Episodes

Season 5, Episode 2 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "Little by little, you can make a difference in people's lives."-Adrienne Alexander LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Adrienne Alexander about her family's faith beginnings and how she got involved in politics, social justice and the labor movement. They talk about progress, how it can be slow, yet worthwhile. "I play a lot of defense in my...

Season 5, Episode 1 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "I want to dignify and honor the real emotions that kids have, whether it's joy or grief."- Jennifer Grant LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with author Jennifer Grant about how the call to serve can be both internal and external, and the importance of staying focused on the spirit of the call and the work itself. They discuss how writing about faith an...

Season 4, Episode 10 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "When I say everyone belongs, everyone belongs." - AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with AnaYelsi Velasco-Sanchez about how she found her way to Christianity and justice work. They talk about creativity and social change, how they can inspire conversations in movements and how art can be therapeutic. And they explore how imitating Jes...

Season 4, Episode 9 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "I go, and I think I'm bringing Church to them; Church is already there." - Deacon Pablo Perez LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: Sister Julia Walsh talks with Deacon Pablo Perez about how he became a deacon and chaplain at Chicago's Cook and Lake County Jails, after being a gang member himself. "I was just as reckless as they were. I was just as broken as they were," Pablo Perez explains. "That's why I know that inves...

Season 4, Episode 8 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "Once we surrender into that place of the Divine...we're moving in the waters of the holy."-Beverly Lanzetta LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: Sister Julia Walsh talks with theologian, author and teacher Beverly Lanzetta how she lives out her call to surrender to the Divine and be a contemplative guide, and how loving and surrendering God can be an innate experience. "Once we surrender into that place of the Divine, w...

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Paul Engler, author, activist and community organizer. They explore the integration of spiritual life and social justice work, and--in spite of the dominant culture's focus on individualism--how community is necessary to bring about social change.

"Let yourself be broken. Let yourself suffer. Cling to Christ through it."- Tessa Bielecki Season 4, Episode 6 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Tessa Bielecki about pain and the healing process: how they forge transformation, and how suffering can help us to know union with God. Tessa explains this concept through the lens of a past trauma, and says she didn't lose h...

Sister Julia Walsh talks with Ellen Salmi van Cleef and Joshua van Cleef about how they became missionaries serving in Eastern Kentucky, and how being a missionary today is about presence.

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Nicole Trahan about inclusivity and equity in the Church, privilege and the importance of imagining new ways to share power.

"There's nothing that I wouldn't give to just tear that wall down."- Sister Tracey Horan Season 4, Episode 3 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Tracey Horan about her journey from being a teenager arguing in favor of a border wall, to an educator and minister working on the border who wants the wall torn down. They discuss the problems with Title 42 and the impo...

"This idea of finding grace within the mess, I think that is the call of the Christian life."-Laura Kelly Fanucci Season 4, Episode 2 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with author and speaker Laura Kelly Fanucci about how she discovered her vocation to write about the intersection of parenting and faith, as a new mother. "It became a spiritual practice for me in those new ...

"I think what I've learned is there's great fruitfulness in messiness...you need dirt to grow things."- Heidi Haverkamp Season 4, Episode 1 of Messy Jesus Business, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with writer and Episcopal priest Heidi Haverkamp about why being a part-time hermit is essential to her, and how it serves her in her work. "Part of a healthy solitude is that you're growing in love for other people," she ...

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Father Dan Horan about how he came to discover his vocation as a Franciscan, and they consider the importance of encouraging one another as Christians. Father Dan also talks about what he calls Holy Spirit atheism, which he says puts us at risk of acting in ways that are contrary to the will of God.

Sister Julia Walsh talks with writer, speaker and storyteller Carl McColman about discovering his vocation as a spiritual director and spiritual teacher. They discuss how medieval mystics and saints and other spiritual teachers inspire him, and how the mystics teach us to tear down the walls that divide us. And they discuss the challenges of being human and being an activist and the importance of contemplation in navigating both.

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh and poet, public speaker, teacher and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama explore the light, the dark, and the infinite complexities of language. They consider terms like Christian and minister, and discuss the nature of poetry as well as the essential role imagination plays in one's spiritual life as well as conflict resolution. And they talk about the complexities of doing good and being good.

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Waking the Village co-foundress Bridget Alexander about building a non-profit centered on building community, the issue of youth homelessness and the mess of social justice work.

In this powerful episode of Messy Jesus Business, Sister Julia Walsh talks with author and activist Kathy Kelly about her journey as a peace activist, how militarism doesn't offer true security and how to ground ourselves in the fight for peace when we feel overwhelmed.

In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Sister Emily TeKolste about justice: what it is, and why systemic change is so complicated. They talk about the work of justice, which we are all called to do, how our liberation is bound together, and how we can go about achieving justice.

Sister Julia Walsh and author Christiana N. Peterson contemplate death, our cultural fear and avoidance of it, and what it looks like to be in a healthy relationship with death. They also discuss grief, mysticism and the saints, the importance of death rituals, and whether rituals are for the dead or those in mourning

Sister Julia Walsh talks with author Olga M. Segura about her journey into writing about the Black Lives Matter movement and how the experiences of 2020 gave her courage.

Sister Julia Walsh and author Kaya Oakes discuss the importance of being humble and the value of vulnerability in discipleship, in this episode of Messy Jesus Business.

Sister Julia Walsh and author Lisa Deam talk about pilgrimage as a spiritual practice and discipleship as a journey. They discuss the paradoxes of faith and being a contemplative, where we are called to be in the moment, while also moving toward God. And they share how loving history and being part of the Church is relational, messy work.

Sister Chioma Ahanihu shares how the Black Lives Matter movement after George Floyd's death helped her find her voice in the midst of the mess, when she was part of a protest for the first time.

"Defining reconciliation for me is pretty simple, it's restoring right relationships," Sister Mumbi explains. But true restorative justice requires four pillars: peace, mercy, justice and truth.