Fathers of the Church & More with Mike Aquilina - Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

About Fathers of the Church & More with Mike Aquilina - Discerning Hearts Catholic Podcasts

Dedicated to those on the spiritual journey

Publisher

Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor

Category

history · religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Mar 2018

Latest episode

7 Mar 2025

Latest episodes

30 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Mar 2025

   The Story of St. Perpetua – In Conversation with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

   The Story of St. Perpetua – In Conversation with Mike Aquilina (https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/mikeaquilina.jpg) Mike Aquilina joins Kris and Bruce McGregor to discuss St. Perpetua, an early Christian martyr whose story has been powerfully preserved through her own writings. St. Perpetua’s remarkable courage, faith, and rebellious spirit against the evils of the world, as well as her deep trust in Christ, enabled her to embrace martyrdom despite the many comforts of her noble status, young motherhood, and privileged upbringing. Her account is one of the few firsthand writings from an early Christian woman, making her an extraordinary voice in Church history. Her willingness to sacrifice everything for Christ, including her family and infant child, serves as a powerful witness that continues to inspire believers today. Discerning Hearts Reflection Questions What aspects of St. Perpetua’s faith and courage inspire you most, and why? How does Perpetua’s willingness to sacrifice everything for Christ challenge your own faith journey? In what ways do you see the same kind of persecution of Christians happening in the world today? How can you apply Perpetua’s unwavering trust in God to your daily struggles and decisions? What does her story teach us about the value of spiritual preparation and perseverance in suffering? How does Perpetua’s example encourage you to be bolder in professing your faith, even in small ways? What role does community play in strengthening our faith, as seen in Perpetua’s prison experience? How does the idea of “good rebellion” against the world’s evils apply to your spiritual life? How can the witness of martyrs like Perpetua help deepen your appreciation for the Eucharist and sacraments? What concrete steps can you take to learn more about the early Church and its martyrs? From CNA: “Saints Perpetua and Felicity were martyrs who died for the faith around the year 203. St. Perpetua was a young, well-educated, noblewoman and mother living in the city of Carthage in North Africa. Her mother was a Christian and her father was a pagan. In terms of her faith, Perpetua followed the example of her mother. Despite the pleas of her father to deny her faith, Perpetua did the very opposite, and fearlessly proclaimed it. At the age of 22, she was imprisoned for her faith. While in prison she continued to care for her infant child and put up with the tortures designed to make her renounce her faith. Perpetua remained steadfast until the end. St. Perpetua was sacrificed at the games as a public spectacle for not renouncing her faith. St. Felicity was a pregnant slave girl who was imprisoned with St. Perpetua. Little is known about the life of St. Felicity because, unlike Perpetua, she did not keep a diary of her life. After imprisonment and torture, Felicity was also condemned to die at the games. Only a few days before her execution, Felicity gave birth to a daughter who was secretly taken away to be cared for by some of the Faithful. The feast of these Saints is March 7.“ Visit Catholic Heroes of the Faith to learn more about the animation Mike Aquilina talks about (https://www.catholicheroesofthefaith.com/get-to-know-the-great-catholics-of-the-past/) fsdfsdf

2. 

   22 Mar 2021

   SJ9 – A Brief Reflection on Prudence – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

