Good to See You
Hello there! I’m a Catholic writer and speaker who’s written dozens of articles in places like First Things and the Catholic Herald, edited numerous books for EWTN Publishing, and addressed audiences around the country. I also write a regular column for the Scottish Catholic Observer.
My work is about articulating a fully integrated view of Catholic living, anchored in tradition but oriented toward the future. Read more about my vision for church, family, and society.
This is my online home, but in real life I live in my hometown of Pittsburgh with my wife, Katie, and our four children: Teresa, Ambrose, Margaret, and Agnes.
What I’m Working On
I’m excited to be working on three books for release in 2020:
Renewal 2050: A Vision for the Next Generation of the Catholic Church in America (Sophia Institute Press)
The Just Society (co-author with Scott Hahn, Emmaus Road Publishing)
Catholic Pittsburgh: A Pilgrim’s Guide (Lambing Press)
A New Voice for a New Time
“Detachment Parenting,” Fare Forward, Winter 2018
“Christ’s mercy touches society’s untouchables,” Scottish Catholic Observer, 10 November 2017
“Her Name is Monroe Christine,” First Things, 15 June 2018
“American Catholics made a deal with liberalism. It hasn’t worked out,” Catholic Herald, 7 June 2019
Have a writing project you don’t know what to do with? A manuscript you need help shaping into a book? I’m happy to consult with you about your work, bringing my editing experience and intuition to the table to make your project a success. Let me know how I can help.
Here are some of the books that I’ve edited or contributed to:
Something Fresh
My goal is to deliver timeless truths in a way you’ve never heard before. The same old cliches no longer work–if they ever did. It’s time for a new wave of Catholic creativity: Let me bring mine to your event.
See and Hear Me
Television appearances: EWTN Live with Fr. Mitch Pacwa, At Home with Jim & Joy, and EWTN Bookmark.
Fountains of Carrots | Haley Stewart & Christy Isinger
The Challenges and Joys of Catholic Fatherhood,
Why the Beauty of Catholicism Speaks to the Heart
A Revitalized Church in an Uncertain Time
The UnCommon Good | Bo Bonner & Dr. Bud Marr
Other radio appearances include NPR, EWTN Radio, Ave Maria Radio, and many more.
Upcoming Appearances
Pittsburgh, PA: Holy Spirit Parish // Tuesday, January 7 // 7:00 p.m. // Moderator, “A Catholic Approach to Political Discourse”
Chicago, IL: DePaul University // Tuesday, January 14 // “The Sacramentality of Friendship” // Details TBA
Des Moines, IA: March 2020 // Details TBA
Booking
I’m excited to help to make your event as professional and successful as possible. Let me know what you’re looking for in a speaker, and we can craft an appearance that will suit your particular needs. I’m happy to speak on any of the topics listed around this site, including:
The Catholic Family in a Secular Society
The Sacramentality of Friendship
Renewal 2050: A Vision for the Next Generation of the Church in America
A Liturgical Digest
These Seven Days is my weekly email newsletter of liturgy, art, music, and commentary. Each edition prepares you for the week to come with information about Sunday Mass in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms, as well as a rundown of the notable feasts (and fasts) of the next seven days.
Received by 750 people (and growing) each week, These Seven Days includes commentary from the saints and beautiful, often hard to find, examples of sacred art and music to put you in touch with Catholic tradition and help you to celebrate each week with the Church. The newsletter is designed for the busy person who wants to keep up with the liturgical calendar.
Subscribe today (it’s free!) so you don’t miss a week of These Seven Days.
Catholic Creativity
You can find more of Katie’s work at her Etsy shop, Three Jolly Owls.
Bold, Hope-Filled, Forward-Thinking
I see Marian processions, like the ones held by the Latino Catholics one neighborhood over, but integrated and teeming. I hear the Angelus bell like the Islamic call to prayer. I see the Divine Office being celebrated as a regular part of parish life. I see more poor people than rich, but I see them all worshipping together.
I see people in and around the church at all hours. I see unlocked church doors upstairs and a pay-what-you-can café downstairs. I see an unassuming but welcoming place to sleep. I smell incense hours after the most recent Mass. I see public fliers for Eucharistic Adoration, not just for fundraising events. I hear children before I see them – before, during and after Mass. I see the elderly helping with childcare and children helping with eldercare. I see a pastor and his assistant priest, taxed but not overwhelmed by their duties.
[Adapted from an essay in the Catholic Herald, November 2018]
In my writing and speaking, I aim not just to describe and to analyze but, in some small way, to bring into being a renaissance of integrated Catholic living. This vision is fully catholic: confident, comprehensive, and unbounded by the compartmentalization enforced by liberal modernity. It is about personal holiness and structural justice. It is about families and parishes. It is about politics and economics and technology and ecclesiology. But most of all it is about prayer and the sacraments, and thus the reality of grace–that limitless resource of peace and perfection that for too long has been left untapped, considered even by those whose business is grace to be a quaint conviction or an optional accessory to a bland “goodness.” This page might be called “My Vision,” but I can’t take credit for it. It’s the vision of the saints. My goal is simply to articulate it for our time.
Contact
Liked something I wrote? Hated something I wrote? Interested in having me speak at your event? Drop me a line here and I’ll get back to you as soon as this toddler climbs off of me.
Photography
All photography, including images of iconic Pittsburgh churches, was created by my sister, Megan McGinley. Visit her website for more information and for bookings.
