Forte Catholic Podcast: Making Catholicism Fun Again

Jon Blevins co-hosts on his one year anniversary of first appearing on the show! Taylor shares why he's been crying while listening to podcasts in the woods and wonders if he's progressing or digressing as a human. In the second segment, we're joined by Brian Montfort of the Work To Game YouTube channel. With two of the biggest names in Catholic gaming, the guys chat about some of the pitfalls of gaming, how to avoid them and ultimately while they still play. Taylor tries to make strange comparisons between video games and the Church. Does it work? That's up to you to decide. In the final segment(recorded three hours later), Taylor shares that his deepest recent spiritual insight is that Jesus is a millennial which leads "seamlessly" into a conversation of a conference Jon went to recently about how to engage youth culture. This leads to a more broad conversation about how we live our lives between action and inaction. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channe

Everyone loves it when Taylor gets thrown off, and cohost Shaun McAfee delivers! In an episode building towards a conversation on what real integrity is and how we may have been setting ridiculous standards for ourselves, Shaun instead wants to start the show by peeling back the curtain on some updates to the intro Taylor has had to implement. We also talk about our failures as parents, scary Churches, share the most insane promotion ever and are joined by the host of Catholic Sports Radio, Bruce Wawrzyniak, to talk about...well...Catholicism, sports and radio. Tune in for a lighthearted and fun conversation that gets real real fast. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Taylor and Allison Sullivan discuss their recent travel, share stories including her getting tackled in an airport and him being better than her lol. This leads to a conversation on Catholic Social Teaching and how it gets a bad rap. Our guest this week is Dave Neeson, a youth minister who's side hustle is cooler than anyone else's. He works with Catholic Athletes for Christ, an organization that makes sure every Catholic in the NFL has access to the faith, especially the Sacraments, throughout the season. His stories involving some of our favorite sports heroes being die-hard Catholics are really inspiring.(catholicathletesforchrist.org) In the final segment, Taylor and Allison face off in a duel of the Forte Five segment! They countdown their top five bible verses that they would yell in public! There's a point to all this madness....we promise! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help

Fr. Anthony co-hosts as he and Taylor start the show looking back at crappy situations and realizing how they actually helped us. It gives us insight into how we handle these difficult situations. Then in the second segment, we welcome back(to Fr. Anthony's surprise) Kaitlyn Facista, lovingly known as Tea with Tolkien! With the King and Queen of Catholic Twitter united, our goal is to break the internet, and challenge Matt Fradd's kingdom! We talk the video game versions of Tolkien, uncover how little Taylor actually knows about LOTR and Kaitlyn saves a sinking ship by taking over and showing us how Catholic thought is immersed in the Silmarillion. In the final segment, college freshmen Blaine Tamez rejoins the show to talk about some of the issues he's been seeing in our social media culture and makes Fr. Anthony do layman things. It's beautiful. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help

The Return of the King! Co-host Jonathan "Bearded" Blevins is back after a two month hiatus(cuz he's too cool traveling the world sharing the Gospel smh). We catch up by talking about his trips across the world, including eating hot wings on stage while being interviewed and his trip to Germany. I also yell at him, so there's that. In the second segment, we're joined by Leo Gallegos to hear his story about how improving his physical wellness did wonders for his personal life, faith and family. The three of us have a conversation about the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit. Find out everything Leo has going on at libertasalive.com. In the final segment, Jon and Taylor play a "guess that saint" game with the help of new saint cards from Andy "Shaggy" Korty. These cards are beautiful! They're much better than Jon and Taylor are at this game, that's for sure. Enjoy them both epically fail but one of them, in particular, gets slaughtered at the game. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each

