Explore every episode of the podcast Forte Catholic
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 438: Childhood Friends, Managing Conflict & Phone Scams | 07 Jun 2026 | 01:05:44 | |
Chris Bartlett shares a What Would Taylor Do segment & discusses his recent conversation with a phone scammer that went way different than you would expect! Taylor talks about managing conflict within friendships & shares a story of when he felt closest to the parents of Jesus. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| 437: The Pod is Risen | 22 Apr 2026 | 01:12:21 | |
He is Risen! And so is the podcast! We accidentally gave podcasting up for Lent (whoops!) but we're back with an update on our busy Spring, some thoughts on Holy Week & Taylor shares how he was recently tortured! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| 428: Taunting Satan & Apologetically Catholic w/ Oscar Rivera | 22 Aug 2025 | 01:05:50 | |
Christian rappers & preachers are out here wanting to battle the Devil. I'm out here praying "do not put me to the test." Also, while others proclaim to be "unapologetically Catholic", am I "apologetically Catholic?" Catholic speaker & fellow podcaster Oscar Rivera helps me figure it out! Connect with Oscar: https://oscartwoten.com/home.html Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| 339: Walls of Jericho & Fancy Catholic Words w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 17 May 2023 | 01:09:31 | |
Fr. Anthony & Taylor kick off the show with some Italian stereotypes & two great moments for God's chosen people in the Old Testament: The parting of the Red Sea & the Battle of Jericho. We promise you've never heard the Jericho story like this! Next, Fr. Anthony actually did some show prep so that we can play Fancy Catholic Words. The good priest gives Taylor some words that only fancy Catholics would know and he has to guess what they mean. Can you do any better than Taylor did? They close the show with a conversation about leadership, failure & improving after Taylor was inspired by a recent Malcolm Gladwell story. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen | |||
| 338: Champions & Miracles w/ Allison Sullivan | 10 May 2023 | 01:06:50 | |
In a special and rare episode, both Taylor & Allison are INCREDIBLY HAPPY! The ladies that Taylor coaches won the first athletic state title in the storied history of their school. It was a really special weekend with yelling & cheering & tears & bountiful joy! Allison rejoices with him as he retells the story! The other big stressor in Taylor's life the last couple of weeks has been his son's broken arm. They got news this week that he doesn't need surgery after all! A huge blessing with a story of healing & our community rallying around us. Thank you all for your support! Allison also has BIG news of her own to share that Taylor gets to celebrate with her! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen | |||
| 337: Roller Coasters, Practice & Parenting w/ Kathryn Whitaker | 03 May 2023 | 00:58:23 | |
Taylor is joined by Kathryn Whitaker in studio as they talk about the high highs and the low lows of the last couple of weeks. Taylor shares the good, bad and ugly from his track coaching, parenting and spiritual life. Kathryn shares her insight and wisdom from her experiences as a mom and Catholic. They also discuss the importance of being a "practicing" Catholic and how that may mean a shift in focus on how we view our spiritual journeys. Enjoy! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen | |||
| 336: Child Jesus, Indulgences & Addiction w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 20 Apr 2023 | 01:12:17 | |
Fr. Anthony joins Taylor for a discussion on what we should be focusing on during the extended Easter season. Taylor also shares a strange insight about the people who grew up around Jesus during the "lost years" of his childhood/teen/young adult years. Taylor also asks Fr. Anthony about indulgences: They also discuss the morality of addiction, especially when addiction leads to other sins. It is a complicated and nuanced discussion on sin, culpability & the depths of the moral life. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen | |||
| 335: Cupcakes, Leprechauns & Humility w/Allison Sullivan | 12 Apr 2023 | 01:11:27 | |
Allison Sullivan joins Taylor Schroll as he shares about how a recent reflection on the Creation story really broke his brain in regards to the balance between confidence and humility. They also discuss how Catholics should think about legacy, what we learn from St. Joseph's inadequacy & how we can bring peace into any situation. All with some cupcakes and leprechauns mixed in :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 334: Holy Weak & the Holy Land w/Kathryn Whitaker | 05 Apr 2023 | 01:02:19 | |
