In Goodfaith

What does climate justice have to do with Catholic faith? For Kayla Jacobs of Catholic Climate Covenant, the answer is simple: everything is connected.
Kayla joins Maggie and Tim to share how Catholic social teaching, the Sisters of Mercy, and a transformative encounter with the Eucharist led her into the Church—and ultimately into climate advocacy. She explains why the climate crisis intensifies poverty, hunger, displacement, and other injustices, and why caring for creation cannot be separated from caring for our neighbors.
The conversation also explores the remarkable leadership of young Catholics. Through Catholic Climate Covenant’s youth mobilization work, high school students receive formation in theology, climate science, advocacy, and practical action. Along the way, they discover something just as important: a community of peers who share their concerns and give them hope.
Kayla also offers practical ways for parishes, schools, ministers, and families to participate in the Season of Creation and make creation care part of Catholic life.
 
About Kayla Jacobs
Kayla Jacobs leads youth mobilization and advocacy work at Catholic Climate Covenant, helping young Catholics connect faith, climate action, and care for communities most affected by the climate crisis. A convert to Catholicism, Kayla first encountered Catholic social teaching through the Sisters of Mercy while attending Saint Xavier University. Her work has included immigration advocacy, prison reform, diocesan creation-care ministry, youth leadership development, and legislative advocacy.
Episode highlights
00:36 — Kayla’s journey into the Catholic ChurchKayla shares how her family, the Sisters of Mercy, Catholic social teaching, and an encounter with the Eucharist shaped her conversion.
06:38 — What Catholic Climate Covenant makes possibleAn introduction to the organization’s work with parishes, schools, dioceses, religious communities, and Catholic institutions.
11:18 — Climate action and the institutional ChurchKayla discusses the Church’s growing engagement with creation care and the unique contributions Catholics can make.
17:37 — Catholic institutions moving toward net zeroThe conversation turns to diocesan sustainability commitments and the collective impact of Catholic properties.
18:27 — Where a parish or diocese can beginBuild a team, draw on existing resources, and be courageous about acting on the Church’s teaching.
23:18 — The spirituality of creation careWhy addressing the climate crisis requires reverence, interior conversion, and recognition of creation’s inherent goodness.
26:03 — Young Catholics and climate leadershipKayla introduces Catholic Climate Covenant’s youth program, including formation, regional summits, and advocacy.
35:09 — From isolation to communityStudents frequently enter the program feeling alone in their concern for the climate—and leave with friendships, confidence, and a sense of belonging.
41:09 — How the youth program beganKayla recounts the climate march, young activists, and ministry experiences that inspired her to create the program.
45:55 — How students and adult allies can participateOpportunities for young people, teachers, ministers, parents, clergy, and religious communities to become involved.
51:38 — Celebrating the Season of CreationA look at the annual ecumenical observance, its Catholic connections, and resources for prayer and action.
55:20 — “Creation Sings!”Kayla shares Catholic Climate Covenant’s art initiative inviting young people to celebrate creation and the witness of St. Francis and St. Clare.
59:10 — What gives Kayla hopeThe commitment, imagination, and leadership of young people assure Kayla that the future is in good hands.
Resources mentioned
Catholic Climate Covenant
Catholic Youth Mobilization
Wholemakers creation-care curriculum
2026 Season of Creation resources
“Creation Sings!” youth art competition
Catholic Energies
Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home
If this conversation encouraged you, share it with a teacher, campus minister, youth minister, parish leader, or anyone looking for a hopeful, faith-filled way to care for our common home. Subscribe to In Goodfaith wherever you listen, and leave a review to help more people discover the show.

What does faithful engagement with artificial intelligence look like?
Tim Wasem and Maggie Smith welcome theologian, spiritual director, and Good Faith board chair Cathy Johnson to discuss Pope Leo’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. Together, they explore why the Church is paying close attention to AI—and what Catholic social doctrine can teach us about using technology responsibly.
The conversation examines the possibilities AI offers alongside its risks: exploitation, environmental harm, unequal access, misinformation, and the temptation to treat human beings as collections of data. Cathy emphasizes that technology must always serve people—not the other way around.
The group also considers discernment as an everyday practice. Instead of accepting or rejecting AI outright, we can ask whether its use supports human dignity, relationships, creativity, justice, and the common good.
The episode concludes with Pope Leo’s reflection on Mary and the Magnificat—a song of hope that calls us to lift up the lowly, feed the hungry, and bear witness to the grandeur of humanity.
 
