Protagonists of Change

This is an episode about Saints. Men and Women who lived ordinary and extraordinary lives filled with heroic virtue.

First we hear from Darnell, who tells the story of an altogether uneventful car accident and the one moment that he can't seem to shake.

Then we talk to Meg Hunter-Kilmer, an itinerant missionary who travels the world, living out of her car, talking about her love for Christ. She has also written the book on saints, two of them actually, and loves to connect people to those in heaven who are already praying for them.

She tells us about her life as a missionary and how she came to know and love the saints she does.

Then in Who’s That Saint, we are doing something a bit different, we let Meg tell the story of a saint whose story has been pulling on her heart, Venerable Alfonse Gallegos.

Links:

MAX Studios Website
https://ustmaxstudios.com/

MAX Studios Instagram
@maxstudiosust
https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

Meg Hunter Kilmer Website
https://www.piercedhands.com/

Meg Hunter Kilmer Instagram
@mhunterkilmer
https://www.instagram.com/mhunterkilmer/

Today's stories are about coming of age, that wonderful and awkward time in life when you think you know everything but you really know nothing. 

Darnell opens up with a story about manhood, or rather, the transition into manhood, and all the insecurity that comes with it until one is rooted in their faith.

Then we hear from Alejandra Herrera, the founder and director of Bendecida XV, an apostolate that walks with young Latinas as they prepare for their Quinceneras, shares the beauty of the Catholic faith and liturgy, the richness of Latino culture and tradition, and uncovers the symbolic meaning of the Quincenera celebration. She shares the story of her 15th birthday and how she came to recognize her call to service and ministry.

Then in Who's That Saint, we look in to the life of Santa Maria de Jesus Sacramentado, a woman who lived a life of service to the poor and sick, who also happens to be Mexico's first canonized female Saint!

Links:

MAX Studios Website
https://ustmaxstudios.com/

MAX Studios Instagram @maxstudiosust
https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

Bendecida XV Website
https://bendecidaxv.com/

Today we’re talking about trust - trusting your gut, trusting your call, and most importantly trusting in Christ.

Darnell begins with a story of frustration and resentment that is slowly transforming into a greater trust of God's will.

Then, we hear from Fr. Dat Hoang, a Vietnamese immigrant, priest of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, and founding administrator of St. Faustina Catholic Church in Fulshear, TX. He shares the story of his lifelong desire to become a priest, his journey from Vietnam to the United States and the time he almost decided to leave  his dream of being a priest.

Then in Who's that Saint, we explore the life of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, a nun and mystic whose visions of Christ, and journaling habit, has brought forward a powerful devotion in the divine mercy.

Links:

MAX Studios Website
https://ustmaxstudios.com/

MAX Studios Instagram @maxstudiosust
https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

St. Faustina Catholic Church
https://saintfaustinachurch.org/

Fr. Dat Hoang
https://saintfaustinachurch.org/people/father-dat-hoang

Learn More about St. Faustina Kowalska
https://saintfaustinachurch.org/st-faustina

This is an episode about internal dialogue, limiting beliefs and how Christ's love can set us free!

In our opening, Darnell Miller tells a story about juggling that isn't really a story about "juggling."

Then we sit down with Leah Darrow, a mother, speaker, author, coach and entrepreneur whose reversion to the Catholic faith has afforded her the opportunity to share Christ's love and mercy with others. This is not a story of her reversion though, this is a story about the internal work, the human development that she needed to challenge the limiting beliefs she held about herself. She also shares how doing the internal work led to her human development course, Power Made Perfect.

Finally, in Who's that Saint, we explore the life of Blessed Solanus Casey, a Capuchin priest who lived a life of heroic virtue serving the poor and the sick, and whose legacy still touches lives in Detroit today.