Kathryn Whitaker returns to share her incredible experience in the Holy Land. She talks about all of the places that she went to that we will hear about at the Masses of this Holy Week. She came back changed spiritually AND physically. She & Taylor also discuss how we are constantly on “holy ground” and in God’s presence in the places we may least expect it. They discuss the story of the burning bush and places where they’ve encountered God where they weren’t necessarily looking for Him. They also talk about the places in their lives where God probably is but they haven’t taken the time to recognize Him. We hope you have a blessed Holy Week! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen | |||
| 333: The Mass, Pastoral Care & Slippery Slopes w/Fr. Will Rooney | 29 Mar 2023 | 01:08:39 | |
Taylor's associate pastor joins the show to chat about Mass, taking care of the flock and being tired of dumb arguments Taylor has known Fr. Will since his early seminary days and he is now the associate pastor at his parish. Fr. Will comes in studio to chat about the Mass & Pastoral Care. Particularly how to make changes to the Mass over time in a way where the people in the pews won't revolt. Taylor has some compliments and some challenges for the young priest on that front. Some lively conversation and hilarity ensues. They close out the show with Taylor sharing about how tired he is of "slippery slope" arguments. He sees them all the time and thinks they're one of the dumbest ways to argue. He gets Fr. Will's thoughts on some common Catholic slippery slope arguments. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen Special Guest: Fr. Will Rooney. | |||
| 332: Morality & the Sacred Heart w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 22 Mar 2023 | 01:26:15 | |
Taylor has some bones to pick with Fr. Anthony & some strange Church rules. They also talk about Fr. Anthony's recent trip to Canada to lead a parish mission for Fr. Harrison's parish. Fr. Anthony shares an overview of each night of the mission, all focusing on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the last segment, Taylor has some morality questions for Fr. Anthony on an array of topics including talking too much, cussing, and in regards to priests chanting in Mass and one of the secret priest prayers during the liturgy. Enjoy! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Sarah Allen | |||
| 331: Negative Feedback & Catholic Feminism w/Allison Sullivan | 15 Mar 2023 | 00:54:41 | |
Taylor & Allison are together for the first time in a couple weeks so that have a lot to catch up on! Allison challenges Taylor on his self-talk and he talks about using both positive and negative reinforcement while coaching his track team. They also discuss some old movies that came out before Taylor was born. In the next segment, Allison shares about her recent fancy ladies trip to Nashville. A lot of leaders in the pro-life movement met at Patricia Heaton's house(yes, THAT Patricia Heaton) to meet each other and share thoughts, dreams and ideas. She has a lot of great insight and Taylor has some news for Allison that she doesn't like to hear ;) Thanks for listening! Y'all are the best! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 330: Ordinations, Repetition & Jesus w/Kathryn Whitaker | 08 Mar 2023 | 01:04:00 | |
Taylor shares a beautiful story from a Deacon ordination he added that also had a funny ending. They also discuss the importance of repetition & a few reflections on the life of Jesus. Subscribe/Rate Today's episode is brought to you in part by Almighty Legends. Their goal is to deliver a unique and thoughtful action figure line that will create a positive change in the way collectors, both young and seasoned, collect and play. Almighty Legends aims to blend the greatest story ever told with the youthful imagination of those that love classic action figures. These figures are based on the Bible and take a legendary approach. Support the project and get your archangels figurines here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/almightylegends/almighty-legends YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 427: Tarred, Feathered & Applesauced w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 15 Aug 2025 | 01:07:53 | |
Taylor has a new rule for ALL PRIESTS that he shares with Fr. Anthony. They also discuss a confusing part of the Abraham story & they discuss some more "priest firsts" that Taylor saw at the Pines Catholic camp, the first time a priest did a certain thing in the 2000 year history of the Church! We hope you enjoy this great episode with Taylor being a clown & Fr. Anthony being a beautiful and loving priest of the Lord! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| Catholic Comedy Interview w/Steven Garone | BONUS | 02 Mar 2023 | 00:30:29 | |
