Draw Near

Why Can't Women Be Priests?

November 21st, 2022  |  53 mins 22 secs

catholic, cremation, godparent, ordination, priests, sexism, weddings, women

In this episode, we are joined by our good friend, Fr Patrick Behm. We ask him a number of questions we have received from listeners. In particular, Fr Behm spends some time carefully walking through the Church's teaching on the priesthood, and why women cannot be ordained. He also makes the case for why Jesus clearly was not, and cannot be, sexist. Additionally we talk being a godparent, cremation and whether or not we can donate our bodies to science. We also spend some time on Heaven, homilies about hell, and the value of our prayers for those who have died. We briefly discuss mental health and suicide. We wrap up with weddings outside of the Church and participation in non-Catholic weddings, online ordination, why the Catholic "Our Father" is in some ways different from the Protestant version, and finally, the hardest parts about being a priest and the greatest joys.

***** TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE *****
If you are struggling with suicidal crisis or emotional distress, free and confidential help is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the United States.
Call: 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or visit them online at: https://988lifeline.org/

I Never Thought I'd Be a Yelling Mom

November 9th, 2022  |  45 mins 38 secs

catholic, draw near podcast, faith at home, fred and kara, guilt, healing, marriage, miscarriage, motherhood, noelle garcia, wives

"They never told you in marriage preparation that some days, you won't like each other very much." Continuing our series on marriage and family life, Kara is joined by speaker, musician, podcaster, wife and mom, Noelle Garcia! Sharing from the heart and the "realness" of daily life as Catholic wives and moms, Kara and Noelle discuss the hardest and the greatest things about marriage and motherhood. What advice is there for those who struggle with mom guilt (or guilt in general)? How do you handle different parenting styles and different approaches to home life between spouses? What are the biggest challenges and joys of motherhood and how do we approach these and maintain joy? All of these questions are answered in this episode!

Trigger Warning: Noelle also shares her testimony of faith in the midst of the grief of a miscarriage.

Wives and Wine

October 12th, 2022  |  45 mins 39 secs

catholic, draw near podcast, fred and kara, marriage, motherhood, recipes, wives

The ladies had to get their 2 cents in on this family series! If you enjoyed the husband/dad episodes, you'll love this one more. Tune in to hear Kara chat with her good friend (and Fred's wife) Krystal Shellabarger about marriage and motherhood.

Embracing Fatherhood

September 28th, 2022  |  48 mins 2 secs

being a dad, catholic, dad, family, family life, fatherhood, silas, take up your cross

Becoming a father, and the reality of being a father in the day to days of life can be both stressful, terrifying and joyfully rewarding all at once! Phillip Grothus joins us once again for an authentic, reflective, but lighthearted look at being a dad. Sharing both the highs and the lows, Fred and Phillip share from their own experience, how their relationship with Christ and the faith they profess shapes the kind of fathers they strive to be. They also discuss perceptions, experiences, and cultural norms that tend to make being a father a challenge some times and offer some advice on overcoming these obstacles.

Fatherhood: Baptism by Fire (Wives and Whiskey)

September 28th, 2022  |  1 hr 8 mins

being a dad, catholic, dad, family, family life, fatherhood

Kara is back in this episode!!! We are continuing the series on family life, and joined by none other than Kara's husband Beej, as well as our friend Taylor Schroll. In this episode three dads share from their own experience and offer some perspective on the struggles and the joys of being a father. Complete with a few sports analogies, whiskey sipping, and Kara poking fun (in love of course), we hope you enjoy this lighthearted discussion on fatherhood.

Don't Go to Bed Angry? - With Taylor Schroll

September 14th, 2022  |  40 mins 20 secs

advice, catholic, don't go to bed angry, family life, growing, husbands, learning, love your wife, marriage, tips, wedding, wedding day

Beginning a series on marriage and family life, Fred is joined by friend and co-host of the Forte Catholic Podcast, Taylor Schroll for a fun and lighthearted discussion on marriage. What have they learned? What advice would they give themselves on their wedding day? How much more do they still need to grow? Why does Fred insist on mentioning Cobra Kai in every episode of Draw Near? Find out in this episode!

Husbands, Love Your Wives - With Phillip Grothus

September 14th, 2022  |  40 mins 41 secs

advice, catholic, family life, growing, husbands, learning, love your wife, marriage, tips, wedding, wedding day

Beginning a series on marriage and family life, Fred is joined by Draw Near listener and fellow Cobra Kai super fan, Phillip Grothus for a discussion on marriage. What have they learned? What advice would they give themselves on their wedding day? How much more do they still need to grow? Find out in this episode!

Fr. Stu: A Story of Mercy

April 27th, 2022  |  40 mins 17 secs

catholic, father stu, movie, podcast, review

Yay of nay on Father Stu? With a recent Catholic movie hitting theaters, we thought we would throw our voices in the mix on whether it is worth watching.

What Am I Supposed to Do?

November 10th, 2021  |  54 mins 26 secs

catholic, discernment, draw near podcast, fred and kara, guest, holiness, sister fidelis marie, vocations

Fred Shellabarger, Kara Kardell, and guest-Sister Fidelis Marie talk about living holiness in our every day lives on this episode of the Draw Near podcast. It's easy to get bogged down discerning the future options, vocations, or the many choices placed in front of us. Sister Fidelis gives wonderful, spiritually balanced, guidance on discerning where God calls us. We also talk about making decisions in life, consolation and desolation, wounds, and the importance of living out the call to holiness each day. We shouldn't wait until a future date to become who God created us to be! Simply say yes to God.

Mary: Ark of the New Covenant

October 5th, 2021  |  16 mins 34 secs

ark of the covenant, assumption, blessed mother, catholic, draw near, fred and kara, mary

It isn’t uncommon for Catholics to hear that we put too much emphasis on Mary... or, “She’s not that important…She’s barely even in scripture.” Well… Mary is ALL over scripture.
This "shorty" teaches on Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.
What is the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament? How does Luke's Gospel present Mary as the New Ark? What does this have to do with the Assumption? Find out in this shorty!