigating preconceived notions, the residential school legacy, and the power of...
Published 09/26/23
As our 2023 Archbishop's Appeal "Abundant Trust: Embracing God’s Generosity" kicks off, Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett sit down with Development Director, James Lipoth to discuss the Gospel call to generosity and how it becomes enfleshed in our daily lives inside and outside the Church. Show Snippet: "Second Corinthians chapter nine St. Paul says, "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver." And, I've been...
Published 09/19/23
Earlier this spring the local Conquest Boy's Club sent the podcast a literal basket full of questions. Join Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett as they dig in and answer whichever questions they happen to pull. Show Snippet: "Something like culpability is something that we never know from the outside in an individual case, but we do know from the church's way of thinking about this that the church doesn't stand in judgment on those kinds of things and instead offers God's mercy to anyone who's like,...
Published 09/12/23
Earlier this spring the local Conquest Boy's Club sent the podcast a literal basket full of questions. Join Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett as they dig in and answer whichever questions they happen to pull. Show Snippet: "It strikes me that the questions that we would ask or ought to ask from a Catholic perspective would be some of those core foundations of Catholic moral teaching like, 'How is this affecting the dignity of the human person? How much participation does this system or that system...
Published 09/05/23
A Demonology of the Internet with Dr. Thomas P. Harmon - Part 2 In this part two of two Dr. Thomas Harmon, professor and Scanlan Foundation Chair in Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas examines the powerful concepts of the Incarnation and bodily sacraments as potential remedies against the subtle manipulations of digital media. Together we'll dive into how embracing our earthbound bodies and material realities can serve as a counterbalance to the discarnate influences...
Published 08/29/23
A Demonology of the Internet with Dr. Thomas P. Harmon - Part 1 In this part one of two, Deacon Eric and Dr. Brett visit with Dr. Thomas Harmon, professor and Scanlan Foundation Chair in Theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas to discuss his recent article for The American Mind "Spirits of the Cloud: A deomonology of the Internet." They'll examine the intricate web of influence woven by both human vices and technological algorithms and explore the intersections between...
Published 08/22/23
This week Deacon Eric gathers with three graduates of the Archdiocese of Regina's Lay Formation program to discuss what drew them to take part, what the experience has been like, and how things have changed in their relationship with Jesus Christ, His Church, and their relationships in the world. To register for Fall classes, contact Deacon Eric at [email protected]. Show snippet: "I had been fairly active in the parish; I'd been teaching Sacramental prep, and working with kids...
Published 08/15/23
In this part 2 of 2 Dr. Brett visits with Karen Peterson Finch about her latest book "Grassroots Ecumenism: The Way of Local Christian Reunion" as they examine the promise and the challenges in addressing Christian unity at the local level. Show Snippet: "Be reasonable. So we've said your mind naturally experiences. Now do it attentively. Your mind naturally has insight. Do it intelligently. In other words, be open to new possibilities or to a real understanding of what's happening now. The...
Published 08/08/23
In this part 1 of 2 Dr. Brett visits with Karen Peterson Finch about her latest book "Grassroots Ecumenism: The Way of Local Christian Reunion" as they examine the promise and the challenges in addressing Christian unity at the local level. Show Snippet: "Could it be that the doctrine of your church and your neighbor's church can actually give new fuel to what you are trying to do and can refresh things for you? And it'll bring it to life again, and you can have fun again, encountering the...
Published 08/01/23
Join Deacon Eric for this special summer retreat with Mary through the lens of the Caryll Houselander spiritual classic, "The Reed of God." Journey with Mary as a spiritual companion and guide through the nativity, ministry, death, and resurrection of her Son Jesus Christ and discover new avenues to faith, discipleship, and mission. Show Snippet: "Just as we cannot depend on feelings to know that Christ is in ourselves, we cannot depend on appearances to know that he is in others...That...
Published 07/25/23
Join Deacon Eric for this special summer retreat with Mary through the lens of the Caryll Houselander spiritual classic, "The Reed of God." Journey with Mary as a spiritual companion and guide through the nativity, ministry, death, and resurrection of her Son Jesus Christ and discover new avenues to faith, discipleship, and mission. Show Snippet:"Here, then, is the answer for why seeking the Lost Child is such a universal human experience, so much so that Mary herself was drawn into...
Published 07/18/23