Links:

MAX Studios Website
https://ustmaxstudios.com/

MAX Studios Instagram
@maxstudiosust
https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

Leah Darrow Website
https://www.leahdarrow.com/

Leah Darrow Instagram
@leah.darrow
https://www.instagram.com/leah.darrow/

Power Made Perfect
https://www.leahdarrow.com/powermadeperfect/

Learn More about Blessed Solanus Casey
https://solanuscasey.org/

Today we are talking about the religious, brothers and sisters who have devoted their life to the service of God, and how our relationships with them - understanding their unique, intimate relationship with Christ - can help us lay people better invite Christ into our own lives.

First, Darnell shares a story about Sr. Maura, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist, who's super power lies in a wink. He tells us how she fundamentally changed his relationship with God.

Then August Turak, author of "Business Secrets of the Trappists Monks," tells us about his own experience as a frequent monastic guest at Mepkin Abbey. He explains how the lessons he learned through their simple lifestyle have helped him become a successful entrepreneur and leader.

Learn more about August Turak: https://augustturak.com/
Learn more about Mepkin Abbey: https://mepkinabbey.org/

For more great storytelling and videos about living our faith authentically in the world follow MAX Studios:

Website: https://ustmaxstudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvFfPjMVugxN0ZHSpjrJWw

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maxstudiosust1?

Mercy! What is there to say about mercy? We all need it! And God gives it in abundance! We just need to accept it! In this episode of Protagonists of Change, we talk about mercy in our lives.

First, Darnell shares a story from college where, despite being the cause of his own problems, he is shown radical mercy and forgiveness.

Then Nicole Labadie, Director of Campus Ministry at UST Houston, speaks to an actual Pope Francis appointed Missionary of Mercy, Fr. Jim Sichko, author of “60 Minutes for Jesus.” They talk about his work as a Missionary of Mercy, travel, ministry, grace and what it means to offer mercy.

Finally, in “Who’s That Saint?” Fr. Jim does something a little different. You know at the end of the Litany of Saints in Mass when the priest says “All you holy men and women of God”? Yeah that’s who he is talking about!

Learn more about Fr. Jim Sichko - https://www.frjims.com/

For more great storytelling and videos about living our faith authentically in the world follow MAX studios:

Website: https://ustmaxstudios.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvFfPjMVugxN0ZHSpjrJWw

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maxstudiosust1?

Learn More about St. Luke Productions: https://www.stlukeproductions.com/

A momma's prayer is powerful! In this episode of Protagonists of Change, we explore the prayer of mothers, see the fruit that comes from those prayers and learn from their example.

First Darnell shares why his mother's bad storytelling might be a strength in her prayer life.

Then we speak to Jim Coleman, an actor and lead of St. Luke Productions show "Tolton: From Slave to Priest" to learn about his background as an actor and the life of Fr. Augustus Tolton, the first African-American ordained to the priesthood. We learn about the fruits of Fr. Tolton's life and his legacy in the church today. And guess what, both Jim and Fr. Tolton have strong praying mommas!

Finally we learn about the life of St. Monica, a momma who prayed so hard it led to the conversion of one of the most important Catholic Theologians in the Church, St. Augustine of Hippo! 

For more great storytelling and videos about living our faith authentically in the world follow MAX studios:

Website: https://ustmaxstudios.com/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxstudiosust/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtvFfPjMVugxN0ZHSpjrJWw

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maxstudiosust1?

Learn More about St. Luke Productions: https://www.stlukeproductions.com/

Climate Change and Global Warming are among the most important fights of our generation, and how we answer that call will affect generations to come. With that in mind we explore our role in nature. In Part 1, Max Linnville reflects on the growing up in the mountains of Boone, North Carolina, and how those mountains have followed him throughout his life and impacted his faith life. 

In Part 2, Darnell sits down with Fr. Paul English, Chaplain at the University of St. Thomas - Houston, to talk about the Basilian order and how they are pivoting to better answer the call to stewardship of the environment. With members in Europe, Canada, Central and South America, along with the US, they experience a wide range of climate effects and are learning to work across borders to bring about change.

