What does authentic prayer look like in the digital age? Monica Martinez, Parish Lead at Hallow, shares her powerful journey from a teenager who stopped going to Mass to becoming a passionate advocate for healing through faith. In this deeply personal conversation, Monica discusses how prayer evolved from a childhood habit into a transformative relationship, why apps like Hallow are helping people discover faith safely, and how the modern Church can create genuine spaces for encounter. Whether you're exploring prayer for the first time or seeking to deepen your spiritual life, this episode offers practical wisdom on listening, silence, and meeting God in the everyday moments.

Monica's Journey to Healing

• How family struggles with divorce and alcoholism sparked a lifelong search for healing (2:00)
• The pivotal 21st birthday moment that changed everything (4:00)
• Why healing isn't a one-time event but a continuous journey

Prayer Apps and Digital Spirituality

• Why 43% of Hallow users aren't Catholic—and what that reveals about modern faith seeking (6:00)
• The "safety factor" of digital prayer: exploring faith without vulnerability (7:00)
• Balancing prayer apps with authentic relationship: avoiding the "streak" mentality (10:00)

The Evolution of Prayer

• From rote prayers to relationship: Monica's transformation (22:00)
• The freedom that comes from trusting the Holy Spirit (21:00)
• Why "Come Holy Spirit" is about perception, not summoning (31:00)

Listening in Prayer

• What makes someone a good listener in prayer—and in life (26:00)
• The challenge and importance of silence (28:00)
• Practical advice for entering contemplative prayer (30:00)

Prayer Styles and Traditions

• Why different forms of prayer reflect God's creativity (35:00)
• The unity found in memorized prayers across cultures (36:00)
• When to use rote prayers vs. spontaneous meditation (37:00)

Modern Evangelization

• Creating welcoming parish environments post-COVID (39:00)
• Why the Eucharist might not be the best first entry point (42:00)
• The importance of accompanying seekers with gentleness (47:00)
• Learning to meet people where they are, not where we think they should be (50:00)

Monica Martinez serves as Parish Lead at Hallow, the #1 Catholic prayer app, where she partners with parishes across the country to deepen prayer lives. Previously, she worked as Associate Director for Alpha in the Catholic context and served in diocesan ministry. Monica's work is driven by her personal experience of healing through faith, particularly her journey through family struggles with divorce and alcoholism. She travels nationally leading missions focused on prayer, evangelization, and creating spaces for authentic conversation about faith.

On Prayer and Relationship:

"Prayer is not so much something I'm doing, it's something I'm allowing to be done to me. When I'm tired, it's not that I'm too tired to pray—I need you, Lord, to help me rest." — Monica Martinez (23:00)

On Digital Tools:

"You don't need an app to pray, but you also don't need a trainer to get fit. But it really does help to learn the right form and not hurt yourself." —Monica Martinez (7:00)

On Healing:

"When you encounter that relationship, when you encounter healing, there's nothing left for you to do but help other...

• (00:02:00) - Monica's journey through healing
• (00:06:00) - Why prayer apps resonate today
• (00:26:00) - How to become a better listener in prayer
• (00:35:00) - Traditional vs. contemplative prayer: both have value
• (00:38:00) - Evangelization in the modern parish
• (00:50:00) - Meeting people with compassion, like Jesus on the Road to Emmaus

In this bonus episode of Religion to Reality, hosts Dave Plisky and Father John Gribowich sit down with Catholic educator and mindfulness teacher, Kathy Lorentz, to explore how prayer is far more than just words. It's about cultivating awareness of God's presence throughout every moment of our lives.

Kathy shares her journey from playing the Blessed Mother in a touring play at age 16 to becoming a theology teacher who works with students from preschool through adulthood. Her approach to prayer challenges traditional notions, revealing how attention, gratitude, and presence can transform mundane moments into sacred encounters.

Listen now to discover how you can develop a deeper prayer life without adding more to your to-do list.

The Nature of Prayer and Attention (03:00-09:00)

• Why prayer isn't just an activity but an awareness of God's presence
• The profound connection between attention and prayer: "Attention taken to its highest degree is the same thing as prayer" (Simone Weil)
• How attention works like a spotlight—you can only focus on one thing at a time
• Understanding that "attention is a muscle" that strengthens with practice

Navigating the Digital Age Mindfully (09:00-12:00)

• Practical strategies for teaching high school students to manage digital distractions
• The importance of turning off notifications and using "do not disturb" mode intentionally
• Helping students recognize the preciousness of time through journaling their digital habits
• How to be fully present whether in prayer or conversation

Prayer Practices for Everyday Life (12:00-19:00)

• Using gratitude as a form of prayer—finding three or four meaningful moments each day
• The comfort and power of repetitive prayers like the Hail Mary (Kathy prays it up to 50 times daily)
• Creating "mindfulness bells" throughout your day—doorways, meals, car rides as prayer opportunities
• Prayer while driving past struggling communities: holding people in compassionate love

The Importance of Intentional Prayer Time (20:00-23:00)