   Episode  9 &#8211; A Brief Reflection on Prudence In this final episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and the virtue of prudence An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World: The prudent way—the way of St. Joseph—begins with self-knowledge. People cannot see reality clearly as long as they have those planks in their eyes. They cannot have radical openness to reality if they harbor fears of the truth. In his discussion of prudence, Pieper warns of something called falsification of memory. He sees this as the great destroyer of the sense of reality. People tend to mythologize their days. They make themselves out to be heroes. They make their adversaries and rivals out to be villains, just because they want the same things. It is hard not to see life in this way. But there is no doubt that it is a falsification of memory—and it is corrosive to our sense of reality. The Christian tradition offers remedies for this. A good spiritual director will not permit his charges to hold on to this kind of thought. He will humanize the rivals they demonize. Anyone can cultivate that attitude, too, by means of a daily examination of conscience and regular confession. Reality is something that must be faced squarely, deliberately, consciously, with the means God has provided—first, the inner reality of one’s self and then the reality of the world. Joseph can be misunderstood, as prudence is misunderstood. His silence can be mistaken for passivity, but it is not. Joseph is the prudent man whose thoughts correspond to reality, and whose actions flow from those thoughts. He is the image of God and yet a model for every Christian. He is the one who keeps the constant company of Jesus Christ. Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (pp. 75-76). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition. For more episodes in this series visit &#8211; St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina (https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/st-joseph-and-his-world-with-mike-aquilina-discerning-hearts-catholic-podcast/) page (https://amzn.to/3e6kcOe) You can find the book on which this series is based here (https://amzn.to/3e6kcOe). Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patristics), the study of the early Church Fathers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Fathers).[1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Aquilina#cite_note-1) He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelus_(magazine)) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church ( (https://amzn.to/31zipaD)2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (https://amzn.to/32KEJzL) (2007); Living the Mysteries  (https://amzn.to/31FVScw)(2003); and What Catholics Believe (https://amzn.to/2MDfBoV)(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Word_Television_Network) and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio. Mike Aquilina&#8217;s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com (https://fathersofthechurch.com) Other Mike Aquilina series&#8217; found on Discerning Hearts: Roots the Faith (https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/mike-aquilina/roots-of-the-faith-from-the-church-fathers-to-you/) <a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/mike-aquilina/the-resilient-church-the-glory-the-shame-the...

3. 

   15 Mar 2021

   SJ8 – Handing on the Passover – St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina – Discerning Hearts Podcast

   Episode  8 &#8211; Handing on the Passover In this episode, Mike Aquilina and Kris McGregor discuss St. Joseph and the role he had in Jesus&#8217; religious formation.  Also, Mike offers a deeper insight on the scene popularly known as &#8220;the finding in the Temple.&#8221; An excerpt from St. Joseph and His World: A father has no idea what his son will make of the lessons of boyhood—the small and large skills passed from one generation to the next. It was Joseph who taught Jesus how to conduct the Passover seder. It was Joseph who showed him how to bless the bread and break it—how to bless the cup and share it. It was Joseph who taught him to make thanksgiving by means of the Haggadah, the ancient story of salvation. It was Joseph who read the poem that predicted the night of the messiah. It was Joseph who gave Jesus the fundamental form that would later come to be filled by the Eucharist. Aqualina, Mike. St. Joseph and His World (p. 70). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition. For more episodes in this series visit &#8211; St. Joseph and His World with Mike Aquilina (https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/st-joseph-and-his-world-with-mike-aquilina-discerning-hearts-catholic-podcast/) page (https://amzn.to/3e6kcOe) You can find the book on which this series is based here (https://amzn.to/3e6kcOe). Mike Aquilina is a popular author working in the area of Church history, especially patristics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patristics), the study of the early Church Fathers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_Fathers).[1] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Aquilina#cite_note-1) He is the executive vice-president and trustee of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, a Roman Catholic research center based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributing editor of Angelus (magazine) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelus_(magazine)) and general editor of the Reclaiming Catholic History Series from Ave Maria Press. He is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including The Fathers of the Church ( (https://amzn.to/31zipaD)2006); The Mass of the Early Christians (https://amzn.to/32KEJzL) (2007); Living the Mysteries  (https://amzn.to/31FVScw)(2003); and What Catholics Believe (https://amzn.to/2MDfBoV)(1999). He has hosted eleven television series on the Eternal Word Television Network (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Word_Television_Network) and is a frequent guest commentator on Catholic radio. Mike Aquilina&#8217;s website is found at fathersofthechurch.com (https://fathersofthechurch.com) Other Mike Aquilina series&#8217; found on Discerning Hearts: Roots the Faith (https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/mike-aquilina/roots-of-the-faith-from-the-church-fathers-to-you/) The Resilient Church (https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/mike-aquilina/the-resilient-church-the-glory-the-shame-the-hope-for-tomorrow-wmike-aquilina/) Villains of the Early Church (https://amzn.to/3pcmiyZ)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

4,196,027

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

18 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 65 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

72

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

51

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.