Previous Journeys of Hope

Audio pilgrimages for everyone

A Journey with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

Our journey today is with the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Come along with Mary Jane Fox and her guests, members of this organization, Dennis Alvey, KGCHS, and Barbara Alvey, DGCHS. This papal order dates back to the time of the Crusades. It is the only lay institution of the Vatican State charged with the task of providing for the needs of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and of all the activities and initiatives to support the Christian presence in the Holy Land.

On today’s journey, you will:

  • Hear the story of how this Order began during the time of the Crusades.
  • Learn what each member is committed to and what they do to help the Church in the Holy Land stay alive.
  • Be inspired by what they represent and do in the name of all Catholic Christians.

We are so grateful to this month’s sponsor, Deanna Villarreal, who made this podcast episode possible.

Featured Image: Copyright Mathieu CHAINE Wikimedia Commons. Used with permission. All rights reserved.


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Guest Information

Dennis and Barbara married in Tell City, IN on April 16, 1966. Barbara received a teacher’s certificate from the Sisters of Saint Benedict, Ferdinand, IN, and taught briefly before becoming Executive Secretary to the manager of an American Tobacco Plant in Owensboro. Denny received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the University of Evansville, IN, and a Masters in Management from Pepperdine, University, CA. They married in Tell City in April 1966, four years after Denny began a 40-year career in the intelligence field, first as an officer and then as a civilian. Barbara and Denny have been members of the Equestrian Oder of the Holy Sepulchre for 36 years and for ten years were the Archdiocese of San Antonio representatives for the Order.


Jewel for the Journey:

“Making the Holy Land known means transmitting the ‘Fifth Gospel,’ that is, the historical environment and geographical area in which the Word of God was revealed and then made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, for us and for our salvation.” -Pope Francis (Apostolic Palace on Jan. 17)


Get More Out of Your Journey:

Website – Equestrian Order Of The Holy Sepulchre Of Jerusalem Southwestern USA Lieutenancy

Pamphlet – The Equestrian Order


A Closer Look at This Week’s Journey:

Pilgrimage with St. Hildegard von Bingen through Creation

Our journey today will be a pilgrimage with a trailblazing woman saint, whom Pope Benedict XVI named a Doctor of the Church. She was a musician and composer, a theologian and mystic, an herbalist and healer, and a preacher and reformer in the High Middle Ages.

On today’s journey, you will

  • Meet St. Hildegard von Bingen and hear about her life
  • Discover how her insights can help us find wholeness and healing in our lives as we reclaim our relationship to the rest of Creation

Click here to visit the official website of St. Hildegard’s Cathedral of the Woods.

We are so grateful to this month’s sponsor, Deanna Villarreal, who made this podcast episode possible.


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Guest Information

Jeanne O’Connell is wife to her husband, Kelly, and mother of 5 beautiful children. She enjoys hiking in the mountains, watching her children’s college athletic sports, cooking healthy & delicious dishes, gardening, facilitating workshops and retreats, traveling, and gathering with friends and family. She is an 19-year Pastoral Assistant at St. Matthew’s Catholic Parish, employed as Director of Marriage Ministries and Women’s Formation. She is a University of Minnesota-Crookston graduate, is also certified in JPII’s Theology of the Body Head and Heart Immersion from the Theology of the Body Institute, is a certified Matthew Kelly Dream Manager Coach, and is a certified AFPA Holistic Nutritionist. After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, Jeanne discovered how ancient forms of nutrition and healing merge with today’s nutritional science for optimal health and wellbeing primarily through the timeless teachings and wisdom of Hildegard von Bingen, Saint and Doctor of the Church. By consolidating her pastoral experience and certifications, she is passionate about teaching St. Hildegard’s 7 strategic approaches to physical and spiritual vitality, wellbeing and wholeness.


