Berkley Center

Bob Bossie, a Catholic priest and antiwar activist, was first awakened to the need for social activism when he witnessed a protest against the B-1 bomber. In this conversation, Bossie discusses with fellow activist Anne Ford how he came to be a social activist and how his spirituality has been impacted by the spirituality of the poor.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

Mark Geraci and Judy Presta tried for years to have children naturally before they turned to in vitro fertilization. In this conversation, the husband and wife discuss the loss of the first pair of twins they succeeded in conceiving, the sense of grace that they managed to find in the midst of tragedy, and the joy they experienced when they finally gave birth to a baby boy.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

Jazmin Fermin and Mark Vargas grew up in different cities, but both were products of the Cristo Rey Network of high schools. Largely because of their Catholic education high school education, both attended Jesuit colleges and now work at Cristo Rey. In this conversation, they discuss the impact of Cristo Rey on them and their experiences as Latinx students in predominately white colleges.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

In 1941, when she was 5 years old, Olga Weiss fled Belgium with her family to escape the Nazis. She remembers the fear she experienced during the war, recalling a vivid experience in which a guide hired to smuggle her family to Switzerland instead denounced them to the Gestapo. These experiences are recounted in this conversation with Arielle Weininger, a curator at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Life and Learning.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

Joseph Durepos and Tom McGrath have spent years traveling the path of Catholic male spirituality to address their respective sources of pain. In this conversation, the longtime friends and colleagues reflect on the challenges and possibilities of using the power of wounds for good and discuss the healing effects of a recent collaboration between Pope Francis and Tom.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

Rev. John Foley, S.J., and Preston Kendall played key roles in the formation of the Cristo Rey Network, a nationwide organization of Jesuit high schools for low-income students funded by a corporate work-study program. In this conversation, Kendall reflects on his spiritual and professional journey from pursuing a career in business to working in secondary education.

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

Amanda Longe-Asque, a professional counselor, spent years feeling silenced and isolated as she struggled with homelessness and drug addiction. In this conversation, Longe-Asque joins her friend and mentor Renate Reichs to reflect on how staying in a faith-based treatment center allowed her to find a sense of self and community while on the road to recovery.

This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.

Abdul-Malik Ryan and Scott Alexander—a Muslim and a Catholic, respectively—have dedicated their careers to Christian-Muslim dialogue in higher education and helped university students work through the complexities of religious conversion. In this conversation, the friends reflect on how interfaith relationships have shaped their own spiritual journeys. 

This story was produced by StoryCorps.

Jonah Holm is a recovered drug addict who found hope in God as she embarked on the road to recovery with support from family, including her father, John Holm. In this conversation, the pair reflect on how Christian faith has helped to reshape their relationship as daughter and father.

This story was produced by David Dault at Sandburg Media, LLC.