The goal of the Forte Catholic Podcast is to inspire, uplift, and share the Good News in a way that will help you take the next step in your faith, no matter where you are on your journey with God.

Taylor Schroll 11/15/23 Taylor Schroll 11/15/23

Mid-Life Crisis, Life Verse & Converts w/The Cordial Catholic | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 363

Taylor asks Allison Sullivan if he's too young to have a mid-life crisis because he would like to. They talk about what's been going on and how to find a way out of it. They also play a silly game to lighten the mood. Taylor is also joined by Keith of The Cordial Catholic to chat about being more welcoming to non-Catholics & assisting with their formation.

Taylor is also joined by Keith of The Cordial Catholic to chat about being more welcoming to non-Catholics & assisting with their formation.

Donate
Forte Catholic is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Support the work with a tax-deductible donation here. Thanks! https://www.fortecatholic.com/donate

Produced by Taylor Schroll
Editing & Episode art by Sarah Allen

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 11/8/23 Taylor Schroll 11/8/23

Spiritual Growth & Hot Ones w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 362

Learning a spiritual growth plan from Teenage Jesus, hearing personal growth quips from the great Zig Ziglar & Fr. Anthony eats spicy stuff while trying to answer Bible Trivia and respond to Taylor's hot takes.

Fr. Anthony is back to discuss the lost years of Jesus with Taylor. There is ONE verse that covers the majority of Jesus' life from when He is a teen until His public ministry. We talk about what this verse means for our own spiritual growth & some Father gives some practical tips.

They also discuss one of Taylor's leadership heroes, Zig Ziglar. He played a large role in Taylor's formation in college so they discuss some of his most famous quotes.

Then finally, the moment you've all been waiting for...Fr. Anthony does the hot ones challenge. While he eats progressively hotter hot sauces, Taylor asks him questions about fire in the Bible & gets his thoughts on some Catholic hot takes.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 11/1/23 Taylor Schroll 11/1/23

Weddings, Birthdays & Breakthroughs w/ Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 361

This episode was recorded on the Eve of the Nativity of the Taylor. He & Liv reflect on his "Jesus year". The celebrations continue as Taylor shares the excitement of his sister's wedding this past weekend & the joy of family gatherings. They also discuss some breakthroughs they have both made in their personal & spiritual lives, including a bizarre realization about Zechariah & Mary.

This episode was recorded on the Eve of the Nativity of the Taylor. He & Liv reflect on the ups & downs of his "Jesus year" as his birthday drew near. The celebrations continue as Taylor shares the excitement of his sister's wedding this past weekend, the joy of family gatherings & reflecting on the past.

They also discuss some breakthroughs they have both made in their personal and spiritual lives, including a bizarre realization Taylor had about Zechariah & Mary where he argues that either God likes his favorite girls more than his favorite boys OR the Archangel Gabriel learned a valuable lesson! We hope you enjoy this off the rails final segment! :)

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 10/25/23 Taylor Schroll 10/25/23

Am I a Jerk? w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 360

Taylor shares two awkward stories and asks Kathryn if he is the villain in them. Kathryn speaks on stewardship & catches herself in an Aggie & parenting conundrum.

Taylor was put in a couple scenarios that we so awkward and we wasn't sure if he was the jerk or if it was the people who put him in those situations. So he turns to Kathryn for wisdom and guidance after sharing the stories.

They also discuss how Taylor is currently in a never-ending Mass, Taylor calls Kathryn out on one of her beloved Aggie traditions & they work through some feedback they received from a priest who listens to the show. Kathryn closes the show by sharing about the importance of being good stewards of the gifts God has given us.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 10/18/23 Taylor Schroll 10/18/23

Getting Old, Wounded Pride & Struggles in Prayer w/ Shaun McAfee | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 359

Taylor explains that he's an idiot that keeps making the wrong choice with cohost Shaun McAfee. They discuss how getting old and pride aren't mixing well & the lessons he still needs to learn. They also share the shocking revelation that the Catechism has passages on struggling in prayer. Who knew!?!?

Taylor explains that he's an idiot that keeps making the wrong choice with cohost Shaun McAfee. They discuss how getting old and pride aren't mixing well & the lessons he still needs to learn.