About our guest
Cathy Johnson is a theologian, spiritual director, liturgy and worship leader, and chair of the Goodfaith board. She holds a Doctor of Ministry from Fordham University and brings extensive experience in pastoral ministry and Catholic social doctrine.

In this second conversation with Karen Bortvedt Estrada, somatic stress release practitioner and founder of Wish You Knew, Maggie and Tim explore what it means to help young people feel safer, more present, and more at home in their bodies.
The conversation begins with social media and smartphones: why we reach for them when we feel lonely, overwhelmed, or disconnected—and how a small pause can restore a sense of choice. Karen invites parents, educators, and ministers to approach technology with curiosity, recognizing that a phone or pair of headphones may sometimes be a young person’s source of connection, regulation, or safety.
From there, the group offers practical ways to create more body-aware spaces. They discuss naming emotions, engaging the senses, arranging rooms with safety in mind, allowing movement and different prayer postures, making participation optional, and offering anonymous ways to respond. Karen also explains co-regulation: how the energy an adult brings into a room can shape everyone else’s experience.
The conversation ultimately returns to a deeply incarnational truth: bodies are not obstacles to faith. God became human, the Eucharist is the Body of Christ, and our bodies carry wisdom worth listening to. Whether someone needs to rock, color, sit against a wall, keep their eyes open during prayer, or simply take a breath, there is room for them.
Karen’s encouragement for anyone accompanying young people is simple: You are doing the best you can with the resources you have. Begin with one small shift, stay curious, and remember that repair is always possible.
 
Practices mentioned in this episode
Pause and ask what need is underneath the impulse to reach for a phone.
Invite people to name an emotion, sensation, texture, or image that describes how they feel.
Use the five-senses countdown to return attention to the present.
Arrange seating so participants can see the room and have something solid behind them.
Place a hand over the heart or abdomen during prayer.
Allow rocking, coloring, stretching, floor seating, and other forms of movement.
Offer time for private reflection before asking anyone to share.
Make sharing optional and provide anonymous ways to participate.
Let people keep their eyes open, soften their gaze, or choose a comfortable prayer posture.
Regulate yourself before trying to help someone else regulate.
Approach repeated behavior with curiosity and the most generous interpretation available.
About Karen
Karen Bortvedt Estrada is the founder and lead facilitator of Wish You Knew, where she creates spaces for individual and group reflection and transformation. She is a certified somatic stress release practitioner whose work helps people engage the body’s natural stress-response cycle through movement, visualization, vocalization, gentle touch, and rest.
Links
Listen to Karen’s first In Goodfaith conversation, “Permission to Be Human”
Connect with Karen on LinkedIn
Listen and follow In Goodfaith

What does Catholic social teaching have to say about artificial intelligence, and what might the Church offer a culture increasingly shaped by screens, algorithms, and polarization?
Kim Daniels, director of Georgetown University’s Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, joins Maggie and Stephanie to explore the Church’s role in safeguarding human dignity amid rapid technological change. Drawing on her work at Georgetown, her participation in the global Synod on Synodality, and Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Kim offers a hopeful vision rooted in listening, dialogue, solidarity, and care for people who are poor and vulnerable.
The conversation also considers the promise and real-world harms of AI, from algorithmic bias and exploitative labor to the environmental costs of data centers. Kim reminds us that human beings are more than their productivity or cognitive ability—and that our limitations, relationships, and embodied lives are not problems to optimize away.
At a time of constant digital connection, even gathering for Mass becomes a countercultural witness: people coming together without devices to pray, celebrate the Eucharist, and encounter one another in an embodied community.
Episode timestamps
00:37 — Introducing Kim Daniels04:23 — The origins and mission of Georgetown’s Initiative05:34 — Kim’s journey from law to Catholic public life12:46 — Discovering the depth of Catholic social teaching20:34 — Pope Francis and the call to become a poor Church for the poor24:45 — Dialogue and bridge-building in a polarized culture28:38 — Lessons from the global Synod on Synodality34:02 — Moving from listening to concrete action35:54 — The Church’s mission in the digital environment38:23 — Parenting and forming young people in a digital culture47:05 — Pope Leo XIV’s vision for AI and human dignity53:26 — The real-world justice implications of artificial intelligence59:13 — Vulnerability, grief, joy, and the gift of being human1:05:42 — Why Mass is countercultural in the age of AI1:09:27 — Catholic social teaching as a source of hope1:12:49 — What is giving Kim hope today
About Kim Daniels
Kim Daniels is the director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University and an adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies. She has served as a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Communication and participated in the 2021–2024 Synod on Synodality as an expert participant. She also coordinated the Synod study group examining the Church’s mission in the digital environment.
A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School, Kim has advised Catholic leaders and institutions on issues including religious liberty, immigration, human life and dignity, and care for creation.
Resources
Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life
Kim Daniels at Georgetown University
Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence
The Synod study group’s report on the Church’s mission in the digital environment
“What A.I. Has to Do With Poverty and Human Dignity” by Kim Daniels
“In Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo Delivers a People-First Vision for AI” by Kim Daniels

