Catholic Momcast

The Catholic Mom team brings you all things faith, family, and fun!

Catholic Prayercast 45: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton 09/08/2025

Catholic Prayercast 45: Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Maria Morera Johnson and Heidi Hess Saxton interview Sister Betty Ann MacNeill on the anniversary of the canonization of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and the updated release of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton: A Spiritual Portrait (Ignatius Press). Sister Betty Ann McNeil, D.C., is a Daughter of Charity and noted scholar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and the Vincentian tradition. With degrees in social work and an honorary doctorate from Niagara University, she has published extensively on Elizabeth Seton. Widely recognized as an authority on Seton’s life and spirituality, Sister Betty Ann lectures internationally and continues to preserve and share the legacy of the first American-born saint. Link in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/38128840

Catholic Momcast 362: Love Thy Neighbor 09/03/2025

Catholic Momcast 362: Love Thy Neighbor Maria Morera Johnson has an animated conversation with actor, producer Christin Jezak, about her new web series, Neighborhood Watch, and the message of loving your neighbor and loving yourself, too. Christin Jezak is an actor, writer, and producer passionate about creating stories that inspire empathy and connection. She is the creator and producer of the web series Neighborhood Watch, which blends humor and heart to explore themes of community, faith, and human dignity. With a background in theater and film, Christin brings her creative vision to projects that spark meaningful conversation and reflect her commitment to storytelling rooted in hope. Links for this Episode: Neighborhood Watch (Nominated episode 4): Website: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/38064565

Catholic Momcast 361: Mom Hacks 08/27/2025

Catholic Momcast 361: Mom Hacks Maria Morera Johnson and CatholicMom.com contributor Samantha Stephenson have a discuss habits that help us be present to our children in the midst of demanding chores and duties. Samantha Stephenson is a Catholic convert, bioethicist, and author of , the devotional, and the forthcoming books The Bellbind Letters and Grow Where You’re Planted. Samantha homeschools her four children and homesteads with her family on a third of an acre nestled in the heart of Idaho's Snake River Valley. You can find her at . Links for this Episode: Podcast: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37974105

Prayercast 44: The Sacraments with Father Chris Alar 08/25/2025

Prayercast 44: The Sacraments with Father Chris Alar Maria Morera Johnson and Father Chris Alar, MIC, author of Understanding the Sacraments: God's Grace Guaranteed! Fr. Chris Alar, MIC is a Marian Father of the Immaculate Conception and a familiar face to many Catholics through his talks, books, and EWTN’s Living Divine Mercy. Known for his down-to-earth way of breaking down big topics, Fr. Chris has a heart for helping people really understand their faith and experience God’s mercy. His latest book, Understanding the Sacraments: God’s Grace Guaranteed, takes us deeper into the seven sacraments—showing how they’re not just rituals we do, but real encounters with God’s grace that can transform our lives. Links in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37945960

Catholic Momcast 360: Adventures with Bluey 08/20/2025

Catholic Momcast 360: Adventures with Bluey Maria Morera Johnson and Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C., discuss Bluey, a family-oriented animated series that speaks to the whole family. Born and raised in the greater Chicago area, Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C., made his final vows in 2008 and was ordained in 2009. For most of his life in Holy Cross, he has served as a professor and a pastoral resident in a men's hall at the University of Portland in Oregon. Since Father Charlie comes from a lively, close-knit family, and since devotion to the Rosary stretches back generations among his relatives, he feels very blessed to be joining the team at Holy Cross Family Ministries to carry on the legacy of Venerable Patrick Peyton. Links for this Episode: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37884575

Catholic Momcast 359: Embracing the Rosary 08/13/2025

Catholic Momcast 359: Embracing the Rosary Maria Morera Johnson and Allison Gingras discuss summer serenity and embracing the Rosary. Maria and Allison discuss the winding down of summer and looking forward to a Fall reset while embracing the beauty of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Links for this Episode: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37780165

Catholic Momcast 358: Tik Tok's Sister Lisa 08/06/2025

Catholic Momcast 358: Tik Tok's Sister Lisa Maria Morera Johnson interviews Tik Tok influencer Sister Lisa Hezmalhalch, author of A Rome for Restless Hearts. In A Rome for Restless Hearts, Sr. Lisa takes readers through some of the most common questions and concerns about Catholicism, including the veneration of Mary and the role of women in the Church. With her characteristic wit, Sr. Lisa shares with readers her own questions, misunderstandings, and reluctance about Catholicism, and how she discovered that the Catholic faith was already offering her soul what it was seeking: a deeper relationship with Jesus. Links in Show: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37687765