This episode also has the RARE occasion where the Catechism is quoted. Taylor has been talking about his struggles in prayer over the past few weeks and found that the Catechism actually has a section for people struggling with prayer. Who knew!?!? Shaun shares his sage advice throughout the episode.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 10/11/23 Taylor Schroll 10/11/23

Money Stress & DaVine Jesus w/Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 358

Allison joins Taylor as he shares about something most people keep pretty close to their chest: money. He shares that money has been a constant stressor for over a decade and Allison thinks he's not alone. They discuss financial stressors, the pit of comparison & what role money plays in on spiritual lives. Allison also helps Taylor prep two new talks on the Vine & Branches and Martha & Mary.

In the second segment, Allison helps Taylor prep for two new talks on the Vine & Branches and Martha & Mary. They discuss the Scriptural texts, their thoughts on what they would preach about and how to adapt it for a younger audience.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 10/4/23 Taylor Schroll 10/4/23

Main Character Energy & Ferocious Faith w/ Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 357

Taylor & Liv discuss battling Main Character Energy in our spiritual lives and relationships. They also have some alliterative suggestions for finding a way out of dryness in prayer.

Liv Harrison is back in studio to talk with Taylor about Main Character Energy. We all think from our own point of view, so how do we break out of thinking we're the main character in the story. Taylor shares a strange tactic he uses to try and not make everything about him.

Liv shares about her new tattoos & alliterative faith advice. Taylor is incredibly proud of one of his jokes & they discuss a possible solution to dryness in prayer. We hope you enjoy this episode!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 9/27/23 Taylor Schroll 9/27/23

Change & Battling Shame w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 356

Taylor & Kathryn discuss the importance of continual change in the spiritual life. Taylor also shares a story of a grown man shaming some teenagers and how rage welled up in Taylor when he saw it. It opens up a conversation about how shame has no place in the Christian life.

Taylor & his kids were on their own this last weekend and it was a glimpse into how much things have changed over the years. We often don't notice gradual change until something special happens(like a rare weekend where Taylor's wife gets a break). Kathryn also shares how she has been in a season of change and the importance of continual change in the spiritual life.

Next, Taylor shares a story about how he saw a grown man shaming some teenagers and it enraged him. He & Kathryn talk about battling shame and how it has no proper place in the lives of Christians.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 9/20/23 Taylor Schroll 9/20/23

Catholic in the Workplace & Sacramentals w/ Shaun McAfee | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 355

Shaun is back to discuss being Catholic in the workplace & sacramentals. Living out our faith in a public sector job has been a frequently requested topic for us so we found a gov't employee to help us out lol. And Shaun tries to convince Taylor that sacramentals are more important than he may initially think.

Shaun is back! One of the OG cohosts returns for a fun conversation.

How to live your faith in the workplace has been a frequently requested topic for us to tackle so we finally found someone who doesn't work for the Church lol. Shaun talks about how he is able to live his faith in his fancy government job.

They also talk about Sacramentals which is one of Shaun's favorite topics & Taylor doesn't understand all the hubbub. Shaun does his best to convince Taylor of their importance in the lives of Catholics. It's almost like he wrote a book about them or something...

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 9/13/23 Taylor Schroll 9/13/23

Unique Callings, Egyptian Moses & Positive Reinforcement w/ Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 354

Taylor & Allison both share about their vastly different summers. Allison took on a new mission while Taylor dealt with something he never thought he would have to. They also discuss what we can still learn from Moses 4000 years later about choosing the right thing even if it's not the easy thing & share a moving story about how positive reinforcements can truly work wonders.

Taylor & Allison both share about their vastly different summers. Allison took on a new mission while Taylor dealt with something he never thought he would have to.

They also discuss what we can still learn from Moses 4000 years later about choosing the right thing even if it's not the easy thing. They also chat about a moving story about how positive reinforcements can truly work wonders.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 9/6/23 Taylor Schroll 9/6/23

Wrestling, Word Association & Wild Claims w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 353

Fr. Anthony tries to make a WWE fan out of Taylor with mixed results. They play a new Catholic word association game that reveals maybe a little too much & Taylor makes some wild claims about Jesus again including about the Lord’s qualifications, liturgy preferences, views on healing ministry, Catholic conferences and more!

When Taylor visited Fr. Anthony in Pittsburgh, Father made him watch wrestling for the first time and it was an...interesting experience to say the least. They talk about how it was going well for a while until...well...then it wasn't lol.

The guys introduce a new game: Catholic Word Association. They have some ho-hum answers but some that get them all riled up that they discuss for a while. A wide gamut of topics!

