We may have left the Church, but we’re still laughing and loving! Join your hosts Evelyn and Veronica as we chat about life after high-control Catholicism.
The Hidden Influence of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
If you have any other information that you’re willing to share with us about the charismatic renewal, covenant communities, or Sword of the Spirit, please email leavelaughlovepod@gmail.com or send us a DM on Instagram.
We are indebted to John Flaherty for his decades of work collecting, organizing, and making original documents publicly accessible through Scribd. Here is just a sampling of the important files documenting the history of Sword of the Spirit, including the sources for many of the original documents quoted or referenced in this episode:
Sneaking the Sword of the Spirit into the Catholic Church: https://www.scribd.com/document/20484406/Sneaking-the-Sword-of-the-Spirit-Into-the-Catholic-Church (https://www.scribd.com/document/20484406/Sneaking-the-Sword-of-the-Spirit-Into-the-Catholic-Church)
Death Oath of The Sword of The Spirit: https://www.scribd.com/document/56950055/Death-Oath-of-the-Sword-of-the-Spirit (https://www.scribd.com/document/56950055/Death-Oath-of-the-Sword-of-the-Spirit)
Sword of the Spirit at Franciscan University: https://www.scribd.com/document/19166829/Sword-of-the-Spirit-at-Franciscan-University (https://www.scribd.com/document/19166829/Sword-of-the-Spirit-at-Franciscan-University)
The Complete Training Course of The Sword of The Spirit 1982: https://www.scribd.com/document/99711118/The-Complete-Training-Course-of-the-Sword-of-the-Spirit-1982 (https://www.scribd.com/document/99711118/The-Complete-Training-Course-of-the-Sword-of-the-Spirit-1982)
Other Sources:
Morrier Lawsuit: https://www.scribd.com/document/604108628/Morier-Lawsuit-Redacted
From page 18 of the lawsuit: “In late 2011, Plaintiff became pregnant as a result of Morrier’s abuse. Morrier’s response was that ‘There is no way God would punish him like that,’ that ‘A pregnancy would ruin his life,’ and that Plaintiff needed to ‘take care of it.’ Contrary to her religious beliefs at the time, but under Morrier’s complete control, Plaintiff felt compelled to follow his advice and thereafter underwent an abortion in Philadelphia one week before Christmas of 2011. When Plaintiff informed Morrier that she had the abortion, Morrier blamed it on a fictional demon named ‘Fr. Robert,’ and would have Plaintiff tell the participants in subsequent deliverance sessions that ‘Fr. Robert’ got her pregnant but that she had ‘miscarried’ the fetus (instead of aborting it)”.
Washington Post’s multi-part exposé on Mother of God in Gaithersburg, MD: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/mogmain.htm (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/mogmain.htm)
Christopher West’s Mother’s Statement on Mother of God: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/members/west.htm (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/local/longterm/library/mog/members/west.htm)
No Longer Strangers by Regina Doman and the Rev. Gregory Plow, TOR, a short book on the history of household life at Franciscan University: https://troubonline.com/tor-friar-franciscan-alumna-team-up-for-book-on-household-life/ (https://troubonline.com/tor-friar-franciscan-alumna-team-up-for-book-on-household-life/)
FIRE (Faith, Intercession, Repentance, Evangelism): https://www.renewalministries.net/ralph-martin-recalls-fr-scanlans-support/ (https://www.renewalministries.net/ralph-martin-recalls-fr-scanlans-support/)
The Malines Documents: https://www.nsc-chariscenter.org/malines-documents/ (https://www.nsc-chariscenter.org/malines-documents/)
Current website of the Community of God’s Love which continues to operate in Steubenville, OH: https://coglove.org/ (https://coglove.org/)
True House: An Oral History: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqfdxkn2sBg (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqfdxkn2sBg)
This was released after we recorded this episode, but trust that we will be watching and deep diving in the coming months.
25 Jan 2026
68. Catholics in the Highest Levels of our Government: JD Vance & Amy Coney Barrett
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11 Jan 2026
67. Right-Wing Politics Are Infiltrating Education (with R/B Mertz)
Join us for Part 2 of our conversation with author, poet, queer parent, fellow FUS alum, and sometime college professor R/B Mertz. In this episode, we're discussing the education system, higher ed, right-wing politics, and how it all impacts the queer community and beyond.check out R/B's other work, including their debut memoir, Burning Butch: https://rbmertz.com/ (https://rbmertz.com/)order a candle: https://dzhe0h-k0.myshopify.com/products/i-survived-steubenville-prayer-candle?utm_source=copyToPasteBoard&utm_medium=product-links&utm_content=web (https://dzhe0h-k0.myshopify.com/products/i-survived-steubenville-prayer-candle?utm_source=copyToPasteBoard&utm_medium=product-links&utm_content=web)
leave laugh love on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@leavelaughlove (https://www.youtube.com/@leavelaughlove)leave laugh love on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4owQNOi (https://bit.ly/4owQNOi )leave laugh love on Spotify: https://bit.ly/3WWIXlf (https://bit.ly/3WWIXlf)leave laugh love on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leavelaughlovepod/ (https://www.instagram.com/leavelaughlovepod/)support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/c/LeaveLaughLovePod (https://www.patreon.com/c/LeaveLaughLovePod)#leavelaughlove #catholicism #fundamentalism #deconstruction
Inside a recent episode
The Hidden Influence of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Published 3 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt
[…] Set out to build a personal relationship with them. Two, invite students to share in family life in the community. Married advisors should also invite community single men and women to dinner at these times. Single advisors should ask the families they relate to if they would be able to invite a student as a guest for dinner, the Lord's Day celebration. Three, invite and escort students to community nights, especially single men's nights. Singles, prayer meetings, guest gatherings, and social events. Informal social activities with families or singles in the community are also good to consider. […]
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