Catholic Momcast 357: Recharging in Christ 07/30/2025

Catholic Momcast 357: Recharging in Christ Maria Morera Johnson and Inés Mersch talk about tending to our spiritual and physical needs. Inés Huber Mersch is a faithful Catholic wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Mobile, Alabama. Her strong attraction to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led to her being invited to participate in the steering committee that brought Perpetual Adoration to the Archdiocese of Mobile and continues as one of the schedulers. She has also been a guest writer at Catholic Mom. Links in Show: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37599125

Catholic Momcast 356: Mothering through Milestone Years 07/23/2025

Catholic Momcast 356: Mothering through Milestone Years Maria Morera Johnson and contributor Kristina Talbot discuss the joys and challenges of mothering our children through milestones. Kristina Talbot is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and native Floridian who loves that her engineer husband enjoys Karaoke, and her four children enjoy carpool line with the music up. Kristina is the owner and founder of ARISE Mental Health Consulting Services and has a ridiculous amount of knowledge about football. You can follow Kristina on Facebook and Instagram @arisemhc. Links for this Episode: Read all articles by /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37510285

Prayercast 43: Praying with Apps 07/21/2025

Prayercast 43: Praying with Apps Maria Morera Johnson and Heidi Hess Saxton talk about using prayer apps as spiritual aids. Heidi Saxton is co-host of the CatholicMom.com Prayercast, and author of (OSV) and (Ave). She is also senior acquisitions editor for Ave Maria Press. She and her husband Craig divide their time between northern Michigan and West Palm Beach, Florida. You can read about her adventures on . Maria Morera Johnson, author of :, My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halo, and Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too. Link in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37481660

Catholic Momcast 355: Jubilee Year of Hope 07/16/2025

Catholic Momcast 355: Jubilee Year of Hope Maria and Allison take a mid-year check0in for the Jubilee Year of Hope, and introduce the new series on Catholic Mom: A Reason for Our Hope Links for this Episode: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37423990

Catholic Mom 354: Summer Reading Picks 07/09/2025

Catholic Mom 354: Summer Reading Picks Maria Johnson interviews Liz Lantigua, founder of Good News! Book Fair, and Leslea Wahl, author of A Summer to Treasure. Good News! Book Fair for an Agenda-Free Alternative Good News! Book Fair started in 2014. They are headquartered in Florida with a second distribution center in Ohio and are now a program of Literacy Advocates USA, a nonprofit organization. Good News! Boof Fair emphasizes how important it is for parents and educators to instill the joy of reading in children and provide fun, wholesome, inspiring books, promoting good entertainment collaborating with Family Theatre Productions and Angel Studios. Good News! Book Fair (GNBF) believes that if we can change the media, we can change the culture. They help parents and educators by curating titles, offering author presentations/book signings, literary programs that make reading fun, fundraising for libraries, and providing a place where anyone can purchase clean reads in an agenda-free environment. Leslea Wahl Leslea Wahl is an award-winning author of Catholic teen adventurous mysteries. She lives in beautiful Colorado with her family. Leslea believes one way to encourage teens in their faith is through positive messages and Catholic values, embedded in great stories. She is excited to share her reviews of some incredible Catholic books, all of which have received the Catholic Writer’s Guild Seal of Approval. Find her online at . . Show Notes Links: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37341645

Catholic Momcast 353: Fruits of the Spirit 07/02/2025

Catholic Momcast 353: Fruits of the Spirit Maria Morera Johnson is joined by Inés Huber Mersch for a conversation about the Fruits of the Spirit, and how we can cultivate the virtues in our family. Inés Huber Mersch is a faithful Catholic wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Mobile, Alabama. Her strong attraction to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led to her being invited to participate in the steering committee that brought Perpetual Adoration to the Archdiocese of Mobile and continues as one of the schedulers. She has also been a guest writer at Catholic Mom. Links in Show: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37245375

Prayercast 42: Mary's Motherhood 06/30/2025

Prayercast 42: Mary's Motherhood Maria Morera Johnson and Heidi Hess Saxton talk about the Blessed Mother as a model for our motherhood. Maria Morera Johnson and Heidi Hess Saxton talk about the Blessed Mother as a model for our motherhood. Heidi Saxton is co-host of the CatholicMom.com Prayercast, and author of (OSV) and (Ave). She is also senior acquisitions editor for Ave Maria Press. She and her husband Craig divide their time between northern Michigan and West Palm Beach, Florida. You can read about her adventures on . Maria Morera Johnson, author of :, My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halo, and Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too. Link in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37220500

Catholic Momcast 352: Musician Cristina Bernal 06/25/2025

Catholic Momcast 352: Musician Cristina Bernal Maria Morera Johnson interviews musician Cristina Bernal in an intimate conversation about faith, sacrifice, values, and surrendering her gifts to God. CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, Cristina Bernal shares briefly about exposure to immoral practices in the music industry that led to her awakening in the faith. Caution is recommended, especially when young listeners may be present. Growing up in the music industry Cristina always knew she wanted to do something big with her gifts and talents. After leaving what would have been her second record deal in 2011, Cristina got involved in leading worship for her young adult community. From there she knew she had a calling to serve the Lord with her gifts and talents. Along with writing and releasing pop music she has served in the worship community since. She has traveled around the United States leading worship for conferences, retreats, parish missions, as well as locally at her home parish. Cristina signed with Catholic Christian Record label NOVUM in July of 2022. She has released a and is working on another Album of Worship Music for Mass. Links for this Show: new song: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37135295

