Old St. Pat's Podcast

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By: Old St. Patrick's Church, Father Bryan Massingale, Fr. Bryan Massingale

Old St. Patrick's is a Roman Catholic community in Chicago's bustling West Loop neighborhood, founded by Irish Immigrants on Easter morning in 1846. Since then we have grown into a home to a membership of about 4,000 households and innumerable friends. As we grow, we continually redefine what it means to be an urban church. We are committed to remaining open to new visions and possibilities, seeking broader horizons as we journey into our future. We encourage you to encounter the God who loves you, engage in a community that welcomes you, and serve the world that needs you. This podcast aims...

What Happens When You Stop Holding Back Love - Fr. Paul Novak 5.3.26
#635
Last Tuesday at 5:00 AM

What happens when you stop holding back love? Have you ever caught yourself doing it—holding back just a little? Not saying the kind thing. Not reaching out. Not fully showing how much you care… because somewhere in the back of your mind, there’s that quiet thought: What if I get hurt? It’s a natural instinct. We protect ourselves. We think if we keep some distance—if we don’t give too much—then maybe we won’t feel the sting of rejection, loss, or disappointment. But what if holding back love doesn’t actually protect us? What if it slowly does...


Music Episode: Sing A New Church, Holy Spirit We're Calling You, Ever We Praise You 5.3.26
#634
05/03/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Sing A New Church Holy Spirit, We're Calling You Ever We Praise You


Love Who You Are: Trust What’s Within You - Fr. Paul Novak 4.26.26- Fr. Paul Novak 4.26.26
#633
04/28/2026

Do you ever wonder why your dreams are what they are? Why certain goals have always stayed with you… even when they don’t quite make sense? Why you’re drawn to certain subjects or certain activities? Sometimes those desires can feel foolish, maybe even impractical… or even a little childish. And you may dismissed them, thinking they won’t lead anywhere, won’t make a difference or won’t make any money. And maybe these dreams just keep coming back—and you’re not sure why. We all carry desires, hopes, and expectations—and they’re not random. They’re rooted in who we are...


Music Episode: Healing Time On Earth, Love Is the Boat, Hope Will Not Fail 4.26.26
#632
04/26/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Healing Time on Earth Love Is the Boat Hope Will Not Fail


Jesus Was Added to the Chat - Fr. Pat McGrath 4.19.26
#631
04/21/2026

Have you ever had a time when you were casually messaging with a coworker online, typing whatever came to mind—and then suddenly you saw the notification: “Your boss was added to the chat”… along with the entire chat history!? Your heart dropped. You started scrolling up to see everything you said—every complaint, every offhand comment—and you thought, If I had only known my boss would see this, I might have spoken a little differently. In a way, that moment reveals something important. It makes you more aware of your words, tone, and of what you’re really saying. Now im...


Music Series: Instrumental Piece, Eye Has Not Seen, I Am For You 4.19.26
#630
04/19/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Calming Instrumental Piece Eye Has Not Seen I Am For You


There’s Always a Way Back to Peace - Fr. Paul Shelton, SJ 4.12.26
#629
04/14/2026

There are moments in life that shake us to the core. You can feel it—not just in your mind, but in your body. The fear. The pressure. The quiet voice that wonders, am I enough? The uncertainty of change. The hesitation to be fully known. It’s disorienting… like walking through a mirror maze on a tilted floor—nothing feels steady, and you’re not quite sure which way is forward. And when we feel that way, something shifts in us. We turn inward. We isolate. We lose patience. We become reactive, anxious… even agitated. Most of us don’t lose our fai...


