Chris Stefanick Catholic Show

Chris Stefanick | Real Life Catholic

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The world says the Catholic Faith is boring. And too often, we act like we believe it. Ready to live your Faith like an adventure instead? Chris Stefanick wants to help you live the JOY God created you for, right here and now. Hit Play and get rolling!

Recent Episodes

NOV 3, 2026
Why You Feel Drained Even When You Love Your Work | Patrick Lencioni
Why do some parts of your work give you energy while others drain you? Chris Stefanick sits down with Patrick Lencioni, president of The Table Group, to walk through Working Genius, the framework that helps you name the work that fills you up and the work that wears you out. Patrick shares how it came together, and why it frees us from guilt we were never meant to carry. In this episode:- The six kinds of work in every project, and the two you were made for- Why "take a vacation" is the wrong advice for burnout- Why feeling like a fraud may not mean what you think- The email from a husband who thought his wife hated him- What it changes for marriage, parenting, and your team- How it explains the way you pray ....... Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP ........ Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0 ........ Take the Working Genius assessment for 20% off with code STEFANICK: https://www.workinggenius.com Patrick Lencioni is president and co-founder of The Table Group, a consulting firm focused on leadership teams and organizational health. He is the author of 13 books with more than 10 million copies sold, including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and The 6 Types of Working Genius.
40 MIN
OCT 20, 2026
Why You Feel Empty Even When Life Is Good | Dr. Arthur Brooks
Why are you alive, and for what would you give your life right now? Bestselling author and Harvard professor Dr. Arthur Brooks joins Chris Stefanick to talk about his new book, The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness, and why so many young people struggle to answer the biggest questions of their lives. In this episode: - The three "whys" behind a meaningful life- What a gorilla named Koko can teach us about being human- Why boredom may be the way back to meaning- The three phone-free hours he recommends- What to do when someone you love is far from faith Arthur also opens up about the long walk he took at 55 that changed the direction of his life. ....... Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP ........ Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0 ........ Arthur C. Brooks, PhD, is a social scientist and one of the world’s leading authorities on human happiness. He is a university professor, national columnist with The Free Press, podcast host, CBS News expert contributor, and internationally-acclaimed public speaker. He is the author of The Meaning of Your Life and his previous books include the bestsellers Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey), From Strength to Strength, and Love Your Enemies. He lives with his family in Virginia. The Meaning of Your Life is now out, order your copy today! From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of From Strength to Strength, an account of how the modern world sets us up to fail at finding meaning—and a plan for finding what you seek. https://www.arthurbrooks.com/books/the-meaning-of-your-life
67 MIN
OCT 6, 2026
How to Make a Moral Decision | Dr. Cary Dabney
What do you say when someone asks, "Who are you to judge me?" Dr. Cary Dabney, a professor of theology at Walsh University, returns to the show to unpack the simple framework he uses to teach moral theology to students who are devout, on the fence, or completely unchurched. It's the same framework that can help you talk with your kids, your grandkids, or a friend about hard moral choices without sounding judgmental or getting shut down. In this episode: - The four kinds of students in his classroom - The one question he asks before mentioning a single theologian - The three fonts of choice - What Robin Hood can teach us about good intentions - What relativism does to our ability to talk to each other - Why Dr. Cary calls Jesus "the pattern of righteousness" Dr. Cary also shares three things to check before any decision, and why humility and the option of reconciliation are always on the table when we get it wrong. Highlights 04:44 – The question that opens every moral theology class 06:16 – The three fonts of choice 07:32 – Robin Hood and the problem with good intentions 12:10 – Circumstances: same act, different gravity 13:47 – The object of the act 17:55 – Starting with what everyone shares: reason 19:26 – Taking the emotion out of hard conversations 32:12 – Silos, echo chambers, and Benedict XVI on relativism 34:38 – Three things to check before any choice 36:44 – Humility and the door to reconciliation 37:37 – Jesus, "the pattern of righteousness" ....... Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP ........ Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0
39 MIN
SEP 22, 2026
Grace Guaranteed: The Sacraments Explained | Fr. Chris Alar
One of the coolest things about being Catholic? You don't have to feel it to know you're getting it. In this episode, Chris sits down with Fr. Chris Alar — author of Understanding the Sacraments: God's Grace Guaranteed — to unpack why the sacraments are so much more than symbols, and why so many Catholics never learned what they actually do. Fr. Chris explains why infant baptism isn't about "letting a kid choose later," why Confirmation is the underrated "activation code" for the Holy Spirit's gifts, what it really takes for a confession to be valid, and why the Eucharist is literally the body and blood of Christ — not a metaphor. Along the way, Chris and Fr. Chris talk about the difference between true contrition and mere remorse, why evangelization has to come before catechesis, and Fr. Chris's answer to "which sacrament is your favorite to administer?" Highlights [00:01:09] – Why Fr. Chris Alar wrote a book on the sacraments [00:02:27] – The "wait till 18 to get baptized" argument — debunked [00:10:00] – Confirmation: the "activation code" for the Holy Spirit [00:16:39] – Heaven as a wedding feast — and why you need an invitation [00:18:41] – The three conditions for a valid confession [00:23:36] – Contrition vs. remorse: the difference between Peter and Judas [00:47:26] – Fr. Chris Alar's favorite sacrament to administer ....... Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning and be entered for a chance to win a trip for two on our Pilgrimage to Beauty: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP ........ Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0 ........ Order Fr. Chris Alar's book, Understanding the Sacraments: God's Grace Guaranteed (https://shopmercy.org/explaining-the-faith-understanding-the-sacraments.html), Check out his work with the Marians of the Immaculate Conception / Divine Mercy here: https://www.thedivinemercy.org
50 MIN
SEP 8, 2026
A Blind Priest's Case for Miracles | Fr. Robert Spitzer
Fr. Robert Spitzer has spent his life studying the two most well-documented sets of miracles and healings in Church history. Blind since his early thirties from a degenerative eye condition, he joins Chris Stefanick to lay out the evidence behind Fatima and Lourdes like you've never heard it. In this episode: how losing his sight deepened his prayer life, his theory that St. Paul himself may have been going blind, the eyewitness account of the Miracle of the Sun and the staggering odds against a natural explanation, the discovery of the healing spring at Lourdes, a man's leg instantly restored after being severed by a falling tree, and the Nobel Prize-winning doctor who went to disprove a miracle and left converted instead. Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., is President of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith and President Emeritus of Gonzaga University. Learn more at magiscenter.com Highlights 4:01 – How Fr. Spitzer prays through blindness 5:41 – "How has blindness blessed you?" 8:00 – A theory on St. Paul's "thorn in the flesh" 13:10 – The story of Fatima: what Mary told three children 20:29 – The bloodless miracle behind the Cold War's end 24:12 – The Miracle of the Sun and its 40,000 witnesses 28:25 – The "supernatural lens" theory, explained 38:16 – Bernadette and the apparitions at Lourdes 48:00 – The instantly healed leg of Pierre de Rudder 54:43 – Why the real number of Lourdes miracles is far higher than reported 56:00 – The political battle over the Lourdes grotto 1:01:37 – The Nobel laureate who tried to disprove a miracle 1:09:30 – Why Fr. Spitzer believes he was never healed 1:16:40 – Gabriel Gargam: paralyzed, then instantly healed 1:22:00 – "35,000 miracles... something is going on" ....... Sign up for The Daily Anchor to get Chris Stefanick's bite-sized reflections every morning and be entered for a chance to win a trip for two on our Pilgrimage to Beauty: https://bit.ly/4tQCXtP ........ Support the creation of this content by becoming a Missionary of Joy with a monthly gift to Real Life Catholic and get free access to 9 transformative courses: https://bit.ly/4nTHbN0
89 MIN