Catholic Momcast 351: Pausing Busyness 06/18/2025

Catholic Momcast 351: Pausing Busyness Maria and Allison catch up with each other. Life sometimes comes at us in seasons of heavy activity and having strategies for focus and grounding in the faith are essential. Links for this Episode: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/37026335

Catholic Momcast 350: Real Life with Mary Book Club Week 3 06/12/2025

Catholic Momcast 350: Real Life with Mary Book Club Week 3 Our May 2025 Book Club selection is a book honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary! Kelsey Gillespy, in her new book, encourages moms to grow in friendship with Mary and learn from her how to walk the daily path to holiness. This book is written for all of us! Kelsey observed during this session that the book is a call to discipleship, a call to fellowship, and a call to sainthood. She acknowledged that when we look at the saints we see all the glamor, and it can seem like sainthood is distant — but over time, God can bring us to sainthood too. Kelsey and Allison discuss how Mary is close to us because of the grace of God, and that grace can bring us closer to God. Learn more about Mary as a powerful example and mentor as well as someone who's going to nurture us, love us, and want the best for us in our Week 3 Book Club episode. /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36963055

Catholic Momcast 349: Cooking with the Kids 06/11/2025

Catholic Momcast 349: Cooking with the Kids Maria Morera Johnson and Barb Szyszkiewicz have a lively conversation about cooking with the family, offering some Mom hacks for encouraging young chefs. Barb Szyszkiewicz, senior editor at , is a wife, mom of 3 young adults, and a Secular Franciscan. Barb enjoys writing, cooking, and reading, and is a music minister at her parish. Find her blog at and her family’s favorite recipes with nutrition information at . Barb is the author of and , available from Our Sunday Visitor. Maria Morera Johnson, author of and My Badass Book of Saints. She writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too. Links for Show: . . /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36946895

CatholicMom Prayercast 41: Hopeful Parenting 06/09/2025

CatholicMom Prayercast 41: Hopeful Parenting Heidi Saxton is co-host of the CatholicMom.com Prayercast, and author of (OSV) and (Ave). She is also senior acquisitions editor for Ave Maria Press. She and her husband Craig divide their time between northern Michigan and West Palm Beach, Florida. You can read about her adventures on . Maria Morera Johnson, author of :, My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halo, and Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too. Link in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36911455

Catholic Momcast 348: Real Life with Mary Book Club Week 2 06/05/2025

Catholic Momcast 348: Real Life with Mary Book Club Week 2 Our May 2025 Book Club selection is a book honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary! Kelsey Gillespy, in her new book, encourages moms to grow in friendship with Mary and learn from her how to walk the daily path to holiness. This book is written for all of us! Kelsey observed during this session that the book is a call to discipleship, a call to fellowship, and a call to sainthood. She acknowledged that when we look at the saints we see all the glamor, and it can seem like sainthood is distant — but over time, God can bring us to sainthood too. Kelsey and Allison discuss how Mary is close to us because of the grace of God, and that grace can bring us closer to God. Learn more about Mary as a powerful example and mentor as well as someone who's going to nurture us, love us, and want the best for us in our Week 2 Book Club episode. /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36856955

Catholic Momcast 347: Graduation Season 06/04/2025

Catholic Momcast 347: Graduation Season Maria Morera Johnson and Margaret Dwyer Hogan discuss graduations and the transitions in the home. Maria Morera Johnson and Margaret Dwyer Hogan have a lively and fun conversation about the different seasons of graduation and launching our children. /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36837370

Catholic Momcast 346: Book Club Real Life with Mary Week 1 05/29/2025

Catholic Momcast 346: Book Club Real Life with Mary Week 1 Our May 2025 Book Club selection is a book honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary! Kelsey Gillespy, in her new book, encourages moms to grow in friendship with Mary and learn from her how to walk the daily path to holiness. This book is written for all of us! Kelsey observed during this session that the book is a call to discipleship, a call to fellowship, and a call to sainthood. She acknowledged that when we look at the saints we see all the glamor, and it can seem like sainthood is distant — but over time, God can bring us to sainthood too. Kelsey and Allison discuss how Mary is close to us because of the grace of God, and that grace can bring us closer to God. Learn more about Mary as a powerful example and mentor as well as someone who's going to nurture us, love us, and want the best for us in our Week 1 Book Club episode. /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36762680