We talk with a Catholic sketch comedian about his work and the importance of humor in faith & our day to day lives. Steven and I met on Twitter and I really enjoy his sketches about faith, family and catholic life. If you ever need a pick-me-up on a tough day, head to CatholicComedy.com to listen to some great Catholic humor. Check out the Catholic Comedy festival on March 11th in Arizona: https://catholiccomedy.com/festival Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 329: Live from the Forte Catholic Men's Retreat | 01 Mar 2023 | 00:59:25 | |
We hosted a men's retreat in Southern Louisiana and it was an awesome experience! We share graces & play a hot takes game in a live episode :) Taylor & eight other guys spent the weekend in a beautiful lake house in southern Louisiana and had a great time! We spent the weekend in prayer, fellowship, drinks, great food, a trip to the beach and some great game time! We decided to record an episode at the lake house together with a whole cast of characters. In today's episode, you'll hear some of the things that the Lord was doing in the hearts and minds of the men on the retreat and also get to join in our fun as we play "Mezzo/Piano/Forte", our hot takes about Catholicism game. We hope you enjoy this episode! If you'd like more info about our retreats, head to https://www.fortecatholic.com/retreats Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guests: Chris Bartlett and J.P. Quinn. | |||
| 328: Healing Prayer, Lay People & Intinction w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 22 Feb 2023 | 01:19:05 | |
Fr. Anthony and Taylor start the podcast in a brand new way that you could have never seen coming! Taylor shares a story about a new Church he went to that distributed Communion in a different way than he is used to which led to some awkwardness, questions and ultimately a great experience. Taylor also approaches Fr. Anthony with a dilemma about not wanting to pray bold prayers. He was recently in a couple of situations where people wanted him to pray for big healings or miracles and he just couldn't for some reason. Was it prudence? Fear? Both? Fr. Anthony has some great advice! Finally, they discuss Fr. Anthony's favorite topic: LAY PEOPLE! Taylor has some questions about how lay people's role of priest, prophet and king should play out in a parish/diocese that has ordained men also being priest, prophet and king. Where is the line between what God has called me to do and still being respectful of the structure God put in place in the hierarchy of the Church? We really enjoyed recording this episode and hope you enjoy watching! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 327: Lectio Divina & George Strait w/Kathryn Whitaker | 15 Feb 2023 | 01:10:24 | |
Taylor & Kathryn share stories from their recent retreat/conference weekends and talk a bit about prayer. Taylor has been asking people he respects and looks up to how they pray for years and Kathryn gives the most surprising answer yet! They also discuss Lectio Divina, which is a way of praying with Scripture that Taylor has found particularly helpful. They lay out how it works and discuss some of the fruits of prayer, in particular with the Gospel story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 326: Self-worth, Burnout & Hearts of Joy w/Lauren Costabile & Allison Sullivan | 08 Feb 2023 | 01:11:47 | |
Taylor & Allison recap her recent retreat and discuss how they view themselves. Our self-worth is an important thing to balance and Taylor is surprised by Allison's answer to an important question. They also discuss burnout and how to get out of the cycle/systems that lead to us losing drive and the joy that comes from our routine tasks. They're also joined by Lauren Costabile to discuss her work with Hearts of Joy: an organization designed to help children with Down Syndrome receive the surgeries, love and care that they need. For more information check out https://heartsofjoyinternational.com/ Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 325: The Beatitudes | 01 Feb 2023 | 00:24:56 | |
Taylor Schroll flies solo this week and shares two of his favorite reflections on this past weekend's Gospel: the Beatitudes. The first is from the homily at his parish given by Fr. Brian Eilers contrasting the themes from Jesus' famous sermon on the mount with how the world tells us to live. The second is from a song called "Confession" by the Poor Kings. The lead singer was Taylor's HS youth minister and its a beautiful modern reflection on these ancients truths. We hope you enjoy today's episode! Please subscribe, like and share with a friend :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 324: Topics Galore & the Alphabet Game w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 25 Jan 2023 | 01:07:05 | |