“Let's talk about Jesus and by that I mean the movie Aladdin” -Taylor Shaun McAfee cohosts to talk about the theme of trust with Taylor and this week's guest, Adrian from the Dude Catholic podcast. The conversation starts with comparing Aladdin to The Fall with deep insights Taylor stole from Old Producer Sam. The guys also dive into a conversation about the different spirituality types, put them up against each other and decide once and for all, which one is the best! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Allison Sullivan cohosts and talks with Taylor about the recent Harry Potter game that was released this weekend, what that has to do with friendship and ultimately our relationship with God. Our guest this week is DJ Bernal. He works full-time as a leadership consultant at a hospital. He also travels to share the Gospel and biblical principles of leadership. During our conversation, DJ takes us through the story of David, how he faltered as a leader and how we can avoid the same pitfalls. In the final segment, Taylor and Allison face off in a game of trivia hosted by ProjectYM's Michael Marchand. Hilarious to see how wrong Taylor was... Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Fr. Anthony co-hosts and Taylor has been saving a story for a month just for this moment with Padre. He shares a story of attending a Mass that had some odd quirks and made him think about the relationship between reverence and familiarity with Christ and how the two can sometimes feel at odds. This week’s guest is Sam Guzman of the Catholic Gentleman to explain to Taylor what toxic masculinity actually is and how to change it. Sam has been doing great stuff for Catholic men for years. Be sure to check out his website with all kinds of resources for Catholic dudes. (catholicgentleman.net) In the final segment, the guys talk about imaginative prayer, Taylor’s struggles with it and we laugh at/with Peter(what’s new?). This is a new style of prayer for Taylor and Fr. Anthony is quite encouraging(yep, you read that right). Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show a

Allison Sullivan joins Taylor as this week's cohost! They kick off the show by making fun of each other for quite some time and then Allison reacts to a ridiculous and funny cemetery story(weird right?) Then we're joined by one of Allison's good friends, Chris Field. We were honored to be in the studio with this man! He holds four Guinness World records, author of "Disrupting for Good," has given two TedX talks and founded the Mercy Project(mercyproject.net) which literally frees people from slavery. He's an amazing man and he comes to talk about the One Hope Movement(onehopemovement.com) that is happening in Central Texas, focused on unity and evangelization. Allison and Taylor finish the show by discussing how to deal with haters. They turn to the story of the Alabaster Jar to be encouraged not to hide our specific gifts from others. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people

Liv Harrison is back as guest co-host! Her and Taylor start the show by sharing their odd confession/adoration experience minutes before the show started. It was wild and sparks a discussion on distractions when trying to be holy. The rest of the show, we talk about community & friendship. These are topics we've all heard about ad nauseam but with some new wrinkles that we new to the hosts and made for an interesting conversation. It gave us great insight into some issues we have had before in relationships and tiffs. Tune in to laugh, learn a bit about yourself & your friends and....uh...laugh again. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

At long last, our Italian cohost Shaun McAfee returns! He and Taylor catch up on everything that's happened since they last spoke, including Taylor's recent retreat WHERE HE WAS SILENT! WHAT!?!?! The guys talk about the importance of silence, breaking out of our normal routines, intercessory prayer, selfishness, our gifts...as well as Canadian football(you know, the important things). Tune in for a conversation about the spiritual life, a good laugh or seven & because it will make you feel better about yourself. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Allison Sullivan cohosts for conversations on when we do our best but it wasn't good enough and how to deal with that. How do we play to our strengths and approach our weaknesses? In the second segment, Dustin Bertrand joins the show to discuss how "God made, self driven" has motivated his life. This conversation is a perfect Forte Catholic balance of intense laughter and deep, thoughtful insights. Dustin truly shares his heart in a powerful way that you don't want to miss. In the final segment, the discussion revolves around the question of why God doesn't give us all the answers when we ask what He wants us to do with our lives. The answer may surprise you. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Fr. Anthony co-hosts as he and Taylor dive deep into Jesus as the Good Shepherd and it's implications on us today. Taylor shares a cartoon that wrecked him(weird right?), the importance of scary sheep dogs and Jesus breaking your legs(what!?!?!) This episode also makes Fr. Anthony tell Taylor "You're broken and you're not special," so that's fun. In the second segment, Ali Hoffman rejoins the show to talk Oodles of Doodles, Taylor's terrible handwriting and life skills, praying and much more. She's an absolute delight to talk to! You're going to enjoy this episode. And when you do, PLEASE share it with your friends on social media or force them to listen to it w/ you. Thaaaankss! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