Finally, Taylor shares some wild claims about himself & Jesus. Comparing yourself to Jesus ALWAYS goes well. He also makes claims about Jesus' liturgical preferences, His views on lights in Church, healing ministry & Catholic conferences. It's a blast!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 8/30/23 Taylor Schroll 8/30/23

Johnny Football, Tribalism, Consequences & Forgiveness w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 352

The Johnny Manziel documentary just came out. Kathryn is a fan of Johnny. Taylor can't stand him! They discuss a plethora of topics surrounding this Texas A&M College Football star, his rise, fall & how we are left to sort through the wreckage.

While Johnny is the impetus for our conversation, we discuss topics from a Catholic point of view like tribalism, sports, consequences for our actions, forgiveness & how all of those things together make life a bit more complicated than we might like.

This is a rare ONE SEGMENT episode because there was just so much to dive in to on this topic. We hope you enjoy this rare episode :)

Check out Kathyrn's viral open letter to Johnny here: https://kathrynwhitaker.net/2013/02/an-open-letter-to-johnny-football/

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 8/23/23 Taylor Schroll 8/23/23

Battle Mary, Freestyle Preaching & Faith Nostalgia w/ Chris Bartlett | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 351

Taylor & Chris chat about topics they tend to shy away from when giving talks, the reasons behind it and whether they should expand their horizons or stick to the stuff they know? (queue High School Musical) They also give each other a run for their money in Freestyle Preaching & discuss Spiritual Nostalgia with the help of the song "Old Church Basement."

Guest Cohost Chris Bartlett joins Taylor to discuss the frustration of not being given parameters within which to work, how that works when they're invited to speak somewhere & topics they typically don't share about. For example, Taylor doesn't usually speak about Mary because it isn't his strongest topic, but he tests out some new material on Chris to see if he should expand his horizons or stick with the status quo (que High School Musical)

Then, Taylor finally has a worthy challenger for Freestyle Preaching. The guys take turns giving 60 second sermons on the spot where they have to include three random words given to them by their challenger. Can these two guys who have been giving random youth ministry talks for decades rise to the occasion?

Finally, Chris bring up a situation that got brought up in his family in regards to nostalgia. This leads to a conversation about the Care Bears & Taylor has to hold back the tears. Because of the Care Bears? You'll have to listen to the end to find out ;)

Listen to "Old Church Basement", the song Taylor discusses in the final segment on Spotify.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 8/16/23 Taylor Schroll 8/16/23

Candlelight Mass & the Morality of the Zombie Apocalypse w/ Fr. Anthony Sciarappa (Live from Pittsburgh!) | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 350

Our 350th Episode Live from Fr. Anthony's Rectory! They discuss a fancy candlelit Mass that Taylor attended & Fr. Anthony's parish. They have a conversation about fancy Churches, prayer entrapment & the grace of ordination. They also have a long awaited conversation about the morality of the zombie apocalypse! What would you do!?!?

Our 350th Episode Live from Fr. Anthony's Rectory!

They discuss a fancy candlelit Mass that Taylor attended & Fr. Anthony's parish. They have a conversation about fancy Churches, prayer entrapment & the grace of ordination. They also have a long awaited conversation about the morality of the zombie apocalypse! What would you do!?!?

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 8/9/23 Taylor Schroll 8/9/23

Chat GPT Jesus & Oppenheimer w/ Liv Harrison | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 349

Liv Harrison makes her triumphant return to the show to chat about her sabbatical year, Oppenheimer & Taylor texted with Chat GPT Jesus!

Liv Harrison makes her triumphant return after taking a break from the show for a year! She & Taylor share about the best things that have happened in her life over the past year in our Chicken Soup for the Schroll segment.

Next, Taylor shares his newest obsession in an app that allows you to text with Jesus, Mary & other biblical characters through the magic of Chat GPT. He & Liv ask their favorite biblical characters questions live on the show. It's incredible how well it works! It may have forever changed how Taylor prays & does show prep, for better or worse.

To close out the show, they discuss one half of the summer blockbuster sensation weekend in Oppenheimer. They have differing opinions on how good the movie is & discuss the themes of the movie through a Catholic lens. It's mostly spoiler-free until the last couple minutes where we give a warning if you haven't seen the movie yet. Enjoy!

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 8/2/23 Taylor Schroll 8/2/23

Childhood, Slumps & Alphabet Game w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 348

Kathryn & Taylor discuss how to break slumps in faith & talk about how they're the same/different than they were as kids & play the faith version of the alphabet game.

Taylor kicks off the show by asking Kathryn about her history with sports. They discuss how to break a slump in sports and what that teaches us about breaking slumps in our faith. Kathryn also gives the best sports team name of all time!