Typically we tackle 2-3 primary topics on an episode. This week we're trying to see how many topics we can jam into this episode, so we GUARANTEE there's something for everyone. Our topics include: Yes, we discuss all of that in this hour long show and we hope it brightens your day as much as it brightened our to record! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 323: Italy, Conspiracy Theories & the Turing Test w/Kathryn Whitaker | 18 Jan 2023 | 01:06:10 | |
Live from Austin, Texas! Today's episode was recording at Kathryn Whitaker's home in the capital of the great country of Texas! Kathryn recently returned from a family trip to Italy and shares all about her experiences in the heartland of our faith. We also test her mettle at our favorite game "Freestyle Preaching" and Taylor shares his thoughts on conspiracy theories and the Turing Test. We hope you enjoy this week's episode! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 322: Online Haters & Spiritual Growth w/Allison Sullivan | 11 Jan 2023 | 01:00:12 | |
Allison & Taylor chat about their holiday break and Allison's recent ADHD diagnosis. They also talk about dealing with haters online & the mix of comedy & responsibility online. This all stems from a recent video Allison made on TikTok that made waves. Our hosts share their differing approaches to how to deal with hatred online. They also discuss a new initiative at their parish and how it can be used as a good barometer for all of us to focus on spiritual growth in the new year. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 321: 2022 Year in Review | 06 Jan 2023 | 00:40:12 | |
Happy New Year! I'm terrible at looking back at the past and seeing all the good things God did in my life. I'm usually focused on the present or working towards building a better future that I forget to be thankful for what has already happened. That is why every year, we do a "State of the Forte" as our first episode of the new year to see all the cool things we experienced together. In today's episode, Taylor looks at the highlights of the show from the past year, counts down our top ten episodes, our top ten moments and shares how the show has grown. We also review the additions to our YouTube channel in 2022 and the rest of the work we did through producing other great Catholic podcasts and our events. Taylor also takes a few moments to address the passing of one of his heroes Pope Benedict XVI and his thoughts on the Damar Hamlin situation from this week's Monday Night Football. We hope you enjoy looking back at the past year with us. Blessings on your new year! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 426: Eyes of Faith, AITA & WWTD w/ Chris Bartlett | 08 Aug 2025 | 01:00:19 | |
Taylor has two major life updates to share, while Chris brings two stories to the table for your consideration. The first as "Am I the...Jerk?" and the second is "What Would Taylor Do?" in an embarrassing professional situation Chris found himself in. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| 320: Christmas Episode with Comedian Aaron Weber & Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 28 Dec 2022 | 01:16:01 | |
Aaron Weber, Father Anthony and Taylor unite for their annual Christmas episode! They debate a theory about comedy that Father Anthony has and Aaron shares the funniest moral dilemma he found himself in that we've ever heard! Check out Aaron's comedy at http://aaronwebercomedy.com/. In the rest of the episode, Taylor & Fr. Anthony touch base on how their Advent went, share some Christmas insights and Taylor shares about a funny announcement made before Mass at his parish. To close the show, they do their new segment "Plane Theology" where Taylor puts Fr. Anthony on the spot with theology questions he got no prep time for. This week's topics include if the Apostles were baptized, if demons can hear our thoughts and if Mary knew. Merry Christmas y'all from the Forte Catholic family! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guest: Aaron Weber. | |||
| 319: Positivity, Evangelization & Cancel Culture w/Kathryn Whitaker | 21 Dec 2022 | 01:08:06 | |
Kathryn joins Taylor in studio to share some exciting news! They talk about the gift of positivity & the Church's mandate to evangelize. Kathryn also helps Taylor write an upcoming talk he is giving on cancel culture. From all of us at Forte Catholic, we wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 318: Broken Podcaster, Soccer, Spelling Bees & Anxiety w/Allison Sullivan | 14 Dec 2022 | 01:04:00 | |
Allison Sullivan joins Taylor as he shares how podcasting has broken him in two ways: one during Mass and the other in normal conversations. They also discuss their thoughts on soccer during the World Cup, a difficult story from a spelling bee(didn't see that one coming) and some overall thoughts on dealing with anxiety and seasonal depression. We're not therapists but we hope you and enjoy our honest conversation with the signature Forte Catholic laughter through the pain ;) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 317: Plane Theology & Forsaking Sin w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 07 Dec 2022 | 01:05:38 | |
