Vocations, voting and building virtuous community with Bishop Kevin Sweeney

This week on a live recording of  “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J. (and a “Jesuitical” superfan!), about his spiritual journey as a young priest on Sept. 11, 2001, and his transition to becoming a bishop during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bishop Sweeney cites his knowledge gained in hard times as the catalyst for his pastoral approach to fostering community in an evolving church.

They discuss: 

- Bishop Sweeney’s own vocational journey, from considering professional baseball to embracing the priesthood and, later, the episcopacy.

- How modern vocations of both men and women emphasize the radical Gospel call to co-responsibility among the laity in the life of the church.

- Tangible ways that the church can help navigate the upcoming U.S. presidential election with a spirit of unity and respect.

In Signs of the Times, Zac and Ashley discuss Pope Francis’ recent advice to Catholics voting in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, where he called both major candidates “against life” and framed the election as a vote for the “lesser evil”; and curious stories about incorruptibility—the divine intervention that allows the bodies of certain saints to completely or partially avoid decomposition after death as a sign of their holiness.

Links from the show: 

I was a young New York priest on 9/11. The lessons of that day stay with me as a bishop.

Beyond The Beacon Podcast 

Pope Francis: Trump and Harris are ‘both against life’ but Catholics must vote and choose ‘lesser evil’

Nun’s incorruptible remains highlight rich heritage of Black Catholics in U.S., say experts

Carmelites find St. Teresa of Ávila’s body still incorrupt over 400 years after her death

Become a Jesuitical Patron and get access to the recording of an exclusive synod Zoom event with James Martin, S.J., held on Thursday, Sept. 19

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