In this episode of In Goodfaith, Maggie and Stephanie sit down with researcher and ministry trainer Charlotte McCorquodale to explore what 25 years of research reveal about the changing realities of Catholic youth and young adult ministry.
Drawing on her longitudinal study, Illuminating Trends, Charlotte describes a field marked by expanding responsibilities, declining professional support, unequal compensation, and a growing leadership gap. Together, they examine why relational ministry is difficult to measure, how attendance-based metrics can obscure genuine transformation, and why accompaniment requires shared responsibility across the entire parish community.
Charlotte McCorquodale leads Ministry Training Source and has spent decades studying and supporting Catholic ministry leaders. Her newest resource translates the research into guided conversations about the pressure points facing ministers and the balancing actions churches can take in response. She encourages ministry leaders to assess their own realities, identify trusted allies, and use data to begin honest conversations that can lead to meaningful change.
0:00–6:15 Opening, guest introduction, and the story behind the research
Theme: how Charlotte’s doctoral work grew into a 25-year study of youth and young adult ministry
6:15–11:30 What has—and has not—changed
Declining formation budgets, limited benefits, role confusion, and the continual need for ministers to justify their work
11:30–19:10 Valuing those who accompany young people
The formation and expertise ministry requires; expanding job descriptions; research as a source of clarity and agency
19:10–29:30 Moving beyond “magical thinking”
Why old ministry models no longer work; cultural change, relational discipleship, and the limits of attendance as a measure of success
29:30–34:40 Measuring transformation and supporting accompaniment
Transactional versus transformational metrics; performance reviews, ministry structures, and using data to start conversations
34:40–40:30 The challenge of finding volunteers
“People power,” shared mission, pastor support, and inviting adults into meaningful relationships with young people
40:30–48:10 Reimagining youth and young adult ministry
Innovation, continuity through leadership transitions, young people as protagonists, and promising new ministry models
48:10–56:00 Building parishes of accompaniment
Relational work as productive work; knowing people by name; baptism, belonging, and the responsibility of the whole community
56:00–1:03:15 A leadership gap in Catholic ministry
Compensation, benefits, generational expectations, work-life balance, and why younger ministers are planning shorter tenures
1:03:15–1:15:30 Gender inequity and sustainable ministry
The persistent pay gap, changing expectations among women and younger generations, family life, leave policies, and intergenerational support
1:15:30–1:22:55 Practical next steps and a new conversation resource
Assessing ministry realities, finding allies, practicing difficult conversations, and addressing pressure points with balancing actions
1:22:55–1:26:26 Sources of hope and closing reflections
The joy of accompanying young people, the commitment of ministry leaders, and an invitation to share and support the podcast

In this episode of In Goodfaith, Maggie and Stephanie sit down with Sister Nancy Usselmann, FSP, a Catholic media educator and advocate for AI literacy, to explore how Catholic social teaching speaks to artificial intelligence today.
They discuss what AI is, how the Church has engaged with AI ethics, and practical steps pastors, educators, and families can take to navigate a world where technology increasingly shapes work, education, and relationships. The conversation anchors itself in Pope Leo’s encyclical and CST, calling for human-centered discernment, subsidiarity, and the dignity of the human person as central guides.
Sister Nancy Usselmann, FSP, is a Daughter of Saint Paul and director of Pauline Media Studies. She teaches AI literacy and media mindfulness, speaks nationwide on AI ethics, and helps Catholic communities think critically about how to use technology for mission and evangelization. She also references the Catholic faithai.com platform, which offers formation guides and an AI mindfulness wheel for virtue-centered use of AI.
 