Jewel for the Journey:

“With nature’s help, humankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life-sustaining.” – St. Hildegard von Bingen


Get More Out of Your Journey:

Book – St. Hildegard of Bingen by Carmen Butcher

Book – St. Hildegard’s Kitchen by Jany Fournier-Rosset:

Book – St. Hildegard – Discovering the Doctors of the Church, Endow Study:

Our Lady of Stono River – South Carolina, USA

Our journey today will be a pilgrimage with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, under her title Our Lady of Stono River. This Marian title is associated with the Stono Uprising which took place at Stono River, South Carolina in the U.S. on September 9, 1739. We will also discuss how Mary’s titles in many cultures is important for our faith, and advice on passing along our own cultural traditions to keep them alive.

On today’s journey, you will

  • Hear the story of this event in American history
  • Learn about the Marian and Catholic connections
  • Be encouraged by Our Lady of Stono River
  • And, be inspired by the relationship between faith and culture

We are so grateful to this month’s sponsor, Deanna Villarreal, who made this podcast episode possible.

Featured Image, Our Lady of Stono River mural created for the National Black Catholic Congress by Enzo Selvaggi, used with permission.


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Guest Information

Damian Costello received his Ph.D. in theological studies from the University of Dayton and specializes in the intersection of Catholic theology, Indigenous spiritual traditions, and colonial history. He is an international expert on the life and legacy of Nicholas Black Elk and the author of Black Elk: Colonialism and Lakota Catholicism. Costello was born and raised in Vermont and his work is informed by five years of ethnographic work on the Navajo Nation. Costello serves the Director of Postgraduate Studies at NAIITS: An Indigenous Learning Community, an Indigenous designed and delivered Association of Theological Schools (ATS) accredited graduate school.


Jewel for the Journey:

“Let us entrust our freedom to Mary.” – Pope St. John Paul II


Get More Out of Your Journey:

Key to reading “Our Lady of Stono,” a mural by Enzo Selvaggi

Veronica’s Journey – Hope Amidst Childhood Illness

Mary Jane Fox interviews Dr. Mitch & Chrissy Finnie, a hopeful couple. They share their love in holy matrimony, their adoption journey, and their faith in Christ after losing their daughter Veronica. This week’s journey will be unforgettable.

During this episode, you will:

  • Meet Dr. Mitch & Chrissy Finnie have been married for 14 years
  • Be inspired by their story of the adoption of three children
  • Learn how they remained close to each other and steadfast in their faith amidst Veronica’s passing

Would you like to support Journeys of Hope? Become a Missionary of Hope by sponsoring a month of Journeys of Hope 2023 Radio Broadcast & Podcast! Click here to get started.


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Jewel for the Journey:

“Whatever you do for your family, your children, your husband, your wife, you do for God. All we do, our prayers, our work, our suffering, is for Jesus.” – St. Mother Teresa


Get More Out of Your Journey:

Shavano Family Practice

Event – Veronica’s Journey 5K on September 24, 2023

Book – “Always Forever Mommy – One Mother’s Journey through Grief, Loss, Hope, and Love”
by Christine Rios Finnie

A Journey of Total Consecration to Mary

Come on a journey as we discuss total Consecration to Mary. Join Co-Founder and Co-Director of Pilgrim Center of Hope, Mary Jane Fox, and her guest, Ana Alcoreza. She is a woman who is consecrated to Mary, the Mother of God, and who has experienced Mary’s maternal mercy.

During this episode, you will:

  • Learn about Total Consecration to Mary and its meaning.
  • Discover why we can consider consecrating our lives to Mary, the Mother of God.
  • Hear an explanation of why consecration to Mary helps us get closer to Jesus.

If you would like to show gratitude & support for the powerful ministry of Journeys of Hope, consider the Rejoice In Hope 30th Anniversary Celebration for Pilgrim Center of Hope!


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Jewel for the Journey:

“Mary is the safest, easiest, shortest, and most perfect way of approaching Jesus.”  St. Louis de Montfort


Get More Out of Your Journey:

Book – St. Louis de Montfort’s Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary: New, Day-by-Day, Easier-to-Read Translation

Audio – Nine Day Preparation for Unlimited Consecration to Mary

A Journey with Sports & Spirituality

Our journey this week will be unique and special in many ways as we embark on a spiritual pilgrimage into sports and spirituality. Guiding us along the way are Mary Jane Fox and her guest, Stan Laing, Athletic Director at Northside Independent School District, the fourth largest school district in the state of Texas.

