Bad Bunny just played the Super Bowl and won a Grammy! So let’s revisit this episode from a few years back. Fernando Catragena joins the show to talk about:

- How to have hope amidst brokenness

- Do our failings define us?

- Can we really change?

- Are you blessed?

- Dealing with haters

- Why Puerto Rico is awesome

- And much more!

What does a Korean demon-hunting girl group have to do with 500-year-old Catholic spirituality? More than you'd think. "K-Pop Demon Hunters" has become a cultural phenomenon—and according to Jesuit scholastic Andrew Milewski, it's basically an Ignatian fever dream in animated form.

In this episode of Pop Culture Catechism, Mike Tenney sits down with Andrew Milewski (currently teaching in Beirut, Lebanon) to break down the hit series "K-Pop Demon Hunters," exploring how St. Ignatius's tools for discernment show up in unexpected places—from anime girl groups battling demons to your everyday life decisions.

What We Discuss:

• "K-Pop Demon Hunters" plot breakdown - Girl group members hunt demons while navigating fame, friendship, and spiritual warfare

• Ignatian spirituality 101 - What are consolation and desolation, and how do they help you hear God's voice?

• The dark night of the soul - When Roomie sings "I'm seeing the beauty of the broken glass," she's living the paschal mystery

• Why the lyrics are "insidious" but the songs are "bops" - How pop culture can be both entertaining and spiritually profound

• Discernment in real life - How Andrew uses Ignatian tools to make major life decisions (spoiler: it works)

• The Suscipe prayer - Offering everything back to God instead of grasping for control

• K-Pop's global phenomenon - Why Korean culture and spirituality resonate with Western audiences

Songs Discussed: "Golden," "Your Idol," "Takedown," "Soda Pop"

Why This Episode Matters:

Whether you're trying to figure out if you should take that job, end that relationship, or just understand why you feel anxious and disconnected from God—Ignatian discernment offers practical tools for hearing God's voice in the noise. And if a demon-hunting K-Pop group can embody these ancient spiritual truths, maybe there's hope for all of us.

Perfect for: K-Pop fans, Catholics struggling with big decisions, anyone interested in Ignatian spirituality, youth ministers looking for cultural entry points, or people who just love when faith and pop culture collide.

Guest: Andrew Milewski, SJ - Jesuit scholastic teaching in Beirut, Lebanon (5 years from ordination). Former teacher in Seoul, South Korea. Studied psychology and English, master's in social philosophy. Contributor to The Jesuit Post.

Coldplay has been making hits for two decades, but beneath the stadium anthems and breakup ballads lies something deeper: a vision of vulnerability, sacrifice, and what it means to be fully human. In this episode of Pop Culture Catechism, Mike Tenney sits down with musician and content creator Matt Panna—a self-proclaimed Coldplay superfan—to explore faith, masculinity, and mental health through the band's most iconic songs.

What We Discuss:

• "Fix You" and sacrificial love - Why being "fixed" isn't about being repaired, but staying anchored to Christ through life's ups and downs

• The "Holy Trinity of Masculinity" - Why every man needs a spiritual director, therapist, and trusted mentor (not just Instagram advice)

• "Sky Full of Stars" and toxic relationships - When does self-sacrifice become self-destruction? How to love sacrificially without being a pushover

• "Something Just Like This" - Why ordinary, authentic love beats superhero fantasies every time

• The epidemic of male loneliness - What Lord of the Rings teaches us about masculine friendship and emotional vulnerability

• Chris Martin's songwriting - From Gwyneth Paltrow's grief to divorce recovery, how personal pain creates universal anthems

Why This Episode Matters:

If you're a young Catholic man struggling with what healthy masculinity looks like in 2025—or if you're tired of the "alpha male" vs. "nice guy" binary—this conversation offers a refreshing third way. Matt and Mike discuss the courage it takes to seek help, build authentic friendships, and love like Christ: boldly confronting sin while remaining tender-hearted.

Whether you're a Coldplay fan, questioning your faith, navigating relationships, or wrestling with mental health, this episode reminds us that real strength isn't about having all the answers—it's about having the humility to ask for help.

