For our first full episode of Season 8, we are humbled to welcome Bishop Brendan Cahill of the Diocese of Victoria, TX. Bishop Cahill was recently elected chairman of the Committee on Migration for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which he will assume in November 2025. He shares from his life experience that has drawn him to encounters with other cultures, from studying the theology of African-American Catholics to working with migrants at a Catholic Worker House in Houston. He encourages all of us to seek out dialogue and encounter, like going to Mass in another language, so that we might discover the ways in which we are united more than divided.

Brian and Joe open up the new season by talking about changes that took place on the border with the start of a new presidential administration. Brian shares the story of Jazmín, who had come up to the border with her brother and young daughter on January 20th with an appointment to legally enter the U.S. It was only when they approached the bridge that they learned that their appointment had been canceled. Reflecting on his conversation with Jazmín, who was so distraught, Brian talks about how we share in each other’s pain as fellow members of the Body of Christ. Joe reflects on the unity we encounter in the liturgy as we celebrate our shared faith. By incorporating a Haitian Creole hymn into Masses at migrant shelters, Joe was struck by the way Haitian participants came to life as they joined in song and how it enriched the experience for everyone.