In this All Souls Day reflection, Christine Sellnow shares a deeply personal story of loss, grief, and God's comfort. After the sudden passing of her brother-in-law Danny, Christine found herself overwhelmed by sorrow while serving as a Catholic missionary in Romania. Through a providential encounter with fellow missionaries at a post office, she experienced God’s presence in a profound and unexpected way. Drawing from St. Paul’s words, “Hope does not disappoint,” Christine reminds us that God doesn’t just meet us at the end of our journey—He walks with us through every moment of pain and healing.

This episode is a powerful testament to how God proves his love for us in the quiet, ordinary moments, especially when we need him most.

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Christine grew up in farm country in Croswell, MI, but her family moved to Midland in 2001 and became active members at Assumption BVM Parish. She earned her bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame, with plans on becoming a human rights lawyer. After graduation, Christine spent 14 months in Romania as a Catholic missionary through Con-solatio, and learned first-hand that changing hearts is more transformational in the lives of individuals than changing laws. She has been working in ministry ever since. This is her 8th year serving as the Coordinator of Middle School Youth Ministry at Blessed Sacrament, and she loves finding creative ways to help the students grow in relationship with Jesus Christ. She and her husband, Kevin, have been married for 8 years, and they have two young daughters.

In this deeply personal and thought-provoking episode, Vicki Briggs revisits the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector from Luke’s Gospel—not with childhood simplicity, but with the complexity of adult faith. What begins as a familiar call to humility unfolds into a layered reflection on prayer, gratitude, spiritual discipline, and self-righteousness. Through honest questions and spiritual wrestling, she explores how discomfort with scripture can be a gift—an invitation to grow, to love more deeply, and to rely more fully on God’s grace. Join Vicki as she unpacks how this parable challenges us to move beyond rule-following into authentic relationship with God and others.

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Vicki grew up in Corpus Christi, Texas. She attended Catholic schools before moving to Austin to earn a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Texas. After graduating, she moved to Houston to work for Exxon Refining at Baytown. There she met Mike Briggs, a native of Midland. Mike returned to Midland to work for Dow Corning, and Vicki followed shortly thereafter. They were married here at Blessed Sacrament and have three children and eight grandchildren. Mike and Vicki lead a Small Faith Group and enjoy being active in our Midland community.

In this heartwarming and humorous episode, Christy Granda shares her journey from after-school yoga sessions to office-wide Planksgiving challenges—and how these physical feats mirror the spiritual strength found in community. Through laughter, sore muscles, and shared motivation, Christy draws a powerful parallel between her coworkers’ support and the biblical story of Moses, Aaron, and Hur during the battle against Amalek. Whether you're holding a plank or holding up a friend, this episode reminds us that we’re not meant to go it alone.

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Christy was born and raised in Bay City. She met her husband on a blind date and they worked briefly together at Dow when she was a co-op and he was a contractor. Soon after that their work paths diverged as she finished her degree in Elementary Special Education and he continued as a graphic designer. She worked as a Special Education teacher for 32 years before retiring and immediately jumped into her new role as Adult Faith Formation Coordinator. When asked about the differences between working with adults and children she might reply "so far, nobody has tried to kick, bite or scream at me." She and her husband have two adult children and have been members of Blessed Sacrament for the past 20 plus years.