Catholic Momcast 345: Summer's Almost Here 05/28/2025

Catholic Momcast 345: Summer's Almost Here Maria and Allison have a heartfelt conversation about summer memories and dive into the archives for summer ideas for the family, including some mom hacks for young children. Links for this episode: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36735630

Prayercast 40: Home Altars and Devotions 05/26/2025

Prayercast 40: Home Altars and Devotions Maria Morera Johnson and Inés Huber Mersch discuss ways they integrate tangible expressions of faith in their homes. Inés Huber Mersch is a faithful Catholic wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Mobile, Alabama. Her strong attraction to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament led to her being invited to participate in the steering committee that brought Perpetual Adoration to the Archdiocese of Mobile and continues as one of the schedulers. She has also been a guest writer at Catholic Mom. Links in Episode: - - /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36714135

Catholic Momcast 344: Piety and Temperament 05/21/2025

Catholic Momcast 344: Piety and Temperament Maria Morera Johnson interviews Rosemary McGuire Berry, author of Piety and Personality: The Temperaments of the Saints (TAN Books). Rosemary McGuire Berry is a lifelong Catholic reader, storyteller, writer and traveler who homeschools the younger of her two daughters. When she’s not leading international pilgrimages with her husband and family to visit shrines and saints, she resides with her family in Colorado. Links for this Show: TAN Books: Author website: Free Handout about the Saints & their Temperaments Catholic Posts on Instagram: Weekly articles on Tea, Talk & Tattered Pages /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36645245

Catholic Momcast 343: Meet Roxane Salonen 05/14/2025

Catholic Momcast 343: Meet Roxane Salonen Maria Morera Johnson interviews CatholicMom.com contributor Roxane B. Salonen, award-winning children’s author and freelance writer, and a radio host, speaker, and podcaster. Roxane B. Salonen, Fargo, North Dakota (“You betcha!”), is a wife and mother of a literal, mostly-grown handful, an award-winning children’s author and freelance writer, and a radio host, speaker, and podcaster (“”). Roxane co-authored to bring hope to those bearing an all-too-common cross. Her diocesan column, shares insights from her prolife sidewalk ministry. Visit . Links for this Show: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36557190

Prayercast 39: Month of Mary 05/12/2025

Prayercast 39: Month of Mary Maria Morera Johnson and Heidi Hess Saxton talk about their love of the Blessed Mother. Heidi Saxton is co-host of the CatholicMom.com Prayercast, and author of (OSV) and (Ave). She is also senior acquisitions editor for Ave Maria Press. She and her husband Craig divide their time between northern Michigan and West Palm Beach, Florida. You can read about her adventures on . Maria Morera Johnson, author of :, My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halo, and Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too. Link in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36531065

Catholic Momcast 342: Meet Allison Auth 05/07/2025

Catholic Momcast 342: Meet Allison Auth Maria Morera Johnson interviews CatholicMom.com contributor Allison Auth, author of Baby and Beyond: Overcoming Those Post-Childbirth Woes (Sophia Institute Press). Allison Auth lives with her woodworker husband and 5 children in the Denver area, where she homeschools her kids. She is the author of Baby and Beyond: Overcoming Those Post-Childbirth Woes (Sophia Institute Press) and contributes regularly to the Denver Catholic. She is active in her parish and homeschooling communities. Learn more about her work at . Links for the Show: . /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36458590

Catholic Momcast 341: When Worry Overwhelms 04/30/2025

Catholic Momcast 341: When Worry Overwhelms Maria Morera Johnson and Allison Gingras discuss how worry shows up in every season of motherhood, from sleepless nights with newborns to the silent prayers for grown kids, and how to find peace and purpose through it all. Maria and Allison discuss how worry is a constant companion in motherhood. In this heartfelt episode, we explore how anxiety shifts across each season of raising children and how faith, community, and practical wisdom can help us anchor our hearts in peace. Tune in for this reminder that you're never alone on this journey. Links for this episode: /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36368510

Prayercast 38: Praying for Each Other 04/28/2025

Prayercast 38: Praying for Each Other Maria Morera Johnson and Heidi Hess Saxton talk about their special prayer devotions and pray for Catholic Momcast and Prayercast listeners. Heidi Saxton is co-host of the CatholicMom.com Prayercast, and author of (OSV) and (Ave). She is also senior acquisitions editor for Ave Maria Press. She and her husband Craig divide their time between northern Michigan and West Palm Beach, Florida. You can read about her adventures on . Maria Morera Johnson, author of A Beautiful Second Act: My Badass Book of Saints, Super Girls and Halo, and Our Lady of Charity: How a Cuban Devotion to Mary Helped Me Grow in Faith and Love writes about all the things that she loves. A cradle Catholic, she struggles with living in the world but not being of it, and blogs about those successes and failures, too. Link in Show:· /episode/index/show/catholicmomcast/id/36343040

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