The Catholic Man Show

Adam's on the front porch watching one of those Oklahoma sunsets that make you forgive the state for everything else. Dave pulls up. Walks toward the house, chest out, confident, ready to record. Adam asks the only question that matters: did you bring the equipment? He did not. New baby syndrome. Joshua got his first bath that night, Lady Pamela's still on the mend and bending over a tub isn't on the menu yet, and somewhere between bathing the kids and getting out the door, the recording gear stayed home. So Dave logged a solid hour of windshield time driving back and forth across town to fetch it. The baby's worth it. Six days old and already back to birth weight, sleeping three hours at a stretch, an almost unfairly easy kid for a man who's had colicky ones before.The pour is a curveball: Saltire, a 14-year independent bottling distilled at Tomar, a first-fill Oloroso sherry cask. It's a Speyside, but nobody at the table would've guessed it. It drinks salty, like saltwater taffy, like it grew up near the ocean. The notes promise polished leather, dried cherries, tobacco, and, if you add water, burnt sugar, hazelnut, and "speckled chocolate milk," a phrase that derailed the conversation for a solid minute because nobody could agree what speckled chocolate milk is supposed to be. Cheers to Jesus. We're on the winning side.Then Adam reaches past the planned backbiting episode, grabs Francis Weiser's Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs off the shelf, and lands on something better: the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, June 24th.Here's the hook that got him. The Church only celebrates three birthdays. Jesus. Our Lady. And John the Baptist. Everybody else gets honored on the day they die, because for a saint that's the real birthday, the day they enter eternal life. So why John? The tradition says all three were born free from original sin. John wasn't conceived without it like Jesus and Mary, but he was sanctified in the womb when he leapt at the sound of Our Lady's voice at the Visitation. Born clean. St. Augustine treats it as a settled tradition, and if the Fathers are in, the guys are in.The logic of the date is the part that'll stick with you. June 24th rides the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and from there the light starts to wane all the way down to Christmas and the winter solstice, when it turns and climbs again. John said it himself: I must decrease, so that He must increase. That's not just a calendar coincidence. It's a map of the soul. The more room you take up in your own heart, the less there is for Christ. If you want Him to be king there, you've got to get out of the way.Then the fun: how to actually live it. Put it on the calendar and get to Mass. Pray the Benedictus as a family and light a candle. Build a bonfire on the eve, John the Baptist is one of the three fires on the Catholic year. Feed the kids honey sticks and, if you're brave, dried crickets, locusts and wild honey, desert food. Make it the anchor of your summer. This is the Establish pillar in the flesh, the small traditions that hand your kids an identity they'll carry for life. Catholic spice. Raise your glass.TOPICS COVEREDDave forgets the recording equipment thanks to "new baby syndrome," and logs an hour of windshield time driving back for itJoshua Niles at six days old, back to birth weight and sleeping three hours at a stretch, an unfairly easy babyLady Pamela still recovering, and a dad bathing the kids to take the load offThe aside on Irish twins, baby formula, and why breastfeeding affects fertilityElizabeth Niles getting blessed by Pope Leo, and which popes "bless with their kisses"Whiskey of the week: Saltire 14-year, an independent bottling distilled at Tomar, first-fill Oloroso sherry caskA Speyside that drinks salty, like saltwater taffy, and the mystery of "speckled chocolate milk"Dave's wheat experiment, tripling the planting and cutting it by hand with a scythe, and the open call for a small-scale wheat-farming expert to email the showThe broody-hen saga, abandoned eggs, four surprise chicks, and Adam's "apartment" trick for relocating broody hens at nightWhy the episode pivoted from a planned backbiting topic to living liturgicallyFrancis Weiser's Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs as a source for feast-day livingThe Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist on June 24thWhy the Church celebrates only three birthdays: Jesus, Mary, and John the BaptistThe tradition that all three were born free from original sin, and John sanctified in the womb at the VisitationWho John was: son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, Zechariah struck mute, "no one greater born of women"The small-t tradition that John's parents died young and he was raised in the desert by angelsJohn as the forerunner and the "best man" escorting the bride to Christ the BridegroomFifteen churches dedicated to John the Baptist in ancient Constantinople aloneJohn as patron of tailors, shepherds, and masons, and why each one fitsWhy June 24th: the summer solstice and "I must decrease so that He must increase" as a map of the soulThe real reason it's the 24th and not the 25th: the Roman