What does it really mean for the Church to walk together — and what do Catholics in Brooklyn actually say they need? Fr. Joseph Gibino, pastor, vicar, deacon director, and co-director of Brooklyn's Synod on Synodality, pulls back the curtain on what the faithful are really asking for, and why the answer might surprise you. From family prayer to sacramental living to the radical act of listening without an agenda, this conversation is a hopeful, grounded look at where the Church is headed.

• "The synod was never about divisive political issues — it was about how we journey together as the Body of Christ." (00:05:30)
• The three things Catholics in Brooklyn said they needed most — and how they mirror what the English-speaking world was saying (00:02:30)
• Why Fr. Joe says "listen" and "silent" share the same letters — and what that means for the Church (00:11:00)
• How family catechesis could be the key to reinvigorating the institutional Church (00:16:00)
• The simple prayer Fr. Joe says every morning before his feet hit the floor (00:37:30)
• Why today's teenagers love service — and what that tells us about where the Spirit is moving (00:44:30)
• Fr. John Gribowich on why we're in a "liminal" moment in Church history — and Fr. Joe's stunning response (00:57:00)
• "The Eucharist is not a reward for good behavior." What it really is — and why that changes everything (00:59:30)

Fr. Joseph Gibino is pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Brooklyn Heights and administrator of St. James Cathedral. He serves the Diocese of Brooklyn as Vicar for Evangelization and Catechesis, Director of the Permanent Diaconate Program, and co-directed the Diocese's Synod on Synodality alongside Sister Mary Ann Seton LoPiccolo. He is also adjunct faculty at St. Joseph's Seminary and — by his own description — the diocese's chief "party planner" and wildfire put-outer.

• Synod on Synodality – Vatican Overview
• Diocese of Brooklyn
• Jubilee of Hope 2025 – Vatican
• Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe — referenced in the context of Latino Catholic communities shaping Brooklyn's pastoral identity
• Ignatian Examen (Nightly Examination of Conscience) — recommended by Fr. Joe as a nightly practice
• Neocatechumenal Way / ecclesial movements are mentioned as models for family faith formation
• Knights of Columbus — highlighted for their service work during the pandemic and with immigrant communities in Brooklyn

Start Praying as a Family — Where to Begin

Fr. Joe offers this simple on-ramp for families who feel disconnected from faith at home:

• Start with gratitude, not religion: "What are we thankful for today?"
• Try an Advent giving jar — brainstorm 30 simple acts of generosity as a family before December 1st
• Don't underestimate small acts: donating a meal's worth of money to a food bank, buying tube socks for a homeless shelter
• Evaluate at Christmas: How did we do?

The Three Things Brooklyn Catholics Said They Need

1. Better adult faith formation — people don't feel equipped to share their faith
2. More support for youth and young adult faith form...

• (00:00:00) - Meet the Diocese of Brooklyn Pastor Joe Gibino
• (00:01:48) - The Synod on Synodality
• (00:05:56) - The Real Synod: Real listening
• (00:11:37) - The Secret to Good Hearing
• (00:13:44) - The community of the Catholic Church
• (00:19:18) - How do we as families encounter each other?
• (00:23:57) - The Way to Evangelize
• (00:28:56) - DeSales on Contemplating Christ in the Middle of Crisis
• (00:35:39) - Responsibility to the World
• (00:39:00) - Protestants on Measurement and Data
• (00:48:31) - The Catholic experience of Millennials
• (00:49:29) - The Problem of Inventiveness
• (00:53:03) - Liminality and the challenges of the Christian age
• (01:00:40) - Religion to Reality: The Sacramentality of the World

What if the biggest obstacle to ministry isn't a lack of resources, programs, or content — but a missing system for actually knowing the people in front of you?

In this bonus episode, Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich sit down with Josh Packard, sociologist of religion and co-founder of Future of Faith, for a wide-ranging conversation about one of the most urgent challenges facing the Church today: how to do genuine relational ministry at scale.

Drawing on years of research data and his experience at Spring Tide Research Institute and NCEA, Josh explains why trust in institutions is collapsing — and why the only antidote is time spent in a real, consistent relationship. He introduces practical tools anyone can download free at futureoffaith.org, shares why Gen Z isn't "leaving the church" (their parents already did), and makes a compelling case for why AI will only make human connection more, not less, essential.

If you work in ministry, Catholic education, or any field that depends on reaching young people, this episode is required listening.

Josh Packard is a sociologist of religion and a former professor at the University of Northern Colorado, where he taught applied sociology. He was the founding executive director of Spring Tide Research Institute, one of the most respected sources of data on youth and faith in the United States. He is now co-founder of Future of Faith, a nonprofit dedicated to helping ministry leaders build scalable relational tools grounded in a theology of sacred listening.