Taylor shares some fun stories about being mistaken for an elderly woman and how he handled losing a contest in elementary school. He also chats with Fr. Anthony about forsaking sin. As Catholics, we know the importance of confessing our sins but a lot of us have gotten complacent in our call to forsake our sins. We also introduce a new segment called "Plane Theology." Popes have been writing encyclicals for years after careful research and revisions. But in modern times, our leaders are often asked questions on the spot like in interviews or on planes. So Taylor asks Fr. Anthony a series of theology questions he's been wondering about recently with absolutely no prep for the good priest. The topics include Jerusalem, infant baptism and hiccups. Enjoy! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 316: Travel Stories, Freestyle Preaching & Best Nuggets w/Jon Blevins | 30 Nov 2022 | 01:12:06 | |
Jon Blevins cohosts as Taylor shares stories from a fun ministry trip to Seattle. The stories involve funniest ministry moments, worst biblical pronunciations & Catholics invading non-denominational camps. They also play one of our favorite games: freestyle preaching. They give each other three random words that they have to include in a 60 second sermon which lead to some great points and good laughs. Finally, they share some of the "best nuggets" from their real preaching at retreats, youth nights, or conferences. They have both been sharing the Gospel for years and share their favorite insights to speak about. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 315: Getting Fired, Catholic Heroes & Christmas Music w/Will Hickl & Chris Bartlett | 23 Nov 2022 | 01:09:56 | |
Chris Bartlett is our guest cohost and he talks with Taylor about an event they both get fired from lol. Chris also brings a new game where he gives Taylor marvel heroes and asks how they would use their talents to benefit the Church. It's a blast! Will Hickl joins the show to share about his Catholic record label Novum Records and to share some of their Christmas album. As this is our Thanksgiving episode, we know many people start decorating for Christmas sometime this week, including listening to Christmas music so we have a great selection of Advent/Christmas songs to help you prepare the way for Jesus over the next month. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Forte Catholic! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guest: Will Hickl. | |||
| 314: Expectations, Virtue & the Environment w/Meghan Adams & Allison Sullivan | 16 Nov 2022 | 01:17:13 | |
Allison Sullivan & Taylor Schroll discuss how expectations can really ruin an experience. They discuss this in regards to movies, video games and people, but it also applies to how we interact with God and the Church. They also go through St. Josemaria Escriva's book "The Way" for tips on the virtues they are best and worst at. It was fun to choose themes we thought the other could work on ;) Our guest this week is Meghan Adams. She is an environmental engineer who is passionate about the Lord's call for us to be good stewards of the earth He has given us. She and Taylor discuss why Catholics should care about the environment, Pope Francis' focus on it in his latest writings and what normal Catholics can do in their daily life to better take care of our shared home. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guest: Meghan Adams. | |||
| 313: Sacrilege, Yolo & November Saints w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 12 Nov 2022 | 01:18:05 | |
Taylor Schroll & Fr. Anthony Sciarappa have a conversation about holy and unholy things. They discuss what sacrilege is, Taylor tries to toe the line. They also share that a recent hit song might possibly be the most sacrilegious pop song EVER! Next, they discuss the SURPRISING origins of the term "Yolo" and how it actually lines up with the Christian notion of remembering that we only have one life and should be acting accordingly. Finally, they play the "imitate, intercess or ignore" game with saints who's feast days are in October and November. Laugh along as we learn about saints in the silliest of ways. Enjoy! Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 312: Lions, Lambs & Mass Class w/Fr. Dave Dwyer & Jon Blevins | 02 Nov 2022 | 01:15:50 | |