calendar counting backward from the kalendsWeiser's pushback on the idea that the feast was a baptized pagan partyJust how high this feast ranked in the early Church: three Masses, abstaining from servile work, and a 14-day fast prescribed by a German synod in 1022The other two feasts of John: the Decollation (Aug 29) and the East's celebration of his conception (Sep 23)St. John Paul II on Christ as door, vine, mother hen, and actual BridegroomTier-one celebration: put feast days on your calendar and get to Holy MassJoseph Pieper on a true feast requiring the divine and abundanceFamily traditions like pierogies, and how they hand kids a Catholic and ethnic identityPraying the Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79) as a family and lighting a candleTier-two celebration: a bonfire on the eve, the three fires of the Catholic year, and feeding the kids crickets and honey sticksTier-three celebration: making the feast the anchor of your family's summer vacationREFERENCED IN THIS EPISODEBooks & Writings:Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs by Francis X. Weiser, S.J. (out of print; the episode's primary source)Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist by Brant Pitre (the best man / bridegroom imagery)Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Brant Pitre (recommended alongside it)The Gospel of Luke, chapter 1 (Zechariah and Elizabeth; the Benedictus, vv. 68-79; Gabriel telling Mary that Elizabeth is in her sixth month)Saints & Church Fathers:St. John the Baptist (the Nativity, June 24; the Decollation, Aug 29; the conception, Sep 23 in the East)St. Augustine (the tradition that John was sanctified in the womb)St. Joseph (referenced for his multiple feasts, including St. Joseph the Worker)St. Faustina and Divine Mercy Sunday (an example of a feast the Church raised up for the times)St. Louis de Montfort, True Devotion to Mary and the confraternity (the first-Saturday plenary indulgence)People:Adam Minihan (host; founder of M6 Marketing; writes The Grounded Builder on Substack)Dave Niles (host; Porter Prairie homestead)Lady Pamela Niles (recovering after the birth of baby Joshua)Joshua Niles (six days old) and the Niles children, including Joseph and ElizabethPope Leo (who blessed Elizabeth Niles) and Pope FrancisJoseph Pieper (Adam's private devotion; on the nature of a feast)St. John Paul II (Christ as Bridegroom)Programs & Institutions:Select International Tours (sponsor; the guys' pilgrimage company)SPONSOR BLOCKSponsor: Select International Tours: selectinternationaltours.comWhen Adam and Dave decided to lead their first pilgrimage, they asked around for who to work with, and one name came back over and over: Select International Tours. The best. Having used them now, the guys can attest to it. No matter where in the world you want to go, Select has a tour ready for you. Whether you want to lead a pilgrimage or attend one, do yourself a favor and head to selectinternationaltours.com to see everything they offer. You won't regret it.Amen App by the Augustine InstituteThe Amen app is the free Catholic prayer app that inspires your daily conversation with God through faithful meditations and nourishing Scripture. Please enjoy this latest offering from the Augustine Institute.

Opening: Joy evangelizes (and kids teach us)The “joyful demeanor” that opens doors to talking about Jesus (without getting weird).A godfather breakfast on a baptism anniversary becomes a living lesson in evangelization.“Five seconds” theology: most of our daily encounters are brief—so what do we do with them?The Thomistic pivot: Why life feels like a blurTime accelerates as you age; “someday” becomes a trap.Many men feel stuck for 10–15 years—spiritually, vocationally, relationally, and in work.The antidote isn’t bigger ambition—it’s better order.Aquinas on happiness: What won’t satisfyAquinas method: name the end (happiness), then rule out false ends.Wealth: money is a means, not a final end.Honor / reputation: depends on others; happiness must be stable and interior.Power: instrumental, addictive, and easily disguised as “leadership.”Pleasure: real and good, but cannot be the end—pleasure perfects an act, it doesn’t define the goal.The positive claim: What happiness actually isPerfect happiness is the vision of God (beatific vision).We can’t fully attain it in this life, but we can live an imperfect happiness by ordering our lives toward it.Key shift: beatitude, not optimization.Hierarchy of goods (practical framework for 2026)Three filters for any resolution:Is it ordered toward the highest good? (God, truth, contemplation)Does it support your vocation? (husband/father, priest, etc.)Does it treat lesser goods as means? (money, status, comfort serve the mission)Concrete resolutions (small, durable, lifelong)“Not huge shifts—small profitable habits that stick.”Guarding silence and adding a few more minutes of contemplative prayer.A reminder: you can “succeed” without prayer, but not in the way a Christian wants to succeed.The closing medicine: Gratitude slows timeGratitude grounds you in the present and breaks the “always next” mindset.Hard to stay bitter when you’re truly thankful.Cheers to Jesus—and to living the winning side like you mean it.

