Breaking In The Habit

Just a Great Week of Content

What can I say? Just a bunch of bangers this week. Sometimes ideas flop, and then there are weeks like this. Hope you enjoy all four of these videos!

Jesus, for Beginners?

One of the things I’m finding these days is that knowledge of Jesus is very low. While people have obviously heard of him and know some of his story, assuming people know the basics of the Gospel is not a safe choice. Maybe they (or some of us) need a refresher.

The Middle is not a Virtue

There are a lot of people who like to say that they “can see both sides of the issue” or that “both sides have a good point.” While it is often the case that truth can be found in many different places, I believe that this approach is more of a cop-out than anything else, a way of wading in the middle without having to stand for something. Because if you stand for something, you might be wrong. As Christians, we have to push against this approach.

A Chat with the Former Minister General

In the Franciscan Order, there is one guy in charge of all the friars in the world. His title is the Minister General, and we got to talk with the last one for an hour this week. He has definitely seen some interesting things…

Prepping for Processions

Yesterday was the feast of Corpus Christi, where a lot of parishes hold eucharistic processions. It may seem tiring to walk these as a parishioner, but imagine being the one carrying the monstrance!

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Have a great week!

Fr. Casey

Summer, Is That You?

The temperatures are rising, schools are letting out, and I’ve been sleeping in a lot more. It must be summer. Can’t wait to get a break… and to devote more time to videos!

Maybe my best video… ever?

I’ve produced over 500 videos in the last 9 years, so to have a favorite or to thin that one is undeniably better than the rest is a bit unreasonable. And yet, I’ve been blown away by the comments on this one. There’s something really important about this one.

Do Better Hollywood!

As a priest, it is difficult to watch movies that portray Catholicism. Even when they’re not overtly anti-Catholic, depictions of our faith are often wildly inaccurate. Here are some of my biggest pet peeves.

New Priest Shares Experience

Fr. Tito and I have been ordained now for 4 and 5 years, respectively. We’re new to this, but not that new. Fr. Jason, however, was ordained less than a week before filming this interview. His experience is very fresh in the mind.

What Vocation Directors Don’t Tell You

Many people in the military have expressed how they felt swindled by their recruiting officer, giving them an opportunity to parody the experience on social media. I don’t feel like I was tricked into this life, but that won’t stop me from having a little fun with it. There are definitely things we don’t put in the brochure!

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If Vocation Directors were honest #franciscan #vocations #priesthood @BeAFranciscan

♬ original sound – SpongeBob background music

Summer Plans

With schools out, I have a little more flexibility to travel and do other work. This summer, I have three trips planned:

-Attending VidCon with Fr. Tito in Anaheim, CA June 26-30

-Speaking at a conference for simply-professed friars in Assisi, Italy July 12-19

-Visiting some friars in Ireland July 19-26

I’m looking forward to blending business and pleasure at each of these places. I hope to make videos while at each place and to connect with new people. If you happen to have any ideas for what to do at each or a way to connect, let me know!

Fr. Casey

Come Holy Spirit

I think it’s important to look at the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as seen in the readings today, in light of our very divided world. In Acts, the Spirit does not give the disciples the ability to speak “the truth” or judge between right and wrong, but rather the ability to speak and understand people of foreign nations; in the Gospel of John, Jesus breathes his Spirit into the Apostles and gives them the ability to forgive sins; in the Corinthians reading, St. Paul reminds his readers that the Spirit gifts us in different ways, but ultimately they all make us one.

In a world always attempting to divide—which side are you on? what type of Catholic are you? who did you vote for?—the Spirit is trying to unite. Those who are blessed with the gift of the Holy Spirit are those who can listen, hear, heal, forgive, and unite. I pray that we enter this world filled with those gifts.

The Spirit that Guides the Church

Many people claim to be moved by the Spirit. They may not say it in so many words, but there are many “spiritual” people out there. Unfortunately, many of these people believe that religion, or specifically the Church, is the antithesis of that. As Catholics, we know that this is not true. The Spirit guides the Church; spirituality is actualized by religion.

Different Charisms, Same Priesthood

One of the ways that the Spirit is actualized is through the work of the priesthood. In the Catholic Church, there are two ways that this is lived out: religious life or diocesan clergy. What are the similarities and differences of the two?

Funding the Mission

Everyone has the image of the Spirit going out into the world making a big difference. But how do these mission sustain themselves? Someone has to pay the electric bill, and in poor, remote areas, missions are hardly self-sufficient. This is where Br. Andy Brophy, OFM comes in.

Let Him Cook!

Very few people would consider St. Francis a culinary expert. And for good reason. As someone who fasted throughout his life and often begged for food, he was not someone we would base a cooking show off of. Unless, of course, we were interested in a light-hearted parody.

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Nothing “Ordinary” about our Time

With the conclusion of vespers today, Ordinary Time is upon us again. Of course, there is nothing “ordinary” about our lives as Christians. I pray that this season may be one of great spiritual growth and commitment to the mission of Christ!

Peace and good,

Fr. Casey

I Have A Production Calendar!

Exclusive to newsletter subscribers, I’m happy to say that not only do I have a production calendar made up (the first time in well over 6 months) but I’m going to share it with you here. In years past I used to lived by these, planning out the whole month with everything that needed to get done to make sure I was able to produce as I could and it would all be well-prepared. Lately, other responsibilities and inertia have gotten in the way of that, and leading to lower creativity and higher stress. Not now!

A Double Feature

On Friday, I released two videos at the same time. I’ve done this a few times before, offering two sides of the same subject simultaneously, and it’s a lot of fun to see the videos grow together. This time I wanted to look at the question of why people leave the Church: the challenges we face in our world today, and the challenges we cause for ourselves.

Just Having Fun With TikTok/Reels

Despite all my efforts on YouTube, it’s become very clear that young people are consuming more shorts than anything. This does not exactly fit my skill-set of long explainers and nuanced opinions, but I don’t think it’s something that can be ignored. What I’m realizing is that it’s just an opportunity to try something a little different. Like use my sense of humor. I’ve already edited tomorrow’s video and plan to post a new sketch TikTok/Reel each week.

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Have You Subscribed to Minor Characters Yet?

Flying a bit under the radar so far is my podcast with Fr. Tito, Minor Characters. Each week we interview a different friar to hear about their life and mission, and to have a good laugh. Episodes are usually around an hour, but I also post highlights each week, like this one, where Fr. Mike talks about almost being murdered and learning to forgive:

More to Come!

As you can see from the production calendar, I have a lot of irons in the fire right now and hope to make some great videos this summer!

Peace and good,

Fr. Casey

Needed a break…

Admittedly, this newsletter has never been the most consistent communication of mine. There are plenty of times I’m producing content but forget to send it out here. Recently, I was just tired. A lot has happened over the past 6 months and I reached a point at Easter when I realized I wasn’t “okay” and needed to take a break.

I’m happy to say that I’m on the way back up and back to making online content. Enjoy!

Answering Questions… From Atheists

Answering questions from people who already believe is easy, but is it necessarily that helpful? It seems to me that the questions we should really be answering are from people who don’t yet believe. Their questions are much harder, but every Christian should be able to answer them. Can you?

Not All Mid-Life Crises are Bad

When most people think of a mid-life crisis, they think of someone getting a new look, buying a sports car, or doing something extravagant. For Br. John Barker, it meant joining the priesthood.

Asking for a Friend…

Do you live in Nashville, Memphis, Austin, Denver, or Louisville? Would you like to have friars come to your city to evangelize, teach, and serve the poor? Do you work for the diocese or know someone who does? This video is for you.

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More to come!

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