 
- 0:00–4:50 Opening and guest introduction - Theme: setting the frame for AI ethics through CST and human dignity - 4:50–12:00 What AI is and why it matters to Catholics - Clarifications: machine learning, large language models, prompts, and the non-neutral character of AI - 12:00–15:25 The Church’s engagement with AI - Rome Calls for AI ethics; Vatican and CST as ethical voices in tech - 15:25–21:00 Practical formation and resources - Catholic Faith AI platform; AI mindfulness wheel; guidance for parishes, catechists, and educators - 21:00–28:10 Real-world implications: education, work, environment - Data centers, water use, subsidiarity, and implications for jobs and learning - 28:10–33:50 Discernment and practical guidance - Augmenting thinking vs outsourcing; empowerment vs dependence; CST in daily tech decisions - 33:50–40:00 AI in church life: liturgy, catechesis, youth ministry - The human witness remains central; accompany with AI tools thoughtfully - 40:00–49:55 Big-picture hope and what excites Sister Nancy - Positive apps for catechesis, accessible teaching, and mission-driven use - 50:00–54:43 Closing reflections and calls to action - Summaries, prayers, and where to find resources

In this episode, Maggie and Stephanie sit down with Dr. Guilherme Lopes just days after his CTU graduation to talk about how Catholic social teaching shaped his life long before it became his academic focus. Guilherme shares his story as a Brazilian immigrant raised in the Bronx, formed by the Salesians of Don Bosco through a tuition exchange at Holy Rosary parish, and how that early experience of being fed, clothed, and welcomed by a religious community planted the seeds for a career spent at the intersection of faith, justice, and youth ministry.
The conversation moves through his unlikely path: a criminal justice degree born out of grief after losing his best friend to a drunk-driving accident, a hard stretch as a juvenile probation officer, and the moment at a Thursday art program for detained teens that redirected him toward ministry. From there, Guilherme traces his work revising the Salesians' Gospel Roads immersion program, his pivot away from "flashy," consumer-style youth ministry programming toward authentic, justice-oriented service experiences, and his eventual move to Newman University, where he now directs campus ministry and teaches theology.
Maggie and Stephanie connect his story to Goodfaith's own immersion work, comparing notes on snack-cabinet rules, DoorDash bans, four-minute showers, and what it means to form a generation raised on curated, on-demand experiences. 

Two social media posts started a movement. Less than a year later, the Dorothea Project counts more than 1,100 Catholic women across 75 dioceses.
We sit down with founder Katie Holler and project leader Krista Varney to talk about how a grassroots network of Catholic women grew out of one mom's refusal to stay silent. Katie, a social worker in Steubenville, started the Dorothea Project after the second Trump administration's immigration enforcement hit her during her postpartum maternity leave. She made two Facebook posts asking if anyone else felt the same. Dozens of women answered, most of them saying some version of "I thought I was the only one."
Named for Dorothy Day and Sister Thea Bowman, the Dorothea Project educates Catholics on Catholic social teaching and moves them to act in defense of vulnerable people. The conversation digs into why CST stays the so-called "best kept secret of the Church", what happens when you start treating your bishop like a constituent who needs to hear from you, and why building a movement means getting comfortable with tension instead of waiting for everyone to agree on everything.
We get into the work of organizing at both the national and local level, the new CST-based voter guide the group is building ahead of the midterms, and why the laity coming to know their own power might be the real shift the Church needs.

Tim joins Maggie in the host seat for a rich conversation with Karen Bortvedt Estrada, a somatic stress release practitioner and founder of Wish You Knew. Karen helps us notice the things we override all day, the clenched jaw, the tensed shoulders, and makes the case for "humaning" instead of performing.
The three get honest about the cost of caregiving work, and the scripts (capitalism, perfectionism, "your reward will be great in heaven") that keep ministers, teachers, and nonprofit folks running until they collapse. Karen's reframe is freeing: you are not broken, you're feeling the symptoms of a broken system, and naming that is where healing begins.
The episode closes on the church itself, with Karen sharing what she wishes faith communities understood about the body, intuition, and letting their people be human, messy, and rested rather than endlessly productive.

Rosie Chinea Shawver didn't embrace faith until college. She grew up in a Puerto Rican and Cuban household where faith was present but not personal, like a piece of furniture. It took a persistent friend, a cute guy in the choir, and a priest who took her out for froyo to change all of that. Now, nearly 20 years into campus ministry and serving as Executive Director of the Catholic Campus Ministry Association (CCMA), Rosie has given her life to making sure young people have the same kind of encounter she did.
In this conversation, we talk with Rosie about what it really takes to accompany young adults in faith and why that slow, deeply human work is exactly what the church needs more of right now.