Jon Blevins cohosts as Taylor shares his mixed feelings on music by a former Catholic, now atheist being played at Mass. It was initially frustrating but then ended in hope. They also discuss how Jesus can simultaneously be the seemingly contradictory Lion and the Lamb and what that means for us. We're also joined today by very special guest Fr. Dave Dwyer of the "Busted Halo Show" on Sirius XM's "The Catholic Channel." Taylor has looked up to Fr. Dave for years and Fr. Dave's show has been a huge influence on Taylor's approach to Catholic media. After years of working in media, including stints at MTV & Comedy Central, Fr. Dave has written his first book "Mass Class." He answers some of our most pressing questions about the Mass as well as some of the strangest he's received through the years. Listen to Fr. Dave's show on "The Catholic Channel", check out the podcast wherever you enjoy pods and get his new book today. (https://www.paulistpress.com/Products/0666-0/mass-class.aspx). Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guest: Fr. Dave Dwyer. | |||
| 311: Community, Comics & Poverty w/Peter Schmidt & Andy Shaggy Korty | 26 Oct 2022 | 00:59:04 | |
There are a lot of "firsts" in this episode! First episode with Taylor in his new recording set up. First time guest cohost Peter Schmidt has been on the show and first time for Catholic comics creator Andy Shaggy Korty! Taylor introduces Peter and they talk about the online Catholic young adult community he's been able to create through Game of Favorites (on Twitch.tv/ptony). Taylor also has a confession to make about last week's show that made him feel VERY dumb. Andy Shaggy Korty is our guest this week and he shares about his new idea "Nov Arts Ordo." Andy is an incredible comics creator who's plan is to invite other creators to make something each day in November that is connected to the saints. Connect with Andy on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter @andyshaggykorty. Peter closes out the show with a topic he wanted to focus on: poverty. They discuss how whether we are rich, poor or anywhere in between, we can all still struggle with our connection to money. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guests: Andy Shaggy Korty and Peter Schmidt. | |||
| 425: Sports & Music w/ Jeremy Rodriguez | 01 Aug 2025 | 00:52:35 | |
Jeremy is one of the premiere Catholic worship leaders & joins Taylor on this week's episode to discuss their shared passions: sports, faith & music. They have gotten to work together at multiple events & finally turned on the recorders to share one of their conversations with you. They kick the show off discussing how they both coach at small Catholic schools (where they are actually rivals!) and the way sports can bring people together. They share some of Pope Leo's recent comments about the intersection of faith & sports and how they have seen those in real time during their many years coaching. Then, they talk about the importance of music to our everyday lives, including how it impacts how we pray. Jeremy shares about his experiences leading worship but also how his band reaches people with the Good News simply through good music, like good ol' Switchfoot. He is a talented and great man so I'm happy that we FINALLY recorded this and get to share it with you today :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| 310: Enemies, She-Hulk & Struggling to Forgive w/Allison Sullivan | 19 Oct 2022 | 01:03:45 | |
Taylor shares a personal & professional announcement with Allison to kick off the show and then they discuss how they have accumulated enemies at an alarming rate since the pandemmy started. Taylor gets introspective and asks why he has so many enemies, if he needs to change everything, how to deal with enemies internally and struggling to forgive them. Allison gives her wise counsel as always. They also discuss the recent She-Hulk Marvel series and how it was such a great show and really gave great insight into the differences between men and women by showing the differences between the Hulk & She-Hulk. They have a conversation about the show and highlight some of their favorite moments highlighting women's issues, anger, and friendship. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 309: In Persona Spirity, Finish the Lyrics & Gay Catholics w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 12 Oct 2022 | 01:11:28 | |
Taylor asks Fr. Anthony why he and his brother priests act in persona Christi and not in persona Fathery/Spirity/Trinity. He also makes Fr. Anthony play the Catholic hymns edition of Finish the Lyrics, proving that we all think we know these classic songs but we mostly just remember a jumbled mess of faith associated words. Finally, they discuss how the Church could be more welcoming to gay Catholics and better help them on their journey of discipleship. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 308: The Four P's, Naked Saints & Parish Life w/Jon Blevins | 05 Oct 2022 | 01:02:00 | |