During this episode, you will:

  • Be inspired by a Sports Coach who incorporates his Christian Faith with those around him.
  • Hear how this Coach’s experience in the Holy Land caused him to choose a battle cry that includes the Jerusalem Cross.
  • Receive good tips on choosing things that matter most, especially those that relate to our daily life.

Would you like to support Journeys of Hope? Become a Missionary of Hope by sponsoring a month of Journeys of Hope 2023 Radio Broadcast & Podcast! Click here to get started.


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Guest Information

Stan Laing is the Athletic Director at Northside ISD, the fourth-largest school district in the state of Texas. Stan serves right at 650 coaches as well as over 15,000 student-athletes that participate in athletics in the Northside district. He leads their annual Servant Leadership Summit for athletes as well as coaches. He has recently spoken at the annual Fellowship of Christian Athletes Breakfast of Champions and will be speaking later this week at the first Teen Leadership Conference at St Peter the Apostle Catholic Church in Boerne. He has completed 38 years of serving in public education:

• 17 years as a teacher and coach.
• 8 years as a high school campus principal
• 13 years as Executive Director of Athletics, Northside ISD, San Antonio, Tx.

Because of the work of those around me, I am honored to have received:

• As a campus principal, our campus received multiple years as Newsweek Magazine’s list of America’s Top Performing High Schools.
• As athletic director, Grant Teaff Coaching Beyond the Game Award from THSCA
• As athletic director, multiple Athletic Administrator of the Year awards from THSADA

As a coach, the greatest accomplishment is having continued relationships with former players with a handful going into the coaching profession.

“In my humble opinion, the most effective leaders that I have seen and aspire to be are servant leaders. The mindset of selflessly serving others in a grateful and humble manner. Those that do this well exhibit three key traits: Their actions are a reflection of their faith. Their attitude is a reflection of their hope. How they treat others is a reflection of their love.”


Jewel for the Journey:

“Sports contribute to the love of life, teaches sacrifice, respect, and responsibility, leading to the full development of every human person.” – St. Pope. John Paul II


The Virtues of a Servant Leader
The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

© Copyright Kent M. Keith 1968, renewed 2001

Dominican Spirituality & St. Dominic de Guzmán

Come with us and explore Dominican Spirituality and the life of St. Dominic de Guzmán! To guide us on our spiritual pilgrimage are Angela Sealana, Media Coordinator for Pilgrim Center, and Annette Winfield, President of the Lay Dominican Chapter of San Antonio, Texas.

During this episode, you will:

  • Meet St. Dominic and hear about his life
  • Discover Dominican spirituality
  • And learn about how all of this can teach, encourage & inspire us today.

Would you like to support Journeys of Hope? Become a Missionary of Hope by sponsoring a month of Journeys of Hope 2023 Radio Broadcast & Podcast! Click here to get started.


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Guest Information

Annette Winfield is the President of the St. Rose of Lima Lay Dominican Chapter in San Antonio. She holds a Masters in Education and a Masters of Theology from Oblate School of Theology. As a member of the Order of Preachers, Annette has a variety of personal ministries. A teacher at heart, Annette develops and directs her parish summer Vacation Bible School. This year children enjoyed experimenting with science and celebrating the gift of the Eucharist. She leads the Parent/Family Formation class and a variety of Adult Catechesis topics at St. Monica Parish in Converse, TX. Following Dominican traditions of prayer and dedication to the Blessed Mother, Annette leads the daily Rosary and a Rosary making group.

Lay Dominican Chapter ministries include correspondence with the friars in seminary and providing formation and study materials for several Lay Dominican men in prison. St Rose of Lima Dominicans from throughout the San Antonio area meets monthly to share a community breakfast, prayer, and a group study. Lifelong study and formation are important to all Dominicans. New Inquirers into the Chapter are always welcome. There is always room in the Dominican family.

Click here to join the Facebook Group for the Lay Dominican Chapter in San Antonio TX.


Jewel for the Journey:

“May you make progress every day.” St. Dominic de Guzmán


More Information on the St. Rose of Lima Lay Dominican Chapter in San Antonio, TX