Guests: Matt Panna - Musician, AV professional, and Catholic content creator

Songs Discussed: "Fix You," "Sky Full of Stars," "Something Just Like This," "Yellow," "The Scientist," "Viva La Vida"

Morgan Wallen is the biggest thing in country music right now. Missionaries from the Culture Project join us to talk about alcohol, cancel culture, relationships, and more. Note: this episode was recorded in Oct 2023.

Morgan Wallen is the biggest thing in country music right now. Missionaries from the Culture Project join us to talk about alcohol, cancel culture, relationships, and more. Note: this episode was recorded in Oct 2023.

What's a Catholic to do in such a crazy political climate?  Patrick Neve from "the Crunch" joins us to discuss The Daily Show, The Daily Wire, and all things Infotainment. 

Writer Chris Damian joins the show to talk with Mike about Pride Month & Catholicism through the lens of Taylor Swift’s new album, the Tortured Poets Department.

WE’RE BACK! And talking about the biggest song of the last year “What Was I Made For” By Billie Eilish from the Barbie movie, and to take us through it we have the poet Clare McCallan. She shares her wisdom (including some spicy hot takes), a bit about her life, and also a really good poem. She also talks about her new book “Courage To Create.” And as an extra special treat, we have guest musician, Isabel Tenney.

Is Mean Girls the best movie of the 00’s? It’s likely the most quoted. Screenwriter Emily Schmitt joins us to discuss the movie, the musical, and now the movie musical, Mean Girls. So fetch!

It’s the question Catholics love to argue about. Let’s get into it. Mary Did you Know?

Mike sits down with Audrey Assad who shares very freely about her journey away from the Catholic faith, her music, her healing and her heart. All of this and more as we also geek out about Celine Dion. Mike‘s wife also makes a few cameos to sing.

Mike sits down with Audrey Assad who shares very freely about her journey away from the Catholic faith, her music, her healing and her heart. All of this and more as we also geek out about Celine Dion. Mike‘s wife also makes a few cameos to sing.

A muslim & a catholic walk into a discussion on The Hunger Games, geopolitics, and human nature. This episode is unlike any I’ve done before. Dr. Shyam Sriram is an Indian-American, muslim convert, and a political science professor at a Jesuit Catholic college. He turned out to be the perfect person with whom to have an open-minded conversation about a controversial and difficult subject. I invite you to listen with an open heart and to pray and work for peace.

It’s been 2 years since Olivia Rodrigo trampled the music scene with her debut  “Sour,” and her new follow up “Guts” is even more in your face. Lillian Fallon, author of “A Theology of Style” joins us to talk about self image, modern dating, life in the fashion industry, and why O Rod’s music is just so so so good.

Mike and his friend Julia (Seven Mile Chats) went to the Eras tour and it reminded us of the mass. This episode is us being Taylor/pop music/Theology/Liturgy nerds turned up to 11.

Hi Barbie! It's the biggest movie of the year and it's weird and funny and loud and thought provoking. I was not expecting to like this movie as much as I did and I'm so glad I got to talk to the founder of Girl Talk, Julie Larkin. She has a wealth of experience working with young women and a grounded and wise perspective on what it's like to be a young woman today.

Is there any show more important for millennial women than Gilmore Girls? Rory, Lorelai, & Emily Gilmore have something to teach us if we are paying attention: What does it take to be a good mother? A good daughter? Does privilege ruin us? Is feminism all it’s cracked up to be? What should a woman look for in a man?  Allison Sullivan, creator of the “Sinner Saint Sister” podcast and SullivanFamilyTikTok (1.2 Million followers) joins us to dive into why this show has touched so many young women.

Army Chaplain Recruiter, Jumpmaster, and Catholic priest, Fr. Peter Pomposello joins us to discuss the art and moral dilemmas of Christipher Nolan's latest epic: Oppenheimer. I think this is one of our best episodes so far. Strap on your parachutes as we tackle:

- The morality of killing in war

- Weapons of mass destruction

- The cost of being a soldier

- Can the ends justify the means?

- Is there something more going on in the sex scenes?and much more!

Tight harmonies and soaring melodies tied with soul wrenching lyrics: Folk-Soul power couple Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano are making some of the best music around. Speaker Mari Pablo joins us to talk about why this married couple’s music cuts so deep and rises so high.