Next, they play the faith based version of the alphabet game. They attempt to have discussions about faith topics with every alternating sentences that have to start with the next letter in the alphabet. It's silly and leads to some outrageous statements.

Finally, Taylor realizes that he doesn't know much about Kathryn's childhood so they share stories about how they're very similar now to as they were as kids and some other ways where they are very different.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 7/19/23 Taylor Schroll 7/19/23

Heavy Burdens, Rejuvenation & In Persona Christi w/Fr. Anthony Sciarappa | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 347

Father is back from vacation feeling great! He shares how Jesus' burden is light(even when it feels heavy) & answers questions about when priests are In Persona Christi, especially during Mass.

Fr. Anthony is back from a well-deserved family vacation and joins Taylor to share about the important of rejuvenation, especially for priests. He talks about how changing up the normal routine, spending time with family and simplifying life is good.

Taylor shares about a recent Sunday gospel that he struggled with. Jesus says his yoke is easy and his burden light, but it often feels heavy. He shares a hilarious experience he had with the homily that day and Fr. Anthony shares his insight into how Jesus can lighten our burdens.

Finally, Taylor has two questions about when a priest is In Persona Christi & when he isn't particularly during the Mass. What if a priest says something crazy during a homily? Is the priest as Jesus eating Jesus' body in the Eucharist. New and strange questions that we enjoyed exploring the answers to. We hope you enjoy this episode :)

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 7/12/23 Taylor Schroll 7/12/23

Gifts, 21 Questions & Basketball Saints w/Nick Senz & Allison Sullivan | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 346

Allison took the spiritual gifts assessment and reveals her results which leads to a good conversation on finding our place in the Church community. She also keeps Taylor on his toes by asking some of her favorite "21 questions." Nick Senz joins the show to compare NBA legends to Catholic Saints in a fun way to learn more great saint stories.

Allison did her homework from a few episodes ago & took the spiritual gifts assement. Taylor guesses what her results were before she reveals her top 6 gifts that God has given her. It leads to a good conversation about using our gifts to build the kingdom, dusting off some unused gifts and finding our place in the Church community.

In the second segment, Taylor talks with Nick Senz who compares some of our Church's greatest saints with NBA legends. It was a fun segment for Taylor because he knows more about NBA stars than saints so we got to hear some great saint stories. Whether you're a fan of the NBA, stories of the saints of both, you'll love this fun conversation.

Allison is back for the final segment to ask some of her favorite "21 questions" to keep him on his toes. The questions range from fun to hitting Taylor like a freight train.

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 7/5/23 Taylor Schroll 7/5/23

Bingeing & Parenting College Kids w/ Kathryn Whitaker | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 345

Kathryn prepares for three kids in college & she and Taylor share their very different workout routines & summers.

In this episode, we learn that regular Kathryn, lake Kathryn & summer Kathryn are VERY different people. She & Taylor discuss attempting to slow down during the summer months, bingeing on every aspect of life in an attempt to find some semblance of balance & share their very different workout routines (who's surprised?)

Kathryn shares about getting ready to send 3 kids off to college this Fall, the difference between setting up boys & girls dorms & her outlook on parenting kids through college.

Donate
Forte Catholic is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Support the work with a tax-deductible donation here. Thanks! https://www.fortecatholic.com/donate

Produced & Edited by Taylor Schroll
Episode art by Sarah Allen

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.

Taylor Schroll 6/28/23 Taylor Schroll 6/28/23

Goodbyes & Diocesan Priesthood w/ Fr. Will Rooney | Forte Catholic Podcast Ep 344

Fr. Will Rooney rejoins Taylor in the studio to discuss his new assignment as a first time pastor. They look back at the great year he spent at St.Joe's and what he learned to prepare him to be a pastor.

Fr. Will Rooney rejoins Taylor in the studio to discuss his new assignment as a first time pastor. Fr. Will has been the associate pastor at Taylor's parish for a year. They talk about his going away party that was thrown for him by the pastor that was really special. It was an evening where everyone was invited to share how Fr. Will had been a father to them during his time at the parish.

Taylor shares how Fr. Will has both been a father & a brother to him & Fr. Will shares some of his favorite moments as a priest here and what lessons he is taking with him to his new parish.

Donate
Forte Catholic is a 501c3 non-profit organization. Support the work with a tax-deductible donation here. Thanks! https://www.fortecatholic.com/donate

Produced & Edited by Taylor Schroll
Episode art by Sarah Allen

All music used on the show is by Brandon “BeTheSymbol” Morel. Find his music at bethesymbol.com.