• Why setting aside dedicated time for prayer matters, even when we know life itself is prayer
• The transformative power of beginning your day with five minutes of prayer
• How communal and structured prayer (like in monasteries) can form us
• The blessing of working in theology education, where prayer is built into the day

Praying for Others (23:00-26:00)

• What it means to hold people in prayer without imposing our will
• Why Kathy rarely prays for specific outcomes: "I don't have the wisdom to know what a suffering someone needs."
• The sacredness of simply blessing others: "God bless you. May God bless you."
• Understanding your presence itself as prayer when you carry the Holy Spirit with you

Misconceptions About Prayer (26:00-29:00)

• How gratitude, acts of service, and caring attention are all forms of prayer
• Meister Eckhart's wisdom: "If all you said was thank you, that would be prayer enough."
• Why telling young people “You don't get to choose" whether you're spiritual—it's part of being human
• Moving beyond seeing prayer as separate from the rest of life toward integration

Cultivating Awe and Wonder (29:00-34:00)

• How science and spirit aren't opposites—the experience of awe bridges both
• Dacher Keltner's research: we need 50 experiences of awe per day, not just 2-3
• Using "awe workshops" to help students recognize sacred moments
• Einstein's wisdom: "Never lose a holy cu...

• (00:03:00) - The Nature of Prayer and Attention
• (00:09:00) - Navigating the Digital Age Mindfully
• (00:12:00) - Prayer Practices for Everyday Life
• (00:20:00) - The Importance of Intentional Prayer Time
• (00:23:00) - Praying for Others
• (00:26:00) - Misconceptions About Prayer
• (00:29:00) - Cultivating Awe and Wonder
• (00:35:00) - The Power of the Rosary
• (00:37:00) - Generational Changes and COVID's Impact
• (00:41:00) - The Practice of Listening

What does it really mean to live an integrated faith life? In this powerful bonus episode, Father John Gribowich sits down with Cindy Black, a 26-year veteran of Catholic ministry, for an intimate conversation about discovering God in unexpected places and people.

Cindy shares her compelling journey from a "porta crib Catholic" who rarely attended Mass to becoming a passionate minister serving in youth ministry, diocesan leadership, Catholic radio, and parish evangelization. But this isn't just another conversion story, it's a profound exploration of how God shows up in bar conversations with atheists, friendships with those the church has wounded, and the sacred space of simply listening without agenda.

Through raw honesty and vulnerability, Cindy and Father John tackle the messy realities of ministry today moving beyond "winning arguments" to genuine encounter, and recognizing that every person, regardless of their beliefs or lifestyle, reveals something about the mystery of God's love.

If you've ever felt that your strongest encounters with God happened outside traditional church settings, or if you're wrestling with how to authentically love people the church has marginalized, this conversation will resonate deeply.

Finding Faith Through Witness (0:00 - 7:00)

• Cindy's journey from occasional Mass attendance to active faith
• The transformative influence of her Catholic grandparents
• How her grandparents embodied Theology of the Body before it was taught
• The moment she encountered God's love while holding her newborn daughter

From Relational Ministry to Radical Love (7:00 - 14:00)

• The Christ Renew His Parish retreat that changed everything
• Moving beyond "relational ministry with an ulterior motive"
• Understanding that truth isn't moral ideals—it's a Person whose identity is love
• Encountering God through unexpected friendships at a bar

God in the Margins (14:00 - 22:00)

• Father John's reflection on the Eucharist as lens for seeing God everywhere
• Why the strongest encounters with God often happen outside church structures
• The sacredness of face-to-face conversation in a dehumanized world
• Suffering as the great unifier across political and religious divides

Accompaniment Over Conversion (22:00 - 31:00)

• Moving from "winning arguments" to walking alongside people
• The complex pastoral situation of accompanying a trans individual seeking baptism
• What baptism really means when we don't fully understand how grace works
• Simone Weil's paradox: refusing baptism to avoid separating herself from others

Formation as Transformation (31:00 - 40:00)

• What faith formation really means (hint: it's not just theology classes)
• Avoiding the "consumer Catholic" trap
• Why the disciples didn't need seminary degrees to transform the world
• Interior integration versus compartmentalization

The Art of Accompaniment (40:00 - 52:00)

• Pope Francis's call to "remove our sandals at the sacredness of the other"
• How a barber brought four people to faith this year
• Treating every interaction—even with store clerks—as eternal encounter
• The prophetic practice of listening without agenda

Cindy Black has served in Catholic ministry for 26 years across multiple roles including youth ministry director, diocesan director of youth and young adult ministry (9 years), Catholic radio station team member (8 years), and currently serves in the Office of Evangelization at her home parish in Indi...

• (00:00:00) - Finding Faith Through Witness
• (00:07:00) - From Relational Ministry to Radical Love
• (00:14:00) - God in the Margins
• (00:22:00) - Accompaniment Over Conversion
• (00:31:00) - Formation as Transformation
• (00:40:00) - The Art of Accompaniment