Multimedia venture allows student hosts to research, answer fellow students' toughest questions about theology, Catholic faith
DEARBORN — What do you call a podcast dedicated to tackling the most important theological topics in an easy-to-digest format?
The Godcast, of course.
Divine Child High School's campus ministry is doing just that through a new student-launched podcast. Since early December, students have aired 13 episodes, ranging from 5 to 10 minutes, discussing stimulating issues fellow students have surrounding their faith.
"This is an amazing example of animating Pope Francis' invitation for young people to be protagonists in the Catholic Church today,” Divine Child High School principal Anthony Trudel told Detroit Catholic. “Today's teens have grounded questions about their faith, and The DC Godcast is a peer-to-peer driven and modern media tool to get grounded answers."
The idea for the student-hosted podcast was the impetus of Divine Child’s campus minister, John Brahier, who started a similar podcast for his own theology students and parents two years ago.
“As a teacher, I enjoy that process of questioning because questioning leads to really good conversations and unpacking the truth,” Brahier said.
Brahier said the intent of his original podcast was to be a conversation-starter between parents and students about what students were learning in their theology classes. As the seasons of Lent and Advent approached, he was using the podcast as a chance to supplement classroom learning. Each podcast seemed to stimulate more discussions as it educated listeners.
“The kids would ask what seemed like the simplest question, and it was really a profound question,” Brahier said. “That’s where the idea (for The DC Godcast) started. We wanted to think creatively to reach out to our students and parents and our staff.”
Over the past summer, Brahier and a group of students started brainstorming how students consume information. As a group, it was decided Instagram and podcasts were the best ways to interact with the campus at large and especially to reach students.
So far, the content has been solely based on Divine Child students' questions. Recent podcasts answered topics such as, “Does it matter which religion you believe in as long as you’re a good person?” or “Why do we ask for forgiveness from a priest in reconciliation?”
The podcast team is comprised of the campus minister, two student hosts, a half-dozen students working behind the scenes and a variety of guests, including parish priests.
Junior Alexandria Tomajko knew Brahier from a former theology class and wanted to join in on this new venture to get faith-based information out to her fellow students. Now she is one of the hosts.
“I really liked how Mr. Brahier collected the students’ questions, and it was important for me to get answers to those questions and be a part of that process,” she said.
Though Tomajko admits she was “terrified” to be on a live mic, she has come to enjoy hosting the podcasts. The student hosts get the chance to apply a teenage perspective to the discussions along with the parish priests and other guests.
“One of the questions that struck me was, 'Can God create a rock that is so big that even he can’t move it?’” Tomajko said. (The answer is "no," since God can't create logical contradictions.)
Junior Chad Sims, who also is a host, said it’s surprising to hear how some students question their faith while others are curious about it.
“I’m also struggling with some of these questions, and they are helping me because it is relatable,” Sims said. He noted the podcasts have challenged him to want to pass on his faith to future generations.
Brahier, who just started his first year as the school’s campus minister, said the podcasts are starting to take off and admittedly, have even challenged him.
“I think it’s a good avenue for answering the questions that kids and staff have,” he continued. “And it is giving our students a concrete way to take a leadership role in something that is involving our faith.”
He said he sees “a lot of long-term value in cultivating the future leaders of our faith.”
The podcast is accessible — it can be found on Apple, Anchor, Spotify and other podcast-supported apps. More podcast episodes are expected to be released in coming weeks.
So far, on average, listenership ranges between two dozen to more than 100. Brahier said with more marketing, he hopes those numbers will increase.
One regular podcast listener is fellow Divine Child theology teacher Matthew Mooney.
“I think it’s a great medium to get a message out,” Mooney said. “There are so many things that come up all the time, and there are so many questions that there is no time to answer them (in the classroom).”
Mooney said he listens to the podcasts on his daily walk.
“I find I love music, but I crave (listening to) more conversation and more learning,” he said. “It’s a different way to be inspired.”
Students, as well as the public, can submit questions for a future episode of The DC Godcast by emailing [email protected].
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