U.S. Catholic is launching its inaugural podcast on February 16. Hosted by Jeannie Gaffigan, writer and executive producer of The Jim Gaffigan Show, and Mike Lewis, editor of the website Where Peter Is, Field Hospital explores how to heal the wounds of the church today.
“During the early days of the pandemic I was cut off from my parish community and was consistently shocked by the hostile and violent divisions among Catholics on social media. I realized that this was a church I no longer recognized,” says Gaffigan. “What disturbed me the most was the growing faction of so-called devout Catholics speaking out publicly against Pope Francis, the Spirit-inspired leader of our church who illuminates the gospel message of love and mercy. Knowing how many of my brothers and sisters were being badly hurt by these destructive forces, I found peace and healing in the brilliant and sane voices ringing from the pages of places like U.S. Catholic and Where Peter Is. I found myself driven to amplify the visionary voices dedicated to healing a broken church.”
Guided by Pope Francis’ vision of the church as a field hospital, Gaffigan and Lewis speak with a variety of Catholics about issues dividing the church.
“Over the last nine years, Pope Francis has repeatedly challenged all of us to examine ourselves, our assumptions, and our relationships with God and each other. For many Catholics, his message has been a wakeup call,” says Lewis. “At times, the message of Pope Francis can be both penetrating and disarming and can open our eyes to the movement of the Holy Spirit, leading us to places we never thought we’d go. My hope is that through Field Hospital, Jeannie and I can help our listeners understand the vision of Pope Francis at a deeper level and enrich their faith.”
With episodes on topics ranging from racism in the church to the sex abuse crisis to LGBTQ Catholics, Field Hospital does not shy away from the hard questions that Catholics around the nation are grappling with.
“Jeannie and Mike’s approach to shining light on the issues Catholics face today is perfectly in line with our mission,” says Emily Sanna, managing editor of U.S. Catholic. “They bring open-minded curiosity and generosity of spirit to even the most divisive topics and their interviews are grounded in the realities of people’s faith lives and spiritualities.”
“I am so grateful to U.S. Catholic for giving Mike Lewis and me this opportunity with the Field Hospital podcast,” says Gaffigan. “I hope that everyone learns as much as I am from our incredible guests and that we can be a part of a larger movement to follow the positive direction where God is leading us.”
A new episode of Field Hospital will be released every two weeks starting February 16. Subscribe for email updates at uscatholic.org/podcasts and look for new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Field Hospital is sponsored by the Viatorians.
