EP 21:

Comedy of Life

In this episode of Good and Decent, we share two stories of people who find their joy by bringing it to others through comedy. Mike Logan and Ellis Aych are both stand-up comedians — Mike is from Brooklyn, New York, and Ellis is from Austin, Texas. We get to hear the reason behind their passion for doing comedy in our latest episode of Good and Decent.

Senior Video Producer Josh Long and Associate Video Producer Jane O’Connor also share a story of their recent experience at an open mic night.

Watch these mini-docs here:

The Compassion Behind Comedy: https://youtu.be/wgBzOyjO7j4

Using Comedy to Showcase Life’s Beauty: https://youtu.be/gwvExQadIk0

EP 20:

The Elusive Gooseberry

In this episode of Good and Decent, Senior Video Producer Josh and Associate Video Producer Jane share the story of David Fried and his tree nursery in Elmore, Vermont, called Elmore Roots. For over 40 years, David has been growing fruits and nut varieties that were once believed impossible to grow in the hillsides of Vermont.

Gooseberries, seaberries, haskap, lingonberries, and kiwiberries are just a few of the many berries, fruit, and nut trees that the team at Elmore Roots tends to.

EP 19:

Love & Ice Cream

In this episode of Good and Decent, we tell two different stories that are connected by a love of ice cream. Our student worker, Ryan shares a story about his two cousins Joe and Gus Rancatore. The Rancatore brothers have made unique ice cream flavors since 1981, and both own a few ice cream shops. Both their dedicated regulars and first-timers can find joy, nostalgia, and unexpected delight in the one-of-a-kind ice cream flavors they create for their community.

Former Grotto video associate, Tara Kelly, shares another story that involves ice cream that she produced during her time on our team. Her friend Sadie was a missionary at A Simple House, where she had the opportunity to make connections with people who are poor or homeless. On hot summer days, one of her ways to connect with them was through ice cream.

Watch these Short Films here:

Ice Cream Brothers | A Grotto Short Film: https://youtu.be/uRgSv4bmAlA

Ice Cream Minivan | A Grotto Short Film: https://youtu.be/gB8W6xVM_6A

EP 18:

Death Row Sister

In this episode of Good and Decent, we hear about Sister Barbara from the Sisters of Providence, who ministers to inmates on death row in Terre Haute, IN, as a spiritual companion.

She shares a bit of what she gets to do, and in particular, she talks about her time spent with William LeCroy before he was executed in 2020. This story is heavy but offers a glimmer of hope through William’s forgiveness journey.

EP 17:

Finding Forgiveness

In this episode of Good and Decent, we dive into a powerful story on forgiveness. Anthony Federico was a Content Editor for ESPN back in 2007. After writing a title that would change his life forever, he found himself discerning the priesthood.

We shared Father Anthony’s story in 2018, and today, we got an opportunity to catch up with him with freelance video producer Katie Rutter to revisit this story of forgiveness.

Watch the mini-documentary of Father Anthony Federico here: https://youtu.be/kPnoUBRBgC0.

EP 16:

After Life

In this episode of Good and Decent, senior producer Josh Long brings on former Grotto associate producer Ben Kruis to talk about a local firefighter named Josh Comeau. When Ben was on the team at Grotto, he produced a video about Josh Comeau’s struggle with cancer. Unfortunately, he passed away a little over a year after we released the mini-documentary. Josh Long and Ben reflect on Josh Comeau’s legacy and how his passing affected Ben.

EP 15:

Occupation Proclamations

In this episode, we tell the story of when our video team had the opportunity to visit Mis Moles in Chicago. They witnessed first hand how Eufemia Lopez makes her locally famous mole. We learn how she left her job cooking for Rick Bayless, a prominent chef in Chicago, for family purposes. Eufemia and her family shared what it meant to open her own restaurant centered on a family recipe that many people now enjoy.

S2 | EP 8:

Backstrokes and Headspins

In this episode, breakdancer Nimoy Vaidya and marathon swimmer Br. Matt Wooters, SJ, meet for the first time. We walk with them from a Chicago coffee shop, and then down to the lake front, as they discuss their passions — and dive into how they started getting out of their comfort zones.

S2 | EP 7:

Reaching Out

In this episode, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, the former captain of Notre Dame’s football team and an NFL hopeful, shares his journey through grief to find hope in his faith and caring for his mental health.

