Rich Gannon is our guest on this episode. He is a devoted husband and father. Rich’s career includes playing for the NFL as a quarterback for 17 seasons, most notably for the Oakland Raiders. He led the Raiders to the Superbowl for the 2002 season. Rich went to the Pro-Bowl four times and was the Most Valuable Player in 2002. Following his playing days, Rich moved to the booth and excelled as a broadcaster for “NFL on CBS” for 17 seasons. He is happily still around football, broadcasting on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Since football and broadcasting has dominated Rich’s life, he was asked how he finds time for God and family. Rich quickly replied, “If something is important to you, you’ll find time for it.”

Rich attributes his success to his Catholic upbringing in a large, devoted family. Rich talks about how his faith had a positive impact in his personal and professional life. In the NFL, Rich was happy to find faith throughout the organization. With his success and accolades, Rich’s faith keeps him grounded. He is excited about the recent election of Pope Leo XIV and hopes this event invigorates the Church, especially young people. Rich talks about the importance of parents as role models in the faith of their children. He challenges us all to pray for young people to return to the Church. Rich also challenges men to take their responsibility as head of the family seriously, with passion and dedication.

Rich can be contacted through the Catholic Speakers Organization:

Rich Gannon - Business, Corporate Speaker, Faith & Fitness, Fatherhood, Men's Issues, Motivational, Professional Athlete, Radio / TV, Sports & Faith Catholic Speaker

#catholicsports, #raidersfootball, #nflbroadcaster, #catholicprofootball, #catholicspeakersorganization

Michael left Notre Dame drawn to music and spent time in Nashville in search of his dream. He is a multi-instrumentalist (voice, guitar, bass, piano) and played with legendary musicians such as Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, The Allman Brothers Band, and Genesis.

Michael’s life changed when he was given the opportunity to shoot a film in the Holy Land. This and many other experiences led him to develop a deep devotion to our Lord as well as his Catholic faith. Michael credits his success to attending Mass, Eucharistic Adoration (Holy Hour), praying the Rosary, devotion to the Divine Mercy and Sr. Faustina. The Holy Hour helps Michael ground his busy life by dedicating each day to the Lord.

Michael encourages us to dedicate each of our days to the Lord. He challenges us to start each day in adoration of our Lord through the practice of a Holy Hour. Michael’s passionate love for our Lord and the abundant fruits of his labors are a testament to the efficacy of this practice. Through his ministries and films, Michael hopes and prays to bring many people closer to our Lord.

Links:

Sistine Films: Sistine Films

Adore Him Daily: ADORE HIM DAILY | Substack

Divine Mercy: Chaplet of Divine Mercy | USCCB, What is Divine Mercy? The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy | The Divine Mercy

Sr. Faustina: St. Maria Faustina Kowalska - Biography | The Divine Mercy

Eucharist: The Eucharist | USCCB

Eucharistic Adoration: Eucharistic Devotion | USCCB

#catholicsports, #sistinefilms, #divinemercy, #eucharisticadoration #fightingirish

Christopher McLaughlin joins us from Glasgow, Scotland and is one of the people heading up the Cause for Tommy Burns, hoping that Tommy will eventually be declared a saint in the Catholic Church. Christopher is our guest on this episode and shares his experiences and knowledge about the quest for Tommy’s sainthood that many are praying for. Tommy was a professional soccer player, which in Scotland and most of the world, is called football. Tommy was a footballer for the famous, and beloved, Celtic team in Glasgow from 1975 to 1989 and later coached and managed the team. Tommy died in May of 2008 at the young age of 51 of melanoma, a form of skin cancer. He left behind his wife and four children.

Christopher has a wealth of knowledge about Tommy, his life, and his humble and deep devotion to God and the Catholic faith. Christopher shares some history of Catholicism in Scotland and how it is intertwined with Celtic football. Tommy was very pious and humbly practiced corporal works of mercy throughout his life. According to Christopher, the love for Tommy was very apparent at his funeral, which included 40 priests and an estimated 20,000+ people.

Christopher describes the process of opening a Cause for Sainthood according to the Church’s Canon Law. The first step involves the bishop of the diocese where Tommy passed away. The final step, which could be a few years to hundreds of years away, culminates in the Pope declaring the person a saint. There are many steps and an enormous amount of prayer, research, and verification prior to a Pope declaring someone a saint. Opening a Cause for Sainthood does not guarantee Canonization, it often does not.

Christopher, and his fellow researcher Philip Church, are the “petitioners” in this process (see sainthood link below). They are asking for anyone who knew Tommy or is praying for an intercession from Tommy to contact them at contact@tommyburns.org

Information about the process of sainthood in the Catholic Church: Saints | USCCB

#catholicsports, #tommyburns, #celticfootball

Amayrani Higueldo actively participated in the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage last year and is our guest in this episode. This event was a precursor to the National Eucharistic Congress that was held in Indianapolis on July 20 – 21, 2024. The Pilgrimage consisted of four routes, East, West, North, and South which made the shape of a cross over America. The four groups met in Indianapolis for the Eucharistic Congress. Each group took our Lord, present in the Eucharist, as they made their way across the country ministering to everyone they met. Amayrani was on the Seton Route from the East that began in Connecticut. The Pilgrimage and Congress were part of a three-year Eucharistic Revival currently taking place in the Catholic Church nationwide.