Music Series: How Great Thou Art, Gather Us In, Ever We Praise You 4.12.26
#628
04/12/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

How Great Thou Art Gather Us In Ever We Praise You


Faith Before Understanding - Fr. Michael Rossmann 4.5.26
#627
04/07/2026

When a newborn enters the world for the first time everything is unfamiliar. There’s noise, light, movement—nothing makes sense. The only response is to cry, to reach, to react. And yet, in that moment of total vulnerability, there are arms waiting. Loving. Steady. Certain. Meeting us exactly as we are. Maybe faith is a little like that. Not something we arrive at fully formed or fully understanding—but something we grow into. Just like birth, Easter doesn’t begin with certainty—it begins in the dark. With Mary in the garden, searching and not yet recognizing. With disciples who believ...


Music Series: Happy Easter!
#626
04/05/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

Happy Easter!  The featured songs today are:

Hallelujah Chorus How Can I Keep From Singing? To Where You Are


When Holding On Is Holding You Back - Fr. Pat McGrath 3.29.26
#625
03/31/2026


Music Series: Blessed Be, Here In This Place, A Pilgrim's Journey 3.29.26
#624
03/29/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Blessed Be Here In This Place A Pilgrim's Journey 


Still Waiting for a Sign? - Fr. Pat McGrath 3.22.26
#623
03/24/2026

When you’re on a long road trip, there’s a certain comfort in the signs along the highway. You know the ones — a sign a few miles out letting you know a rest stop is ahead… and then another right before the exit. One to alert you, and one to remind you. That’s usually all you need to trust it’s there. But imagine if, instead, there were one hundred signs between you and that exit. At some point, it wouldn’t feel reassuring — it would feel unnecessary… maybe even a little ridiculous. And yet, in our spiritual lives, we often wa...


Music Series: The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Lift My Soul, Be Thou My Vision 3.22.26
#622
03/22/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

The Lord Is My Shepherd I Lift My Soul Be Thou My Vision


Lost & Found: You’re the One Being Sought - Fr Michael Rossmann 3.15.26
#621
03/17/2026

What are you giving up for Lent? Or maybe a better question is: what have you started doing this Lent to become a better person? Are you praying more, fasting, trying to get your spiritual life in order as we prepare for Easter? All of those things are good. In fact, they’re part of the beauty of the season. But sometimes, if we’re not careful, they can subtly reinforce a deeper assumption — the idea that we need to improve ourselves first… that we need to become worthy before we can really encounter God. We often think the spiritual life is...


Music Series: A Medley of Irish Music 3.15.26
#620
03/15/2026

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We hope you'll enjoy this special St. Patrick's Day 2026 collection of Irish music.


From Performance to Authenticity - Fr. Pat McGrath 3.8.26
#619
03/10/2026

Have you ever noticed how the most memorable characters in movies are the ones hiding behind a mask — performing a version of themselves they think the world expects? In The Lion King, Simba runs away after his father’s death and hides behind the carefree philosophy of “Hakuna Matata.” It sounds fun and freeing, but it becomes a mask — a way to avoid guilt, responsibility, and the truth about who he really is. In The Wizard of Oz, the great and powerful wizard turns out to be something very different — just an ordinary, frightened man hiding behind a curtain. And Shrek hides...


When History Shifts, So Do We: Becoming Peacemakers in Uncertain Times - Fr. Jack Wall 3.1.26
#618
03/03/2026

What are the top moments in your life that changed you forever? Was it the day you met your spouse? The moment you held your child for the first time? The day you graduated — or the day you took a risk that scared you but opened a new door? Throughout our lives, there are moments we never go back from. Some are deeply personal — marriage, parenthood, a new beginning. Others are collective. You remember where you were when you heard the news. The assassination of John F. Kennedy. September 11th. Covid. The first time you realized how much the smartphone woul...


Music Series: Eye Has Not Seen, Rejoice in Love, Love Devine 3.1.26
#617
03/01/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Eye Has Not Seen Rejoice in Love Love Divine, All Love Excelling


Halo or Ego: Choosing Humility Over Hubris - Fr. Ed Foley 2.22.26
#616
02/24/2026

There is a delicate line in the spiritual life — so subtle we often cross it without noticing. It is the line between wanting to be like God… and wanting to be God. The first is holy. The second is destructive. What makes it dangerous is how thin that line can be. We may begin with pure intentions — wanting to love, to help, to stand for what is right. But somewhere along the way, the ego slips in. We start believing we are righteous simply because we started with good motives. And before we know it, we are no longer reflecting God —...


