Gotta Be Saints

• A Saint for Every Day with Belinda Terro Mooney

  Send us a textIn this episode of Gotta Be Saints, I sit down with author and Catholic coach Belinda Terro Mooney to talk about living real friendship with Jesus and praying with the saints—especially on their feast days.With All Saints’ Day right around the corner, we dive into why the saints’ stories matter, how ordinary people become holy, and practical ways to invite the saints to intercede for your family, parish, and daily life.Guest BioBelinda Terro Mooney is an author, Catholic coach, widow, and mom of seven. She’s a definitively professed Secular Discalced Carmelite whose new book, Pray With Us: A Saint for Every Day, offers short reflections and prayers that help readers grow in friendship with the saints throughout the year.📘 Get the Book: Pray With Us: A Saint for Every Day 🌐 Website: belindaterromooney.comKey Topics & Highlights01:00 – Why the saints matter more than celebrity culture 04:00 – Becoming the saint God made you to be 07:00 – Holiness in every vocation: parents, spouses, singles, and priests 10:00 – Saints vs. self-help: the surest roadmap to heaven 12:00 – Ordinary people, heroic virtue, and the gift of true leisure 16:00 – Friendship with Jesus at the heart of prayer 19:00 – Staying faithful in dryness—when prayer feels like “chewing straw” 23:00 – Turning everyday duties into prayer 26:00 – Conversational prayer: driving, working, and parenting with Jesus beside you 30:00 – How to pray with the saints—especially on their feast days 33:00 – Inside the book: short bios, virtue-focused prayers, and adding your own intentions 36:00 – A vision for families: teaching children to pray with the saints 40:00 – Belinda’s “Mount Rushmore” of saints: Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and Thérèse of Lisieux 49:00 – If she were a saint… Belinda’s heart for the vulnerable and abused 50:00 – How to pray for Belinda and her familyConnect with Belinda Taro Mooney🌐 Website 📘 Amazon – Pray With Us: A Saint for Every Day 📸 Instagram 📖 Facebook 💼 LinkedIn ▶️ YouTube 📍 PinterestSponsored by TruthlyThis episode is brought to you by Truthly — the Catholic action app that helps you reflect, learn, and share your faith confidently. Start your free trial at truthly.ai and use code GOTTABESAINTS for a discount.📸 Instagram: @gottabesaints Support the show

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• A Catholic Perspective on Conversion Therapy with Dr. Julia Sadusky

  Send us a textIn this episode of Gotta Be Saints, Brendan Gotta welcomes back Dr. Julia Sadusky, a clinical psychologist and author of Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth. Together, they unpack the complex and often misunderstood topic of conversion therapy—how it’s defined, what the law says, and how Catholics can approach questions of faith, sexuality, and identity with both compassion and truth.From Colorado’s 2019 conversion therapy ban to the challenges faced by Christian clinicians, this conversation explores the balance between faithful accompaniment and clinical integrity, while offering hope for families navigating these sensitive issues.Guest BioDr. Julia Sadusky is a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in the integration of faith and mental health. She works primarily with sexual and gender minorities from Christian backgrounds and provides consultation and training to churches, schools, and clinicians. Julia holds a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Regent University and a B.A. from Ave Maria University. She is also the co-author of Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today’s Youth. Website: juliasadusky.com Instagram: @drjuliasaduskyKey Topics & Highlights00:00 – Introduction and context for today’s discussion 00:03 – Defining conversion therapy: why it’s difficult to pin down 00:06 – What Colorado’s 2019 law actually says 00:10 – Why many Christian clinicians feel anxious about these laws 00:14 – How faith communities historically engaged with conversion therapy 00:18 – The impact of conversion therapy on faith, family, and trust in God 00:23 – The need for emotionally mature, well-formed Catholic clinicians 00:26 – The influence of culture and social media on identity formation 00:30 – Parenting with warmth and firmness rather than fear 00:36 – Building trust and walking with teens through difficult questions 00:39 – Finding common ground across divides and engaging others with charityKey TakeawaysConversion therapy isn’t a single practice—it’s an umbrella term that covers any therapy seeking to change orientation or gender identity.Laws like Colorado’s don’t ban pastoral care or identity exploration—they restrict licensed therapists from pursuing fixed outcomes with minors.Effective Catholic counseling should help teens think critically and mature in faith, not react out of fear.Building trust and long-term relationships matters more than offering quick fixes.Faithful dialogue across political and ideological lines is still possible—and deeply needed.Sponsored by TruthlyThis episode is brought to you by Truthly — the world’s first Catholic action app helping you reflect and share your faith confidently. Start your free trial here and use code Gottabesaints for a discount!Connect with Gotta Be SaintsInstagram: @gottabesaints Support the show

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• Venerable Francis Xavier Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan

  Send us a textCardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuận spent 13 years imprisoned by the communist regime in Vietnam—nine of them in solitary confinement. In this moving conversation, his sister Elizabeth shares intimate family memories, the roots of his priestly vocation, and the crucible of prison where the Eucharist became his lifeline. She recounts how the meditations that became The Road of Hope were written and smuggled out, the small miracles that sustained him, and the day he was told simply to “be free… today.” We also trace his later service in Rome under St. John Paul II and the enduring lessons of dignity, forgiveness, and hope.In This Episode, You’ll HearFamily & Vocation: A promise to God after the death of the family’s first child; nightly rosary in a home chapel; formation that set the course for a priest and future cardinal.Seminary & History: Entering minor seminary at 13; formation amid the Indochina War and the influence of French missionaries; appointed bishop at 39.Arrest on a Marian Feast: The Assumption of 1975; immediate house arrest; writing 1,001 meditations that became The Road of Hope.Isolation & Interior Battle: The temptation to hatred in a windowless cell; the turning point—recognizing Christ’s crucified face in suffering and choosing charity.The Eucharist in the Camp: Clandestine Mass with “medicine” (wine and hosts) smuggled in; the re-education camp as his “new cathedral.”Release & Aftermath: The tea-and-banana meeting with a minister—“What do you want?” “To be free.” “When?” “Today.”—followed by house restrictions, exile, and service in Rome.Rome & Universal Witness: Vice President and then President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; preacher of the 2000 papal Lenten retreat; created cardinal in 2001.This Episode Is For You If You’ve Ever AskedHow can faith transform suffering into hope—concretely?What does it mean to embrace brokenness without losing your dignity?How does Mary lead us to Christ in trials—especially when everything seems lost?Where can I find a modern witness who lived the Gospel under persecution?Resources MentionedBiography: Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan: Man of Joy and Hope — Ignatius PressCause of Canonization: Official site — cardinalvanthuan.orgFollow Gotta Be SaintsInstagram: @gottabesaintsIf this conversation moved you, subscribe, rate, and leave a review so more people can discover testimonies of faith, healing, and holiness.Share this episode with a friend who needs encouragement.Sponsored by TruthlyThis episode is brought to you by Truthly — the world’s first Catholic action app helping you reflect and share your faith confidently. Start your free trial at truthly.ai and use code gottabesaints for a special listener offer.  Support the show

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• Broken Mary with Kevin Matthews

  Send us a textIn this episode, I am joined by Kevin Matthews, legendary Chicago radio personality and author of Broken Mary.For nearly two decades, Kevin was the voice millions tuned in to hear every morning. Known for his unforgettable characters, sold-out comedy shows, and larger-than-life presence, he seemed to be living at the peak of success. But in 2008, Kevin was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—a diagnosis that reshaped his life and faith.Out of that brokenness came an unlikely encounter: a discarded statue of Mary found beside a dumpster. That moment became a turning point, leading Kevin to a deeper relationship with Christ, a renewed sense of hope, and a mission to help others find healing in their own brokenness.In This Episode, You’ll Hear:Kevin’s journey from comedy clubs and radio stardom to the challenges of MSThe story of how a broken statue of Mary became a vessel of grace and healingWhat Kevin learned about humility, faith, and the dignity of womenHow suffering can lead us to discover true joy and hopeKevin’s message to anyone who longs for healing in their own lifeThis Episode Is For You If You’ve Ever Asked:How can faith transform suffering into hope?What does it mean to embrace brokenness as part of our journey?How can Mary, the Mother of God, draw us closer to her Son in times of trial?Resources Mentioned:Broken Mary: A Journey of Hope (Book & Movie) — Watch the film hereFollow Gotta Be Saints:Instagram: @gottabesaintsSubscribe, rate, and leave a review to help others discover stories of faith, healing, and holiness.Sponsored by TruthlyThis episode is brought to you by Truthly — the world’s first Catholic action app helping you reflect and share your faith confidently. Start your free trial at truthly.ai and use code gottabesaints for a special listener offer. Support the show

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• The Risks and Opportunities of a Synodal Church with His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet

  Send us a textIn this episode, I am joined by His Eminence, Cardinal Marc Ouellet, former Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and author of Word, Sacrament, Charism: The Risks and Opportunities of a Synodal Church.Drawing on decades of leadership within the Church—including his roles in seminary formation, global episcopal appointments, and multiple synods—Cardinal Ouellet brings a deeply theological and pastoral lens to one of the most debated processes in the modern Church: synodality.In This Episode, You'll Hear:The theological and spiritual roots of the Synod on SynodalityCardinal Ouellet’s reflections on why synodality must begin in faith, not functionThe risks of reducing the Church to NGO logicHow Mary, Mother of the Church, is the true archetype of synodalityThe need for both hierarchical leadership and charismatic creativityWhat lay people can do to live out the Church’s mission with fidelity and joyThis Episode is For You If You’ve Ever Asked:What exactly is synodality—and why is the Church talking so much about it?How do we walk together without compromising truth?What role do lay people play in a “synodal” Church?How can we discern the Holy Spirit in communal dialogue?Resources Mentioned:Word, Sacrament, Charism: The Risks and Opportunities of a Synodal Church — Available at Ignatius PressFollow Gotta Be Saints:Instagram: @gottabesaintsWebsite: gottabesaints.comSubscribe, rate, and leave a review to help others discover the call to holiness through the voices of the Church.Sponsored by TruthlyThis episode is brought to you by Truthly — the world’s first Catholic action app helping you reflect and share your faith confidently. Start your free trial at truthly.ai and use code gottabesaints for a special listener offer. Support the show

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