Episodes

Stephanie and Anne take a deep dive into what Catholic school and CCD taught them about life after death. A young Steph imagined a cloudy heaven that was harp-filled and toga-forward. Anne realizes how the Wizard of Oz impacted her early view of the afterlife. The hosts also launch into their own lapsed Catholic version of #yesyesno as they struggle to make sense of a Catholic-adjacent tweet involving #depop, #coquettegirlies and #cleangirlaesthetic (#eldermillenialsareconfused). This episode al...

Steph and Anne are back with Season 2 of Lapsed! Steph discusses one rather big development in her life (hint: he’s adorable and shares a name with a very Jesuit saint). The hosts also catch up on several months of Catholic news, including Francis updates, newly Catholic celebrities (we’re looking at you, Shia LaBeouf), and Catholic references in the media (oh hey, A League of Their Own). This episode may or may not be peppered with some super cute baby noises. LINKS Pope Francis says he may “...

The hosts grapple with their feelings around the recent Dobbs ruling. Steph dishes on the Kardashian’s recent brush with Catholic aesthetics even though by all accounts they practice…Kardashianism? Anne recalls that one time as a kid when she accidentally stumbled into a Protestant Vacation Bible School. The hosts announce they’re going extra lapsed for summer. LINKS How Catholicism Became a Meme Bishop says school flying BLM, LGBTQ flags can no longer call itself Catholic COLLECTION BASKET: A...

The hosts catch up on ***Catholicism IN THE NEWS****. Steph dishes on Francis’s drink of choice. Anne is jazzed that some Catholic bishops are starting to speak out about gun control legislation…until Steph totally (rightfully) harshes her mellow. Anne also fangirls over a fellow progressive, midwestern, redhead “straight, white, Christian, suburban mom" and does her best to sniff out Catholic influences in Disney. The hosts come to the striking realizing that no one in the Western world knew ho...

An Interview With Nate Tinner-Williams of Black Catholic Messenger You’ve probably heard of a pandemic marriage or a pandemic move, but what about a pandemic Catholic convert/seminarian/nonprofit founder/writer? In this episode, the hosts chat with someone who checks all of these boxes and more. Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger, a nonprofit media publication covering stories of interest to African-American Catholics. He is also a seminarian with the Jose...

Hey listeners. Some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that we don't have a new episode this week. The good news? We want to hear from you! So much of what we talk about on this show is rooted in parts of the Catholic church we've had trouble making sense of. So now it’s your turn. Which parts of Catholicism did you or do you find confusing or difficult to understand? This could be a funny story from childhood, or a right-now story about a part of the Church that you'll just never ma...

There are scary things happening in the US right now, and Anne and Steph are working on unpacking it, lapsed Catholic style. Listen in as they recount what they were and weren’t taught in Catholic school about pregnant people’s rights to control their own bodies. Along the way they do manage some levity….like when they learn of the 9 sins that will get you kicked out of the church (hint: don’t punch the pope). The hosts also learn some fun new definitions. COLLECTION BASKET: https://www.planned...

Ruler-wielding tyrants or holy social justice warriors? Join the Anne and Steph as they attempt to sort out their feelings about nuns and religious sisters (and the difference between the two). COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to support Kina Collins for Congress. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast) Instagram (@lapsedpodcast) and Facebook. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Tell your fr...

Anne and Steph serve up some Holy Week and Easter realness as they talk palms, confession, stations of the cross, itchy tights and egg hunts. Grab a chocolate bunny and tune in. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to the Chi Nations Youth Council. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast) Instagram (@lapsedpodcast) and Facebook. Subscribe. Rate. Review. Tell your friends! Pope...

It’s our 20th Episode! Stephanie and Anne take some time to reflect on what they’ve learned, what has surprised them, and what they dream of moving forward. The hosts also talk wordle and a Dan Brown-eque conspiracy theory involving the Pope, Russia, and the Virgin Mary. It’s a doozy. COLLECTION BASKET: We invite you to donate to the UN Refugee Agency. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast) ...

Stephanie and Anne sit down with writer, and advocate, and racial justice educator ShaRhonda Knott-Dawson. ShaRhonda is a “taco enthusiast, a proud member of the Beyhive, and truly believes that she will be receiving her letter from Hogwarts any day now.” She’s also the self-proclaimed “most Catholic non-Catholic in the world.” ShaRhonda chats with the hosts about her decidedly non-Protestant love of Marian theology, the sensory experience of Catholic Mass, and how the “idolatry” of Catholicism ...

The hosts talk all things LENT as they spill the tea (the Communion wine?) on Ash Wednesday, fasting, giving things up, and fish fry Fridays. Stephanie explains why her dad is legitimately the King of Lent (there is ice cream involved). Anne explains the intricacies of how Irish Catholics manage to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day to its fullest despite the Lenten season. This episode also includes a Harry Potter reference. COLLECTION BASKET: In memory of actor Lindsey Pearlman, we invite you to don...

