Where our Catholic faith and love for sports merge. We discuss contemporary sports topics from our Catholic Christian perspective. We cover professional, college, and youth sports. Listen to our unique conversation with hosts Randy Laya and Paul Michelini. We come to you from our home Diocese of Orange, CA.
Publisher
Paul Michelini and Randy Laya (RIP co-founder Jeff Corrigan)
Category
religion & spirituality · society & culture · sports
Our guest on this episode is Jonathan "Johnny" Kuplak, co-founder of Sebaste, an organization in New Mexico challenging young men to become great saints through adventure, brotherhood, physical challenge, and prayer. Johnny is a husband. He is also a teacher and an endurance athlete.
In this episode, you will find the answers to the following questions about Johnny and Sebaste:
Did he grow up in a large, sports-oriented family?
What kind of school did he attend and how did it affect him?
Why is brotherhood so important to him throughout his life?
When and why did running become important in his life?
What does he say about fear and how does his view affect his life?
What is Sebaste and how did he and his friend, Jeremy, develop the Sebaste organization?
Why did they name the organization “Sebaste” and what’s the story of the Forty Martyrs?
What is the mission, purpose, and goal of Sebaste and why is running so important to the experience?
Why is freedom so important to him?
What is the difference between a marathon and an ultra-marathon?
What is the Via Magna and did he complete it?
The four pillars of Sebaste are: Devotion, Adventure, Challenge, and Brotherhood. What do each of these pillars mean to the Sebaste organization?
Where does the Catholic identity in Sebaste come from?
Are stoicism and comfort the enemies of Christianity?
Does Sebaste have any events coming up?
Is there a target age and a gender that Sebaste is geared toward?
What advice does he have for people who won’t participate in Sebaste but want to practice what they preach?
Links:
https://www.sebaste.org/
40 Martyrs - https://www.sebaste.org/about-us
https://melkite.org/faith/faith-worship/melkite-identity/the-melkites
https://www.usccb.org/topics/youth-and-young-adult-ministries/saint-pier-giorgio-frassati
https://www.sebaste.org/via-magna
#catholicsports, #sebaste, #catholicbrotherhood, #faithandphysicality, #understandingmen
25 Jun 2026
Dr. Anthony Isacco - Sports Betting with Caution
Anthony Isacco, PhD is program director, professor, and head of clinical research in the new MS in clinical psychology program at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He is a licensed psychologist and is the principal of Puritan Psychological Services, a small private practice focused on helping clergy, seminarians, and women religious live healthy, holy, and happy lives in their vocations. Dr. Anthony is a generalist, with areas of expertise in the psychology of men and masculinity, fatherhood, psychological assessment, and religious/spiritual integration in psychology. He is a Fellow of the St. John Paul II Foundation. Dr. Isacco lives in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and four daughters. Among his many endeavors, Dr. Anthony studies addictions, especially regarding young men. He recently wrote a commentary entitled “Digital Sports Betting Fuels a New March Madness” for the National Catholic Register. We are pleased to have Dr. Anthony on our podcast.
In this episode you will find answers to the following questions about Dr. Anthony:
- How do his endeavors integrate faith?
- How did he become interested in sports betting?
- Is gambling inherently wrong?
- How did a 2018 Supreme Court decision affect sports betting?
- What makes sports gambling so accessible these days?
- How can an activity like betting on a sports game that brings people together and fosters camaraderie become an addiction?
- Why does addictive behavior seem to affect men more than women?
- What is the neuroscience of addiction?
- What does he say about Adam and Eve and Saints Peter and Paul? What do these biblical figures have to do with sports betting addiction?
- What are the three A’s?
- What’s a “prop bet”?
- Are there any programs that can help those who find themselves addicted to sports betting?
- What can family and friends do for a loved one who they feel might be spiraling into sports gambling addiction?
- Can recently canonized St. Giorgio Frassati and/or St. Carlo Acutis help someone with an addiction?
- How does physical exercise help a person?
- He ends the podcast with some meaningful words of wisdom. If a person integrates some (or all) of these suggestions, how might a life be enhanced?
Links:
Digital Sports Betting Fuels a New March Madness| National Catholic Register
16-476 Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Assn. (05/14/2018)
Wild at Heart | Wild At Heart
In the Footsteps of Saints: Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati| National Catholic Register
Online Clinical Psychology Master's Program | Saint Mary’s
#catholicsports, #sportsbetting, #sportsbettingaddiction, #sportsbettinghelp
29 May 2026
Bishop John Barres - Don’t Play Sports for Your Own Ego, Play it for the Glory of God
The Most Reverend John O. Barres, STD, JCL is the fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre (Long Island, NY). Previously, he served as the Bishop of the Diocese of Allentown (PA) from 2009 to 2016. He is a graduate of Phillips Academy (Andover), Princeton University and the New York University Graduate School of Business and holds advanced theological degrees from the Catholic University of America and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome. Bishop Barres serves on the Board of Trustees of the Catholic University of America. We are blessed to have Bishop Barres on our podcast.
In this episode you will find answers to the following questions about Bishop Barres:
· He wrote a chapter for a book titled “Apostolic Athletes” edited by Trent Beattie. What personal memories did this evoke for him?
· What sport did he play in college?
· Why is St. John Neuman important to him and what do they share that he is proud of?
· What was he experiencing when he found a pamphlet that emphasized “don’t play sports for your own ego, play it for the glory of God”. How did this affect him?
· What does a point guard in basketball have in common with being a bishop?
· How did the experience of team chemistry while playing basketball affect his spiritual life?
· Why is Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical “Redemptoris Missio” important to him?
· How was he involved in a Vatican Conference in 2024 regarding the Catholic evangelistic and pastoral care of the global sports world? What effect might this have on Catholic college and high school sports?
· Why are Catholic theology and spirituality of work important?
· Are professional, Olympic, and any level of sports a good place for evangelization?
· What was important about the 1969 New York Mets?
· Is the Holy Spirit moving within young people today?
· How was Archbishop Fulton Sheen involved in the Barres family’s life?
· Is the crucifix important to him? Does he challenge us to make it important in our lives?
· Are sports, at all levels, a great place for our personal missionary spirit?
Links:
Pope St. John Paul II’s encyclical: https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_07121990_redemptoris-missio.html
https://www.usccb.org/resources/Vatican%20Pastoral%20Care%20of%20Sports%20Bishop%20Barres%20Remarks%20May%202024.pdf
https://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/catechumen
https://www.wordonfire.org/about/bishop-robert-barron/
https://ascensionpress.com/pages/person/mike-schmitz
https://focus.org/
https://www.archbalt.org/bishop-barres-says-amazin-mets-of-69-who-defeated-orioles-for-championship-can-inspire-church-to-evangelize/
https://www.usccb.org/committees/ecumenical-interreligious-affairs/ecumenical
#catholicsports, #catholicbishopandsports, #pointguardbishop, #sportsforthegloryofgod
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