Posts Tagged ‘Bridget Richardson’
Anger, Venting, and Prayer
This is Edgardo Giron. He is a Chemical Engineering major at the University of St. Thomas – Houston. When he was in middle school, his world was turned upside down when his father was deported. Edgardo was angry at God. And it was perfectly understandable. His family was broken, and he felt devastated. His story shows us how sometimes anger and prayer go together.
The next years for Edgardo challenged his faith and he held himself back from living his faith in many ways, but it also gave him a path to find a way back. He stayed in communication with God throughout the trials of his life, even when all he had to share in his prayer was anger.
Eventually, a community of faith that he didn’t even know was there helped Edgardo re-connect with his faith. Seeing how other people faced their challenges helped him come to terms with his own. He saw the happiness of the people in that faith community and realized he wanted it for himself. And he leaned on that habit of communicating with God formed in the hardest times of his life to build a new routine of prayer because he already knew that God would be there no matter what he was feeling.
Check out Fr. Eduardo’s episode of MAX Stories.
Prayer isn’t “one-size-fits-all”
This is Fr. Eduardo Rivera. He is the Campus Chaplain at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. His experiences learning to pray at home and growing through discerning the priesthood taught him what prayer is all about.
Becoming a priest is intense. In Fr. Eduardo’s experience, prayer was his life line when discernment and adjustment to religious life felt overwhelming and lonely.
And that intensity wasn't all bad. He realized that when he stepped away from the distractions of the world to focus on prayer, he found his prayer unique style. But it wasn’t immediate... it took practice.
He realized that quiet time with just him and God was the most effective way for him to pray. His routine for meditation might not be your preferred method of prayer, but who knows, maybe it is exactly what you have been needing.
Thinking about the various ways to pray, check this out for 10 new ways to pray.
Check out the Catholic daily readings from Scripture.
Betrayal and Silence
After a devastating athletic injury, Kamryn felt betrayed by God. In the silence of her prayer through betrayal, while resting in her desolation, she found hope as God spoke to her.
This is Kamryn Spell. She is a student and athlete at the University of St. Thomas – Houston. Find out what “word” came to her in prayer and how it led her to trust in God's plan for her life - even if it meant going to school.
Forever Love: A Mini-Documentary about the Marriage Catechumenate Summit in 2023
MAX Studios attended the Marriage Catechumenate Summit that took place at Circle Lake Retreat Center near Houston, Texas in June 2023. This is a mini-documentary about the summit and key takeaways for use by newlyweds, married couples and those preparing couples for marriage in the Catholic Church in North America.
This mini-doc is the final piece of a series of interviews with Catholic marriage experts in North America who attended the summit. See all the bonus interviews from the Marriage Catechumenate Summit.
Forever Love: Fr. Paul Hartmann
We have a plan, but let's divert from the plan - thoughtfully and with intention. Fr. Paul Hartmann encourages people to use a plan or program as a foundation - from there, allow the Holy Spirit to help welcome and engage people however fitting to their situation.
In this conversation, Fr. Paul Hartmann, Associate General Secretary of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and priest in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, sits down with Bridget Richardson, Executive Producer of MAX Studios at University of St. Thomas-Houston, to discuss the Marriage Catechumenate Summit. A Catholic canon lawyer, Fr. Paul expresses his unique vantage point in attending the summit and how Catholic Christians should embrace the both/and of ministry work. Fr. Paul, who creates programs at the USCCB, tells people to use a program as a framework for adaption.
Fr. Paul gave the closing keynote for the summit.
This interview is bonus content from the Marriage Catechumenate Summit that took place at Circle Lake Retreat Center near Houston, Texas in June 2023. This continues a series of interviews with Catholic marriage experts in North America who attended the summit. A mini-documentary of the summit will be released at the end of the interview series.
Rev. Paul B.R. Hartmann | U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Father Paul Hartmann Named New Associate General Secretary of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Forever Love: Dr. Daniel and Bethany Meola
Recognizing the baggage you bring into a marriage is huge. Healing those wounds is, as Dr. Daniel Meola says, part of the good life.
In this conversation, MAX Studios Executive Producer Bridget Richardson sits down with Dr. Daniel and Bethany Meola, co-founders of Life-Giving Wounds. Their ministry helps young adults and adults with divorced and separated parents give voice to their pain and find transformative healing in Christ. They discuss the ministry and how they work with people to begin healing the wounds of parental divorce or separation, they share their own experiences with this, and they talk about their hope of personalizing the marriage preparation process so that it speaks directly to the difficulties of each couple.
One of the longer conversations in the interview series, the Meola's ministry speaks directly to repairing the brokenness of marriage that people have seen in their life, and using that healed pain to solidify marriages and families with the mercy of Christ. If you know someone who has experienced this (or you yourself have gone through parental divorce or separation) this conversation is for you.
This interview is bonus content from the Marriage Catechumenate Summit that took place at Circle Lake Retreat Center near Houston, Texas in June 2023. This continues a series of interviews with Catholic marriage experts in North America who attended the summit. A mini-documentary of the summit will be released at the end of the interview series.
Forever Love: Bishop Italo Dell’Oro
Bishop Italo Dell'Oro knows that the diversity of Houston makes it a premiere place to have thoughtful dialogue. In this short interview, Bishop Italo shares why Houston is the perfect place to host the Marriage Catechumenate Summit.
This interview is bonus content from the Marriage Catechumenate Summit that took place at Circle Lake Retreat Center near Houston, Texas in June 2023. This continues a series of interviews with Catholic marriage experts in North America who attended the summit. A mini-documentary of the summit will be released at the end of the interview series.
Forever Ever
Forever Love: Peter Jesserer Smith
American Catholic journalism has the power and responsibly to shape the narrative surrounding marriage in the U.S. Peter Jesserer Smith sees this responsibility as paramount to making sure people understand that the vocation of marriage is ultimately about missionary discipleship.
In this conversation, Peter Jesserer Smith, Our Sunday Visitor National News and Features Editor, and Bridget Richardson, Executive Producer of MAX Studios at University of St. Thomas-Houston, sits down to discuss the vocation of marriage and its power for evangelization. He shares how recognizing the family as an integral part of how the laity show God's love to the world makes the gospel come alive for those around them. He shares his understanding of Catholic journalism, its storytelling capabilities and how his experiences on reporting on marriage have led him to co-author a book with Mary Rose and Ryan Verret.
This interview is bonus content from the Marriage Catechumenate Summit that took place at Circle Lake Retreat Center near Houston, Texas in June 2023. This continues a series of interviews with Catholic marriage experts in North America who attended the summit. A mini-documentary of the summit will be released at the end of the interview series.
OSV News Announces Peter Jesserer Smith As Its First National News And Features Editor
Forever Love: Jim Barrette
What does it look like to change the way we do church? To Jim Barrette, this could be the start, or even the continuation, of a change in the way we form people at all ages.
In this conversation, Bridget Richardson, Executive Producer of MAX Studios at University of St. Thomas-Houston, talks with Jim Barrette, Secretariat Director of Pastoral and Educational Ministries in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, about the marriage catechumenate. Jim shares how the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has been thinking about how to inspire lifelong marriage formation for a long time and how it will take a generation or two to see the catechumenate really take root.
This interview is bonus content from the Marriage Catechumenate Summit that took place at Circle Lake Retreat Center near Houston, Texas in June 2023. This continues a series of interviews with Catholic marriage experts in North America who attended the summit. A mini-documentary of the summit will be released at the end of the interview series.