Ever wake up with that “today is the day” feeling, like you are ready to conquer the world? The guys start there, take a hard left into Pinky and the Brain, and somehow end up pondering what it was like when Christ rose from the dead. From there, it turns into a practical, tradition-packed episode on celebrating Christmas well. Not the Hallmark version, and not the American “Christmas ends on December 26” version either. The kind that actually follows the liturgical calendar, keeps Advent as Advent, and treats Christmas as a season, not a day.Along the way, they review a Taiwanese whiskey from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society, talk family customs that make the day feel grounded, and make a strong case for grandfathers and fathers to be the custodians of tradition. One of the best parts is a simple, doable challenge: take the 12 Days of Christmas seriously and mark the feast days with small, intentional practices your family will actually remember.In this episode:The “wake up and conquer the world” mood vs the day Christ resurrectedAdvent vs Christmas, and why our culture gets it backwardsWhy “Merry” used to mean more like blessed than happyMidnight Mass, caroling, real Christmas trees, and reading Luke before presentsA great grandfather tradition: gather the family and speak from the heartGifts for kids: fewer and meaningful vs abundance as a sign of the Father’s generosityThe 12 Days of Christmas, and the feast days that stack up fastSt. John’s Blessing of Wine and why you should do itA practical idea for the Holy Innocents: dads blessing their children out loudEpiphany water and why you should plan ahead to get it blessedWhiskey for the episode: Taiwanese whiskey (Scotch Malt Whisky Society pick), “Dunker’s Delight” style notes, 107 proof, with flavors like caramel and apple pie crust.Challenge for the week: Pick two feast days during the 12 Days of Christmas and do something small but real. Bless your kids, bless wine, invite someone over, go to Mass, or start a tradition worth keeping.

This episode is packed — saints, miracles, Marian devotion, vocations, fatherhood, fasting, silence, and the rise of a new generation of men hungry for God.Fr. Charbel, a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate, joins Adam and David in Tulsa along with first-class relics of St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Charbel, sharing powerful stories of faith, mission, intercession, and what young Catholic men are longing for today.IN THIS EPISODE1. Meet Fr. Charbel — his order, his mission, and why Marian consecration is centralFr. Charbel introduces the Franciscans of the Immaculate, an order founded to continue the Marian mission of St. Maximilian Kolbe:Total consecration to Mary as a fourth vowA spirituality built on St. Francis + St. MaximilianMissionary availability (“Send me anywhere in the world”)Heavy emphasis on prayer, poverty, obedience, and Marian devotionHe explains how Our Lady’s presence has shaped every major moment in salvation history — from Nazareth to the Cross — and why consecration gives Mary “permission” to form us the way she formed Christ.2. A surge of young men seeking GodAs the newly appointed vocations director, Fr. Charbel reveals something astonishing:40+ serious vocation inquiries in just two months.Why the sudden surge?Men want something realThey crave mission and purposeThey want orthodoxy and reverenceThey want a spirituality that demands something of themMarian devotion draws them in a unique way“It’s inspiring,” he says. “Young men want authenticity.”3. Stories of Divine Providence and the adventure of religious lifeThe guys talk about:The Franciscan blend of active + contemplativeThe thrill of trusting God with everythingPoverty that becomes a doorway to providenceWhy Franciscans never seem to fundraise (“God just provides”)Religious life, he says, is more adventurous than most men realize.4. Deep dive: Who is St. Charbel? Why is he exploding in popularity?St. Charbel Makhlouf, a Lebanese hermit, is becoming one of the most beloved saints of the century.Father explains why:Lived a hidden, humble, ascetic life23 years in community + 23 years as a hermitEntire life centered on the Holy EucharistBody discovered incorrupt with supernatural light rising from his tombOver 29,000 documented miracles since 1950Miracles among Muslims, Druze, Orthodox, and nonbelieversGlobal pilgrims: 2 million+ per yearOne stunning story:A Muslim sheikh publicly visited St. Charbel’s shrine to thank him for healing his mother of cancer.