Jon Blevins cohosts as Taylor tries to prove to Jon that his barber is lying to him. They also discuss the Four P's and how they affect our professional and spiritual lives. Next, Taylor has questions about a famous St. Francis story and why he had to do things the way he did. They also discuss a change to the Mass a few years ago that makes very little sense. Finally, they discuss parish life and Taylor asks Jon for assistance in an issue he's working through at his parish. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 307: Misery, Social Media Bans & Reality Checks w/Fr Joseph-Anthony Kress O.P. | 28 Sep 2022 | 01:04:25 | |
Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress O.P. has been a guest on the show many times but this is his first time in the cohost chair. He is a Dominican priest who serves as the Campus Minister at the University of Virginia. Taylor met him at a conference while Father was dressed up in a dinosaur costume and the rest is history. They discuss how we are all more equipped to minister to people than we may expect, how Taylor avoids social media bans & how sometimes people are just trying way to hard and need to chill. We hope you enjoy this week's episode! Connect with Fr. Joseph-Anthony: Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 306: Converts, Shia LaBeouf & Alaska w/Allison Sullivan | 21 Sep 2022 | 01:05:55 | |
Taylor & Allison had very different weeks. He was bed-ridden. She enjoyed a week-long get away on a hidden island off the coast of Seattle. Needless the say they arrived at this week's episode in different moods. Taylor shares a bit of his struggle while Allison shares the joys of her Orca Isle adventures! Then they have a deep discussion about some of Taylor's internal struggles about things that he should be thrilled about but is instead frustrated/conflicted. He has mixed feelings about converts, highlighted by the recent news of Shia LaBeouf becoming Catholic. Take a listen to this conflicted soul struggle with how he feels vs. how he should feel...with Allison to guide him along the path. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 305: Cult Leaders, Pipe Organs & Our Pilgrimage to Rome w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 07 Sep 2022 | 01:06:54 | |
Taylor & Fr. Anthony have a HUGE announcement in this week's episode! But first, Taylor has to complain about the flooding in his house and how he blames Fr. Anthony for it. Once he is done complaining, they announce that Forte Catholic is going on pilgrimage to Rome next summer! We want you all to join us for a wonderful trip to Rome, Assisi, Florence & Tuscany in June of 2023. More info at ForteCatholic.com/travel. Following this big announcement, Taylor follows it up with another announcement: he is now a cult leader! Well, in a video game at least... They end the show with a silly hodgepodge of topics involving pipe organs, the alphabet, maydays and more. We hope you enjoy this episode! :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 304: Chubby, Worthless & Answered Prayers w/Liv Harrison | 31 Aug 2022 | 01:00:44 | |
Taylor is finally worthless and he couldn't be more excited! He & Liv discuss remembering the days that we prayed for what we have now. Taylor has a hard time being thankful for the little wins because he is constantly looking towards the next goal. They have a conversation about how to slow down and look back on how far things have come. Finally, Taylor shares how the woman at the well story has always bothered him a bit and the new insight from an unlikely source that helped him quite a bit. Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 303: Stay-At-Home Mom, AARP & Temperaments w/Allison Sullivan | 24 Aug 2022 | 00:59:43 | |
Allison Sullivan cohosts as Taylor shares a big life transition, his trip to lovely Kansas and a bit about taking risks paying off. Next, they discuss personality tests & the temperaments. Taylor shares some insights with Allison that are particular poignant and she shares her thoughts of loving people well. Finally, they discuss a modern day Jesus food miracle, change and copycats. Enjoy! :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 302: Regrets, Mountains & Parenting Wins w/Jon Blevins | 18 Aug 2022 | 01:01:49 | |
Taylor kicks off the show by sharing a recent parenting win with Jon: he and his son won a game of Fortnite together! They celebrate and share some of their favorite moments of being a parent. In the next segment, Taylor asks Jon how he should handle regrets in his life. A few regrets keep popping up in his mind and he wants to know how Jon deals with past failures. Finally, they start with a conversation about the difference between a mountain and a hill that has Taylor fascinated and annoyed. This leads to a conversation about bioethics and how the Church tackles new problems as they arrive. Not quite how we thought we would end but here we are ;) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 301: Morbius, Steve Rogers & "Is This a Sin"? w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | 11 Aug 2022 | 01:17:02 | |