Grotto producers Josh Long and Kevin DeCloedt talk about what it was like filming Myron’s story, and introduce a conversation Myron had with ND strength coach Matt Balis. Then we hang out with Myron and his roommate (and fellow ND teammate) Michael Vinson as they discuss grief, the pressures of college, caring for mental health, and finding faith as a glue to hold it all together.

S2 | EP 6:

Is It Real?

We’re deep into our storytelling edition where we wonder what else is out there, and this episode of Good and Decent explores everything from the mythical to the supernatural.

Video producers Josh Long and Tara Kelly were curious about local cryptids — mythical creatures like Chicago’s Mothman — and so they set out to learn what they can. When Josh travels south on vacation, he begins to feel like he can’t get away from these mysterious creatures.

Our editor, Josh Noem, brings in a respectable authority — Father Aaron Michka, CSC — who is both a priest and an anthropologist. Together, they discuss paranormal phenomena and UFO sightings, beginning with Father Aaron’s own encounter with “beings of light” that visited him for a time in his youth. Video producer Kevin DeCloedt chimes in with his own personal encounter with the supernatural. 

S2 | EP 5:

Going to the Margins

In this episode, Good and Decent is going to the margins – to two very different places and moments in history – to find the power in embracing the most neglected in our society.

Grotto host Javi Zubizarreta speaks with reporter and author Michael O’Loughlin about the history of the AIDS crisis and the Catholic Church. Michael is the host of the podcast Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church and the author of Hidden Mercy: AIDS, Catholics, and the Untold Stories of Compassion in the Face of Fear. A gay Catholic himself, O’Loughlin’s powerful work brings together unimaginable stories of empathy, heartbreak, and grace from the LGBT+ community and the Church. He and Javi discuss the power of these stories, their impact on Michael’s own life, and how even Pope Francis himself reached out to recognize the work.

From the north side of Chicago and Michael’s apartment, Grotto then goes to downtown Cincinnati to meet Gary Short of the homeless outreach organization, Foot Care for the Souls. Every day, Gary takes the feet of countless unhoused people into his lap and makes sure they are clean, healthy, and loved. It’s a powerful witness of caring for the most marginalized, without fear or scorn.

Click here to view this episode and watch the mini-documentary on Gary Short.

S2 | EP 4:

From Old to New

In this episode, Grotto hosts Becky Rogers and Liz Colleran speak with Jacob Zumo, an artist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Becky is Grotto’s art director and Liz is our assignment desk manager, so they’re pretty hands-on in our creative process — the conversation they share with Jacob digs into storytelling with art. Jacob says he wants to paint images that are arrestingly beautiful, and that cause people to wonder, “What’s the story behind that?”

Jacob is a bridge-builder as an artist — he’s classically trained, but also does paintings for rappers and athletes. He talks about “pushing the sacred” whenever he can — he honed his craft in Florence, Italy but brings a modern take to sacred art so that people feel connected to his paintings, especially people from underrepresented communities.

Click here to view this episode and watch the mini-documentary on Jacob Zumo.

S2 | EP 3:

New Beginnings

How do we set out to find a new start? Often, when we think of new beginnings, we imagine a new habit or goal that we want to establish. So we pick an objective and start incorporating it into our days. But what about those moments when the new start you need is deeper and bigger than just a new workout routine? Like, when you need to change the direction of your life?

Producers Josh Long and Sara Thoms connect with two people who have dramatically changed the course of their lives: when his marriage fell apart, Ian Shankster set out to cross the country driving trucks and capturing beauty with photography along the way; and Jesse Woodworth left a vibrant life in Denver to take over a family farm in Indiana.

Click here to view this episode and watch the mini-documentaries on Jesse Woodworth and Ian Shankster.

S2 | EP 2:

Finding Home

In this episode, Adrienne and Sara speak with Daniel Baker, a neighborhood carpenter who creates home furnishings without the use of any power tools. The craftsmanship he invests in his pieces connects him to his community in a deep way — he wants to be present to his neighbors “from crib to coffin.”

They also speak with Alan Graham, who founded a 27-acre community of tiny houses and homes designed to lift up off the streets the most “outcast, lost, and abandoned people” in Austin, TX: the chronically homeless.