A devoted Philadelphia Phillies fan, Amayrani shares some experiences she had on the pilgrimage, which she describes as an intense ocean of grace. Although each day was different, Amayrani experienced her love for Our Lord in the Eucharist and in the lives of the people she met along the way. Amayrani shares many heartfelt and inspiring stories as she traveled with our Eucharistic Lord and fellow pilgrims. She has had a close relationship with Our Lady of Guadalupe for most of her life. Amayrani credits Our Lady’s intercession with helping her apply for and participate in the procession.

Amayrani is now embarking on her profession as a nurse and looks forward to blessing her patients with the dignity and love of Our Lord, as she prays for them and strives to deliver the best care possible. Amayrani encourages us all to strive daily to stay close to Our Lord by attending Mass, receiving the Eucharist, completing a Holy Hour, reading Scripture, and praying the rosary.

Amayrani’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amayrannniii?igsh=aDExemppZXlmZDRr&utm_source=qr

Link to the National Eucharistic Revival, Congress, and Pilgrimage: 10th National Eucharistic Congress - Official Website

Link to information about the Eucharist: The Eucharist | USCCB

Link to information about Our Lady of Guadalupe: The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe - Vatican News

#catholicsports, #eucharisticpilgrimage, #eucharisticrevival #Phillies

Kevin Becker played soccer in college and is our guest on this episode. Kevin was in his senior year of college at East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania when he fell off a roof. He was found on the ground by friends, his head fractured, and his body broken. Kevin was in a coma and his devout parents rushed to be by his side. They were told by his doctors to brace for the worst.

His family continued to pray and started a novena to Blessed Giorgio Frassati, a young man who died in 1925. While in a coma, Kevin had a supernatural experience which he explains in this podcast. Kevin didn’t know who he encountered while he was in a coma until after his miraculous recovery. Now Kevin is a healthy man who enjoys playing soccer and beach volleyball with friends. He maintains a relationship with his friend Giorgio, is involved with the organization Frassati USA, and talks to groups about his experience.

Blessed Giorgio Frassati’s canonization to sainthood will take place during the Jubilee of Youth from July 28–Aug. 3, 2025, in Rome.

https://youtu.be/S4JPnDZWQoo

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati | USCCB

Brief Biography of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati | FrassatiUSA, Inc. | Nashville, TN

Information about the process of sainthood in the Catholic Church: Saints | USCCB

Go Fund Me link for Blessed Giorgio Frassati canonization trip to Italy: https://gofund.me/8becefb9

#catholicsports, #blessedgiorgiofrassati, #frassattiusa, #miracle

Fr. Tom Baker is our guest on this episode. He has been a Catholic priest for over 35 years and has participated in approximately 130 triathlons since his ordination. Fr. Tom explains what an Ironman competition is and what it involves. Fr. Tom talks about how he initially got involved in triathlete training and Ironman competitions. He enthusiastically talks about his life as an athlete.

As a Catholic priest, Fr. Tom finds fulfillment in living for others. The support he has received as a priest and a triathlete from the parishes he has served in is very important to him. Fr. Tom enjoys using the lessons he learns in sports as tools to preach the Good News of Jesus to his parishioners. In his personal life and priestly ministry, Fr. Tom compares the discipline of being an athlete with the discipleship of being a Christian.

Fr. Tom ends with the message the Angel Gabriel gave to Mary at the beginning of Luke’s Gospel at the Annunciation: All things are possible.

#catholicpriest #triathlon #ironman #prayerschedule

Curt Tomasevicz is a former Olympic bobsledder and our guest on this episode. He participated in several Winter Olympic games encompassing about ten years and discusses his experiences and lessons learned. Curt is quite humble about the Olympic medals he’s accumulated.

Prior to his Olympic days, Curt played football at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Currently he is a professor of Biological Systems Engineering at UNL and continues to be involved in sports as the Director of Sport Performance for USA Bobsled-Skeleton. Curt also works with the Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory and in his spare time he is a motivational speaker at high schools in Nebraska and around the country.

Curt talks about how his faith has been woven in his life, even at a young age growing up in a small town in Nebraska. While a student at UNL, Curt was convinced that creation did not occur by chance, from the balance of the human body to the balance of space and the cosmos. It was during this time he came to appreciate the importance that then Pope John Paul II gave to science. While an athlete, Curt did not pray that he (or his team) would win, he prayed that everyone would be safe.

Much like in bobsledding, Curt believes that life should be taken one curve at a time. He discusses his view of fear, how he dealt with it as a bobsledder and how his experiences can be useful in everyday life.

#bobsledding #cornhuskers #catholic #prayer