Music Series: Healer of Our Every Ill, Who Is the Alien, If Today 2.22.26
#615
02/22/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Healer of Our Every IllWho Is the Alien?If Today You Hear the Voice of God


Fashion Fades, Forgiveness Endures - Fr. Michael Simone 2.16.26
#614
02/17/2026

Strike a pose. Curate the image. Build the brand. But forgiveness, generosity, and kindness? Those don’t always photograph well. You can’t filter them. You can’t stage it. You can’t hashtag “letting go of resentment” and expect applause. In fact, forgiveness can often looks weak. It can even look like losing. And kindness looks naïve. And yet — Jesus says it’s the way. Living the Gospel often requires us to do things the world doesn’t understand. Things that won’t land us on a magazine cover. Things that may not even make sense in the moment. Like holding...


Music Series: From Now On, Seasons of Love, Lullaby of Broadway 2.15.26
#613
02/15/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

From Now On - The Greatest ShowmanSeasons of Love - RentLullaby


Fixer-Upper Faith: The DIY Path to Joy - Fr. Pat McGrath 2.8.26
#612
02/10/2026

In order to renovate a house, you need the new blueprint, the vision… and then you start digging the foundation for the addition—maybe with a shovel or a backhoe. Next comes framing—but you don’t just hammer and hope for the best. You grab a level, a saw, and a measuring tape. You make sure the structure is level, solid and ready to stand. Blue print. Measuring tape. Shovel. Level. Saw. Simple tools. Real results. Now what if creating joy worked the same way? What if deep happiness isn’t mystical or out of reach… but something that can be built...


Music Series: Rejoice Be Glad, I Saw A Stranger, Canticle of the Turning 2.8.26
#611
02/08/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Rejoice Be GladI Saw A StrangerCanticle of the Turning


Polishing the Glass: How God’s Light Shines Through an Open Heart - Fr. Joe Simmons, S.J. 2.1.26
#610
02/03/2026

Have you ever seen pictures of—or maybe even stood inside—Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?

It’s one of those places that almost doesn’t feel real. Towering stained-glass windows flood the space with color and light. And when you stand at the center of the chapel and watch that light pour through the glass, something stirs in your soul. You don’t just see it—you feel it.

What makes that beauty even more remarkable is its history. Sainte-Chapelle was built in 1248. It survived the French Revolution, world wars, and centuries of wear and tear. At one point...


Music Series: I Am For You, Gather Us In, Love Endures 2.1.26
#609
02/01/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

I Am For YouGather Us InLove Endures


Peace: It’s an Inside Job - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.25.26
#608
01/27/2026

How many times a day does a thought of fear or irritation toward another person—or even an entire group—pop into your head? And how often does that thought quietly start to become part of who you are? Picture this: you’re driving along, minding your own business, when a Ford pickup cuts you off. Your shoulders tense, your jaw tightens. Suddenly, it’s not just a bad driver—it’s a Ford F-150. And then the story grows. You decide that all Ford F-150 drivers are terrible. Before long, every Ford pickup you spot on the road sends your heart r...


Music Episode: Spirit of Life, I The Lord of Sea & Sky, We Have A Dream 1.25.26
#607
01/25/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Spirit of LifeI The Lord of Sea & SkyWe Have A Dream


Say Yes to the Bless - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.18.26
#606
01/21/2026

When you receive an invitation to an event or party, it usually arrives in a pretty ordinary way — an email, a text, maybe even a piece of mail. You decide whether to RSVP yes or no. And if you say yes, something shifts. You put it on our calendar. You plan what to wear. You bring a gift, or a dish to share. Then you show up. You engage with fellow attendees. You listen. You participate. And when the event ends, you leave with something new — memories, maybe new friendships, new perspectives. You’re changed, even if only in a small...