In Part 3, Nicole teaches us about St. Basil the Great, the patron, but not the founder, of the Congregation of St. Basil. We learn about his early life, his contribution to monastic life and why he is a Doctor of the Church.

In this special World Water Day episode of Protagonists of Change, Max Linnville shares a cause close to his heart: water accessibility! Max sits down with Josh Elliot, the Chief Operating Officer from Wine To Water (https://www.winetowater.org/), an organization focused on fighting the world’s water crisis, based in Boone, N.C. (Max's hometown!) The two share their introductions to the organization and talk about the life-changing experiences they had while serving those who face water insecurities.   

World Water Day is an annual United Nations observance day held on March 22 that highlights the importance of fresh water. The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.

Understanding how we are called to live out our faith as individuals can be challenging. Luckily, the Church has given us Catholic Social Teachings as a model for us to serve the Church and the community around us Today we talk to Doris Barrow III, Campus Minister at Texas Southern University about the impact CST has had on his ministry and life.

In this episode of Protagonists of Change, Nicole Labadie talks about how motherhood led her to a deeper understanding, appreciation and love for the Virgin Mary.

Darnell Miller speaks to Adrian Fonseca, a 2020 graduate of the University of St. Thomas - Houston about discerning the priesthood  and becoming one of the "Hounds of Christ - a Dominican. He shares insights from his childhood, growing up in strong Catholic family, and developing his love for the Virgin Mary.

In this weeks episode of Protagonists of Change, the team run through a beginners guide to Catholic Social Teaching. They explain the 7 tenets of CST and answer some common questions surrounding history and the practice of Catholic Social Teaching. Finally, They look at the life of St. Martin de Porres, a Dominican who, because of his work and charity, was named the patron saint of social justice.

As we look out into our country, we are reckoning with the sin of racism and a lack of justice. Now, this isn't an easy subject to talk about and we don't expect this podcast is going to change people on the spot, but we do hope that it will lead to thought, dialogue and consideration that will lead everybody closer to the truth.

In Part 1, Darnell talks about growing up Black and Mexican in America.

In Part 2, Max talks to Dr. Krista Stevens, professor of Diversity and Christian Social Ethics at John Carroll University about Racism in American Culture.

Whose that Saint? It is Venerable Pierre Toussaint!

Today we explore the theme of hunger in its various forms. From those who are literally hungry, to those who hunger for love, justice and truth and finally to those who hunger for Christ.

In part one Darnell recounts a humanizing moment while feeding the homeless in college. 

In part two Max explores the complex topic of reading scripture with a hermeneutic of hunger. With the help of his former professor, Dr. Sheile McGinn,  he unpacks what that  means and how anybody can learn to read scripture through that lens.

Finally, in part three Nicole reflects on the life of St. Andre Bessette, the Miracle Man of Montreal, whose humility and hunger for Christ led to the healing of thousands.

Discernment is not just trying to to figure out if you should be a priest or a nun, it is about identifying how God is calling you to be a saint.

It is Holy Week which is super exciting, but this year, Holy Week feels different. For most of us, we wont be attending Church to celebrate the resurrection with our friends and family. Heck, most of us wont even be able to see our friends and family in person this year. So what can we do to find the joy that Easter promises? Hosts Max Linnville, Nicole Labadie and Darnell Miller talk about how they are experiencing Holy Week, how it differs to years past and what they are going to do to cultivate a sense of joy and Hope this Easter season.

#Socialdistancing is going to be a time of habit building, but what habits will you build. They could be positive habits, like establishing a regular prayer life and exercise regimen. Or they could be negative habits like stress eating and mindless internet surfing. Hosts Nicole Labadie, Max Linnville and Darnell Miller share how they are attempting to build good habits in their respective homes during the coronavirus quarantine and share some of their success and challenges in doing so.