The hosts are beyond excited to welcome actor, photographer, friend, and fellow former Catholic school kid Matthew Scott onto the show! Matthew recounts stories of being a queer theater kid who had no real beef with the Catholic Church but just…wasn’t that into her? Matthew, Anne and Steph talk Catholic-style high school musicals (NO to references to teen pregnancy, YES to nuns in the audience); the calisthenics involved in the Stations of the Cross; and that time Matthew leveraged his acting sk...

The hosts welcome their first Catholic priest onto the show…and she’s a woman! Fr. Anne Tropeano is a Roman Catholic Womanpriest who is committed to seeing women welcomed into the priesthood within her lifetime. She has a deep love of the Society of Jesus, earned a Master of Divinity from Jesuit School of Theology, and has worked in multiple parishes in the Jesuits West Province. While many have understandably walked away from the Roman Catholic Church, Father Anne chooses to obey the Holy Spiri...

The hosts give detailed accounts of what leaving the Church looked like for each of them. One of the hosts makes a VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT that would probably make a certain cranky pope very happy. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to support voting rights at https://fairfight.com/. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast) Instagram (@lapsedpodcast) and Facebook. Subscribe. Rate. Review...

Anne talks with author Monica Dux! Monica is a writer, columnist, and social commentator. She’s also the author of Lapsed, “the story of one woman’s attempt to exorcise her religious upbringing.” You can learn more about Monica here. Then go BUY MONICA’S BOOK HERE. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to support https://www.foodbank.org.au/ Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast) In...

This week the hosts talk Catholicism and Christmas memories! Stephanie reveals the carol for which she would sell her soul to the devil in order to be able to sing well (and nearly suggests a certain church choir should maybe have considered such things). Anne recounts the time she got to walk down the aisle at midnight Mass in a green velvet dress, though she’s still salty that she didn’t get to carry the baby Jesus. The hosts deal with the emotional turmoil of some debunked Christmas Story myt...

The hosts take a deep dive into the history of Your Lady and mine, the Blessed Virgin Mary (aka Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow, aka Star of the Sea, aka Queen of Angels, and and and…). Steph makes some shocking discoveries about where Original Sin supposedly derives from (hint: it has to do with men, but don’t worry, it’s still women’s fault). Anne draws parallels between the Blessed Virgin and Dolly Parton. The hosts both admit to having a soft spot for Mary, minus most of the virginity stuff. C...

This week the hosts share their Confirmation names and then hear from listeners about the names they chose! Stephanie gives off some serious pagan goddess vibes. Anne shocks Steph with her own grand name reveal. The hosts discover the 1970 hit that apparently inspired a heck of a Confirmation name trend, though confusingly in the late 90’s/early 00’s. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to contribute to the Sweet Rest Project. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapse...

Stephanie reminisces about how her grandma’s car was decked out with Catholic paraphernalia. Anne points out that guardian angels sound a heck of a lot like New Age-y "spirit guides." The hosts lament how angels are always depicted as white and Barbie-esque. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we once again invite you to donate to the Equal Justice Initiative. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast...

Stephanie is all aflutter at Francis’s talk of social justice. Anne nerds out over the concept of structural sin. A charming listener invites the hosts to rate her hypocrisy on a scale of 1 to “Pope Francis claiming to be an LGBT ally.” The hosts are also tired. Like, really, really tired. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to the Equal Justice Initiative. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on ...

Stephanie and Anne talk Catholic school and sex ed….or lack thereof. Steph laments that she never became a mathematician, and all because of lack of adequate sexual education. Anne waxes poetic about the universal human desire to nom babies’ toes. The hosts get peeved at the church. Like, really peeved. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to the West Fund. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Tw...

Stephanie and Anne answer questions from listeners! Stephanie leverages her Catholic knowledge to master crossword puzzles. Anne fangirls over beloved lapsed Catholic musician Alanis Morissette. The hosts bond over a shared love of sauerkraut. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to Refugees International. Share your stories, thoughts, and questions with us at lapsedpodcast@gmail.com or at www.lapsedpodcast.com Follow us on Twitter (@lapsedpodcast) Instagram (@lapsedpodcast) and ...

Stephanie and Anne go head to head in this *epic showdown* between CCD and Catholic School. ….just kidding! The hosts keep things extraordinarily amicable as they compare notes on their religious education experiences. Steph got out of being grounded by memorizing a prayer. Anne enjoyed passing retired nuns in hallways. This episode also includes a pretty solid Catholic joke. COLLECTION BASKET: This week we invite you to donate to Women for Afghan Women. Share your stories, thoughts, and quest...