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on finding home, and watch the mini-documentaries on Daniel Baker and Alan Graham.

S2 | EP 1:

Gratitude Despite

In this episode, host Sara Thoms is joined by guest filmmaker Kevin DeCloedt to explore the kind of gratitude that pulls us through tough times. They dig into the stories of two extraordinary people who are responding to debilitating disease with resilience and hopefulness: Trey Gray and Gillian Mocek.

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on gratitude, and watch the mini-documentaries on Trey Grey and Gillian Mocek.

S1 | EP 1:

Finding Awe

In this first episode of Grotto’s new podcast, Good and Decent, we search for wonder in the world. Our hosts, Javi and Sara, discuss how awe can be an antidote to the mundane. Their conversation draws upon encounters with Harvard cosmologist, Mila Chadayammuri, and a priest on safari, Father Pat Reidy, CSC.

“In heightened moments of wonder and awe, you have this sense that creation is alive,” Sara says. “This is the universe alive and speaking to us, if we have the stillness and solitude to receive it.”

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on wonder and awe, and watch the mini-documentaries on Mila and Father Pat.

S1 | EP 2:

Finding Generosity

Have you ever met certain people and thought, “Geesh… what’s in their coffee? And how can I get some of what they have?” This week on Good and Decent, Sara and Javi muse on people who exude generosity in their daily lives, and what we can learn from them. Two such people are Charles “Bike Man” Jenkins, who fixes bikes for kids in his local community; and Annie, a barista at the Local Cup — a cafe that runs on the generosity of others.

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on generosity, and watch the mini-documentaries on Charles “Bike Man” Jenkins and Annie.

S1 | EP 3:

Change of Heart

Have you ever changed your mind about something? This week’s episode of Good and Decent digs into two intriguing stories about experiencing a radical change of heart: tattoo artists who help people cover up racist tattoos, and a man who decided to “live off the grid.”

Randy Orak chose to sell his car and ride a modified bike everywhere. This decision wasn’t simply about living eco-friendly or enjoying biking to work — for Randy, it was something that felt in sync with his soul. Leaving his tech job propelled him into the world of gardening and agriculture.

Ben and Sara discuss how radical changes of heart can come all at once, or little by little. This episode of Good and Decent begs the question: are you feeling drawn to have a change of heart? If so, how? If not now, when?

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on change of heart, and watch the mini-documentaries on Randy and the tattoo artists.

S1 | EP 4:

Finding Empathy

This week on Good and Decent, producer Josh Long and Sara Thoms explore the theme of empathy, and there’s been no one who has told more stories for Grotto on that topic than filmmaker and producer Michael Burke. Josh and Sara decide to give him a call, and he shares a bit about his personal motivations to do social justice work through filmmaking.

He also speaks about the process of documentary filmmaking — the spontaneity and unpredictability of it. For Michael, the lack of empathy found in public policy and the infrastructure at the border inspired a passion in him to tell stories in that space. Josh and Michael discuss the ways their perspective shifted after documenting and witnessing the pilgrims and their work at the border, as well as the bravery of the migrants.

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on empathy, and watch the mini-documentaries on the El Paso Pilgrimage and saving migrants in the Arizona Desert. 

S1 | EP 5:

Finding Friendship

“Friendship is a problem,” host and producer Josh Long says in this week’s episode of Good and Decent. Lately, Josh has been feeling like his friendships have suffered — and he’s not alone. Almost one third of young adults feel that they have no best friends. What keeps two people bonded together over the course of a life? Josh and co-host Sara Thoms turn to three Grotto stories for inspiration on the topic of friendship.

In the first, a video gamer, known as Bearded Blevins, with a large following shares his experience of friendship transcending the boundaries of space and time through his Twitch platform.

The second story is of Pilar Amado, a woman of color who started rock climbing with a desire to find community.

Josh introduces one more (bonus!) Grotto story about inter-generational friendship — a story of three wild turkey hunters in central Michigan.

In this episode, Josh and Sara invite us to take a deep dive into our own friendships: How are your friendships? What do your friends need from you, and you from them, in this season of life?

Click here to view this episode, read other articles on friendship, and watch the mini-documentaries on Bearded Blevins, Pilar Amado, and the three wild turkey hunters.