Forte Catholic Podcast: Making Catholicism Fun Again

The Johnny Manziel documentary just came out. Kathryn is a fan of Johnny. Taylor can't stand him! They discuss a plethora of topics surrounding this Texas A&M College Football star, his rise, fall & how we are left to sort through the wreckage. While Johnny is the impetus for our conversation, we discuss topics from a Catholic point of view like tribalism, sports, consequences for our actions, forgiveness & how all of those things together make life a bit more complicated than we might like. This is a rare ONE SEGMENT episode because there was just so much to dive in to on this topic. We hope you enjoy this rare episode :) Check out Kathyrn's viral open letter to Johnny here: https://kathrynwhitaker.net/2013/02/an-open-letter-to-johnny-football/ Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on

Guest Cohost Chris Bartlett joins Taylor to discuss the frustration of not being given parameters within which to work, how that works when they're invited to speak somewhere & topics they typically don't share about. For example, Taylor doesn't usually speak about Mary because it isn't his strongest topic, but he tests out some new material on Chris to see if he should expand his horizons or stick with the status quo (que High School Musical) Then, Taylor finally has a worthy challenger for Freestyle Preaching. The guys take turns giving 60 second sermons on the spot where they have to include three random words given to them by their challenger. Can these two guys who have been giving random youth ministry talks for decades rise to the occasion? Finally, Chris bring up a situation that got brought up in his family in regards to nostalgia. This leads to a conversation about the Care Bears & Taylor has to hold back the tears. Because of the Care Bears? You'll have to listen to the end to find out ;) Listen t

Our 350th Episode Live from Fr. Anthony's Rectory! They discuss a fancy candlelit Mass that Taylor attended & Fr. Anthony's parish. They have a conversation about fancy Churches, prayer entrapment & the grace of ordination. They also have a long awaited conversation about the morality of the zombie apocalypse! What would you do!?!? Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Liv Harrison makes her triumphant return after taking a break from the show for a year! She & Taylor share about the best things that have happened in her life over the past year in our Chicken Soup for the Schroll segment. Next, Taylor shares his newest obsession in an app that allows you to text with Jesus, Mary & other biblical characters through the magic of Chat GPT. He & Liv ask their favorite biblical characters questions live on the show. It's incredible how well it works! It may have forever changed how Taylor prays & does show prep, for better or worse. To close out the show, they discuss one half of the summer blockbuster sensation weekend in Oppenheimer. They have differing opinions on how good the movie is & discuss the themes of the movie through a Catholic lens. It's mostly spoiler-free until the last couple minutes where we give a warning if you haven't seen the movie yet. Enjoy! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help othe

Taylor kicks off the show by asking Kathryn about her history with sports. They discuss how to break a slump in sports and what that teaches us about breaking slumps in our faith. Kathryn also gives the best sports team name of all time! Next, they play the faith based version of the alphabet game. They attempt to have discussions about faith topics with every alternating sentences that have to start with the next letter in the alphabet. It's silly and leads to some outrageous statements. Finally, Taylor realizes that he doesn't know much about Kathryn's childhood so they share stories about how they're very similar now to as they were as kids and some other ways where they are very different. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/forteca

Fr. Anthony is back from a well-deserved family vacation and joins Taylor to share about the important of rejuvenation, especially for priests. He talks about how changing up the normal routine, spending time with family and simplifying life is good. Taylor shares about a recent Sunday gospel that he struggled with. Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden light, but it often feels heavy. He shares a hilarious experience he had with the homily that day and Fr. Anthony shares his insight into how Jesus can lighten our burdens. Finally, Taylor has two questions about when a priest is In Persona Christi & when he isn't particularly during the Mass. What if a priest says something crazy during a homily? Is the priest as Jesus eating Jesus' body in the Eucharist. New and strange questions that we enjoyed exploring the answers to. We hope you enjoy this episode :) Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a

Allison did her homework from a few episodes ago & took the spiritual gifts assement. Taylor guesses what her results were before she reveals her top 6 gifts that God has given her. It leads to a good conversation about using our gifts to build the kingdom, dusting off some unused gifts and finding our place in the Church community. In the second segment, Taylor talks with Nick Senz who compares some of our Church's greatest saints with NBA legends. It was a fun segment for Taylor because he knows more about NBA stars than saints so we got to hear some great saint stories. Whether you're a fan of the NBA, stories of the saints of both, you'll love this fun conversation. Allison is back for the final segment to ask some of her favorite "21 questions" to keep him on his toes. The questions range from fun to hitting Taylor like a freight train. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave

In this episode, we learn that regular Kathryn, lake Kathryn & summer Kathryn are VERY different people. She & Taylor discuss attempting to slow down during the summer months, bingeing on every aspect of life in an attempt to find some semblance of balance & share their very different workout routines (who's surprised?) Kathryn shares about getting ready to send 3 kids off to college this Fall, the difference between setting up boys & girls dorms & her outlook on parenting kids through college. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Fr. Will Rooney rejoins Taylor in the studio to discuss his new assignment as a first time pastor. Fr. Will has been the associate pastor at Taylor's parish for a year. They talk about his going away party that was thrown for him by the pastor that was really special. It was an evening where everyone was invited to share how Fr. Will had been a father to them during his time at the parish. Taylor shares how Fr. Will has both been a father & a brother to him & Fr. Will shares some of his favorite moments as a priest here and what lessons he is taking with him to his new parish. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Allison led a group of Pilgrims through the steps of St. Paul on a river cruise through Greece. She shares how they visited a ton of sites you've heard about in the Scriptures and reveals whether her thoughts on St. Paul have changed or not. She also shares one of the most wild and random takes we've ever heard on the show that simply floors Taylor. Taylor recounts a story of him hosting trivia and how one group of people ruined it for everyone else. He somehow blames Allison and they discuss how Christians have to be better representatives in public spaces. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

In an episode filled with laughter & new nicknames, Taylor & Fr. Anthony kick off the episode by talking about this weekend's celebration of Father's Day. Taylor shares a Catechism passage that may be the most dads have ever been represented by the Church. He also shares one of the strangest moral conundrums he has ever had as a Father that happened this past week. The show continues with a discussion on the morality of video games. Taylor accidentally made a decision in a video game that may get him kicked out of the Church lol. He shares his shame with Fr. Anthony and they discuss if it is sinful to commit sins in a video games. To close the show, Taylor shares some reflections from a book he has been reading by John Eldredge called "Get Your Life Back." They discuss carnivals, actively loving God, finding restoration for our tired souls & how to handle other people's bad theology. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each epis

We're back! After taking the week off for family vacation, Taylor is back with Kathryn Whitaker. She just had multiple graduations in her family so she shares about the excitement and emotions of the past few weeks. Taylor relays how his family vacation went and how it reminded him of the importance of slowing down and reconnecting with what matters. To close the show, Taylor & Kathryn both share about their experiences of being mentor couples for engaged couples. Taylor & his wife are currently working with their second couple while Kathryn & her husband have worked with TEN! They discuss what works in marriage prep, what annoys them and what is often lacking. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

It's been a wild couple of months for the Forte Catholic podcast. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. After some big wins, this was another tough week with Taylor's youngest breaking her arm at school and needing surgery at Texas Children's. He shares the story and Allison guides the conversation on how he is responding and how to navigate difficult times as a Catholic. In the next segment, Taylor asks Allison some "gotcha" questions about marriage that stir the pot and they end up accidentally talking about privilege, life insurance & how to value our spouses more. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Fr. Anthony & Taylor kick off the show with some Italian stereotypes & two great moments for God's chosen people in the Old Testament: The parting of the Red Sea & the Battle of Jericho. We promise you've never heard the Jericho story like this! Next, Fr. Anthony actually did some show prep so that we can play Fancy Catholic Words. The good priest gives Taylor some words that only fancy Catholics would know and he has to guess what they mean. Can you do any better than Taylor did? They close the show with a conversation about leadership, failure & improving after Taylor was inspired by a recent Malcolm Gladwell story. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

In a special and rare episode, both Taylor & Allison are INCREDIBLY HAPPY! The ladies that Taylor coaches won the first athletic state title in the storied history of their school. It was a really special weekend with yelling & cheering & tears & bountiful joy! Allison rejoices with him as he retells the story! The other big stressor in Taylor's life the last couple of weeks has been his son's broken arm. They got news this week that he doesn't need surgery after all! A huge blessing with a story of healing & our community rallying around us. Thank you all for your support! Allison also has BIG news of her own to share that Taylor gets to celebrate with her! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Taylor is joined by Kathryn Whitaker in studio as they talk about the high highs and the low lows of the last couple of weeks. Taylor shares the good, bad and ugly from his track coaching, parenting and spiritual life. Kathryn shares her insight and wisdom from her experiences as a mom and Catholic. They also discuss the importance of being a "practicing" Catholic and how that may mean a shift in focus on how we view our spiritual journeys. Enjoy! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Fr. Anthony joins Taylor for a discussion on what we should be focusing on during the extended Easter season. Taylor also shares a strange insight about the people who grew up around Jesus during the "lost years" of his childhood/teen/young adult years. Taylor also asks Fr. Anthony about indulgences: -What are they? -Why the bad rap? -Are they worth the confusion? They also discuss the morality of addiction, especially when addiction leads to other sins. It is a complicated and nuanced discussion on sin, culpability & the depths of the moral life. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Allison Sullivan joins Taylor Schroll as he shares about how a recent reflection on the Creation story really broke his brain in regards to the balance between confidence and humility. They also discuss how Catholics should think about legacy, what we learn from St. Joseph's inadequacy & how we can bring peace into any situation. All with some cupcakes and leprechauns mixed in :) Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Kathryn Whitaker returns to share her incredible experience in the Holy Land. She talks about all of the places that she went to that we will hear about at the Masses of this Holy Week. She came back changed spiritually AND physically. She & Taylor also discuss how we are constantly on “holy ground” and in God’s presence in the places we may least expect it. They discuss the story of the burning bush and places where they’ve encountered God where they weren’t necessarily looking for Him. They also talk about the places in their lives where God probably is but they haven’t taken the time to recognize Him. We hope you have a blessed Holy Week! Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and other exclusive videos on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/fortecatholic Connect

Taylor's associate pastor joins the show to chat about Mass, taking care of the flock and being tired of dumb arguments Taylor has known Fr. Will since his early seminary days and he is now the associate pastor at his parish. Fr. Will comes in studio to chat about the Mass & Pastoral Care. Particularly how to make changes to the Mass over time in a way where the people in the pews won't revolt. Taylor has some compliments and some challenges for the young priest on that front. Some lively conversation and hilarity ensues. They close out the show with Taylor sharing about how tired he is of "slippery slope" arguments. He sees them all the time and thinks they're one of the dumbest ways to argue. He gets Fr. Will's thoughts on some common Catholic slippery slope arguments. Subscribe/Rate Never miss out on the craziness of each episode by hitting the subscribe button RIGHT NOW! Help other people find the show by taking a few moments to leave a review in your podcasting app. Thanks! YouTube Check out the show and