“Why would God confirm the life of a hermit who spent his life before the Eucharist,” Father asks, “unless the Eucharist is truly what the Church says it is?”5. Lessons from St. Charbel for modern men + fathersWhat does a hermit from Lebanon have to teach us? A lot.Fr. Charbel lays out practical takeaways:Faithfulness in the small thingsSilence — making space for God’s voiceDaily prayer even without consolationsObedience and humilityEucharistic devotionMarian devotion as a way of being formedAsceticism and fasting: dying to self in small waysDoing your duty with loveAs he says: “God doesn’t call you to be successful. He calls you to be faithful.”6. Mary, her titles, and how she draws men to ChristThe guys discuss:Why we must be unashamed of Marian devotionThe richness of her many titles:Mother of GodCause of Our JoyMother of Good CounselUndoer of KnotsSeat of WisdomWhy Marian consecration doesn’t distract from Jesus — it leads to HimWhy she is the “surest and quickest way” to holinessFr. Charbel emphasizes “You can never love her as much as Jesus already does.”7. Books, Resources, and Where to Find MoreFr. Charbel’s order publishes incredibly practical Marian books:“Preparation for Total Consecration” (33 days in the spirit of Maximilian Kolbe)“Beloved Disciple” — how to live your consecration daily“Rule of Life: St. Maximilian Kolbe’s personal spiritual notes” (brand new)Visit: AcademyOfTheImmaculate.comLearn about the order: MaryMediatrix.com

Opening: Setting the Record StraightNo, The Catholic Man Show isn’t joining The Daily Wire. A sincere congrats to Matt Fradd on taking Pints With Aquinas to a bigger platform—and a case for celebrating a brother’s success without the cynicism.Why Moves Like This MatterMedia realities, families to provide for, and why “selling out” is usually just a lazy take. Bigger reach can mean more souls reached—full stop.Pilgrimage Debrief: Rome, Florence, and AweFlorence surprises: the David, the Medici footprint, and why the city stole the show.Rome moments: St. Mary Major, the House of Loreto, and the joy of praying where the Holy Family lived.Padre Pio: devotion, controversy, and a frank take on the modern shrine aesthetic.A Feast-Day Field NoteSt. Hubert, patron of hunters, meets a proud dad moment: a 12-year-old’s first solo hunt, patience under pressure, and why rites of passage matter for boys.Main Topic: Obedience Without CaricatureAquinas on obedience: not the greatest virtue (charity is), but among the highest of the moral virtues because it orders us to the good.Catechism on authority (cf. 1897ff): authority is legitimate when it seeks the common good and respects moral law; unjust commands do not bind.Three “levels” of obedienceModern resistance to authority vs. Christian freedom: obedience is not blind; it’s charity and justice in action.Socrates, the Coliseum, and Costly WitnessA lively back-and-forth: unjust sentences, martyrdom, and whether courage sometimes looks like staying put.Fatherhood and the Pattern of ObedienceChildren learn reverence for God’s authority by seeing Dad obey the Church, pray when he doesn’t “feel like it,” and submit his will to the good.House rules and spiritual rule: why outside authority often works better than self-made resolutions.Community CornerThanks to patrons, cookies, and a few inside-baseball notes about keeping a niche Catholic show on the air without taking a dime personally.Key TakeawaysCelebrate good work when Catholic creators get a larger platform.Obedience isn’t weakness; it’s strength directed toward the highest good.Legitimate authority deserves assent; unjust commands do not.Fathers model obedience that forms a family’s conscience.Pilgrimage sharpens conviction—beauty and history catechize the heart.Mentioned in the EpisodeSt. Thomas Aquinas: Summa Theologiae, II–II, q.104 (obedience).Catechism of the Catholic Church: on authority and the common good (around 1897–1904).St. Hubert: patron saint of hunters.Padre Pio: witness of obedience amid misunderstanding.House of Loreto, St. Mary Major, Florence’s David: moments where beauty meets belief.