Feeding Fathers

All Saints Day is almost here, so is Halloween, but what does it actually mean to be a saint? Especially when the saints themselves weren’t perfect and still sinned?

In this episode, Fr. Simon sits down with the monks to talk about sainthood in an honest and realistic way. They get into why the monastic life (poverty, chastity, and obedience) is the full picture of what every baptized person is called to, how prayer isn’t “doing nothing,” and why some people still think monks are wasting their lives.

They also talk about the little way of doing small things with great love, what surrender actually looks like (vs. just submitting), and how the domestic family is a church.

Plus, they respond to the common accusation that venerating relics is idolatry, share some thoughts on Chaldean saints (who are almost all martyrs), and play a ridiculous “Saint Auction” game. It’s a real conversation about living the call to holiness in ordinary life, not just for monks and priests.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Br. Sinan Salem, Fr. Augustine Joseph

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00:00 What Makes a Saint
04:32 Prayer Before Ministry
07:44 Work Culture vs Prayer
09:59 Sanctity in Family Life
12:45 Works Without Christ
18:21 Surrender Not Submission
23:52 Universal Call to Holiness
28:41 Domestic Church Mission
34:36 Quiet Holiness Examples
37:14 Martyr Saints Legacy
41:52 The Little Things
47:11 France Pilgrimage
54:55 "Saint Auction" Game
59:48 Relics Idolatry Debate

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Some of us got back from Rome, and the Chaldean Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica still feels unreal.

That experience is a great segue into the question of whether Eastern Catholics sold out the second we entered union with Rome? Have Chaldean Catholics stopped being the Church of the East?

We also critique fear-based claims that horror is sinful, and briefly discuss Fr. Ripperger’s one-year media “fast” agreed upon with his bishop.

Featuring: Fr. Andrew Younan, Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Tristan Farida, Fr. Christopher Somo

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00:00 Eastern Catholics And Rome
03:06 Chaldean Mass at St Peter's Basilica 
05:35 Italian Food & McDonald's
07:35 Coffee Break
09:24 Orthodox Churches Overview
11:18 "Sellout" Accusations
13:48 Vatican II And Tradition
16:04 Authority And Papacy Debate
19:20 How Synods Choose Bishops
25:15 Online Toxicity And Common Ground
28:46 Union Without Losing Identity
33:01 Chaldean vs Latinization
37:15 Devotions Like the Rosary
42:03 A New Sin Just Dropped
49:25 Ripperger Silence
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As you can see, this is a very special and unique episode of "Feeding Fathers" where Andrew Hermiz, executive director of Qurbana Media, sits down with Fr. Daniel Shaba to answer the questions a lot of us actually have: what even is a synod, and why does this upcoming Chaldean one matter so much?

It’s been a historic week for the Chaldean Church. The Patriarch celebrated an ecclesial Communion Mass with Cardinal Tagle (representing Pope Leo), and the Chaldean liturgy was offered inside St. Peter’s Basilica with nearly every Chaldean bishop, many priests, and faithful from around the world present. With the bishops gathered at the Vatican, the synod now begins.

This synod is Patriarch Paulus Nona III's first and it will help set the direction for a Church where most of us now live outside Iraq.

We talk about how bishops actually get elected, what the synod can and can’t decide on liturgy and language, the age-limit rule that changed under Pope Francis, and why lots of rumors and gossip, unfortunately, surround synods.

If you’ve been hearing names and theories in the group chat, hopefully we can prepare you for what to realistically expect. Pray for God’s will, for the Patriarch, and for the whole Chaldean Church.

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00:00 Intro
03:04 What Is a Synod
05:47 Synod Powers and Scope
10:01 Patriarch's Election
12:23 Rome Synod Significance
18:15 Bishops and Vatican Role
21:09 Who Gets a Vote
22:59 Italian Food and Liturgical Caps
25:22 Pray and Avoid Gossip
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Every October the same clips show up on your feed:

- Halloween is the highest day on the Satanic calendar.
- Dressing up is drinking from the cup of demons.
- Trick or treating is a pagan practice.
- A kid in a Spider-Man costume is practically witchcraft.

We watched a few of those and tried to answer the actual question they skip: is it wrong, or are we just assuming it is and then preaching at the assumption?

All Hallows' Eve is the vigil of All Saints' Day. We distinguish innocent kids dressing as superheroes and getting candy from genuinely sinful or tempting environments like immodest Halloween parties, and emphasize that spiritual warfare is primarily resisting everyday sins (lust, pride, envy), not fearing costumes.

We discuss how Catholics can “Christianize” cultural practices (like carving pumpkins with saint images), and note American culture tends to overshadow the saints. The episode includes S-tier Halloween candy rankings, favorite costumes, haunted houses, and a request for prayers for the upcoming Chaldean Synod.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Fr. Andy Younan, Fr. Augustine Joseph, Fr. Daniel Shaba

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00:00 Halloween Christian Debate
01:04 Safety and Clickbait
03:28 Anti-Halloween Claims
09:19 Superheroes and Moral Imagination
12:08 "Spiritual Battle" Is Misunderstood
15:59 Immodesty Parties vs Kids
17:01 Freedom Not Fear
20:07 Costumes and Witchcraft
21:17 Christianizing Culture
23:54 Candy Tier List
28:18 Our Best Halloween Costumes
31:57 Pray for Chaldean Synod

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Somebody online says they’re Catholic, then tells you this is a sin, this is the tradition, and this is what the Church has always done. How are you supposed to know if that’s actually true?

We get into the part most Catholic content skips: what the Magisterium actually is, why an encyclical isn’t automatically dogma, and why “the Church teaches” is a much smaller category than your feed makes it.

Using examples like receiving Communion in the hand vs. on the tongue and prayer after Communion, we critique absolutist online claims and highlight how customs, rubrics, intention, and circumstances matter when evaluating whether something is sinful.

We also address AI and impersonation scams, including fake priest accounts and AI-generated content, urging discernment about whether content draws viewers toward Christ or fuels anger and attachment to influencers.

Featuring: Fr. Simon Esshaki, Abbot Ankido Sipo, Fr. Chris Somo, Fr. Tristan Farida

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00:00 Who Speaks for the Church
00:27 Coffee and Milk Debate
04:03 What Makes Catholic Content Trustworthy
06:21 Ordinary vs Extraordinary Teaching
08:24 Hand or Tongue for Communion?
10:35 Prayer After Communion Controversy
13:15 "Our Father" Gestures
17:28 Custom Tradition and Innovations
21:52 "Is This a Sin?" Culture
27:13 Church Teaching vs Opinion
31:00 Impersonators and AI Scams
36:48 Discernment for Catholic Media
37:42 Faith in Sports

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