Kolbecast

307 In Tune with Capital B Beauty

AMDG. Today, Bonnie and Steven are joined by Kolbe teachers Olivia Knuffke and Carl Hasler to discuss music and music theory. They begin with a discussion of the importance of music and its place in a classical education and follow with an account of music from the perspective of Plato. We also discuss the role of the Church in understanding music and the role of music in the life of a Christian.  
We discuss how the understanding of music theory helps to open our minds to the beauty that we hear in music, and the classes and resources that Kolbe offers to help students come to this understanding.  
Be prepared for a litany of musical puns as you join us in this conversation. 
Links mentioned & relevant: 
Kolbe Academy course catalog for more information about the Music Theory course  
Pope St. John Paul II’s Letter to Artists 
Related Kolbecast episodes 
186 Full Circle of Fifths and 201 The Soundtrack of Life, the first two conversations in this musical series 
242 Finish line in Sight with (among others) Ignatius, student co-founder of Kolbe’s St. Cecilia music club 
263 Exploring God’s Cosmos: Astronomy for Everyday People 
34 A Beauty-Linked Life with Professor Carol Reynolds 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

306 Offering Redemptive Suffering with Megan Hjelmstad

AMDG. As someone who deals with chronic pain, author, speaker, mentor, and proud hockey mom Megan Hjelmstad shares her insights on redemptive suffering and talks about her book Offer It Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering. Whether it’s dealing with a cold, a broken water heater, or chronic pain, we can all be reminded of the benefits of joining our suffering to Our Lord’s and offering it up.  
Links mentioned & relevant: 
Megan’s book Offer It Up: Discovering the Power and Purpose of Redemptive Suffering and accompanying study guide 
Megan’s website 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

305 Laura Kelly Fanucci - Living Easter and Singing Praise Every Day

AMDG. Steven and Bonnie are joined by Laura Kelly Fanucci. They discuss her new book Living Easter: 50 Days to Practice Resurrection and how we can live out the joy of Easter in our lives and homes. They don’t limit themselves to Easter but talk about how we can live each season of the Church in a way that fully allows us to enter the season rather than creating just another checkbox for us to complete.  
Links mentioned & relevant: 
Living Easter by Laura Kelly Fanucci 
Laura’s website · Substack ·  Instagram   
Laura on the Votive Podcast discussing Advent  
The Tale of the Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt 
The Road to Easter Day by Jan Godfrey 
Tomie de Paola’s Let the Whole Earth Sing Praise 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

304 Rooted in Words

AMDG. Kolbe Academy’s Maggie Hayden and Jordan and Mara Matteoli join the Kolbecast for a conversation about classical languages. They discuss the benefits of studying classical languages, especially Latin, and how we can begin with learning the roots at a young age. We learn some helpful teaching tips and find out about new Kolbe books and courses to help students along their way.  
Relevant links & Kolbecast episodes 
Ways to earn college credit via Kolbe Academy 
271 Building a Literary Foundation featuring Mara Matteoli 
162 Let Latin Conquer You with Maggie Hayden 
161 Fostering a Linguistic Consciousness 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

303 Hallow and the Road Home

AMDG. “The desire to help the world pray is at the heart of what we do.”  
Hallow’s Director of Children’s Content Ashley Lenz joins the Kolbecast to share the behind the scenes of the world’s most popular prayer app, the inspiration behind the Pray40 Lenten Challenge, and her guidance on where to start as a new member.  
 
Links mentioned and relevant: 
Hallow prayer app 
Related Kolbecast episodes: 
168 The Adventure of a Lifetime with Melissa Dee of the Saints Alive podcast 
301 Dr. John Bergsma Brings the Catholic Faith Alive 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

302 Standardized Tests as Snapshots

AMDG. Standardized testing is often a miserable experience, but it doesn't have to be. Student Services Director Karen Allgood and Lower Elementary Department Chair Christina Davin reveal the testing opportunities for lower grade levels and discuss the powerful benefits of testing early and often. In addition, the duo shares practical advice about how to talk to your child in a way that builds confidence rather than anxiety. With Karen and Christina's advice, choosing the right test for your child is easy. 
Links mentioned & relevant: 
Kolbe Academy testing services 
Standardized testing article in Kolbe’s Help Center 
Homeschool Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) with information about testing requirements by state 
State Educational Funding information from Kolbe Academy website 
Getting started at Kolbe Academy 
Related Kolbecast episodes: 
197 Tools in a Toolbox and 269 Resources and Road Maps with Karen Allgood about Kolbe Academy’s student support services 
182 Festive Holidays Ahead and 189 Fit Mind, Fit Body with Christina Davin 
296 Tips for Testing Success  
83 This Is Only a Test 
38 Substance Matters with Jeremy Tate, founder of the Classic Learning Test (CLT) 
143 Partners in a Liberal Arts Renewal with CLT’s Soren Schwab 
127 Forging a Path with CLT’s Kimberly Farley (now VP of Operations) 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

301 Dr. John Bergsma Brings Catholic Faith Alive

AMDG. Author, speaker, and Franciscan University theology professor John Bergsma joins the Kolbecast for a discussion you won’t want to miss. From his conversion from Protestant pastor to Catholic theologian, to the stunning revelations that have emerged since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, Dr. Bergsma brings the Catholic faith alive.   
We ask Dr. Bergsma about the new wave of Catholic scholarship, the Essene Jews, St. John the Baptist, the origins of the Jubilee Year, and so much more. Whether you have followed Dr. Bergsma’s work for years or are hearing his name for the first time, you are sure to learn something new about your faith in this episode!  
Links mentioned & relevant: 
Dr. John Bergsma’s website, including a shop with his writings and talks 
Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls: Revealing the Jewish Roots of Christianity 
Jesus and the Jubilee: The Biblical Roots of the Year of God’s Favor 
Bible Basics for Catholics 
A Catholic Introduction to the Bible 
The St. Paul Center 
Dr. Brant Pitre  
Related Kolbecast episodes: 
251 A Year of the Lord’s Favor with Joan Watson 
287 Emily Stimpson Chapman See the World through Catholic Eyes 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast! 

300 The Gift of the Sacraments with Nicholas Senz & Brendan Murphy

AMDG. Kolbe theology instructors (among many other things) Nicholas Senz and Brendan Murphy return to the Kolbecast. Nicholas Senz is the author of Kolbe’s new 10th grade text Mystery and Grace. We discuss this new book and its development and get to hear both Nick’s and Brendan’s wisdom in teaching students about the sacraments.   
Links mentioned & relevant: 
Mystery & Grace: The Sacramental Life by Nicholas Senz 
Related Kolbecast episodes: 
91 Kernels of Truth, Nick Senz’s Kolbecast debut 
169 No Made Up Answers, Brendan Murphy’s Kolbecast debut 
218 The Questions behind the Questions with Nick Senz, Brendan Murphy, and Dan Angel 
265 Chosen to Be a Saint, speeches from Commencement 2025 including the faculty address by Brendan Murphy 
249 Stories Crafted with Care from Kolbe Academy Press 
Have questions or suggestions for future episodes or a story of your own experience that you’d like to share? We'd love to hear from you! Send your thoughts to podcast@kolbe.org and be a part of the Kolbecast odyssey.  
We’d be grateful for your feedback! Please share your thoughts with us via this Kolbecast survey! 
The Kolbecast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and most podcast apps. By leaving a rating and review in your podcast app of choice, you can help the Kolbecast reach more listeners. The Kolbecast is also on Kolbe's YouTube channel (audio only with subtitles).  Using the filters on our website, you can sort through the episodes to find just what you're looking for. However you listen, spread the word about the Kolbecast!