Music Episode: Light the Fire, How Can I Keep from Singing, Lead Me Guide Me 1.18.26
#605
01/18/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Light the FireHow Can I Keep From SingingLead Me, Guide Me


Open to the Unexpected - Fr. Pat McGrath 1.11.26
#604
01/13/2026

Have you ever noticed how the moments that change us most are rarely the ones we plan for? The events we assume will be meaningful sometimes fall flat, while the ordinary—or completely unexpected—moments can take us by surprise and make a big impression. After celebrating the story of Jesus’s baptism this past Sunday, we explore the idea that baptism isn’t just something that happened once, long ago. It’s a living identity—a daily invitation to be changed. Baptism reminds us that God doesn’t wait for perfect conditions or polished moments to enter our lives. God meets us i...


Music Series: Every Nation on Earth, The First Nowell, Peace Carol 1.11.26
#603
01/11/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

Every Nation On EarthThe First NowellPeace Carol


New Year, New Way: A Different Way Forward in 2026 - Fr. Tom Hurley 1.4.26
#602
01/06/2026

A clean slate. A fresh start. A new year offers us the chance to begin again. If last year left us caught between future worries and past regrets—quick to criticize, slow to trust, and weighed down by fear—then 2026 invites us to choose a new path. A road marked by reconciliation, purpose, service, and presence. Because faith is not about remaining the same—it is about being changed by what we encounter. Just as the Magi were transformed by meeting Christ in the manger, we too are invited to allow our encounters to reshape how we live. Faith is not ab...


Music Series: A Weary Couple, Gloria, Joy to the World 1.4.26
#601
01/04/2026

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

A Weary CoupleGloriaJoy to the World


Who Are You Called to Become in 2026? - Fr. Pat McGrath 12.28.25
#600
12/30/2025

As 2025 winds down, what if next year isn’t about doing more… but becoming someone new? Someone braver, kinder, more patient… or maybe a little more forgiving? Is it time to soften, to heal, to let go of fear and step into trust? Who is it that you are being called to be in 2026? This question sits at the heart of today’s episode—and at the heart of the Christmas story itself. Because Christmas isn’t just about remembering something that happened long ago; it’s an invitation to step inside the story and let it shape us personally, here and now. ...


Merry Christmas from Old St. Pat's!
#599
12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from Old St. Pat's!  Enjoy a special Christmas music episode!  

The featured songs today are:

Deck the HallSilent Night Joy to the World


From Bah Humbug to Bravery This Christmas - Claire Noonan 12.21.25
#598
12/23/2025

What if the thing you’re avoiding right now is actually the doorway to new life? Maybe it’s that inner Scrooge whispering “Bah humbug”, convincing you to play it safe, keep your distance, and protect yourself from the messy, unpredictability of life. In the story we all know this time of year, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge isn’t transformed by staying in his comfort zone. He’s changed because he has the courage to face the shadows of his past, see the truth of his present, and imagine a future that could be brighter, warmer, and more gen...


Music Series: The Christmas Song, What Child Is This, Soon & Very Soon 12.21.25
#597
12/21/2025

The Old St. Pat's Music Series Is Brought To You By The Old St. Pat's Choir

The featured songs today are:

The Christmas SongWhat Child Is ThisSoon & Very Soon


Advent Intelligence: The Upgrade AI Can’t Install - Fr. Ed Foley 12.14.25
#596
12/16/2025

How do you use AI to make your life easier? Have you used it to help compose emails, put together a meal plan, or organize a busy week? There’s no question—it can be a helpful tool. AI moves fast, processes information quickly, and helps us get more done. But for all its power, there’s something it still can’t do. AI can’t doubt. It can’t be unsure. And it can’t practice humility. As humans, doubt and uncertainty aren’t flaws—they’re pathways to wisdom. They slow us down just enough to help us reflect, listen, and...