Author: Tony Ganzer

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Blessings on a German Breeze

The world remains gripped by a pandemic; an unseen, but very present coronavirus has caused us to rethink a lot of things: how we work, how we spend time, how we show respect and communicate. I’ve been sitting on a fun anecdote (from a German news site) for a while, and thought these dark days are as good a time as any to share. So coming up: the story of a giant Jesus Christ balloon and the two German monks, in this short episode of Faith Full.

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Penance, Prayers, and an Incorrupt Heart

A golden reliquary with the darkened incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney

In times of struggle for the institution of the Catholic Church, some look for inspiration and intercession from the Saints. St. Jean Vianney is said to have faced regular attacks by Satan, yet his ministry in the face of those has positioned him as the Patron Saint of Parish Priests, having walked the Earth during a time of great difficulty for the Catholic church in France. The incorrupt heart of St. Jean Vianney is touring the U.S. during another time of trial in the Church. More on that, and the young man traveling with the relic in this episode of Faith Full.

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Zealot’s Axe: The Conversion of Joerg Jenatsch

We live in a moment when our faith traditions can lead some people to stereotypes right away. If you identify yourself as anything, a whole host of political or social positions may be thrown at you, or attributed to you, without nuance. This isn’t just a modern trend, of course, and today we’ll hear an extreme example of a lack of religious nuance from Switzerland’s past. The Catholic-Protestant relationship, and the murder of Joerg Jenatsch..in this episode of Faith Full.

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Of Relics, Saints, and Solace

If a loved one dies, it’s natural to want to hang on to something to remind you of them—maybe a ring, maybe a favorite book or picture. That’s the same idea, in a very basic way, behind the relics of the saints held in high esteem by many faith traditions. And in Pittsburgh, oddly enough, there is said to be the largest Catholic collection of relics outside of Rome.  Join us for a visit to Saint Anthony Chapel in this episode of Faith Full.

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A Grandfather’s Faith

“Grief can bring on death, and heartache can sap one’s strength. When a person is carried away…sorrow is over.”

The Book of Sirach contains a lot of wisdom but these lines above on death seem too callous to me.

It’s true, if we let grief consume us it can interrupt the lives we’re still blessed to live. But the funeral isn’t the end of the grieving process.

In many ways that process never ends, it just changes.

And sometimes part of that process involves a grandson’s story about his grandfather.

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Facing Terror, Finding Hope: Fr. Cirilo Nacorda

How do we know our faith is really faith? It can be easy for us to say we believe something, but if there’s nothing depending on it, is it a deep-seated truth? C.S. Lewis wrote once that it’s easy to believe a rope is strong if you’re just tying a box. But if your life hung by that rope, your faith in it would be tested to a new level.  In this episode, a priest held hostage by Jihadist militants in the Philippines.

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Sisters Against Slavery

Your faith tradition may be something you keep private, or may be something you need to share with all you encounter. But sometimes, even for people who have dedicated their lives to a religious order, there can be this delicate balance of following your beliefs…but not alienating others who need emergency help. In this episode, a conversation with a nun battling human trafficking.

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