Creating Saints

It’s been a minute, but we are glad to be back in action! This week’s episode talks about what implicit biases are and *some* of the ways it shows up in our church and in our families. In this episode, we ask:

1. What are implicit biases?
2. Have you been able to speak up against injustice?
3. What are the implicit biases that you still carry?
4. What’s the difference between anti-racist and non-racist?
5. How can we heal the racial divide?
   1. Pray!
   2. Ask questions when you don’t understand. Instead of being defensive, ask ourselves “Why?” And “Where is this coming from?”
   3. Educate each other, inform others when something is racist out of love and understanding.
   4. Fasting and praying for an end to racial injustice

Resources:
Books for adults
How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
Books for kids
Antiracist Baby Picture Book by Ibram X. Kendi
The Youngest Marcher: The Story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson
I Am Enough by Grace Byers
Podcasts
Code Switch
Ask Fr. Josh
1619
Movies
13th
Selma
Just Mercy
Ted Talk
The Urgency of Intersectionality by Kimberlé Crenshaw

Join us in our discussion of faith and gardening with Stephanie Luna! In this episode, we discuss Luna’s faith journey with her time with the Franciscans and now, with Maryknoll. We talk about quarantine life, how we can foster our relationship with God through gardening, prayer, and connecting with our faith community.
We also discuss tips for connecting with God during quarantine:

• Go on a retreat, either virtually or physically distance yourself from your normal activities.
• Create normalcy in your schedules and intentionally make time for prayer, hobbies, and activities.
• Find time for regular prayer during the day
• Disconnect to connect (with God!) and focus on the present moment.
• Reflect on how you can continue to minister to others while still maintaining social distancing guidelines.
• Find ways to connect with your faith community
• Consider looking into hobbies or activities that promote the idea of nurturing and fostering growth

You can find Luna on Instagram as @harvest_luna and follow her work with Maryknoll as @maryknoll.ya

We are celebrating Father’s Day by interviewing my own father, Fred De Leon. Join us for a special conversation about how my father grew in his Catholic faith.

• If you’re an immigrant, or come from an immigrant family, and if there is a safe space to talk about it, ask your father or father figures what their faith journey was like.
• Reflect on and pray about God’s fatherly love for us.
• Reflect and pray about how St. Joseph’s presence was like in Jesus’ life as a father figure.
• If you didn’t have a positive father figure, what steps will you take to ensure that that cycle does not perpetuate?
• Give thanks to fathers and people who fill in father roles in your life.

Today’s guests are our 3 children! We talk about what our prayer life looks like as a family and we ask each other questions to reflect on:

• What is your favorite memory of your family praying?
• When are some significant times in your life when your family has come together to pray?
• How do we pray as a family?
• How do you teach your kids about having a personal relationship with God? How do you know where to look for God?

We also provide you with some tips to deepen prayer life with your family

• Find some sort of routine and create time and space for prayer
• Pray before meals together
• Thank God for the beauty of creation
• Use household chores as prayers for everyone in your home
• Involve the kids in helping the poor and vulnerable
• Share your struggles with your kids
• Transparency about what is happening in the world and praying for those suffering
• When praying for others’ intentions, keep them in mind, and follow up with them at a later time
• Table ministry with family and friends
• Share the fruits of prayer with your family

Cris’ resources on getting closer with Jesus during SIP:
Podcast: An Invitation to Pray with Father Josh during COVID-19
Podcast: The Sacraments and Mass During COVID-19
Prayer Resources: Imagine: A Guide to Jesuit Prayer

Wow! It’s finally here, our ‘Creating Saints’ Podcast! This is super exciting and we’ve been praying about this for a while now. We’re living in a pandemic and we’re wondering how can we continue our ministry beyond quarantine life.
In this episode, we:

• Introduce ourselves and why we’ve created this podcast
• Talk about our favorite saint & favorite Catholic quote or scripture passage
• Talk about our conversion stories
• Discuss how our families practiced the Catholic faith
• Discuss how our cultures have influenced our faith development.
• Acknowledge how to deepen and enliven your relationship with God
• Preferred ways to pray

The Creating Saints Podcast was produced by Gwen Ramos, our theme song is written and performed by VJ Chanco, and special thanks to Zett Malong, who helped with our photography. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram under “Creating Saints”.