1. Trust has collapsed — and that changes everything
2. Relational ministry needs a system, not just good intentions
3. The Text to Connect tool
4. Belonging before believing — and time before truth
5. Gen Z didn't leave — they were never there
6. The Church's strongest offering may be its most overlooked
7. AI will deepen — not solve — the relational challenge

• 0:00 — Introduction: Who is Josh Packard, and what is Future of Faith?
• 2:15 — The Core Problem: How do you do relational ministry at scale when people only trust what's right in front of them?
• 5:30 — The Free Tools: What the Future of Faith listening tools are and how to download them at futureoffaith.org.
• 10:30 — Text to Connect: A step-by-step walkthrough of the emoji-based check-in tool — and how a color-coded Google Sheet can transform youth ministry.
• 14:00 — The Youth Minister's Dilemma: A real-world portrait of a minister running on voice memos, Apple Notes, and reactive attention.
• 20:00 — Sacred Listening vs. Ministry with an Agenda: John challenges Josh: can you really listen without an end in mind?
• 23:30 — Time, Trust, Truth: The framework that flips the church's traditional approach: belonging before believing.
• .31:00 — Tarot, Crystals, and the Spiritual-but-not-Religious: Why young people are finding spiritual systems on TikTok that the Church hasn't figured out how to offer.
• 39:00 — Young People Aren't Leaving the Church: Josh pushes back: their parents left. The generation the Church is trying to reach was never there.
• 42:00 — The Church Is Answering Questions Nobody Is Asking: John on the disconnect between pulpit priorities and what young people actually need.
• 57:00 — AI and the Future of Trust: Why artificial intelligence will push the locus of trust lower — toward one-on-one relationships — and what that means for the Church.

For sharing on social media or in...

• (00:00:00) - Introduction
• (00:02:15) - The Core Problem
• (00:05:30) - The Free Tools
• (00:10:30) - Text to Connect
• (00:14:00) - The Youth Minister's Dilemma
• (00:20:00) - Sacred Listening vs. Ministry with an Agenda
• (00:23:30) - Time, Trust, Truth
• (00:31:00) - Tarot, Crystals, and Spiritual-but-not-Religious
• (00:39:00) - Young People Aren't Leaving the Church
• (00:42:00) - The Church is Answering Questions Nobody is Asking
• (00:57:00) - AI and the Future of Trust

What happens when the Church you love has also hurt you? For many Catholics, there's no safe space to hold both truths at once, until now. In this powerful bonus episode, hosts Dave Plisky and Fr. John Gribowich talk with Paul Fahey, licensed counselor, catechist, and host of the Third Space Podcast, to unpack what spiritual abuse really looks like, why so many Catholics unknowingly surrender their freedom, and how genuine listening may be the most prophetic act the Church can offer right now.

• Spiritual abuse — coercive or controlling behavior in a religious context — is far more widespread than most Catholics realize.
• Claiming something is a mortal sin for another person, or presenting personal opinion as Church teaching, are clear markers of spiritual coercion.
• The desire to surrender freedom to rules or authority is deeply human and easily exploited. Mature faith requires owning one's conscience.
• Using "the devil" as a scapegoat can itself become a mechanism of harm. True discernment leads to solidarity, not deflection.
• Success in ministry is not measured by numbers, but by whether someone experiences encounter, gains language for their experience, and knows they are not alone.
• The most prophetic gift Christians can offer today may simply be listening — without an agenda.

[00:00] — Introducing Paul Fahey Paul shares his background: eight years as a parish Director of Religious Education, husband and father of five, and now a licensed counselor in Michigan.

[01:30] — From Pope Francis Generation to The Third Space Paul co-founded the Pope Francis Generation Podcast with Dominic Dusa of Smart Catholics after unexpectedly leaving his parish job. As his work with abuse survivors deepened, he began noticing gaps between Pope Francis' teaching on human dignity and his governing decisions — prompting a full rebrand toward a podcast centered on Christ in the vulnerable and marginalized.

[06:00] — What Is "The Third Space"? Inspired by a conversation with mentor Monica Pope, Paul identified a void: survivors of Church harm are met either with Catholic defensiveness or with "why do you even stay?" The Third Space holds both — a place for people who want congruence between their experience of harm and their experience of good in the Church.

[07:45] — Who Is This Podcast For? Survivors of clerical sexual abuse, yes — but also the much broader category of spiritual abuse. Paul cites research from Dr. Lisa Oakley (UK) suggesting roughly 75% of Christians have experienced coercion or manipulation in their church communities. His audience is anyone harmed by the Church, and anyone with ears to hear the Gospel as told by those who've been hurt.

[10:00] — Why Podcasting? More than convenience — podcasting allows for live dialogue and spontaneous vulnerability that writing simply can't capture. Paul describes it as closer to leading RCIA or a small group than publishing an article.

[13:00] — Is the Church Doing Podcasting Well? A candid take on the lay-driven nature of Catholic media — and the troubling amount of spiritually harmful content circulating under the Catholic label. Bad Catholic content isn't poorly produced; it's content that misrepresents God, misrepresents the Church's teaching, and coerces consciences.

[16:30] — Defining Spiritual Abuse Paul walks through the core definition: a pattern of coercive or controlling behavior in a religious context, using spiritual authority to control others. Key markers include claiming something is a mortal sin for another person, presenting personal opinion as Church teaching, or using religious fear to manipulate beha...

• (00:00:00) - Introducing Paul Fahey
• (00:01:30) - From Pope Francis Generation to The Third Space
• (00:06:00) - What Is "The Third Space"?
• (00:07:45) - Who Is This Podcast For?
• (00:10:00) - Why Podcasting?
• (00:13:00) - Is the Church Doing Podcasting Well
• (00:16:50) - Defining Spiritual Abuse
• (00:22:00) - The Appeal of Surrender
• (00:25:00) - Father John's "Fenced Playground" Story
• (00:28:00) - Spiritual Warfare, Fear, and the Devil as Scapegoat
• (00:39:30) - Scripture, Tradition, and Experience in Tension
• (00:43:00) - How Paul Measures Success
• (00:47:00) - "The Glory of God Is Man Fully Alive"
• (00:48:30) - What Surrender Looks Like in Paul's Life
• (00:51:00) - Is Spiritual Abuse Perennial or New?
• (00:55:30) - The Prophetic Act of Listening