Berkley Center

Jonah Koetke interviews his provost, Mark Biermann, about how faith has shaped his identity and served as an anchor throughout his college years, as well as the advice he would offer to future educators.

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

E. Louise Williams and her friend and colleague Lisa Polito discuss how Louise's upbringing led her to pursue diaconal formation, and together trace how the education of deacons and deaconesses has shifted from a primarily practical exercise toward a greater emphasis on theological education.

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

Rev. Brian T. Johnson interviews his friend, Dr. Dorothy C. Bass, about the importance of physicality for her spiritual practice and how understanding the long history of religious practice can help followers critically examine their traditions while preserving what is meaningful and valuable.

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

Dwayne M’Lean gave up life as a gang member and became a Christian minister after praying to God for mercy while serving time in prison. In this conversation, M’Lean and fellow church member Emmanuel Hooks discuss belonging to something larger than themselves and reflect on their ministry work to help those in need.

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

Jackie Howard identifies as Jewish but has always had a complicated relationship with her faith, owing to her largely secular upbringing and her friendships with people of different religious backgrounds. In this conversation Howard joins her son Todd Slutzky to reflect on the evolution of her faith and what being Jewish means to her today.

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

Rabbi Meir Feldman and Shaykh Ibad Wali both experienced spiritual and personal transformation as they studied to become faith leaders. In this conversation, the friends and colleagues reflect on what motivates their work as religious leaders and consider how faith shapes their outlooks on life.

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

Martha Wright Martinez and Cynthia Marie Snyder talk about how they began to truly experience God's love through charismatic renewal in the Catholic Church and why they are continually thankful for God's presence in their lives.

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

María de la Luz "Lucy" Cárdenas tells StoryCorps Facilitator Morgan Jeffrey Feigal-Stickles about the way pilgrimages to the Tomb of the Holy Sepulchre and Fatima deepened her connection to her faith and to her husband Alberto, as well as helped prepare her to walk alongside her parents and husband as they were dying.

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

Ronald English grew up attending Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., served as a pastor and prompted English to join the ministry. In this conversation, English talks with his friend and fellow pastor James Patterson about the experiences under segregation and the influences that brought both of them to become pastors.

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.