Fr. Anthony Sciarappa & Taylor Schroll share their thoughts on last week's episode 300 celebration. They also discuss the love they received from the episode & the best piece of hate mail the show has ever gotten! Taylor shares the story about the Sunday Mass he went to on vacation about how it made him feel like he was in the Matrix! Everything about the experience was just a bit odd or strange. He shares the strange story with Fr. Anthony to get his thoughts on the matter. Finally, they play the "Is This a Sin?" game where Taylor presents hypothetical scenarios that may or may not be from his personal life and asks if the decisions made were sinful or not. This may be Fr. Anthony's favorite segment we ever do on the show. We hope you enjoy it! :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 424: Live from New Mexico Mission Trip (Year 2) | 25 Jul 2025 | 00:57:16 | |
For the second summer in a row, Taylor traveled to the Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico to lead worship for a mission trip with Epiphany Youth Ministry from Katy, Tx. It was another incredible week of service & learning about the culture of the local natives. In this episode, Taylor chats with some of the leaders from the trip, sharing experiences of prayer, mountain adventures, music & closes out the show with a game involving the entire group! The joy in this one is palpable! Enjoy :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art & editing by Sarah Allen | |||
| 300: 300th Episode Celebration! w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa, Allison Sullivan, Jon Blevins & Liv Harrison | 03 Aug 2022 | 01:14:19 | |
All the cohosts together to reminisce, laugh and annoy one another ;) The Forte Catholic hosts unite for a rare episode recorded with all of them involved! This leads to a lot of hilarity, great stories and a fair amount of insanity. They kick off the episode sharing some favorite memories of the show and how much they've all changed since it launched in 2016. Next, they play a "get to know the cohosts" game where they each submitted random facts about themselves to Taylor before the show. He presents them to the group and they have to guess which host that statement belonged to. We learned a lot of strange, random and concerning things about our fellow hosts. Finally, they play a staple game of the show: Life Verse. They each have to pick a random verse from Scripture and apply it to one of the other hosts' lives. It's somehow a perfect combination of earnestness, spiritual depth & stupidity. We hope you enjoy this episode! :) Thanks for listening today and for all the support you've given us over the last 300 episodes. We love y'all! :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||
| 299: Floods, Droughts, Short Jesus & Glad Trads w/Shaun McAfee & Grassroot Catholic | 27 Jul 2022 | 01:12:23 | |
OG Cohost Shaun McAfee returns for Episode 299! He has moved back to the USA and shares about that transition and a very difficult thing he and his family had to endure. He talks about how he handled it and how he was able to survive this tough time. Taylor dishes out a rare compliment for how much faith he showed through the trials. Our guest this week is Keith from Grassroot Catholic. He is a Trad that isn't Mad! He is inviting people into the deep traditions of the Church in a kind, loving and convincing way. Taylor asks how we can all be a bit more traditional and what a reverent Mass looks like. Follow him @grassrootcatholic on YouTube & Instagram. Shaun rejoins Taylor for the final segment where Taylor shares a very odd realization he had recently: That he is probably taller than Jesus was on Earth. Is he still taller now? Will that make Taylor meeting Jesus in Heaven awkward? Let us know what you think in the comments and on our social media channels! :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart Special Guests: Grassroot Catholic and Shaun McAfee. | |||
| 298: Wild Confession Story, Catechism in a Year & Making a Disciple w/Everett Fritz & Liv Harrison | 20 Jul 2022 | 01:10:10 | |
Taylor and Liv kick off the episode by sharing his big news that he has been selected as one of the four audio editors for Catechism in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz! Everett Fritz rejoins the show to discuss how to make ONE disciple. He says that one John Paul the Second has a larger impact on the world that thousands of mediocre Catholics so how do we create those saints? Finally, Taylor shares one of the craziest experiences he's ever had in confession! It involved elation, anger, violins and more! We hope you enjoy this week's episode! :) Subscribe/Rate YouTube Connect Donate Amazon Smile All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com. Episode art by Rebekah Gerhart | |||