We recorded this show through a tornado warning! That's how much we love y'all! Liv Harrison is welcomed back into the studio to guest co-host. We catch up on life, spoiler free Avengers thoughts & finish last week's discussion on the book of Revelation(the thunder, lightning and tornado were a perfect background.) We also play a game perfectly suited for this dreary day called Job or Eeyore where Liv and Taylor face off by guessing who said each phrase. We hope you enjoy this hilarious episode! If you do, please share it with your crew on social media. We appreciate ya helping the show continue to grow :) Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Fr. Anthony co-hosts as we discuss the ridiculously insane weekend with the Avengers endgame premiere, largest battle in television/movie history on GOT & more! NO SPOILERS! Fr. Anthony gets on the biggest soap box he ever has…and he promises not to spoil anything. In the second segment, we’re joined by one of the coolest dudes in the ministry world, Ennie Hickman. We talk about preaching, actually loving your neighbors and all his work at Del Rey Collective. In the final segment, the guys debunk some of the common misconceptions about the book of Revelation. BONUS: The commercials on this episode are all brand new and are honestly Taylor's pride and joy :) Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Happy Easters!!!! We hope you enjoyed your Easter day and are continuing to enjoy the celebration of this great season! This week, Allison Sullivan cohosts as we discuss how our Lent's went, Easter joy and Taylor being the balance in the Force. Our guest this week is Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress, a Dominican priest who is the chaplain at the University of Virginia. We talk about how he and Taylor met(including a dino suit, a car wreck and a bar). We also talk about what young adults need most to grow in holiness and feel a part of the Church. The show wraps up with a conversation on Allison's upcoming live recording of her podcast on the topic of race. We start the discussion on this touchy topic and why we should have these often difficult conversations. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social me

Bearded Blevins co-hosts this week as we discuss Tiger Woods return to Master’s victory and what it has to do with Taylor’s working out and spiritual life. They also talk about the super long Palm Sunday and Good Friday Gospel readings and how to have a good experience with them instead of focusing on your knees buckling for standing up so long. We connect with some of the characters in the Passion narrative that we’ve never really connected with before. Our guest this week is Luke Vercollone, a recently retired professional soccer player who is using his platform to share the Gospel message. His ministry, Beast4Christ, calls everyone to be a saint…and has some amazing apparel! Tune is as we talk about his soccer career, how to strive for sainthood and be a Beast for Christ. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this

The Ministry Madness Bracket results are in! We go through some of the best first round matchups and eventually countdown the Top 10 finishers, all the way down to our winner! Shaun McAfee cohosts to weigh in on the results, share recent travel struggles and once again prove how odd Italy is. Our guest this week is former Broadway/reality TV star and current Catholic mom, speaker and podcaster, Stacey Sumereau. We have a tremendous and hilarious conversation about social media, discernment, ghost husbands and....toes?!?!?! Connect with her at www.staceysumereau.com Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

Fr. Anthony Sciarappa co-hosts as he and Taylor talk growth in friendship, demons, the power of Jesus name, & play a game, all through friendly argument and unstoppable laughter. This week's guest is Edmund Mitchell, host of "The Show" a self-proclaimed semi-Catholic podcast. We talk about curating the media we consume & getting out of our bubble. Connect with Edmund at EdmundMitchell.com. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic:

In this special edition of the show, we have two different co-hosts, and in person interview & only two segments(cuz we weren't stopping that interview. It was priceless) We start with Shaun McAfee and Taylor talking about why we focus on the negative in situations that are mostly positive. We also have a sneak peek into some of the closest matchups in the ministry madness bracket. In the next segment, Allison Sullivan and guest Liv Harrison join Taylor in studio for one of the wildest interviews we've done. They laugh, walk through a hilarious conflict and it's implications on how we deal with conflict in day to day situations. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by subscribing to our channel here (https://www.youtube.com/c/ForteCatholic?sub_confirmation=1) Help other people find the show and live the Joy of the Gospel by sharing this video on your social media. Thanks! Follow Forte Catholic: