Posts by Bridget Richardson
How Faith and Science Complement One Another w/ Deacon Robert Hesse, Ph.D.
Faith and science are always juxtaposed as opposites when, in fact, they complement one another. Dr. Richard Ludwick, President of University of St. Thomas-Houston, talks with Deacon Robert "Bob" Hesse, Ph.D., speaker, scientist, UST professor, Chairman and President of The Contemplative Network, and author of "Faith and Science: A Journal into God's Mystical Love."
They discuss Hesse's book and the forward written by Fr. Robert Spitzer, how Hesse came back to the Catholic Church, the role suffering played in his journey with his wife's bi-polar disorder, and the work and research of The Contemplative Network, an organization that promotes and engages an interfaith contemplative prayer practice and its healing power to advance the whole being.
Deacon Robert "Bob" Hesse, Ph.D.
"Faith and Science: A Journey into God's Mystical Love" by Deacon Robert Hesse, Ph.D.
The Great BIG Christmas Show
Happy Advent and Merry Christmas! We are so excited to share this incredible show with you!
This half-hour special is brimming with traditions and on-location vignettes that offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how these influencers celebrate Advent and Christmas. We hope this video fills you with the warmth of family, faith, and joy for a more intentional celebration of the season. We feel blessed to be able to share these beautiful Advent/Christmas messages as we prepare for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ.
The show will be a joyful performance of both original and classic music, poetic compositions, and recipes from Catholic artists, friends, and family. Decorate cookies with the kids in the rustic farm kitchen of former model Leah Darrow and her family. Reflect on the beauty of the Incarnation with James Matthew Wilson, an influential Catholic philosopher and poet who has been featured in countless publications. Make a joyful noise with Fr. Rob Galea and Fr. David Michael as they sing songs to get you into the Christmas spirit. Also, see some Houstonians share their traditions and help you ponder the true meaning of these seasons.
Experience all this and much more while learning the beauty of living the rhythm of the liturgical Year during this heartfelt special.
Meet the Host - Fr. David Michael Moses
Fr. David Michael Moses is a priest in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. A quick and avid learner, Fr. David Michael graduated with his Bachelor’s degree at 18, an age when most students graduate from high school. After being accepted into several law schools, Fr. David Michael ultimately felt called to the priesthood and was ordained in 2019 at the young age of 25. He currently serves as the parochial vicar at Christ the Good Shepherd in Spring, TX. He enjoys writing music, and his “Concerts for Life” have collectively raised over $640,000 to assist women in crisis pregnancies. He is also active on social media, with a collective following of over 140,000, where he shares stories from priestly life.
Other Guests
Leah Darrow is the founder of Power Made Perfect, an acclaimed personal development program, where she uses her decades of mindset coaching and experience in creating lasting change to help others find the time and courage to lead lives of true freedom, contribution, and mission with God. A former model on reality TV, Leah experienced a life-changing conversion back to the Catholic faith in 2005. An entrepreneur at heart, Leah has a driving passion to lead and inspire others to embrace Christ’s mercy and has created a beautiful sisterhood of women striving to be a light in the world. A sought-after speaker, Leah has been featured on numerous top podcasts, as well as appearances on Fox News, Yahoo Finance, Daily Wire, The Blaze, EWTN, and The Christian Post.
James Matthew Wilson is the Cullen Foundation Chair of English Literature and the Director of the MFA program in Creative Writing at the University of Saint Thomas Houston. The author of eleven books, including his most recent collection of poems, "The Strangeness of the Good" (Angelico, 2020), Wilson is the recipient of numerous awards for his writings on art and culture, including the Hiett Prize and the Parnassus Prize. Wilson serves also as the poet-in-residence of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, the editor of Colosseum Books, and the poetry editor of Modern Age magazine.
Deacon Phillip Jackson is the Director of the Permanent Diaconate for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. His office is responsible for all aspects associated with the formation of deacon candidates and the ongoing formation and coordination of the Archdiocese's permanent diaconate community, which is the largest in the United States. He is also a deacon at Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church in Houston.
Steffani Aquila is the Director of Liturgical Life at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in downtown Houston. A former youth minister, she is the founder and creator of His Girl Sunday, a popular blog about liturgical living. Her desire is to share how we live the Catholic faith and tradition in our home and with our community. She is an alumna of University of St. Thomas-Houston and has her undergraduate degree in Education and Theology, and a Master's Degree in theology. Over the span of about 12 years I was given unique experiences to teach or minister to every age group between 1st and 12th grade.
Fr. Rob Galea is an ordained Catholic Priest and is currently serving in Sandhurst Diocese, Victoria after moving to Australia from Malta, his home country. He is a singer and songwriter with an international fan base, has written songs for World Youth Day 2016 and 2019, and has performed for Pope Francis. Apart from a series of recordings and CD releases, Fr. Rob has 73,000 subscribers on YouTube where he features many of his songs and homilies. He was a contestant in Australia's 2015 The X Factor and is the the founder and serving director of FRG Ministry.
Jonathan Blevins is a Catholic husband and father of three. He began live streaming his favorite video game, Fortnite, in 2018. He is the founder of the Bearded Blevins Stream Team to take his Twitch channel full time with the mission to build a positive community. He is also the founder and CEO of Little Flower Media Company. He is the first partnered streamer to be sponsored by a university (University of St. Thomas-Houston) and he is in the top 1 percent of streamers with 57,000+ followers on Twitch.
Dr. Richard L. Ludwick is the 9th president of the University of St. Thomas Houston. He received his BA in history from the University of Evansville, an MA in higher education administration from Teachers College of Columbia University (New York), a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney Law School, and a Doctor of Education in policy management and organization of higher education administration from the University of Oregon (Eugene). He and his wife reside in Houston and are the proud parents of two adult children and four grandchildren.
Darnell Miller is the Creative Director of MAX Studios and is an alumnus (undergraduate and graduate) of University of St. Thomas-Houston.
Around the Halo – Season 2: Episode 7
It's episode 7 of Around the Halo and it's our last one for 2022! Inspired by the popular show on ESPN, Around the Horn, Around the Halo features four guests who weigh in on topics about sports, pop culture and the news.
Hosted by Little Flower Media COO Matt McClure, guests include Jonathan "Bearded Blevins," CEO of Little Flower Media, Bridget Richardson, Executive Producer of MAX Studios at University of St. Thomas-Houston, Bobby Angel, Catholic writer, speaker and podcaster, and Nick Sciarrapa, better known as @PappaSciarappa, the Director Of Youth Ministry at Saints John & Paul Roman Catholic Parish in Franklin Park, Penn.
Topics for this episode include the North Carolina Blackout, the Supreme Court case about wedding websites, player safety in the NFL amid the notable quarterbacks sidelined by injuries, the sign of peace at Mass and Apple's new karaoke feature.
0:37 Introductions
3:53 Rules of ATH
5:49 Blackout
14:43 Freedom, Rights, and Wedding Websites
26:41 Sacked
38:40 Peace Be With You
49:24 I Sing, You Sing
56:38 A Winner Is Named
Video Games as a Vehicle for Community
Videos games affect all of us - whether we play or we interact with someone who plays regularly. They are a big part of our culture from playing Fortnite on a PC to Candy Crush on your phone. Taking time to think about how video games can be a vehicle for community and then, in a bigger way, a way to minister to others, can literally change the world.
MAX Studios Creative Director Darnell Miller sits down with Jonathan Blevins, @BeardedBlevins , a popular Catholic Twitch streamer and CEO of Little Flower Media, and Joseph Bionat, formerly Marketing Coordinator with Word on Fire Institute and now Director of Marketing with St. Ann Parish in Dallas, Texas, to talk about video games and how they affect the culture.
They discuss how gaming affects young people, the real stats about who is actually playing video games, the difference between people being non-playable characters and a real life person, anonymity versus authenticity online, and how Christians are called to be who God called them to be while interacting in digital spaces. They also shout out Catholic creative organizations like Flocknote, Hallow and Word on Fire's "God and Gaming" YouTube series.
Extras:
The Bearded Blevins Stream Team
TRAILER: The Great Big Christmas Show
It's the Advent season and with Christmas right around the corner, we thought it would be fun to get together with some of our favorite people to share their traditions and the holiday spirit! Fr. David Michael Moses hosts the show sharing holiday stories, songs and traditions. We are also joined by special guests including Leah Darrow, Fr. Rob Galea, Jonathan "Bearded" Blevins and others!
The show is set to go live on YouTube on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12 at 7pm CT. Join us for a fun celebration of Advent leading into the Christmas Season as we prepare our hearts for the coming of our savior, Jesus Christ!
Friendship | The Real Reel
In this episode of The Real Reel, we asked UST students about friendship. They share what qualities they look for in a friend, how they make friends and how they maintain good friendships.
You'll also hear from Licensed Professional Counselor Ivan Navarro, Director of UST Counseling and Wellness Services, who shares some reflections on the value of quality friendships in college.
The Real Reel is an Instagram Reel series where UST students weigh in on various topics. We create a video mashup (like this) for YouTube. Visit MAX Studios on Instagram for all the reels, @maxstudiosust.
Links:
Around the Halo – Season 2: Episode 6
THIS episode! It's Around the Halo episode six and, although we're missing Jonathan "Bearded Blevins," we've got some great guests for you tonight!
Inspired by the popular show on ESPN, Around the Horn, Around the Halo features four guests who weigh in on topics about sports, pop culture and the news.
Hosted by Little Flower Media COO Matt McClure, guests include Joel Stepanek, father, Vice President of Parish Services for Life Teen International, author and speaker; Darnell Miller, Creative Director of MAX Studios at University of St. Thomas-Houston; Bobby Angel, father, Catholic writer, speaker and podcaster; and Dr. Alex Gotay, father of three, national teen and young adult speaker, author and youth minister at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Houston, Texas.
Here are the chapters:
2:05 Introductions
6:33 Bonus Chat: Daylight Savings Time
10:18 Rules of ATH
11:02 The Most Wonderful Time of Year
20:23 Unfriended
27:51 Wrong Place, Wrong Time
38:20 Wolves
50:46 I Want to be a Billionaire
56:25 A Winner is Named
Fake Names, Filipino Ceviche and Owning Your Culture
Also listen wherever you get your podcasts.
In this episode of BOLD, we talk to Christel Vallagomesa, a UST psychology major who was originally born in the Philippines. Host Isabel Garcia asks about her experience moving from the Philippines to the U.S., embracing her culture in an American setting and saying her name correctly. They also talk about her experience at UST and how she continues to learn and grow as a person.
Takeaways
- 1. The importance of one's culture.
- Taking advantage of different opportunities.
- How our culture impacts who we are.
Reflections
- What are some ways that you can learn more about your own culture?
- Think of three opportunities that have been presented to you that you can take advantage of?
- Brainstorm some practical ways you can learn about another culture.
New Media, Technology & Young Adults – Interviews w/ Texas Bishops
How often do you get to ask your bishop questions about their diocese and young adults in the Church? In September 2022, University of St. Thomas-Houston hosted the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops for their annual General Assembly. We took the opportunity to ask a few Texas bishops and a couple of others a few questions:
- “Describe your diocese in a few sentences.”
- "What is an innovative initiative in your diocese?"
- “What do you hear or what questions do you have for young adults?”
Here are the bishops who willingly stepped up the mic:
- Bishop David Toups, Diocese of Beaumont
- Bishop Daniel Flores, Diocese of Brownsville
- Bishop James Tamayo, Diocese of Laredo
- Bishop Michael Sis, Diocese of San Angelo
- Bishop Brendan Cahill, Diocese of Victoria
We also interviewed a couple of others:
- Fr. Jacob Koether, Diocese of Victoria
- Amy Auzenne, Director of Evangelization and Catechesis, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
We at MAX Studios were also pumped to give a presentation at the event on "Evangelization in the Digital World" focusing on how dioceses can utilize digital (primarily social) media to share the Gospel far and wide. Jonathan "Bearded Blevins" joined us for that presentation.
Broken People, Holy People
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
This is an episode about Saints. Men and Women who lived ordinary and extraordinary lives filled with heroic virtue.
First we hear from Darnell, who tells the story of an altogether uneventful car accident and the one moment that he can't seem to shake.
Then we talk to Meg Hunter-Kilmer, an itinerant missionary who travels the world, living out of her car, talking about her love for Christ. She has also written the book on saints, two of them actually, and loves to connect people to those in heaven who are already praying for them.
She tells us about her life as a missionary and how she came to know and love the saints she does.
Then in Who’s That Saint, we are doing something a bit different, we let Meg tell the story of a saint whose story has been pulling on her heart, Venerable Alfonse Gallegos.
Links:
Meg Hunter Kilmer Website
Meg Hunter Kilmer Instagram
@mhunterkilmer
Protagonists of Change is a podcast that tells real stories from everyday people working to become Saints. Using music and sound effects to create vibrant soundscapes, this podcast is an immersive experience that draws the listener deeply into stories of joy, mercy and hope.
